Tag Archives: Food

Do-Division & I'm Sick of Sushi

do-division

Yesterday, mi prima and I hit the Do-Division Street Fest. I’m starting to fall in love with this area of the city, but I don’t think I will ever be cool enough to live there. The neighborhood never sleeps! ANYWAY… the fest was great. It was smaller than I expected, but it wasn’t overwhelming. I bought a couple cute tops. Mostly, I was reminded of how summer festivals make you sweat and leaves the pungent odor of skank beer floating in your nostrils.

On another (unrelated) note, I am sick of sushi. Maybe it’s because I had an unpleasant experience two (or three) sushi meals ago. Or maybe it’s the whole soy sauce and white rice thing that’s turning me off. All I know is that when someone mentions sushi, I want to gag. However, I will absolutely not turn down a bowl of unagi don if it is offered to me. YUMMMM.

Al Primo Canto

alprimocanto

I think I just gained about 7 pounds plus grew an extra chin. That’s what happens after you eat at Al Primo Canto in the Edgebrook neighborhood of Chicago. I’m too lazy and buzzy right now to get into a whole summary of what this place is, so click here to see their feature on Check, Please!

The assessment? Good food, good service (until it starts to get super busy), and who can beat all you can eat? Favorites included the bread cheese ball things (see above where I say that I’m buzzed right now), the beef, potatoes, and the mushroom pasta. YES! The mushroom pasta was my personal favorite. But everything was truly tasty. The caipahrina was a little bit too limey and not sweet enough for my taste, but the specialty martinis are supposedly good. They also have plenty of wines to choose from. I can’t believe I didn’t mention the chicken. It is VERY VERY GOOD. Again, we had their endless feast….we three girls didn’t get second helpings of anything. There is PLENTY of food. Wear the fat jeans, for sure.

Anyway, the food is good, but Al Primo Canto also has an a la carte menu that I wouldn’t mind trying sometime. Inevitably, this place ends up getting compared to Fogo de Chao, Sal & Carvao, etc…Al Primo Canto is a slightly different concept (no gauchos) and is much less overwhelming. Plus, it’s in charming Edgebrook.

I would like to go back, but not anytime soon since I don’t want to become a huge cow. Bonus! Al Primo Canto is one of the restaurants on Restaurant.com. Currently you can purchase a $25 gift certificate for $10. Also, if someone is having a b-day, they give a complimentary flan for dessert with a candle. No singing, thank goodness.

I Can't Believe I'm Admitting This, But…

…Jewel Taco Dip is the BEST junk food ever. It’s got cheese, chili, beans, tomatoes, and (usually) green onion. I wish I had a fresh package that I could take a picture of. Whenever I’m feeling really piggy, it’s the first thing I think of. I’ll definitely take a picture next time I get some, which hopefully won’t be for awhile.

Find the taco dip in the prepared foods section of your local Jewel grocery store.

Sweet Leaf Tea

sweetleaf

Yum. Picked up a bottle at Whole Foods today (and was pleasantly surprised when I looked at my receipt and saw that they were on sale). Refreshing and tasty – plus, it’s organic. And it reminds me of good times at Lollapalooza!

Guilty Pleasure: SPAM

OK. I love SPAM. I’m not talking about junk e-mail. I’m talking about the mystery meat in a can that, let’s face it, is a product eaten by many even if they won’t admit it. I like to eat SPAM with white rice and tomatoes, sometimes with a fried egg. Hello, salty goodness!

Obama likes Spam Musubi (see article here). I’ll have to try this myself. Or maybe I should use this as an excuse to visit Hawaii.

spam-musubi, asianweek.com

Oooh, these SPAM puffs from spam-uk.com look good!

spam-puffs, spam-uk.com

Of course, there’s the classic SPAM burger.

picture-14

The Coffee Plantation

Coffee Plantation

And for a balanced message on coffee, allow me to praise The Coffee Plantation, which is a coffee chain in the Phoenix area that my friend Sue introduced me to. She directed me to it when I asked her where the nearest Starbucks was during my recent trip to Scottsdale. It was so good that I wanted to save my coffee cup jacket or whatever the hell they’re called, but I totally tossed it without thinking. I will probably visit The Coffee Plantation everytime I’m in Scottsdale now. Their coffee is nutty and smooth, and the location that I visited (Shea) was very chill (though the morning crew kind of messed up my order…didn’t matter, though, because the drink I ended up with was wonderful!).

Add The Coffee Plantation to the list of reasons that I should move to Scottsdale!

Starbucks VIA

Starbucks VIA - Starbucks.com

I first heard about Starbucks VIA from Megan on notmartha.org. I finally tried it this past weekend, and it’s pretty good – I wouldn’t be able to tell if it was brewed or instant if put to the test. VIA is available at Starbucks stores in Chicago and Seattle. For the record, I like the Columbia (medium blend) WAY better than the Italian Roast (extra bold).

Find out more by clicking here.

God Has a Sense of Humor

I know this because I bundled up and drove outside in freezing weather on my work from home day, just to get some damn cheddar jalapeno cheetos, and the grocery store I went to did not have them. Why?!!