Chile con queso

Chile con queso

Ingredients (serves 2-6):
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 cup pale ale (I use Sierra Nevada Pale Ale)
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tbsp flour
2 cups shredded cheddar
1 can Original Rotel (drained)
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup green onions (sliced)
1 tbsp cilantro (chopped)
Tortilla chips

1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook 3-4 minutes.
2. Add beer, then 1 cup milk, and bring to a simmer.
3. Whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk with the flour in a bowl. Then add it the saucepan, and stir while it thickens, about 2 minutes.
4. Add cheese, and stir until it all melts.
5. Add the Rotel, lime juice, salt, chili pepper, and cayenne pepper, and mix in.
6. Serve into bowls, and garnish with green onions and cilantro. Serve with chips.

Chickie's and Pete's

Our flight out of Philadelphia was at 7:45am, but I couldn't help myself. As a Philly native, crab fries are something I crave when I'm away for too long, much like cheesesteaks and Wawa. Chickie's and Pete's has some spots in Philadelphia International Airport, and thank God. Crab fries with cheese; the breakfast of champions.

Backfin Blues Bar and Grill

Continuing on our vacation, we went out to Backfin Blues Bar and Grill in Port Deposit, MD for a nice dinner prepared by Chef Bob. They have lots of specials, so don't study the menu too hard before hearing them.

We started our meals with the appetizer specials of Pork Belly and Crab Louie. Two of us loved the Pork Belly, and the other 2 loved the Crab Louie.

I ordered the Grilled Rib Eye, medium well. It was cooked to my liking and still very juicy, and fewer chefs get the more well-done steaks right than you'd think. I tend to cut more of the fat off my meat when I'm grilling at home, but the steak was so big that I had plenty of good mouthfuls. The sides were delicious. The salad beforehand had a lot of ingredients for an entree starter salad, which was impressive. It was a great dinner.

I recommend this place if you're in town and feel like splurging.

Sake Hana

Last week, I visited my mom. I grew up a lot closer to Philly, but she now lives in a suburb near the south edge of Pennsylvania. We went out to Sake Hana in Avondale, PA with some of the family, who've all come to like the place a lot.

The table shared the Golden Bag appetizer, which is basically crab rangoon, and the Beef Negimaki appetizer, which is basically a steak roll. It's thin slices of sirloin steak grilled with scallions, smothered in teriyaki sauce. Both were good!

My partner and I split the Rock'N Roll, which is shrimp tempura with cucumbers inside, topped with spicy tuna, spicy salmon, crunchy masago and sesame seeds, as well as the Double Happiness Roll, which is spicy crab meat and cream cheese topped with shrimp, avocado, and spicy mayo. Both were good, and we particularly enjoyed the Double Happiness Roll.

The service was nice, but felt slow since we've grown so used to accelerated city lives, but it actually probably wasn't, and slowing down for a week probably did us some good.

Macaroni and cheese

When my partner and I are working conflicting schedules, I like to make dinners that leave leftovers. This usually results in a baked pasta of some sort. One of our favorites is this foolproof macaroni and cheese. Instead of all cheddar, sometimes I make 1/3 of the cheese Gruyere. Anyway, you can't really go wrong here, and it still tastes good reheated.

Egg and cheese scramble

Egg and cheese scramble

Ingredients (serves 1):
Cooking spray
2 eggs
1 tbsp cream cheese
1 tbsp shredded Colby cheese
1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp green onions

1. Spray a frying pan over low heat with cooking spray. Scramble eggs in a bowl.
2. Pour eggs into the pan. Add cheeses, and mix continuously until it all blends together. Chop green onions thinly.
3. When the eggs set, remove them from the pan, add green onions on top, and serve.

Here it is with turkey sausage on the side:

Zoku Sushi and Asian Contemporary Cuisine

Zoku Sushi and Asian Contemporary Cuisine on N Kedzie between W Wabansia and W North was another shot at finding "our sushi place" in Chicago. We grabbed a Groupon and tried it out. The service was fast and very nice. We started with Crab Rangoon and Miso Soup. Both were fine. The crab rangoon was small, and it's 5 pieces. Odd numbers in appetizers always bother me, but I know that's silly. We ordered 3 rolls: Spicy Tuna, BLT, and Domo. The Domo roll was my favorite, and I would order that again. They have a few other rolls I'd like to try, but all in all, the search for "our sushi place" in Chicago soldiers on.

Royal Thai Restaurant

My partner always bothers me to eat more Thai food, so we checked out Royal Thai Restaurant at W Montrose and N Lincoln. We grabbed free parking right in front of the restaurant. It was crowded, but we quickly snagged the last table. Our server was very friendly. We got the Crab Rangoon, and I got the Pad Cashew with chicken. It was good, and I think we'll be back. They have a large menu with lots of dishes I'd like to try.

Tom's Home Cookin'

We went to Tom's Home Cookin' on E 26th Ave, which is cash only and serves all meals in disposable containers, and it definitely wasn't the dive I'd expected. The place was clean, the service was very friendly, and the line out the door at 11:30am (they opened at 11am) moved quickly.



I ordered the fried chicken (a thigh and leg), macaroni and cheese, green beans, and cornbread. I got all that and a soft drink for $12. It was filling, delicious, and perfectly Southern.

We grabbed one more meal in Denver before hitting up a concert at Red Rocks. We got burgers at The Cherry Cricket. I got the Cricket Burger with white cheddar, bacon, and a fried egg. It was cooked to my liking, juicy, a little greasy, and definitely filling. We also split a 1/2 basket of fries, which was actually a lot! And we took the opportunity to grab pints of Coors Light for $2.25 each since we were in Colorado. It tasted the same.

Biker Jim's Restaurant

Last week, I vacationed to Rocky Mountain National Park. We flew from Chicago to Denver, then drove to Estes Park. We spent a day driving Trail Ridge Road, stopping at every overlook, and adjusting to the altitude, then hiked some trails. It was our first time there, and the mountains were even bigger than I'd imagined. It was amazing.

While in Estes Park, we ate at Cheesy Lee's, and as far as pizza away from the East Coast goes, it was good. The staff is really nice. We also ate at The Egg and I, and really loved it. They have a great menu, and filled us up before our days of hiking and Clif bar lunches.

We went back to Denver, and ate at Biker Jim's on Larimer St near Coors Field. We chose to eat there to see if it rivaled our Chicago favorite Hot Doug's gourmet hot dogs. In the end, we had to side with Doug's and the city we live in, but we had a good adventure trying out the menu at Biker Jim's.





I had an Alaskan Reindeer with cream cheese and caramelized onions, and an All Beef with wasabi aioli, caramelized apple, and shaved Irish cheddar. The verdict on the reindeer? I liked it. I know, I feel guilty.