Random Blog Theft #1

I am going to begin occasionally posting items that I find while reading other blogs, blatantly stealing them and posting them on my own. However, I will always say really nice things about the people that I steal them from and include lots of links to their blog, so I'm hoping they won't view it as theft so much as free advertising. Also, I will make a rule for myself that I won't allow this to be a substitute for my own creativity, so I will only do this if I have posted something original in the previous 24 hours.

For my first Random Blog Theft, I saw this picture on the Beautiful blog, and I thought it was hilarious. It's an advertisement for Nobby's Nuts, which apparently is a very popular brand of nuts in Australia (one of their old advertising slogans read, "Nibble Nobby's Nuts Before Nobby Nibbles Yours"). Anyway, I thought the ads and their placement were perfect.

If you want to check out a blog that truly lives up to its name, take a look at Beautiful sometime!

Don't Know Jack

For the first nearly-28 years of my life, I was a very sheltered young man. Prior to a month before my 28th birthday, I had never stayed overnight with a guy (or girl for that matter), had never drank alcohol, did drugs, or smoked a cigarette, never danced, never went to a bar (with the exception of when my car broke down in Wisconsin and I had to call a tow truck).

Now, sometimes I think maybe I missed out on a lot, but most of the time, I'm somewhat glad that I was a bit older before I had these experiences, because I was not the most mature 21-year-old, and I am sure I would not have had much self-control had they come earlier. But, one result of my late blooming is that I am rather ignorant about alcohol. Certainly I have learned plenty in the past 3 years, but I find that I am pretty limited in my drink selections, simply because I don't know everything that's out there. Here is a complete list of drinks that I have sampled (or at least those that I was sober enough to remember):

• Screwdriver - my very first alcoholic drink, June 27, 2003 (not bad, but haven't had many since)
• Sex on the Beach - my second drink, same night (too sweet for my taste if I recall correctly, haven't had one since)
• Long Island Iced Tea - my third drink, same night (and that was enough). Drink these occasionally but not a huge fan.
• Malibu Rum-Pineapple Juice - currently my favorite drink
• Effen Black Vodka-Coke - runner-up favorite
• Captain Morgan-Coke - haven't ordered it since I discovered Effen Black-Coke
  
• Bailey's on the Rocks - love it
• Vodka-Sprite / Vodka-Tonic - good stand-by drinks
• Mojito - Love it...so refreshing when made well
  
• Bloody Mary - very possibly the worst-tasting thing I've ever put in my mouth
• Smirnoff Ice and other fruity Smirnoffs - not bad, will drink if offered but don't go out of my way
• Apple Martini - have taken sips from the drink of a particular friend who orders them all the time; not my favorite but not bad either
• Cosmopolitan - had one very soon after I came out in 2003, didn't like it at all, but someone told me I should give it another chance. Perhaps.
  

It is possible that I have forgotten some other beverage, but that is essentially my alcoholic repertoire. I have tasted a couple different beers and hated them all. Wine is a taste I am slowly acquiring but am not yet completely appreciating. But it's definitely the mixed drinks that I enjoy, and it is that category that I would like to expand my knowledge of and experience with.

So, I am seeking recommendations. What are your favorite drinks? What are the drinks that you are aghast not to see on my list, that you can't imagine having lived 30 years without? What are the drinks that, if you saw me standing holding them at Sidetrack some Saturday night, you would say, "That guy has good taste in alcohol. I want him"? All comments and suggestions appreciated (and tell me why you like them, what they taste like, etc.).

Late Night Trips to Chinatown

There is a conspiracy to keep me from reaching my weight loss goals, I'm sure of it. One of the key players in this plot is the Three Happiness restaurant in Chinatown. Three Happiness actually is the name of two different restaurants in Chinatown, presumably operated by the same people since they are directly across the street from each other. The large main restaurant is open for normal hours and has very good dim sum. But the small one pictured above is the dangerous one, primarily because it is open 24 hours.

Consequently, after a night out at the clubs or when one particular friend gets off work around midnight and has a snack attack, Three Happiness begins to call out with the song of the Sirens, irresistibly drawing me toward the cliffs of obesity. For within the walls of that wonderful place are the most wonderful potstickers I have ever tasted. Yes, I drive all the way from Lakeview to Chinatown sometimes more than once a week, just for the potstickers. Last time I was there, I even asked for an extra order to take home for lunch the next day. My aforementioned friend and I have been there so often recently that the people who work there recognize us when we walk in. Fairly soon, I suspect they will be asking us if we want "the usual."

So, if you find yourself with a craving for food late at night, head down to the corner of Cermak and Wentworth; I'll save a spot at my table for you, but you'll have to get your own potstickers.

Pho Hoa

I love new food experiences. As I was growing up, I lived next door to my grandmother, who said (more times than I can count) that I should never say I don't like something until I have tried it once. She would allow us to skip eating something she made for dinner, but only if we had tried it before and given it a chance. That thinking stuck in my head, and I began to realize that most things that were served on a plate were at least tolerable, if not enjoyable. I even had the opportunity to turn this around on my grandmother when I was in high school, when we took her and my mom out for Mother's Day to a nice French restaurant. I ordered escargot, one of my favorites, but which my grandmother had never tried in her life. When I asked her if she wanted to try it, she wrinkled her nose and said no. But when I asked if she had ever tried it before, she knew she was done for. She tried it and still didn't like it, but it was fun to see her (pun intended) "taste her own medicine."

When I was in college, my food experiences expanded greatly when I took three trips to Africa. During those trips, I truly learned to eat anything that was set in front of me, be it termites, monkey, or (yes, it's true) dog. Then two years in Europe further enlarged my palette (and my waistline), and now I live in Chicago with the most international group of friends I have ever had. Consequently, when I am offered a new food I have not tried before, my instinctive reaction is excitement and anticipation rather than nervousness and revulsion.

One of my most recent new culinary experiences has been the Vietnamese soup called Pho. This meal was introduced to me by my friend Chun a couple months ago, and I enjoyed it instantly. Since then, I have found that another good friend of mine is also a Pho fan, so we have gone on several occasions to various restaurants near Broadway and Argyle that serve the soup. The first of these restaurants, and still my favorite, is Pho Hoa at 4925 N. Broadway in Chicago. It has a very laid-back "cafe" feel, but they serve delicious soup in portions more than I can eat for about six dollars. They also have pretty decent smoothies, and a bonus is that there is free parking in the lot there (rather than having to search for street parking as with most restaurants in the area).

For those unfamiliar with Pho, it is a beef-broth based soup to which is added white rice noodles, green and white onions, and various types of meat, such as beef brisket, meatballs, tripe, and tendon. Along with the soup they will include a plate with fresh basil, lime, bean sprouts, and chile peppers to be added into the soup. And, at the table, there is hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and hot sauce to be mixed in with all these ingredients. Personally, I add all of the ingredients except the peppers and hot sauce, since I think the flavor is delicious enough without needing that extra kick. While eating the soup, I have often wondered who came up with this combination of ingredients, but put simply, it works. It is a delicious meal for less than I'd pay at McDonalds. If you have not tried Pho, I highly recommend it, and Pho Hoa is definitely a good option to start your experience.

A interesting cultural side note....I was once again at Pho Hoa on Sunday for dinner with my friend, and we both noticed that, as happened on previous visits, the waiter seemed to be inattentive to us, not bringing our bill to us even though we had finished eating quite a bit earlier. Finally, I went up to the kitchen area myself to get the bill and pay for the meal. But, when looking up information about Pho while typing this post, I ran across this statement in Wikipedia: "Vietnamese pho restaurants usually retain the cultural practice of not delivering the bill to a customer's table, since it is considered rude—in Vietnamese culture, it is seen as a way of trying to rush the customer out the door."

Seafood and the Midwest

Charlie blogged today about the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant at Navy Pier here in Chicago, and his post got me thinking about one of the few complaints I have about living in Chicago. My biggest complaint has always been (and likely always will be) the snow. Not a fan. But close behind that is is the complaint about seafood in the Midwest.

I was born and raised near Los Angeles, California, living about 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean (between Malibu and Santa Monica). Consequently, in addition to a Mexican restaurant on every corner (my second-favorite type of food), I grew to love seafood and, as a child, just assumed that easy access to inexpensive and always-fresh fish was normal and expected.

However, when my family moved to Schaumburg, Illinois, about 2,024 miles from the Pacific Ocean, I found that my assumption was incorrect. Suddenly, real quality seafood went from a staple of my diet to a very special treat to be anticipated and longed for. No longer could we drive to a little fisherman's stand on the side of the road and buy fresh crab that he caught that morning and take it back home to eat for dinner. Instead, I found myself stuck in a place where Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen was considered to be high-end seafood. Don't get me wrong, Pappadeaux is fine as far as it goes, but it's just not the same.

There is, however, one restaurant that I have found that excels in their seafood preparation and presentation. That is Dover Straits in Hoffman Estates, next to Schaumburg. As I understand it, they fly in fresh seafood on a regular basis so that their fish is never frozen. The menu selections are wonderful (I love their crab cakes), although I love going and just trying their daily specials, which are almost always amazing. On my most recent visit, I had some of the best Tilapia I have ever tasted from their specials list. The ambience is great, certainly formal (you'll see a lot of suits and dresses, though a dressy casual outfit would not seem out of place) but still with that seafood restaurant flair (think Red Lobster if their decorator had taste). You will pay for the experience, though. My brother and I took my parents there for their 25th wedding anniversary, and the bill for the four of us was about $225. But, although it's not a place I could afford to go outside of special occasions, I think it was worth the price.

So, if there are any coastal refugees stuck with me here in the landlocked Chicagoland area, or if you corn-fed home-grown boys want to experience something akin to real seafood without traveling across the country, check out Dover Straits (sorry, they don't have Forrest Gump playing while you eat there, though).

Lambert's Cafe

Today I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in Springfield, Missouri, and our conversation turned to a wonderful place that I love to visit whenever I'm near Springfield-- Lambert's Cafe in Ozark. Lambert's actually has 3 locations, the other two being in Sikeston, Missouri, and Foley, Alabama. I first visited Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston in 1988 at the suggestion of a family friend when we were on our way to vacation in Branson, Missouri.

Pretty much anything I have had at Lambert's is delicious, but there are a couple things that make it noteworthy and worth a visit if you're ever nearby. First, the restaurant's nickname is "Home of the Throwed Rolls." This is because, during your meal, a waiter will come out of the kitchen with freshly-baked hot delicious rolls and call out to the customers asking if anyone wants a roll. If you want one, rather than handing it to you, he will actually throw the roll across the room to you. He will then be followed up by someone offering delicious sorghum molasses to put on the rolls. You have to be careful lest you fill up on the rolls alone!

The second notable and fun element of the Lambert's experience is the "pass arounds." As soon as you sit down at your table, servers come by carrying pots of various side dishes that you can eat while waiting for your meal to arrive. In fact, you can actually order an empty plate and make the pass arounds your entire meal. The pass arounds include fried okra (my favorite), delicious fried potatoes with onions, macaroni & tomatoes, and black-eyed peas.

If you have not filled up on all the extras, you can get great main entrees as well. I recommend the meatloaf. It's all "down home" cooking, one of the only things I like about the South. So, if you're ever in Missouri or Alabama, skip lunch and plan a big dinner at Lambert's!

Public Service Announcement

Growing up in a rather conservative home, I was never exposed to any of these crazy radical New-Age ideas like veganism until fairly recently. Now, I have some good friends who are rather committed to this lifestyle. So, although the primary purpose of this blog is simply to bring pleasure to me, I wanted to provide a public service [private services available upon request] for them by highlighting a site that shows some of the many appetizing alternatives to carnivorous living. And, looking at this picture, how could you not be appetized? Click the title to go to the Vegan Lunch Box site

Metropolis Coffee Company

In the interest of beginning to post regularly on my soon-to-be-semi-famous blog and yet while having nothing whatsoever to blog about today, I thought I would share a comment about a wonderful coffee shop I was introduced to this afternoon. Metropolis Coffee Company is on Granville Road, between Broadway and Sheridan. It is much more spacious than the ever-cramped Caribou Coffee where I often go, and they have free internet rather than the stupid $3.95 for 2 hours they charge at Caribou. Plus, there's a really cute guy working at the cash register, and my table is strategically positioned so I can watch him without being too obvious. I think we have made a connection in my mind.