Japanese Cooking at Home (Pt. 1)

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

When a recent case of the travel itch hit us it just so happened there were some bargain flights to Japan. So good was the price I was almost positive we were going. But then we let our conscious get the best of us and decided it was too much of a load with all the other things on our 2016 calendar on top of a marriage in Austin. Of course during the time I thought we were going I was already looking at what and where to eat. I couldn't stop as spot after spot and dish after dish stood out to me. I certainly wasn't unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine but I soon learned there's so much more of it I need to explore. So instead of going to Japan, for the time being anyway, we booked a fantastically priced ticket to Seattle where there's good Japanese food. Also since then I've been cooking a good amount of Japanese food myself with the help of the internet and Mitsuwa Market out in Arlington Heights.

Japanese Grocery Chain in the Northwest Suburbs 

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Japanese Gyoza

Gyoza Ready for the Pan

Dumplings are most certainly one of my favorite forms of food and Gyoza are always good when I get them while eating out. But it's shockingly easy to make your own and you'll get at least 50 of them out of what you'd pay for around 12 of them at a restaurant.  Mitsuwa Market usually has a selection of fresh not frozen dumpling skins. You want to use the Gyoza ones while trying to stay away from the Dynasty brand which is too rubbery for my liking. Get one of the ones imported from Japan with very little English displayed on the wrapper. Like I was saying I've relied solely on internet recipes thus far and even though me and the guy have bumped heads over on da twitter this recipe from the Food Lab is money. Although I like it with a bit less cabbage then it calls for. 

Japanese Gyoza Dumplings

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Tonkatsu Sandwich

As easy of a recipe as there is, especially if you get the ready to fry pork at Mitsuwa pictured above

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Yaki Udon 

Here we have my favorite thus far. I also made it for my family recently and they too really enjoyed it. Yaki Udon is a homestyle dish that's very easy to complete, like most other Japanese recipes. It's all about the ingredients and the girl who's recipe I used suggested a wonderful brand of Udon to look for and sure enough Mitsuwa had it. They also have a bunch of different Mentsuya options so if you don't want to make your own just pick up a bottle there. Again I suggest the one with very little English except whats on the sticker which mentions no MSG. Its crucial for this recipe which I add a poached egg on top of. It's made on my Dash Rapid Egg cooker which was well worth the $20 imo.

Yaki Udon with Pork

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Next Month: A look into the Mitsuwa Market Food Court Options.

Glaze Teriyaki

-Grubbing in Chicago
Lunch in Lakeview

Its rare for the Midwest to start a food trend, well except maybe the whole farm to table thing, but usually food trends start on one of the coasts. Today's post is on one of those style of spots. Glaze Teriyaki is out of New York City with locations in San Francisco, Chicago, and soon to be Madison Wisconsin. The specialty of the house is Seattle style Teriyaki chicken. Its called that due to a Japanese man in Seattle who's teriyaki shop spawned handfuls of imitators to the point where damn near every neighborhood in Seattle now has a spot where one can indulge in grilled teriyaki glazed chicken. Glaze is giving Chicago its first option, well outside of mall food courts anyway.

Newly Opened in Lakeview

I have no shame in admitting I find the dark meat chicken bombs handed out at the mall to be tatsy. I don't really go to malls so I don't find myself eating this style of food all that often but I do enjoy a bowl of rice with chunks of dark meat chicken swimming in sauce. So it's no surprise to me that I enjoy what Glaze is doing. It's not life changing or anything like that but it is a good lunch for when you need something quick that isn't fried. Glaze offers a few different grilled meats including chicken breast and thigh as well as salmon, steak, and boneless pork loin. They come in bowls served with your choice of white or brown rice and a salad with choice of dressing. My standard order is teriyaki dark with ginger carrot dressing. Sometimes its exactly what I want for lunch. Quick, fresh, tasty.

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

Glaze Teriyaki
3112 North Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 697-3580
Website

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

-Grubbing in Chicago
New to the 'Scene'

The Opening of the Chicago location of Gus's Chicken marked the start of the Memphis restaurants expansion. Started some 60 years ago it's been a long walk to the top. Most all conversation about best fried chicken in America will likely include Gus's so you can bet that folks from all across the country were excited about the news of expansion. I know I was interested in trying them out. Seeing as how I've been to many of the spots mentioned when best fried chicken is discussed I was eager to see how it compared to some of the others. Even if the location I would try was not the original.

Newly Opened in Fulton Market 

I got a chance to stop in for lunch a couple months back. It was probably about half packed but with the recent opening of Google building I can envision this place being packed in the future. The wait for the fried chicken was a bit long but this all but assured they were frying the bird to order which is something I was curious about how they'd handle. I would rather wait for freshly fried then get faster stuff that was being held. Upon it's arrival it was glistening with a beautiful golden hued skin that produced decent crunch although not as much as it looked too. I thought the seasoning was ok, there might be some MSG in there, but it wasn't as aggressive as I had hoped. It wasn't bad but it just wasn't enough to make me place it amongst some of the greats, though for the area it's worth a bite. Sides were pretty average while service was above that. If I worked near I'd go back for lunch.

Fried Chicken 

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
847 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-1971
Website

Mr Taco

-Eating like a Mayan King in the Windy City

Its the freaking weekend baby I'm about to have me some fun! Today's stop is a weekend favorite of Cicero's heavy drinking crowd. It's also one of the few restaurants in town that Al Capone didn't frequent. At least not to my knowledge. Mr. Taco is old, but not that old. I don't have the exact date this place opened up on the corner of Ogden and Austin but it's been around for at least a couple decades. Open late this is the spot many local late night revelers find themselves post drinking.

Locals Favorite in Cicero 

First things first, as someone who's been to as many Chicagoland Mexican restaurants as anyone I know this isnt "real" Mexican food. Or is it? I mean it's owned and made by Mexicans. You can take up your idea of what authentic is with them. Today we're here for the food. The type that's great at soaking up lots of booze in the wee hours of the morning. Even though it's called Mr. Taco the tacos here aren't the most popular item however they are good in that American style Mexican food way.

Steak Taco 

Also good are the enchiladas which they sell by the single. Not many places do that so I'm not as well versed in enchiladas as I am tacos. They use a dark red sauce that might come from a can but I doubt thats whats on your mind when you've got a few whiskeys in you.

Beef Enchilada

You could say Mr. Taco has a cult following and the reason for that is the steak quesadilla. They make them a little bit different here. Using regular sized taco tortillas they take one and put it over a bunch of cheese melting on the flattop. The cheese then melts into the tortilla creating a cheesy, crispy outside. Steak and the toppings go on top and you basically eat the thing like a taco. This is one of my great guilty pleasures which I enjoy when out and about this way after 10:00pm. It might not be "authentic" but I'll be damned if its not good after you've had a few. See for yourself.

Steak Quesadilla

Mr Taco
5960 W Ogden Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 652-3767

Harrington's Deli

-The Sammy's of Chi

You may remember a piece I did for Serious Eats on this Northwest Side Irish Deli. I figured since Serious Eats has gone the way of the almighty dollar mixed with sponsors, that now was a good time to remind people of Harrington's existence. You know with it being St. Patrick's Day this week and all. It sits in a strip mall on the 5600 block of Milwaukee. I have to imagine its a busy week for them.

Locals Favorite in Jefferson Park 

Harrington's is part lunch counter, part deli, part grocery, and part souvenir shop. Everything relating to the Irish. They also do catering and supply local grocers with their briskets of corned beef ready for the stovetop. So if you're ever in need of an Irish Folk music CD or maybe a hamburger ground with corned beef, Harrington's is your one stop shop. They even have HP sauce for cheap.

Irish Goods for Sale

I'm not an Irish relic collector so whenever I stop in it's for a visit to the deli/lunch counter. If you go there on a Tuesday or Saturday you can indulge in corned beef and cabbage dinners but I'm more of a sandwich guy when it comes to the consumption of corned beef. Harrington's does a good one.

Corned Beef with Swiss

These aren't the NYC Jewish Deli style of stacked sandwiches like those at Manny's. You really only need one hand to eat these but this isn't a bad thing. The corned beef is hand sliced to order into a medium thickness. Its rare to see much fat on the meat but there's just enough to give it that full rounded flavor people love when it comes to good corned beef. I don't know where they source the bread but it too is always fresh and perfect when paired with the beef. The Reuben is well constructed and comes with two sandwiches that basically equals one large one. Its got all the flavors you'd expect from a spot specializing in corned beef. Hope you have a Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Reuben Sandwich

Harrington's Deli
5685 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 283-8388
Website

Boba Burger

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi (land)

Food Media is good for some things but mom and pop stops in the suburbs isn't one of them. Luckily we still have social media and message boards which is where I learned of this Asian owned burger spot sitting inside a bowling alley. Boba Burger is connected to Classic Bowl in Morton Grove. It's been around for a few years, it may have moved here from elsewhere but I'm unaware.

Locals Favorite in Morton Grove 

Any place serving burgers that have accumulated a perfect score on yelp, as well as praise from those I actually trust is getting a visit from me. So I stopped in one day this past winter. It was a Sunday so there were tons of families ditching the cabin fever for a few games of bowling. This meant that Boba Burger was packed but after a 15 minute wait my fries arrived. These probably needed to be fried in a hotter oil as the color was a tad too light. Nonetheless they are fresh cut and made to order.

Fries 

On my first visit in I was swayed from trying a burger. They also offer hot dogs and one of them spoke to me. The "Tokyo Dog" boasts some Japanese flavors which might not sound like a match for a wiener but having been to Ivy's up in Edgebrook I knew they worked well together. No difference here. They dip a Vienna Beef wiener in tempura batter and give it a fry. When nice and golden it gets topped with wasabi aioli, nori, picked veggies, and sriracha ketchup. The overall sum of this dog tastes like a popular snack in Japan where they're known to eat stuff like this. Though I'm pretty sure this is a Boba Burger creation and not something you'll actually find in Tokyo

Tokyo Dog 

I made a return visit for a burger not too long ago and also came away impressed. Boba offers a variety of topping combinations but I've always been a minimalist when it comes to dressing a hamburger. I made a small exception on this day and decided to try a traditional cheeseburger with a piece of fried spam added on for a dollar. After one bite it was apparent that the spam wasn't needed so I took it off and ate it as is. I then finished the burger without it and ended up loving the product. The meat itself is high quality and packed a little looser than most which makes it more tender in my mind. The burger was cooked to medium but the juice factor was as if it was medium rare. Coming in at just $5 without the spam makes it one of the better burgers I've had in that price range.

Cheeseburger with Spam added on

Boba Burger
8530 Waukegan Rd
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 410-7779
Website

Stopping in at three Youngstown Favorites

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
-Exploring some old school stops in NE Ohio

Today we continue on with my series featuring the locally loved food spots found in America's Rust Belt towns. We head to Ohio where Youngstown has seen better days. It's in the same boat as many other once booming Midwest cities. Gary, Flint, and East St. Louis to name a few. Though none of them ever had the title of Bomb Town, USA given to them. A nickname earned from all the car bombs that killed local mafioso and others as there was a time when this was the most mobbed up / corrupt small town America has ever seen. The name is a play on Bomb City which is what Cleveland was called at the time, for the same reason. We weren't there to collect any debt or anything but rather on a roadtrip out east. As always I found myself fascinated with the history and that which is still left which in this case is very little. A couple of these spots are actually a town over.
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Rip's Cafe

This would the first stop we made on a roadtrip last summer to Pittsburgh. It was lunchtime and we were hungry for some locally loved food. Rip's has been serving the area since 1933 and they're known for their home cooked Eastern European food. As soon as we sat down we were asked "Yinz want a beer" and we couldn't help but chuckle. This place is old school, the type of spot that would be long gone if it was in a city like Chicago. Even so, we were right at home.

a peek inside

The star of the menu here is the "Hunky Platter" which comes with a few Eastern European favorites. Included are potato/cheese pierogi swimming in buttered onion, stuffed cabbage, and Halushki which is noodles and kraut cooked in lots of butter. Both the Cabbage Roll and Halushki were fantastic and honestly I cant remember if the pierogi was amazing or just ok but my mind tells me they too were also really good. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Hunky Platter

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Tringheses' Cornersburg Italian Specialties

Major letdown as I thought I was going to finally be able to try the locally loved Brier Hill Pizza. It's relatively unknown outside of Youngstown but I've been harassed for years now about going to Saint Anthony's to try it. It's basically a crispy thin crust pizza where the cheese, romano, goes on when it comes out of the oven. You can get them with or without sausage and or hot peppers which are grown by the nuns at the church. The same guy has been making the marinara for decades. Friday's only and you gotta reserve your pizza during the week leading up to Friday. Well we were headed thru and it was going to be a Friday so I thought it was finally going to happen only to find out they were taking a three week summer vacation when I called to reserve a sausage/hot. DAMN. Change of plan.

Locally Sourced Hot Peppers

Tringheses' is an old school Italian grocery where you can get stuff to make lunch/dinner or just buy either or there. The shelves were a little bare. I'd heard they have some not so common imports, but aside from a jar of locally sourced hot peppers I bought, I didn't see much that caught my eye. The bakery seemed to be stripped as there wasn't much fresh goods left for purchase. I wanted to try their pepperoni roll, a regional treat in Steel and Coal Country, but they were out. The prepared foods menu changes daily but I ended up with the always available sausage, onion, and pepper mix as the other Friday specials were fish focused. Their Italian sausage was very good and I really liked the little three bite links. The recipe seems to use a ton of black pepper. If you're passing thru the area and in need of a quick lunch you cant find much better or cheaper (less than $5). Though I would say the Hunky Platter is also a really good idea if you got the time.

Sausage, Peppers, and Onion

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Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe

On the rebound home we were just about hot dogged out having done a little tour of the stands in Pennsylvania. Though this place was on the radar so we pulled in for a quick bite. Like so many other eating establishments in town this is a low key spot where one can eat for cheap. I don't have an exact date on this places creation but it's definitely old school despite the newer digs moved into.

Chili Cheese Fries 

In these parts people prefer their hot dogs dressed with chili. So thats what we would order. Usually people eat a few of them as they're smaller sized dogs and the price is something like a dollar and change. We tried an order of chili fries as well as a chili dog. The chili wasn't the best example we tried this trip and the dogs were cheap wieners but the fries were fresh cut and enjoyed.

Chili Dog

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Rip's Cafe
614 Youngstown-Poland Rd
Struthers, OH 44471
(330) 755-0057

Tringheses' Cornersburg Italian Specialties
3381 Canfield Rd
Youngstown, OH 44511
(330) 799-8650

Jib Jab Hot Dog Shoppe
313 S State St
Girard, OH 44420
(330) 545-1129

Five More Sandwiches (Part 3)

-The Sammy's of Chi

It's time for another handful of different sandwiches. Today's feature is on the offerings of the little Latin American / Hispanic sandwich shops found scattered throughout a few Northside neighborhoods. Spots like Logan Square, Ukrainian Village, Humboldt Park, and others in the area are changing but these little shops that supply a reasonably priced lunch for the neighbors mostly remain. There's quite a few of them so this is by no-means a round-up or 'best of' feature. You may even see a second part to this post sometime in the future as there are others I have yet to get to. But in the meantime here's five spots putting out sandwiches with some Latin flare for their regulars.

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Eddie's Sandwiches

Humboldt Park 

Eddie's Sandwiches is relatively new as it opened back towards the end of 2014. Like so many other of these neighborhood sandwich shops they're also frequented for coffee. This means early morning hours and at Eddie's they offer a few different sandwiches that are pretty much good at any time of the day. Nothing crazy or out of the ordinary as far as the options but the pricing is in the $5 range and they come served both hot and cold. I got a ham, egg, and cheese and received a made to order sandwich that was made with care. The bread was better than it had to be and I loved how it was well pressed allowing the cheese to melt into the bread. A fine breakfast sandwich at a very fair price.

Ham, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

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Cafeteria Marcela's

Logan Square

I've driven by here many of times but never really thought of stopping in. Then one day when the taste for a steak sandwich came to me I decided to try it as I happened to be passing by. This place feels like it could be down in South Florida with it's menu which features plenty of dishes steaming behind the glass as well as ice cream. The steak sandwich gets lots of love and it starts out as a piece of raw bistec cooked down with onions and then roughly chopped. The cheap white cheese popular to these types of spots gets melted down entirely which is always a big plus as it releases plenty of cheesy, salty flavor. The type of cheese that goes great with chopped steak and onions. Add a bit of mayo and some lettuce and you got a pretty crave-worthy sandwich with plenty of fans.

Grilled Steak Sandwich

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Irazu

Bucktown 

Located right around the border of Bucktown and Logan Square is one of the areas most popular restaurants. It's favored for it's open air dining during the summer, for it's BYOB policy, and for it's Costa Rican food which has been featured on Diners, Drive-In' and Dives. One of the most popular menu items is the Costa Rican sandwich which comes served on French bread with thinly sliced steak, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard, Lizano sauce. The sauce is a Costa Rican condiment developed in the 1920's made from spices and vegetables. On the side is a cup of green salsa if you want to kick up the spice content. I find myself here at least once a year and usually over summer.

Costa Rican Steak Sandwich

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Kerely's Cuban Cafe & Pizzeria

Logan Square

The Cuban sandwich is also popular around these parts and thus far this one here is my favorite. Kerely's is a Cuban Fusion spot pushing both Cuban food and also pizza. To the best of my knowledge it's just normal style pizza and not the extremely regional Cuban Pizza local to Miami. I thought they nailed the balance process and the sandwich was also well toasted. The pork was obviously roasted in house and had some good flavor but the ham was a tad bit lacking. The latter  also being a common problem in both Tampa and Miami so it's something common all over. All in all hit the spot right then and there. I need to try their ropa vieja sandwich which gets love in reviews.

Cuban Sandwich

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Cafeteria Marianao

Logan Square

I saved my favorite of these French bread filled sandwiches for last. I'm not the only one who loves Cafeteria Marianao which gets packed on the weekends. The ordering process is a bit hectic as there is no line but for the most part people are very civil about it, you just need to get the guys behind the counters attention and then hope they don't forget about you. But your reward is a sandwich that causes me to binge eat here. Its the thin strips of steak that are swimming in mojo marinade before getting cooked and then paired with crunchy raw onions in a similar marinade. Its pressed on a sandwich press with processed cheese that when fully melts really works with everything else. You can get double steak but I think it throws off the balance. It always hits the spot and leaves me wanting more. Hopefully they're here a long time as the neighborhood changes thru the years.

Steak Sandwich

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Eddie's Sandwiches
2721 W Division St
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 698-8874

Cafeteria Marcela's
3503 W Fullerton Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 252-6333

Irazu
1865 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 252-5687

Kerely's Cuban Cafe & Pizzeria
2934 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 394-4040

Cafeteria Marianao
2246 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 278-4533

Formento's

-Weekend Brunchin'

You may not have eaten at Formento's but if you've ever driven down Restaurant Row on Randolph you most likely saw their marvelous neon which is meant to take us back to another time. That time would be when Italian-American restaurants were where all the popular people would hang out at. The type of place the Rat Pack was found at while on the road. I knew Formento's was bringing it from the moment I stepped foot inside of there as the smell brought back memories of long gone Italian-American restaurants and pizza parlors of my youth. Today's post features the brunch part of the menu though I have enjoyed dinner here as well. I just don't have good pictures from then as it's harder to get a good shot when the light is low. Maybe next time in I'll have better light.

Randolph Streets Restaurant Row

The brunch menu here is pretty small but it's efficient. You got a few pasta choices as well as some sweets and breakfast related dishes made with eggs. Starting off with something sweet we love a good cinnamon roll and the ones from here taste as good as they look. Not to mention that one can easily be split among a couple. I might ask for extra sauce next time.

Cinnamon Roll 

Eggs in Purgatory is one of my favorite breakfast dishes, be it Mexican or Italian examples. At Formento's they're doing one with two poached eggs over a bowl full of creamy polenta. They use a pork based marinara that has just the right flavor and consistency to it. Maybe my breakfast plate in the city. More from here when I make it back with some light to work with. See ya next time.

Eggs in Purgatory 

Formento's
925 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 690-7295
Website

Serai

-Grubbing in Chicago
Malaysian Food

We're just a couple months into 2016 but the years big food trend has already been set. Southeast Asian restaurant openings seem to be happening weekly thus far. Today's stop is a spot that's gotten plenty of discussion. Serai opened up on Milwaukee in Logan Square right around the New Year. It bills itself as the city's first pusher of Malaysian Cuisine. There's just one other place in the NW Suburbs where you can taste these flavors so it was kind of a big deal when Serai appeared.

Newly Opened in Logan Square

So far most of the reviews have been positive. LTHforum is where you'll find much of the discussion on the food and for the most part people really seem to like it. In one of the comments the poster mentions that he went with his Malaysian friends and they all agreed it was as good as they've had in the States. One thing most people seem to agree on is the goodness of the Roti Paratha which is a popular Malaysian dish made of flatbread roti served with fragrant curry chicken for dipping. What people also agree on is the fact they don't give you nearly enough roti to enjoy all of the curry. The only way to get more is by ordering another round. Hopefully they can fix this soon.

Roti Paratha 

There's one popular Malaysian dish that I was familiar with. Char Koay Teow translates literally to "stir-fried ricecake strips" and is something I have tried before in the Suburbs. Wok Fried noodles are one of my favorite things to eat so I was sure to try this version which came with tremendous 'wok hei' which is a term for the smokiness a dish can get when cooked in a wok. The noodles were well browned and the inclusion of shrimps and Chinese sausage was perfect. This will be in my rotation.

Char Koay Teow

Last dish I've tried thus far is the Beef Rendang. Another popular plate in Malaysia, I wasn't as in love with this dish I was the noodles but only because I felt the beef wasn't cooked long enough. It took some tussling to tear it apart which shouldn't be the case. That said the flavors were certainly there. Deep hints of lemongrass definitely hit the spot. Serai also has a standard Chinese portion to the menu and people have said they were extra pleased with the product. This made them extra happy since the other options around the area aren't anything to get excited about. All in all this is a great spot for the neighborhood to have and I'm glad the neighbors have taken note. Check it out.

Beef Rendang

Serai
2169 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(872) 206-8368
Website