XoCo – Chicago, IL

My need to NOT be that guy who writes headlines like “XoCo is LOCO” is in a constant internal struggle with the guy who on occasion loves such incredibly horrid word play.  But Chef Rick Bayless has earned a little more respect on this page than horrible puns and easy rhymes the 10-year-old stuck inside [...]

Indian Garden – Snapshot Review

Spicy. Spicy. Spicy.  That about sums up Indian Garden. I could eat the pakora by the plateful. It’s like the popcorn shrimp of the vegetarian world.  Always crisp, never greasy.  As I mentioned, everything has a kick.  From the saag paneer to the aloo gobi.  By the time we were done, I was convinced my [...]

Fritz Pastry Press Release

Oh look, a Fritz Pastry press release.  Why yes, it was written by me. For Immediate Release CHICAGO, IL — There’s something to be said for good food that’s also affordable.  Too often nowadays, niche bakeries and cafes are moving towards the “couture” or “boutique” end of the spectrum, without looking back at the rest [...]

A Very Fritz Pastry Q&A

I met up with Elaine Heaney, Nathaniel Meads and Jared Nance, the partners behind Fritz Pastry, a couple weeks before their grand opening to talk about a variety of topics, including why they decided now was the time to open up their own café, their history in the food industry, and who would win in [...]

The Hot Dog From Hell

Do you value your life?  No?  Well then head down to West Virginia where you can get “The Homewrecker” hot dog at HillBilly Hot Dogs.  I’m just going to quote Al Dente as far as the ingredients go: “The Homewrecker is a 3.5-lb. weapon of cardiovascular mass destruction. They start with a deep-fried 15″, 1-pound [...]

English – Chicago, IL

Gastropub. Noun – A British term coined in 1991 for a public house (“pub”) which specializes in high-quality food a step above the more basic “pub grub.” If I were to base my opinion of restaurants calling themselves gastropubs only on the experience we had at English here in Chicago over the weekend, I would [...]

Episode 2: Not Responsible For 2nd Degree Cheese Burns

Get the new episode here! Or subscribe on iTunes (Pretty please?) The Least Researched, Most Opinionated Podcast About Food in Chicago! Two Bites in Suburbia returns for an action packed second episode as we discuss feedback from the premier episode, our favorite desserts, and Mike rants on about the stupidity of people on the internet.  [...]

Washington D.C. – The Misses #4

#4 – Cake Love If you’ve ever watched Food Network, you’ve more than likely seen an episode of Warren Brown’s Sugar Rush. We had a few hours to kill on our final morning before the flight back to Chicago, so we decided to take a walk up to U Street and check out his bakery [...]

The Super Bowl Makes Me Eat Chicken Salad

Whoah baby.  How about that super bowl?  What with the end zones, and the kicking, and the…who was in it again? I saw all of 5 minutes of Super Bowl 319 (or whatever), but that doesn’t mean my life wasn’t directly effected by it.  Instead of cooking and writing, I was working overtime at my [...]

Recipe – Clear Soup with Spinach and Tofu

I was asked by a friend to post this recipe for a soup that she still talks about nearly a decade after I first made it. It’s a simple Thai soup that’s both hearty yet light (Is that possible?). It’s also from one of my very first vegetarian cookbooks, Real Vegetarian Thai by Nancie McDermott. [...]