The best thing I ate today - 12/18

The best thing I ate today was Cod en Papillote with Blood Orange and Grapefruit.  I was inspired to make this when I caught a segment of the Today Show where Bobby Flay prepared this with sea bass and tangerine. The dish was light and flavorful, and the fresh citrus relish gave the fish a deliciously sweet and tangy finish.  The cod worked perfectly (thank you Whole Foods fishmonger for the reco).  Healthy dinners like this make it very easy to keep New Year's resolutions indeed.

The best thing I ate today - 12/18

The best thing I ate today was the homemade dinner of butternut squash and pancetta risotto that my husband whipped up for dinner.  The combination of the bacon, squash and caramelized onions was sweet, smokey and flavorful.  But what really made this dish sing was the fact that it was finished with a sprinkle of love.  Thanks honeybee!

The best thing I ate today - 12/16

The best thing I ate today was at a Shabbat dinner hosted by our friend Merav.  The winner - her roast chicken.  Delicious, moist and perfectly seasoned, she gave Jonathan Waxman a run for his money.  Her recipe was very simple and included garlic, thyme, rosemary and lemon.  This is a must replicate for me this winter (aka roast chicken season).

The best thing I ate today - 12/10

The best thing I ate today was at a new little neighborhood joint the size of a postage stamp - Miko's Flipside.  This place sells homemade Italian ices in the summer and turns into a cozy little soup, sandwich and coffee spot in the winter.  Everything we had here was FABULOUS.  The win goes to my Black Bean soup which was outstanding.  Other honorable mentions go to the chicken chili and the grilled cheese on rosemary bread.  See you very soon Miko!

The Best Thing I Ate Today - 12/8

The best thing I ate today was my homemade French Onion soup.  I had never made this before and was delighted with the outcome.  I was able to achieve the rich, complex onion-beef flavor in just 2 hours of cooking.  I topped it with some french bread croutons and a REASONABLE amount (i.e. not enough to cover the top of a small state such as Rhode Island) of bubbly Gruyere cheese.  Overall, a much healthier way to get that French Onion it without sacrificing too much.

The Best Thing I Ate Today - 12/7

The best thing I ate today was the Stracciatella mousse at Ripasso.  This was the final course during a fun girlfriends' dinner with my friends Anita and Sindhu.  Bummed to hear that they were out of the Pistachio Mousse (http://bestthingiatetodaychicago.blogspot.com/2011/11/best-thing-i-ate-today-1112.html), we opted for Stracciatella instead and it did not disappoint.  It was like taking bites out of a pillowy, ribbony cloud of whipped vanilla and shaved chocolate.  We were in heaven.

The Best Thing I Ate Today - 12/6

The best thing I ate today was a delectable little morsel - Vanilla Caramel Marshmallow from Hammond's Candies.  I am a caramel junkie but this combination was unique to me.  The Fluffy marshmallow was robed in ooey, gooey caramel.  This made for one very delicious bite that you could really sink your teeth into (without your teeth getting stuck).

The best thing I ate today - 12/3

The best thing I ate today was a chocolate peppermint tart at the Lobby in the Peninsula hotel, over afternoon tea at a belated birthday celebration for my dear friend Elina.  It was a perfect ladies afternoon chock-full of girlfriend time, catching up, bottomless tea and lots of edible delights.  The chocolate peppermint tart took on the form of a chocolate cookie crust, filled with a fudgey, minty chocolate ganache, and topped with an adorable dollhouse-sized candy cane.  A sweet treat for sweet friends.

The best thing I ate today - 12/2

The best thing I ate today was the Friday night "let's just stay in" dinner that I made for Marc.  For me, Friday nights are all about comfort food and my go-to for this meal is chicken parmesan with pasta, and molten chocolate cakes for dessert.  The chicken is breaded and baked which gives it maximum parmesan flavor without the extra fried calories.  Our secret sauce is nothing other than bottom shelf Franceso Rinaldi Tomato Basil (who we affectionately refer to as "Francesca"), which we find to taste sweet, fresh and flavorful.  Lastly my lava cake recipe is a throwback to business school where my friend Melissa found the recipe on the Dove chocolate website at the time molten cakes were just gaining culinary traction.  Our comfort food induced bliss was a great start the the weekend.

The best thing I ate today - 11/29

The best thing I ate today was the sweet potato pancake at Snooze in Boulder, CO.  My husband and I became fans on Snooze a couple of years ago while in Denver for a wedding.  I had heard that they expanded to Boulder and there I found myself on a Tuesday morning ready to experience Boulder and hungry for pancakes.  The sweet potato pancake was a little more dense than a regular pancake, which seemed to be the perfect texture to carry the sweet potato puree baked into the cake.  It was topped with a sweet ginger butter which added an additional layer of flavor and buttery goodness.  I only wish this was the kind of Snooze alarm I could hit over and over again.

The best thing I ate today - Special New Jersey Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Thanksgiving!  This year we hit the road (or the skies as the case may be) and visited family in NJ for the Thanksgiving holiday.  3 days in NJ means 3 days to work in Thanksgiving dinner, Thanksgiving dinner leftovers, real bagels, proper NY pizza and Chinese Food that lives above the median.

First thing's first, the Thanksgiving Dinner win goes to my Mom's turkey.  It was juicy, tender and perfectly cooked.  Topped a bit of homemade gravy, this was the top delight of an all-around excellent meal.  Way to go Mom!

Now this New Yorker thought that she had met just about every American Chinese Food offering imaginable...Moo Shu, Kung Pao, General Tso.  But alas, I tried something new in NJ and fell back in Chinese Food love (we have a rocky relationship history due to some bad meals from places that generally have numbers in their names).  The source of love - Won Ton Egg Drop soup.  It combines the best of my favorite Chinese soups and you don't have to compromise.  This particular kitchen had an unusually flavorful egg drop broth and the won tons were perfectly al dente, unlike the many overcooked won tons I have ingested in my life.

Pizza was a bit of a let down.  We strayed from our usual place due to a detour to the mall (hey, it's NJ and Black Friday, how could we not?) and found ourselves at Hollywood Pizza.  Would have been considered "good" if we were in Chicago but it did not deliver the stretchy bubble-filled crust I have come to think of as home.  Serves me right for straying from the unwritten rule of pizza places - they need to end in vowels.

Rounding out the trip were the bagels from Howard's.  Light, fluffy, flavorful and the size of my head is how I would describe these.  A special thanks to my dad for going out to get them fresh the morning after Thanksgiving.  In fact, they were so good that the security officer at the airport pretended that they were are security risk just so that she could try to get her hands on the doezen we packed away to take home.  Not so fast officer, I pulled out my official Jewish bagel eater identity card and we were let off the hook.

Lastly, a special shout out to all of my readers, dining companions (you know who you are) and favorite chefs for making this blog possible.  I am very thankful to you.  Happy Thanksgiving.

The best thing I ate today - 11/21

The best thing I ate today was the burger at Cortland Garage at Trivia Nite.  This neighborhood bar touts their burger (#10 burger in Chicago, according to Chicago Magazine 2009) and it did not disappoint.  And Monday night is the $5 burger special so you really cannot go wrong.  Thick + juicy + topped with tangy smoked gouda cheese and grilled onions = burger perfection.  A special shout out to our friend Nate and his B-school buddies who made us feel part of the group and even let us answer some questions.

The best thing I ate today - 11/19

The best thing I ate today was at the impromptu Friday night dinner we hosted for our friends Susan and Noel.  With Thanksgiving coming up, I had a vested interest in keeping this dinner healthy.  So, instead of going out I made Asian lettuce wraps and one of our old standby dinners was an instant hit with our guests!  The ground turkey and vegetables were nicely seasoned with Asian spices, and fluffy brown rice was the perfect accompaniment.  Best of all, we all saved "points" for dessert and enjoyed Susan's Flirty cupcakes.  It was a sweet end to a sweet evening.

The best thing I ate today - 11/13

The best thing I ate today was a crab cake salad that I enjoyed for lunch.  I made use of the leftover crab cakes I had made for dinner a few nights before.  Tossed with greens, tomatoes, avocado and a homemade Russian dressing, this was a delightful lunch enjoyed alfresco on a 70 degree November Fall day.

The best thing I ate today - 11/12

For the first time in my blog's long history (one and a half years with a brief hiatus) I am truly torn as there was no clear win amongst the two extraordinary delights I enjoyed yesterday.  Both plate-scrapers were creations of the new Ripasso restaurant in Bucktown, the little sister of our old favorite Terragusto.

In the left corner we have their homemade risotto, made with Diver sea scallops and wild mushrooms.  I typically don't even like mushrooms and inhaled every ounce of this.  The risotto was rich without being creamy and perfectly al dente without being too starchy.  I detected a hint of red wine in the broth that made this ridiculously savory.

In the right corner we have the pistachio mousse with white chocolate pistachio-studded bark.  The texture of the mousse was perfect, creamy and luxurious while still being light.  The flavor of the pistachio was outstanding and made this decadent yet refreshing....a perfect way to end the meal.

So what was the best thing I ate today?  I think I'll need to go back again next week to make up my mind :).

The best thing I ate today - 11/11

On this lucky day I was very lucky indeed, to have eaten the grilled pork ribs at Chilam Bilam, which was the best thing I ate today.  After seeing this place win rave reviews on Check Please, and watching the chef on Top Chef this season, we knew it was a must hit and had to get there before the crowds did (for the record my husband Marc put this place on his hitlist over a year ago).  We will did not exactly beat the crowds (this place is a mob scene) but did get "lucky" with only a 5 minute wait at 6pm.  The grilled ribs were served with a finger-licking honey-pasilla chile sauce that was both sweet and bitter-spicy.  A dollop of crema and queso fresco helped to temper the spice and give it some added richness.  The dish really was delicious and unique, as were almost all of the small plates we tried.  I also give an honorable mention to the dayboat catch, which was Mahi Mahi in a delicious pink sauce with bacon, brussel sprouts and purple potatoes.

The best thing I ate today - 11/10

The best thing I ate today was a delightful surprise.  My friend Ildi was coming in from NYC and I planned to have her over for tea.  I found a box in my pantry called "Nana's Apple Cake Mix" from Tastefully Simple.  I honestly have no idea how it got there, but figured I'd give it a whirl.  And a whirl it was because this cake is the BOMB.  Warm, gooey, cinnamony, appley...basically this tastes like Fall home baked goodness.   Makes you feel like you are 6 years old, back in your mom's kitchen.  Go Nana!

The best thing I ate today - 11/8

The best thing I ate today was the Ginger Beef & Pad Thai salad I made for dinner.  This was a unique recipe - ginger marinated flank steak, served over a bed of greens, pickled vegetables, rice noodles, spicy soy ginger dressing and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro. The rich flavor of the beef was a nice contrast with the vegetables and the soy ginger dressing was a flavorful way to bring the noodles to life.  I only call this a "pad thai salad" because it is somewhat inspired by Wow Bao's pad thai salad - there is no classic pad thai curry in this dish.  The dinner was light, delicious and satisfying all at once.

The best thing I ate today - 11/7

The best thing I ate today was the greek grilled tuna steak we made for dinner.  The marinade was simple and fresh - a rub made from oregano (from our neighbor's garden), fresh thyme, EVOO, salt and pepper.  The steak enjoyed a spritz of fresh lemon just before serving and was bursting with so much flavor, I was actually surprised.

The best thing I ate today - 11/4

The win today goes to the Beef & Butternut Chili I made for dinner.  I am a first-timer chili maker and proud to say that the first time was the charm.  The beef was tender and savory and the butternut squash added a nice starchy texture with a hint of sweetness.  I balanced out the chili powder, cinnamon, coriander  and cumin and spice blend with some cocoa powder, brown sugar and chipotle chili powder.  The result was a nice balanced savory, smoky flavor with a touch of sweetness.  Accompanied by cornbread (so delicious it might as well have been cake), this was a great cold weather Fall dinner.