Things That I'm Into: Sultan's Market

My VERY FAVORITE lunch in the entire city of chicago. I love the crap out of Sultan's.  I can't believe its taken me this long to declare my love strong and loud on this blog. The proper order is a falafil sandwich extra spicy. If you are especially hungry then add a cup of lentil soup. The end.

http://chicagofalafel.com/
There is one in wicker park and in lincoln park. Booyah.

Also, the dudes that work there are rad. 

Things That I'm Into: Pop Up Dinners

Deets and I went to Fritz Pastry for a valentines-themed vegetarian "pop up restaurant."* It had seven courses, five of which were dessert. Yup. The menu was as followed:

Course One: Fennel Soup and Salad Sandwich

Entree: Creamy Polenta and Veggie Ragout

Dessert Amuse: Lemon

Fruit One: Dreamsicle Vacherin

 

Fruit Two: Tropical Fruit Tapioca

Chocolate One: Black Forest

Chocolate Two: Chocolate Cereal

 

 

 

Mingardises: Four bite-size reminders of the flavors we had above.

 

All in all, it was amazing, and I really liked the pop-up dinner experience. It wasn't too expensive ($40) for how much food it was and how good it was, it was BYOB, and it had a fun experimental-ish vibe. Plus, it was the day before valentine's day, so on the actual day we could make a HEART SHAPED PIZZA.

 

Cause what says love more than a heart shaped pizza?

* A pop up restaurant, according to Mr. Howard Portney of NY Restaurant Examiner, is explained on the interwebs as: "So far as I know, the term pop-up originated in San Francisco, with the restaurant Lung Shan, in the city's Mission District. Most days, Lung Shan is a nondescript Chinese restaurant that does a hum-drum business, but two days a week it metamorphoses into Mission Street Food, a serious restaurant with serious chefs cooking for serious customers. Such an arrangement creates a venue for aspiring young chefs, who can ply their trade without the monumental investment that starting up a restaurant normally entails. Pop-ups not only provide a stage for talented chefs but inject needed lifeblood into struggling restaurants whose kitchens are underused much of the time." Link here.

Things That I'm Into: Snowboarding in Chicago

How cool/terrifying is this?


SNOW-SHREDA-MAGEDDON from RUBBISH on Vimeo.

Amazing.

(via TOC)

Things That I'm Into: After the Blizzard

The next morning, after receiving word that it was a SNOW DAY at work (hallelujah!), Deets and I set out doing some post-storm exploration. Unfortunately, Blisstal did not bring us any cinnamon rolls before we set out. Totally unfair.

Our street.

Our car.

More street.

Some brave souls had shoveled narrow walk ways out to the main streets. 

Reporters were on the scene!

The lake looked otherworldly.

Some poor - but lucky- folks crashed right before heading into the lake.

Lake Shore Drive was closed, so Matt got to pose in the middle. 

Kids got to ride on sleds. 

And we finished out the day with some card games and beers at a bar with a fireplace.

Definitely into blizzards.  

Things That I'm Into: Awaiting a Blizzard

We are hunkering down and preparing for almost TWO FEET of snow with a) cinnamon tea, b) furry slippers, and c) multiple episodes of the first season of "The Wire." Could be worse.

(the wire image from here)

Things That I'm Into: Sports Mascot-Shaped Cookies

The Bears lost anyway. Oh well. Viva los Packers!

Things That I'm Into: Raclette

Okay, so imagine a deliciously creamy and salty cheese with the perfect amount of flavor. Then imagine that it was slow cooked over a camp fire so it got all deliciously melty and some of the bits got wonderfully crispy. Then imagine this cooked cheese was put on a sandwich with fresh baked bread and served with a stone ground mustard and pickles.

Pastoral Cheese shop in Chicago makes this sandwich, which they dub the "Raclette N Roll." This is how their blog describes the cheese making process:

Raclette has its origins in the southern part of Switzerland, but the name is based on the French word racleur which means “to scrape.” The first people to discover the deliciousness of this cheese in melty form were the cow herders who worked high on the mountains. For dinner they would take some Raclette and warm it by the fire until it turned soft and gooey. Then they would scrape the cheese on to foods like potatoes, pickles, or charcuterie. See http://pastoralartisanblog.com/2011/01/19/raclette-week-is-here/.

Here are some pics of the sandwich before it was devoured:

You probably can't even imagine how delicious it is, so I'll just tell you. AMAZING. This is definitely the best new sandwich I've been introduced to since 2004 when I was introduced to the Bay Cities Caprese in Santa Monica, CA. Best sandwich in SEVEN YEARS, people!

You can get it at Pastoral, on Broadway and in the Loop and at Union Station through March 31st. (If I was a better blogger, I would link, but you guys all know how to use google.)

Viva la Fromage!

Things That I'm Into: My Street in Winter

It's so peaceful, I love walking out in the morning on the way to work after it snows.

Plus, if it snowed that means it is relatively warm, not like the nightmare weather we are getting at the end of this week. (High of 8 DEGREES on Friday. SRSLY.)

Things That I'm Into: Lego Men on Michigan Avenue

Lego Indiana Jones is totally my favorite. 

Things That I'm Into: Public Notice

This site-specific installation (Public Notice) is at the Art Institute on the grand stairs right now and it is really cool. Unfortunately, I went on free thursday which meant it was too busy to linger and take it all in. I'd love to be there on an uncrowded weekday and be able to read the whole thing.  Oh, funemployment, how I miss you!!

I thought Deets would be into it too because it is a transcript of a speech and he's into rhetoric and all. He wasn't that impressed. Guess you had to be an art history major to truly appreciate the finer things...

ps sorry for the absence. lost my computer cord.
pps just kidding, I was actually just being lazy.

Things That I'm Into: Hancock Tower, Two Different Angles

Can you believe they are putting in an ICE SKATING RINK on the 94th Floor? Srsly.

photocredit: me! on my phone that is not a traditional flip phone.

Things That I'm Into: Music + Skyline

Lollapalooza 2010 (Sunday): Mumford & Sons, Yeasayer, Frightened Rabbit, MGMT, The National, Arcade Fire

Hot, sweaty, too many people. But also so so fun. Arcade Fire was probably my best show of 2010 so far.

Things That I'm Into: Rootops; Sunrises (doubly whammy)

Sometimes staying up to see the sunrise on a roof deck after a night out isn't a bad way to end a weekend. 

Trying not to make it a habit though.

Things That I'm Into: Community Garden/Lunch Spot

This community garden is somewhat near* my new work. I've been eating my lunch here occasionally, and I'm pretty into it.  I wish we could get a plot here, but unfortunately (though it makes sense) you have to live within five blocks, which we certainly do not.

 

I like having good outdoor options to eat my lunch, especially after last year working in LA in a building surrounded by no sidewalks.

* I say near because the exact physical location of my new job is a SECRET not just from the internetz world but also from my friends and family. Apparently I can talk about it generally, but not the exact address. Seems a little overkill, but they are worried about security and they probably know what's up, so...

Things That I'm Into: Chicago Skyline at Night

I know it's kind of cheesy but I can't help staring at the Bean whenever I go by it, especially at night. 

Things That I'm Into: Backyard Parties

Our downstairs neighbor throws a HUGE pride party every year in our backyard.  It was great hanging out, meeting some cool peeps, looking at awesome outfits, and occasionally escaping to our air conditioned apartment to survey the scene from above.  There are five units in our building, and I think all of our building mates are really chill and interesting people.