Category Archives: Desserts

Temenaks in Tenerife (Day 1: Noche de San Juan, Sunset Cruise)

Posted on July 12, 2018 by Mark T

Welcome back once again to another entry of Mastication Monologues! I may or may not have more free time to write on this blog now that I have officially graduated from my speech pathology program, but my wife and I actually just came back from a magical honeymoon in the mysterious land of Tenerife in the Canary Islands. When we eventually settled on the location, I was very excited because I wanted to go somewhere in Spain, but a location I had never been before so my wife and I could explore together.

The Canary Islands are a series of volcanic islands that are off the west coast of Morocco that truly are a hidden gem and basically Hawaii for Europeans who are searching for fun in the sun, i.e. English, German, and Russian tourists mostly. However, when we told people stateside where we were going, we were greeted with typically an uncertain, “Oh cool. That’s awesome.” followed by, “So where are they exactly?” However, they wished us well and to have plenty of fun which we obviously did. Funny enough though, the islands are not named after the chirpy birds that were used in mine shafts rather the birds were named after the islands. Numerous theories about the islands’ name abound. One involves the Romans calling the islands Canariae Insulae or “Island of Dogs” due to the presence of the dogs the indigenous Guanche tribes bred, worshipped as gods throughout the island, and even mummified them to be buried with their owners. When the Spanish arrived in the 1490s, they described the same large, powerful dogs killing wolves that were attacking their livestock, and today this ancient breed is known as the Prensa Canario as shown below. Another theory is that the Romans named the islands after the large amount of seals or “sea dogs” they saw on the shores. Instead of starting our travels in the Eternal City like the ancient travelers, we left Chicago on an overnight flight. We decided to start our honeymoon off right with a light dinner at Hub 51 at O’Hare airport. We had been to Hub 51 in Chicago before with friends (delicious food), so we knew they wouldn’t disappoint us. We got a delicious, not too dry Giuliana prosecco in addition to sharing guacamole and chips. The chips were on the thin, cantina-style side which sometimes was a drawback if we wanted to really pile on the rich but not too spicy guacamole. We also wanted to try their Brussels sprout salad, but we had a stroke of luck when they said they were out of the Brussels sprout salad. We switched it up and ordered the Sonoma salad instead which was delectable from the mixed greens to the fresh slices of grapefruit that offset the sweeter vinaigrette and candied walnuts. With our bellies full and ready to depart the Windy City, we eventually arrived in London-town and had a layover in “beautiful” Gatwick airport. During our time there, we decided to grab some food before our next leg to the islands. We ended up at Garfunkle’s which seemed like England’s take on a Chili’s with general burgers as well as more traditional British fare in the form of fish and chips and a chicken pie which we ordered. While the fish and chips weren’t as authentic as getting it from a chippy or a fish and chip shop for those who don’t speak British English, the breading was light and crispy with plenty of delicious cod beneath. Their chips were a bit stale which I didn’t care for, and their mushy peas were a bit too mint heavy. Janice’s chicken pie was more satisfying with layers of creamy mashed potatoes, seasoned chunks of chicken, a hearty cream sauce, and a side of carrots and broccolini. After our bite to eat, we grabbed brews to watch the Belgium v.s. Tunisia. Funny enough, the beers my wife got were from Portland, Maine that her and her friends get when they’re in Connecticut. It was a quite hoppy IPA, but thankfully it was something light before the second leg of our trip that finally brought us to Tenerife.

Flying into Tenerife, it looked like a more desert-covered version of what I would expect Hawaii to be. The most breathtaking portion of the island was seeing the looming Mount Teide above the clouds. It is a still active volcano that the native Guanche people called Echeyde. They viewed the peak as a portal to hell and the home of a powerful demon, Guayota, who was imprisoned there as punishment for kidnapping the god of sun and light, Magec. The subsequent eruptions of the volcano, the most recent in 1909, were seen as Guayota attempting to escape. We were swiftly shuttled from the southern airport on the island of Tenerife to our hotel in Los Alcantilados Los Gigantes. However, it wasn’t just any special night, it was La Noche de San Juan or Saint John’s night which was adopted by the Catholic Spanish from the pagan Guanche people who originally celebrated the date to ring in the summer solstice. We could see the traditional giant bonfires dotting the countryside as the local Canarios were burning old belongings to signify a new start to the year. When we finally arrived to our hotel, we were exhausted yet at the same time exhilarated and ready to find a beach party to experience a unique cultural celebration. Our first meal wasn’t quite a leap into the unknown at the restaurant across the street from our hotel with a Margarita Italian-style, thin crust pizza with mugs of typical, thin, Spanish lager native to the Canary Islands called Dorada. Once we were fueled up, we began our hunt for the beach party for San Juan. We received conflicting information from the waitress and the front desk worker, but they both said that there was a giant wooden sardine to be burned. We had to be there simply for the randomness. It soon began a wild goose chase of people telling us to just find the beach in addition to randomly attempting to find the party with a German family. Suddenly, the skies in front of us lit up with glittering explosions, and Janice and I immediately ran toward them, leaving the Germans in our wake. We finally found the hidden route to the beach party and were faced with only the finest Euro-techno beatz Tenerife had to offer. I asked the bartender about the burning sardine, and it already happened two hours ago on the beach! Still, the thrill of the hunt was entertaining, and we enjoyed the ambiance. After a cold Dorada looking out over the revelers on the black sand beach and the pile of ashes from the wooden sardine in the background, we decided to call it a night.

Our first morning in Tenerife was breathtaking as we enjoyed the iconic cliffs or alcantilados right outside our window. We then went downstairs to experience the interesting buffet that our hotel had to offer. It was very European with plenty of cereals, cold cuts, and a bread wall. You heard me right. It was literally a wall of fresh bread that you could slice your own piece of baguette, boule, or rye. I swear I saw Janice kneeling in front of it praising the carb gods, but maybe it was just my jet lag. I helped myself to a variety of fresh fruits like the Canarian banana that is smaller than the ones found stateside, but are much sweeter and probably the best I’ve ever had. They also had churros and melted chocolate (not pictured here) which constitute a typical Spanish breakfast. There was also a sopressata spread that was salty and spicy in all the right ways. At midday, we decided to watch the England vs Panama game at one of the many local British bars. The food was nothing to brag about compared to what was to come, but I tried a corned beef and Branston pickle sandwich, something I never tried before. While in America, we think of salty, crunchy pickled cucumbers, Branston pickle is an English made spread that consisted of chunks of pickled carrots, onions, and turnips in a sweet, slightly spicy brown sauce. Apparently it’s very popular in English pubs on cheese sandwiches. It was okay on a very simple sandwich, but it did not set my palate alight compared to other meals we would have this trip. After enjoying the 5-0 thrashing of Panama and plenty of airhorn blasts from the barkeeps, we had a date with a private sunset cruise from Puerto Colon.

It was a glorious day, as are most days in the Canaries, and we set sail out on the Atlantic Ocean with Captain Marco and Captain Jan Jan.

Captain Jan Jan showing us around

We were treated to delicious Spanish cava or champagne and (in counterclockwise order below) a mix of Spanish cheeses, mild and spicy Spanish chorizo, and melt-in-your mouth jamon iberico (Iberian ham).Between the appetizers and the main course, we were treated to something unbelievable: 30-35 pilot whales swimming around our boat. Captain Marco said he never saw anything like it before because these whales are naturally shy around humans and boats.

Part of a family pod with a little baby whale in the middle

Eventually, all that excitement made us hungry, and we had a mouth-watering mixed paella that contained fresh mussels, tiny clams, plentiful rings of calamari, and juicy pieces of sausage and chicken. It was followed up by a decadent chocolate torte and an apple tart that were too good for words. As came into port, we were brought to a lookout point to watch the sunset. A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

2 Comments

Posted in Alcoholic, Bakery, Beer, Beverages, Cake, Desserts, European Cuisine, Pastries, Pizza, Spanish, Spanish and tagged authentic, Beer, bread, cheese, chicken, chocolate, dining, Food, French, Fries, hamburger, paella, pastries, peppers, pizza, restaurant, Reviews, sauce. Bookmark the permalink.

Living High on the Hog (Peckish Pig)

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Mark T

Wow, where has all the time gone? My first quarter in grad school has come and gone. I came out on the other side of stats class a little older due to stress, but overall I’m ready to go into quarter numero dos starting January 3rd. The holidays are currently upon us in Chicagoland, and the weather is definitely playing its part. We have it all: -30 F temperatures, icy streets, and snow covered sidewalks. Luckily, these bleak conditions are ideal for writing some wonderful Mastication Monologues posts that I’m sure you have all been clamoring for due to my prolonged hiatus. Today’s post involves the Peckish Pig, Evanston’s first brewpub.

Chicago has always been a city that has enjoyed its adult beverages. My parents have always told me about how many bars there were in the old neighborhoods they would frequent, and how now most have them have gone away due to changing regulations and consumer tastes, among other influences. However, the rise of craft beers has been seized upon by many purveyors of food, and they have been reaping the benefits ever since. Case in point, the Peckish Pig which is always overflowing with patrons come rain or shine, so I would recommend making a reservation ahead of time if you’re not willing to wait. Janice and I tried this eatery when it was a bit warmer this year, but the laid-back, gastropub ambiance is a warm welcome for most diners even in the dead of a Chicago winter.

There’s always one person creeping on me when I take pictures.

We started our meal with some libations to cool ourselves off. The Peckish Pig had an extensive drink list, both alcoholic and non alcoholic. I was interested in their beers given we were in a brewery while Janice was naturally drawn to the mixed drinks. She went with the shoemaker ($11), and I got a cherry beer. The shoemaker was toe-tappingly good with a mix of Belle Meade bourbon, amaretto, amaro, and walnut bitters to cut through the sweetness with an ever-so-slight earthiness. My cherry beer was not as elating since it seemed to only be “cherry” in terms of hue. They could take some notes from the Belgian Kriek makers if they are looking for a refreshing beer that is both colored and flavored nearly exactly like the sundae toppers. I would not recommend this beer if you are a fan of fruit beers that are bursting with flavor. At least it looked pretty if that was any consolation. Moving on to the appetizer round, we let our grumbling stomachs lead the way. After looking over their options (there are vegetarian options, by the way!), we decided to try their selection of European meats and cheeses ($15 for a medium and $20 for a large plank) as well as their Brussels sprouts ($7). When both arrived at our table, we could see why the name of the establishment was the Peckish Pig. The portions for the price were gigantic, so we were quite excited to tuck into the wonderful repast in front of us. First, there were the Brussels sprouts. The typical scourge of kids’ palates at dinnertime is actually one of Janice and my favorite foods. Therefore, we expected this version with bacon and brown butter to be a highlight of the meal, but similar to my cherry beer, it did not live up to the hype. Yes, it contained all of the aforementioned ingredients on the same plate; however, together they did not taste like anything. It only tasted like some more well done pieces of bacon along with the bitter, almost burnt flavor of the roasted Brussels sprouts. We were not impressed. Thank the culinary gods the charcuterie version of Noah’s Ark came ashore on our table. Where to begin? At the top left, there was the Manchego cheese that was a bit better than your typical Manchego which is known for being crumbly and moderately grainy. It was a bit part player to the other elements on the chopping block. Next, there was the Gloucester cheddar with chives; the very same of the famous Cotswold Games where they roll a wheel of the delicious dairy down a hill while people give chase and try to catch it. Don’t believe me? Check it out here (Fast forward to 2:09 for the rolling). This was the double variety of the cheddar which meant that it had a very sharp cheddar tang to it which was enhanced by the chives. Definitely one of my favorites. To the right of the cheddar was the Stilton blue cheese that was the standout favorite of mine. It paired particularly well with the apricot jam because the potent funk of the cheese was soothed by the dulcet tones of the fruit spread. Finally, there was the ash-cured goat cheese that had a hint of smoke to its flavor profile but was not much different from the run-of-the-mill spreadable cheese. Following the cheese top half, there were the meats. The salami on the left was slightly spicy which I enjoyed as I moved on to the Spanish chorizo. I personally prefer the peninsular sausage over its Mexican equivalent due to its low greasiness and high piquancy. Next to the red disks of chorizo was a fellow Spanish product: Serrano ham. It is Spain’s take on Italian prosciutto, and I highly recommend trying some in this lifetime. It is both delicate yet filling with a bold, peppery flavor. Finally, the Peckish Pig plank treated us to some duck meat which was rich but nothing of note.

We definitely overestimated how hungry we were and the portion sizes at the Peckish Pig when we ordered our food because we also got an order of the hog wings ($13). You’ll never see wings this big at another restaurant unless pigs fly.

Slightly intimidating

These pork shanks were marinated in a hoisin sauce that was sweet and tangy with a soy base to represent its Far East roots. If you’re looking for an app that is gargantuan in size and flavor, I highly recommend this tribute to marinated meat.

Good all the way to the bone

For the entree, I got a duck sandwich ($14). Mind you, you might be wondering how I survived this marathon of delicious food, but I only ate half of the sandwich. Nevertheless, I greatly savored the meal that on paper should not have left the runway but in practice soared like a Concorde. The panini-style foccacia was fresh and crunchy and contained a true yin and yang of flavor profiles. First, the smoky duck was enhanced by the coffee bacon. You read that right. Coffee bacon.

Grounds for imprisonment…in my stomach

Once more the Peckish Pig kitchen managed to finagle some coffee-cured piggy into a dish we tried, and it was executed to perfection. With all of these smoky and savory flavors swirling around my tongue, I appreciated the neutral brie that brought them under control and allowed for the sweet and spicy apricot spread to compliment the rest of the sandwich. It was a very unique sandwich that expertly balanced sweet, spicy, salty, bitter, and umami between two pieces of foccacia. Talk about a mouthful! At this point, we thought it wasn’t possible to finish another bite, dessert was calling our name. We found room for the English sticky toffee pudding ($7). It was a sumptuous feast for both our eyes and taste buds. The moist cake was studded with small chunks of delicious toffee and swimming in a thin pool of custard cream and caramel sauce. If anything, skip the meal and just have dessert. It is definitely worth it.

Overall, the Peckish Pig is a casual restaurant that would be ideal for catching up with old friends and family or perhaps you would like to try one of Chicagoland’s many brewpubs. I would also recommend it for its attention to both meat-lovers and vegetable fans as well as its extensive drink menu.

San Diego (Day 2): A Lambo, Gelato, and Rollin’ in Dough (Donut Bar, Nado Gelato, Village Pizza)

Posted on August 31, 2016 by Mark T

Ah San Diego. Home to the Chargers, the Padres, and their most famous mustaschioed ambassador, Ron Burgundy. While we were visiting the city, we never got into antics like the Channel 4 news team like an anchorman street fight or having our beloved pet dog punted off the Coronado bridge, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t have a memorable time (I did get a new suit though for the wedding!). Our first day was fun, but Saturday was a non-stop rollercoaster that had plenty of thrills and a couple spills because we did eat and drink our fair share like any good tourists should.

If you didn’t read my first post, you can check it out here because our morning involved Janice’s friend and local fixer Amber who I introduced before. Sadly, Ellie the schnauzer was not there to keep us company. So, she brought us to a local breakfast favorite for both locals and tourists: Doughnut Bar. Now, coming from Chicago which has its fair share of fancy doughnut bakeries, I didn’t know what the big deal was about a company that specialized in creating mind-boggling sweets. The line that stretched down the block that we soon found ourselves in spoke otherwise to my doubts. Amber recommended getting there the earlier the better as in like 8 am or 9 am if you want your choice of doughnuts because once the fried treats are gone, they close the entire store. As we slowly shuffled like a horde of bleary eyed zombies toward our sugary host, something bright and shiny caught my eye. It was just the Doughnut Bar owner’s new Lamborghini Aventor with a custom paint job. I don’t know why other people weren’t as enthused as I was about this beauty of a machine just chilling on the side of the road. It was a sign that it was going to be a great day on west coast. Thankfully, the line moved quickly because we needed to get our sugar fix on before running off to get ready for the wedding ceremony! I was having some second thoughts about rushing in and out after we set foot inside. It was very modern and quirky with plenty of hilarious doughnut themed swag and artwork. The true objets d’art were spread out in front of us like some type of heavenly bounty graced with every color and flavor of the rainbow. According to Amber, they also switch around their menu and offer vegan options, so they know how to cater to people from all walks of life and keep them on their toes at the same time. Janice and I didn’t know where to start because all of the doughnuts were calling our names. There were chocolate ones, ones made in homage to the local MLB All Star Game, cake batter, and even one with a motherloving Pop Tart baked in the middle! I didn’t want to look directly into its frosting for fear it would put the diabetic evil eye on me. Plus, some honorable mentions among many. We eventually made our choices, and they are not the cheapest doughnuts in the world at roughly 2-4 bucks a doughnut. However, most of them are huge as you’ll see later in the post, and they are some of the most unique doughnuts you’ll ever taste. Janice and I got a box of the Homer doughnut (mmmm sprinkles), a bacon infused cinnamon roll, a peanut butter cup doughnut, a Mexican hot chocolate doughnut, a Nutella doughnut, and a red velvet. In addition to our to-go box, we got a French toast doughnut which was a doughnut fried and served up like regular French toast. This was an homage to the origin of doughnuts. According to Wikipedia, some believe the word “doughnuts” came from the Dutch North American settlers who made oliekoek or “oil cake”, but the more compelling origin comes from a mid 19th century tale of an American boy punching holes in his fried dough because the centers were often raw. This allowed for his dough to cook thoroughly and looked like the traditional doughnuts we eat and enjoy today. However, the “nuts” part might have originally referenced the fried bits they poked out from the middle and have been referenced in writing as a uniquely American recipe as early as the early 1800s by none other than Sleepy Hollow author Washington Irving. We enjoyed every bite of this fried piece of Americana as we chilled upstairs surrounded by plenty of interesting paintings and wall art. The French toast doughnut also came with a side of butter, honey, and syrup. I just went with the syrup, but it seemed almost like gilding the lily with how delicate and light the doughnut was. It was an excellent investment and got us amped up for the very long day ahead of us. Highly recommend this option if you have the chance to snag one from the hungry masses. As we were leaving, there was still a plethora of people lining up outside, but I managed to sit in the Lambo which fulfilled one of my lifetime dreams. Could this day get any better? Oh yeah! We got suited and booted and went also with our friend Kathy to the church on Coronado island.

Burt Macklin on the case!

Much better

We made it just in time, and it was a great service. Personally, I think the flower girl and ring bearer stole the show until the bride’s grandparents came out.

Awwwww

They were so old but in such good shape and happy. Definitely restored my faith in humanity. The ceremony went off without a hitch,

The wedding party

and afterward I found myself once again face to face with another beautiful automobile. This time around it was a classic Rolls Royce that the bride and groom were riding off in, but I wouldn’t have minded if they gave Janice and me a ride just around the block. Instead, we wished them well and needed to find something to eat before the reception. Walking around the beautiful isthmus of Coronado, we eventually found Fire and Fly Pizzeria. It was bright and airy inside with outdoor seating in the front and rear of the establishment. They seemed to specialize in brick oven fired, Neopolitan style pizzas. They offer both premade and make your own pizza options in addition to a few sides. We got an order of two broccoli and tomato pizzas and one chicken pesto pizza ($9 each). I also got a local brewed Coronado beer ($6). They were promptly cooked and served as we made our way to the back patio to enjoy the beautiful day and engaging food. The pizza that Janice and I shared, the broccoli and tomato sans tomato, was good but too bland for my taste. I’m a man of fiery foods, so the mix of mozzarella, ricotta, and herb garlic olive oil was a bit too safe for my palate. Don’t get me wrong, it was a quality pizza, but I’d get a different pizza the next time around. I preferred the chicken pesto pizza that our friend Kathy got because it was coated with a healthy, almost excessive top layer of arugula which gave way to pieces of chicken that were intermixed with mozzarella, pesto, and roasted peppers. As for my California Amber, I realized that I wasn’t a fan from the first sip. It had a slight pine/resin aftertaste which turned me off instantly, but it seemed like a trend in California to serve mainly lighter beers like lagers and IPAs. What does a guy got to do to get a good stout/porter? Still, Fire and Fly was an excellent place to grab a bite to eat before the wedding reception. We finished our lunch and walked around the isthmus toward the Del Coronado hotel and decided to get some gelato at Nado Gelato. It was a non-descript cafe that we strolled into and managed to beat the local crowd from the beach. A clear sign we made a good decision. After looking over their numerous, mouth-watering flavors, Janice and I got a small cup of the giandua (chocolate hazelnut) and salted caramel. It was reasonably priced and extremely high quality. After learning so much from local Chicago ice cream shop owners in another post, we could tell from the rich, nutty flavor complimented by the salt in the caramel that we found the jewel in the crown of Coronado’s dessert scene. Highly recommend this tiny spot if you’re looking for something sweet to cool you off. Eventually, we reached the historical Hotel Del Coronado. It was originally built in 1888 and didn’t look a year over 100. Seriously though, it was a reception location that was without equal that I’ve been to in a wedding and hotels I’ve stayed in for my entire life. We walked through the dark wood lobby under antique crystal chandeliers and past the wrought iron elevator up to the penthouse suite for pre-cocktail hour drinks. Long story short, the views were terrible, and it was a mainly forgettable time. If the written word doesn’t convey my sarcasm, I’ll let the view do the talking.

Life is hard

Before we made our way to the cocktail hour, we managed to witness a special part of Sabrina and Thompson’s wedding: the Chinese tea ceremony. I thought it was going to be a traditional Chinese ceremony to compliment the Catholic ceremony before, but it was more of a symbolic uniting of families through Sabrina and Thompson serving tea to the new members of their expanded familial network. In return, they received lucky red envelopes containing many monies I assumed. However, the real show stopper were the gifts for the bride and groom. Thompson got a spiffy new watch, but Sabrina managed to wear half of Fort Knox’s gold in the form of two giant bracelets and a gold chest plate. Once the ceremony concluded, we made our way through the hotel like some sort of entourage. Jokingly, the girls said I looked like a secret service agent escorting some gold covered celebrity and her squad through to the afterparty. Little did they know, I was trained by Burt Macklin from Parks and Recreation. Luckily, we made it safely to to the very bright back lawn that was right next to the Pacific Ocean. No big deal. The setting was picturesque, the drinks were flowing, and the seagulls were out for burgers, mini-sliders to be exact. They swooped down on us to steal food, but luckily we were looking stylish and freaked out in our sweet sunglasses party favors. Their family dog, Bebe, however, was non-plussed looking so stylish in a bowtie. Eventually, the clock struck the reception hour, and we were led to the back ballroom that was enormous and overlooking the same rear lawn where we were enjoying some classic wild animal attacks. I won’t get bogged down in every minute detail of the reception in this post because it’s long enough. In a nutshell, minus the odd band music, we made some new friends and got down with old ones even when the dancefloor was dead sometimes. The food was par excellence (a dessert bar and a macaroni bar? yeah, that happened), and our one bartender we always went to made sure that everyone was having a great time. By the time the band’s encore finished, Janice and I made our way past our fellow partygoers outside the hotel entrance who, like us, needed a comfortable bed. However, our night didn’t end there. Back at the Air BnB we tried some of the doughnuts from the first part of the post. I loved the Homer doughnut because it was simple, iconic, and fitting for someone with a big appetite like me. The Mexican hot chocolate one wasn’t that memorable even with the toasted marshmallows, but the Nutella doughnut was delectable as well as the red velvet one. By that time, our friend Kathy had made it back as well, and we passed out after an incredibly long day with heads filled with memories and bellies stuffed with amazing eats.

1 Comment

Posted in Alcoholic, American, Bakery, Beer, Beverages, Chain Restaurants, Desserts, Doughnuts, European Cuisine, Gelato, Ice Cream, Italian, Pastries and tagged alcohol, bacon, Bar, Beer, Beverages, broccoli, Chinese, chocolate, Coronado, doughnuts, Food, hotel, Lamborghini, mozzarella, Nutella, pizza, restaurant, review, San Diego, tea, tomatoes, Travel. Bookmark the permalink.

South Carolina (Day 2): Hoppin’ John and a Carolina Fried Chicken Ring

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Mark T

Welcome back to Mastication Monologues, and if you haven’t been back here lately, I am currently recounting the tale of when Janice and I went to Charleston, South Carolina. Here’s the first installment for your reading pleasure. The second day is also full of history, good eats, and one of the greatest moments of my life: proposing to Janice. So, buckle up because you’re about to read one of the greatest love stories since Jon Snow and Ygritte minus the whole being shot through with a bunch of arrows and tragic death part.

After that first day of gallivanting about the Chuck, as the locals call Charleston, we decided to get out of the hubbub of the city and visit the Middleton Plantation. However, before we even left the house, I realized that this was the day I would propose to Janice. I was planning on doing it at the Angel Oak tree after visiting the Middleton Plantation, but now I needed to figure out how to carry the ring. I could have worn my coat, but it was a warm day outside. Luckily, before we left Chicago, I had stowed a piece of gauze in one of my jean pockets. So, when Janice was showering, I went to my backpack where the ring was hidden in my backpack back at the security line in Chicago. I took out the box, which was too big for my jean pockets, and removed the beautiful ring. I wrapped it in the gauze, removed some business cards from an interior pocket in my wallet, and placed the ring in that very same pocket. Mission partially complete. I played it cool when Janice asked if I was ready to go, and we made our way to the Middleton Plantation.

At the current moment in America, race relations are continuing to grow tenser as the country becomes more diverse, and the race interactions established at the outset of our country through slavery and immigration can be seen today at this opulent 7,000 acre estate. We decided to do the entire tour package, with included a house tour and carriage ride, but we had free time before we got to meet the horsies. So, we decided to stroll about the grounds and marvel at the natural wonders that were planted and landscaped to perfection. Some of the highlights were seeing the oak trees that dotted the walkways that ranged anywhere from 200 to 900 years old. Mind you, the plantation was first established in 1730, and it actually is home to the oldest landscaped gardens in the United States. Eventually, it was time to hitch a ride with a born and bred Charlestonian and two old ladies, horses that is. Janice could hardly contain her excitement as they clip clopped their way to the pickup point and into Janice’s heart.

Cue emotional music

We climbed aboard the old carriage and took off as our driver explained the history of the plantation to us. The Middleton plantation was not mainly a working plantation but rather a country estate. That is not to say that there weren’t slaves who worked there, but they were either employed as house servants, lumberjacks to harvest the timber, rice planters in the large rice paddies off the Ashley River, or grow and collect indigo to a lesser extent. This was not your stereotypical cotton plantation. The real money was in the signature gold grain Carolina rice which was well suited for the humid Carolina weather and the planters’ profit margins. We went about the ground looking at the farm house complete with one of the male horses who wanted to bust out of his pen and the famous layabout known as Rocky the guinea hog. There was also one of the former slave houses next to the animal pens. We learned that the slave quarters were raised off the ground because it was a way to offer a bit of cool air in an otherwise brutal environment. By the time we reached the end of our journey, the horses were ready to get some hay and a nap, but we still managed to get some pics with these local celebrities.

Bffls!

All of that excitement going 2 miles per hour with a slight breeze in our hair worked up our appetites, so Janice and I decided to try the plantation restaurant which was housed in a former guest house. We were led to the main dining room that was overlooking the lily pond. We looked over the menu which was filled with plenty of Low Country classics. We quickly made our choices since we had to finish our meal before our house tour. Janice got an order of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and cornbread, and I got the pecan smoked pork shoulder with Carolina gold mustard sauce. Before they brought out our food, they also asked if we wanted sweet tea, regular tea, or water. Naturally, I went for the sweet tea, and Janice got the unsweetened tea. I was so happy with my sweet tea for one main reason: it was actually sweet. McDonalds back home always would promote their sweet tea during the summertime, and I love my sweet iced tea. When I got it, it tasted like plain black tea poured over some ice. Naturally, I had to go to the South where they know how to make it correctly. Then the food came out, and we had to hold ourselves back from going full Cookie Monster on these enticing plates. My pecan smoked pork shoulder took me to hog heaven. It was melt-in-your mouth tender, and the smoky flavor mixed perfectly with the slightly sweet mustard sauce. The creamed green beans were good but not great. However, I enjoyed the Hoppin’ John on the side. This southern staple has been around as long as African slaves have been in the USA, and the name is thought to have come from the possible corruption of the Haitian creole for pigeon peas or “pois pigeons” ([pwa pi jahns]). It was a scaled back version of the richer version that southerners serve on new year’s day with green elements like kale or peppers to symbolize luck and money. The rice was perfectly cooked with a bit of salt and pepper with plenty of black beans, and I would highly recommend mixing it with the pork. Janice was equally satisfied with her fried chicken. The breading was light and gave way to the juicy all white meat chicken below the surface. I was more of a fan the plantation cornbread since it didn’t skimp on the butter and sugar compared to the more crumbly and savory cornbread at Husk. While I am averse to eating any type of pasta (yes, I’m a monster), Janice gave the macaroni and cheese two thumbs up. The collard greens were ok, but not as satisfying as the ones at Hominy Grill. By the time we were finished, we had to get up and get moving because it was almost time to start our house tour. Janice was going to pay the bill, but she couldn’t find her credit card. I paid the bill instead, and we assumed it must have been left in the car. As we walked past the house for the house tour to see one of the oldest trees on the estate, we heard someone call out, “Excuse me!”. We turned around to see two older women walking toward us, and they asked Janice if her name was “Janice Kim”. She replied in the affirmative, and it turned out that two different people had found her drivers license and her credit card in two different areas and turned both in to the visitors’ center. This was a prime example of Southern hospitality and manners. We decided to pick the cards up when we would leave, so we went to snap some pictures with the 900 year old oak tree, the same river where they blew up the British ships in the movie the Patriot, and the burned down houses. After successfully being insignificant next to this natural giant, we went to our house tour. It was originally built in 1755, but is only one of the original three houses left standing. The main house and the north flanker house were burned down by Union troops during the Civil War. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures, but we were up to our necks in historical facts including the lodging being home to Henry Middleton’s son, Arthur, who signed the Declaration of Independence. We highly recommend checking out the rich mahogany interiors if you love architecture, history, shiny things, and/or how high class society lived. By the time we emerged from that time capsule, we had to make a decision about what we wanted to see before they closed up the Angel Oak park. We decided to pick up the all important credit card and drivers license and check out the gift shops. Janice was on the hunt for souvenirs while I was secretly having time anxiety and subsequent sweats. Visit http://kratomcrazy.com for help on how to fight anxiety in a natural way. She would ask me for opinions on magnets and rice while I was starting to run in place (in my head). Janice eventually picked up my vibe, and we got to the car quickly. We had to make the ride from northern Charleston down to John’s Island quick because we had about a hour before the park closed. Thankfully, we made it with enough time, and on the way, Janice was seriously doubting whether or not I was ever going to propose to her. She wasn’t joking, and neither was I. Perfect timing to put a ring on it. I realized I had to get the rock out of the interior pocket of my wallet, and I managed to do so as Janice rushed toward the tree with her selfie stick. The Angel Oak is estimated to be over 1500 years old and what a more romantic place to pop the question? It is one of the biggest and most sprawling trees I’ve ever seen. We took some pictures on one side of the tree, and I was analyzing the best place to do the deed. Cue the palm sweat and shifty eyes. Janice was none the wiser as we walked under the massive branches. We moved to the back side of the tree, and there wasn’t anybody around. This was it. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest as I fumbled for the ring in the gauze and placed it in my hand. She turned around and everything I had planned to say went out the window. I said that it was a fitting place since she was my angel. I could see she was shaking her head due to the high levels of cheesiness in the atmosphere, but then she knew something was afoot when I dropped to my knee. I choked out my request to spend the rest of my life with her, and her response was like something out of Shakespeare: *cue crying, some laughing* “I’m holding my selfie-stick”. Just like in the movies! I was still waiting on my knee with the ring in my hand as she was more worried about her contraption. Eventually she took the ring and put it on her finger while still profusely crying with me on bended knee. Janice finally said “yes” through the tears, and I could get out of the power lunge of the century. It felt like we were floating on air beneath this relic of antiquity, and we even had an audience eventually who clapped for us. Once we finally got a picture in front of the tree with her new ring, we proceeded to let the world know of our engagement. We were then at a loss at what to do next, so I suggested that we could go for a romantic stroll along the river walk in downtown Charleston. It was the perfect setting as new fiance and fiancee as we watched the sunset, poochies running in the park, and the Citadel cadets getting some fresh air. All of the aforementioned events had made us quite hungry, so luckily I managed to find a romantic restaurant to celebrate known as High Cotton.

High Cotton oozed class. It seemed like we stepped into a time machine to an old mansion complete with an antique bar, dark wood accents, and tropical ceiling fans. It is a moderately dressy place, so don’t expect to fit in with your tank tops and jorts. We were seated at a table in the main dining room, and our waiter informed us of Charleston’s restaurant week which meant there was a special menu where we were able to choose an appetizer, entree, and dessert for the low low price of $40. Overall though, High Cotton is a restaurant that focuses on local ingredients and classic Low Country recipes. We also told him of our very recent engagement, so he treated us to a pair of complimentary champagne flutes. For our appetizer round, I got the fried green tomatoes napoleon which were the bread to a pimento cheese sandwich and surrounded by pickled shrimp. I found it to be satisfying and surprisingly light even though it was deep fried, and the pimento cheese was like a thick, spicy cheddar with the consistency of peanut butter. The shrimp were also pleasing even though they were pickled. Janice’s blue crab soup was ok. It was savory with a hint of sweetness that came along with the blue crab. We moved on to our entrees with gusto. My 8 oz. beef tenderloin with Bearnaise sauce, horseradish mashed potatoes, and Brussels sprouts were fit for a king. Everything was phenomenal. The mashed potatoes were creamy with just the right amount of sinus-clearing horseradish. The Brussels sprouts were roasted and slightly burnt and crunchy but not terribly charred. As for the meat and sauce, it was grilled to optimum juiciness which wasn’t overshadowed by the rich Bearnaise sauce. Can’t say enough good things about this dish. Janice’s shellfish and ravioli had a lot of fresh seafood from the nearby harbor including clams, shrimp, and crab along with peas and ravioli in a Parmesan sauce. I didn’t try the ravioli, but the clams were extraordinarily good. Our waiter said that the clams in the Low Country are actually better than oysters, but they don’t get the hype they deserve because they aren’t as sexy as their supposed aphrodisiac cousins. Couldn’t agree more with him. Janice thought the plate overall was ok though. Thankfully, dessert didn’t disappoint. I ordered the chocolate bread pudding complete with candied pecans, bourbon caramel, and vanilla ice cream. Need I say more? It was slightly warm which melted the ice cream which went along with the smoky caramel and crunchy pecans. It infused the semi-sweet, spongy dough of the bread pudding with a heavenly taste. Janice went with one of her favorite desserts: the vanilla bean creme brulee with a Carolina twist with tea infused citrus segments. The burnt sugar on top was a golden brown with a luscious and moderately rich cream below. By the time we reached the final spoonful, we were not only in love with each other but with High Cotton’s fare, atmosphere, and service. We made our way out and enjoyed a bit of the jazz quartet in the bar that was not performing when we first walked in. However, it was a classy end to a day filled with viewing history past, making history of our own, and plans for the future. If you’ve successfully made it to the end of this post, congrats and there are plenty more adventures to come!

2 Comments

Posted in American Cuisine, Barbecue, Beverages, Comfort Food, Desserts, Non-Alcoholic, Steakhouse and tagged bbq, beef, Beverages, Charleston, chicken, chocolate, cornbread, dessert, Food, fried, green beans, grill, Low Country, mac and cheese, mustard, restaurant, Reviews, rice, sauce, South Carolina, Southern. Bookmark the permalink.

South Carolina (Day 1): Everyday I’m Husklin

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Mark T

Finally, done with final exams and my 2nd Bachelor’s Degree!!! The feeling is amazing, and what better way to celebrate than starting the story of our journey to Charleston, South Carolina? Oh yeah, and also asking my wonderful girlfriend to marry me! So, like any good tale, let’s start at the beginning.

Before we left for Charleston, we had been talking about when we would get married and types of engagement rings Janice wanted. In fact, she was the occasional Debbie Downer thinking that I might never pop the question. Little did she know I had already ordered and secretly stashed the ring at home. *Cue maniacal laughter* Once we got to the airport, the game was afoot. Through a series of strategic positioning choices while walking, like holding her left hand in my right hand because the ring was in my left pocket, and taking advantage of classic airport situations, like the madness at the security lines and Janice’s subsequent rage at everyone’s incompetence, I managed to sneak the ring in my backpack. This is where it would stay until later in our trip. Keep that in mind, readers. The flight and nighttime jaunt to our Air BnB was relaxing, and we were ready to explore the city the next day. We woke up to a slightly cool day that was punctuated with plenty of intermittent rain and wind as we were off to brunch at our first Charleston restaurant. From the outset, we knew this was going to be an eventful day since we were greeted with biblical floods throughout downtown Charleston. Not only were we learning the streets, but we were also playing our own version of Oregon Trail in our rental car which also oddly had a dial instead of an actual gear shift. Definitely was freaking me out.

Notice the flood waters right outside our window.

Fording all of those rivers really whipped up our appetite, and we finally arrived at Hominy Grill (thankfully we didn’t lose any oxen!). This tastefully and colorfully decorated historical Charleston house was a symbol of the deep roots that run through the east coast port town. Charleston was one of the richest cities in the original 13 colonies due to cash crops like rice, indigo, and timber that were harvested by the slaves that were subsequently brought over to do all the dirty work. Although the institution of slavery is based on the concept that one group of people is viewed as being less than human and more like chattel or general investments, the power of good food can still make the oppressed class make their voices heard even when other parts of their culture might be done away with by the ruling class. In fact, it is often the case around the world that some of the best food comes from the lower classes since they have to make the most of what they could afford. That would be a common theme throughout our trip as we ate signature Southern American dishes that have African roots but appeased the taste buds of the English colonists. Hominy grill brought plenty of this blended South Carolinian culture. We loved the antique interior which also kept the quaint colonial vibe when I noticed they weren’t playing any music in the restaurant. I don’t know if it’s a Chicago thing, but we more often than not have music going on in restaurants. So, it was a welcome change to just hear the sound of families and friends enjoying good food. The meal began not with a bread basket rather a paper container of boiled peanuts. While these are now a common Southern snack, they trace their roots back to Africa. They are commonly sold as a street food in Ghana even to this day, and in the South they can also be called “goober peas” which reminded me of a popular Civil War my mom would randomly sing. I had actually never had them, so we tucked into them. It was weird because the normally crunchy shells peeled off like a loose skin, and the peanuts had an almost meaty quality to them. I can see why they could be a good snack food, but I prefer my honey roasted variety. I did like that we got more than we bargained for because for some reason it seemed that there were a lot of three and even four nut shells. We kept the food festival going with two appetizers in the form of fried green tomatoes ($6) and hushpuppies ($5). I had had hushpuppies before, but never like this. The first people to have made them were Native Americans in the Southern United States, but they became popular during the Civil War. Their name supposedly came from the Confederate soldiers using them to make their dogs be quiet or “hush the puppies”. I can see why because I was making my barking stomach curl up and sleep in a food coma. I didn’t really get the jalapeno flavor or spice in them as advertised in the menu, but the subtly sweet sorghum butter was a fitting compliment to the crunchy and salty crust. The real star of the appetizer round was the fried green tomato plate. It was another Southern fried treat which consisted of unripe tomatoes coated in batter and fried with a side of ranch dressing. It might have been the Midwesterner in me which embraced the ranch dressing, but the creamy richness was a match made in heaven with the semi-juicy and sour interior and crispy exterior. As if that wasn’t enough food, we managed to move on to our entrees. Hominy Grill is a Michelin starred restaurant with not super Michelin prices serving plenty of Southern comforts, and we stayed true to what Hominy Grill is good at. Janice ended up getting the Shrimp and Grits ($19) which was different than most grits I’ve ever had. They were more like a very fine risotto compared to the creamier grits that I tried in Georgia or have seen at soul food events. The shrimp were perfect and the scallions and bacon brought a savory edge to the smooth plate. Then there was my choice: the Nasty Biscuit ($10.50). If there was one plate to sum up Southern cuisine, this tried to roll every element into one meal (minus delicious barbecue). It was a buttermilk biscuit with a piece of fried chicken in the middle bobbing in a sea of sausage gravy and cheddar cheese. Straight. Up. Nasty. (in a good way, naturally) There was no easy way to eat this symbol of Southern madness/genius, but it was as heart stoppingly good as you might imagine. I wouldn’t have to eat for another week with the amount of calories this bomb contained, but I would recommend it to anyone who wants something that’s more southern than Colonel Sanders, the Dukes of Hazard, and Nascar combined. We also got a side of collard greens since Janice likes them, and we needed to keep the southern food train rolling. I never really tried them before this moment, but I would liken them to an earthier spinach. Not something I’d go out of my way to eat, but thank God I got something green to eat in this sea of deep fried goodness. Somehow, some way we managed to make room for their famous homemade buttermilk pie. Good lawd, I have never had a pie like this, but it was the lightest pie I’ve ever eaten. First, it was chilled which made it seemed more lithe than the cumbersome fried food we had before. Then the filling was like consuming a sweet treat that was like a suave vanilla custard that caressed our overworked palates. Finally, the crust. It was minimally intrusive compared to your typical lard based pie crust which made all the difference in this belt buster of a meal. We came super hungry and left super satisfied. Can’t praise the Hominy Grill restaurant and staff enough.

Thankfully, we walked like crazy afterward along Charleston’s harbor. Since the weather was craptacular, we thought we could wait out the rain in the Charleston aquarium, but unfortunately we missed the last tour for the biggest draw: the sea turtle hospital.

We did come out on top with puns though.

We cut our losses, and got tickets for the next day and instead went to Fort Sumter which just so happened to be next door. Well, actually it was the national park museum commemorating the flashpoint of the beginning of the Civil War, and it was chock full of historical goodness that we appreciated. The actual fort consisted of us getting on a ferry boat and going out to an island in the harbor. It was windy and cold, and I was smart enough to not bring a jacket (or I’m just that tough). We landed and it was the perfect time to go since the weather scared away the hordes of tourists. The fort was a mere shadow of its former self, but I could imagine how terrible it must have been for the defenders to be behind its ramparts and being shelled day after day. My favorite part of the visit consisted of the flag lowering ceremony that was similar to how the former Union defenders would do at the end of each day. It was an extremely windy day, and it was more challenging than you may think. Think about a fifty foot piece of heavy canvas flying and whipping at you violently, but luckily teamwork saved the day. Going back on the ferry, thankfully the weather let up to take in the many beautiful views of Charleston skyline and bridge. I later learned that Janice had thought I was going to propose to her on the ferry which surprised me. That big event will come later in the story at a more unique location! Instead, we continued to walk off our heavy lunch along the broad avenues of Charleston’s historical downtown. I could not get enough of how much history was around every corner. Surprisingly, we were hungry again, so we had to try a little place called Husk. It is in a late 19th Century mansion and led by a James Beard award winning chef, so we threw ourselves at the mercy of their menu. Janice wisely got reservations before we even landed in Charleston, so we checked in just below the steep staircase. We still had to wait for a table though since the entire establishment was hopping. Thankfully, they had a smaller guest house next door that was converted into a two tiered bar. The drink menu was Charleston through and through with references to parts of the city (the Four Corners of Law) and southern flavors. We were quickly seated upstairs at one of their rustic wooden tables. We started off with a Turcotte’s Tipple ($11) and a Charleston Light Dragoon’s Punch ($9). Janice’s tipple drink was an homage to the rider of the Triple Crown winner Secretariat, and it was a bourbon based, grapefruit-infused drink that was as fleet footed as its steed namesake. If you’re looking for a light, understated fruity drink for a hot summer day, this is your best bet. As for mine, it was taken straight from a 1783 recipe from the archives of the Preservation Society of Charleston. It was much stronger than Janice’s front porch refreshment due to the rum and the peach brandy, and it combined with black tea and lemon juice to add a spiked sweet/iced tea flavor to the mix. I’d liken this drink to a British version of a Manhattan. Even though we were next door, Husk’s staff actually came to get us upstairs in the guest house to lead us to our table in the main house. Now that’s what I call service! We were shown upstairs past their homemade pickled vegetables and firewood for the ovens to one of the front dining rooms that had a view of the second floor porch. Janice also got a Copperhead ($11) which a whiskey with a hint of absinthe that was like a licorice infused Old Fashion. As for food, we got a complimentary basket of fresh pretzel rolls that were small, warm orbs of heavenly dough with a side of whipped creamy butter. The culinary dream that happened soon thereafter was the stuff of legend. First, we got fried chicken skins with kimchi mayo, black garlic mayo, and scallions ($11) and glazed pig ear wraps ($12). The former was continuing with the southern fried theme from our Hominy Grill lunch. The people at Husk could sell them at any national chicken chain as a guilty pleasure and make a fortune. They were just the right amount of crunchy, salty, savory, and spice with the kimchi mayo. As for the glazed pig ear wraps, they were like a southern version of Korean ssam bap. The cook had similar strips of pork that were a bit tougher than kalbi, but they did have some pickled cucumbers and red onion to keep in line with this Korean fusion dish. I would highly recommend both of these appetizers. We moved on to the entrees where Janice got the heritage pork ($34) and the bacon cornbread ($8) while I got the flat iron steak ($34). I thought that combining the hottest ingredient/breakfast food since sliced bread with a delicious southern staple would have yielded an unforgettable pairing to our flawless dishes, but alas, we were not impressed since it was actually on the dry and crumbly side. Thankfully, my flat iron steak was assembled to perfection with medium rare steak, mushrooms, broccoli, and shishito peppers. The steak were burgundy nuggets of bliss and the vegetables were expertly sauteed. Kudos to the addition of the shishito peppers that gave the mostly mild ingredients a nearly undetectable hint of sweet spiciness. I thought Janice’s pork plate was ok, and she didn’t feel it warranted the price tag. I could see why because the pork, while flavorful, was too much of the same flavors. There wasn’t that element, like my peppers, that always kept you guessing with every forkful. Finally, there was the dessert, and what a dessert it was. It was a caramel bread pudding that consisted of a brown butter crumble and cinnamon ice cream with flower blossoms for decoration. Now, I’ve had my fair share of bread puddings, some good and others not so good (contrary to popular opinion), and this was hands down the best I’ve ever had. It wasn’t too hot or too cool. The crumbles were spiced and just in the perfect ratio to the soaked bread below that was filled with luscious caramel. The warmth of the skillet made the cinnamon ice cream atop this work of art melt and soak into each spoonful. I was having my own When Harry Met Sally moment by the time we sadly hit the end of our metal clad sweet secret. After we paid and did a short nightly jaunt around one of Charleston’s main streets, we made our way home after a successful first day in Charleston. Stay tuned for the next chapters in our journey and the road to our engagement proposal!

2 Comments

Posted in Alcoholic, American Cuisine, Bakery, Beverages, Comfort Food, Desserts, Mixed Drinks, Pie and tagged Beverages, bread, Charleston, cheese, chicken, dining, Food, fried, grill, Hominy, Husk, peanuts, pudding, restaurant, Reviews, Sandwich, sauce, Southern, sweet, tomatoes, Travel. Bookmark the permalink.

Toronto (Final Day): Home Is Where the Heart (and ice cream) Is

Posted on July 27, 2015 by Mark T

So, it has finally come to this. The final installation in my Canadian food saga on Mastication Monologues (See 1, 2, and 3 here). While the previous chapters had plenty of panache, today’s post will be going out on a very classy note.

Our day started on a very hot note as we made the trek across the city to the famed Casa Loma that was participating in Toronto’s food week a.k.a. Summerlicious. What would be more summerlicious than fine dining in a castle? The storied structure was originally built by Sir Henry Pellatt, a business magnate and loyal military servant to the Queen. Aaron had told me before we visited that he built this mega-mansion for a woman who was supposed to come over to marry him but duped him. Turns out that when we went there, we learned that he built it because he was extremely rich. Go figure. Beautiful as it was inside with plenty of crystal chandeliers, giant halls, and dark wood carpentry, I missed a little bit of that modern air conditioning lovin’ as I proceeded to sweat my brains out. Janice and I made our way out to the garden out back, and we were greeted with a wonderful fountain, lush foliage, and oodles of Asian tourists. We had our wristbands on since we bought tickets ahead of time and on discount, so we were able to skip the long line into the Summerlicious fest like the ballers/shot-callers we naturally are. We had a look over the food they had to offer while hunting for a seat, and it all looked great. After a bit of time, Janice wrangled us a great table in the shade. Aaron and Alyssa met up with us eventually due to a Google Maps error, but Janice and I were then quickly up and ready to run the buffet ragged. We started off with some amazing Italian food. First, there was the prosciutto (pro-shoot-oh or just pro-shoot if you’re a real paisan). The word “prosciutto” comes from the Latin for “before” (pro) and “sucking out” (exsuctus) which then evolved into the modern Italian word “prosciugiare” meaning “to dry thoroughly”. What does all this drying have to do for this heavenly meat? Well, it’s basically a salted, dried, and aged leg of ham that is a pillar of Italian cuisine. At the Summerlicious festival, the chef serving it was using an interesting slicer I’ve never seen before but sped up the cutting process for the slobbering diners lining up for the meat. Janice and I picked up a rolled up slice each, and then next to the prosciutto was another Italian dish I had never tried before called panzanella. It is a salad from the central Italian region of Tuscany, and it is not very in line with the Atkins diet. The reason being is that this salad is based on bread; well, actually stale bread, but that’s neither here nor there. It consists of the bread soaked in the vinaigrette along with tomatoes, onions, and zucchini.

Panzanella and prociutto

It complimented the salty and savory meat with a light and slightly sour element to the opening plate of our meal. We then moved on to the second plate of the day which was more diverse cuisine-wise. First, I managed to snag a seasoned lamb kabob that was savory and spiced to perfection. The smell alone coming off the grill was driving me crazy. Then I followed that up with an Indian trio of butter chicken, jasmine basmati rice, and aloo gobi. The butter chicken is a very mild dish in terms of Indian food, and it meshed with the rice to be a very filling part of the meal. As for the aloo gobi, it is a traditional and simple Punjabi dish that consists of potatoes (aloo) and cauliflower (gobi). It was different than traditional Indian dishes given that a plethora of them are typically swimming in a pool of sauce. These dry veggies were aglow with a jaundiced yellow hue due to the tumeric and curry powder that was cooked into each piece. It was ok, but not great. The best part of round two was the mushroom cheesy risotto that was being served literally out of a giant wheel of Grana Padano (“grain” in Italian and the adjective for something from the Po River valley in northern Italy). It was a creamy rice dish that had a Parmesan-esque sharpness in every forkful. The final plate to the three ring circus of main courses ended with a vegetable slaw with lime dressing that was like something you could get in a P.F. Changs or slightly more upscale Chinese restaurant especially with the roasted, diced peanuts. The better part of the third plate were the bison sliders with berry mostarda. The bison tasted like a very lean beef with a bit more gamey flavor, but it was kind of drowned out by the berry mostarda that isn’t mustard but rather a traditional Italian condiment made of candied fruit and mustard flavored syrup. We couldn’t put our finger on it if they were cherries or some kind of cranberry, but it strangely went well together as a savory and sweet kind of foodstuff. Thankfully we didn’t eat breakfast because we had room for that sweet sweet dessert. While they were serving three different types of gelato, I will save the ice cream for later in this post. Instead, we chowed down on some white chocolate cannoli and a berry crumble. Cannoli are well known as a quintessential Italian dessert, but in reality they trace their roots back to the Emirate of Sicily, i.e. when the Muslims ruled the island for almost 250 years. In fact, some trace the name to the Arabic word “qanawat“. These little fried tubes of dough were filled by hand right in front of us with sweet mascarpone cheese and garnished with white chocolate shavings. I thought they could have made it better with some milk or dark chocolate shavings to balance out the sweeter cheese, but they were competently made. As for the fruit crumble, I heard that it had strawberry and rhubarb in it which was a first for me. I found it to be like eating a warm strawberry pie with the buttery crumbles, so I don’t know what the rhubarb brought to the equation. The fresh blueberries and strawberries were also a refreshing solution to beating the heat. After that we had an epic trek to one of the best ice cream places in all of Toronto according to Aaron who’s kind of a maestro when it comes to the cold stuff. Ed’s Real Scoop was nothing special on the outside, but clearly on the inside it was happening based on the butt to gut traffic that was occupying the non-A/C interior which was brutal. Still, I knew this place was my jam based on this punny size display, the large selections of ice cream, gelato, and toppings. After chuckling to myself, I made the tough decision by getting a large with creme brulee ice cream and burnt marshmallow with a free topping in the form of Coffee Crisp, a Canadian candy bar that isn’t Stateside. Pricewise, it’s not the cheapest place since my large was around 5 bucks, but I got a ton of ice cream for my money and a free topping! Not only that, but they hand make all of their ice cream and waffles cones on their own machine that is right to your left when you walk into the store. They take their ice cream, gelato, drinks, and confections very seriously, and this care is reflected in the quality from first spoon to last. The creme brulee took me right to the Riviera complete with chunks of the burnt, crunchy sugar topping in each bite while the burnt marshmallow was perfect for a summer night. All I was missing was a bonfire and some graham crackers to make some s’mores. The Coffee Crisp was like a flaky wafer coated in milk chocolate that created that s’more effect. Janice got a cinnamon cheesecake milkshake, and it was a slurptacular way to beat the heat as we walked along Toronto’s beachfront. After walking for what seemed forever, we made it to Aaron’s neighborhood in the Scarborough area. We hit up Casa di Giorgio Ristorante. By this point, we were ready to devour some food, and this Italian eatery fit the bill. The ladies got different types of pasta, so naturally I didn’t eat it. Janice seemed happy with her tortellini alla crema ($16.95) which were cheese stuffed shells with a white cream sauce. I opted for pizza instead. They have so many great choices, but I picked the Veranzano ($16.95). It had everything I love: meat, cheese, and veggies. The goat cheese and salty prosciutto balanced the fresh arugula and mild, roasted red peppers. Based on my experience and the others’ plates, it was a good Italian restaurant if you’re looking for simple but well made food. Aaron and Alyssa hadn’t even been there before, and they live there. So it was a great hidden find and a molto bene note to end our stay in TO with our good friends and even better guests. Thanks for everything guys, and see you on the open road!

Toronto (Day 1): Sleepless Nights in Hogtown

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Mark T

Welcome to another wonderful and interesting edition of Mastication Monologues! Today I’ll be relating the first day of four of our adventure to the Great White North a.k.a. Canada. There has always been a sort of brotherly love between the two North American nations compared to the more tension filled links with our southern neighbors like Cuba or Mexico. We Americans see them as hockey nuts that are also extremely polite while they view us as obese, war mongers,

but national stereotypes aside, we manage to get along just fine. Case and point: my friend Aaron and I. We met each other in South Korea of all places in the same teacher orientation group, and we struck up a friendship through long bus rides and making terrible puns together.

Canada (Aaron), America (Me), and France (Jean) just partying it up in Korea

After Aaron and his gf, Alyssa, visited Chicago, Janice and I decided to pay them a visit up in Toronto, a place neither of us had visited.

So, our adventure started from Chicago super-early in the morning with driving through a whole lot of nothing until we reached Canada. Once we crossed the border, we stopped for a sweet piece of Canada in the form of Tim Hortons. Although there are now branches throughout the Northeastern USA, they haven’t arrived in Chitown. So, we wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. it looked like a fancier fast food diner, and I knew that this Canadian institution specialized in having great coffee and doughnuts. I got a Canadian maple, tres Canadien!, and Janice got the sour cream glazed. Janice was less than impressed due to the too sugary treat that didn’t match up to a similar, yet less diabetes inducing version in Chicago. As for mine, I found it to be enjoyable even though I’m not partial to cream filled pastries. Thankfully there was more fresh, fried dough than cream, and the maple icing was delectable. Once we finally reached the city and trying not to die with all of the crazy Canuck drivers. We got to our apartment with a sweet view that would make even Drake jealous, and then proceeded to meet up with Aaron and Alyssa. We walked all over the town as they showed us the sights that ranged from Korea Town that actually had a lot Aaron and I recognized from our time in the Land of the Morning Calm to the Kensington Market that seemed like a Caribbean island market in the middle of a modern metropolis.

Dude, it’s some herbage.

After traversing what seemed like half the city, we managed to get our final destination (no, not death like the movies), Insomnia Restaurant & Lounge. Unfortunately, it was super busy, so we had to wait for a table. We hit up the bar next door, and I tried a new Canadian beer I never heard of: Hockley dark. It was a traditional English ale that was full bodied with a clean, caramel aftertaste that my compatriots likened to a lighter Guinness, or as they say on their website, “a brunette with the body of a blonde”. We eventually got the call to head on over to Insomnia. It looked like any other gastropub with the addition of some Christmas lights overhead. However, our table was quite different mainly due to the super comfortable easy chairs that made the dining experience that much more enjoyable. The reason why we chose Insomnia over all of the restaurants in Toronto is that they were part of the Summerlicious food festival which was similar to Chicago’s restaurant week that Janice and I greatly took advantage of. Just like Chicago’s restaurant week, there was a set menu that consisted of a starter, entree, and dessert for $25. I started the meal with a Maudite Belgian Strong Ale. If you love lambics or dubbels or Belgian beer in general, I highly recommend this spicy yet fruity brew. Then looking over the menu, there was a ton of great picks for food which made it all the more difficult to choose just one item. I, along with everyone else I think, got the pork taco since it was the most interesting appetizer. It looked super fresh yet simple. All it consisted of was seasoned, tender, yet slightly spicy pork, pico de gallo, some cabbage, and a creamy, rich avocado spread. The cilantro sprigs made it all the better since I love the controversial herb. Then came the entrees. I was torn between the burger since I had a hankering for one, and the Dirty Dirty South fried chicken and waffles. However, I wanted something a bit different, so I went for the latter. Funny enough, Janice, Alyssa, and I all got the chicken while Aaron got the burger. He was greatly satisfied with the juicy Ontario ground chuck, milk bun, and classic lettuce, onion, pickle combo. Our chicken and waffles, on the other hand, were a different beast all together. When it came out, it looked like something inspired from the Spanish Inquisition or Vlad the Impaler. Our waffles were pre-cut into quarters and alternated with the boneless chicken thigh pieces in a large stack that was held together with a series of wooden skewers. Atop this unique creation was one of my most disliked foods: cole slaw. I love my cabbage products like kimchi or kapusta, but I dislike the cream picnic staple. I slowly took apart the tower o’ food with the precision of playing the popular game Kerplunk and sliced into my meal. It was a mouth-watering combo of thick, fluffy waffles and non-greasy but still flavorful pieces of all white meat. The honey maple butter and maple syrup made this plate the ideal mix of savory and sweet. I highly recommend this entree. As if you thought that would have been the end of the meal, there still was dessert! This was the toughest part of the night for me since I have a huge sweet tooth, but since everyone was going for the enticing s’more and creme brulee, I went for the sponge cake. Long story short, it was all good in the hood aside from a couple bumps in the road. First, there was my financier sponge cake. The name of the cake comes from either the traditional rectangular pan that made the cake resembling a bar of gold, or the cake became popular in Paris’ financial district. It was moist, light, and spongy in texture with a strong almond taste that was enhanced with the Coca Cola foam that was the right kind of funk I like in my meal and a classy caramel drizzle. The cherry on the side was a nice touch. Then the burnt marshmallow s’more ice cream was an interesting concoction. It was composed of the vanilla ice cream on top of a layer of burnt marshmallows that then topped a graham cracker cookie which was drenched with Lindt chocolate sauce. Diabetes? I haz it. Alyssa offered me a bit of hers, but I swear the cookie was made of hardtack since neither I nor Aaron could break it. Thankfully, Aaron’s was more normal, but it might prove to be too sweet for those of you who enjoy more savory plates. Finally, there was the creme brulee that Janice wasn’t digging too much, but I found it to be good, not great. As we sunk further into our chairs, food comas coming over us quickly, we ended the our first night in Toronto there, and it was a sign of greater times to come! I highly recommend Insomnia to those visiting Toronto if you’re looking for delicious comfort food with a twist.

2 Comments

Posted in Alcoholic, Beer, Beverages, Burgers, Cake, Canadian, Comfort Food, Desserts, Doughnuts, Ice Cream and tagged Beer, Burger, chicken, dining, Food, marshmallows, restaurant, Reviews, sauce, sweet, syrup, waffles. Bookmark the permalink.

Getting Our Just Desserts

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Mark T

Today’s post on Mastication Monologues is one of my sweetest and over the top posts I’ve ever written! If you have a sweet tooth that borderlines on a diabetic condition like I do, then you’re going to love this entry. Last weekend, Janice and I experienced the final part of my one year anniversary gift that she got for me: two tickets to Chicago’s Dessert Fest. What a sweetheart!

When we got to the venue, River North’s John Barleycorn and Moe’s Cantina, there was already a line out the door and an accompanying mob once we got inside. Everywhere we looked, we could see plenty of delicious treats being enjoyed by the guests. While we weren’t swayed by the sundae bar that seemed pretty weak for an epic event like this one, we were more interested in the cake table with desserts made from Fabiana’s Bakery. Not only did it boast a wonderfully delicious, buttercream-coated, cyclops rainbow cake that won “Most Craveable Dessert” but also a decadent chocolate ganache wedding cake served in plastic shotglasses. We definitely got crunk on those nuggets of rich dark chocolate goodness. We quickly moved our ways through the munching masses and were confronted with a barker of sorts who bellowed, “WHO WANTS FREE ICE CREAM?!! THIS IS DESSERT FEST!!!!” I didn’t know King Leonidas worked dessert fairs in his spare time. Naturally, Janice’s and my hands shot up because we’re all about the cold stuff. He hooked us up with free Blue Bunny turtle bars that was a combo of pure vanilla ice cream coated in a crunchy milk chocolate shell with the occasional hunk of pecans and caramel. Simply the best, bar none! We managed to snag a sample of macarons from a table that was mobbed with people. I snapped up a chocolate one and a passion fruit one while Janice got a raspberry one. They were perfect from their semi-sticky middles to the airy yet firm cookies.

Chocolate and passion fruit macarons

I personally felt the raspberry combined with the chocolate one was the ideal combination, but the passion fruit was a bland letdown. We made our way upstairs to the sun-splashed second floor of John Barleycorn where they were slinging champagne and white wine with banana creme pie samples. I got a glass of bubbly while Janice and I shared a nibble looking out over the crowd by the bar while lounging on a leather couch. The banana creme pie reminded us of a pina colada with a mix of coconut and cream, but the champagne made it even better. We made our way down and over to Moe’s Cantina where an entire room was just waiting for me to be explored. Right by the entrance, they had an open kitchen where I saw cooks preparing some sort of cup dessert with cream. I didn’t have time to spare. I was on a mission. I visited each booth and brought back my loot to our table. What a spread we had once I was done doing my recon mission. What we ended up with was a slice of Bar Louie’s chocolate cake, voted “Most Delicious Dessert”, but sadly we never tried it since we filled up on the following treats beforehand. First, there was the Warm Belly Bakery entry that eventually was crowned the Chocolate Champion. Its presentation left much to be desired, but the brown butter chocolate chip cookies with a salted hazelnut dark chocolate mousse and a raspberry accent was quite a combo. The cookie seemed a bit undercooked but the rich buttery dough and sweet chocolate combined to perfection with the salty yet earthy mousse. The raspberry reminded me of our earlier macaron experiment. While the fruit and chocolate combo was seemingly going to rule the day, the mystery dessert I had witnessed a few minutes earlier ended up rocking my world. Turns out it is a Mexican dessert from Moe’s Cantina called a crispy xango (pronounced “zan-go”with berries and cream. What is consisted of was a deep fried tortilla, coated in cinnamon and sugar churro style, and filled with a berry infused cream. Janice got even more of the lowdown from one the employees. Turns out they import their tortillas from Nuevo Leon in Mexico, and the cream even had a slight Bailey’s infusion to the cream. Deep fried treats and a boozy sweet element? I’ll take it! I spread the cream evenly over the crunchy and crumbly surface like butter, and it was an ideal combo of textures and flavors. By the time we made our ways upstairs, we walked past Old Crow Smokehouse’s plethora of key lime pies, which were given the “Perfected Classic Award”. We didn’t sample any, but we did get a taste of some after-dinner digestifs. Digestif is a term from French that refers to a drink that supposedly aids digestion. The ones we samples were of an Italian variety in the shape of an amaro and a limoncello. The former is an herbal liqueur that is often consumed neat, and has roots in the 19th century often originating in pharmacies or monasteries. The name “amaro” means “bitter” in Italian, and I could see why. I could only liken the taste of it to a less syrupy/obnoxious Jaegermeister. It was potent but bursting with anise, ginger, and licorice. As for the limoncello that Janice tried, it is a very different digestif compared to the amaro. First, it is a bright yellow that comes from the lemon zests (hence the name) that are used to make the alcohol. Second, it is more regional in nature given that it is a mainly southern Italian drink. The one we had came from the southeastern region of Italy called Abruzzo which is kind of close to the heel of the boot of the peninsula. Tastewise, it cleansed the palate of all of the sugar we had previously consumed but also perked us up with a strong, lemon scented kick. As we left the festival, it was like leaving some sort of wonderful, Willy Wonka-esque type of dream, but it was a great gift from my lovely girlfriend. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a good and calories-be-damned sort of time!

2 Comments

Posted in Bakery, Cake, Chocolate, Cookies, Desserts, Pastries, Pie and tagged cake, champagne, Chicago, Chips, chocolate, churro, cookies, dessert, fest, frosting, fruit, macaron, river north, tortillas, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

The Hub of All the Hubbub

Posted on February 8, 2015 by Mark T

Another meal, another post. What that means for you, the reader, is another great dining experience on Mastication Monologues. What makes it so great? Well, in Chicago there’s a little thing called Restaurant Week. While Chicago is filled with oodles of restaurant that could make any week a restaurant week, but what makes Restaurant Week so special is that there are tons of great deals in restaurants you might have never known existed. The cuisines range from some delicious, downhome cookin’ diners to Michelin starred establishments and even Alinea, three time winner of Elite Travel’s award as the best restaurant in the world. While we don’t have reservations at such a prestigious eatery, today I bring you Hub 51, a gastropub/lounge/dance club with a classy atmosphere and super diverse menu.

Hub 51 is located in the upscale River North area of Chicago that is, go figure, just north of the Chicago river. The sleek exterior exuded an air of subtle confidence, and upon entering the place I could see why. It was ultra modern in design from the bar to the dark wood chairs, and eventually we were seated in a leather bound booth that was very comfortable and spacious. Looking over the menu, they had quite the eclectic menu including American, Mexican, and even Japanese food. However, we were all about trying the Restaurant Week menu where we got three courses for only $33!

Course one consisted of two dishes that were as far apart culinary-wise as apples and oranges. First, we have exhibit A: the spinach and artichoke dip. While I recently wrote about another type of spinach artichoke dip, this was another animal. Instead of being served with bread, it was paired with super light yet slightly too salty tortilla chips. Thankfully the dip was a mix of gooey cheese and plenty of spinach that keep the saltiness to a minimum. However, I didn’t feel like they had as many artichoke pieces as I’ve had in other similar appetizers. Where as the artichoke dip was more on the fattening side, the Brussels sprouts salad was very refreshing and healthy. The Brussels sprouts were fresh and crunchy which were also complimented with a few almonds sprinkled in amongst the greens. I really enjoyed the Manchego cheese chunks that were dispersed as well throughout the greens, and I found the buttery Spanish cheese to pair well with the salty almonds. The Medjool dates were a worthy sweet element in this appetizer and were countered with the slightly sour mustard vinaigrette. All of it taken together, the Brussels sprouts appetizer was an option that both danced across the palate with a crunchy and sweet panache but lingered with the aftertaste of the vinaigrette. I think round one went to team salad but just barely. In addition to these Restaurant Week choices, Kaitlin and Dan got an order of the homemade hummus (($8.95) and an ahi tuna poke ($14.95). Both were equally amazing in their own ways. I love hummus in any form, so I was intrigued by the dukkah spices element of the dish. While I recognized the typical, fresh cucumber and carrot spears, pita bread, and hummus with virgin olive oil in the middle, but then there was a dried powder on the side of the plate closest to me. After some research, it turns out that dukkah or duqqa is an Egyptian condiment that consists of dried nuts, herbs, and spices that are then crushed to near powder like consistency. The name “dukkah” is only fitting given that it comes from the Arabic word meaning “to pound”. Luckily, it didn’t really pound out any of the other flavors on the plate but rather supported the zingy hummus with a crunchier texture that went well on either the vegetables or bread. As for the ahi tuna poke (pronounced “poh-kay”), I was less enthused to try it since I’m not a huge fish fan. On the other hand, I had tried one before and enjoyed it. This Hawaiian dish is named after the Hawaiian verb meaning “to section or cut” which made sense since there was plenty of cubed, ruby red tuna chunks. Along with that, there were two large rice crackers, plenty of avocado, and all of it was stewing in a soy based, wasabi-infused sauce. Although the tuna was raw, it was not fishy by any stretch of the imagination since it was combined with the creamy avocado, super-flavorful sauce, and slightly chewy yet crunchy rice cracker. The poke disappeared faster than a pack of Pokemon cards circa 1998.

Pre-feeding frenzy

Round two kicked off with the main entrees. While Janice and I got the braised beef short ribs, Kaitlin got the pulled pork tacos ($16.95), and Dan got the knife and fork open faced BLT sandwich ($10.95). While I didn’t eat a lot of the tacos, I managed to try one of the Niman Ranch braised pork shoulder filled tortillas, but I wasn’t terribly wowed with the naturally raised pork. It was slightly spicy but not terribly flavorful compared to other tacos I’ve tried in my life. As for the BLT, it looked like it was just a mini-mountain of toppings, but the bread was keeping a low profile under a pile of lettuce. The best part of that plate was the bacon (when isn’t it?) because it wasn’t too crispy with just the right amount of fat and salt combined with a glaze that almost gave it a honey-like quality. The downfall of the dish was the blue cheese and vinaigrette laced bread. It was way too bold and left an overwhelming residual flavor on my palate after trying a few samples of Dan’s entree. Finally, I got around to my braised short ribs. It was served with red potatoes, glazed carrots, and a small tub of horseradish cream. While it looked delicious, my experience was quite the opposite. I found it to be too salty and filled with fat deposits. It left me feeling bloated and greasy, and the horseradish sauce didn’t even salvage this plate. The glazed carrots and potatoes were tasty, but I was really disappointed with the supposed star of my dining experience. Thankfully, dessert stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park. First, there was Martha’s special occasion carrot cake. It had three orange layers of light, fluffy cake that focused more on the spice element of carrot cake instead of the vegetable. I would say that it had definite elements of nutmeg and ginger. Between each layer of mouth-watering cake, there was a thick helping of cream cheese that was decadence incarnate, but it was not so sweet that it felt like I was going to develop diabetes. The whipped cream on the side with a light powdering of cinnamon cemented this plate as one of the best I’ve ever had. Then there was Grandma Bea’s chocolate pudding pie. I don’t know Grandma Bea, but I wish she would invite me over for dinner and dessert more often after tasting this selection. It was a different beast than the carrot cake but equally scrumptious. I personally preferred the graham cracker crust that not only had some granulated sugar mixed into it along with a hint of cinnamon in each forkful. As for the filling, it was fluffy and rich with plenty of dark chocolate flavor. Kaitlin made it a s’more for a dollar more, and it was quite interesting. It looked like a series of white fish scales on top of a carp, but thankfully there was nothing fishy about it. They went over the top of the marshmallows to brown them like at a campfire, and then taken all together it really did taste like a s’more minus the smoky flavor imparted by a bonfire. The only downside to the marshmallow layer was that they were all stuck together, so sometimes someone would almost take all of the marshmallows with them when they just wanted one with a bite of the pie. If I had to pick one, I’d choose the carrot cake because its cream cheese frosting was unbelievably addicting.

So with restaurant number one down for Restaurant Week in Chicago, I would recommend Hub 51 to anyone looking for an entertaining night out in a hip atmosphere with slightly more expensive fare than in other parts of the city.

1 Comment

Posted in American Cuisine, Desserts, Far East Asian Cuisine, Latin American Cuisine, Middle Eastern/Mediterranean Cuisine, Pan-Asian and tagged bacon, Brussels, carrot cake, Chicago, chocolate, cream cheese, dates, hummus, lettuce, marshmallow, pie, pork, restaurant, salad, sprouts, tacos, tomato, vegetables, week. Bookmark the permalink.

Once You Go Black, You Don’t Go Back

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Mark T

December in Chicago. Perfect time for some ice cream, right? Absolutely! Especially when the creamery in question is as creative as Black Dog Gelato. A few months ago I went to this establishment with my lovely girlfriend after a long day of listening and sampling some delicious treats as a lucky participant in the Taste Talks Convention in Chicago. It was the perfect compliment to the savory tour de force that is Green Street Smoked Meats.

As I previously mentioned, we managed to score tickets to Taste Talks, and one of the meetings we went to was all about the future of ice cream. Who was there? Jenny Oloroso, the owner and founder of Black Dog Gelato. We learned so much from her like how much care, creativity, and gastronomic chemistry goes into creating quality gelato from scratch. What this means for the consumer is they get to enjoy a light but ultra-rich product that is churned out in limited size batches each day which is how Black Dog Gelato is operated. Once they run out of a flavor, tough luck! However, with flavors such as white chocolate banana curry, cucumber rosewater sorbet, and sesame fig chocolate chip, get in quick to get the pick of the litter. When we arrived, it wasn’t too hopping in the middle of the cold and rainy afternoon. The warm interior beckoned us to peruse the selection in front of us in the glass case and pick some winners. Janice got a cup of goat cheese cashew caramel and butterscotch bourbon pecan while I got a cup of Mexican hot chocolate and maple cayenne bacon ($4.50 approximately each).

Left: goat cheese caramel cashew and butterscotch bourbon pecan
Right: Mexican hot chocolate and cayenne maple bacon

All of it tasted like a million bucks though. The goat cheese cashew caramel was an interesting blend that was quite enjoyable even though one would think that the strong flavor profile of the goat cheese would overwhelm the other elements. On the contrary, it was tempered by the sweet caramel and salty cashews to form the perfect blend of savory and sweet. As for the butterscotch bourbon pecan, it was a lot less crazy than the first entry since it tasted like a more decadent butter pecan with a slightly boozy kick with each spoonful. Janice loves her bourbon, so she was in heaven. I was satisfied with it as well. Then there were my crazy gelati. The Mexican hot chocolate was your typical chocolate ice cream; a chocolate ice cream that also happened to be full of chili pepper. It was exactly what I wanted. This homage to its Aztec forefathers was both sweet with a slightly spicy kick that slowly but surely engulfed my tongue with a smoldering, but not overwhelming, kiss. As for the maple cayenne bacon gelato, it wasn’t as good as the ones Janice picked or the Mexican hot chocolate. True, I could taste each individual ingredient like the sweet maple syrup or the fiery cayenne, whose sibling I had already visited in the hot chocolate, but the bacon proved to be this selection’s undoing. I’ve always loved bacon (tooting my meat product hipster horn) before the entire bacon craze hit the nation, but this gelato was an example of the fine line between madness and genius leaning towards the former. The bacon was hogging the spotlight and left a greasy residue in my mouth. Not a good look. This didn’t sour my experience overall though.

Overall, I’d recommend Black Dog Gelato due to its high quality gelato and creative cornucopia of flavors for a reasonable price.

Mastication Monologues

Category Archives: Desserts

Temenaks in Tenerife (Day 1: Noche de San Juan, Sunset Cruise)

Living High on the Hog (Peckish Pig)

San Diego (Day 2): A Lambo, Gelato, and Rollin’ in Dough (Donut Bar, Nado Gelato, Village Pizza)

South Carolina (Day 2): Hoppin’ John and a Carolina Fried Chicken Ring

South Carolina (Day 1): Everyday I’m Husklin

Toronto (Final Day): Home Is Where the Heart (and ice cream) Is

Toronto (Day 1): Sleepless Nights in Hogtown

Getting Our Just Desserts

The Hub of All the Hubbub

Once You Go Black, You Don’t Go Back

Contact Information

Mastication Monologues Facebook Page

Follow me on Twitter

Follow Blog via Email

Archives

Categories

Search Posts

Category Archives: Desserts

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Contact Information

Follow me on Twitter

Follow Blog via Email

Archives

Categories

Search Posts