Margie's Candies

While a friend was visiting Chicago from St. Louis this weekend, we decided to finally go to Margie's Candies in Bucktown for "lunch" since we had both heard of it and never been. It's a super old fashioned ice cream and candy shop, and was totally delicious.

Sundaes are around $5-$7 and are ENORMOUS. We both got our own, and thank god had not eaten lunch, because neither of us finished them. "Two scoops" is really more like three, and you get an entire side of fudge with your sundae in most cases.



I got the Grandpa's Turtle Sundae, which has two scoops of ice cream (flavors of your choice- I did Chocolate and Praline), caramel, a side of fudge, whipped cream, a wafer cookie, peanuts, a cherry, and a turtle (the candy) on top. It was kind of funny because a family sitting behind us must have ordered one of the turtle sundaes and upon receiving it loudly proclaimed "WELL THIS DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A TURTLE AT ALL!" It might not have looked like a turtle, but it was really good.

"Sooooo full!"

If you're looking for ice cream in Chicago, a fun family outing, or just have an incredible sweet tooth, definitely check this place out.

Panozzo's Italian Market

It is very clear to me that living two blocks from an awesome little Italian Market/Deli is going to be both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because they have the most amazing sandwiches and a mouthwatering selection of real Italian pastas, meats, cheeses, and more. A curse because that selection makes me want to cook three huge meals a day just to be able to try all of this stuff. (Ok, let's be honest, that would never happen... but still...)

Yesterday we popped over to grab some sandwiches for lunch and do a little food shopping. My friend Lauryn recently turned me on to the website FoodGawker.com and that paired with my usual How Sweet It Is obsession led me to a page long list of recipes and inspired dishes I HAVE to make in the very near future. The first of these will be coming up tomorrow.

Lunch:

From Top to Bottom:
Homemade Roast Beef- House Roasted Round of Beef, with provolone cheese, romaine lettuce, tomato, horseradish mayo and onion marmalade
Roasted Potato Salad
Prosciutto & Fresh Mozzarella- Prosciutto Crudo, Fresh Mozzarella, with tomato and pesto

I think at first glance these sandwiches can look a little small (we went for the 6" instead of full sized, though full sized sandwiches are only $1 more) but they were REALLY filling and the perfect combination of flavors and textures. I will definitely be going back!

Purchases:

Fresh sliced Pancetta, Asiago Mezzano, Gorgonzola, and Tuscan Conchiglie


And now our cheese drawer looks something like this:


Now I just can't wait to go back and get my hands on one of those hand pulled balls of fresh mozzarella. Yum!

Visit Panozzo's Italian Market Website

Restaurant Review: Burger Bar

I've been hearing of all sorts of burger-specializing restaurants here in Chicago, and this week we decided to try out Burger Bar in Lincoln Park. We went on a Monday around 7pm and were seated immediately on the outside patio.

The menu is not overwhelmingly large (I consider this a good thing) but they have a good variety of specialty burgers and a "make your own burger" option. Burgers are all served with your choice of fresh cut fries, home made potato chips, sweet potato fries, or a side salad. One of the real highlights, however, was the $1 upgrade to truffle fries. We're big olive-oil enthusiasts in this family, and my dad always says "there's nothing that can be made with olive oil that isn't even better with truffle oil"... true story. These fries were AWESOME, and you get an enormous mound of them on your plate.

I went with the "Burger Bar" option (Starting at just $9) and did the 1/2 pound burger with provolone and avocado added on (each totally worth the $1 upgrade... the avocado was fresh and plentiful!) and topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo... all served on a perfectly toasted bun. The burger was huge and I ended up bringing half of it home, but it was REALLY good. Pictured here with truffle fries.

My dad went for the "High Hog" stacker ($12) which was a barbeque pork burger with bacon, ham, white cheddar, and apple-cabbage slaw on top. It was recommended by our waiter and proved to be a good choice. Pictured here with the homemade chips.

We both got a Goose Island beer, on special on Mondays for $3, and split a Chocolate Peanut Butter milk shake. The shake was decent, but for $6 was not the best or the biggest shake. I would probably skip this next time. Aside from that, the meal was absolutely delicious and totally filling. (Oh, and note the 20+ page booklet you get at your table describing each of the many beers they carry!)

You can check out the Burger Bar website, hours, and menu HERE.

Address: 1578 N. CLYBOURN
Price: Average meal around $10
Great beer specials Sunday- Thursday

Restaurant Review: N9NE Steakhouse

Last week while in Chicago for some relaxation and job-search related meetings, my dad and I went to dinner at N9NE Steakhouse in West Loop. I may not be the best person to "review" a steakhouse because as a total carnivore, it's not really THAT hard to please me. I will, however, say that the food was AMAZING, the ambiance was great, our server was the perfect balance of attentive-out of the way-fun to talk to, and I would DEFINITELY go back.

I started with the Love Potion No. 9 martini: Orange Juice, Absolut, and Alize. Mmmm!


For dinner I had the bone in ribeye with the Truffle Hollandaise, and it was cooked perfectly to order and as delicious as expected. Not to mention it was enough that it also made for a good lunch the next day. We split a side of the lobster mashed potatoes, and I am still in awe at what a great idea those are. Big high five to whoever came up with THAT concept.




The lovely waitress brought us a sorbet sampler to celebrate my graduation, and though I'm still not completely sure what the flavors were (We're thinking coconut, passionfruit, and mango), they were all really good! What we thought was the passionfruit was really tangy, almost similar to orange juice in a way, and was my favorite! The coconut/mango flavors were a little more subtle.


Overall, I don't know that there was anything I could personally complain about! Well, that is with the exception of all the bridge construction leading to a little bit of difficulty getting there, but let's be honest here: that has nothing to do with the restaurant itself and it was totally worth the trouble of getting there. They also have a location in Las Vegas (and I believe Dallas), and if you're looking for something upscale and AMAZING, I would completely recommend it.

Check out the menu/pricing here.

Restaurant Review: Le Colonial, Chicago

Le Colonial is a French Vietnamese restaurant located on Rush Street in Chicago with other locations in NYC and San Francisco, and is a must for anyone looking to try new upscale dining locales in the area. It's a little bit pricier but really not too extreme, making it a great but reasonable place to celebrate various occasions. We got reservations at 7:00 on a Friday night a couple of days in advance, but I don't think they are too difficult to get. (Click here for Le Colonial's website, Menus, pricing and online reservation booking available)

The atmosphere was really neat, as seen in the picture below, and the restaurant has an upstairs bar with couches and chairs for enjoying a before or after dinner drink (or two).

The menu has a great selection, and we started off with the Shrimp/Pork Spring Rolls and Chicken Mushroom Ravioli. The Spring Rolls were the table favorite: perfectly crispy, they are served with lettuce to wrap them in and a chili lime sauce for dipping.


For dinner I went with the Tom Xao Sate, which is Jumbo Shrimp with asparagus, onions, and scallions in a Sate/Chili/Garlic sauce. The flavor was excellent and not overwhelming, and the shrimp had the perfect crisp to the outside.


Others at the table had the Ga Xao Xa Ot (A Lemongrass Chicken dish) and Vit Quay (A Ginger marinated duck) and both were fantastic. The flavors were all really interesting with a little bit of spice, and everyone enjoyed sampling off all of the plates!!!

If you're looking for a new, unique, and DELICIOUS upscale but reasonable dining experience in Chicago, Le Colonial is the place to go.

Challah French Toast

This particular little creation was inspired by a recent trip to visit my dad in Chicago, during which we went to the Eleven City Diner.

This place was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS- and they serve breakfast all day! I personally stuck with a Cheeseburger (I'd been craving one all weekend and finally gave in) since my roommate decided to get the Challah French Toast and I knew I could sneak a few bites.

(Eleven's Challah French Toast and Bacon Cheeseburger)

The best part about this is that you can ultimately use any french toast recipe, whether from a website or one you already use, but you just replace the bread you normally use with Challah bread and make as directed. Not all grocery stores carry this, but we were able to get it at our Marsh. I sliced the bread diagonally to make the slices a little bigger, but that part's up to you depending on how big the loaf is.

Aside from using Challah, I also topped the finished toast with sliced strawberries and toasted coconut. At Eleven, they also used bananas, but I've never been a big fan so I left them off.

To toast the coconut, I just bought sweetened coconut flakes (you can get this in the baking aisle of any grocery store) and spread them across a cookie sheet. I then threw them in the oven at 300 degrees for about four minutes, took them out and gave them a little stir, and then threw them back in for a few more minutes. You really only want to leave them until they start turning a golden brown color.

Then serve it up!!! This is a great breakfast idea (or breakfast for dinner!) I will DEFINITELY be using and reusing as long as I live. Thanks Eleven City Diner! Hope you enjoy!