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

It's True...

You may have noticed a thing or two about the Chicago streets lately. I’m not talking about the change from UGGs to flip flops, but something even better. “What could that be?!” says the local. It’s the breakthrough of mobile brilliance: food trucks.

Maybe the ice cream man was onto something, but in the past year we’ve come a long way since the whizzing by of a rocket pop accompanied by an enticing jungle in the summer. Now there is no limit to what’s considered mobile and edible. Cupcakes, meatballs, naanwiches, empanadas, and yes… the mac.

I’m not giving a shout-out to just any food truck. I have my loyalties (namely Flirty Cupcakes and Gaztro-Wagon) but one of them just so happens to be the Southern Mac truck. Besides serving the traditional gouda, this clever splendor dishes up four to five flavors a day of just mac. Sundried tomato and caramelized onion as well as truffle-infused smoked gouda are a few of the daily change-ups sure to visit your office during lunch break soon.

Even better, you don’t have to wait like a patient kid at a lemonade stand for it to come by. Simply follow @thesouthernmac for instant location updates. OR, if you are a true macaronite, tweet at them to show your love. To some it might be sad that I go lengths to plan out my schedule days in advance to be the first in line when it comes to a SouthernMac day, but to others – completely normal. You might be lucky enough (like yours truly) to get a tweet back verifying your loyalty. As my friend Ariel stated one night following, “My God! You’re famous!”

(photo credit The Southern Mac)

http://www.thesouthernmac.com

Insalted

Mark my words, there are plenty of chocolate concoctions in this town. But what’s not to trust about the cocoa bean when it’s featured in the name of the place? Hot Chocolate in Wicker Park lives up to the name. My favorites here are (surprise) chocolate infused, but what also thrills me more about this hub is their specialty of artisan cheeses. It’s a match made in Heaven.

Though the main menu is delightful, go here for the dessert – hands down. The dessert menu is not shy on what’s in the name. Six kinds of hot chocolate (I’m partial to the “medium” hot chocolate made of dark and milk chocolate with a touch of caramel) are more like chocolate soups than drinks. But there’s nothing wrong with that in my book.

Must, must, must order the Chocolate #1: warm chocolate soufflé with a scoop of smooth salted caramel ice cream and a homemade thin pretzel balanced on top. There are two things I love about this. One, it’s edible art and two, it’s not too sweet. The saltiness of the pretzel and snuggled touches throughout the ice cream beg to be eaten with chocolate. I swear that ice cream was scooped out seconds before being plated with a hot spoon, being slightly melted around the edges yet still holding its shape perfectly.

Ok, must tear away before I divulge all secrets and run across the street to satisfy my craving just writing this. Go try it yourself.

(photo credit Mindy's Hot Chocolate)

Mindy's Hot Chocolate

1747 N Damen Ave

Chicago

www.hotchocolatechicago.com

Gold Glory

I figured the very first post deserves to be a good one, so I am sharing with you one of the most under-the-radar, honest to goodness, soul-fulfilling cheese dishes. Taking my number one slot for best mac in Chicago, I present to you: Halsted’s Bar and Grill’s mac and cheese. I dream about this stuff – it keeps me up at night, pushes me through hard days and never leaves the table with a remnant of gooey goodness.

I have to credit one of my besties, Hana, for introducing me to this guy (perhaps this very dish earned her favorable slot in my friendship rank, in all seriousness).

What makes the best mac? It’s all about the creamy factor. No sauce? No-go. None of that baked crispy stuff that leaves the fork clean after a stab. This one is slightly torched on top, but just enough to turn an ordinary cheese layer into a bubbling gold-specked crust. Not too many fancy combos of queso, either- and definitely no bleu or gruyere to overpower a skillet that stands powerful enough on its own. In the heart of Boystown, this one will make your own beat faster.

Warning: Don’t let your cravings disappoint. I showed up on a Friday afternoon to soak up some cheddar, only to face the harsh reality of lunch dining restricted to weekends.

(photo credit Yelp.com)

Halsted’s Bar and Grill

3441 N Halsted Street

Chicago

www.halstedschicago.com