Grand Lux Cafe

If you've been to or live in the US, you've probably heard of The Cheesecake Factory.
Well, as grand and magnificent as The Cheesecake Factory is, I'm a much bigger fan of the franchise's little brother - Grand Lux Cafe.

My friends Courtoon and Sirene (of cosplay fame) first suggested this place to me when I asked them what their favorite restaurant in Chicago is. I had to trust their good taste and made sure to pop in for a visit.

My first impression of Grand Lux Cafe is that this place is BIG. Huge ceilings, huge tables, huge EVERYTHING. It's very impressive and beautifully decorated.
We sat by the waiting area, carefully seated right next to the kitchen, and watched waiters whizzing by with sizzling plates being weighed down by pounds upon pounds of delicious goodies. Needless to say, by the time I sat down, I'd worked up quite an appetite.

Fortunately, minutes after we sat down, an order of Double Stuffed Potato Spring Rolls was plopped down in front of my face.

Let me deconstruct these beauties for you:

A crunchy spring roll wrapping
Filled with creamy and delicious mashed potatoes and green onions

Fried
Topped with melted cheddar cheese

Topped with bacon.

.....Are you drooling yet?

Let me just say, this whole plate would have satisfied me for lunch (in true Grand Lux/Cheesecake fashion, all portions are ridiculously large). But of course, there was still a main course coming.....

Including this mammoth of a turkey, apple, and brie sandwich on ciabatta with a side salad.

Trying to be relatively healthy, I got this asian chicken salad, which ended up being about the size of a basketball.

A delicious mix of greens, carrots, lettuce, chicken, crispy rice noodles, all smothered in a tangy Asian dressing. I've had cravings for this salad ever since the day I got it.
If you're in Texas, Florida, New York, or Nevada, I highly recommend checking out Grand Lux Cafe.
Because Cheesecake Factory is so overrated. ;)

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Chicago - Yolk

As you've seen from my other posts, I love breakfast.
And what do I love more than breakfast?
Brunch.
Because brunch is just an excuse to have a triple-sized breakfast after 11 am.
What's there to dislike?
And several weeks ago, my good friends and fabulous cosplayers CourtoonXIII and Sirene told me that one of the best breakfast places in the world is Yolk.
Seeing as all three of their locations are in downtown Chicago, I made a point of dragging my family there during our trip.
And despite the wait at the door, I don't think they were disappointed.

Sunny sky blues and yolky yellows covered every surface and were enough to brighten up anyone's morning. 

As an avid follower of Restaurant Impossible, I can honestly say that Chef Robert Irvine and his designer Tanya would certainly approve of this sharp interior design.

Coffee and tea were plopped down promptly while we finalized our menu decisions.

Yolk literally has EVERYTHING on their menu - scrambles, crepes, omelettes, and every style of egg you could imagine. And almost every dish comes with a side of breakfast potatoes or fruit and toast or pancakes.
I had plenty of time to decided, but still found it hard to choose. Especially after looking at the pounds of delicious food being plopped down at tables nearby.

YUM.
Finally, we all decided, and the eggs came churning out.
First dish of choice - two eggs sunny side up over sausage biscuits and gravy with breakfast potatoes.

Can I just say - HOLY YOLK. I can see where this place gets its name - look at the size of those!
Then there was the meat-filled crepes with a side of potatoes and pancakes.

And my carnivorous choice: scrambled eggs with applewood smoked bacon, a side of breakfast potatoes, and a side of pancakes.

And now, a bacon close-up:

Delicious. Thick. Crispy edges. Perfection.
And, of course, the side of pancakes (which Yolk is famous for).

The entire meal was absolutely fantastic. Fresh, delicious, and just downright good. They didn't try to jazz up old classics with new spice blends or cooking methods - they used basic ingredients to make basic things really well.

And clearly, judging by their popularity, it's worked out pretty well so far.

So well, in fact, that my mom insisted on buying a tin of their pancake mix.

Just add water and you get a thick and frothy batter in seconds.

They fry up into extremely thick and fluffy cakes that cook to a golden-brown perfection.

Sweet, delicious, and totally easy.
Unfortunately, Yolk doesn't have an online store yet, but you MUST pop in if you find yourself in Chicago. It's definitely one of the best breakfasts you can ever eat.

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Pizza Blanca

There's a lovely little restaurant in Ypsilanti called Tower Inn. Hordes of Eastern Michigan University students crowd its wooden booths every night, munching on enormous chapatis, delectable burgers and an absolutely AMAZING pizza called Pizza Blanca. 
I can personally attest to the fact that I've been to this restaurant multiple times, but never been able to wean my tastebuds off of Pizza Blanca to give anything else on the menu a try.
Naturally, I get my Pizza Blanca cravings every now and then, but don't have the time or willpower to drive to another city to retrieve it (and for some abominable reason, they don't deliver that far....)
Fortunately, I figured out how to make a homemade version that's just as delicious.

To make your own Pizza Blanca, grab these ingredients:

1 ball pizza dough (store bought if you're on a time crunch, or make your own following this recipe)

2 chicken breasts

1 broccoli crown

alfredo sauce

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 clove garlic, minced

fresh mozzarella cheese

salt

pepper

Italian seasoning

If you made your own dough using the link provided, preheat your oven to 430 degrees F. If you're using store bought dough, follow the instructions on the package.

Start off by chopping your chicken into 1-inch cubes and liberally seasoning them with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Saute them in a pan until golden-brown.

While your chicken is cooking, put your broccoli in a pot of boiling water and cook until bright green. Be careful not to overcook - the broccoli should still have some crunch to it.

Finally, microwave your bacon until crispy. Make an additional strip for yourself to munch on while you layer your ingredients.

Roll out your pizza dough into a square. Add enough alfredo sauce to cover the surface of your pizza, without being too overbearing. Grate a layer of mozzarella cheese over the top. Sprinkle your chicken, broccoli, bacon, onion, and garlic across your pizza, then top with an additional layer of mozzarella (you really can't go wrong with extra cheese - just sayin'). Top with salt and pepper.

Once again, if you're using the dough recipe provided, cook for 12-15 minutes, and follow the recipe of the store bought package if you're using store bought dough. But a helpful rule of thumb either way is to remove the pizza when the edges are crispy and golden.

Enjoy your salty cheesy pizza!
(And head over to Tower if you have the chance and want to try the original!)

 

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