Happy Holiday

For those unaware, yesterday was a holiday that ranks almost as high as Thanksgiving in my book... almost. National Mac and Cheese Day. And no, I'm not making this up. I admit, I did not know of this day until this year, but now that I do, you can bet it gets a gold star in my planner.

How else would one celebrate other than to have the classic dish itself, but with a deliciously unconventional twist? In one of my previous posts, I talk about the Southern Mac and Cheese truck. Still one of my favorites, they didn't take the holiday lightly either. After discovering they were downtown in an especially accessible location, I took part. Even better, a coupon for free mac at their central hub, The Southern, was included with every purchase. Talk about a celebration.

Since I've had mac truck mac last, they have also branched out to include over 21 flavors and two sizes instead of their double-serving standard. For just $5, I can now get a single-size portion perfect for lunch and even splurge for an extra tub to take home for later. I opted for the truffle infused cheddar and was not left disappointed.

Move over, turkey.

Photo courtesy The Southern Mac Truck

Check out the Mac Truck's tumblr

Best of the West - Part 2: Snow Salads

June in Big Sky averages about 40 degrees. Good thing I thought Papa Wilkes was kidding when he said this was the case a week before. The rafting, ziplining, mountain goats and food made up for it, though. If the meat is so good, wouldn’t the rest be overshadowed? Not in the least. Much of the produce from Montana is grown and served locally, with a few exceptions.

Summer is a great time for roasted asparagus and seared tomatoes that were served as sides to many of our dishes. For one of my pre-dinner salads, I tasted the watermelon salad at the Carabiner Lounge. Very simple, but very full-flavored. Cubed watermelon with slices of thin red onion, basil and mint were drizzled with a light lemony vinaigrette and dashed with salt and pepper. Freshness was the key here.

Watermelon is might be known as one of the most common summer fruits, but with a few extra touches on hand, this one can be made in seconds when it’s too hot outside to cook. That wasn’t necessarily the case with the light snow showers we were in, but I’m not really a believer in letting a few degrees get in the way of a seasonal sensation.

Carabiner Lounge

Big Sky Resort, Big Sky, Montana

Best of the West - Part 1: Buffalo Crossing Ahead

(Above: My first encounter with a real, live, giant bison)

For a post-grad trip, my brave Dad took me on a whole new level of vacation, which naturally turns into a foodcation for any Wilkes. This past week we headed to Big Sky, Montana for outdoor adventures and a nice culture shock for a city gal. The mountains, wildlife, people and food were all fantastic. So fantastic, in fact, that I’ve decided to do a two part series to capture all the devouring that took place over the course of a few days.

You can’t go to Montana without eating meat (sorry vegetarians). Bison particularly is a staple for the west. I got the full immersion seeing herds of them crossing the road in front of me to eating it in a burger and tenderloin. At the Lone Peak Brewery, we ordered up a Triple B (bison, bacon and bleu cheese) and a Bourbon Burger (Swiss and bourbon-soaked caramelized onions) accompanied by a local draft. Maybe it tasted better because of the mountain view, but the denseness and smokiness of the meat was a perfect pair with the toppings. Later we went to the legendary Buck’s T-4 for a bison tenderloin – again, masterpiece. Way leaner than beef, the cut was served medium-rare along with garlic mashed potatoes, onion straws and beets.

I know this is stepping outside my bounds of burgers, but I had my eye on a funky joint called Yeti Dogs visible from our lodge window the whole trip. Apparently this place’s grub was said to rival the Chicago dog, so it was only appropriate that I judged it myself. I also just really like the name. After waiting until the last day and passing a giant wooden yeti on the way in, I was more than ready. I asked for their signature dog, piled with sweet relish, spicy mayo, mustard and sauerkraut (I held the red onions). Mayo on a dog? Weird, maybe, but I like weird stuff. It was a magical, hearty combo that would be perfect after a day of skiing in the mountain village, but even better since I was able to devour it on the first weekend of its summer opening. Comparison to the Chicago dog is still TBD… I might be a traitor if I said anything else.

Lone Peak Brewery

http://www.lonepeakbrewery.com

Big Sky, Montana

Buck’s T-4

http://www.buckst4.com

Big Sky, Montana

Yeti Dogs

www.yetidogs.com (coming soon)

Big Sky, Montana

Ciao, Chevre

This weekend marks the end of an era for me. I’ll be graduating college with a BA, moving onto the real world, saying goodbye to friends, and embarking on a new chapter of my life.

Tonight, it was also unfortunate to say goodbye to one of the best things I’ve had in a while – my Fromage A Trois goat cheese from the Green City Market. Yep, I cleaned out every crumble out of the wrapper after carefully rationing it the past two weeks (which took much self control). “Just go buy more,” some may say, but the cheese stand at the market is a bit of a walk near Lake Michigan and seeing as I am currently job-seeking, I must be extra careful with my cash.

The stuff was worth every single cent, though. At $7.25 for a pie piece-sized wedge, I paid for cheese that was guaranteed raised and handled humanely and made of fresh ingredients. There were several goat cheese flavors to choose from, but I picked the mixed herb. Goat milk culture, rennet, salt, basil, parsley, olive oil and dried tomatoes were the only ingredients listed – nothing foreign, nothing I couldn’t pronounce, nothing fake.

Goat cheese is great because it’s versatile. I topped shrimp salads, baked pasta, peach and tomato salads, crackers, sandwiches and pizza with it. Tonight I polished it off atop grilled eggplant and I was not left disappointed. I may have even eaten it straight by the spoonfuls . . . but who’s to say there’s anything wrong with that.

Meat me at Burger Bar

To be honest, it's rare for me to come across a burger I 100% love without any cheese on it. This weekend I was served up pure love on a bun- short rib on top of a juicy burger topped with fennel onion slaw, or as Burger Bar calls it, Get Shortay. Every bite was the perfect blend of sweet and savory but wasn’t over the top. I don’t think I’ve ever had a burger topped with meat other than bacon – but this was just absurdly deserving of one being of the best out-of-the-box stackers in town.

Pre-beef, I was also graced with a phenomenal dish of peppered bacon mac and cheese. . . Hell-o. No shortage of cheese or noodles. It’s hard to find a place that does a top-notch job of both, but this one was not shy about showing off either side.

Perfect for brew (sizable tabletop dictionary upon being seated!) and burg, you won’t find any typical cheeseburger here.

Burger Bar

1578 N Clybourn

Chicago

www.burgerbarchicago.com

Get Fresh

The start to my farmer's market obsession started two years ago when I studied in Florence. Every day I'd walk around the corner to get fresh bread, cheese, olives and avocados literally as big as your head. Food life just isn't the same back in Chicago until summer rolls around and...

the Green City Market days are finally here! I'm planning to go this weekend to pick up the best in local yums. My fave? Tomatoes and fresh herbs - steal for the money, and go with everything.

Browse through their website below to plan you own outing or just stop by off Clark Street when you have a free minute.

http://www.greencitymarket.org/

Batter Up

There is an occasion when a fry counts as a vegetable, especially when your mother said it was the one thing on your plate you had to eat before being dismissed from dinner. No problem here. The last time I had these was with my own mom in the quaint town of Seaside, Florida this past spring. (And before that, and before that…)

I present to you: Bud and Alley’s sweet potato fries. Extra thick cut and battered to perfection, these come in their own throne of a bowl to accompany any seafood sandwich, so as not to detract from the main dish. They’re almost cut like steak-fries, but definitely not meant to be eaten with just any meat.

I’ve tried many a sweet potato fry in my 22 years, each seeming to claim they are the “best in town!” But these have no official claim to fame, just the secret of the locals who know it’s the only item on the menu that’s a no-brainer aside from seafood. Of course, they are always better with a side of sea breeze and pina colada on Bud’s rooftop deck, but that’s optional of course.

I prefer to dip mine in aioli they are served with instead of ketchup, or even the tartar sauce from my grouper on Kaiser roll.

No doubt these are kid-tested, and more than mother-approved.

(photo credit Susan Vallee)

Bud and Alley's Waterfront Restaurant and Rooftop Bar

2236 East County Road 30-A
Seaside, FL