Blaze Pizza

Blaze Pizza on Belmont Ave between Wilton Ave and Sheffield Ave in Lakeview has become one of my favorite quick meals near work. They're a chain, but didn't open in Chicago until late last year. They utilize an assembly line system much like Chipotle, Subway, and Potbelly, then your pizza cooks in a fiery oven for 180 seconds. It's fast, and there's many options to choose from for sauces, cheeses, meats, and vegetables.

Here's a normal crust, classic red sauce, mozzarella, Italian sausage pizza.

The Waterfront Cafe

I recently went to The Waterfront Cafe on N Sheridan Rd between Granville Ave and Rosemont Ave in Edgewater with a friend. The charm of this place is that it's away from the busy streets, there's sand beneath your feet, and there's a beautiful view of the lake. It's all outdoor seating. The seating isn't very comfortable. It's mainly picnic tables. The menu is boring and the food is mediocre at best. I ordered the the Turkey Apple Bacon Ranch, which is wrap that also includes tomato, Brie, and mixed greens, and it was served with chips. Dining on the lakefront is great, but the food here just isn't good enough.

Turkey sausage, pepper and onion kabobs

Turkey sausage, pepper and onion kabobs

Ingredients (makes 5-6 kabobs):
6.5 oz turkey smoked sausage
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
2 thick slices white onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp white vinegar
1 tsp Italian seasoning

1. Preheat the grill.
2. Slice the turkey smoked sausage. Cut the bell peppers into 1" pieces and the onion into 1" pieces. Thread it all on skewers, alternating ingredients.
3. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, white vinegar, and Italian seasoning. Then brush the kabobs with the mixture.
4. Close the grill, and let cook. After about 10 minutes, check on the kabobs, and turn them over. Alternate their placement on the grill. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.

Tarragon chicken salad

A delicious lunch salad!

Tarragon chicken salad

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp tarragon, chopped
1/2 tbsp shallot, chopped
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Dijon mustard
4 oz mixed greens
3/4 cup red seedless grapes
1/4 cup cashews

1. Cut off the fat from the chicken, and brush it with 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken, cover, and cook, turning until cooked through, about 12 minutes. Let cool, then thinly slice.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil, red wine vinegar, tarragon, shallot, lemon juice, and Dijon mustard. Season with salt and pepper. Add the chicken, greens, grapes, and cashews.
4. Toss and serve.

Chicken with peppers and onion

A very tasty dinner!

Chicken with peppers and onions

Ingredients (serves 2):
2 chicken breasts
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp parsley
1/8 cup olive oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
Dash of salt
1/2 of a white onion
1 red or orange bell pepper

1. Cut off the fat from the chicken, and cut the chicken breasts into 1" pieces.
2. In a large zip lock bag, combine the garlic clove, parsley, olive oil, lemon juice, and spices. Add the chicken to the bag, and refrigerate for at least an hour so the chicken can marinate.
3. Set the oven to broil. Dice the onion, cut the bell pepper into 1/2" pieces.
4. Place all ingredients in a Pyrex dish, and broil for 10 minutes. Take it out to flip the ingredients over, and broil for 10 more minutes.

Yogurt parfait

For a quick breakfast, sometimes I make a yogurt parfait. It's very simple.

Yogurt parfait

Ingredients (serves 1):
1/2 cup yogurt
1/4 cup granola
3-5 berries

1. Mix together the yogurt and granola, and top with berries.

I prefer vanilla Greek yogurt, vanilla almond granola, and raspberries or blackberries.

Cafe con Leche

We recently revisited Cafe con Leche in Logan Square. I really like this place. It's relaxed, the food is good, and the service is nice.

This time I ordered the Steak Torta. It comes with lettuce, tomato, refried beans, cheese, sour cream, and onion served on a bolillo with fries on the side.

Friendship Chinese Restaurant

We recently revisited Friendship Chinese Restaurant on N Milwaukee Ave between Dawson Ave and Woodward St in Avondale. The atmosphere is fancy, but still comfortable and relaxed. The menu is a little pricey, but sometimes, they have promotions.

We ordered the Creamy Crab Rangoon to start, which comes with chili garlic sweet and sour sauce. It's a pretty standard crab rangoon with a good flavor.



I ordered the Boneless Peking Duck ál Orange, which is half roasted Peking duck with spicy orange sauce and steamed vegetables. It was very good and filling.

Butcher and the Burger

We recently grabbed dinner at Butcher and the Burger on Armitage Ave between Sheffield Ave and Kenmore Ave, which had been recommended by friends. It's a small restaurant, and it's the kind where you're asked not to take a seat until you order at the counter. It was packed when we walked in, but sure enough, we found seats after we ordered.

Every burger here is custom, so the process of ordering is comprised of many choices, including thoughtful options for vegetarians and those with dietary restrictions. First, you choose the patty, then spices, then bun, then toppings, then extras. The opportunities seem endless!

I chose a Grass-Fed Beef patty medium well, Chicago Steakhouse spice, Pretzel bun, Cheddar cheese, Ketchup, Mayo, and Benton Tennessee Mountain Smoked Bacon. It was layered kind of weird with the bacon on the bottom of the burger, but it was awesome. I really enjoyed my burger. It dripped all over the wooden cutting board it came served on, and my date even said her burger could give Lockdown a run for its money. That's some serious praise, folks.

Wingstop

Wingstop is a chain, and there's one in our neighborhood. One day we were craving wings, so we thought we'd try it out. They prepare your food after you order it, so there are no heat lamps, microwaves, or holding bins. Your food comes out hot and fresh. Our wait was about 10 minutes.

We ordered the 15 Piece Wing Combo Meal for Two. It included 15 Wings (you can choose 1 or 2 flavors), 2 dips, 1 large order of fries, and 2 soft drinks. We chose Classic Wings with the bone in, but they also have Boneless Wings and Boneless Strips. They have 10 flavors: Original Hot, Cajun, Atomic, Mild, Teriyaki, Lemon Pepper, Hawaiian, Garlic Parmesan, Hickory Smoked BBQ, and Louisiana Rub, and for a limited time, Chili Lime. We chose Mild and Garlic Parmesan. For dips, they have Honey Mustard, Ranch, and Bleu Cheese. We chose Ranch and Bleu Cheese. I preferred the bleu cheese with the mild wings, and the ranch with the garlic parmesan wings. The mild wings dripped with flavor, and the garlic parmesan wings were covered in parmesan. We used lots of napkins. We preferred the mild, but enjoyed them both. The fries had a sort of sweet aftertaste, and were pretty soft. I prefer my fries more well done. We also got a side of cheese for the fries, which was served fantastically hot, which was nice. We learned that 15 wings is far more than we can share in one sitting. We ate about 10, and took the rest the home.

This isn't exactly fast food, but it settled in my stomach like it was. It was a bit pricier than I'd expected. It seemed very popular with lots of folks coming in to get takeout. All in all, our wings craving was fulfilled.