All Good Things

Since it was the end of my trip to Chicago, I decided to go all out for the last evening. So I bought a Saleen S7 and outraced the cops speeding down Lake Shore Drive sipping on Cristal out of Cartier crystal flutes and throwing gang signs in my rear view at the suckers eating my dust.

Actually, that last sentence is a complete fabrication. When I walk past automotive dealers that sell $555,000 automobiles, however, the insane lottery fantasies I have start going off. On the way to dinner, I walked past a car dealer that was selling a Mercedes SLK McLaren alongside Bentlies (if that is in fact the plural of Bently) and Ferraris. It was an interesting lot to stumble across on the way to dinner.

My lovely dinner companions Krysta and Nikki met me at Dudley Nieto's new regional Mexican joint Xel-Ha. Nieto was the original chef at Adobo Grill back when they were a good restaurant with atrocious service (as opposed to now being a bad restaurant with atrocious service). The menu features half traditional Mexican dishes with a twist and half Yucatan specific regional dishes. There was one vegetarian selection in both the Pan-Mexican and Yucatan appetizers and entrees.

The drinks were ridiculously good. There was a surprisingly tangy red wine apperatif that is in the photographs. There were numerous variations of margaritas also captured in digital form.

The food was interesting if not spectacular. The regional cuisine is always markedly different from the cookie cutter Mexican food available at Chipotle. Huilacoche and black bean quesadillas were interesting foils to one another, with the earthy notes in the huilacoche being contrasted by a faint smokiness in the beans. The main dish consisted of a number of vegetables like squash and eggplant served aside a stuffed mild chili pepper.

The food was very good, but the best suggestion in this price range would probably be Frontera Grill, Topolobampo's cafe restaurant.

The rest of the pictures are of the crew running around to Danny's in Bucktown later that night. I also witnessed some Irish-themed marathon before I left. Check the pictures below.

End of the Trip

There is also a small chance I start reviewing music and going back to my previous bitter political sarcasm soon. Stay tuned...out.

New House (o Casa Nueva)

Wall art from Casa Nueva















So I left the apartment with one plan and ended up enacting an entirely different plan. But hey, at least I got to test out my camera so I am not complaining.

I left the house planning to enjoy some Spanakopita at Salaam. However, since this restaurant is only open for dinner from Wednesday through Saturday (lunch is Monday through Saturday), I got shut out! Oh well. For better or worse, they are BYOB, so I went down the street to an establishment that could sell me alcohol that they provided rather than the hooch I brought off the streets.

I took the 100 foot long stroll to Casa Nueva. This place is a vegan/vegetarian/anybody with tastebuds paradise. There is only one problem with Casa Nueva. The food is great. The drinks are great. The people who work there are great. The wait from when you show up to when you get served is...not so great. Whenever you show up, plan on drinking and/or eating appetizers at the bar. The minimum wait seems to be 30 minutes.

That being said, I wait time and time again. The specials are always interesting. Tuesday specials involve King Family Farm meat, which is not in the realm of things I eat (although I applaud their commitment to quality). However, there are more veggie items here mixed up for vegetarians of all shapes, sizes and adjectival characteristics than I can eat in a seasonal menu period, so Casa is muy bien (see pictures of Salaam and Casa Nueva in link below).

casa

The place is a cooperative, meaning all of the employees own it. This is a fantastic thing to note for the Marxist horde reading this right now.
















The specials are always interesting. Casa has offered specials on fusion night that include an Ecuadorean styled empanada with Indian curried potatoes and a huge plate of seasoned rice and vegetables. That previous experience led me to get the special with artichoke heart empanadas.

The combo platter (yeah, I'm really falling off, aren't I?) features a rolled artichoke heart and onion enchilada topped with salsa verde and the artichoke heart empanadas served with a side of jasmine rice and black beans.



















The food is really only one reason to fall in love with the Casa. The commitment to organic, sustainable local products is impeccable. Check the end of the menu...it is impressive. Organic produce, non-irradiated spices, fair trade organic coffee and a wide assortment of infused vodka drinks that work cohesively with the food are some of the many reasons it feels good to eat at C. N. In addition to the infused vodkas, Casa features a number of Ohio brews on tap. Casa Nueva also features music most nights.

New local Organic Nut Brown

Jackie O's started offering a new beer that was very very good! The Organic Nut Brown Ale (with the little peep hole cut into the tap handle) is so good, it's almost great. It's very chewy with roasted notes and a long, tapered finish. This beer is a seasonal, which means you should head down there this evening and take advantage of the $7 pitchers before its all gone. (Actually, it'll be around for a little bit. Don't get too worried. It can be bought today.)

Not that I did that earlier tonight or anything. But I've heard that their IPA and the Wilford Brimley Oatmeal Stout are quite good as well. The bar has a pull out stage where bands perform live music on a regular basis. They feature open mics, Irish music and good old fashioned hippie jam bands in addition to hip hop nights and everything else in between. I'm hoping I'm on call with Ekoostik Hookah lyrics when my friends' band plays next quarter.

Great Beers

My favorite American brewery has a few new brews on the horizon, and I figured why not rep the Fish?

Dogfish Head is a brewery/brew pub in Delaware. I visited a few summers ago. The restaurant is good and the beer is divine! The brew pub features a number of beers that aren't typically available at the liquor store. Check state listings for details.

If you can get them in your state, get the Fish. DFH appears to have a color fixation. The newest beer is Red and White. This is a 750 mL of Wit flavored with coriander, orange peel and pinot noir wine. It is aged in oak staves and used pinot noir barrels with the two being blended together before bottling.

In April, the colors are Black and Blue. They come in the form of a 10 percent alcohol by volume Belgian style strong ale flavored with blackberries and blueberries.

Another interesting beer is being released later this year. It is in the tradition of Dogfish Head to pursue whimsical fancies and interesting projects. From the brewery that birthed Pangaea (the beer with ingredients from all seven continents) and Liquor de Malt (bottled conditioned malt liquor 40 ounce) comes another project in restoring ancient brewing techniques.

On the heels of a beer that was brewed from a recipe found in the tomb of King Midas comes a brew rooted in Asian history. Chateau Jiahu is brewed with a recipe reconstructed from pottery from 9,000 years ago in Jiahu, Henan, China. The brew is made of pre-gelatinized rice flakes, wildflower honey, muscat, barley, hawthorn fruit and Chrysanthemum flowers. It is boiled, cooled, fermented with sake yeast and aged for a month.

This place makes great drinks. The liquors are great, the beer is great. If you are in Delaware, I recommend visiting. If not, take a bottle home with you and drink something different.