Restaurant Review: FARMbloomington

Back from another round of laptop problems with a review of a restaurant from Bloomington, IN that I somehow JUST managed to try. FARMbloomington, located on Kirkwood Avenue just off the square, which focuses on using "local foods with global flavors". According to the website, the menu changes seasonally and based on the Chef's inspirations, and from what I experienced it is a pretty diverse menu.

Prices can range from $13.50 for a pizza to $30+ for an entree (though most are in the $20 range), but it is all well worth it! A current summer menu can be found HERE.

We started with the FARMfamous Garlic Fries as an appetizer. I first became totally obsessed with garlic fries when visiting San Francisco, and let me tell you: these garlic fries would make SF proud. They are perfectly crisp, covered in garlic, parmesan, chili flakes, and a Turmeric Aioli and come with a side of garlic mayonnaise for dipping. DELICIOUS! For $8 you can get a large bowl big enough for plenty of people to share!


For dinner I had the Jim Fiedler's Spicy Chorizo Sausage pizza ($13.50). Thin crust, woodstone oven baked with chorizo, jalapenos, grilled onions, spinach, and garlic... also delicious! The flavor combination was really good, and the crispy crust melded with the cheese and was perfectly accented with the little kick of jalapenos. It is definitely not for anyone who doesn't like a little spice! The pizza took up a large plate, but as I said was a very thin crust. I ended up taking about half of it home after the garlic fries, but without an appetizer it is a pretty good sized portion.


My brother had the FARMbeef Burger ($15) which was truly the largest burger I have ever seen! It was served on what looked like French Bread and with a red-potato salad. He added Goat Cheese and Bacon, and the flavor combination was fantastic... I know because I might have snuck a little bite ;-)! My dad did the Thai-Tamarind Grilled Pork Chop ($22), pictured below, which can be found on the menu linked above, and absolutely raved about it.


If you're ever in Bloomington and looking for a unique, nice, and absolutely delicious restaurant I highly recommend giving FARMbloomington a try. FARM also has a market & cafe and a bar on top of the restaurant. Find out more HERE. I only wish I had caught a picture of the inside of the restaurant, as it is done in a very homey but open "farm house" feel. I guess you'll just have to check it out for yourself!

Baked Pizza Spaghetti

This recipe can be made in about a million variations just by doing a pasta combination covered with cheese and thrown into the oven. This one was made kind of based on a pizza spaghetti a co-worker brought in on Black Friday that was SO good I just had to try my own recipe for it. I used a jar of sauce, but in the future when I have more time I think I want to come up with a more customized recipe.

Ingredients

1 Box Spaghetti
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce of Your Choice
1 Small Can Tomato Sauce
1/2 lb Ground Beef
1/2 lb Sausage
1/4 Cup Diced Onion
2 Tablespoons Minced Garlic
Oregano
8oz Shredded Cheese (Italian Mix goes well!)
Pepperoni

Directions

Boil spaghetti according to directions. Meanwhile, in a separate skillet brown the ground beef and sausage. Once browned, add the diced onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes until the onions start to become translucent. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of oregano in for a little extra flavor.

(Preheat oven to 425 degrees) Add large jar of spaghetti sauce to the meat and cook for 5-10 minutes until sauce is warmed and starts to bubble.

After straining spaghetti, pour into 9x13in glass baking dish. Cover with meat/sauce mixture and stir to mix up. (This might be easier if you just do it in the pot you boiled the spaghetti in, but I guess I just wanted to make as little of a mess as possible haha). Pour small sauce can over the spaghetti once it has all been mixed together.

Top with pepperoni (or any other "pizza toppings" you might like) and then cover with cheese. Throw in the oven for about ten minutes to start to melt the cheese, and then turn on the broiler and broil for just a few minutes to get the cheese bubbly and starting to turn golden around the edges. Make sure to watch it because the broiler can burn things quickly if you don't keep an eye on it!

Let cool, serve, and enjoy!!!!

Restaurant Review: Flo & Santos (Chicago)

I decided to supplement this blog a little bit with a Restaurant Review feature (What with my running around all summer and not doing very good work with DOCUMENTING the recipes of what I make). I've eaten at SO many good places in Chicago this summer, and I know there are plenty elsewhere that are worthy of a good review, so I might as well share them. This also gives me an outlet for the many pictures I take every time we eat anywhere. Many of the first posts in this section will be Chicago locales, so bare with me if you don't live near, and be sure to make note if you do, or plan on visiting anytime soon!

It's only appropriate to start this feature with Flo & Santos... what has become our new South Loop favorite. This "Pizza & Pierogies" joint is located in Chicago's South Loop on 1310 S. Wabash, and every single thing I've tasted has been delicious!!!

Their thin crust pizzas are truly some of the best pizza I have ever had... not too thin and crispy but without too much dough, featuring thick cut pepperoni, giant chunks of sausage, and all sorts of delicious vegetables and cheeses. Best of all is that, as my dad puts it, "This pizza reheated in the oven is better than most of the pizza I've ever had fresh out of the oven!"



They also have AMAZING waffle fries hovering perfectly between crispy and "squishy", as well as "Flying Pork Wings" which are similar to a cross between ribs and buffalo wings with an abundance of tender, fall of the bone meat. An order of five was more than enough for an appetizer for three of us! Our family recommends going with the barbeque... Dad and brother tried the Teriyaki and thought it was a little too salty.

Last, but certainly not least, is one of the most delicious Grilled Chicken sandwiches that I have ever had in my life. The Grilled Chicken on Ciabatta is topped with provolone, a layer of roasted red pepper, pesto mayo, and then the typical toppings of lettuce, red onion, and tomato. The chicken was wonderfully juicy and tender and nearly melts in your mouth with the provolone, pesto mayo, and ciabatta. I will definitely be going back for this one!!!



Prices are fairly decent (Especially for Chicago restaurants), with an average meal price of a little under $10. You can view the full menu here. If you are anywhere CLOSE to the South Loop and hungry for pizza or an amazing chicken sandwich along with a cold beer, you'd be crazy not to drop by! They also feature varying drink specials on different days of the week such as half price bottles of wine and $5 Svedka cocktails.