Thursday, June 25, 2009

drum roll please

I hereby declare Tecate the official beer of summer 09.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

eating and drinking as sightseeing

My sister recently visited me in Chicago. She, like me, loves to eat and drink. The only activity that was a must on her agenda for her trip was to visit Kuma's Corner for one of their famous burgers. After the standard two hour wait, we were not disappointed. We threw back some PBRs, built our own mac'n'cheese (bacon & peas, please), and finally ordered our burgers which are all named after metal bands. Abby could barely talk after she bit into the Yob (10 ounces of beef, topped with smoked gouda, bacon, roasted red peppers, and roasted garlic mayo on a pretzel roll). Marcus and I enjoyed the Pantera and the Melvins burgers with equal enthusiasm.


I introduced my sister to Dunkin Donuts to get us going in the morning for three reasons. 1. Omaha is surprisingly lacking the D&D. 2. I love dessert at breakfast which is what those cute li'l munchkins are meant to be. 3. I really do love the coffee. What makes it so wonderful? How do they know just the right amount of cream and sugar to add? Ah, Dunkin Donuts, you win me over every time.

As soon as lunch was digested through wandering around and shopping, it was time for lunch and beers. Abby and I went to a Goose Island brewpub so we could sample some local Chicago beers.

Our two favorite beers that we sampled were the Willow Street White ("an unfiltered Belgian style wheat beer spiced with coriander and sweet & bitter orange peel") and the Matilda, another Belgian style beer with "golden sunrise color, fruity aroma, and spicy yeast flavor."

We decided to get dessert for lunch too (hey, it's vacation). Goose Island also makes some of their own sodas and offers dessert options of ice cream floats. We oohed and aahed over the grape-soda-and-salty-peanut-gelato float which tasted like a liquefied essence of an ideal PB&J.




On Abby's last night in town, we made a delicious feast composed almost entirely of goods from the farmer's market. We celebrated Abby's birthday at The Cove, a Hyde Park neighborhood bar, with enough pitchers of cheap beer to lead to impassioned arguments enveloped in love and certain hangover. Luckily, we had appropriate brunch plans the next morning.

The Publican's pristine pork products were well-accompanied with other important hangover curatives. First, they serve Intelligentsia coffee and wait staff don't want to see your cup empty. Second, they leave a big bottle of water at your table. Finally, their Bloody Marys are made with Tito's Vodka and a beer back. Yes.
I love to spend time with my sister.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Blackberry Bellini



Like everyone in my marketing demographic, I love brunch. I do not, however, love waiting an hour for it. I also feel a little weird about being surrounded by lots of people who look a lot like me but cuter and quirkier. An Ira Glass look alike totally got seated before us at Lula's Cafe. All this hemming and hawing to say mmm... brunch.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

a year of percolating

On one of my first days of my first year internship, I stopped at Intelligentsia for coffee. My friend Emily had told me I had to try their clover coffee. All excited about the new life of internship, school, and Chicago, I went up to the counter and asked for a clover coffee. Turns out Clover is a type of machine that makes coffee one cup at a time, a bit like a fancy-schmancy french press. The coffee brewed through it at Intelligentsia is amazingly flavorful and nuanced.


On one of my final days at my internship, I revisited Intelligentsia (at $4 a 12 oz. cup, this is a special occasion coffee). Waiting in line to order, I realized I've absorbed and become accustomed to the city street bustle. I have learned to better balance my work, school, and social lives. Moreover, I know how to order a cuppa at Intelligentsia.

Pizza and Beer Pt. 3

For the latest Chicago-style pizza and beer tasting, we went to Pequod's. The mascot for the restaurant is a whale standing on its hindfins, one hand-fin on hip, mouth tugged down in a slightly peeved expression. He also looks looks like he might be wearing panties on his head. Perhaps that's why he's peeved. Maybe he's quietly judging the customers for not having read Moby Dick. In any event, the pizza the whale oversees (overseas?) is mighty tasty - buttery blackened carmelized crust, cheesey saucy deliciousness.
Great Lakes Brewing Company's Dortmunder Gold Lager coupled with the pizza well in its light Pilsner-y-ness. And in that there's fictional character of the same name in some books I have never read.

Friday, June 5, 2009

hot asian buns


In addition to tasty bao, Wow Bao serves homemade ginger ale. Consider this place the new reigning king of yuppie fast food places I like in Chicago having dethroned previous queen, Hannah's Bretzel.