I finally got to the real Manny’s in Chicago (as opposed to the mini-Manny’s at Midway Airport) with Noah and Jill. It was a treat. Excellent kreplach soup, corned beef, pastrami, tuna sandwiches, latkes; great atmosphere (reminded me a bit of the Katz’s in NYC’s Lower East Side with its big open dining room). The cafeteria line moved quickly at 12 and all was right with the world! I’ll be back.
THe Middle eastern Bakery, Andersonville
The weather got colder, as expected, but the wind didn’t pick up and this is Chicago in late December so can’t complain. We had excellent middle eastern food at a restaurant in Andersonville that recently opened up in the front of a bakery/market.retail I strongly recommend the shawafel sandwich, a mashup of chicken shawarma and falafel (you guessed it) in a wrap with bits of pickle. THe sampler plate with tabouli, hummus, babaganus, falafel was also tasty. The meat in the beef shawarma sandwich was reportedly tough. If I wasn’t taking a 7 hour bus ride back to DSM I would load up an all kinds of hard to find middle eastern goodies in the bakery/market.
near the middle eastern bakery
Next stop the art institute which is always a treat. I’ve never been in Chicago at Christmas and all the skyscrapers looked Big City Magical, all lit up with holiday lights. I bumped into my first cousin in the members lounge, which was an unexpected treat. We also got some excellent free coffee (my stepdaughter and her husband are members). Learned about the Bauhaus design movement in Germany,Europe, and Chicago at the Moholy-Nagy exhibit.
Filed under Chicago
We tried out a different (and relatively new) Indian restaurant in the Des Moines metro yesterday and it was far better than our old place – and downright good. I’d been curious enough about Persis Biryani Indian Grill to drive out to one of my least favorite places in the area – the suburban sprawl around Jordan Creek Mall in West Des Moines – and I wasn’t disappointed. The food was delicious – rich creamy sauces, quality bits of meat (not the junk that’s sometimes plopped into thick sauces as if the diner wouldn’t notice its junk), large portions, pleasant service, who could ask for more? Actually, the location is less than idea – in a bland strip mall and a schlep from our house in Des Moines but that’s a minor complaint. We will definitely return. Favorite dishes: butter chicken and chicken tikka masala. To my surprise, the saag paneer – my usual favorite (creamed spinach with chunks of white cheese) wasn’t as delicious as usual and too spicy for my taste. We went with medium spiciness for all three entrees but the only one that was too spicy proved to be the saag. (Note to self: next time try navratan korma ( carrots, zucchini, green beans and more in a rich mustard-colored spicy peanut sauce, creamy but with a kick.) and buttery onion kulcha as recommended by Des Moines Register columnist Rekha Basu, who knows her stuff!
I meant to mention the Ecuadorian restaurant we tried out a few weeks ago (before the devastating election results…maybe I was just too depressed to write about it). Mi Patria is also in a bland strip mall – but at least it’s closer to our house – and the food reminded me a lot of the food we ate in Peru. Lots of rice and beans plus fried plantain slices, a fried egg, lettuce salad and well-flavored surprisingly tender pounded beef made up the churrasco entree. The massive entree includes a grilled skirt steak that’s topped with a fried egg, those rice and salad sides again, plus a big scoop of surprisingly complex beans and a couple crispy fried plantain slices. . My shrimp in an oily and spicy orange-colored broth (camarones al ajillo) was delicious but, dare I say it again, way too spicy for my tastes. The llapingachos, mashed potato mounds stuffed stuffed with cheese and topped with peanut sauce were as rich as they sound. And delicious. Again, I’ll be back!
Filed under Des Moines, DINING
Salt point ny
Fantastic day with my old pals from London at Merida’s lovely farmhouse in Dutchess County, NY. The trees are starting to change color but it was still summer warm as we took a short walk on a ridge overlooking a beautiful valley with wooded hills in the distance. We drove about 45 minutes on narrow winding roads lined with trees and dry stone wall fences, past old red barns and cream colored farmhouses to Woodstock which still has a refreshingly old hippie vibe, decades after the famous 1969 rock festival.
Woodstock lament
THen we headed south along the Hudson at sunset to the riverfront path below the Mills mansion and Norrie State Park to take in the river scenery.
Along the Hudson
Dinner was at Bocuse, the French restaurant that is among several available to visitors to the Culinary institute of America in Hyde Park, which is run by students. the food was delicious, modern takes of French staples by chef Paul Bocuse.
Making nitro ice cream at CIA
Very reasonable 3 course prix fix menu for $45 in a contemporary but warm dining room with attentive service. Passed by but didn’t have time to go on the footbridge across the Hudson starting in Poughkeepsie. Next time!
Hudson happiness
Filed under DINING
I confess: I’m a bagel snob. But the new 5 Borough Bagels in Clive is the real deal (“New York-style” although I’ve never seen a “French Toast” bagel in NYC. It’s not bad.)
Just hoping Iowans appreciate and keep these young bagel entrepreneurs in business! They even offer onion bialys, which are heavier than I’m used to but delicious.
Filed under Des Moines, DINING
We had some good meals at two restaurants on Chicago’s Gold Coast, off of Division, earlier this week:
Nearby Eduardo’s
Another gorgeous day in Chicago and we had a great vantage point to see the Big City in all its glory– Terzo Piano, the sleek all white and windowed restaurant in architect Renzo Piano’s new wing of the Chicago Art Institute. A wedding party commadered the terrace but we had a fine view of the skyline and throngs of Sunday saunterers in Millenium park from the restaurant. Good food too – hearty bloody Mary’s served with a chunk of cheese, sausage and olive on a toothpick, the rim of the glass dusted with Aleppo pepper (which apparently is from Aleppo, Syria and getting harder to get as a result of the unending war there….and now, awkward transition, back to our relatively carefree existence…) Brunch was reasonably priced (apparently compared to other meals there) and delicious. I had brioche French toast, others had lox and bagel; biscuits and gravy, eggs with the best kale chips I’ve eaten (and I generally don’t eat them.)
We looked at a Gordon parks photo exhibit then took the cool elevated walkway over to the lovely gardens in Millenium park ((lots of purple and green and the occasional dazzling red poppies). Tons of bicyclists around (a reminder that someday we’d like to ride the bike the drive event, which took place today on lake shore drive. one fashion trend we have noticed this trip. Men wapearing heavy leather harnesses around their upper torso. Why?
ere
Filed under Chicago, DINING, Uncategorized
Edgewater living
Great day exploring the Edgewater/Andersonville neighborhood surrounding our “kids” great new digs in Chicago.
THey bought a lovely condo in 100 year old brick building on a leafy street with a great deck in the back overlooking neighbors gardens and old housetops.
Lickety split
Feels like an oasis from urban life but smack dab of n the big city too. We had good dim sum at old time place, Furama (get the crispy, fried stuff more than the gooey boiled stuff), frozen custard at Lickety Split, also on Broadway, and incredibly crispy but not greasy fried chicken at Big jones, which does lots of other southern staples. bought some cards and paper goods at Foursided. PErfect day.
Dim sum anyone
Filed under Chicago, DINING, Uncategorized
I’m beginning to sound like the town sourpuss but yet another meh meal at one of Des Moines’ up-and-coming (or maybe not) restaurant. Hoq promises farm-to-table ingredients which this time of year apparently means that almost everything was made with asparagus, which fortunately is a vegetable we like but not in excess. My major complaint is that the food is overpriced. I had two tiny lambchops with asparagus and little cubes of potatoes for $36 (good flavor but grassfed so tough and not cooked medium rare as requested – one of mine was fine, the other well-done; one of our companions got two very rare chops and complained sufficiently to get his order knocked off the bill). D’s steak was a better entree – a big hunk of meat also served with asparagus (this time bacon-wrapped) and what looked like the same potato cubes that came with the lamb. N’s salmon looked good and she had no complaints. I think though there’s a reason the place was mostly empty on a Friday night. The food should be exceptional for the prices charged and it wasn’t.
Filed under Des Moines, DINING
I hope this isn’t a trend but yet again, we’ve gone to a new restaurant in Des Moines hopeful and left disappointed. Great decor in a cool old building downtown. Very unexceptional food. We probably won’t return. In the case of last night, we thought +39, an Italian restaurant in a beautifully renovated old building across from the sculpture garden would be interesting contemporary Italian – which sadly we haven’t found in Des Moines to date – because the owner is from Italy and allegedly had a restaurant in Sardinia (as well as Ames, Ia.) But nothing we had was interesting or even particularly good – and in many cases it wasn’t even hot (cold pizza, cold pasta, even cold cappuccino) which was disappointing on a surprisingly wet cold May evening. The raspberry gelato was indeed cold but it had the texture of ice cream. Good ice cream but not gelato. This is the third restaurant we’ve been to lately in downtown Des Moines that looked great but tasted bland. I’d rather have bland decor and great food. Or better yet – great decor and food!
Filed under Des Moines, DINING
TakeBetsywithyou
TakeBetsywithyou 