Guess what?
I moved to Chicago for the summer!
Which means tons of food, food, and food.
And my first main stop when I came over was a place I'd seen on The Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.
It's called Big & Little's, a.k.a., fancy fried food.
It's a small building on a really not built-up street, but boy is this place packed for lunch.
And why is it called fancy fried food, you might ask? Well I'll tell you.
Because the menu features things such as duck fat fries, foi gras and fries, fried soft shell crab sandwiches, and beer battered burgers.
You get in line, head up to the counter, and order what you want. Cash only folks. Then you wait by the side until your name is called and your delicious food crackles its way onto the serving side of the bar.
Take a look at the fish and chips.....
It's basically an entire cod filet, battered in a deliciously crispy coating and served with a platter of fries.
I, however, had to go for the original wonder that I saw being made on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. The pork belly po boy.
A mountain of delicious salty fried pork belly piled onto a bed of lettuce, slices of pickles, hot sauce, and maple mayo on a toasted sub bun.
My face for scale.
I managed to eat the whole thing, and I'm currently craving another one. And more fish and chips...
I will start off by saying that this recipe is ridiculously easy.
Seriously.
Technically, there's no actual cooking involved, unless you count boiling water as "cooking." And even that step can be avoided depending on the type of noodles you buy.
Basically, if you're the type of person that likes quick and tasty meals, this is the recipe for you.
Inspired by traditional Thai cuisine, this noodle dish is full of fresh flavors and healthy foods.
A noodle dish you won't feel guilty about?
Yes, it exists.
To make this guilt-free dish, grab these ingredients
(recipe adapted from Food Network Kitchens)
4-5 oz rice noodles
1 medium cucumber, sliced
8 grape tomatoes, sliced
juice of 2 small limes
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon minced ginger
salt
pepper
red pepper flakes
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup mint leaves, torn
Cook your noodles as directed on the package. This is where some slight cooking might come in, because most rice noodles require you to boil water and pour it over the noodles to soften them. But you can also buy pre-cooked noodles in water.
Next, whisk together your lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, minced ginger, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes (to taste) in a large bowl. Add your noodles. Toss to combine. Add the cucumber slices, tomato slices, almonds, and mint leaves. Toss again.
If necessary, add more red pepper flakes to up the spice content (depending on how much heat you can take).
And that's it!
Attention U of M students and Ann Arbor residents:
I've found your new lunch spot.
Today, Mallory and I kicked off Restaurant Week in AA by going to a place we've passed hundreds of times, but never mustered up the courage to go in. Mercy's, the restaurant sitting underneath the Bell Tower Hotel across the street from the MLB and Hill Auditorium.
Literally directly behind the numerous State St restaurants, but ten times classier and ten times tastier.
While we expected the inside to be as antique and ornate as the hotel, the interior was surprisingly modern and cozy.
The restaurant week special offers a sampling of large lunch plates for just $7.50 each.
Let me repeat: $7.50 each.
(Also, if you come for lunch not during restaurant week, most plates are around $7-$12, so comparable to most nearby eateries)
We scanned the menu and both decided on the same thing: fish and chips with garlic aoli.
Thick and juicy cod fillets in crispy batter with an enormous side of sweet potato chips. This meal is the definition of a bargain.
We ended the meal with smiles and plans to come back next week to try another lunch special - fried chicken on a waffle with a maple/sherry reduction. YUM!
And, of course, we had to take a Starbucks break for some afternoon coffee to warm up by the fireplace while all the delicious food we ate digested.
If you have class near North Quad, the MLB, or even the buildings on the North edge of the Diag, I IMPLORE you to try Mercy's for lunch this week and take advantage of this great deal!
