Thursday, July 19, 2007

Deep Dish Pizza


There are a couple things on this foodie's agenda when planning her trip to Chicago. One of this is.....tada......Deep Dish Pizza. Every one seems to know about Uno or Gino's. However, my good friends Peter and Vanessa recommended this place called Pequods. I was a bit skeptical at first because really, who has heard of Pequods? But I trust my friends and crammed an outing to Pequod's on our jammed packed restaurant itinerary.

Pequod's is the typical Chicagon pizza joint where it is dimly lit with booths and wait staff running around with deep dish pizzas they carry around with clamps. I checked out the other tables, and they all have gigantic pan pizzas that looked quite promising, with loads of cheese and meat on them. I don't think vegetarianism is big in a place like Chicago.

Anyways, we ordered Deep fried zucchini for appies and Peter convinced me to have some Cheese Garlic Bread as well. I normally don't want to get filled up with bread before devouring more carbs. But that garlic bread was just too delicious to have only two bites.

Next came the pizzas. Basically, you can pick any toppings you want for a deep dish pan pizza or a thin crust. Pequods are famous for their caramelized cheese crust on their pan pizzas, so we got one with sausage, spinach, and mushrooms. We also got a thin crust one with ground beef, and half with pineapple and half with anchovies. Oh man, they were great. Especially when washed down with a couple pints of cold beer.

So if you are ever in the Chicago area.....

Pequods Pizza
2207 N. Clybourn Ave.
(773) 327-1512

Monday, July 16, 2007

Taste of Chicago


It's true, everything is bigger in America. They even have one of the biggest food festivals around: Taste of Chicago. I first heard of this momentous event way back when I was studying abroad for a semester in Denmark. Back then, my interest in food only lay in cheap and tasty eats, so I didn't have to literally be a "starving student". Imagine my delight when I met a girl named Karen, who loves to cook for friends, and I was an eager recipient of her generosity.

Karen also au paired in Chicago, and told me that for once in my life, I have to go to this crazy food frenzy called the Taste of Chicago where there are aisles and aisles of food for you to sample. I listened, mesmorized, and imagined that is heaven must be like for foodies.

So I took advantage of my summer holiday and the fact that one of my best friends now lives there. It was really my duty to go see her before I took off to HK, so I decided to coincide my visit with this yearly event which takes place around the July 4th weekend. This year, 70 restaurants had a booth there and you can buy 11 tickets for $7. Most entrees cost around 9 tickets. There are also "Tastes", which are samples of a chosen dish for 3 tickets.

And I was not disappointed. We went on July 3rd, which is a big event at the Taste because there is also a firework show for all to enjoy after a nice big dinner. It seemed like every Chicagon and their dogs are here. The only downside is that the crazy crowds really make it difficult for you to enjoy your food without beer being spilt on you, or bbq sauce smeared by the people pushing through the crowd with their newly procured dinner.

Here's what we ate: Robinson's Ribs, Ellie's Cheesecake, BJ's Mustard Crusted Catfish, and Bacino's Stuffed Pizza. And if I had more room, I would also have gotten the bbq turkey legs from Helen's and also this freshly fried chips everyone seemed to have a plate of.

We went back on weekday around noon, and the crowds were much more manageable. So I would go then if I were you. And try the Robinson boneless rib sandwich. It was DELICIOUS.

www.tasteofchicago.us

Thursday, July 5, 2007

On Vacation

I know, I am not the most diligent blogger, especially when summer comes and I am consistently on vacation. However, hold your horses, as I am in one of the gastronomical capitals of U.S.A. ....Chicago. I am eating my way through restaurants, going to the Taste of Chicago, and cooking for my dear friends who I am visiting. And I cannot believe that I am on a computer at this moment, as I believe that vacations should be internet and mobile free. I will reminisce about my adventure with you when I get home in about a week.

Btw, I am enjoying a nice glass of riesling and eating a nice piece of Mung Bean Coconut cake that my friend's Mom made for us.

CHEERS!!