September 13, 2010

xoxo.


I was finally able to reunite with my (TV) boyfriend last night, Chuck Bass. Thank the TV Gods that Gossip Girl is back on air. I was freaking out because I wasn't sure if Chuck was going to be alive or not while gallivanting through Europe pissing away his inheritance.

Point being, I made a fantastic set of pizza's again (2 kinds) but the one that I am most proud of is the eggplant pizza that came together really nicely. After researching on a few different websites, because I basically had no idea how to accurately cook the eggplant so that it wasn't soggy but also wasn't tough as sandpaper and hard to eat, I found out that the best way to prepare the eggplant prior to baking onto the pizza dough, was to set the oven to 425 Degrees, slice up the eggplant (coat with salt, pepper, olive oil--or fat free butter spray works too) then bake it. Bake it for 10 minutes, pull out the tray, flip all the slices over onto the other side, then bake for another 10 to 12 until soft. Taste a slice to see if they are soft and delish, which they should be at this point.

In this case, I used the standard Michelle Pesto base I always do for pizza, but instead I substituted walnuts for the nut base in the sauce. It was hearty and fantastic. I just used a mix of the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses that I had in the fridge. Overall, the pizza was the perfect compliment to the inauguration of my favorite show season. Nothing like watching the shenanigans of the upper east siders and eating some whole wheat pizza to go with it.

Here is the link to the recipes for Pizza that I put together earlier this month.

xoxo,
Mish




Nothing Fancy.

Feast in Wicker Park is adorable yet pretty plain Jane (I laughed when I wrote that phrase since I was there with boyfriend's mother named Jane, woo! I'm a nerd).

Next time I'll eat there when it isn't raining outside, since the main reason I was attracted to eat there in the first place was a result of the cute little outdoor patio/tent that branches off one side of it and wraps around the front of the purple stucco facade, but minus the weather, it was absolutely a treat to head there after Dailey Method class last weekend.

It's a pretty basic cuisine, but I guess it was cushioned by a really straightforward menu (and they let me eat a turkey burger without a bun at 10:57am on a Saturday morning wearing Jazz Pants from LuLulemon + a puffy vest). Thumbs up for accepting Mish in her state.

I actually think that I would go back to this casual non expensive spot. The menu offers breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, desserts, and alcohol. It's your generic "go to" American cuisine in the neighborhood that tasted good to me. Easy enough. Everyone that I went with (boyfriends parents and sister) got breakfast items and of course I wasn't in the mood since I'm just such a huge fan of making my own egg beaters at home using my own pan spray etc, so I got something from the lunch menu, of course, I laughed it off as I ordered but Doug's family is pretty conditioned with my generally strange personality, so it was a hardly a big deal. FYI, their turkey burger was FANTASTIC and had caramelized onions on it. Doug's mom and sister got oatmeal pancakes and said they were "good" (nothing great or exiting, but just plain alright). Sometimes that's what you want on a rainy Saturday morning, though, I guess. Also, I heard (from their input) that the bloody mary's on the menu were pretty tasty.

I'll have to go back to dinner considering that they have half price wine on Monday and Tuesday (my personal danger zone). Nothing authentic nor extra inspiration about the menu, except that it works, and you'll know what you want in 5 minutes or less because you'll be able to pronounce everything (unlike some fancy schmancy restaurants I've been to), and won't pay a crazy amount for friendly waiters.

Click Here to View the Menu

Hello Malbec. I'm Mish.

Oh hello crab tamales and a little Argentine Malbec. It's Michelle Susan Goldstein, formerly known in my 1st grade journal as "Michele Sowsin" at the time when I couldn't spell very well (which is comparable to the state I was in when I left this restaurant after a delectable meal late last week with the boyfriends parents who were also, I think, a few glasses of wine in themselves).

I highly suggest that you take someone that loves an innovative yet simplistic meal to this new spot. Mexique, on w Chicago Avenue in Wicker Park/Bucktown Area, is the new place to try. As I mentioned, I ventured there with the boyfriend, his sister, and the parental units in from Connecticut. We had a few glasses of
Clos de la Siete (one of my favorites) before leaving for dinner, while showing them the sweet view from our roof deck. It was windy yet pleasant. I even got a chance to bust out my infamous hand-me-down snow suit from a co-worker that I plan to wear at the boyfriends' sisters birthday party (in December) that I'm throwing on our roof (a snow suit party).

I ramble. Please excuse. We got in a cab to the restaurant. Upon arriving, appetizers were ordered and then we waited a while for our main courses to come out. Below is what I ordered. Both items were superbly cooked. The sauces were fantastic. Clearly, the chef has had some classical training and knows exactly how to put a dish together. All the flavors were perfectly created in our (super cool, I might add) plates.

Appetizer:
Pescamal:
Seafood Mousse Tamal Cooked in Banana Leaves Stuffed with Crab Meat Fricassee. Lemon Confit and Salsa Veracruzana.

Dinner:
Pollo Relleno:
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Artichokes and Shitake Mushrooms. Served with Roasted Vegetable Quinoa, Tomatillo-Alcaparrado Sauce and Radish Sprouts.

Check out the Menu.

Here is my review in sum:
Great wine.
Better food than wine (which is a hard review for me to easily give since I am a wino).
Terrible service, which was corrected by an apology by the chef. So it's a wash.