summer scaries 2019
Natalie & recent Chicago transplant & world traveler, Megan Perkins, try to soak up every last minute of the dog days of summer #summerscaries2019
The inside of The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club is huge, cavernous even. With several courts tucked on the right and left sides of the room, other games like giant connect four in the middle, and the bar and booths scanning the back wall.
Chrissy teigen cooking Journey
Follow Natalie as she cooks her way through her favorite cookbooks created by twitter legend, Chrissy Teigen #ctjourney
As an Italian-American (and Hungarian, and Irish, and Native, and others - I got layers, guys) I have had many an Italian Sandwich.
In fact, growing up, my mom would make a big to-do on “special” sandwich nights. We would go to the local market deli counter (I’m looking at you, Eurofresh) - and it was always PACKED. We’d grab our ticket number and wait for what seemed like HOURS (it was probably like 10 minutes) to get the most magical items to a child apart from sugary cereals: salami, mortadella, provolone, and, my favorite, capicola (or what my mother would lovingly call coppa).
I do not normally cook chicken. I'm not a big meat, gal (let me holla at you, pasta & cheese) but when I do cook meat, it's usually of the red variety: sausage (to throw into pasta), ground beef (to turn into chili and pour over pasta), or bacon (to. Throw. Into. Pasta.)
I decided to make this the morning after hosting 4 former fraternity brothers of my husband over for drinks (aka when I made the Shake & Bake Chicken & Crispy-Coated Oven-Roasted Sweet Potato Fries). We proceeded to do a midnight taco run, experience the wine that talks to you, and stay up until 4am. I had to work the next day - these are the decisions I make in my life.
I did some serious meal prep to prepare for this: I mixed the marinade & the shaky-bready goodness, chopped the potato wedges, and made the hot honey the night before. I then asked my husband to please, please, please, throw the marinade in with the chicken when he gets home from work (at 4) the next day, so that it would be ready for me to shake when I got home from work (at 8). WHO THOUGHT AHEAD!?!? This gal.
I will say that prep was fast and easy. I rarely work with mint - not a mojito gal - so that was new and a bit odd. I kept expecting the end result to taste like a stick of gum, not the savory goodness of the ricotta and crispy shallots.
“You are hesitant. I can feel it from here.” So starts Chrissy Teigen’s commentary on this recipe. And she was right, I was. I had never made this recipe before today because it sounded…. unappealing? However, I had hot dogs leftover from a barbecue that I did not want to go bad so, into the void I went.
Taco Tour 2016
Natalie & fellow taco enthusiast and ride-or-die babe, Sara Seibt, try to find the BEST tacos in Chicago #tacotour2016
There is so much you can DO with tacos that the possibilities are endless. The only question remains, which are the best? Over the course of 2016, fellow taco connoisseur and ride-or-die babe, Sara Seibt, and I decided to celebrate Taco Tuesday every single Tuesday. We tried 52 different places exactly and have compiled for you what we thought were the very best the city has to offer.
Let me start by saying that I absolutely love a good dive bar. Cheap prices, good food, regular people, ALL. MY. THING. I will take it over something trendy almost any day and I can say that the only problem I have with Loncar's is that it is no where near my apartment
I was STARVING by the time I got to La Chilangueada with fellow taco connoisseur and ride or die babe, Sara Seibt. I was stoked for some slider tacos to make my dreams come true. La Chilangueda a small sit-down place where I got to use my very rusty and embarrassing Spanish. We were served quickly.
First off, El Taco Veloz is adorable. And I mean that in the best way. And I would think it was just as adorable if it wasn't also very close to where I live. It's a sit down place that is very affordable (extremely so) and cash only.
The place is a small and you order at the counter. We got a slew of tacos, some miso soup, and some dumplings because why the hell not? (Disclaimer, miso soup and dumplings will not affect taco score and will only make me happy)
I don't have a whole lot to say about Carniceria Aguascalientes - not for bad reasons - I mean it in the best way. It 100% fills your expectations. It's a small restaurant attached to a small grocery store. We had our pick of tables and it was nice that you could order alcohol, because let me tell you how much I needed a margarita that day.
Okay, for starters. We were really excited about this place. And by we, I mean fellow taco connoisseur and BIRTHDAY GIRL, Sara Seibt, was really excited about this place. It's FISH TACOS, YO! We specifically saved this spot for her. Now, for the record, I was skeptical. It's trendy. It's in Old Town. What the hell does Old Town know about tacos?
Don't be fooled by the OG categorization - although the food itself is classic, the inside is as hip as they make them - colorful with interesting music choices.
While waiting for our Guest Judge we people watched the plethora of hipsters and scratched our head over what radio station could possibly be playing.
Los Gamas Tortilleria, or just Los Gamas, is a little shop in Logan Square. It's a bit confusing when you first walk in - you order at one counter and pay at another and literally everything is in Spanish. I always think my Spanish is solid but then get stage fright whenever I actually want to use it; so, it took me a few minutes to adjust, but, by then, we had already stumbled our way in English through our order and sat down.
Takito Kitchen is a cute little sit down taco place on Division that *GASP* actually celebrates Taco Tuesday and *GASP* has outdoor seating and *GASP* allows dogs!
Unfortunately, the Taco Tuesday special isn't the greatest in the world ($3 tacos) and half off already pricey margs. But it's not the worst either!
Oh, La Principal. I've been curious about the only Evanston location on the list for awhile now. Conveniently located off both the purple line and the UP-North Metra line, this place was surprisingly trendy - though there was definitely an older crowd than most of the trendy places we've gone to that were within Chicago city limits. We were seated in the "lounge" area.
La Cecina is this little restaurant nestled in Back of the Yards. We, once again, took a cab over from the Loop and got there in no time. La Cecina is a sit down restaurant and it was empty when we got there and we were seated right away. There were telenovelas playing on the TV in one corner and a few people in there that seemed familiar with the servers. It definitely felt like a local place.
All the way off the orange line is this little spot called Birrieria Zaragoza. It's a small place that looks like you'd go up to the counter to order, but if you sit, a waitress will take your order. I immediately like the vibe. It's cozy, there was fun music playing, the staff was nice and helpful, and the food came wicked fast.
It also sports a positively adorable patio which was perfect for the sunny day we were having.
The only unfortunate thing about the menu is that you can't mix and match tacos - you have to order an order of the same three tacos. I happened to make a deal with a guest judge, Tyler, to swap a taco with him.
Right in the heart of Little Village is a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant/grocery store: called La Chaparrita. The room is filled with colorful, cheerful decor and just screams charming. I have immediately fallen in love.
Okay, these tacos are huge - and I ordered 2. They were legit bigger than my hand (see photo for reference).
Other than the size, they tasted quite good. We asked for cheese on the side and got some, because the taco itself was just a slab of beef with some cabbage on top. I... personally wasn't huge on the cabbage. You all know I'm an onions and cilantro kind of gal.
We got the steak tacos and there was a very... Mongolian Beef vibe to the tacos. Chinese-Mexican fusion maybe? I don't know. But it was good, I was ultimately satisfied. And surprised too, because this place definitely aims to be cool, however they don't deviate from the standard taco formula, which I appreciate.
The recommended tacos were the Crispy Potato Tacos (Papa Y Epazote) which were a little different in that they were rolled tacos, almost like a taquito. And man - they lived up to their hype. A vegetarians dream, I would imagine.Hell - I’m a meat eater and I would write songs about these tacos. And I don't even know WHAT the sauce was on top but yes. yes. yes.
Okay, first off, I know it's quite the trek to Rogers Park from say.... ANYWHERE in the city. I say that having lived there for 5 years and Rub's isn't even off the Red Line. It's WEST of the Rogers Park Metra station - like at least a 10 minute walk west.
Before we get to the food - the place itself seems fun. There are some tables outside but the inside looks festive as well. For vibe alone, I'd come back. And everybody who worked there was really nice - I walked in prepared to be annoyed at the service - it was crowded and after work so a prime happy hour/happy taco time. But despite how crowded it was the staff was well prepared and we were seated, margaritas in hand, shortly after arriving.
We started off with the Chicken Cemita - which is basically like a taco sandwich. We figured we'd try one because it was the restaurant's namesake. It was... fine. Basically tasted like a taco barfed onto bread - though not a particularly flavorful taco. At this point, we weren't impressed.
This place is a tiny corner place that is sleek and modern, highlighted by it's lime green walls.
There's alcohol here too! Which is a plus in my book. The menu was very cute and aligned like the ‘El’ train map. So, kinda loving the vibe on arrival.
First off, it appears to also sell Italian food and Pizza, which, I mean, ok. One of the best quiches I ever had was from a similar place up in Rogers Park so, no judgement here.
The inside is a little grungy in a I-Wouldn't-Want-To-Take-A-Nap-Here-With-My-Mouth-Open kind of way, but I mean, whatever - THEY WERE OPEN DURING NORMAL BUSINESS HOURS. Not gonna complain.
These are solid. I don't have anything bad to say about them. They were well seasoned and I really enjoyed them. Did they knock my socks off? Not quite. But, if I lived around the corner this would be a go to taco SPOT.
I guess I'll start with the good. The restaurant itself is lovely. Well decorated, clean, BYOB and neighboring a liquor store. I walked in and was like... I could hang out here.
I'm going to keep this one short and sweet. I don't have a lot to say about the place. However, it's not for lack of being able to differentiate it. The place is filled with weird antiques on the floors and walls like the decorator raided a thrift store and dumped it all in one room.
The recommended taco was the Taco Pioneros, which isn't actually like a taco at all. It's basically a platter with steak, bacon, ham, peppers, onions, cactus, and cheese which you then shell into tortillas yourself.
What looks like a small taco shop from the outside is actually a sit down restaurant. Not the trendiest place to look at and definitely a little older. Was it a little grimy in the bathroom? Sure. Was the bar shoddily put together? Sure. Did I care? Not one bit. Actually, all of the above may have added to this place’s charm.
This little supermarket in the heart of Back of the Yards doesn't look like much from the outside - and from the inside too, I guess, for that matter. There's just a couple aisles of food items, a small cold section and an impressive deli, I might add. But the true gem is the small taco grill in the back.
Ramen Tour
As the weather gets cold, the soup gets hot! Join us as we hunt down the best ramen in Chicago. Taking recommendations now. Launching November 6, 2019 #ramentourpnp
Bottomless. Tacos.
Seriously, every Tuesday, for $20, you can opt in for bottomless tacos and grab any server walking by with trays on trays on trays of tacos.