The best thing I ate today - 5/9

Every now and then you just need to have a night where you throw calories to the wind and just indulge. This was one of those evenings. We checked out the new DMK Burger Bar where the best thing I ate today was definitely my burger. I ordered the #1, which came dressed with cheddar cheese, bacon, balsamic marinated onions (yes!) and a fresh dinner-roll inspired bun. The parmesan truffle fries were noteworthy and we shared a vanilla bean milkshake to wash it all down. DMK...OMG.

The best thing I ate today - 5/8

We were lucky enough to be invited to dinner at at friend's house and the best thing I ate today was Merav's lamb stew. She recreated her mom's recipe. Now I have never had her mom's stew, but if this even came close I am on the next flight to Monsey. The lamb was fall-apart tender and had a nice smooth flavor. Challah bread to soak up the broth was the perfect accompaniment. A perfect evening with great friends. Thanks guys!

The best thing I ate today - 5/7

If we are cooking on a Friday night I like to do something I little inspired. And this Friday night I drew my inspiration from an upcoming trip to LA, where I can think of nothing else besides Crustacean's garlic noodles. So, I set out on a google journey to find like-minded garlic noodle enthusiasts who had attempted to recreate this dish and publish a recipe. Let me tell you reader(s), we came very close. I attempted to round out the dish with some shrimp and vegetables. I was able to get the same addictive sweet & savory, buttery garlic flavor from the sauce and my husband quickly became a convert. Now I am off to my Crustacean shrine to prepare an offering for the garlic noodle gods for making it possible to bring a little bit of LA restaurant inspiration to an otherwise uneventful Friday night in Chicago.

The best thing I ate today - 5/6

The best thing I ate today was a roast beef sandwich on a pretzel bun from Blue Plate catering. It was your standard corporate boxed lunch catering fare, but I found my sandwich to be especially enjoyable due to the combination of tender roast beef with the doughy bun.

The best thing I ate today - 5/5

The best thing I ate today is the dessert I am eating as I write this. Diced fresh strawberries topped with a dollop of creamy vanilla Chobani and a sprinkling of crunchy banana granola. Not the strawberries & cream of Wimbledon, but it works for me.

The best thing I ate today - 5/4

The best thing I ate yesterday was the dinner we cooked. I made panko crusted chicken with a side of dipping sauce. It had the crunch of fried chicken without the guilt.

The best thing I ate today - 5/3

The best thing I ate today was the pork tenderloin that we grilled for dinner. With just a mere hour in the highly coveted (in our household) Stubbs pork marinade, it presented itself with a delicious flavor. Just a bit Asian and just a bit BBQ with a hint of citrus. My husband grilled it to perfection so it was perfectly pink and juicy in the center. Yup, I am a nice Jewish girl who loves her pig.

The best thing I ate today - 5/2

The best thing I ate today was the homemade pasta sauce we made for dinner. It is my signature creation, which is a light sauce made out of sweet onions, diced tomatoes, squash and garlic. It is served over a bed of fettuccine, with medallions of fresh mozzarella (G-d's gift to cheese), topped with some parmesan cheese and a sprinkling of fresh basil. I call this my farmer's market dinner, because you can usually procure all of the ingredients at the Sunday Farmers Market. A tasty end to a satisfying weekend. Ahhh.

the best thing I ate today - 5/1

Tonight I had the pleasure of dining with my husband and good friend Amy at the Hearty Boys' new restaurant, Hearty. To decide what was the best thing I ate, is most certainly a challenge, because everything each of us ate from top to bottom was scrumptious, including the service and a visit to the table from celebrity chef Dan Smith. But alas, the best thing I ate was my entree, the beefaroni, which was pulled braised short ribs, elbow macaroni, roasted squash and shallots in a merlot reduction so addictive that I thought about asking if they could box-up the leftover sauce for me so I could freeze it into ice cubes and cook with it. Hearty Boys, I heart you.

The best thing I ate today - 4/30

Tonight we dined at Folklore in Wicker Park. This is a beautiful, sexy new restaurant from the makers of Tango Sur. However, they really kicked up ambiance a notch and I dare to say that this is a restaurant that practically hands out sexy restaurant goggles at the door. The effect - turning your "give him/her one more try" date into someone you think want to spend the rest of your life with.

I had the half grilled lemon chicken, on the bone. It was excellent, almost elegant in its simplicity. The spinach mashed potatoes were a nice, colorful (I mean GREEN) accompaniment, if not a bit bland.

Ahhh, the lure of Folkore.

The best thing I ate today - 4/29

It was an uninspiring food day. The best thing I ate was a steak that we put on the grill. Thank you Jewel for putting your filet mignons on sale for $4 a piece. A good dinner, but not life changing.