Me, You, and M Henry = ♡

Friday, I'm in love... with breakfast. hahaha Breakfast is the best meal of the day, and according to scientists it's the one meal where you can be a glutton and feel... less guilty about it.

M Henry
5707 N. Clark St.

The patio at M Henry

And SINCE breakfast is the MOST important meal and the best meal to indulge in, that makes M Henry the breakfast palace.

Last weekend, (after a long night of party-ing) Neighbor J was in need of a pick-me-up, and I... well I'm always along for the ride anytime breakfast is involved. As we're both still new to the neighborhood, we decided to come check out the plethora of breakfast options on Clark in Andersonville. I love the versatility of Clark in Andersonville, as it could be breakfast heaven if you want, lunch love, dinner dash, delicious dessert, or devilish drinks... your preference is catered to on this versatile street!

Back to  breakfast. M Henry is the best. When Neighbor J and I arrived, we were seated immediately since we had asked to be seated in their back patio. This was a real treat since the weather was still warm but breezy and not yet freezing cold. We were just one of a handful of people who chose to sit outside, but it was better than waiting in front for an hour to get a table!

COFFEE... NOW.....

I love drinking coffee on the weekends, since I rarely drink it outside of the office. M Henry made it especially a treat, as their coffee had a slightly nutty taste. Apparently both Neighbor J and I loved it, since we each drank four cups each. The busboy eyed our table the entire meal to make sure our cups never ran low.

The Rustic Peasant Quiche

Oh me oh my. This quiche, completes me. I know I say that about everything (apparently also proving I use the Jerry McGuire reference way, way, WAYYYYY too much for someone living in the now), but this quiche was amazing. A perfect blend of egg and cheese, packed with veggies I love (asparagus, sautéed leeks, shallots, applewood bacon, gruyere and lorraine swiss).

M Henry is quickly winning my vote as breakfast heaven.

Beggin' for more Breakfast,
♡M

waiting for the weekend

Being the horrible blogger I am, I'm updating y'all on the last weekend... now that the new weekend is quickly appraoching.


Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant
5631 N. Ashland

It was my cousin G's birthday... a month and a half ago. As a very belated gift, I took her to check out Lalibela on Ashland, an Ethiopian gem. Neither of us were very familiar with Ethiopian food, but were willing to check it out and desperately seeking something new to try.

Inside

I must say, I love this little place! The interior was so cozy, and the HUGE chairs made me feel like I was dining royalty. On a Friday night, this space was filled with couples and groups alike, but still felt intimate and quiet enough to share a conversation over our meal.

Dori Wot, Injera, Fitfit Salad

Now one thing I learned about Ethiopian food is that you share, you share everything. We ordered two entrees (Gored Gored and Doro tibs), which came with two sides (Dori Wot and the Fitfit Salad). We weren't sure at all what to expect and had just sorta guessed on what might be good to get.  Our dishes came out on a HUGE platter lined with injera, the semi-sour bread used with your hands to pick up each of the dishes. My cousin and I don't mind sharing (in fact, it was more fighting over the last pieces than it was sharing) and started in on our meal. The platter was so big, making the rest of the dishes look so small in comparison, but I was shocked when near the end of the meal, I WAS TOO FULL TO GO ON. What? Unheard of for this glut.

The foods were all scrumptiously savory and subtly spicy making me so so so so happy. I think my falafel craze will have to come second now, to my new love for Ethiopian food. Any of you who know the rate at which I inhale falafel know... that this food must be THAT good to take over the number one reins.

I wasn't sure what "Lalibela" meant so I googled it. I am so amazed at what I found! Lalibela is apparently an ancient world, comprising of 11 magnificent, medieval, rock-hewn churches, dimly lit passageways, hidden crypts and grottoes. The ancient city was carved into the red volcanic rock underlying this remote Ethiopian town almost a millennia ago by the Zagwe dynasty. Today that world remains, frozen in stone.

Lalibela, a monument of beauty and wonder

What an amazing story and (from what I could see via Google images), an architectural masterpiece. I just had some knowledge dropped on me. I'm adding this to my list of places to visit before I die.

Until I make it to Ethiopia, I can't wait until the next chance I get to grab my favorite bottle of vino (I recommend merlot for this meal!) and head back to Lalibela... or maybe make my way to Demera and check them out too!

Dreaming of Dori Wot,
♡M

roots in history

As a fellow blogger, I have to make note when I stumble across an excellent blog! And so I introduce to you (my, uhhh... 4 readers out there.. hi mom.. haha jk) Uptown Chicago History.

So not to disclose my actual location (hellO, privacy) I'll just say I live close to the Edgewater/Uptown neighborhood border. I consider myself an Edgewaterian, but I venture a lot into Uptown for the Argyle amazingness, tantalizing Target and thrifty finds.

Uptown Chicago History takes us back on an interesting view of what used to exist in the neighborhood hangouts I love. Here are a couple of my favorite photos....

I pass by here sometimes!

Still the same bustling street!

So trendy, with it's nightclubs and hotels!

Uptown/Edgewater seems like it was a happening place, with hotels and nightclubs everywhere and a rich history in these architectural masterpiece buildings. It's hard to imagine my extremely residential neighborhood as the "Lincoln Park" of it's day! (Is it even equatable?)

Hunt and Gather, Gaztro-Wagon

Last night, I took Neighbor J on an adventure: Over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house we went. Or at least it seemed that way.

Neighbor J texted me and asked if I wanted to grab dinner. I had been RAVING about this awesome falafel joint humbly called, "Taste of Lebanon". Well before meeting up with him, I checked my tweetdeck, like the addict I am. A sign appeared from the trending gods, and on top of my recent tweets list, "@wherezthewagon Touchdown ravenswood metra stop."

Conversation ensues:
"Neighbor J, LOOK! The food truck is so close by!"
"Close by? It's like two miles away! And um.. a food truck?"

ㅎㅎㅎ the PR skills of my former life kicked in, and I was able to convince Neighbor J of the awesomeness of the food truck revolution and our impending NEED to be part of the trend.

SO off we went, dodging through foot traffic (aka maneuvering and jumping out of the way as the senior citizens of Edgewater sped toward us on their fast motorized wheelchairs), resisting alluring temptations (gelato, coffee/tea and, desserts galore of Andersonville's Clark street!), and going over and under the bridges of Ravenswood (aka the metra line).  Who knew the northside landscape could be so adventurous?


It felt slightly like what I imagine Geocaching to be like, using tweetdeck to navigate our way to foodventure finds. Wow, they should make a version of urban geocaching for food. Wouldn't that be awesome?


After being on the wrong side of the tracks for a while, we finally found....

Gaztro-Wagon We Found You!!!

Moments of silence took place, as Neighbor J and I devoured out sandwiches...

zee infamous Wild Boar Belly Sandwich

I ordered two sandwiches (one for me, one as a request for a friend I was meeting later) but... temptation took over, and I ended up eating half of each. I know.. I'm a bad friend. So in total I ate:

• 1/2 of the Wild Boar Belly: Blue Cheese, Date Jam, Romesco Sauce, and onions
• 1/2 of the Braised Lamb: Queso Panela, Apricots, Candied Walnuts, Padron Pepper

Man... was it good. The Wild Boar was delicious, containing all my favorite things, gooey oozey cheese, sweet jams (particularly date and fig for me!), and onions galore. YUM.


The Braised Lamb was equally noteworthy. As a love of all meats smoked, braised, and grilled, it was hard not to love the sweet sauce of the lamb, and the juicy tender meat. Sadly, I think the apricots were left out of my sandwich? I didn't get to taste any, and neither did Neighbor J. hmmm....


I can't wait to track down this truck again. I want to try their Fidel Castro (uhh.. hellO Manchego cheese.. one of my favorite hard cheeses) and their Duck Confit. MMMM.... 


Dreaming of my next sandwich,
Your resident, shameless GLUT

Not MY picture, but look how happy Chef Maroni looks!

Discovering the New Neighborhood: Round 2

Apparently on a margarita kick, sadly realizing that summer is slipping through my fingers
:(((  <-- that's my triple chine from drinking too many sugary drinks.

Join another gaggle of guys for $5 margaritas at T's bar on Clark in Andersonville. It's a really nice, casual vibe here, with decent food and drinks. (The margaritas are strong, ++++++!)

We had a good time there and enjoyed the music selection and the service. Nothing supremely memorable, but my friends all suggested another trip here to try out all the different, unique beer mixtures.