Pizza Pizza Thursday - Sausage and Fresh Garlic at Romano's in Rosemont

Awesome ultra-thin crust pizza with STRONG garlic! Highly recommended!

New food truck - La Boulangerie

Parked at the southwest corner of Aon Center this morning was a new (at least to me) food truck, La Boulangerie. They seem to offer a variety of breakfast and lunch sammiches. I may have to try one...

Steak Dinner Saturday

We cooked a fat juicy New York strip steak, spaghetti squash, and roasted cauliflower for dinner tonight. We used the post-roast sear method to help ensure the steak was not overcooked and it worked very well!

A Quick Chicken Dinner

A reasonably quick dinner with roasted chicken thighs, brussels sprouts, and asparagus... Very yummy and a little leftover for a quick weekday dinner!

Meatball Sammich and Tomato Basil Soup from The Fat Shallot Food Truck

This was the first time I have tried both the Meatball Sammich and the Tomato Basil Soup fro Fat Shallot, both have been limited-time specials. Wow - fat juicy meatballs, marinara, shaved fennel, basil, and spicy breadcrumbs on a crispy ciabatta really hit the spot on a cold snowy day! And the Tomato Basil Soup was an awesome side to keep me warmed all afternoon!

Pizza Pizza Thursday - BBQ Pizza with Bacon, Onion, Peppers

Lack of forethought caused a forced change of plans... I neglected to defrost a container of sauce for pizza tonight, so I change things up and went BBQ!

With bacon, no less... And a whole red onion (medium sized) and two peppers from the garden - a Fresno and a Havasu pepper. A nice sprinkle of Prisco's Italian Seasoning and Sweet Baby Ray's Hawaiian BBQ, it was pizza time!

Loaded Chili, Espresso, and Biscotti From American Glory Food Truck

National Food Truck Day is upon us, and American Glory is celebrating by offering free espresso and biscotti to the first 100 customers! They also had their chili on special today, topped with your choice of pulled pork or pot roast, with cheese and goldfish crackers too!

The chili was excellent, with a good strong kick of heat. The biscotti and espresso were a fine end to lunch, with a delicious crema to the espresso!

Highly recommended, not only for the excellent food but for the hospitality - they are some of the kindest and most generous folks around!

Nando's Peri Peri Chicken

Everybody seemed to scatter at lunchtime today, so I thought it was a good opportunity to try Nando's. Open for maybe a month, thia location at the corner of Lake St and Beaubein Ct just east of Michigan Ave. A couple weeks ago I walked past and saw the line streaming out the door; today I was a little earlier and was able to order takeout without a long wait. By the time I left with meal in hand, the line was streaming to the door.

Today's special was two chicken thigh skewers with two sides, I chose garlic bread and their "macho peas" cooked with parsley, mint, and chili. I chose the "hot" level on the "peri-ometer" . While this was plenty hot for me, one day I need to try their hottest "xtra hot"...

The chicken was delicious, skewered with onion and red bell pepper slices, and the chicken was marinated and grilled skin-on. Very tasty and juicy! The garlic bread was likewise excellent, and the macho peas were very tasty too!

I highly recommend Nando's, especially if you enjoy a good kick of spice in your chicken, but they said that the Medium, Lemon & Herb, Mango & Lime, or "Plain... Ish" levels are available too. A little expensive ($17) for lunch, but two skewers is a lot of food, I would have been content with one skewer, and it would have been like $2 less...

Highly recommended!

Pupusas! At Rinconcito Hispano in Des Plaines, Illinois

Although marked as "Closed" in Yelp for more than a year, happily Rinconcito Hispano is still very much open for business! Perhaps it was a change in ownership, but the food was as good as ever and the menu seems a bit more extensive than before. The pupusas are incredible, like thick tortillas with the filling embedded within - highly recommended if you enjoy Hispanic cuisine!

Pot Roast BLT from American Glory Food Truck

WHAT A SAMMICH! A BLT is a relatively light meal, but add pot roast and applewood smoked bacon and it transforms into a hearty and delicious meal!

Thank you, American Glory, for a fantastic lunch and a hat I will wear proudly!

Pizza Pizza Thursday - Habanero!

Since they are so hot, and can have unpredictable (and possibly unpleasant) effects on the tummy, I reserve the day before a telecommute day for Habanero Pizza.

In addition to the habanero pepper (fresh from the garden) I added pan-roasted grape tomatoes, Prisco's Italian seasoning blend, and Italian-sausage-flavoured ground turkey... Very tasty all around, when I opened the grill I got the habanero aroma mixed with the intense tomato smell - just like an old-school Chicago pizzeria. One combination to repeat, no doubt!

Meat and Spinach Pierogi from Pierogi Rig Food Truck

A brand new food truck to try today! And pierogi are just the ticket to entice people into trying the food...









This must be their first week in service, both people on the truck were overwhelmed by the curious crowds. A short wait to place an order is fine, but waiting twenty minutes for food at a busy lunchtime isn't good.

I was informed that they had run out of bacon, no biggie really... But when I got my order of five spinach and meat boiled, it was also missing sauerkraut, and had creamy shit (sour cream) squirted all over it. Still, the pierogi were exceptional after I had scraped off the creamy shit.

I will have to give them another try, after they get with the rhythm of the busy food truck business. Their pierogi really show what they are capable of!

Pot Roast Nachos from American Glory Food Truck

Ohhhh these may be my very favorite nachos of all time - HUGE portion of tender, juicy pot roast, cheese, and giardinera! Absolutely delicious!

Pork Tenderloin on the Grill

Marinated (briefly) with garlic, rosemary, habanero, and black pepper, and served with grilled sweet potatoes anointed with leftover marinade. Very tasty, and 2/3 of the tenderloin is leftover too!

Pizza Pizza Thursday, Aurora - Style!

This week's masterpiece is via Prisco's Food Market in Aurora, IL (thank you, Tom Yakaitis!).

Crust, seasoning, and sauce came from the long - established Prisco's Market, and I added fresh garlic, ground turkey flavoured as Italian Sausage, Fresno pepper from the garden, and both rosemary and spicy oregano from the herb garden.



Wow. Simply at a loss for words as to how wonderful this was. The crust was a little thicker than what I normally use, and had a great crispy crunch! The sauce is so far beyond what I typically use, fresh and bright with a strong tomato lead-in, but no off-flavoured aftertaste... And a marvelous chunky texture! And the Prisco's Italian Seasoning blend is by far the best I have tasted, with dried garlic, red and green peppers, and other crunchy bits...

I am lucky enough to have friends in Aurora that I can visit after a "stock-up" visit, but this place is a destination simply for their pizza components. I am looking forward to visiting myself, and heading home with a trunk full of goodies!

Cholula Hot Sauce Partners With The Fat Shallot

The Fat Shallot food truck is engaged in a partnership with Cholula Hot Sauce, with free samples and mini-sammiches. I had my usual spinach grilled cheese, plus bacon, with house rosemary fries, and for answering a quick survey I received a bottle of Cholula!

Friday Lunch from Izakaya Yume Food Truck

Finally a Japanese cuisine food truck! And they have a reworked concept of serving sushi - in burrito form! Rather than the sliced maki, or temaki hand rolls, their sushi burritos are wrapped in nori and contain traditional and non-traditional ingredients.

I started with shrimp tempura, and also had their "Bulgogirrito" containing Korean beef bulgogi. I requested both without the creamy shit, and was pleasantly surprised at how the nori wrap complemented the bulgogi filling - very tasty! And I LOVED the tempura shrimp!

Tacos from La Jefa Food Truck

Asada, al pastor, and pollo tacos from La Jefa Food Truck were today's lunch selections! All three meats were excellent, and their hot sauce was INFERNAL (I did ask for hot, though...). Highly recommended, and my friend David really enjoyed his torta al pastor with the elotes side dish!

Pot Roast Nachos from American Glory Food Truck

Oh boy, what a treat! Absolutely delicious!

Pizza Pizza Thursday

My mom gave me a large quantity of figs, so I thought I would "pizza-fy" some... With a sliced mozzarella base upon the crust, with fig jam as sauce, topped with bacon, sliced fresh figs, and blue cheese. A sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley complemented the finished pie.



Mmmmm, fig and bacon heaven! The saltiness of the blue cheese and bacon really helped cut the sweetness of the fig jam!

Pizza Pizza Thursday - Turkey Pepperoni, Garlics, and Onions

The garden is growing nicely after a slow/late start, so it is a great time to use some of the fruits of Mother Nature's hard work... I garnished my pie with spicy oregano and purple basil chiffonade. Such a lovely pop of flavour!

Independence Day Eve Chicken Dinner

We indoor-grilled some chicken thigh quarters and asparagus, served with pesto pasta salad and Cuban mojito quinoa salad. I love the Penzey's Florida Seasoned Pepper I added to the chicken - loads of citrusy flavour and zero salt! A little Honey Habanero Sauce added really hit the spot too (thanks so much, Jeannine!).

Chickenjoy and Sweet Spaghetti at Jollibee

Filippino fast food restaurant Jollibee opened last year in the Chicago suburb of Skokie to long lines and long waits. We finally tried their Chickenjoy fried chicken with brown gravy, Sweet Spaghetti, and Peach Mango Pies.

Chickenjoy is good fried chicken, maybe not to the level served at the various Paula Deen restaurants but very tasty nonetheless, especially when doused in the brown gravy. Sweet Spaghetti is very reminiscent of Spaghetti-o's, and includes meat sauce and slices of hot dogs. The Peach Mango Pie is similar to McDonald's apple pie with a more tropical flavor.

They have some other ethnic Filippino menu items that I would like to try, so I hope to be returning sometime soon!

The Emily from Mike's Revenge Food Truck

Am I glad that I tried The Emily today for lunch, smoked sausage, giardinera, horseradish, sauerkraut, and dijon mustard. Very tasty, with a little horseradish kick with each bite! And their Southwest Quinoa Salad is an awesome accompaniment, with corn, black beans, and diced peppers!

Sausage Fest Lunch!

The Sausage Fest Food Truck is back with a revised menu:



I enjoyed an Italian with sauteed peppers and spicy ketchup, and Kabanos with spicy ketchup and sauerkraut:



These are very tasty and distinctive sausages, highly recommended! I hope the chicken sausage wrapped in a waffle is available next time - should be awesome!

Steak Dinner with Asparagus and Giardinera Sweet Potatoes

I treated myself to a steak dinner tonight, using my fave rub Hot Rocks (http://www.pelicanbayltd.com/?post_type=product&s=Hot+rocks). I grilled some asparagus as well as a sweet potato, microwaved 4 minutes, halved, which I lathered up with giardinera before grilling. Yum!

Porchetta Sammich and Brisket Baked Beans from Mike's Revenge Food Truck

Another lunch, and Mike's Revenge certainly dles not disappoint... Spicy giardinera on the porchetta (minus the "creamy shit") and tasty brisket in the baked beans... They even threw in some burnt ends!

Loaded Mac'n'Cheese and Bread Pudding from American Glory Food Truck

I had brought a salad for lunch today, but had to venture out and check out the truck after two co-workers showed me their lunch selections... So I "fortified" my salad with a loaded mac'n'cheese, and they even were kind enough to recognize a returning customer and give a free bread pudding!

I had the mac topped with pot roast and giardinera, it went so well with the creamy cheese and goldfish crackers. The bread pudding was heavenly, served with caramel-drizzled whipped cream. Awesome lunch!