ronnie_suburban

Unfortunately, Potbelly's botched our order (charged us for 4 sandwiches, shipped only 3) so one of my co-workers ran across the street to Seul's Tavern to pick up lunch for himself. I took advantage of the situation and asked him to grab me a cup of their chili--what I think is just about the best restaurant chili available around these parts... Chili from Seul's Tavern in Northfield, IL. You fans of styrofoam should be happy once again It's very spicy and beefy without being overly tangy with tomato; perfect amount of beans as well...very nice =R= Edited to add that I'm sorry I didn't have any chocolate chips on hand

Lunch was from a burgeoning local chain called Potbelly Sandwich Works. I think they also have locations in the Washington DC area too. The Wreck, (salami, roast beef, turkey, ham & swiss) from Potbelly's I ordered the sammich shown above with everything except onion. I love their dusseldorf-style mustard and hot gardiniera =R=

These did taste very horchata-like. Any idea about the seriously unnatural color? Again, no breakfast this morning but my monthly chiropractic appointment landed me next door to Sweet Memories Bakery which is owned and operated by eGullet member, mkfradin (aka Marjorie)... Sweet Memories Bakery, Highland Park, IL It beckons I'll have one of each, please When I arrived, Marjorie was putting the finishing touches on a cake... Intricate flower formation Chocolate-Mint Cake made with ganache instead of buttercream...astoundingly delicious and a smooth finish on the palate that you just can't achieve with buttercream. I decided that "had to" pick up a few things for the office and for my son. Cookie Tree Very cute cake cones More treats My son will love this...if he can wrestle it away from me Up next, lunch. =R=

Welcome to eGullet ojbowl Thanks for the info. Chicago is only one (rather large) part of the Heartland forum. I think you're being a little hard on yourself by saying you "lack intelegence" And no one around here will ever mention your spelling... What is your job at the restaurant? =R=

A little olive oil for maillard reaction, then salt, pepper and a tiny bit of my Paprika-based spice rub. I make a pint of that rub every couple weeks and use it on bunches of other items too, including roasted cauliflower =R=

"Chain" may be overstating it. It's actually the retail end of a HUGE Japanese trading congolmerate. And yes, their web site is decidedly useless. =R=

LMAO! =R=

No, just tamales today Diet "cola"...generic foodservice variety from what I could tell. Yes, it's currently being used as a doorstop. No, but I may have actually gotten some work done. I wanted to but alas... Not true...I only wish that my nickname were forcemeat Aw shucks...I really don't foresee it happening but I can't say for sure. guajolote, if I promise to kiss your big, pink posterior, will you stop heckling the blogger? ← hehe, the heckler is harmless. His dentures are on the night stand =R=

As I mentioned earlier, I skipped the Prime beef at Norshore and opted instead for my 2nd favorite cut, skirt steak I suppose that somewhere skirt steak is graded and sold as Prime but I've never seen it. When cooking steaks, I like to get my charcoal grill really f-ing hot first... Caution: Hot Coals I know those coals don't look very hot. Here's the same picture taken without the flash... Hot enough? Not sure, but I'd estimate this fire to be about 700 degrees F. I used only lump charcoal. Dinner was pretty basic, but I arrived home at 5 (to a cold grill) and had it on the table by 6...all in all, not bad for a weeknight... Skirt Steak, grilled asparagus, braised carrots in butter and duck stock (thanks guajolote ) and a gorgeous piece of baguette from Labriola Bakery in Alsip, IL, via Garden Fresh Market in Northbrook, IL. =R=

Well, as you faithful readers already know, today it was my choice for lunch. I used the "blog pretext" as an excuse to choose something we don't have very often...tapas from Meson Sabika in Northfield, IL Here's the rundown... Delicious spanish olives Patatas con alioli...nice roasted garlic on the side Pimientos asados Boquerones Potatas Bravas Tilapia a la Plancha Salteado de Lechon (Pork Tenderloin) Solomillo con Jamon (Beef tenderloin) Pimientos Rellenos Champignones Rellenos Queso de Cabra (baked Goat Cheese) Pato con Mansana (Duck breast with apple) Embuchado de Solomillo de Res (dried, cured beef), they comped us on this one Datiles con Tacino (bacon-wrapped dates) Grilled Chorizo This was all as good as it looks. Pricing was very reasonable; it cost about $25 per person which, by tapas standards, is an excellent value. We couldn't quite finish everything we ordered but it was damn fun trying =R=

A correct guess will be confirmed Does it start with an M? ← Yes, it does start with an "M" <> <> <> Ok. Now, on to some food... It's been a weirdly unpredictable day, food-wise. First, in preparation for tonight's dinner (yes, I'm actually going to cook ), I ran out quickly to my favorite butcher... Norshore Meats & Deli, Wilmette, IL. It's oddly situated in a converted house in what is pretty much a residential area. This must be the place Working away The goods. Unlike most other butchers in the area, Norshore actually carries Prime beef--and at reasonable prices. But today, I didn't go for the Prime...more on that later. When I returned to the office, we had an unexpected visitor, the owner of a freight company we use on a regular basis. As usual, he brought us some food... Tamales, sweet and savory, from Los Comales Tamale de pollo, interior Sweet tamale...not even Teddy, the person who brought them, knew exactly what this one contained. I'll bet someone here knows. Turns out it is Teddy's birthday and one of my co-workers ran across the street to Three Tarts Bakery to pick up this cake for him. Interior of Teddy's birthday cake. Now, lunch still lay ahead, but at least you can see for yourselves why it got slightly derailed. =R=

And it should be noted that St. Louis Style pizza is a round pizza cut into squares. Which leaves these 4 awkward little corner pieces with little or no toppings that no one ever wants to eat (until there isnt' anything left). ← Damn! I love those little "preview" corners =R=

You'll notice on the Barnaby's pie pictured in my blog that only 4 of the pieces are completely devoid of crust. At my house, those are always the last 4 left in the box...ymmv =R=

Yes, Munster is very much in the Heartland and even in the area referred to as "Chicagoland." =R=

Lunch is being delayed a bit, so I'll just field a few of your comments/questions for now... LMAO! ...it's a love/hate thing and let's just leave it at that. A correct guess will be confirmed It is, in fact, chopped liver topped with gherkins. And isn't it eery how unnaturally pink those meats look in the pic while they're still on the tray? Back shortly with some actual "new" food =R=

It's a very nice onion roll rendition, with onions and poppyseeds on the crown and some occasional pockets of moist onion on the inside too BTW, just had a little bit of Trader Joe's Swiss Milk Chocolate and a 750 ml San Pellegrino...yum. =R=

Nick, Check out this thread, page 3 (scroll down about half way). José Andrés' Minibar, run, don't walk, to Café Atlantico =R=

LOL! I couldn't agree more I have this distinct feeling that after this post the (convenience food) bleeding will slow a bit I am a proud uncle once again A few days ago my step-SIL (and step-bro) had their first baby, Drew, and tonight we went to visit him... Baby Drew ...and bring the family some dinner. Deli tray and accoutrement from a local deli where the food is decent but the people who run it are so mean that I won't mention the place by name. I know that my BIL loves deli and figured, since I didn't have time to cook them a hot meal, we could bring them a tray. There was plenty of food leftover so they (and their visitors) will be able to nosh on it for a few more days. Can you guess whose multi-meat sandwich this was? ...and a little rugelach for dessert Tomorrow is my day to choose lunch at the office and then we head into the weekend where (I hope) things will get a little more interesting...culinarily speaking. =R=

You talking to me? =R=

From the article linked by emsny... =R=

Nice piece, Jason. Between this one and your recent NYT piece, you're becoming quite a media juggernaut. =R=

I agree and there was an actual pepper grinder on every table as well...points for that too. =R=

FYI, admittedly short notice but a co-worker just called PGC to make a 7 pm reservation for tonight and they had nothing available until 8:30...and this on a Wednesday night in the suburbs Early indications are very positive for PGC. =R=

In spite of the lousy breakfast and other circumstances, the meeting was quite pleasant and there is a lot of positive history with this supplier but today we agreed that our interests over the next 12 months will be quite divergent. So, we amicably agreed to "keep in touch" and revisit the situation throughout the upcoming year. For now, we don't need them and they don't need us. Onward roll the wheels of industry... Ok, now onto the important stuff...Lunch! Unfortunately, not much good to report on the lunch front. For whatever reason, the person with the Wednesday pick selected a place we'd never tried before, the Landmark Inn Bar & Grille (please note that I predicted this would be bad once I saw the "e" at the end of Grill)... Caesar salad...as good as it looks Buffalo Wings...very tasty Turkey wrap in spinach tortilla. Not great, not awful, just meh. I split this with one of my co-workers Landmark Dip, aka French Dip with cheese...surprisingly bland and flavorless. The 2nd element of the "split" mentioned above In this town, where the "Italian Beef Sandwich" is not ony an institution but also the coin of the realm, the sandwich shown above is nothing short of shameful. So dry, so bland, so devoid of peppers or gardiniera or au jus (I have no idea what the flavorless liquid in the little container shown in the above picture was)...it begs the question "who devised this, tasted it and actually liked it enough to put it on a menu?" I'm sorry if that sounds harsh but c'mon...it's a friggin' sandwich. How hard is it to make a good one? All in all, it's been a relatively poor day for food around here. Oh well, it happens. Dinner tonight will be out of the ordinary if not spectacular. Stay tuned. =R=

Thanks Seth, Jack and everyone for taking the time to build this thread...an absolute joy to read and a fantastic resource as well. =R=