lightning round!

wow - it's my birthday today! i have so many places i should have written about in detail but haven't gotten around to since i'm so busy and so very important! so here's a lightning quick rundown...

West Town Tavern

i like what they're going for. i just don't think they hit it on the head. wisco beer cheese ap: great in theory, not so much in practice. meh everything pretty much.

Scooters Frozen Custard

they don't make whoppers concrete's anymore. fortunately they make concretes with malt and chocolate chips in them, but not chocolate chips like in cookies, but thin crumbled sheets of dark chocolate that are way better. just when you thought it couldnt get any better - it does.

Rioja

ol' fuss and AO hip us to this new spot for tapas and have us meet them for dinner there. decision radical. such a great way to eat with friends. i love the sharing of tapas. it's just so communal and friendly and fun. even the dates which look like cockroaches actually taste pretty awesome. A+ night in a neighborhood we don't get up to too often.

Hot Dougs

this place can do no wrong. in birthday weekend celebration, i decided to go all out and get the duck sausage w/foie gras "butter" and some potato-ish mustard. and the duck fat fries. over. the. top. actual chunks of foie gras on the top. i felt sorta gross eating it it was so rich. while it was super awesome, i sorta wish i'd had one of my regulars.

carmichael's steak house

this was a pre-birthday dinner. i wanted something totally chicago (but without being like stupidly expensive chicago steakhouse prices). i let the waiter talk me into the 16oz bone in filet special. they recommended medium rare. i said go for it. also got calimari (something i wouldnt normally get, but it really went with the vibe of the place and event). calimari was great but soooo huge. enough for like 4 people. the steak was literally 3.5" tall. it looked like a pot roast on a plate. was bloody rare like sushi in the middle. over. the. top. also had a side of asparagus and garlic mashed potatoes. then they came out with a desert that was something i would have ordered when i was 7. it was a hot choc chip cookie that was just like the steak. an inch thick - raw warm cookie dough center, monster 5" scoop of vanila ice cream and smothered in chocolate sauce. very chicago. huge portions. simple direct flavors. out of control. my grandparents would have loved this place which made it rad.