Dirty Betty's Deliciously Decadant Doughnuts

Early this morning, when most people are fighting the snooze button (which I'm usually up to myself) one thing made me jump out of bed and jump on the smelly train to Lincoln Park: Dirty Betty's opens today.

Doughnuts are definitely the new pastry craze. Move over cupcakes and macarons, there's a new kid in town. Each morning a long  line forms around the block at the Doughnut Vault, Scott Harris of Mia Francesca announced his move to open a small shop called Glaze and Dirty Betty’s the latest to join the game.

But with flavors like ginger doughnuts with key lime glaze, and blueberry doughnuts with a lemon glaze, how can one possibly resist?

ps. I love alliterations.
pps. I'm pretty sure I need to double my workout after this morning's "meal".

Restaurant Week Review: BOKA

Restaurant Week Chicago has begun!

I'm all smiles, even though I'll be 10 pounds heavier and wallets cheaper by the end of the week. Restaurant Week began for me on Monday night with an early dinner w/ a good friend and colleague JP at BOKA of Lincoln Park.

Restaurant Week Menu Review

Pre-Course Teaser: Truffled Edamame Mac and Cheese
Review: I can't even type this without drooling a little.

First Course: Maine Diver Scallop, Broccoli Sauce, Sweet & Sour Onions AND Crispy Chicken Thigh, Potato Puree, Pickled Celery Root
Review: Both dishes we're decent, with more flair for presentation and style than for taste and texture. The Scallop was cooked relatively well (Personally, I'm really picky about how scallops are cooked as the texture can be off-putting sometimes, depending on the way they were prepared), but the flavors of the broccoli and onions was mild if not absent. The crispy chicken thigh was an interesting dish, again with the focus more on presentation and plating than on the flavors. Full of home-style flavors, this dish had an interesting glamour to a normally uninteresting combination (chicken and potatoes).

Second Course: Angus Tenderloin with wild mushroom croquette and parsnip sauce AND Braised Pork Belly with Fried Oyster, Spicy Bok Choy and Green Tea Soba Noodle
Review: I'm a huge fan of croquettes, so I opted for the Angus dish. The beef was cooked medium rare, but lacked a certain ompf of any flavor. The mushroom croquette was mildly lukewarm, and was mushy, for a lack of a better word. Wild mushrooms should have been packed with bold, earthy flavors that were sadly absent in this dish.The Braised Pork Belly dish was tasty, but lacked any class in presentation. Presented like a traffic jam of lego-sized squares, this dish, while not appealing as such, was the highlight of the menu with bold flavors that made up for the lack of pizzazz elsewhere.

Third Course: Ginger Kulfi, Toasted Marshmallow, Espresso, Tangerine, Chocolate
Review: Insanely rich and decadent only to be sharpy contrasted with tangy ginger kulfi, this dessert was a promise fulfilled in flavor and zing. Boring alone, all the ingredients combined made for a delicious bite of balanced sweetness.

The Service: Attentive to an overwhelming degree, with a busser/bread provider/waiter breathing down our necks at every second. Yes, it was nice not to have to linger over messy plates, or to have to raise a hand for a request, but asking me how it tastes the second after the plates have come to the table... isn't very welcoming. I wanted to enjoy the conversation I was sharing, not be rushed through each course. While very nice people, I must say you all must have been bored, seeing how the four people apparently assigned to our table hovered above us our entire meal.

The Room: I like the classy touches of this space, with the illuminated drapes enveloping diners in this large space. Great wine list with interesting selections.



Chicago Restaurant Week runs from Feb. 18 - 27. BOKA is located in Lincoln Park at 1729 N. Halsted Ave.

date night

Last night, I went on a much-needed, long awaited date with my crazy friend Jor. It was fun to catch up, since we hadn't seen each other for more than 5 seconds the past few months he's been back in Chicago!

Jorge and I go way back, to when we were both living the poor student lifestyle in our respective decrepit 1920s apartment just two blocks away from each other. This bonded us in our friendship, as we shared cheap wine over shared dinners.

So much has changed for both of us now, having to go down different paths, but still sharing a common friendship despite the years and the change!

Since we met up in the Lakeview neighborhood, we decided to check out the newly opened Del Seoul restaurant, a Korean fusion fast-food-esque joint.

Del Seoul now open at 2568 N. Clark

I again (being the bad blogger I am) took photos on my Olympus which I haven't been able to upload yet :( but I must say. It was a delight getting to be one of the first ones to try out Del Seoul in their opening days and can't wait to go back and try the other dishes they have!

Photos and reviews to come.

Your lazy, lagging, photo-procrastinating Glut with Guts,
♡M