You are what you eat....most of the time

I've always found trying new and exotic foods really exciting. During college, I spent a summer studying abroad in Luxembourg. My roommate and I lived in a town house with an 80-something year old couple, Lily & Leopold, who spoke a mixture of German, French and Luxembourgish...there was a huge language barrier between us to say the least. Each morning we would all eat breakfast together and had to resort to communicating via body language. Through the many tried hand motions and attempts not to be rude, we each tried to eat what was served in front of us - from cheese to beef to rhubarb pie to pickled what-not to some foods that were wayyyy past their 'use by' date...we tried it all...and before 8am. It became the talk of our first class every morning - everyone reading our faces as we walked in the room 5 minutes late, asking what was served that day or laughing as I'd run to the bathroom sick about 20 minutes later. I know this sounds like an awful story, but I laugh about it now and had an incredible time living with this couple. It was a true experience into their culture and family; and that summer began my love for exploring international cuisine (minus my upset stomach of course).

I traveled to Australia three years later with this same open mind and now greater appreciation for food and culture. I tried anything from bizarre meat pies to lychees to kangaroo to eating a live 'pippy' out of the sand. All of those were amazing foods in different ways, except for the pippy (mussel), which was way too sandy for my taste. My point being, I think a great part of traveling and experiencing any new city is trying the cuisine...no matter how bizarre. And in my opinion - if you find a food item gross, then it will probably be a pretty good story anyway.

The past week has been crazy and exciting with birthday celebrations and a visit from my parents to Chicago. One of the restaurants I went to for my friend's birthday was Girl and The Goat in the West Loop. Top Chef winner of Season 4, Stephanie Izard, created this modern restaurant described to have a rustic-chic design, that has you waiting months for a reservation. It's honestly well worth the time and money spent! The atmosphere is lively, the bar is full and the food is mouth watering. The chickpea fritters were once described by my sister as 'explosions in her mouth', haha and I don't disagree. I also love the fact that the chef has created shared plates because you can try and spend as much as you are willing or able to do so. This time around my friends and I tried the 'oven-roasted pig face'... probably the most unappealing name choice I've ever ordered, but it was absolutely amazing! A piece of pork served with thinly sliced potatoes, savory sauces & a sunny-side up egg on top, meant to all mix together for a melt-in-your-mouth bite. This was one crazy food that I do NOT regret ordering.

The rest of the weekend was spent being touristy with my parents, ordering our favorite cocktails and exploring some of Chicago's ethnic cuisine. We tried Le Colonial one night, which has a French/Vietnemese fusion. The atmosphere was more intimate than lively, but my parent's and I had a great time trying some of the traditional Vietnamese dishes for our first time. And after a few drinks, we were probably having a bit more fun than was socially acceptable....haha, but when has that ever stopped me before?? All and all it was an amazing week filled with some unusual food, fun cocktails and great company that I was sad to see come to an end :)

Drink of the week: Espresso Martini

2 oz Absolute Vodka

1 oz Kahlua

1 oz chilled espresso shot

splash of simple syrup (optional)

garnish with coffee beans

served up, shaken not stirred

The Tamale Guy

There must be something about humid 90 degree weather in Chicago that makes the sound of an ice cold beer the most refreshing drink in the world. Maybe it's my Irish roots, but come a Friday afternoon in the summer I find myself on my way to a friend's house...past the bars and sounds of flowing drinks on Clark St...running faster than I did down the stairs as a child on Christmas morning. 

The other Friday as I was feeling this craze, I headed to my friend's place to catch up and soak up some late sun on her porch. The night started out like any other - talking away, laughing about college stories and eventually heading to our usual hangout bar across the street. We got a bit carried away in the excitement of the night and pours of beers and soon found ourselves at the Old Town Ale House. Now, if you want to go to a classic dive bar, this is it. Crowded hole in the wall building, cash only, standard cheep pitchers of beer, and funny cartoons & pictures depicting highlights of Chicago and it's celebs through the years. It's a fun time if you're in good company and don't mind sticky tables or a beer or two being splashed on you by the over served guy next to you. But what really made this night came around 1 am when we witnessed a short man standing on a stool with a red cooler yelling "tamales! TAMALES!". I looked on a bit confused as Lindsay turned ecstatic - little did I know, this guy had earned some fame in the Chicago area. "The Tamale Guy" travels bar to bar late night around Chicago and if you're lucky enough, you might just run into him. I tried the queso tamales and they were delicious! You get an entire bag of authentic tamales, wrapped in corn husks, for less than $5. The late night munchies and overexcitement that comes when one spots the short man sneaking into the bar may more than likely be the cause of this food's appeal...but even so I feel one step closer to becoming a true Chicagoan after my run in with The Tamale Man!

Here's a link to his Yelp page - I've read some amazing reviews, so next time you find yourself late night at a bar, craving some authentic Mexican, keep your eyes peeled for that red cooler.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-tamale-guy-chicago#query:the%20tamale%20man