Sandwiches and Suds

For those in the know for Dallas sandwich shops, I may be a bit late to the game but I finally tried out East Hampton Sandwich Co. in Snider Plaza.  A friend had the day off, so we ventured there for a sandwich and some beer to celebrate the holiday.  Touted as offering excellent gourmet sandwiches, locally grown greens and a lively bar, East Hampton has become a new local hanging. And now that I’ve been there I agree that the sandwiches, salads and suds are all outstanding. 

After sidling up to the bar and ordering some Fireman’s 4 Blonde Ale, we decided to check out the menu.  While not a large menu, everything at East Hampton sounded fantastic.  They are known for the lobster roll, but I wasn’t feeling something that rich in the afternoon so I checked out some of the lighter options. 

After some contemplation between the lemon or honey chicken sandwich, I went with the Honey Grilled Chicken Sandwich.  Two perfectly grilled chicken breasts were topped with fresh, locally-grown yellow tomatoes, grilled lettuce and a honey bourbon mustard sauce.  The chicken itself was so fresh that it didn’t even need seasoning to cook.  I was nervous about the idea of two chicken breasts but none of the flavors overpowered each other.  Grilled lettuce seemed like a weird idea but rather than being wilted it still had a nice, crisp taste. 

Honey Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Thank goodness that no matter what sandwich you order you still get the side of homemade potato chips.  Thinly sliced, perfectly crisped and lightly seasoned, I could have made an entire meal of those.  I even dipped them in the side of honey bourbon mustard for an awesome sweet and salty combination. 

Overall, East Hampton is a great place for a good sandwich, great chips and a chance to chill out with friends.  I can’t wait for next time to try out the famous lobster roll and get some more of those amazing chips. A

The Way to My Heart

You've heard the saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well the way to this woman's heart has many options, but one of my favorites is chocolate! With Valentines coming up, I figured what better to showcase my chocolate adoration than sharing one of my favorite chocolate recipes? This chocolate chip pound cake is easy, requires one bowl and is practically fail-proof even if you aren't the best baker. 

Ingredients

The ingredients are simple:
1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines but any kind will do)
1 box vanilla instant pudding
1 box chocolate instant pudding
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
8 oz (1/2 bag) mini chocolate chips (you can also use the regular size but I like these better)
Pam spray
Sugar (to coat pan)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large bundt pan with Pam, then pour sugar in to coat. I have found the best way to do this is to pour the sugar on the inner ring letting it fall to the center. Then rotate the pan to coat the outer ring. Use as much sugar as you want and pour out any excess that doesn't stick.

Sugar Coated Pan

In a large bowl combine the cake mix, both pudding mixes, milk, oil, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed in the batter.

Pour into the bundt pan. Try to pour into the center so as not to take off any of the sugar coating. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes (but depending on your oven it may take 55 minutes.). After 50 minutes test it with a toothpick and leave it in for another five minutes if the toothpick doesn’t come out clean  Let it cool 5-10 minutes and flip out onto a plate.

Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s!

Baking Cake

Chicago - Part 2

Blame the holidays, blame the new job, blame whatever it is you want but after quite the hiatus I am back!  My apologies for the delay and enjoy.  If you are just tuning in to my Chicago adventures, please check out Chicago - Part 1. 

Being my first time in Chicago there were a few things necessary to check off of my travel list. I needed to see a game at Wrigley Field, have a Chicago dog, and get a slice of authentic deep-dish pizza. Saturday morning started with a light drizzle and a trip to Wrigley to watch the Chicago Cubs play the San Francisco Giants. Now I am a true blue Texas Rangers fan, but being hosted by a Cubbie, I donned my Cubs baseball cap and headed out. It wasn’t too hard to cheer against the Giants based on the 2010 World Series, and the camaraderie of the fans made it lots of fun. Before going into the stands we headed over to Wrigley’s Captain Morgan Club to listen to the live music and start the morning with a beverage. While it may no longer be the official beer of the Cubs, having a pregame Old Style is still quite the tradition.

Great seats at Wrigley

Touted as Chicago’s version of Nattie Lite, Old Style is known as the “beer of the cheap seats.” With that in mind, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of starting out with a Chicago Nattie Lite but figured, “when in Rome…” Lest you think I know nothing about beer, let me preface the review by saying that I was given VERY low expectations on this beer. I was expecting stale, sour tasting foulness that wouldn’t allow me to consume more than a tiny sip. With such a yummy preface, my hesitations were great as I took a VERY small sip and realized... it wasn’t half bad! The beer was watery and didn’t have much taste to it but I wasn’t running for the nearest trash can. While I didn’t enjoy the Old Style enough to order more than one, I did finish my beverage before moving on to something with more flavor. C

There really isn’t anything better at a ballgame than a dog and a beer. Seeing that I had begun my beer drinking early, the next step was—of course—a Chicago dog. If you ever happen to be craving a dog at Wrigley, find the stands that sell only Chicago dogs. They go through them the fastest so you will have a better chance at a fresher hot dog rather than one that has been sitting in a crockpot of tepid water for hours. Chicago dogs are your regular meat on a poppy seed bun with grilled onions, relish, mustard, sliced tomatoes, a pickle and a hot pepper on top. I am not usually one for onion on a dog, but the fresh grilled onions smelled so sweet and flavorful that I had to ask for a few to be as authentic as possible. The rest of the creation process was up to me. I sidled up to the table of toppings and tried not to look too much like a rookie. After some mustard and fresh tomato slices, I added some hot peppers and decided to nix the relish and pickle. I’m not a fan of either condiment and while wanting to be authentic I also wanted to actually enjoy my hot dog. I had tried to look like a pro as I added toppings but apparently very quickly showed my lack of knowledge when I added about six hot peppers to the top of my dog. Little did I know the traditional Chicago dog usually comes with one or maybe two hot peppers. Oops! What can I say, I’m a Texan who likes her food spicy. Of course, Carrie was nice enough not to mention anything until after I had finished but said she had never seen anyone put that many peppers on a dog. She kept expecting my mouth to catch on fire, but luckily my love of natural spice only made me enjoy the hot dog more with all that kick in each bite. The Chicago dog is something I will eat again. The freshness of the tomato slices and peppers was not only great texture but didn’t make me feel like I was eating a cheap hot dog. Big fan of the Chicago dog! B+

Notice my plethora of hot peppers... oops!

Unfortunately the Cubbies lost so we decided to do a little walking and drown our sorrows in ice cream. I am a fan of almost any kind of frozen sweet so I was excited to try out what Carrie touted as some of the best ice cream. Having spent two years living together and knowing her sweet tooth is as great as mine, I knew she wouldn’t speak lightly. We walked in to Bobtail Ice Cream and felt like we were back in time. With the old-fashioned soda fountain, aluminum tallboys, and ad campaigns from decades gone by I was back in Pleasantville and ready to turn on some tunes at the jukebox. Another great thing about Bobtail Ice Cream—they don’t skimp on the portions. I ordered peanut butter chocolate chip in a waffle cone and was given one of the biggest single scoops I have seen. The picture below was about halfway through my “single”. I know that peanut butter chocolate chip isn’t your traditional flavor but it certainly eased my baseball sadness. The ice cream tasted like real peanut butter and the sliced chocolate chips were large enough to bite into without overpowering the flavor. My waffle cone was still warm, crunchy, and light and had enough thickness to use as a scoop when I broke off an edge. It was a perfect dessert treat while we window-shopped around town. B+

Half of my Single Scoop!!

My final day in Chicago, Carrie and I headed downtown to do some shopping along their major boulevard and grab an authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza. We headed to Uno’s Pizza to eat at the 1943 originator of the “deep dish”. As the story goes, Ike Sewell developed the idea of creating a pizza with a tall crust like a fruit pie thinking that by having a thicker crust he could include more cheese and toppings. And there at Uno’s the Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was born.

Due to the crust thickness it takes 45 minutes to cook one pizza, so once we were seated they almost immediately took our order. We stuck with a classic and ordered the Numero Uno^® with a veggie plate to nibble on while we waited. The celery, peppers and carrots were crisp and refreshing with a large side of hummus for dipping. Nothing special, but after a weekend of rich foods, the veggies were exactly what my tummy was craving. If you get a chance to stop by Uno’s when the weather is nice, I highly recommend sitting upstairs. The upper area is great, with covered outdoor seating and spectacular people watching from your perch above the street. With greenery and fans that kept us cool while we waited, Uno’s upstairs patio is a peaceful oasis in the middle of the skyscrapers of Chicago. After a time frame that felt much shorter than 45 minutes we were greeted with the distinct aroma of crust, veggies, tomato sauce and bubbling cheese. A two inch thick dish was placed on our table and my eyes almost popped!

Any qualms I had about deep dish pizza were gone. We cut into the pie and went to work. The cheese had a beautiful brown bubble without frying the roof of my mouth as soon as I took a bite. The peppers and sausage were from the garden, fresh with a kick that left you wanting more. I’m not usually one for onions on my pizza but they fit in perfectly to give some crunch to the thick dough. The cheese, sauce, and dough ratio was perfect! My biggest problem with deep-dish pizza is the overwhelming nature of the dough. I wind up feeling like I am eating bread with a little bit of other stuff piled on top. Not here! I ended up eating three pieces and if I hadn’t been shopping for skinny jeans later, might have been able to down a fourth. Uno’s, I don’t know your secret but I love it! A+

With a full stomach and an appreciation for Chi-town I hit the road for home having experienced a wonderful city with a wonderful friend.  I will definitely be back and my tummy will be happier for it!  Thanks Chicago, see you soon.

Chicago - Part 1

The only good thing about friends moving away from you is the opportunity to visit new places. A few months ago I had that opportunity, and I headed to Chicago to visit my old roommate Carrie and see what the city had to offer. I have to say I’m not a fan of the humidity — it might be worse than Houston — but the food was amazing! I had lots of “Chicago-style” everything and came home a few pounds heavier after only 3 days.

I arrived Friday night and immediately headed to Lakeview to drop my stuff and grab some grub. We went to Rocks, a local bar with a great patio area. While I’m not usually one to order dinner at a bar, I trusted Miss Carrie and followed her lead. I changed my outlook though when we got there after 9pm and saw this dinner crowd still lingering over their meals. It is usually a good sign to see that people aren’t just eating to head out but instead actually enjoy the food and atmosphere.

bit of Texas in Chi-town 

We both ordered familiar and trusted Shiner beer and something new to me — Buffalo Tator Tots. Having spent years in Oklahoma City (headquarters of Sonic) I know my way around a good tot, but I had never been given the option to add buffalo sauce. Boy have I been missing out! Carrie ordered them and I think I ate half of hers they were so good. The tangy, spiciness of a buffalo wing with the crispness and starch of a tot made these the perfect munching food. Expect these at my next Super Bowl party because they were great! B

After indulging in a few more beverages, we hit the hay and woke up the next morning to check out the town. We stayed in Lakeview for brunch and headed to Ann Sather’s Diner. It was featured on Rachel Ray and while I’m not a huge fan of hers, the woman knows her stuff. This was the perfect, homey diner that makes you love the community aspect of a neighborhood like Lakeview. We got lucky and were there early enough to wait only a few minutes for a table. This must be the place to go because by the time we left, the line outside was at least 20 people deep. But with food this good, I can understand why. You walk in and are immediately met with the smell of cinnamon and baked goods. With brightly painted murals, small tables right next to one another, and an open bakery counter in the back, I felt like I was a part of the family there. We even struck up a great conversation with the two older men eating next to us as we borrowed their salt in exchange for a taste of our cinnamon rolls. The feeling of community was as heavy in the air as the humidity that day.

Line outside Ann Sather's as we left

Having smelled the heavenly cinnamon I knew I had to start with a cinnamon roll. I prefer savory to sweet for my morning meals, but couldn’t help myself with that aroma wrapping around you like a towel fresh out of the dryer. Two cinnamon rolls were quickly brought to the table and each was tall, round, gooey and the size of a grapefruit. They were perfect! Cooked just enough to be airy with melted cinnamon butter and icing that stuck to your fork. They were so delicious they made the world seem happy. I quickly devoured mine while Carrie got about halfway through hers. I don’t even want to think about the number of calories, but trust me they were worth it.

Half of one cinnamon roll!

After that decadence and knowing I was about to step out into 80% humidity outside, I decided to stick to the lighter side of breakfast with scrambled egg whites, fruit and orange juice. The fruit was good — your average melon, grapes, strawberries — but the eggs were doused in butter and had to be practically over-salted before I could eat them. But they sure do look pretty in the picture. I ate maybe a third before giving up and stealing more of Carrie’s fruit.

These weren't delicious, but made for a pretty picture

Carrie had the eggs benedict. Apparently Chicagoans do not add tomato or spinach to their benedict, something that they are obviously missing out on. I didn’t try them, but Carrie said they were stingy on the hollandaise and after the richness of the cinnamon roll she didn’t get too far before calling it quits. Based solely on the cinnamon rolls, service and atmosphere I want to give this place an A but to be fair and truthful I will have to go with a B.

After our hearty meal we headed around town and got a chance to visit Millenium Park, the “Bean” where I photo bombed other people like crazy, and the aquarium. I’m amazed at the number of parks in Chicago. For such a busy area it utilizes the space well. If you’re looking for some indoor fun I would recommend their aquarium. It’s not as good as Dallas’s due to our awesome rainforest exhibit, but seeing the new baby beluga and the jellyfish exhibit was fun. Considering the line was close to 100 people long to get in it must be the thing to do. After much sight seeing and walking around we decided to head home and rest our tired feet for the day. Being a car-friendly Texan I forgot what walking a city can do to your energy levels. Come back next week for more when I tackle Chicago style hot dogs, beer and deep-dish pizza!

Hashing It Out

A few weekends ago, a friend and I were craving some Sunday brunch and headed over to Smoke to try the smoked brisket cornbread hash. While I wasn’t quite sure this was what I wanted when looking at the deliciousness of the Smoke breakfast menu, being true to The List, I ordered and sipped my mimosa hoping I wouldn’t end up wishing I had chosen the blueberry pancakes instead.

Smoked Brisket Cornbread Hash

Thank goodness for The List! The hash came beautifully presented in layers with a sweet and tangy aroma that made waiting to take a picture almost unbearable. A soft and creamy poached egg was perched on a disc of lusciously seared brisket with perfectly bite-sized pieces of potato and cornbread creating the foundation on the plate. The whole thing was lightly drizzled in a chile/mole sauce making the food glisten, and whetting my appetite all the more. If that wasn’t enough, the first bite left me dancing in my chair – literally, I dance in my seat when food is spectacular – yep, I’m cool like that. I ended up eating to the point of being stuffed and luckily got to head home for a nap. If you are planning on being any kind of productive in the hour after eating, do not get this heavenly dish. I’m not sure if it was the overly large mimosas they like to pour – which I am NOT complaining about – the warmth and heaviness of the hash, or the lack of sleep from the past weekend but the next few hours of my Sunday were spent in a lovely state of sleep I can only compare to a Thanksgiving nap. Yep, it was that good. A+

Steak & Fries

I went to Company Cafe last night for dinner to knock two items off The List--sweet potato fries and chicken-fried steak.  If you plan on going there for dinner on a weeknight, go around 7pm.  We went on a Wednesday and there was barely anyone there.  It started getting packed once we were leaving, proving that it is a young crowd favorite.

The other great thing about early timing is the speed of the kitchen.  We had just received our drinks by the time our appetizer arrived.  #46 on The List is the loaded sweet potato fries.  Warning: the orders of this dish are HUGE.  We got a half order to split between two people and still barely finished half of it.  I guess they need a quarter option as well :).  I am extremely picky when it comes to my sweet potato fries.  I want a little bit of soft on the inside with a good crunch and not too much seasoning.  These were perfect.  Whatever salt they put on them is GREAT!  Even the pieces of straight fry were awesome.  The loaded fries come with cheese, bacon, green onion and jalapeno with a side each of ranch and ketchup.  The cheese was perfectly melted with a good mix of bacon, onion and jalapeno.  Also, the jalapenos were big enough that if you wanted to eat around them it wasn’t any trouble.  I only ate a few with jalapenos because they left all of the seeds, and to quote my dinner partner, “I want to be able to taste my main course”.

After almost filling up on fries, we ordered our main courses.  List #31 is the chicken-fried steak and luckily I brought someone willing to order it because I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish it off.  Unfortunately, I was rather unimpressed with it.  The chicken fried steak tasted no different than a steak finger you could get at Dairy Queen.  And while I do love DQ they at least have better gravy.  Company Cafe’s gravy was billed as honey-jalapeno, but unfortunately I couldn’t find the kick.  There was a bit of honey taste, but it seemed not to add anything other than wetness to the fried steak.  The mashed sweet potatoes also had an odd texture.  They reminded me of the half-whipped version put into my grandmother’s sweet potato casserole at Thanksgiving but without the brown sugar and pecans.  After the masterpiece of the sweet potato fries I was expecting much from the second sweet potato option.

My main course was phenomenal!  I went with the seared scallops and they were delicious.  Each scallop had perfect buttery goodness with a tenderness that barely left me needing a knife before they melted in my mouth.  The roasted brussel sprouts and diced vegetables had a great vinegary compliment, almost like a good collard green.  The broccolini florets were roasted well so that they cut cleanly but were not overly crunchy to chew on.

Overall, I would definitely come back for the fries and a beer but would stick with the lighter main courses for a meal.  B+

the Burger Journey

As much as work requires me to be a planner, sometimes the best thing on a random night is a spontaneous adventure.  After a long week a friend and I decided that it had been way too long since we had crossed something off The List.  We weren’t willing to get dressed up to go out so we decided to try the to-go places.  After a little Google mapping we headed out for our Burger Adventure (insert dramatic music).  Before you go thinking I ate four burgers in one sitting, you should know we ordered one of each item, split what we could and tossed the rest in order to get through it all.  While some places had us wishing we could eat multiples, we knew this was a marathon and we had to plan accordingly.

The first stop of the night was number #54 on The List, the good old-fashioned cheeseburger at Dairyette.  We ordered ours plain and dry with cheese and were not disappointed.  The place itself is an old-school grease joint, filled with regulars and everything you would think of when coming to an old time drive-in diner.  Reminiscent of an older generation, there were no TVs on the walls, no fancy décor and only 10 booths where families sat and enjoyed spending time chatting together.  Dairyette’s focal point was a large cask filled with their homemade root beer.  Most reviews mentioned how yummy their floats are, so I will be heading back again for another nostalgic treat.  Unfortunately, this was one of five -- we were on a mission and could not be distracted from our quest.  While patrons could tell we were newbies, the cashier was obviously accustomed to people showing up to try them out.  They didn’t bat an eye when we asked to split one burger and went above and beyond as they cut and separately wrapped our two halves of burger.  The cheese was perfectly melted, the bun was buttery and warm without begin distractingly thick and the meat held that homemade fresh grilled taste.  Stop one was certainly setting high expectations for the night. A

Stop two was the second drive-in of the night at Keller’s Burgers.  If you have ever watched Happy Days or Friday Night Lights the movie, this is that drive-in, figuratively speaking.  Filled with cars three-deep by 6:30pm, this is the place to be for the locals.  The old timers had their lawn chairs and koozies out, taking it in as the local high school girls hung out of their boyfriends’ trucks to flirt.  I felt like I had stepped back in time watching small town nostalgia at its finest -- smack dab in the middle of Big D.  We again ordered our burger plain and dry, but we just couldn’t pass up the great tater tots, at least according to the 80-year-old man with the eye patch.  He and the sweet man in the throwback Rangers cap complimented my convertible and asked if I was a newbie.  Not that they really needed to ask as I knew I stuck out like a sore thumb.  But the welcoming attitude was appreciated and I must agree with Mr. Eye Patch that the tater tots were worth the added fullness.  While I appreciate Keller’s atmosphere, the best thing I can say about the burger is that I need a do-over.  We should have gotten a double patty, but the poppyseed bun was perfectly toasted, the cheese was great and while the meat had a great seasoning I needed more of it to counter the toastiness of the bun.  But the atmosphere more than made up for it when the gin & cigs-voiced waitress called me “hon” and helped me back out of my spot to head to my next destination.  A-

If Keller’s defined nostalgia, then Village Burger Bar defines West Village.  The popular burger joint in the heart of West Village is the place to see and be seen.  With a patio that wraps the full corner and a crowded bar, this is no place for a low-key night.  Luckily, we had already placed our order to go, so were good with our laid-back attire.  This #93 cheeseburger was a little fancier with bacon, lettuce, tomato and a spicy aioli.  An order of fries was also included as my partner in taste buds raved about them.  I’m glad I trusted him.  The fries were thin, curly and had a nice crunch.  They did cool quickly due to the styrofoam and moisture (another post on the terrible idea to store fries in styrofoam later).  The burger was good but not my favorite.  I may need to go back and get something fancier when my stomach isn’t so overwhelmed. B+

Our final stop for the night was a shift from the burger to the dog.  The Stand is touted as a perfect late night location, and with the fun trailer-like decor and ideal location on the corner of Allen & McKinney, I can understand why.  The woman taking our order looked pretty shocked to have someone come in around 7:30pm.  We ordered one #96 Mac Daddy Dog and headed to my friend’s house to consume our final meal.  This dog was.... interesting.  With chili, mac & cheese and liquid cheese on top of a rather thick piece of meat, it was a bit overwhelming.  I liked it more than I thought I would, but am not sure I would order it twice.  I will however try mixing some chili into a thicker mac & cheese because that part was an unexpected surprise.  This feast of a hot dog would be a great outside dish or fun tailgate appetizer.  Maybe it would adapt well into hili/mac & cheese baked cups? B-

If you are looking for a fun night on the town, I would highly recommend a comparative test of your favorites.  It was great Dallas perspective and a fun drive in the new ride!