Big Belly Epicure

Last friday at work, for lunch we all went to the near by Riverlane Pub, in Geneva. There, my buddy Adam, who you may remember from this post, completely destroyed their 20 ounce bacon cheese burger which they call the “Widow Maker”.

This so-called challenge is a pound and a quarter of beef, 4 slices of cheese, and 16 strips of bacon. If you eat the whole thing plus the giant pile of fries in less than 30 minutes, the meal is free . . . .

. . . . Adam put it down in just 14 minutes.

I told him, he could eat there for free every week that way, and his response was that it stopped being enjoyable about 3/4 of the way in(thats what she said). Our waitress said he was the first one to finish. It doesn’t seem that hard though. A pound and a quarter of meat? I can finish a 20 oz porterhouse no prob. Maybe its the fries that get you.

Adam is making quite the name for himself in burger contests around Geneva. He also has his picture on the wall at the Urban Grill, for finishing a 2 lb cheeseburger.

These contests remind me of the classic scene in the movie The Great Outdoors, where the late-great John Candy’s character orders the The Old 96er. Take a look:

If you have never had a bowl of Pho (technically pronounced fuh, but I prefer to say it like foh) you are really missing out. The traditional Vietnamese dish is like soup on steroids. First you start with the beef broth, which needs to be super-beefy. Its like they make it taste like a burger times a thousand. Then there are noodles and an assortment of meat. I like to have it with brisket, soft tendon, and tripe(stomach lining - you know I love my organ meats). Then you get a big plate of Thai basil, bean spoouts, hot pepers, and limes, that you can add to the Pho to flavor it however you like.

I like to eat Pho at Tank Noodle at 4953 N Broadway, Chicago in the New Chinatown/Vietnamese Town area, especially when you get a large group and sit and one of the giant tables with the big lazy susans. I also highly recommend that you try the Vietnamese Pancake (Banh Xeo) that is like a crepe with shrimp, pork, bean sprouts, cilantro and other good stuff inside.

My brother who is more diligent to blogging than I am and a beer nerd, has started a blog about beers he drinks.  Check it out: Highwaytoale

A few weeks ago Mrs. LittleBelly and I went for a fancy dinner on a Friday for a belated valentines day date. We went to Spring in Wicker Park, a restaurant I took her for her birthday about 9 years ago when it first opened. I was really looking forward to eating there again. The place looks fabulous. The old building used to be a bath house, and the structure of the baths were kept, creating a sunken floor look. The food was pretty good, but my expectations were so high that I was disappointed. The main issue was the price. I don’t mind paying alot for a good place, but as the price goes up, so do my expectations. Where as, mediocre service or a less than steller dish would be acceptable at a moderately priced place, at Spring, I felt cheated. Our meal of one appetizer, salad to share, 2 entries, and 2 glasses of wine was about $160. It was good, but was it 2 times as good as a 80 buck dinner? No way.

Now I know that you cannot always judge a dining experience like this, but when it’s a super expensive place, I almost get nervous going there because I am worried that it won’t be that great and then I feel like an idiot dolling out tons of cash.

Below is the hearts of palm salad.

Jung had the skate wing in the background(which tasted unfresh) and I had the black cod. We also had a side of brussel sprouts cooked in bacon, which was the best part of the meal.

We didn’t want dessert there, so we walked down the street to Hot Chocolate. Good thing that we were only there for dessert, because I glanced at the menu - good god! 13 bucks for a tuna melt?! 23 for a pork chop? In Bucktown? The dessert was excellent though-some sort of chocolate, peanut butter cookie thing. My Old Fashioned was average. The cherries and orange needed better muddling.

With the exception of a good company and lively conversation, I was in a sour mood after that night,

My weekend of eating was redeemed in BIG ways the next day. And, it made me think about the value of the food I eat. Check this foot long sandwich out:

Looks good right? Three and a half bucks. You can’t get a crappy Subway sub for that money. This is the Diavolo from Riviera Italian foods, which is located (along with many other Italian stores) on my beloved stretch of Harlem running between Elmwood Park and Chicago’s Belmont Cragin neighborhood. This “Devil” consists of homemade soprassata, capicola, and mozzarella, 2 other types of salami and homemade giardiniera. Even if I could find these ingredients at Jewel, I think I would pay at least twice as much for the meat alone. I was in heaven with this sub.

Before hitting up the Riviera, I stopped up the street at Pasta Fresh, also on Harlem, just north of Belmont. This isn’t just fresh as in they made it the day before. When I asked for a pound of parpadelle from the friendly woman, she immediately went in the back. I could view her through the window, take some dough and run it through the massive mechanical pasta maker right there an then. I also picked up some meat sauce.

The pasta was very good, butthe sauce was not. I can make a better meat sauce using my Mom’s recipe. Maybe that will be a future post. Still for only 7 bucks total, it was great.

Just when I thought that the weekend couldn’t get any better, for breakfast/lunch that Sunday we checked out the Depot Dinner. I quickly realized that we were lucky that this place is on a unassuming stretch of Roosevelt in the Austin neighborhood on the far west side. Based on how good the food was and the fun atmosphere, if it was anywhere east of Western Ave, there would probably have been a hour wait.

Of course I went with the meatloaf sandwich. I felt silly after asking the watress it the meatloaf was made there and she replayed “everything here is made from scratch”. There is a basic counter and then booths on the opposite side. The staff was some of the friendliest that I have had in a long time. I went back a week later and had the pot roast sandwich, which was even better.

Mrs. LittleBelly had the biscuits and gravy with eggs - also excellent. We “shared” the donuts that were made for us right after ordering. Notice the acompanying chocolate dipping sauce. I have previously documented LittleBelly’s fandom of a side of chocolate. Take note of the shared part in quotes - I think you know what I mean by that. Total bill including 2 coffees and tip - 23 dollars

So lets recap. I spent more on the fancy dinner on Friday, then the following 3 meals, and still enjoyed them more than the expensive Friday dinner, regardless of cost. There is no reason to overpay for mediocre food in a city like Chicago.

I, like alot of poeple around here, am sick and tired of this winter. I thoroughly love snow and all winter sports, but I have had enough. When we are on our 2nd straight week of zero degree weather, and it has snowed/sleated/rained every other day for a month, I try and think of nicer times . . . . like fall in Maine.

My spirits were raised this past Valentines Day when we went for lobster dinners. I was reminded of more temperate conditions, the serenity of the harbor towns, the changing leaves, the sunny canoe ride.

And this dinner was an awesome deal at only 14 bucks a piece. Corn, boiled potatoes and a whole fresh Maine lobster. I estimate it at about a pound. We dined at one of my favorite places Poor Phil’s, where they had the special for just one week.  I have a separate post planned for Poor Phil’s, so back to the lobster.

Even though they were fresh and kept live until right before cooking, I was concerned that this lobster would not be as good as we had in October in Maine. I can’t find the article anymore, but I read before that most of the lobster shipped around the country from Maine have very hard shells. These hearty lobsters are more likely to survive shipment versus the softer shelled ones that are moulting. The moulting ones are supposed to be sweeter with more tender meat. When we were in Maine this fall, the lobsters were all moulting.  So, pretty much the article explained that the only reason that lobster taste better in Maine, is not just because they are fresh.  Its also because the sweeter recently moulted ones are more likely to be served in Maine rather than be shipped across the country.

I was pleasantly surprised though. My lobster from Poor Phil’s was excellent - I think I was moaning a little as I was eating. It definitely made me forget about the winter for a little while.

Check out the bib.