Chicago - Mike Ditka's

I will admit to knowing next to nothing about sports.
I've been to a few college football games, but more for the experience than the actual sport.
I typically spend Superbowl Sundays cooking, eating, and reading a book.
In fact, the only sport that I have any conversational knowledge of is English football, but that's just because my boyfriend is obsessed with it.
The moral of the story is, don't expect me to understand sports references.
Which is what I explained to my dad when he told me we should go to Mike Ditka's.
Supposedly a steak haven of downtown Chicago, it was soon explained to me that Ditka's is the upscale sports-themed restaurant owned and managed by former football player and coach Mike Ditka (see Dad, I'm learning!).
All I needed to hear was steak haven and I was down.
Once we got to the restaurant, however, their Friday Fish and Chips special was too much for me to pass up. Sorry steak, but seafood was calling.

I didn't make the wrong decision. These were quite literally the BEST fish and chips I've ever had. Granted, I haven't been to Britain, but I feel like Ditka's fish could go toe-to-toe with anything across the pond. Just my opinion.
Of course, it didn't hurt that my enormous pile of fried fish and potatoes was supplemented by this amazing loaded baked potato

Cheese. Bacon. Chives. Sour cream.
Oh. My. God.
I'm not ashamed to admit I ate the whole thing.
And, of course, there were the other dishes that paraded onto the table during the night.
The glorious salmon platter:

The classic filet:

(so sorry for the awful blur! but I had only one shot before the steak was cut into)

This delectable banana cream pie:

And a phenomenally oversized serving of chocolate ice cream that I enjoyed all by myself:

And now an aerial shot:

While I may not have understood the importance of all the sports memorabilia that decorates the restaurant, there is one thing about this place that was loud and clear.
Good.
Food.

Tweet

Chicago - The Ghirardelli Store

Last week I was on spring break, so my family and I popped down to Chicago for a bit.

a.k.a. Gotham City

Since I get most of my values from my family, you can probably guess that my family values food.
Especially chocolate.
And although I despise tourist traps, I have to bow down to the beacon of chocolatey heaven that is the Ghirardelli store.

As soon as you walk in, you're greeted with a warm hello and a single square of chocolate.

A few paces in, you'll find enormous bins filled with these squares and big 1/2 pound bags. Typically, there will be several women huddle around the bins, carefully considering each chocolate before snatching up several squares and putting them into their bags. And, of course, there's the pre-bagged chocolate.

I surveyed the chocolates while nibbling on my own, but not even the displays of chocolatey deliciousness could distract me from the main attraction.
The SMELL.
Ghirardelli has a menu of signature sundaes and shakes, which means they make their own waffle cones. The smell of those things baking fill the room with sugary sweetness that reminds me of summer trips to the ice cream parlor.
Unfortunately, seeing as my family and I were going to go eat dinner in 2 hours, I didn't treat myself to one of the glorious looking sundaes being served to patrons all around me.

(I also couldn't grab a pic without looking like an extreme creeper)
Fortunately, I found this little beauty online. It's a picture-perfect example of what I was seeing roll out from behind the counter.

image from Tumblr

But, I did grab a coffee and my mom grabbed a croissant - a nice afternoon snack.

And I know I said I hate tourists traps, usually because they're busy, crowded, and have enormous lines for food, but the Ghirardelli store on a weekday was incredibly calm and normal. Instead of feeling like a hotspot off of Michigan Avenue, it had a corner ice cream and coffee shop feel.
With a lot more chocolate ;)

Tweet

Garage in Northville

It's not often that I hear my parents ranting and raving about a small local restaurant.
Usually they're talking about some big-city place.
But this week, after multiple days of telling me how much they love this new Northville restaurant called "Garage," I was invited to check it out for myself.
The restaurant is called Garage because it's located inside of a renovated car garage (sort of like Vinsetta, only smaller). 
The restaurant still has touches of its grungy and greasy roots inside, but the menu is all high-class.

We started out with a french onion cheese dip - a deliciously creamy blend of onions, bacon, and swiss cheese with a side of crostini.
This dish is the definition of comfort food.

I should have seen this coming after the first dish, but every single plate at this restaurant is heartily portioned and very very filling. Which means I over ordered, but in the great scheme of things, that's really not a problem, is it?
I opted for a bowl of seafood chowder with my main dish because it sounded so delicious.

Once again, this dish was creamy, filling, and absolutely delicious. A crock pot of butter, cream, shrimp, lobster, and potatoes. YUM.
Which meant, tragically, that I barely had any room left for these amazing mahi mahi fish tacos....

My parents opted for equally large and delicious entrees, such as the pork chop with sweet potato fries

And the perch filets

Needless to say, Garage is one of those places where you certainly get your money's worth. Dishes are plentiful, the flavors are fresh and tasty, and the atmosphere is quaint and trendy. Looks like my parents have good taste after all..

Tweet

Afternoon Toast

Since Mallory and I can't go more than a few days without eating brunch, we decided to meet up over our Spring Break for a bite to eat in Birmingham and some shopping.

She recommended Toast, a small restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner in a retro setting. 

I liked the place as soon as I stepped in and was greeted with this picture.

Someone please tell me where I can pick one of these up for my house?

Mallory looked very excited as she browsed the breakfast menu (which they serve till 3 pm!)

I was just as enamored by their specialty coffee offerings. Any place that has a portion of the menu devoted to coffee is alright in my book.

Once we were given eclectic mugs full of warm coffee and fully immersed in the brunch options, we ordered our food.

I must say, as much as I hate spending money on breakfast food (since I can usually make it myself for cheaper), I absolutely LOVE eating breakfast out. The enjoyment of having a smorgasbord of potatoes, perfectly crisped buttery toast, mugs upon mugs of coffee, and everything covered in runny egg yolks is enough to make me spend the extra bucks to eat out.

Which is why I ordered this:

Eggs benedict and bacon on toasted sourdough with tomatoes and a side of breakfast potatoes. A-Ma-Zing.

Mallory got this fantastically beautiful omelette with potatoes and toast.

And how was it? Here's a hint.

Before:

After:

That's what I call taking care of business.

After stuffing ourselves full of eggs and caffeine, we made our way around Birmingham, flitting in and out of shops. I hadn't been down there in awhile, so it was nice to be able to see all the new shops the city has to offer.

While browsing, we came across an old-fashioned candy store. And since I'm actually 4 years old, I had to go inside to check it out.

My favorite part of the store was these little jelly bean bags wrapped up to look like cupcakes. So cute and such an easy gift idea for a candy lover!

If you're feeling the buzz of spring and looking to spend some time walking around, try going to Birmingham! Nothing puts me in a better mood than brunch and shopping.

Except may be second brunch and shopping.

Tweet

Quinoa Lettuce Wraps

Quinoa has been all the rage recently after being dubbed the "miracle grain" due to its protein-filled nutrition-packed goodness. I've tried a few quinoa recipes myself, but most of them turn out bland and boring. The problem with quinoa is that by itself, it has no taste.

Fortunately, I came up with a way of cooking this delicious grain that packs a punch of flavor while still remaining healthy and delicious.

Then you can make these quick, easy, healthy, and protein-filled quinoa lettuce wraps.

To make these, you will need:

1/2 cup quinoa

1 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper

3 large lettuce leaves

2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

handful of canned corn

cucumber, cut into matchstick strips

carrot, cut into matchstick strips

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon thai sweet chili sauce

Put your chicken broth into a small saucepan and heat to a boil. Stir in your quinoa, turn heat down to low, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until all the broth has been absorbed. (psst - this broth is what gives the quinoa a bigger punch of flavor - you can also use vegetable broth if you're vegetarian).

While the quinoa is cooking, assemble your leaves and veggies. Stir your soy sauce and thai sweet chili sauce together to make your tangy dipping sauce.

When the quinoa is done, mix in your cilantro, salt, and pepper to taste. Then begin your layering. Spread quinoa across the leaves, then pile on your cucumber, carrots, and corn. You can add additional veggies if you like - play around with flavor and see what you like best.

And voila - you now have a tasty protein-filled low-fat meal!

Tweet

Cherry Republic Chocolate Cherry Boom Coffee

The other day, I stopped into the Cherry Republic store on Main St. to pick up a few jars of their delicious cherry salsa for my mom and I.
Remember the Kalamazoo Chili Cook-Off I posted about? Well, the winning pot of chili included a whole jar of Cherry Republic Cherry Salsa. Which means I had to have some.
While I was there, I browsed around the store, discovering how many things can be made with cherries. Sure, there's dried cherries, and cherry preserves, but apparently there's also cherry wine, cherry sauces, cherry bowls...basically a lot of cherry.
As I was browsing, I happened upon a neat row of brown bags labeled "Cherry Republic Chocolate Cherry Flavored Boom Coffee."

.....

Excuse me? You can't put that much deliciousness into one sentence. It's just not fair.
I sampled a quick cup of the coffee (that's the best part about Cherry Republic - nearly everything they make is available for sampling), whisked a bag off the shelf, and headed to the register.
Let me take a moment to introduce you to this delicious coffee:

Of course, you have to be able to brew it right yourself for the investment to be worthwhile. So, this morning I popped open the bag, ground up some beans,  and set my coffee maker to 'stun'.

The result was this delicious cup.

Nice dark color, good sign. Exceptionally fragrant (I really wish I could somehow transmit smells over the Internet right now).

And then the taste.

Smooth, not too dark, with subtle tones of sweet cherry and bitter chocolate. If a spring morning in a log cabin in Northern Michigan had a taste, this would be it.

If you live near Cherry Republic, pop over and grab yourself a bag. If you don't, you can get an 8 oz bag of ground coffee here and an 8 oz bag of whole bean coffee here.
While browsing the website, I also saw they have cherry cocoa...I think I know what my next purchase will be.

Tweet