5 (or 6) Bites to Eat in Chicago

There’s about a million restaurants in Chicago and if you ask for a recommendation, you’d get as many opinions on which is the best. So to add to that list, here’s my 2 cents on a few delicious bites that I tasted during my days in Chicago.

Pizza - deep-dish Chicago style pizza – is a given.  I imagine asking a Chicagoan where’s the best pizza is like asking a Marylander who has the best crabcakes.  I had a spinach personal size pizza from Giordano’s at Navy Pier (there’s a restaurant and a stand). And while in O’Hare, I enjoyed a cheese pizza from Reggio’s (Concourse C – not sure if they are near other gates, too.)  Be ready for the carb and cheese overload and enjoy.

You can't pass up a deep-dish Chicago pizza

Okay, now on to other food.

Popcorn. Specifically – Garrett’s Chicago Mix. A bag of the caramel corn and cheese mix is a Chicago must-taste. It’s a unique blend of sweet, sticky caramel and lick your fingers cheesy. (The first time I had it, I thought someone messed up the bag.) Once you are within a block of a shop, you’ll smell the hot burnt sugar sweetness. I also got a bag of the caramel with pecans (other nuts are also available) – it’s like a grown-up bag of Cracker Jacks.  For travel, I would recommend the caramel – it keeps better than the cheese or butter.

Get it while it's hot... caramel and cheese popcorn

Mini churros & sweet cream cheese sauce. Fried dough – enough said, right? Churros require a special crispiness, hot (as in warm) but not burn your tongue hot, and sweetness. Add a sweet dip – this one was a cream cheesy; I usually go with chocolate, but this was a yummy different option.  And a cup of coffee – it was the beginning of a great brunch at GT Fish & Oyster.

Churro's in Chicago. Yep.

Kimchi as condiment. I have eaten this fermented cabbage (or other vegetable) native food of Korea all my life. However, I generally eat it with rice, noodles, and Korean or other Asian food. I have never thought to eat it as a condiment on a sandwich or any “American” food.  I had an Oyster Po-Boy with Kimchi (all those yummy words together, how could it go wrong?) at GT Fish & Oyster.  At BellyQ, there was a Warm Potato Kimchi Salad – which I didn’t try, because I didn’t like all those words together, but was intrigued by the idea.  I did however, ask and receive a side of kimchi, which was pretty good.  (I’ll have to do a post on kimchi one of these days.  More later.)

I don't know whose idea it was to put Kimchi on a sandwich.

Grits. I really didn’t plan on feeding my grits-hunger while in Chicago, but I guess there is a touch of southern heritage here (read TheWarmth of Other Suns).  At BellyQ I had Coconut Grits. You like Coconut Rice? Ahh, they coulda slid some slices of mangos on it and had a whole new addictive food. (No pics, sorry, but it was good.)  I also had Shrimp & Grits, because as I mentioned in my Charlotte food post, it’s one of my favorite dishes. I had this bowl, with a more tomato soup taste with a kick, at GT Fish & Oyster for brunch.

Shrimp & Grits. This one up north in Chicago.

Fried deviled eggs. Because. It was deviled eggs. And it was fried. What could go wrong. Nothing.  Except you only get one.  At ThePurple Pig. Yes, as a vegetarian, you can find a good meal at a place with “pig” in it’s name.  Try the calamari with Fregola.  As a carnivore, particularly a pork-ivore, you will find a lot of interesting plates, including the Pig Platter.

Fried deviled egg. Crispy, hot, creamy.

Can I add one more? Because how can I do a food list without some chocolate?  From a foodtruck!  I had a chocolate cheesecake cupcake with chocolate frosting (feel that in your sweet tooth?) from Chicago Cupcakes.  The truck was at Jackson Park, near the Museum of Science and Industry, when I got my fix, but the guy said they are usually downtown and you can check Twitter to find them on any given day. Check them out.

Chocolate Cupcakes. What else do you need to know?

Note that I traveled to all of these restaurants (except the food truck and O’Hare) from my stay at the Hyatt on Wacker Dr. by foot or by bike. So when you go to Chicago, take your walking shoes.

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5 Things to Eat in Austin

Texas - southwest, Tex/Mex cuisine. That's easy. So I won't even go into why this is the food of choice while in Texas, I'll just share a few bites of my food while in Austin for a few days.

I had tacos, chips & salsa, tacos, rice and black beans for two meals, two different restaurants, they were both good.

First, I went to Guero's on South Congress Ave. - a short walk right down the street from Allen's Boots, where I picked up a pair of cowboy boots!  These few blocks on South Congress Ave. are an interesting shopping area, not too far from downtown, a $6-7 cab-ride from the Convention Center.  There are some unique shops - jewelry, antiques, vintage clothing. Nice for window shopping, and if you're in the mood to do actual shopping, it's a good variety.  But, back to the food.

I got chips and salsa - the green pepper-y salsa is not for the lightweights. It is spicy, but delicious.  I also had fish tacos; with bites of tilapia, the tacos were filled with a crunchy mix of cabbage and an option of flour (my choice) or corn tortillas.  The fish was seasoned really well, a nice flavorful taste.

My other meal was at Iron Cactus on Sixth Street.  Originally Pecan Street, named for a native nut as most of the parallel streets were named when the streets were first mapped out, its a quaint stretch of shops and restaurants by day and the "Dirty Six" as one of the shop cashier's said that locals refer to it on weekend nights.  We did walk a few blocks on Saturday night and it is a walking party, which I knew I was too old for!  The salsa I preferred here was a fire-roasted tomato salsa that's served warm - spicy and delicious.  I had shrimp tacos with grilled tortillas; this grilling added a kick of flavor.  But really what set this meal off was the black beans. Usually, you get the beans and rice as the normal side and it's as good as expected. Not sure what exactly they did to these black beans but they were really really good, flavorful, a little spicy, but not real hot.  These beans and rice would be enough of a meal.

With my meals of course I had to have some liquid refreshment.  At the Iron Cactus I had the Blood Red Orange Margarita. It had just enough tartness from the lime, but a balance of sweet.  I would've taken one with me for the flight home if they had to-go cups.

During my street wandering, I came upon a tamale stand at a farmer's market.  First time I've had a tamale and when I opened it, I thought, "okay, what do I do with this corn husk?"  So I figured out that you don't eat it, luckily the woman at the stand had put a fork in my bag.  I had the vegetarian tamale, topped it with this very very hot pepper salsa (see a theme here?) and it was a good, filling lunch.

During my walk on South Congress, I spotted a food truck, something Austin is apparently famous for. They were all over the city with every food option - burgers, Jamaican, Thai, crepes, tacos. And Hey, Cupcake! (That was the name of the truck - cute, right?)  I got Chocolate, Red Velvet, and "Michael Jackson" (chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing - I know, you don't want to laugh!) cupcakes.  They were dense, but moist - kinda hard to do. And I am a critic of red velvet because these often are not moist enough - this one was good. The cream cheese icing, however, had a little tartness to it - I couldn't really figure out what it was, maybe some lemon or something? It wasn't bad, just not as sweet as I make mine.  And the chocolate - it lasted the flight home and until the next day - still good.

I got my southwest, Tex-Mex fill - peppery and tasty, along with a side of sweetness. Pretty good eaten' for my couple of days in Texas.

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Cake Decorating 101: How to Make a Beautiful Cake at Home

Let’s blame it on those Food Network cake shows that we feel like every cake has to look ready for competition.  Nothing short of fondant, flowers, birds, fountains, and 6 layers is going to do.  Some frosting slapped on a lopsided cake just doesn’t cut it.

Yes - that is a cake!

But, do we really need all that? Can’t we make a presentable cake for our kid’s birthday or the PTA bake sale without calling in the professionals?  Yes, we can, says the namesake of Fancy Cakes by Leslie.

Leslie Poyourow started decorating cakes after basic lessons, not from a culinary school, but from her local craft store.  Since then, she’s continued to experiment and learn her craft.  Over eighteen years of professionally decorating cakes, she’s been featured on the Today Show and won numerous best cake awards, including The Knot’s 2013 Pick for best wedding cakes.  On the day I stopped by her bakery, she and her team of about 8 bakers, frosters, and decorators, were busy in various stages of preparing cakes for weddings, birthdays, and other happy occasions.

I’m going to share her tips for making a pretty cake at home, but here’s what I learned to be one of the most important ingredients: time.  You can have butter imported from France and sugar straight from Brazil, but if you just throw it all together, you’re still going to end up with that crooked cake that looks like a Kindergarten class frosted it.  Allow yourself time and it will be beautiful.

Start with a good recipe that will give you a firm cake and use the proper pans.  Fill your cake pans to about 50%.

After baking and removing it from the pan, wrap the cake in plastic wrap (not the cheap plastic wrap, use the good stuff) and let it cool completely.  This step will help keep the cake moist while it cools.

Cut off the rounded top for a flat, level cake.

Make the cake level.  I’ve heard this tip before, but I always think I can skip it and my cake will still look straight.  Nope, rarely ever does that work.  Use a sharp, serrated edge knife (the “bread” knife in your set) and carefully cut the top of the cake off, the part that’s mounded.  Now – what do you do with this leftover cake piece because no-one wants to throw away good food?  Two options: (1) give it to your kids to eat or (2) make cake pops and then give it to the kids to eat or make them part of your party celebration.

Use a good icing.

Use an icing recipe that does not include liquid.  A good icing will include the basics – sugar, butter, flavor – but no liquid like water or milk.  We’re talking about the regular fluffy, creamy icing, no fondant, no rolling pin.

Frost your cake with a cake spatula, not a butter knife or spoon or whatever else you have in your kitchen.  It has a nice long handle and your fingers won’t get in the way.  There’s a long edge and you can cover the entire cake in one swoop.

Make gum paste or buy it already made from a cake supply store

Want to be fancy and add special decorations?  Use gum paste, a sugary mixture like fondant, but firmer, that you can buy from cake supply stores or make at home.  It looks like play dough, but it is edible.  When I was there, the decorators were making stars and an Eiffel Tower.  Roll it out, cut out your shape, decorate with piped icing if you wish, stick it on your cake. And how do you get an Eiffel Tower?  Print a picture at the size that you want it, cut it out, and trace it with a knife on your gum paste.  This is something I am really wanting to try.

A little something extra - add fresh fruit (here, raspberries) in between your layers

What if you don’t even own measuring spoons and Betty Crocker is your best friend?  Leslie’s got a few tips for you, too.

• Splurge and buy two boxes of mix.  One is never enough for a decent looking 2-layer cake.  There will probably be left over batter – make cupcakes!
• Store-bought frostings are not made to look fancy in the end, so don’t fight it.  Don’t try anything too decorative, but neatly put your frosting on and enjoy the nice “homemade” look.

Still feeling that pressure to buy the beautiful cake in the bakery window for your kid’s birthday party?  This, I thought, was a gem of advice for us stressed-out, gotta make it all perfect moms.  Leslie said that even if you don’t think you’re a great baker or artist, try it anyway for your kid.  She mentioned, repeatedly, that kids love the idea that mom made their cake and will think it tastes good just because you made this special effort for them.

Red velvet, S'mores, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Nutella, Vanilla, and Cookies & Cream

And how do her cakes taste? You know I didn't get out of there without a chocolate cupcake. And it was delicious! The cupcakes were moist and the frosting was light and not-too-sweet.

Enjoy your baking!

Thanks to Leslie and her staff for letting me wander around her sugar-scented haven.  If you live near the Bethesda, Maryland area and want more hands-on tips, check Fancy Cakes by Leslie’s class schedule.

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