August 13, 2011 Off

I-Cream (Chicago)

//// By in 13: Chicago

A friend told us about the liquid nitrogen mixed ice cream shop I-Cream at Wicker Park. We were defeated by the mid west heat wave and were literally crawling our tired, dehydrated bodies across Wicker Park to get here.

I Cream

What greet us at the door are the mixing machines with liquid nitrogen smoke coming out from them. I felt like I’m in a groovy space age science lab. Their menu is very customization “make your own flavors’ place where they have an extensive list of ingredients.

I CreamI Cream

I mixed Ginger, Tea and Pistachio. The result is very good! Very evenly blended and mixed, the flavors are subtle but interesting. I don’t think the idea is gimmicky nor the tasting is chemical. You can create your ice cream to make it into flavors like Blueberry cheesecake, etc. I’m surprised this idea hasn’t hit LA yet (as we’re full sorbet and ice cream shops), San Francisco got a liquid nitrogen ice cream train cart pop up recently at Hayes Valley.

I-Cream
1537 N Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL 60622

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August 11, 2011 Off

Overeasy (Chicago)

//// By in 13: Chicago

Thanks to my bf’s friend hospitality, we get to stay at their apartment at the quiet but up and coming neighborhood of River North. One of the local’s popular joint is a brunch place called Over Easy Cafe.

Overeasy

They had me at the door- cute egg theme decor!

Overeasy

Black Eye French Toast 10 Brioche French Toasts Layered with Fresh Blackberries & Orange Cream, with blood orange juice reduction, powdered sugar and whipped cream. A special that’s highly recommended by the staff, I was blown away! The toasts are fluffy, melty and pillowy, and the blood orange juice is delicious!

Overeasy

Sherpherd’s Scramble with nueske’s pork belly, baby arugula, vidalia onions, goat cheese. So simple but so good! Fluffy, light and healthy tasting!

Their menu is fun and creative, I almost wanted everything! The menu changes seasonally as well. But this place is very crowded on the weekend, so I was glad to be able to try it without much effort as it was a Tuesday. Breakfast should feel good and easy, all the waiting in lines spoiled the supposedly relaxing Sunday morning.

Over Easy Cafe.
4943 Damen Ave. Chicago, IL 60625

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August 9, 2011 Off

Purple Pig (Chicago)

//// By in 13: Chicago

Since we stayed at downtown for our arrival night, I looked up restaurants in the touristy area and tried the popular tapas place called Purple Pig. As their name indicates, there’s pork in all their dishes. Even a bowl of almonds are fried in pork fat. Their menu sounds watering, there’s a intensive menu of charcuterie, and dishes featuring bacon and sausage to more exotic stuffs such as pig’s ears and bone marrow.

Purple PigPurple Pig

We walked in and was told there’d be a 30 min wait. Turns out we were sat down in 5 mins, lucky! The people on yelp were going gaga over the bone marrow, but since I’ve had it a lot in LA so it’s a bit expected.

Purple Pig

Jamon Serrano with Oyster Mushrooms & Fried Duck Egg over Grilled Bread. Just looking at the name on the menu already made my mouth watered. It’s three yummy ingredients in one, it’s heaven in mouth!

Purple Pig

Pig’s Tails Braised in Balsamic. wow surprisingly good! The meat is juicy and tender. The fruity, acidic flavor is just light enough to dress the meat. On top of it are soft, pillowy eggs.

Purple Pig

Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes. This is a bit drying than I expected.

The food is good but didn’t give me much surprises. I think it’s mainly because the place itself lacks charm for me – the interior is slick and just overall a generic ‘downtown wine bar’ setup. I thought they could have do much more with their awesome name.

Purple Pig
500 N Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60611-3777

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August 5, 2011 Off

Lou Malnati’s (Chicago)

//// By in 13: Chicago

While Joan is having her epic trip to Turkey, I went to the American Midwest for the first time. We stopped by Chicago for a few days, and the weather was hot hot hot! But the city is beautiful and vibrant, full of greeneries, public parks and festivals. One of the most obvious local Chicago dish that everyone must try is the Deep Dish Pizza. Apparently most of the deep dish pizza joint spawned from the original family owned place; Uno. Our friends at local took us to Lou Malnati’s, a local family owned chained that they like the most.

Lou MalnatisLou Malnatis

Malnati Salad with Volpi salami and gorgonzola cheese. The special Lou’s dressing is very sweet tasting, I love it.

Lou Malnatis

The “Lou” (and we customized it with sausage) – Fresh spinach, mushrooms and sliced tomatoes covered with a blend of mozzarella, romano and cheddar cheese. Its description saids “a pizza so good we gave it his name!” Wow it IS good! The tomato sauce tasted fresh and flavorful. It is very juicy, not cheesy, easy to eat and surprisingly light but very tasty. The crush is soft but not soggy. Every bite is a joy.

Lou Malnatis

A slice in its melty, delicious glory!  I have to say I like it more than traditional pizza.

There’re many locations around Chicago area.

Lou Malnati’s
439 North Wells Street, Chicago, IL 60610

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July 15, 2011 1

Lokanta Maya (Istanbul: Karakoy)

//// By in 12: Istanbul

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For our last meal at Istanbul, we went to Lokanta Maya, a newish place known for modern and creative take on Turkish mezes. I read about this place on Spotted by locals, a wonderful online city guides written by locals from cities around the world. The restaurant is located in-between the Istanbul modern museum and the Karakoy port which is a great area to see vibrant street life. We arrived before the restaurant opened but they let us sat down and rest.

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Konya blue cheese with melon
Turkish love their melon with cheese, though this is the first I see it being paired with blue cheese. The Konya (a city in central Turkey) blue cheese tasted quite strong and very “blue” compare with the ones I’m familiar with. It’s an acquire taste but it went well with melons.

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Zucchini fritters, dill yoghurt sauce – lightly battered, crispy outside and melty inside. Very good.

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Roasted sardines with pine nuts and lemon zest – It’s very simple but oh so delicious! The sardines were very fresh, I would love to recreate this dish if I could get my hand on some fresh sardines

legume salad with tomatos – good

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Grill Octopus – the dish smells so wonderful. The octopus was very tender.

IMG_3789 Forgot what the dessert was, but I remember it was light and refreshing.

It was a great meal and I love the vibe of the place, it’s stylish but low-key. The price was reasonably too. After the meal, we took a walk along the coast for people watching (there are lots of people fishing, street vendors…etc) and watched boats come and go. The old town across the water lit up beautiful at night. It was a nice closure to our fantastic trip.  This concludes my report on our culinary adventure at Turkey!

Lokanta Maya
Kemankes Caddesi 35-A, Karakoy, Eminonu

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