The List: Xoco

What's The List about? Click here!

Last December, Bossyboots and I visited Rick Bayless' Topolobampo.  YUM!  Because I'm a Rick Bayless fan, his more casual restaurant Xoco was also on my "to visit" restaurant list and I made that happen just recently.  Xoco is a breakfast and lunch joint modelled after mexican street food.  Tortas make up a major part of their menu, and their buzzy items are their in-house chocolate and churros.  See some lunchy proof:

I started with the cubana torta - Smoked Maple Creek pork loin and bacon, black beans, avocado, artisan Jack cheese, chipotle mustard.  Aaaaaaaand I had to finish with the churros, for more than obvious reasons.

Overall, it was bit a of a heavy lunch for me, but SO delicious.  I highly recommend Xoco for a scrumptious lunch (go early, the line goes out the door!!!), but schedule yourself a light dinner - you'll thank me!  Highly recommended.

XOCO - 449 North Clark Street (enter on Illinois St.), Chicago, IL 60654

The List: Topolobampo

What's The List about?  Click HERE!

OK, so you may or may not have heard of Master Chef Rick Bayless.

(Photo Source)

Here in Chicago, we like to refer to him as "Ricky B". :) His restaurants Topolobampo, Frontera Grill, and Xoco are well-known and most Chicagoans makes their way to those tables sooner rather than later.

For some reason, I'm a "later".  Who knows why.  I love Mexican food, and being from Texas, I know what it's supposed to taste like (not Tex-Mex - MEXICAN).  Chicago, I love you, but I have yet to find a good Mexican meal here.  Maybe I waited because I was afraid after so many Mexican disappointments.

Anywho, I finally made it... and it was delicious.  Bossyboots and I made our reservations way back in September for a chilly Friday in December.  That's three months - if you're counting - which I was.  You have to wait a long time to get in on a weekend to Topolobampo.

Here we are excited to sit down at our table (I bought a new going-out blouse and everything!):

We had scoped out the menu for the evening ahead of time.  Usually, when you go out for a "fancy" meal, you select the tasting menu.  Often, you and your eating buddy will select different tasting menus so that you can try as many different dishes as possible.  That way you get a true picture of the personality of a restaurant.  This time, Bossyboots and I both set our hearts on lobster, scallops, crab, tuna, etc etc.  It just made more sense for us to go the a la carte route.  I don't share well.

Next time, I think we'll go the tasting route!  I do need an excuse to go back, so... twist my arm!

Drool:

Our chosen menu for the evening, in order:

• Guacamole with turnips and cucumbers
• Manitas de Cangrejo con Crema Habanera: fresh, first-of-season sweet Florida stone crab claws with creamy blood orange-habanero dipping sauce, crispy chips of local fall vegetables.
• Ceviche Fronterizo: lime-marinated Hawaiian albacore with tomatoes, olives, cilantro,and green chile; served on crispy tostaditas. 
• Langosta y Callos de Hacha en Salsa Otonal: Maine lobster and Viking Village sea scallops in creamy sauce of Nichols Farm sunchokes and roasted poblano chiles. Salt cod croquettes, young coconut, black barley, puffed wild rice, watercress leaves
• Chocoflan de Camote: super-creamy flan (infused with Nichols Farm sweet potatoes)baked atop moist chocolate cake. Dark chocolate caramel, rum-poached sweet potato, chocolate cookie crumble.
• Crepas con Cajeta y Platano: warm, buttery crepes filled with plantain custard. Nieve de crema (sour cream sorbet), peanut crunch, homemade cajeta and bittersweet chocolate drizzle.
• Cafe Playa: Kahlua, golden Arette anejo tequila, steaming americano (espresso, hot water) whipped cream, dusting of Mexican chocolate.
• Some sort of after-dinner candy treat!

*We also consumed several delicious margaritas.  Yum.

 The staff could not have been friendlier, and they are so great at what they do.  I highly recommend Topolobampo (as have many who have gone before me!)  We loved it - Xoco is next on my to-visit list!

Meat, Meat, and More Meat.

With a side of meat. :)

I was first introduced to Korean BBQ (REAL Korean BBQ, not the chain stuff) by my friend Goober about a year and a half ago.  We hadn't been on a KBBQ outing in a long time, so we were due!  Last weekend we went to our favorite spot: Hai Woon Dae.  It's in a strip mall, and the proprietors are incredibly nice - and then there's the food...

When you arrive, firstly, I recommend leaving your coat in your car.  Korean BBQ is smoky smoky, and will make you smell hilarious, so leave anything extra in your car.  We were a large enough group that we were afforded a private room, which was so nice - also meaning that we needed to go shoe-free.

Goober has cute shoes.

Somehow Goober often ends up in charge of ordering for everyone at dinnertime.  Basically, the rule is to just eat whatever Goober tells you to eat because it will be delicious.

See! We don't even bother looking at the menu.

Korean BBQ can involve lots and lots of meat!!!  Goober ordered pork, chicken, beef, short rib, shrimp, and squid.  Mmmmmm good. 

In Korean BBQ, each table is set with mini grills, so that you cook up your own meat.

You also receive many small plates of condiments/side dishes. Lettuce for wrapping, bean paste, bean sprouts - the list goes on an on.  Hilariously, the potato salad is most popular.

Spicy noodles!

Here is where I need some clarification - as far as drinks, we order O.B. beer, which is kind of like PBR, but Korean, and we love it.  It comes in a forty size, which is perfect for us.  Also, you can order this potato alcohol which is a cross between vodka and sake.  It's potent.  It's delicious.  Be careful, son.

We toasted at every opportunity with it!  I can't remember the name - I'm sure one of you knows, so put it in the comments!

Two of my sisters are South Korean, and so growing up we always had kimchi around our house.  Somehow I never tried it myself!!!  Tonight was the night.... and I actually really enjoyed it.

I cannot express to you the crazy amount of food we ordered.

It was K-Spice's birthday celebration - say Happy Birthday!

Happy to have gorged myself on BBQ.

Lots of laughing and fun!

This picture sums up about how we felt after two hours of eating!

There's just something about communal eating experiences that's different from restaurants where everyone orders their own meal.  Sharing the cooking/eating/sampling of all kinds of food is just special.  We had a great time, and I highly recommend Hai Woon Dae if you're in Chicago... And be sure to wear your eating pants!

A Charmed Weekend

Ummm, I seriously had the best weekend ever.  Magically, both Bossyboots and I had the weekend off - at the same time - so we decided to make the most of it...

Friday night, I met up with Claremont Road, Momma Claremont Road, Mention Bien Design, That Wife, and new friend Ami for a girls night at Bin 36, followed by a nightcap at Keefer's.  Champagne and cheese flights.  Really.

Bin 36

Saturday morning... Bossyboots and I went to our favorite neighborhood hangout and scored an early brunch, followed by a mid-morning nap and reading my new book.

For lunch, we met Wrigley-T and Goober for half price maki at Tank Sushi...  Word to the wise: get the Latin Heat roll.  It's so good that we all ordered our own - no sharing!

Saturday night, Bossyboots had planned a surprise date for us.  I had no idea what it would be 'til we arrived. We got all gussied up and my lovah escorted me to... Geja's - which for non -Chicagoans is THE place to go for fondue.  It was freaking delicious and a great romantic date.  We stayed for three hours!  Thankfully our server was lovely and didn't holler at us for camping out.  The meal was three courses... a cheese fondue appetizer course, a meat and veggie main course assortment, and then chocolate fondue and coffee for dessert.  All I will say is that the cheese fondue was a gruyere with white wine and cherry brandy, and the chocolate fondue was mixed with an orange liqueur - they were just as incredible as they sound.  Bossyboots and I have been pedal to the metal for the past couple months, and it was so nice to have just a wonderful night out.

(Photo from Gejas' website)

Sunday, Bossyboots and I spent all day in an assortment of non-matching loungewear.  Only comfy clothes allowed.  We vegged in front of the Sunday football games, and then caught a movie at our favorite movie theater.  Homemade pasta for dinner.

Seriously, this was the nicest weekend I've had in months - just what the doctor ordered.  What'd you do this weekend?  What would your perfect day off look like?

I Have a Passion for Pizza

Bossyboots and I love pizza... We REALLY love pizza.  Bossyboots especially is enamored with anything of a crust-like nature slathered in pizza sauce and fromage.  Often, when we plan an evening out, pizza is somehow involved.

Handily, we live in a neighborhood lousy with pizza shops...  The GOOD kind of pizza shops.  Like the mom and pop, wood-burning oven, everyone gets their own pie kind of pizza shop. Really, there are pizza options on most any block around here.

Although Chicago is known for their stuffed variety of pizza... I am not a fan (sacrilege!)  My favorite kind of pizza is neapolitan style, which generally means a thin, brick oven baked crust.  I love them! 

Over the past month or so, Bossyboots and I have been trying out different pizza shops in the 'hood.  We are always up for new restaurants, and it's been a bit of a fun adventure visiting different pizza shops.  Take a look!

SPACCA NAPOLI

1769 W. Sunnyside, Chicago, IL 60640

We visited Spacca Napoli with Colo, Wrigley-T, Senor Diamondback, and The Otter.  Ummm it was delicious.  Our original idea was to each order a different pizza, and then swap pieces with each other; however, Colo made it quite clear that she was ordering her own pizza and hands off thankyouverymuch.  :)  After her pizza arrived, I don't blame her; it looked tasty! 

Although the Diavola pizza was super delicious (mozzarella, basil, salami), we really loved the Special we ordered - the Tre Pomodoro (in the upper left hand side of the photo below).  Our mushroom and sausage pizza was yum, too.  I personally really loved Wrigley-T's choice, which was an arugula, basil, and mozzarella pie.

Here's a better shot of the arugula pizza - see, The Otter is so jealous that he can't have any yet.  He had to make do with his milk.  Someday, little pizza dreamer!

The pizza was to die for at Spacca Napoli.  The place is so popular that we were given the stinkeye when we finished our food - they had a line waiting out the door! 

PIZZA D.O.C

2251 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60625

About a week later, we were off to Pizza D.O.C.  Pizza D.O.C. pulled the slightest of edges over Spacca, only because of THIS:

I give bonus points to any restaurant that serves bread on the table!  The day I learned to dip my bread in peppered/cheesed olive oil changed my life, right? 

Again, the pizzas we ordered were SO good.  No drooling.

We really loved Pizza D.O.C., too.  It was just a little loud, but the food was excellent, our food server was awesome, and their wine list was extensive, with options in a range of price points.

PIZZA ART CAFE

4658 North Rockwell Street, Chicago, IL 60625

I have to say that HANDS DOWN, Pizza Art had the best ambiance.  The restaurant is small, quiet, and intimate - so easy to hang out and talk.  Our appetizer salads were delicious, and the pizzas were great.

I really wish I could meld elements of all three places we visited: The pizzas of Spacca, plus the bread and wines of Pizza D.O.C., and then the ambiance of Pizza Art.  We will have to keep on our pizza quest!

Do you have a passion for pizza?  What's your favorite place to grab a pie, a slice, thin, stuffed, casual, fancy?  We all want to know!