Now that there's a new Batman movie out and all, how about we go retro with a look back at McDonalds' Batman Happy Meals from 1992?

McDonalds' Batman Happy Meals [YouTube]

A little cheap receipt humor for your Friday afternoon? Sure, why not! Most of these are pretty base, but oh well. Enjoy!

• Sticky Rice w/ Mango, via Aysha Photography:

It gets much worse after the jump...

Continue reading "Receipt Follies: Abbreviated Entertainment" »

This cheeseburger dress is the coolest thing that's ever been knitted. The artist, Joy Kampia O'Shell, has created several of these one-of-a-kind pieces, and they are the real thing (i.e., wearable). Could you imagine actually sashaying into a burger joint with this on? Let's take a stab at it:

Places Where This Dress Would Help

• Hamburger Mary's would probably let you eat and drink free for the night, or possibly even join the stage show. You'd be signing autographs left and right! Extra points here for creative stowage of your pickle

• Kuma's Corner has a notoriously long line during peak times...unless you were wearing this dress. Because you know what? Dressing as your dinner is pretty f'n metal. The waitresses would clear a berth for you at the bar, and maybe someone would even whistle appreciatively! Probably better to be a lady for this one, though — metal has its limits

Places Where This Dress Wouldn't Help

• Boston Blackies' touristic clientele might think you were a charming fixture of Chicago cosmopolitanism, and the sports fans glued to the big TV in the back might not even notice your presence. But the suburban children milling about the place will call as much attention to you as their whiny little voices and flailing limbs allow them. You may not get the best seat in the house

• Billy Goat Tavern Original at least gives you a chance at making the papers, but not in a good way

On the whole, we say, worth it.

[Photo: Joy Kampia]

In the summer, ice cream trucks and carts are an indelible part of the urban landscape, dispensing joy and annoying music everywhere they see fit to berth. Chicago has a wide variety of these vessels, as the following photos illustrate:

• Summer dreams, via Hello ChateauHo:

More licks after the jump...

Continue reading "Photo Essay: Chicago's Ice Cream Carts And Trucks" »

It is your patriotic duty to eat barbecue at some point this weekend. Perhaps you'll do so at a party with friends and family, but failing that, we've compiled a slideshow of worthy barbecue from around the city, and nearby parks where you can picnic. The park photos are from Microsoft's new Live Maps "Bird's eye" feature; hopefully they won't sue us for using them!

Rib tips from Honey 1 BBQ, via andrewc:

Humboldt Park is a short drive away:

Three more pairings, after the jump...

Continue reading "Viewing Pleasure: Barbecue And The Parks In Which To Eat It" »

In honor of National Waiters and Waitresses Day, we present "Waiters Who are Nauseated by Food," a skit from the Dana Carvey Show featuring Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell way back in the mid-1990s. On this day in which we honor those who bring us our food in restaurants, let's all thank God that they don't act like this pair.

Waiters who are Nauseated by Food [YouTube]

Recently, the Chicago Diner celebrated its 25th anniversary, doing justice to their slogan "Meat Free Since '83." Let's celebrate with a spread of tasty vegan dishes available right now around Chicago!

• "Sausage" and "Egg" Biscuits ($7.95) at Chicago Diner, via peace.love.vegan:

• "Meatball" sub ($6.29) and chili cheese fries ($3.99) at Veggie Bite, via jessi-girl:

• Stuffed Mushrooms ($8.00) at Karyn's Raw Vegan Gourmet, via cbrowncolors:

• Vegetables Combo at The Elephant, via minvervah:

• Slash cupcake ($3.50; probably gone but if enough of you ask, maybe they'll make it again!) at Bleeding Heart via The Bleeding Heart Bakery:

No one ever said vegan needed to be healthy. Or attractive. Or involve vegetables. But it's usually at least one of those things!

Anyway, maybe try skipping meat for one meal this weekend? It's better for the environment and all that.

That Army & Lou's sign was lovely, wasn't it? Here are a few more charmers:

• Stella's Diner, by swanksalot:

• Won Kow, by Uh ... Bob:

• Weber Grill by bigdadjoel:

• Glenn's Diner by amandaurzin:

The amazing part is, all these were posted to flickr within the past 5 days.

Okay, have a good weekend. Maybe take a picture!

Things you know about Myanmar/Burma:

1) On May 3-4, the country's Irrawaddy delta region was hit by a powerful cyclone, killing 22,500 and leaving over 40,000 missing as of publication time (nationwide population: 55 million)

2) Last fall, the ruling military junta cracked down on widespread, monk-lead demonstrations, leading to the political imprisonment of hundreds and quashing hopes of a democratic revolution

3) Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel prize-winning democracy activist, has been under house arrest there for much of the past two decades

Things you may or may not know about Myanmar/Burma:

1) "Myanmar" is a pre-colonial name that the junta encourages you to use, and "Burma" is the somewhat racist colonial appellation that Aung San Suu Kyi prefers, because one really sticks it to the junta that way

2) Until a few days ago, Burma — let's just go with that...stupid junta — was a net exporter of rice, but the country's rice bowl (this is an official term) was storm-surged into oblivion. Maybe China will give them rice?

3) Burma is shunned by most of the world for its human rights violations and narcotics-based export economy. The junta is reasonably good friends with China

Things you don't know about Burma:

1) The junta is being pretty cagey about taking aid from the international community, but you can donate through the Anglican Relief & Development Fund

2) Burma has a unique and wonderful cuisine that's hard to find in the United States but always a joy to come across. It's a natural fusion of Indian, Chinese and South-East Asian traditions, meaning you can get chicken biryiani, durian ice cream and night market rice noodles in a single sitting if you so desire. They even have their own form of tofu, made from chana dal (split, skinless chickpeas) or yellow split pea flour, depending on the ethnic group. Better than soy-based tofu? In many ways. You like dumplings? The Burmese have half-a-dozen indigenous varieties to try. And so forth.

For us, though, the single biggest achievement of the Burmese kitchen is its myriad and exotic salads. Thai salads are more famous, but the Burmese do a job at least as sophisticated throwing raw and pickled vegetables and miscellany together into something greater than the sum of their parts. Observe:

• Pork Ear & Tongue Salad from the recently closed Burmese Cafe in Queens, NY (Jane! Jane! Jane!):

• "Burmese Feast" Tofu Salad from Golden Triangle in Whittier, CA (Tales of an LA Addict):

More salads than you could properly digest, after the jump...

Continue reading "The Salads Of Myanmar/Burma: A Timely Appreciation" »

So we called NoMI and got in touch with the pastry chef and was like, "WTF is this?"

And he was French and very nice but also like a lockbox. He confirmed that those gorgeous half-sun wedges are grapefruit (for a moment we thought they were tuna sashimi), and that they're sitting on top of a rectangular prism of basil crème brûlée, but the crumble in between is the greatest mystery since..."Why French Women Don't Get Fat." We know it's some kind of biscuit, i.e. cookie, but exactly what variety is unclear. We're thinking maybe lemon, because that would totally go. Meanwhile, the flutter of whimsy on top is coconut tuile. The dessert is a not-unreasonable $10, and a light and bright way to end a lovely meal.

Mostly, though, we're just suckers for high-quality photography involving fruit.

NoMI [MenuPages]
NoMI [Official Site]

[Photo: Pecan Sandies/flickr]

An intrepid reader, doubtful of our matzo shortage claims, took this damning photo at the Dominick's on Roosevelt and Canal. The barren shelves! What a powerful visual metaphor.

But there's a secondary scandal: the particular box of matzo you see pictured is Streit's Onion-Poppy Moonstrips, which, according to Serious Eats, aren't even Kosher for Passover! A shande, truly.

We mostly like the framing of this, but also — sweater aside — it's hot out! Margarita time! Woo!!!

This particular specimen comes from Tecalitlan in Ukie Village for $6.20. A regular with lime is $5.50, but the very nice young woman who answered the phone when we called recommends the raspberry, her favorite. For our part, we always get plain because the fruit flavors are just sugar, and then we get a headache. When it comes to margaritas, though, you can do whatever your heart desires.

Have an uproariously enjoyable weekend!

Tecalitlan [MenuPages]

[Photo: allwood/flickr]

We're not positive we'd actually like this cupcake, but we're sure glad we've seen it, and we bet it appeals to at least some of you. Texture combinations aside, this looks like something out of Wonka or the Nutcracker, or maybe Marie Antoinette. The aesthetic is whimsy, but the reality is much starker: there are only three of these left at Bleeding Heart Bakery, where Michelle Garcia dreams up all manner of limited-time cupcakes that rotate in and out of the line-up. All cupcakes at Bleeding Heart are $3.50, but for your money you get something 1) unique 2) attractive and 3) organic.

Anyway, if popcorn's your thing, you know what you have to do.

Bleeding Heart Bakery [MenuPages]
Bleeding Heart Bakery [Official Site]

[Photo: Bleeding Heart Bakery/flickr. They put their cupcakes photos online. Why doesn't every restaurant do this?!]

There's some weird stuff going on in restaurant kitchens these days. In the video (which should be edited down to, say, three minutes, but is still interesting — just ignore the annoying blond woman), chef Stuart Sage of Tang in Dubai demonstrates how he uses liquid nitrogen like a deep fryer to cook food — in this case, a tomato espuma — at ridiculously cold temperatures.

What freaked us out was how he scooped the espuma out of the bowl full of liquid nitrogen and immediately presented it to the woman. We'd be terrified to eat it, for fear that our tongue would immediately freeze and break into 100 pieces, and then how would we taste food. (Shudder.) Of course, the nitrogen had likely evaporated at that point, and besides, we breathe it in and out every day, right? Still. Just a teensy bit scary.

Restaurants - Cooking with Liquid Nitrogen in the Real World [YouTube]

Potatoes are a terribly versatile starch; you can mash them, smash them, fry them, scallop, dice, puree, bake, roast, gratinate, chowederize and latkefy them...they take well to almost any preparation. Now that the UN Food and Agriculture Organization has decided that they are the food of the future by dint of their caloric yield per acre (a critical metric in an era of unmitigated cereal price spikes), there will be opportunity for even more permutations of potato dishes, like some of these exotic specimens:

"Tornado Potato" — as purchasable on the streets of Seoul (superlocal):

After the jump, spuds galore!

Continue reading "Potatoes: Feeding The World In Their Many Guises" »

Last we checked in with Szalas, it was because an Omnivorous feature was designed specifically to accommodate the restaurant. To whit:

The restaurant round-up that follows Omnivorous this week is "Twenty-four restaurants south of 52nd Street," so themed because Gary is...south. But why 52nd street in particular, we wondered? A quick check of the addresses reveals the northernmost restaurant to be Szalas, a Goralean restaurant in Brighton Park. Come again? They're Polish highlanders, they eat veal goulash, and on the weekends, they dance. If the column was named to accommodate this particular restaurant, you know it must be good.

Right or wrong, Polish food is simply not a cuisine we expect to pay a lot of money for; Chinese and Mexican are also in this category. Thai and, say, Greek, are not anymore, because the gentrification of Thai and Greek food have inured us to $15 and up entrees. Which is not to say there aren't plenty of places to get delicious and cheap Thai and Greek food! But we're fine paying a little or a lot for either. Of course, Chinese and Mexican have been making inroads, too — witness Shanghai Terrace and Topolobampo.

As for Polish food, though, there's really only one "expensive" Polish restaurant in the area (Lutnia). This doesn't need to be the case! Any cuisine can be elevated to gourmet heights; all it takes is one enterprising and aesthetically gifted chef. But that hasn't happened yet in Chicago, which is why a $15.50 entree at Szalas is jarring. But hey, if they can get away with it — and again, this looks pretty tasty — more power to them.

Okay, have a good weekend then!

Szalas [MenuPages]
Szalas [Official Site]

[Photo: cohodas208c/flickr]

Lito's Empanadas, operating out of a little storefront in Lincoln Park, has built a nice reputation for itself since it opened late last year. We're happy to see a family-run place that decides to offer only one thing, and does a really good job at it.

Look how positive MenuPages reviewers have been!

Make it a point to get to Lito's. Lito's is a very small, sparkling clean place which has a few window seats for dining in. Much of their business seems to be take out. The empanadas which are fabulous, travel well and stay warm. Try my favorites: beef,olives,rainsins, rice or the beef and rice. My ultimate favorite is the choco-banana. The empanadas are inexpensive -a wonderful deal for the money. The owner and his wife are very friendly. These would be great to take to a party. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by. If you are not in the neighborhood, make it a point to get there. I am convinced you will not be disappointed.

Lito's empanadas range from $2.09 to $2.29 (regular unleaded, premium unleaded circa 2005?), with the beef and rice smack in the middle at $2.19. Which is a bargain, compared to how empanadas are priced elsewhere around town. Que Rico! does two cheese and spinach empanadas for $6.80 (but we didn't want two!); Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba's are $5.25 a pop for your choice of chicken or beef; and it doesn't get much better from there. No, Lito's is pretty unique in what it's doing — if you've never had an empanada before, this is a good place to start.

Lito's Empanadas [MenuPages]

[Photo: R.A.M.O.N.E./flickr]

We are so happy that baseball is back. We managed to get tickets to Opening Day at Dolphin Stadium; the Marlins lost to the Mets (boo!), but it was still a great time.

To celebrate, we thought we'd present a photo essay of ballpark food from each of our cities. We've actually visited and eaten in each of the parks listed, except for the two in the Bay Area. We'll start with our favorite: Philadelphia.

Citizens Bank Park

We hate the Phillies. But we think their ballpark is great, and we love the fact that we can get a Tony Luke's roast pork Italian sandwich for about the same price as at the restaurant. Whenever we go to a game there, we arrive early to get our sandwich before the game starts, because by the third inning, the place is mobbed.

Continue reading "Ballpark Eats: A Photo Essay" »

Today is the only day besides Halloween when we purposefully make our food appear to be something that it's not. Ironically, unlike on Halloween, April Foods deceptions are actually intended to "trick" the targets rather than simply gross them out. Since the attempts usually aren't that convincing, we settle for mild amusement. To whit:

• "Grilled cheese sandwiches" by seachelle323:

• "Dessert sushi" by Dot D:

Many more appetizing simulacra await you after the jump...

Continue reading "April Foods' Day!" »

Next time you find yourself at West Side soul institution Edna's, pass on the peach cobbler (which is amazing, by the way), and try a slice of coconut cake instead. A monster hunk is $3, and the cakes are, of course, homemade. If you were wondering where Chicago's highest concentration of trans fats was located, look no further. But totally worth it!

Edna's [MenuPages]

[Photo: Made in Mississippi]

With respect to the previous post, the only one that we found actually funny was Honey Bunches Of Goats. The bees were also amused:

Apparently, this was not premeditated (on the part of the beekeeper). Ain't that some sh*t?

[Photo: hydraxis/flickr]

p.s. and then we ended up on LOL bees, which only kinda works

Guess the thing:

We'll tell you tomorrow, but please to write in with your ideas. Correct identifications will be noted. Hilarious identifications will be lauded!

This Croque Madame from Sixteen (which, by the way, was incorrectly spelled "Croque Madam" on the menu they emailed us) is as billed - a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with a fried egg on top.

Want to know how much they charge for it?

FIFTEEN DOLLARS. We are not offended by much, price-wise, but come on. $15? You can sprinkle it with as much thyme and paprika or whatever as you want, but it's still a pretty anemic-looking platter for what would also buy all-you-can-eat Indian buffet for two at Sher-A-Punjab, for all intents and purposes. The photographer, dane brian, captioned his photo with, "pretty pretty good.. the fried egg was a little much, but it was still great." We say, a single egg is a pittance for the money; and doesn't the whole thing come off as looking a little dry and sad? Compare to what is, admittedly, the most appetizing Croque Madame we've ever seen, just under $13 from Green Grocer in Melbourne, Australia:

Now are you offended? Good. Obviously you're paying for the sixteenth floor view and the Trump power trip, and there are lighting issues with the photography, but still, we are not impressed.

Sixteen [MenuPages]
Sixteen [Official Site]
Green Grocer [Official Site]

[Photos: Croques Madames at Sixteen (dane brian/flickr) and Green Grocer (Wodetzki/flickr)]

The world is generally a horrible place, but we can at least take some solace in the fact that the first few digits of pi, 3.14 specifically, correspond to today's date of 3/14. Basically, though, any excuse for a pie slideshow will do. These pies were all photographed in Chicago, many of them orderable at local restaurants. There seems to be a wintery theme to the pie fillings, except for one in the middle that reminds us summer is sort of around the corner! Enjoy.

• Pie Day! Vlad Lazerian:

• Coconut cream pie at the Golden Nugget Pancake House, Kim Scarborough:

• Key lime pie at Mity Nice Grill, jellybeanjill13:

• Turtle pie at Gibson's Steakhouse, Stitcher:

• Pumpkin pie on a fork in Chicago, Euro Joe:

• Blueberry pie at Zingarella, Glenview, jellybeanjill13:

• Red wine and poached pear pie at First Slice, tympan:

• Peanut butter crunch pie at a Border's in Chicago, lorilea:

• Chocolate chip pecan pie at Dine, Zesmerelda:

• Found Chocolate pie on the streets of Chicago, CPW!:

Right. Have a "filling" weekend.

Hilarious. You know, there can be a lot of fun in translation. Just ask the folks at Engrish. But rarely do you get a gem of this caliber. Ass-hot chicken? You know it! A plate of ass steak? Nothin' butt! (sorry-that was cheeky) Too bad there's no Ass hot dog up there. Ah, the golden age of film...

Anyway, here's why this exists: It's a menu for a burger stand in Quebec, where they speak Franglais. "Ass" stands for "assiette," which basically means "assortment plate," according to Neatorama. But dude, by this time they have to know how funny it is. You got to hand it to them for the sheer commitment. "Ass 2 pain?" We bet.

And what's with the soft-porn lamp hanging down there on the right? That thing deserves a menu board all its own.

Ass Burger! [Neatorama]
Title Credit: Adam P

This? Is awesome. Thank god somebody over at Required Eating keeps up with Improv Everywhere, because we don't, or at least we haven't been (Welcome to day one), and there's a chance we would have missed this fantastic video. The so-called spontaneous musical takes place in a Los Angeles shopping mall, which is in on the joke and rigged with hidden cameras. The music, according to IE, is piped in through the mall's sound system. Watch and marvel, then click over to IE to get the inside scoop on how they did it.

Food Court Musical [Improv Everywhere]
'Spontaneous' Musical Performed in Mall Food Court [Required Eating]

The drink tastes a bit like barbecue sauce.... The short rib hash was delicious, but greasy. The basket of donuts, and especially the short bread cakes with jam, were strong. Observed 1 friend adore her market inspired (sweet crab) eggs Benedict. While, another complained of a bland root vegetable omelet.

No wait, nice service, a bit like slipping into an old smoking jacket.