salmon ceviche

A visit to my favorite Chicago Latin/Caribbean restaurant Cuatro, is like a quick jaunt to several different destinations, including Brazil, Cuba and Peru.  The walls are splashed with vivid spice colors including cinnamon orange, saffron yellow and paprika red. Music is always floating throughout the eatery, ranging from top 40 hits, Latin classics and DJ-directed house music. Nestled in the lively South Loop neighborhood, locals regularly fill Cuatro’s bar and tables for tasty Latin/Caribbean dishes. Read More »

Blame it on cabin fever.

I’m reaching my breaking point with winter here in the Midwest. It’s freezing. There’s snow everywhere. I look out my office window to stare at black and white against a gray sky for the 12th straight week. This unrelenting blahness is a real driver behind all kinds of negative behavior in human beings, from job sabotage to snapping at friends and family.

Taj Mahal of salads

And in a really low moment, it forced me to eat at Ponderosa Steakhouse.

We were heading to Mi Amigos, but without any particular enthusiasm. At nearly every restaurant we passed along the route, one of us suggested a change in plans and the other nixed it. We were so out of sorts, I actually said no to O’Charley’s because my bangs need trimming and I didn’t want to run into someone I knew in this condition.

Then as we pulled into the strip mall parking lot, I threw out a challenge: “We could always get a bad steak at Ponderosa and pay way too much for it.” My husband parked the SUV in the front row.

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Profiteroles @ Grill 23 Boston MA

We met friends recently for dinner at the sister restaurant to Post 390 in Boston, Massachusetts. Both our friends and my husband were in the mood for steak and I was happy to go along.  When the temperatures are as cold and snowy as they had been in Boston during our trip, I love finding cozy restaurants with a great menu and warm ambiance. Grill 23 and Bar is such a Boston restaurant about a block from the Boston Park Plaza Hotel and Towers.

As we were staying at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, it was an easy walk even bundled up against the cold winds to the restaurant. Walk into Grill 23 and you will immediately notice the dark wood paneling and depending on the hour, a boisterous after work crowd at the bar. We unloaded our coats with the handy coat check and were quickly seated at our table.

The waitstaff was very friendly but professional and had suggestions for the wine list.  They were able to answer any questions we had about the menu. Grill 23 is a steak and seafood restaurant a la Harris’ Restaurant in San Francisco. We took advantage of this and all four of us ordered grilled meats. Read More »

Boylan's Orange Soda

The Slanted Door is a local favorite for many seeking delicious high-end Vietnamese food, and a restaurant that has been using organic produce and ecologically farmed meat from the start, even now as they open their third “to go” kiosk in San Francisco, California.

Recently I met my brother at the Westfield Center Out The Door, on the lower level near the entrance to Muni and BART. He was in town a few blocks away in the Moscone Center at MacWorld, looking at all the cool tech gear and software.

We met for lunch at Out The Door and this popular lunch place was hopping! Our solution was to grab a seat at their bar, rather than fight the crowds of mall shoppers eating their various meals at the communal tables.

My brother ordered the crispy half peppercorn duck with mixed greens for $19.50. He really liked it and I admired the lack of fat under the skin. Even though it was a large portion, it didn’t stop him from taking some of my lunch.

Did I mention he was my older brother? Always helping himself…though not offering to share his Boylan orange soda. Read More »