There is a Chipotle near one of my clients, and so I’ve eaten there now several times, and I am truly impressed by both the yummy factor and the consistency of the yummy. I think my favorite so far is the barbacoa burrito with hot red salsa — if i go for the green salsa I end up having to slather on lots of chipotle tabasco for spicy smoky goodness, which is certainly not BAD, but is more labor intensive. 🙂
And it strikes me that the metal-and-wood industrial aesthetic is not just pretty but probably has a lower build-out impact (in both dollar and environmental costs) than your average plastic-coated fast food site. And if they really do use organic and small-farm sourced foods the way they say they do, then I don’t care if McDonald’s owns them. A company that gives me fast, cheap, unreservedly tasty meals, while being easier on the environment and the farmer, is certainly welcome to stay in my world. Now all we need is a few more Pret A Mangers and we’re golden.
Author: foodnerd
the next food network star
OK, so I totally got up early on a Sunday morning to watch their new show, Party Line, and it was awesome. First of all, crab and cream cheese stuffed into a pepperoncini? YUM. And then spinach-parmesan balls that are easy as can be and sound dee-lish. Plus, how do you not love a hot hors d’oeuvre that throws together quickly, holds well and is probably just lovely at room temp? AND is wegemetarian friendly. Folks, we have a winner.
freakish devotion
Throughout Terminal B of Logan Airport, instead of pillars they have monstrously huge go-cups of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, complete with kicky little splashes frolicking along the rim of the cup. Surreal, endearing, and creepy all at the same time. *shudder*
bwahahahaha, funny
From the Metromix blurb on La Oaxaquena:
“Seafood includes the huachinango a la Veracruzana, a whole red snapper served Veracruz-style in a zesty garlic and onion tomato sauce. Salads and sandwiches, like the signature torta of grilled tenderloin with chorizo sausage, beans, avocado and Mexican mayonnaise are lighter options.”
In what universe is steak + sausage + avocado + mayonnaise lighter than fish in vegetable-tomato sauce? Oho, how I laugh. Ha ha ha. Guffaws of laughter. Sigh.
el milagro tortilla chips
H and I were yapping about tortillas the other day and she mentioned El Milagro brand, made here in Chicago. And then she gave me a bag of El Milagro tortilla chips. Holy mackerel — these are the best tortilla chips I have ever had. Really salty, really crispy and crunchy, not too thick, but with a strong, hearty corn flavor. Yum yum. I am sure I am getting fatter and fatter this week because I am pretty much eating these things at least 2 meals per day: with zucchini-bean-cheese saute, with chili, with green zebra/lime/cilantro salsa, and once as a quickie breakfast. Not sure where H got hers, but saw them in Cub Foods on Elston last night, and I’d imagine they are available across the city — keep your eyes peeled for ’em.
tamarind & chili popsicle
Today we were walking on the beach by the lake up north near Edgewater, and since it was beastly f#%@ing hot and humid we got a little popsicle treat. I really don’t think I would enjoy Chicago nearly as much if there wasn’t such a pervasive Mexican/spanish-speaking influence. Tamarind & chili is a tangy-sweet-salty frozen delight, and there is also a mango-chili version, and a lime-salt pop. OOOH, I am so excited to try them all!
it’s been a slow food week (or 2)
Nothing much of note to eat lately: been at a conference (hotel food), then at dance camp (camp food), and now kicking around Waltham a few days (tomatoes, then a few tomatoes, and then some tomatoes). The tomatoes tallasiandude grew ARE really good though, and quite pretty when arranged together on the plate.
aah, city life
I may not know where to get decent Chinese food in this town, but now I know where to buy my crack: down near the corner of Cermak & State, where a very polite man offered me some as I waited at a red light around midnight.
crazy good mystery mesclun
Back in June i got some mesclun at the farmer’s market, and this curly little wonder was part of it. The merchant couldn’t tell me what it was, because they got it from someone else who kept his components a trade secret. It’s delicious, a bit tangy, a bit spicy, curly and dark green with markings of dark reddish color. Anybody know what it is?
prêt à manger
I just read an article in a recent issue of Conde Nast Traveler (which arrives at my house for the roommate) in which someone had written an article bemoaning the sorry state of airport food. They went to airports all over the world and really didn’t find anything worth eating.
And I have to agree with that assessment in general — airport food is beyond appalling and I have on occasion walked through entire terminals in the hopes of something decent to eat, only to settle for Chili’s — but disagree in specific. I can think of three places I have had damned fine airport eats.
One is the international terminal in Boston’s Logan airport, where there is a foofy high-end place that cobbles together dishes from several of Boston’s celebrity chefs. Littlelee and I had a shockingly good meal there before our flight to Germany, consisting of smoked mussels in a mustard sauce and a top-notch lobster bisque. Expensive, but what do you expect in an airport?
Another is the Memphis airport, which was touched on by the article as having sad-sack BBQ, so perhaps I am confusing it with another airport (Nashville? Dallas?), but I distinctly remember getting BBQ in an airport that was entirely acceptable.
And last is the crown jewel of airport eats, combining unquestionable deliciousness with speed and affordability. Its only flaw is that, to my knowledge, it is not available in any US airport. Anyone who’s flown through Heathrow should know by now that I am talking about Prêt À Manger. Dear merciful heaven, what a great idea. Fresh healthy organic ingredients, frequent preparation of sandwiches and salads, straightforward but interesting flavors, and streamlined presentation — you can scoot in there and within 5 minutes come out with a fantastic non-soggy rock-shrimp & arugula sandwich, a packet of all natural black pepper potato chips, and an organic elderberry soda (my new favorite soda, yum). The parsnip chips pictured above are my last treasure from our multiple trips to Prêt À Manger during our euro-voyage, and they are really wonderful, sweet parsnippy flavor balanced with a good hit of black pepper. Why O why can’t we have such a thing on our own shores, especially in this day and age of reduced or eliminated airplane meals? Sigh.