Yummy things that are different in Chicago

Cheese fries. In my experience, cheese fries means making some fries, covering them in shredded cheese (usually cheddar), and then putting them under the broiler to melt it a bit. In Chicago, cheese fries means making some fries, and covering them in processed cheese sauce or providing processed cheese sauce on the side for dipping. This is not some horrible idea, but it is not what I'm used to, and from a flavor standpoint not my preference. I like my nacho cheese on nachos, not on fries. So if I ever get a craving for cheese fries, I'll essentially have to make my own.

Queso. I'm a girl who would have been happy to live off of chips, salsa, and queso. When I say "queso" I mean the melted cheese in a bowl, typically mixed with salsa/pico de gallo/etc so that it's somewhat spicy, and you get to dip all your chips in it and gain 500 lbs. Here, queso refers to melted cheese, but not the dipping kind. It's melted, but not runny, and you are supposed to wrap it in tortillas to eat it. This queso existed in my previous life as well, Ninfa's and Serrano's both serve these wrapping quesos, with additive choices such as chorizo, crawfish, and fajita meat. When I worked at Serrano's I always loved when people ordered the quesos, because we got to mix them and roll them tableside for the customers, and I thought that was fun. But what is not fun is that dipping queso does not appear to exist here. I do not understand why Chicago chooses to ignore the amazing greatness that is dipping queso. And people are welcome to argue that it's not "authentic" but I've eaten at many an authentic Mexican place and still been offered the option of dipping queso. Give the people what they want!

Things I've been up to

Makin' boudin balls. We were supposed to do them for the housewarming, but after that morning's flat tire we nixed a few of our plans (boudin balls, buttermilk biscuits, hushpuppies, etc). But I was perfectly happy to share with only one person instead of 40.


Enjoyed a free day at the Museum of Science & Industry, currently featuring a Jim Henson exhibit as well.


Went to a Jack Daniel's whiskey tasting at The Southern. There was a raffle and I won a bottle of Gentleman Jack.


Got a burger from J. Wellington's. It has a fried egg, bacon, bleu cheese, and sriracha mayo, and just further supports my theory that flavored mayos are underrated.

BFF

My best friend Victoria came to town last weekend!

On Sunday we met up with friends at Ann Sather's. They're famous for cinnamon rolls. At least that's what Food Network told me.


NOW IT'S TIME FOR BILLY ELLIOT.


Victoria got us tickets, and we were in the orchestra section at the Oriental Theater. It's kinda pretty inside.

The show was fantastic and made us both want to sign up for dance classes.

The lobby of the Oriental Theater smells amazing, and it's because there's this gourmet popcorn shop, Garrett's, right next door. We were heading back to Millennium Park for a free symphony performance, so we picked up some caramel and cheese popcorn first so we could picnic.


We didn't get there early enough to get a seat that viewed the stage, so we just parked ourselves on some steps by the bean, since we could hear the music fine from there.


And I of course took bean pictures.






We peaced out before the crowd, and headed over to Giordano's to get ourselves some deep dish.

I'm sure it will disappoint everybody to hear that I don't think it's that exciting. I mean, if you really like pizza, you'll probably love it. It's a pile of cheese and sauce and whatever toppings you pick, so you can't go too wrong. But pizza has never really been that exciting of a thing for me, and I tend to prefer thin crust anyway. And after Italy, I pretty much want Italian style (which I should be able to get plenty of here, since Chicago is like a mini-Europe).

Lobstahs!

My college roommate Christen came to visit, and she brought us some lobstahs from Maine! So we had a boil last night.





Frog's first lobster experience.


We started out on the roof deck, but moved down to the dining room when the wind picked up. We had lobster, corn & potatoes, stuffed clams (christen brought those as well), and wine. It was quite yum.

Goose Island

Weekend lunch at Goose Island. They're known for their craft beers, but we just needed some food.

I had a steak sandwich


My roommate went with the mussels

The Southern

I now live in Chicago, so let the eating begin.

Fittingly, we had dinner last nigh at The Southern. Here's a few of the items that graced our taste buds.

Southern Mess - handcut fries, tasso ham, cheese curds


Hush Puppies, with a roasted artichoke hummus-like dip


Fried green tomatoes


Crabcakes