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Temenaks in Tenerife (Day 2: Cannonballs and Cuttlefish)

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Mark T

If you’re still reading Mastication Monologues for day 2 of our Tenerife adventures, you’re in luck because that’s exactly what’s in store for this post! While my post for day one was action packed complete with a beach rave and us being tardy to a sardine burning party, this post is for those who are more into chill days or fans of the world’s beautiful game: Soccer or better known as football.

We started the day off with breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and we decided to take a post-breakfast paseo or stroll to the walkway below the hotel that traced the jagged, volcanic coast of the island with plenty of giant aloe plants, beautiful flowers, and lizards along the way. Eventually, we looked out over the alcantilados or local cliffs and saw that there was a round indentation that jutted out from the coastline and was filled with water. Upon closer inspection, we saw that there were people walking around it and swimming by it in the ocean. Our new plan for the day was to make it to the natural pool and swim in the ocean or bust. This was our first foray into the very hilly main neighborhoods east of our hotel, and it turned out to be more complicated that we thought. Since Tenerife has undergone and still is experiencing the influx of tourism, we had to navigate a labyrinth of private resort properties and small side streets to eventually find a series of stairways that led to the rocky coast line. However, our adventure didn’t end there, we then traversed a series of giant, sloping crags to eventually reach the end of rocky shore and the natural pool. It was a true test of marital teamwork. As we made our way past snorkelers riding the waves while also trying not to be thrown upon the giant stones lining the shore, we were amazed at how Tenerife manages to still have pockets of wild beauty amidst the encroachment of humans. We gazed upon the water as we prepared to dive in, and we could even see small fish flitting about under the surface before we cannonballed our way into the cold and salty Atlantic. It was a great day of soaking up the sun and surf while swimming. Eventually, we decided to call it a day after we began to feel like pieces of salty bacalao, and on our way back up from the natural pool we made friends with an older Italian couple. The jolly signore and I bonded as we helped our ladies over the giant rocks, and he was surprised to find we were American. Turns out he was retired Italian air force officer who temporarily worked with the U.S. military and lived in Huntsville, Alabama (said with his best impression of a Southern American accent), and we enjoyed a good laugh about sometimes not being able to understand some of our fellow tourists’ thick British accents. Eventually, we parted ways at the top of the hill, and Janice and I decided to get an early dinner before the Spain vs. Morocco match.

We ended up at a small restaurant called Camber (Calle Herrador, 64, 38683 Puerto de Santiago, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain) that was your typical Spanish cafeteria with terrace seating and indoor seating and a bar with tapas out for display. We decided to sit outside to enjoy the sunny weather, but that quickly became our undoing as we were bombarded with a horde of flies that were enchanted with my saltwater-soaked jersey. Between enraged swats, we had a lovely meal. The first tapas that emerged were paella and the albondigas or meatballs. The paella wasn’t as good as the one from our sunset cruise, but the sweet tomato sauce went well with the pork-based meatballs. We then received our gambas al ajillo or garlic shrimp which was served in a way I’ve never seen before. Instead of being grilled and tossed with garlic, they were served in a low, wide clay bowl still boiling in water and olive oil and surrounded by a plethora of sliced garlic cloves. Although they were on the smaller end of the shrimp kingdom, they were fresh and coated in a heavenly garlic wash. Finally, our main and muy canario entree emerged from the kitchen: choco or cuttlefish with a side of papas arrugadas or wrinkly potatoes. Surprisingly, there were some indigenous potatoes on the islands before the Spaniards introduced the variety we were eating in the 1500s. However, the ancient preparation of this dish hasn’t changed where they are boiled, heavily salted, and then left to dry which results in a shriveled potato with a salty crust (kind of how we felt after our Atlantic Ocean adventure). These spuds were accompanied by traditional mojo verde and mojo rojo (pronounced “mo-ho). The green/verde variety was more like a mild chimichurri made from parsley, cilantro, garlic, and olive oil, and the red/rojo variety was spicier since it contained paprika and small, red peppers from the neighboring island of La Palma. I liked both of them, especially when mixed together, on the potatoes. These sauces were eventually brought to the Caribbean where they live on in Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Dominican cuisine, and the red mojo legacy even can be seen in some spicier barbecue sauces from the American South where Spanish influence existed like Texas, Florida, and Louisiana. As for the choco or cuttlefish, it is a very common dish as well as octopus in the Canary Islands since island nations typically love their seafood. I don’t think it was the best cuttlefish in the world, but it wasn’t terrible. I liked the green mojo that brought out more of the cuttlefish’s salty flavor, but I’m sure there are better seafood spots on the island. Once we paid, we walked back to our hotel to change out of the fly-enticing clothes we were rocking. On our walk back, we perused a local open-air mall for some possible souvenirs, and we found a let’s just say “suggestive” trend of suspiciously shaped bottle openers as we went from store to store. Eventually, we asked a shopkeep why there are so many of these kind of bottle openers, and he simply said, “One person sold them, and people buy them.” Hooray for civilization! Once we changed, we walked back up the mini-mountain to Bar Central (Av. 5º Centanario, s/n, 38683 Santiago del Teide, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain). It was similar to the Camber cafeteria, but it was soccer themed with all of the crests of Spanish futbol clubs along the top of the establishment. As the teams took the field and the anthems played, we saw the surrounding tables fill up with patrons, some who worked at our hotel, to see the furia roja play their way to the top of the group. As the ball began to roll, our waiter came around with free tapas (credit to Janice for the excellent portraits) including green olives, liver sausage on crunchy, mini toasts, and our favorite spicy chorizo spread on the same small toasts. It was the perfect side to our cold Doradas and the dramatic injury time goal that brought the Spanish to the top of their group. After all that excitement, it was calming to watch the sun set over the horizon and the beautiful island of Gomera that we would explore the following day. Stay tuned, readers!

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Posted in Alcoholic, Beer, European Cuisine, Spanish, Spanish and tagged authentic, Bar, Beer, Beverages, chorizo, dining, Food, grill, onions, peppers, pool, pork, restaurant, Reviews, rice, salad, salsa, sauce, sausage, spicy, swimming. Bookmark the permalink.

Come On Inn and Stay Awhile!

Posted on May 27, 2018 by Mark T

Look who’s back. Back again. This foodie’s back. Tell a friend. That’s right, readers, it’s another chapter in the Mastication Monologue universe. I’ve found a bit of spare time in the madness that is grad school leading up to graduation. It’s less than a month, and I’m ready to start that next step in life as a bilingual clinical fellow in the Acero charter school system in Chicago! However, future career moves aside, let’s talk about what makes this blog great: delicious meals and delightful experiences. Today’s restaurant reviews focuses on Lachet’s Inn at 2119 W Irving Park Road in the Irving Park neighborhood of Chicago.

Chicago has always been a center for immigrants from all corners of the globe. In the 1800s, German and Irish waves made their way from the entry point of Ellis Island in New York west to the up and coming metropolis of Chicago. In fact, so many German immigrants arrived in Chicago that from 1850-1900, they were the largest ethnic group in the city with a population peak in 1914. While there are more individuals of German descent in the Chicago suburbs compared to the city now, there are still plenty of vestiges of their culture, including a plethora of bakeries, chocolate makers, and bier hauses serving traditional German meals and of course, ze beer! Chicago has always been a big drinking town, and our love of beer was established with the arrival of German brewmasters. Which brings us to the year 1971 when German businessman Karl Laschet bought a tavern on Lincoln Avenue in a German enclave of Chicago and named it Karl Laschet’s Inn. It was run as a German tavern focusing only on steins rather than serving old world delicacies. The ownership of the Inn changed in 1991 and food was brought in in 2000. Although Lachet’s Inn’s food hasn’t been around as much as their brews, they all channel the spirit of the fatherland’s cuisine. We were brought in by our friends Katilin and Dan who swore by the food and drinks, so we naturally had to take the plunge.

When we walked into the tavern, we were greeted with a neighborhood bar vibe with plenty of German artwork on the walls and a full bar complete with no frills beers. Look elsewhere if you’re hankering for really off the wall beer flavors. 99% of their beers hail from either Germany or Austria, and my personal favorite is the dark but super smooth Austrian Hirter Morchl dunkel. We were sat in the dining room in the rear of the tavern, and it might be a bit tight if it is busy around dinnertime. As we looked over the menu that was bedecked in the classic Hofbrau blue, we decided to start our meal off with hackepeter ($11.95) and potato pancakes ($7.95). While potato pancakes are pretty straight foward in terms of their origin, but hackepeter is more commonly known as mett in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. The hackepeter term is more common in northern and eastern Germany, specifically Berlin. However, mett comes from the Old Saxon word “meti” or “food” or low German for “chopped pork meat”. The really interesting part of this dish was that it was served in the traditional manner: raw on pieces of fresh bread. The steak tartare was accompanied with onions and capers and a bottle of Maggi sauce which is kind of like a European take on soy sauce. From the first to the last bite, I was hooked on this rich and filling appetizer. The meat melted in your mouth on the soft bread and had notes of garlic and fennel which blended perfectly with the crunchy white onions, pickled capers, and salty Maggi sauce. I highly recommend this Old World favorite. The potato pancakes also were top notch with a crispy golden brown outside and a soft but not greazy inside. Once we were finished, we moved on to our main entrees. I decided to order the rouladen ($20.95 for the regular size or $14 for the small). I had the option of soup or salad, but I went with the mixed green salad. However, I would highly recommend their pickled cucumber salad as well. When our food came out, we were also treated to a mini loaf of warm brown rye with butter. It was simple, but also very fresh and filling. Thankfully I didn’t eat too much of the bread because the rouladen was transcendent. It consisted of thin cuts of beef wrapped around a mix of bacon, onions, pickles, and mustard served in a brown gravy. As most meals in life, the food that looks the least impressive is often the most comforting and satisfying. While I couldn’t taste the pickle or mustard as I’d like, the bacon and onions naturally overpowered the filling in a good way. The beef was very flavorful and not overcooked. The spaetzel on the side was good, but I’m not a big fan of spaetzel to begin with. My wife and her friend swear by it though, so I’d say go for it! The red cabbage was uber-sour, so beware if you’re sensitive to very bold and powerful flavors. From other visits, I would also recommend the thuringer and the schnitzels for main dishes. By the time we were full (very easy to do because the portions are huge), we came to the most interesting part of the meal with the after dinner drink. This is a German tradition of combining herbs with strong liquor to combat digestive issues after a meal similar to the French digestif. Laschet’s offers a wide variety of schnapps flavors, and I went with the apple-peach mix. Apparently for men, it’s the equivalent of ordering an appletini or a cosmopolitan as our waiter scoffed at my choice. Regardless of his opinion, the shot was sweet and delicious! Fellas, if you don’t want any judgement, go with the apple or apple/pear mix. They’re all delicious palate cleansers, but I think the doppel korn will be last on my list for future visits.

Overall, I highly recommend a visit to Lachet’s Inn if you want a taste of old-school Germany in Chicago. Giant portions of fresh food for reasonable prices with plenty of hospitality. Now that’s what I call gemütlichkeit!

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Posted in European Cuisine, German, Hard Liquor and tagged authentic, bacon, Bar, beef, Beer, bread, butter, Chicago, dining, Food, fried, German, Illinois, Maggi, onions, pork, potatoes, raw, restaurant, Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.

Woochon Clan Ain’t Nothing to Mess With

Posted on December 2, 2015 by Mark T

Fire. It can both cleanse or soil, sustain or end life, or perfectly cook or singe delicious, mouth watering meat. Chicago has always been known for their meat products. At one point, we were known as the “Hog-butcher to the world” compliments of one Carl Sandburg due to the presence of the now defunct Union Stockyards that were an engine of industry and the employer of the immigrant masses that called Chicago their new home. Although these legions of cattle and pigs no longer stream into the city by the millions, the ethnic communities have remained a very integral part of Chicago. They are constantly in flux depending on the decade and world politics. On the northside of Chicago, there has long been a large and tightly knit Korean community. Going down Lawrence Avenue, you can still see some of the remnants of the once thriving Koreatown that my girlfriend tells me about when she was younger. Thanks to the Immigration Act of 1965, it allowed these Korean immigrants to finally come in families and establish business that brought the pleasures of the home country to the US of A. However, due to changing demographics and the rise of the Latino population in America, Koreatown now has more of a Latin American and Middle Eastern flavor due to the original Korean families moving to surrounding northern suburbs. However, that doesn’t mean that the food has gone anywhere! Even though I have lived in South Korea and have eaten my fair share of different Korean foods, I’m always down for a quick pop over to a new restaurant that my girlfriend swears by. She hasn’t steered me wrong yet! In this case, we went to Woo Chon Korean BBQ .

It is a very tiny restaurant that is wedged between a Korean store that is both grocer and video store next door that has all of your K-drama needs. However, if you want to get some of the best barbecue in the city, this is your place. The waitstaff is also probably some of the nicest you can find in a Korean restaurant since they aren’t known for having the same rules as found in American restaurants. They might be a bit gruffer or forward compared to your typical server in a T.G.I.Fridays, but they know how to make some delicious food. We were quickly seated at one of their simple tables which are a bit cramped if you are six feet or taller like yours truly. We decided to start with kimchi pajeon or a type of savory Korean pancake. It is derived from a Chinese green onion pancake (cōngyóubǐng) yet different because it is made from an egg based mix. The name “pajeon” literally means “green onion (pa) + pancake (jeon)”. While the ingredients seem quite obvious, there are many varieties of jeon that can be filled with different meats, seafood, or in this case, the signature fermented Korean lifeforce known as kimchi. Typically, Janice’s family gets the haemul jeong or fish, shellfish, and octopus pancake, but I can’t get enough of kimchi in any form. It was a ton of food to start off the meal for a reasonable price. It is kind of bready yet filled with crunchy green onions and spicy, crisp pieces of hot and spicy fermented cabbage. As we moved our way through this perfect pancake, they quickly began putting out the banchan or little plates of random Korean snacks like pickled cucumbers, cellophane noodles, pickled radish, and even the mysterious acorn jelly that looks like cut up, corrugated pieces of rubber. It’s not at terrible as it sounds but not my cup of tea. As well as bringing out the small plates, the server also provided us with a blazing hot bowl of coals for cooking our orders of kalbi or beef short ribs. Korean bbq has been a bit of a recent phenomenon in American cuisine, but it is a form of dining as old as time. In Korea, eating beef was a great privilege since the cattle were beasts of burden, and the Koryo Buddhist dynasty of rulers forbade the consumption of meat. However, in the 13th Century, those crazy Mongols invaded and removed the ban. They were pragmatic nomads, but they knew good food too. However, beef didn’t become prevalent on Korean tables until the latter half of the 20th Century as South Korea quickly became the advanced nation we now know. History lesson over, we threw the raw pieces of meat on the grill with a satisfying sizzle and pop. Once Janice grilled them to perfection, we mixed them with rice, doenjang (soybean paste), and banchan in leaves of lettuce to create ssam bap or what could be described as lettuce wraps with plenty of savory flavors to enjoy. We also got a side of pre-prepared dwegi bulgogi or sliced pork loin that is sauteed in a soy based sauce infused with ginger, gochujang (chili sauce), garlic, sugar, and rice wine. It wasn’t on the menu but highly recommend this Korean classic. It also has a bit of a spicy kick to it if you’re not feeling the more mild grilled meats. I loved mixing the pork’s zing with the green onions that came with the kalbi. It provided a definite earthiness that mellowed out the grease of the meat. We also got an order of moo guk or literally “radish soup”. If there’s one thing Korean soups and stews are known for, or at least what I’ve noticed, is being absolutely as hot as the surface of the sun, temperature-wise. While it takes a bit of time to cool off, the taste alone is worth it. Plus, if you’re looking for a bowl of comfort food during these cold Chicago months, step aside mac ‘n’ cheese, get a warm and filling bowl of soup. By the end of the meal, we were stuffed to the gills with great food, and we were ready to take on the cold climes outside.

So if you’re looking for a more low-key Korean bbq place that isn’t packed with everyone who wants to experience the novelty of grilling meat at their table, I’d recommend Woo Chon Korean BBQ. Oh yeah, and the food is mouth-watering to say the least and easy on the old wallet.

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Posted in Far East Asian Cuisine, South Korean and tagged banchan, bbq, bulgogi, Chicago, guk, kalbi, kimchi, onions, pajeon, soup, sour, South Korean, tang, Woochon. Bookmark the permalink.

Picking Up and Eating the Tab(erna)

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Mark T

Hola a todos y bienvenidos a Mastication Monologues! If you couldn’t tell, the flavor of today’s post is Spanish, and what a wonderful flavor that is. Spain is known for many things: sun, bullfights, and flamenco to name a few, but few may truly appreciate what a giant Spain is in the culinary world. It seems like only recently that tapas have become truly popular in the United States, and we are feeling the full force of molecular gastronomy, a technique of manipulating the molecular composition of food and drink in order to render them in a different form, that was pioneered in Europe, first in France and then in Spain. Two names of chefs/magicians that immediately spring to mind in regard to this food movement are Ferran Adrià, head of the famous but now defunct El Bulli, and José Andrés, restauranteur and one of Anthony Bourdain’s besties.

The real O.G.s

However, these giants of the food world would contend that what they do isn’t molecular gastronomy. Tomato/tomahto. These advanced ideas have made their way even to Chicago as found at Grant Achatz’s Alinea, widely considered the best restaurant in the world, or at the wildly innovative Moto which was owned by the late kitchen mad scientist, Homaro Cantu. However, I’m not here to talk about molecular gastronomy but rather tapas. I’ve had my fair share of tapas after living in Spain, and this has served as the measuring stick for all other taperías outside of the peninsula. I’ve had some charming tapateos and others not so much, but I found La Taberna Tapas to be a perfect place to get some delicious finger food in the Chi.

Janice and I went here back in the winter wonderland half of this year to meet two of her friends from out of town, and it was a the perfect venue to do so. The parking on the street is plentiful even though you have to pay for it. The interior was dark but welcoming, and the live music started soon after we sat down. Thankfully even though it was flamenco dancing and guitar, it wasn’t overwhelming like other restaurants that I’ve been to with live music acts. I get that you’re enthusiastic about your craft, but there’s a fine line between passion and being obnoxious. Tread lightly when I’m eating, brah. Before I get to the foodstuffs, let me have a moment for the beers I tried. Both of them came from the super verdant and Celtic influenced northwestern corner of Spain known as Galicia, and the Hijos de Rivera brewery that has been making these beers will be celebrating its 110 year anniversary. Perhaps their longevity could be down to them keeping the operations 100 percent Spanish and keeping it in the family. Who knows? I have to say though that when living in Spain, I wasn’t too impressed overall with Spanish beers, but the Estrella Galicia ($5) had a lot more taste than the more grating on the palate Estrella Damm from Cataluña. This brew from Hijos de Rivera was a slightly bitter lager that went down smooth and heightened the bold flavors of the tapas that were to make their appearance soon. The Estrella Galicia wasn’t an upper echelon type of libation, but it’s just something refreshing to sip on. The 1906 Reserva Especial ($5) from the gallego brewery was better since it poured with a good amount of head and had more notes of caramel and grass throughout each sip. It was another solid, if not spectacular, Galician beer. Anyway, now onto the good stuff: the tapas!

First, we had the pinacho de pollo that consisted of grilled chicken breast, sauteed bell peppers and onions, and garnished with a basil aioli and pistashio pesto. I would recommend this segundo plato since it is a bit more filling than the dainty plates that we followed this one up with. Not only is it satisfying, but the ingredients are superb. The succulent, pure white chicken was further amped up by the basil aioli and pesto. These elements combined with the veggies made for a complete dish that also was quite easy on the eyes. The torre de berenjena y tomate ($7) or tower of eggplant and tomato kind of fell flat in my mind and mouth. It didn’t seem that spectacular with some mushy slices of eggplant in a pool of bland tomato sauce. I’d skip this tapa unless you’re vegetarian. Another tomato based tapa that I always enjoy, and it was no different here, was the queso de cabra ($7) or goat cheese. It consists of is a chunk of goat cheese that is baked in a tomato basil sauce topped with truffle oil with a side of tomato and garlic rubbed pieces of toasted bread. What more could you ask for? Well, for one thing, I would suggest that they make it more even ratio of cheese to tomato sauce since I felt like we got cheated out of the earthy cheese that goes so perfectly with the seasoned and warm tomato sauce on the crusty bread. On the plus side, we followed it up with two of my favorite tapas: patatas bravas ($7) and dátiles con tocino ($7). With the former, it is hands down my favorite tapa. It’s nothing fancy since it just consists of cubed and fried potatoes and a paprika infused aioli. So easy, yet never reproduced Stateside surprisingly. This version of my favorite tapa was almost like what I inhaled back in Barcelona yet not. The white sauce was more on the mild side, and the potatoes were also covered in a chunkier tomato sauce bordering on an Italian marinara. As for the dátiles con tocino, they were the same like I´ve had before yet different. These sweet and gooey chunks of heaven were put to bed with a crunchy snuggie of bacon, but I think the sweet sherry reduction was a bit too much a case of gilding the lily. We weren´t only sampling creatures of the land but also the sea. The script flipped when they brought out our pulpo a la plancha or grilled octopus ($9). This was another salute to Galicia which is known for quality grilled octopus seasoned with paprika. I didn’t taste much of the almond pesto, but the squirt of lemon over it with the herb coated potatoes made it a good mix of surf and tuber turf. The final two tapas we had wouldn’t really be considered true tapas. The pincho punta de res ($7) is a supposed to be an homage to Basque culinary traditions where the word actually comes from the Spanish “pinchar” meaning “to pierce”. If you go to the Basque Country in northern Spain, you will notice that all of their “tapas” are actually pierced with toothpicks and not just served in a dish. Therefore, I don’t understand how these pinchos are Moorish as indicated on La Taberna’s menu. Origin’s aside, I thought these skewers were more like taking a page from the Brazilian steakhouse than a tapería, but this didn’t take away from the high quality of the peppered steak that was paired with a generous helping of tenderly caramelized onions and a cup of sinus clearing horseradish sauce. Surprisingly, we still had a bit of room left at the end of the meal for another classic Spanish dish in the form of paella con pollo y conejo or paella with chicken and rabbit ($12). The word “paella” comes from the Latin “patella” or Old French “paelle“, both of which mean “pan”. The origin of the dish is a bit shrouded in mystery, but the most likely origin is from Valencia on the east coast of Spain during the reign of the Moors (8th Century-15th Century A.D.). The Valencian people managed to use the old Roman irrigation systems to grow more rice which was brought to the peninsula by the Islamic rulers. They then took the rice, local seafood, and cooked them together in a pan. The popularity of the dish soon grew in the following centuries to other parts of Spain like Madrid where they added other types of meat, like the variety we ate at La Taberna, and eventually became world renowned. I visited Valencia during my residence in Spain, and I got a tin of paella from the mercado central, and it was a jump up from La Taberna’s version. La Taberna’s paella was good but not the best ever. It was well made with plenty of peppers, peas, onions, and even a Latin American twist with chile de árbol that gave the meal a smoky undertone. The smoke enhanced the chicken and rabbit, but these meat elements didn´t shine as much as the cooked veggies, in my opinion. I´d still recommend this paella though if you´ve never had it before and want one of Spain´s signature meals.

So in closing, if you want to have a taste of Spain´s delights for a date night or just a fun night out of culture and culinary adventures, get down to La Taberna Tapas for a tapateo you won´t forget!

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Posted in European Cuisine, Spanish and tagged beef, Beer, Chicago, chicken, eggplant, Galicia, Halsted, onions, paella, peas, peppers, potatoes, rabbit, rice, saffron, Spain, tapas, tomatoes, UIC. Bookmark the permalink.

It’s Greek to Me

Posted on August 25, 2015 by Mark T

Everyone needs a no-frills diner. A place where you can go to get food that may not be the best for you or might not look the prettiest, but you know it will always make you feel good. This type of culinary sanctuary is as varied as an individual’s palate, mood, and perhaps even time of day. Let’s be real, late night eats are never the healthiest in the world, but there’s nothing like being a little naughty when the sun goes down. This is where Margie’s Restaurant comes in.

It was a cold and dark night like any old Midwestern winter night, and Janice was craving a milkshake and some fries. Instead of just going to the local McDonald’s, I suggested we try a local favorite that I’ve always seen but never visited. Margie’s is not much from the outside or inside. It’s just a local fast food joint that serves really basic food for reasonably prices in large portions like your standard hamburgers and hotdogs or Chicago classics like homemade Italian beef sandwiches. While I do love all of those, I had a particularly greasy favorite in mind when I went to order. The gyro (plural: gyros) has become a staple of American fast food cuisine compliments of Greek immigrants who brought it here and made it popular in their diners across the nation. It probably became popular with Americans due to the fact that you can eat it on the go even though I wouldn’t recommend it since they can be pretty jam packed with ingredients. The name is also a point of contention as you might hear “jai-ro”, “jeer-oh”, or “yee-ro”, but the closest pronunciation is the last one. The word “gyro” comes from the word for “turn” which replaced the Turkish term “doner” which means the same thing. The turn part comes from the fact that the gyro meat is roasted vertically and sliced off in thin strips with a long knife or shaver. This technique was invented in the 19th Century in Turkey, but the Greeks will tell you otherwise. Your typical gyro consists of a pita flatbread that is filled with spiced lamb, tomatoes, onions, and tzatziki sauce. However, there are alternatives out there; the most common variant I’ve seen is with chicken instead of lamb. I always keep it traditional because I love the spice and flavor of lamb that the Eastern Mediterranean nations do so well. Margie’s had a gyro special where I could get a plate of the Greek classic with a side of fries for 5 bucks. Naturally, I jumped at the chance. The service was brisk given I went on a random weeknight, and it was freezing outside. The food came out quickly and wrapped up very nicely. When I got home, Janice definitely enjoyed her meal, and when I opened up my bag, I didn’t know where to start. A huge pita was lain over a facefull of fries, tomatoes, and onions along with two tubs of tzatziki sauce. Basically, I had to be the mad scientist to put this monstrosity together, and luckily I had the skill and mettle to do just that. Once I combined everything like a boss, I got down to the business. The typical problem that I mentioned before is that the meat is oftentimes quite greasy, so you run the risk of having your clothes ruined by the gyro’s juices hopping a ride on your pants and or shirt. Margie’s gyro, on the other hand, was not greasy at all, and the pita held up quite well to my ravenous choppers tearing through my meal. The tomatoes were fresh and onions plentiful, and the tzatziki was cool and tangy like any good yogurt based sauce should be with hints of cucumbers. As for the French fries, they were of the crinkle cut variety, and they were fried to perfection. I wasn’t able to finish the golden stack of potato sticks due to the filling nature of the gyro, but I highly recommend this special or any of the other specials. You’ll get your money’s worth, that is for certain.

So if you’re ever out in the western Chicagoland suburbs and need to get a ton of food for not a ton of money, check out Margie’s Restaurant!

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Posted in American Cuisine, Barbecue, Burgers, Chicken Wings, Comfort Food, European Cuisine, Fast Food, Greek, Hotdogs and tagged beef, bread, Chicagoland, cucumber, fried, Fries, Greek, gyros, hamburger, onions, restaurant, Reviews, sauce, tomatoes, tzatziki, Westmont. Bookmark the permalink.

A Place Drinkers Hold Beer

Posted on August 10, 2015 by Mark T

Markets have been around since the beginning of establish civilizations. They are meeting places where people from all corners of the earth can come to exchange goods, news, and ideas. These markets can take many forms. There are traditional ones that still exist today like supermarkets or farmer’s markets, or the advent of the internet has led to the rise of the all powerful online marketplace. Along with markets, alcohol has been the cornerstone of most nation states throughout history. Whether that be airag, the milky spirt sipped on by one Ghengis Khan, or the wine that filled the goblets of the Caesars throughout the history of the Roman Empire, alcohol has been a double edged sword that has existed for man’s pleasure or survival in the case of areas where watersheds were too polluted to drink from. Given all of this information, it would only seem natural to place both of these concepts together into a market that sells beer or today’s restaurant: Beer Market.

They have many different locations throughout the Chicagoland area, but my parents and I visited the franchise branch in Bolingbrook’s Promenade shopping center. It wasn’t too busy when we walked in since we eat dinner earlier than the average bear or bird in this context. It was like any other modern American gastropub with exposed brick, dark accents, wooden chairs, and random neon beer signs. We sat down and were greeted with a monstrous beer menu. As I leafed through the 25 pages of beers, I was overwhelmed with making a selection. However, once I was finished reading the tome, I settled for a kolsch to go along with my bratwurst entree. What better than a German beer to accompany a German meal? My mom got the cole slaw burger which I had a natural aversion to since it was carrying the stepchild of potato salad in my eyes when it comes to picnic side dishes. When all of it came out, it didn’t look like the most appetizing meal in the world, but I’d let the flavors do the talking. Kolsch or Kölsch beer is a German beer that was invented in Cologne in English or Köln, hence Kölsch. It is a light yellow, pale ale which is quite rare in the land of lagers, but thankfully the hops are not over the top. Instead, it has a bit more body than your average lager and a more floral/fruity quality to it. Definitely more of a summer beer if you’re looking for something light and crisp. It paired very well with my bratwurst. The word bratwurst comes from the German words “brät” or “finely chopped meat” and “wurst” or “sausage”. They were actually made popular throughout the USA compliments of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball franchise where even today brats still outsell hot dogs. Beer Market’s take on the bratwurst had slight riffs on the original sausage. First, it was soaked in beer to give it even more flavor and seal in the juiciness. Then, it was buried in a heap of grilled onions that were great, and the brown mustard had a kick to it that was an homage to another ballpark staple. The sausage and onions were not served on your typical white bread bun or roll but a pretzel bun. So, the pretzel-mustard-brat combo in short was a home run. My mom’s cole slaw burger seemed ok presentation-wise, but she wasn’t too satisfied overall. She said it was average at best, so I think you should check out their other menu items. So if you’re a beer lover or are looking for a more upscale, solid but not spectacular bar and eatery than the dive on the corner, then check out Beer Market.

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Posted in Alcoholic, American Cuisine, Beer, Beverages, European Cuisine, German, German and tagged Beer, Bolingbrook, bratwurst, Burger, Chicagoland, cole slaw, craft, Food, market, mustard, onions, review. Bookmark the permalink.

All Roads Lead to Good Food

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Mark T

Have you ever heard of a little place called Kyrgyzstan? While it is not as well known as its neighbor and home of Borat, Kazakhstan, or nuclear armed Pakistan, it a very interesting corner of the world with a lot of history. The word “Kyrgyz” in Turkic languages means “We are forty” which is a reference to the forty clans the legendary Kyrgyz hero, Manas, united to fight against the Uighurs (A predominately Muslim group that resides in what is now western China). The number forty also appears in their flag in the form of a sun with forty rays and a criss-crossed center to symbolize a yurt or traditional tent the Kyrgyz sleep in. It’s one of my favorite world flags, and recently I found that Kyrgyz food is right up my alley as well. Janice and I had a double date with one of her best friends and her husband at a Kyrgyz restaurant in Chicago called Jibek Jolu. Her friend and husband raved about it, so I was curious to see what exactly Kyrgyz food consisted of.

While I never had this particular type of cuisine, I had a faint idea of what to expect given the geographic location of the Central Asian nation and its history. First, I expected there to be a lot of meat given that most nomadic peoples rely on high energy meals focusing primarily on protein and dairy. Second, I found out that Jibek Jolu means “Silk Road” in Kyrgyz, so there were bound be plenty of dishes that combined the influences of Chinese, Indian, and Western cooking. Finally, given that Kyrgyzstan was a former Soviet republic, there would be lots of Russian dishes, and Janice’s friend’s husband is Russian, so we had our cultural “in” if we needed anything. When we walked up, it was funny to see all of the cabs parked out front due to the high number of Central Asian cabdrivers in Chicago. We walked in, and the place was jammed for dinner. We were quickly seated by the friendly staff, and I perused the menu options. I wasn’t surprised with the amount of meat and root vegetables being offered, but all of that had the making for a great meal in my eyes. The ingredients don’t have to be super fancy to make a superb meal; it’s all in the freshness of ingredients and execution. The prices were also very reasonable compared to other Russian restaurants I have been to. To start the meal, I wanted to try an appetizer, but a majority of them were Russian dishes. So I went for the tandyr samsy ($4.00) which seemed more Kyrgyz since I had never seen it on a Russian menu. Plus, it was cooked in an Indian tandoor oven which once again shows the multicultural nature of the cuisine. When it came out, it reminded me of a ghost from Pac Man,

Four tandyr samys

and once I bit through the semi-crunchy crust, I was going “wakawakawakawaka” gobbling it up like the little yellow guy. It was a great combination of freshly baked bread, plenty of ground beef, and some soft, stewed potatoes to give the dish a little more body. Then there were the entrees, and each one was quite unique. First, there was the lagman ($12) which after a bit of research turns out to be more familiar to me than I had previously thought. Ramen noodles or just “ramen” are known the world over as a cheap snack for poor people and college students, but it turns out the word “lagman” is the Turkic word for “ramen”. Once again, the interconnected nature of Kyrgyzstan was reflected in this lagman dish that utilized the same hand-pulled noodle techniques that originated in the 16th Century in China. It was different than the Japanese ramen I tried in Tokyo, but it reflected the no-frills approach to cooking the Central Asian Republics take. Of course, there was stewed pieces of tender beef, peppers, onions, green beans, and onions along with a beef based broth to bring the ramen bowl together. I don’t normally say this, but I loved the noodles because they were super soft due to soaking in the aforementioned broth. I enjoyed every slurping forkful. We also got a small order of the meat oromo ($7.00), and they were still very substantial. Looking at these traditional steamed pies, I could only think of the steamed dumplings in Chinese dim sum. They had the same translucent skin as the little potstickers I’ve taken down many a time in Chinatown. While the exteriors were Chinese inspired, the interiors were more Slavic in nature with beef, minced potatoes, onions, cabbage and carrots. They were kind of hard to slice and share due to the fragile skin of the pies, but they were very hearty and all of the ingredients came together like a mini beef stew in a pie. After we tried that, I got a taste of my girlfriend’s plov ($10.00). This entree, more commonly known today as “pilaf” which originates from the Sankrit word “pulaka” meaning “a ball of rice”, has been around since the beginning of time. Alexander the Great comments on being served the same meal while visiting Samarkand, one of the stops for future explorer Marco Polo on the Silk Road. Alexander’s troops took the “pilav” recipe back to Macedonia, and it spread throughout Europe as “pilaf” from the Greek word “pilafi“. I didn’t think this rice dish lived up to the other entrees we tried since it just consisted of a broth-infused rice sprinkled with beef, carrots, onions, and garlic. While moderately flavorful, it seemed to be average in comparison to the other types of food we had tried. Then there was my kuurdak ($12) which was as elemental as food can get just short of ripping a hunk off a cow. Turns out this entree is one of the oldest and most traditional of Kyrgyz meals. It literally was stewed beef, potatoes, and onions. Simple as it sounds, the combination was amazing in my eyes and on my tastebuds. I would take this Kyrgyz beef over an American steak and potato dinner any day. I don’t know what they did to the beef, but it tasted like it was char-grilled and coated in a possible garlic/olive oil mixture. Then, the potatoes were herbal tinged and extremely tender which combined perfectly with the beef. The icing on the cake were the raw onions since I love onions in any way, shape, or form. It was one of the ugliest dishes at the table, but it was a definite hit as the others were sneaking bites off my plate. The final and most hardcore of the entrees was the beef shashlik ($11.50 for two). Janice’s friend’s husband, Ivan, ordered it, and when it came out, I couldn’t believe the presentation. There were two extremely long knives on the plate that had chunks of tandoor cooked beef on them along with a pile of rice and a salad just in case to protect you from a heart attack from ingesting that much red meat in one sitting. This part of the meal was as delicious as it was fun and dangerous to eat.

In Russia, you cut knife!

The Indian tandoor oven really brought out the intense flavor of the beef, and surprisingly we didn’t cut off our tongues when ripping the beef off the blades as the girls stared on in disbelief. Best double date ever.

So if you want to try a cuisine you’ve possibly never heard of for a great price with friendly service, make a pilgrimage to Jibek Jolu!

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Posted in Central Asian Cuisine, Kyrgyz and tagged beef, bread, carrots, Chicago, China, garlic, Kyrgyz, Kyrgyzstan, onions, pie, Russia, Tandoor, traditional. Bookmark the permalink.

All Fired Up For Demera

Posted on March 4, 2015 by Mark T

Hello and sorry everyone for the lull on Mastication Monologues, but I’m back with a fresh new post that is part of Restaurant Week that is now over in Chicago. For those of you who don’t know, Restaurant Week in Chicago is a multiple week event where a multitude of eateries throughout Chicago open their doors to everyone with great deals. In this post, I’d like to tell you a little bit about Demera, one of Chicago’s premier Ethiopian/Eritrean diner.

Janice and I went there for their lunch special, and the inside was brightly lit and bumping with some funky Ethiopian jamz. We were quickly seated, and we had some trepidation with what to pick since everything sounded so delicious. I started the meal off with a St. George Beer to drink. Ethiopia is interesting enough since it is a mainly Christian society surrounded by Muslim nations, and some go on to even speculate that the Ethiopian people are descendants of one of the 12 lost tribes of Israel. The name of the place, Demera, is the term in Amharic for the ceremonial bonfire used in the Ethiopian Christian version of Ash Wednesday, and we had a similar religious experience with the food. However, the St. George Beer wasn’t very noteworthy since its neutral flavor and watery consistency left me hoping for the second coming of my food savior to resurrect my taste buds from the bland rapture. Luckily, the beef sambussas and timatim selata did just that. First, there were the beef sambussas that I could liken to a lighter version of empanadas. The dough was less pie-like and more flaky and light like Greek philo dough. The meat was spiced and amped up in terms of flavor with the spicy yet sweet yet dangerously addicting awaze sauce. We also got an order of the timatim selata which I likened to an Ethiopian version of pico de gallo. It consisted of tomatoes, onions, and jalapeno pepper slices all coated in a lime vinaigrette. It was tangy and flavorful and was handily consumed (pun intended) with the ubiquitous Ethiopian flatbread known as injera. While flatbreads can be found around the world in cultures that eat with their hands like naan in India or pita in Greece, injera is super unique in the sense that it is spongy with a slightly sour taste compared to its more doughy brethren. Thankfully, it had plenty of nooks and crannies to soak up all of the lime juice but was also strong enough to enclose the large slices of tomato. After polishing off that flavorful and refreshing appetizer, we got our main entree. Traditional Ethiopian cuisine focuses on family style dining where everyone eats from the same plate. On our plate, we got the ye-beg alicha (mild lamb cubes), doro wat (chicken in a mild sauce with ayib cheese), ye-misir wot (split red lentils in spicy berbere sauce), and gomen (chopped collard greens). With the spicy lamb, it was a great mix of spice and the slightly gamey taste that comes with lamb. The doro wat chicken wasn’t as bold as the lamb, but the ayib cheese was like an African queso fresco that gave this savory part of the meal a cool and semi-salty twist. I really enjoyed the split red lentils because they were super spicy, but I was mixed on the collard greens. On the one hand, I enjoyed the earthy, spinach tones, but the ginger notes kind of left me cold on this hot entree. Surprisingly, we had a bit of room for dessert, but we could only get the missionary delight, a basic vanilla sundae, because they apparently didn’t have enough ingredients for the dessert we wanted, the sambussa turnovers. Super normal for a restaurant that serves food that isn’t on many peoples’ radars, but thankfully, our waitress told us that we could get the dessert we originally wanted, the turnovers. What they consisted of were sweet versions of the savory sambussas we had earlier in the meal. It was the same flaky dough, but instead of beef, there was a melange of walnuts, cardamom, walnuts, saffron, and rose water. It reminded me of a honey-less baklava with an almost flowery aftertaste compliments of the rosewater. The strawberry sauce was a bit too much of guilding the rose for me which made me prefer the savory version of these handheld treats. At the end of the meal, we were absolutely stuffed but greatly pleased with Demera’s food selection.

So if you’re tired of the same old restaurants serving foods you’ve heard of before, check out a red-hot slice of Ethiopia at Demera.

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Posted in African Cuisine, Alcoholic, Beer, Beverages, Ethiopian, Ethiopian and tagged Beer, Chicago, chicken, collard greens, dessert, Ethiopia, flatbread, injera, lamb, lentils, onions, Restaurant Week. Bookmark the permalink.

What A Jerk!

Posted on January 16, 2015 by Mark T

Ah Cuba. America’s Communist boogeyman 90 miles from our doorstep, but this red stronghold soon might become the hot, new Caribbean vacation spot based on current political currents. While they have been famous due to the US embargo, exporting great baseball players, and upstanding fictional citizens like Tony Montana, Cuban food and drink is without parallel. Nothing like a Cubano sandwich with a cigar and a rum cocktail on the side. What more could you ask for? Well, at Cafecito in the South Loop area of Chicago, a full menu of Cuban sandiwiches, salads, and entrees. While there are neither alcoholic drinks nor cigars to blow smoke in other diners’ faces, they do have Cuban cortadito coffees that are the java equivalent of speed mixed with rocket fuel.

Just don't have too much like Tony here did.

Just don’t have too much like Tony did.

I went there around noon after teaching at Roosevelt U. If you do not like crowds or waiting in line, pick some other time to go. Looking over the menu, I had no clue which sandwich to pick because they all looked so scrumptious. Would I go with the Perfect Cuban sandwich in Chicago ($5.79) or the Spanish stylized “Elveez” made of sweet plantains, guava jelly, and peanut butter($4.99)? Instead, I got the Jerk sandwich since I wanted to see their take on the traditional Jamaican spiced dish in handheld form ($6.19). To drink, it was hot outside, so I looked at their “batidos” or milkshakes in English. One selection that caught my eye was the mamey option. I had absolutely no clue what it was, but I knew I had to try it. After the meal, I found out through a little research that mamey is actually the natural fruit of Cuba, so it was my own way of saying “Viva la revolucion!”. They take your name, and then you have to wait amongst the waiting throngs until they shout you out. The waiting time flew by as I inspected the walls that were decked out with all types of accolades to Cafecito’s place in sandwich Valhalla. After taking in all of the hype, my time had come to finally see if this sandwich was all that and a side of chips. First, I took a sip of my mamey milkshake. There were hints of sweetness, but it really didn’t taste like anything I could definitely put my finger on. Maybe it could be likened to a blander version of a taro bubble tea, but it’s a huge shot in the dark. However, the Jerk sandwich was full of flavor. While I wouldn’t liken it to the bold and savory spices known to the world through Jamaican cuisine, but there was a definite red pepper undertone to give the meal a great punch with every pressed/toasted bite of the fresh Cubano baguette. I personally thought that they heaped a bit too much lettuce on top which got in the way of the juicy, all-white chicken breast that was slathered with habanero lime mayo. With the mayo, I couldn’t really taste it over the red onions, but I love mayo in any way, shape, or form. Taken as a whole, it was a fresh sandwich with plenty of high quality ingredients but with the improper ratio of certain ones like red onions and lettuce. Maybe next time, I’d try their Cuban pork sandwich. Overall, it was a visit that was well worth the walk down from work.

So if you want to get a bit of Miami’s Cuban sandwich scene, rumba, don’t walk, on down to Cafecito! It’s not the best sandwich in Chicago I’ve tried, but it is a unique and popular local eatery.

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Posted in Caribbean, Cuban, Latin American Cuisine and tagged Chicago, chicken, Chips, Cuba, fruit, Jamaica, jerk, lettuce, mamey, milkshake, onions, restaurant, review, spicy. Bookmark the permalink.

Un-Ba-Le-Vable Flavors

Posted on November 17, 2014 by Mark T

Welcome one and all to another edition of Mastication Monologues! Things on my blog have been picking up as of late since I’ve survived my first semester teaching in upper academia, so these posts are keeping me sane in the flurry of bureaucracy and final exam writing. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I like writing them! Today’s post once again brings me to Chicago’s Uptown Little Vietnam neighborhood. It’s a diverse enclave of Chicago’s ethnic rainbow which boasts a plethora of eateries serving a wide variety of foods from Far East and Southeast Asia. However, the Vietnamese community is the largest; ergo, I’ve sampled just the tip of the pho iceberg when it comes to fully exploring their culinary representatives. Ba Le Sandwich shop is one of the best and most popular eateries in the area, and my first visit there was fantastic.

Ba Le’s storefront is at the heart of Little Vietnam at the intersection of Argyle and Broadway and opposite the iconic Tank Noodle where you can get some hot pho soup to chase this newly arrived cold weather away. Walking into the establishment, past the small Buddhist shrine at the entrance, I was greeted with a sleek and modern interior that boasted a full wall of treats like freshly cut coconuts, Vietnamese head cheese or giò thủ , and a large vareity of chè or sweet pudding/jello treats. On the right hand side of the shop, there were sushi roll packs next to a mini French bakery that was bursting at the seams with macaron mini-mountains. Delectable remnants of the French colonization of Indochina as they were, I was interested in something more substantial and what Ba Le is known for: banh mi. If you want a historical explanation of the sandwich, hit up my Portland food truck adventure here. Looking over the menu, they also offered side dishes like the famous gỏi cuốn translucent shrimp rolls, noodle salads, fried rice, and egg rolls. As for the banh mi sandwiches, I went for the Chinese Pork or xá xíu ($4.95), and they do cater to vegetarians with banh mi, btw! The sandwich was quite big for the price as I took it to one of Ba Le’s window counters you can eat at while watching the locals go about their daily business. I wasn’t doing much people watching because I was severely distracted and gobsmacked at how delicious this sandwich was. It was the culinary equivalent of Saul, future St. Paul, being knocked off his horse and converting to Christianity after hearing the voice of God. I don’t know what it was that made this sandwich stand out from the thousands of other sandwiches I tried. Perhaps it was the extremely fresh French baguette that was just the right ratio of crispness to softness. Maybe my weakness for mayonnaise combined with the fresh-from-the-garden cilantro, jalapeno peppers, daikon radish, onions, and carrots. I think the pork helped as well since it was served in the char siu (叉燒) style which originates in China. It is basically barbecued pork that is roasted while being coated with honey, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and five spice powder. What you get is a tender cut of pork that is both sweet and slightly salty, a perfect fauna compliment to the unspoiled flora of my unwrapped Garden of Eden. Long story short, it was ecstasy in my mouth, and it wasn’t very heavy compared to many Western sub sandwiches.