sexy sabina

Blogosphere, meet Sabina... my sweet new rice cooker (thanks, parents!)!!!

I excitedly look forward to the kitchen adventures we will share :)

whimsical wednesday

Happy hump day, everyone! A favorite of mine:

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

 

Adriana Calcanhotto — Fico Assim Sem Você - Clipe Oficial from Mascotmobile on Vimeo.

Waterlogged Weekend

Oh my.. what a weekend!

I began my weekend with an special invitation to view "Thunder from Down Under" at Joe's Bar on weed street. I had no idea what to expect, and had an awesome time. Thanks to the courteous and gracious hosting of my dear friend L.F., we were able to enjoy the show from a private front row table with bottomless bottles of champagne :)

Unfortunately videos/photos were not allowed, so I'll leave you with this tidbit a la youtube:

The next day, S and I made the terrible mistake of attempting to head back to the suburbs. In the flurry of our fun night out, we hadn't realized the insane amounts of rain that had dropped. Traffic was a disaster, we had no idea how we were going to make it home seeing how every highway was closed and underwater, and all local roads leading out of the city were gridlocked with back-to-back traffic. Had a zombie apocalypse taken place the night before? Everything was MAYHEM, and although we had left my apartment at 10:30 a.m., we didn't reach my parents house in the west suburbs until 3:00 p.m.

Some of this was due to a much needed stop. The car was over-heating and traffic unbearable, S and I randomly chose to pull the car over and stop in somewhere to eat. This is when we discovered the lovely Bodhi Thai Bistro in Berwyn, IL.

Now isn't this some of the most lovely interior you've seen? It's simple light woods with a very simple chandelier. But what I loved most is the sliding door separating the main dining area from the party room. (**Note to self: Bring this idea to my future fictional home...)

Bodhi Thai Bistro

Bodhi has a peaceful interior, and the harmony of the dining area reflects the atmosphere of the kitchen. I peeked inside the kitchen, and to my surprise saw that it was run by a bunch of tiny Thai ladies. The waitress was incredibly nice and patient and I loved that the entire kitchen/FOH crew were working together. The food tasted authentic and bold, un-afraid to use strong citrus leaves and paunchy spices to round out the dishes.

Pad Thai Noodles

I wish I had an upcoming event, because I would love the opportunity to showcase the party room venue!

Funny Friday!

Happy Friday, world!

Today's Funny Friday post is dedicated to one talented Miss S, my best friend and personal blog manager.

COUNTDOWN TO THE WEEKEND!

Weekend plans? A vip private party to the one and only THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER!

Cheesy Peaches

From the one and only Glut with Guts kitchen....

Last night, Chicago clouds and humidity deemed it impossible for me to leave my apartment. I grudgingly made my way to the fridge, knowing I wouldn't have anything to eat. (Times like this, I wish I lived in NYC, the land of abundant bodegas.)

Surprise, surprise. I found the following ingredients:

• Flour tortillas (only 3 left in a packet of 15)
• Cilantro (... eep! bought this about a week ago so wilting a bit....)
• Red onion (despite the lingering smells on ones breath, red onions rock my life)
• chicken breast (errrr.. possibly freezer-burned...)
• a small hunk-o-pepper jack cheese
• ...and a lot of other random items

Perfect! I unknowingly had all the ingredients for una quesadilla! Bueno! To relive my immediate hunger, I grabbed a peach to much on while I prepped the ingredients.

**Light bulb** I wonder.. what would this peach taste like inside the quesadilla?

Answer? brilliant:

Peach quesadilla!

I also raiding the fridge and found a honey and a lime, and made a delicious honey lime dipping sauce!

I have a problem.

... Dear reader(s), I have a problem. I am addicted to smoking. No, not tobacco or other illegal substances, but the act of smoking foods... drooOOOoolll~~

[**cricket**cricket**]

Sorry! Spaced out thinking about all the yummy smoked foods in the world. Every summer, my uncle invites us over for a carnivore fest where he smokes every known meat/fish known to man. I mean, if he smoked a piece of cardboard I would probably eat it, all a part of being a Glut with Guts, right? But I digress...

Last night I had dinner with my Friend Z.H. at the much anticipated Girl and the Goat. I must say, Stephanie Izard... you are awesome. (And an equally great kudos to Interior Designer Karen Herold!)

As I walked through the doors, the sultry smells of smoked food enveloped me, welcoming me into a comforting dining experience. Hello, Girl and the Goat, our meeting has been long awaited. All the hype I've heard has drawn me here tonight.

Although we arrived promptly for our 6:30 reservation, we were asked to wait in the bar area as tables cleared up. Having a reservation, the wait was un-wanted to say the least, but we dutifully waited approximately 45 minutes for a table.

GG definitely has a great wine and beer selection. Having read that the Grenache wines were the new "it" drink (to replace merlot), I opted for a glass of Artazu Artazuri Garnacha 2007 Grenache Wine. Now I understand that every restaurant prices glasses of wines for various reasons to cover various expenses and overhead costs, but I'm always curious at what makes restaurants charge what they do. For example, a glass of the Artazu I had at GG was priced at $10 a glass (approximately 8oz.), yet market price for a bottle (so, not the wholesale price at which it was probably purchased) is marketed as $13.49 a bottle. Just an interesting thought.

Artazu, 2007, Grenache

The wine itself was sweet, not what I was expecting from a grenache, but a match for the crisp skate. Here's a sampling of what we ordered:

Crunchy Bread and Onion Butter and.. Sage Aioli? w/"special ingredient"

Beet Salad w/anchovies and avacado

Smokey Goat Fat Back w/Biscuits and Pickled Sweet Onions

Crisp Skate with Calamari and Tomato Aioli

The meal was.. ok. I unfortunately don't have pictures at the moment but Z.H. ordered the soft shell crab which was phenomenal! The crab was fried, but not overly so. They maintained the shape of the crab, still completely removing the shell. The succulent crab sat on a bed of corn and potatoes. So delicioussssss :)

In close second would be the crisp skate with the calamari. Everything was in perfect balance with each ingredient. Each stayed true to it's purest form, but combined created a masterpiece of a dish.

Everything felt a bit sub-par. The fat back spread was hyped up so much, but when it arrived.. it really wasn't what I was expecting. It was flavorless, except for the flavor of "this is pure fat and horrible for you". Which really wasn't too appetizing. The biscuits were cold and looked like they were thrown onto the plate. The waiter who dropped this off exclaimed, "I just had a bite of this in the kitchen, it was delicious!" and indeed, one of the biscuits APPEARED like they had been bitten into. haha Although I'm sure it wasn't intentional.

Then there was the $4 bread with onion butter. Something that should have been very simple, and it was indeed appetizing! However, as my friend took a bite of her buttered bread, she also discovered within it a quarter-sized chunk of plastic. The waitress and manager quickly rushed over and apologized, a true measurement of service quality. We were "taken care of" very well.

All in all a great experience. More photos from Z.H. to come! :)