Being a foodie shouldn't mean eating duck fat everything. Gourmet cooking is a treat but everyone should know how to make fast healthy meals. My big problem with pre-made meal programs is that I think they keep people from learning how to cook and thusly making them more apt to buy frozen dinners, and other pre-packaged solutions that aren't as healthy as some others.
Give the person a meal and they'll eat for a day, teach them how to cook and they'll eat forever...
Continue reading "Dinner in 5 minutes." »
Austrian Gruner Veltliner is a fantastic, food-friendly wine, and after having tried a number of Gruner Veltliners (I'll skip the umlaut above the "u" due to laziness) there is one that I consistently find rises above the rest: Lois Loimer by Fred Loimer. Some shops will sell it under $15, and it never has disappointed. Gruner Veltliners tend to have lemon and white pepper flavors, but more importantly Lois has the clarity of flavors and a crispness minerality that others are lacking.
Continue reading "Lois Loimer: Gruner Veltliner under $15" »
Who says eating healthy is expensive. TVP is the great equalizer. The problem is where to get it? Dominick's may have it but nobody seems to know what it is. The Devon Market? Of course they have it. I was on hold listening to Ambrosia's "That's How Much" while they found it. It's 14oz of Soy Salud, "Textured Soy Strips" for $3.99 which hydrates to 3-4 pounds? It's the most cost effective substitute out there. You read online about it and unfortunately get sci-fi descriptions...
Continue reading "TVP: Textured Vegetable Protein" »
Given the number of neighborhoods, nooks, and crannies in Chicago I qualify this list as not being as comprehensive as it could be. Also, some of the shops I have visited not on this list deserve a second look—it may have been an off day or even an off-year but perception is reality in the eye of the consumer. I’ve excluded Sam’s and Binny’s here; both chains are good for buying something if you know exactly what you want, but most of the time I find it much more fun to put your trust in the experts behind the counters of these wonderful independent shops. I am confident the shops on the list are truly worth going more than a little out of the way to visit. Further, some of you may notice nearly all places have appeared in past posts, though I felt some highly subjective rankings were necessary to augment these comments. Comments from readers recommending shops not listed here are truly welcome.
Continue reading "Brian's Favorite Chicago Wine Shops" »
Having a desk job by day and being an avid foodie by night really packs on the pounds. I’ve tried Weight Watchers in the past and it works – eat less, exercise more. The only problem is that you have to write everything down. I tend to start eating the same thing every day just to avoid looking up points.
Continue reading "The Seattle Sutton Experiment" »
Prince Philip of the United Kingdom once said "If it has four legs and is not a chair, has wings and is not an aeroplane, or swims and is not a submarine, the Cantonese will eat it." I heard this quote repeated in our tour, and it's very true in China, especially the southern parts. After returning from China and carefully considering what to write about, I decided not to share all the foods I have tried for fear of retaliation. I decided my life is more important than to have People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals firing a paint gun at me when I'm walking down the street, or worse yet, firebombing my condominium. Needless to say, for the adventuresome there's lots of things to try that can be found easily, such as chicken feet and pig's ears, and snake. Some of the restaurants had horse, dog, and rat available on request. Street markets had chickens and ducks in cages--talk about fresh! Other markets had deep-fried silkworms and scorpion.
Continue reading "Food in China: What's Taboo for You" »
When demand for certain varietals, like Pinot Noir, makes bottles of wine under $20 out of reach, it's nice to know that prices are still relatively low for many Portugese and Spanish blends. Selections from newer vines tend to be under $20 and wonderful everyday wines, including reds, still go for under $10.
Continue reading "2006 Quintas Das Maias Dao" »
I always am surprised at the BYOB folks who crack some insanely good wine with their cheap dinners. Not because good wine is too good for cheap food but shouldn't the quest for good cheap eats should go hand in hand with good cheap wine?
Continue reading "Expensive Wine and Cheap Food?" »
Recent Comments