this past thanksgiving weekend was really just an excuse to eat. a HUGE excuse at that.. i believe i put on some pounds this weekend which i am dreading to try to lose cos it's just so much harder to lose for me than to gain weight >.< (these are the times when i envy ppl with high metabolism..

....wait.. what am i saying?... i always envy those who can eat a ton and not gain a single ounce)

 
some of my delicious food excursions besides the huge thanksgiving lunch/dinner include dinner at hopleaf and long-overdue frontera grill (await these posts after i catch up with some old ones), publican brunch and my much anticipated visit to hmart for korean groceries, poggi kimchi and korean food - spicy pork stir fry {돼지 불고기}.

i think one of the best kimchi-s i've had is the poggi kimchi freshly made at hmart. enough heat to give it a nice kick but does not linger coupled with enough vinegar flavor. they used to sell half packs which was the ideal size but then they've stopped and a full pound bag was almost always too much for us. 

we went up to the counter and got us a bag of deliciousness when the guys who were making the kimchi stopped us and pointed at the sign above them.

it said 'buy one, get one free'

they insisted we took another. i paused - one bag was already quite a lot of kimchi. what more if i brought home two?

i was torn - that kimchi is so uber awesome but gosh that was a GIGANTIC amount of kimchi! after a couple seconds  pondering, i gave in and took the second bag since i could just give it to some other kimchi lover friends or devise ways to use it.

or i could eat a lot of kimchi everyday. 

either ways, i will find a way to have it work out! >.<

if you didn't know, kimchi is really good for you! not kidding! plus, it tastes really good ^^ (okay..maybe it's an acquired taste for some) read here to find out more :)

hence, i started searching for some korean food recipes. i've always craved for them ~ so why not try to make some myself? with that in mind, i stocked up on a lot of what i think are korean basic ingredients to have in the kitchen pantry (perhaps a future entry about that very soon ^^ )

my first korean recipe tried: kimchi fried rice {김치 볶음밥}.

i found the recipe online and i wanted to get one as authentic as i can get. i was surprised when i read SPAM as one of the ingredients that i had to ask my korean friend, S if that was normal. his response ~ SPAM is the only way to go! >.< that was quite unexpected actually.

verdict i've never had korean fried rice from any korean restaurants so this was really my first time having it. i liked it ~ salty from the spam, savory and slightly vinegar-y from the kimchi - of course the distinct flavor comes from the kimchi you use. ryan liked it too and christina thought it was pretty good. it's easy to make with minimal effort and time (as well as ingredients, assuming you have a korean pantry). and definitely a good way to use up some of the kimchi in hand :)

if you are interested in trying or have too much kimchi in your fridge, i found the recipe from eat your bap blog:

kimchi fried rice {김치 볶음밥}

found on eatyourbap.com

ingredients | 

directions |

there are a couple more korean recipes coming up with kimchi and some without that i am planning to try so stay tuned :) got me some pork belly ~ so it might be stir fry pork belly or kimchi jiggae.. can't wait.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

i wanted to explore other food scenes in california closer to sacramento because we can't always drive two hours to san francisco to try out new restaurants. hence, i expanded my search around downtown sacramento area and found the press bistro. it looked promising and i made a reservation weeks in advance.

doing what i usually do, my camera in hand and as ryan was confirming our reservation, i was taking some pictures of the restaurant. unexpectedly, the maitre'd asked if i was from the new york times. suprisingly, i felt a bit annoyed cos the first thought that came to mind was: is she mocking me? (yes, i'm slightly hypersensitive... i apologize) - well for one, if i was a food writer for a publication, i wouldn't be telling her, would i? don't most food writers remain anonymous to review a restaurant? ryan couldn't quite understand why i felt irritated. 

anywho, i did like the modern yet rustic decor that gave a cozy ambience to the restaurant. i also liked the ceiling high glass doors and windows as well as the outdoor seating, perfect for the summer weather.

ryan was super excited to see the potato gnocchi on the menu and was quite set on ordering that for appetizer only to be disappointed that they have just run out of it. he was pretty upset and took several minutes to get over the fact they didn't have any (he was really craving for some).

tapas :: roasted beets | goat cheese ($4)

i've always liked roasted beets and the classic pairing with goat cheese - in fact that's how i first fell in love with beets when i had it at purple pig. this dish was pale in comparison. i was missing the natural sweetness of the beets and it was a tad too salty. on top of that, the olive oil overpowered the beets and it lacked the balance.

appetizer :: grilled calamari | cherry tomatoes . panzanella salad ($8)

this was simple and fresh, executed with precision. i was impressed by the simplicity of this dish but yet so outstanding. call me bias - i do love seafood a lot. the calamari was grilled to perfection - smoky with  distinct grilled marks on the outside yet soft and tender, just almost undercooked but in a good way. lovely. it was lightly dressed with freshness of lemon juice accompanied with some chunks of bread and fresh produce easily emerged as my favorite of the night.

entree :: braised short rib | red wine sauce . mashed potatoes ($18)

when i fork into the piece of short rib, it looked promisingly tender - so i was quite surprised that it was not as melt-in-your-mouth as i imagined it would be. it was a little dry which  was quite the bummer but it was compensated by the smooth mashed potatoes and the delectable sauce was simply hearty and delicious. i was craving for more of the sauce since it was vital in the dish to moisten the meat.

entree :: grilled hanger steak | potato gratin . bordelaise ($20)

ryan had more luck with his choice of entree. medium rare steak just like he requested and it was seasoned, seared well and tender. the thing we had problem with was the potato gratin. i was fine with the bite of the potato slices but ryan preferred it to be cooked down a little more. however, we both agreed that it was lacking cheese in between the layers and i was hoping for a crisper topping.

we actually passed on dessert since we couldn't agree on one dessert and ended up picking up some ciao bella pistachio gelato from the store on the way back to his apartment.

one thing ryan said about the food at the press bistro that i thought was interesting was that he felt most of the dishes we tried, we could have probably make it at home ourselves. of course, i understand that relied heavily on what we ordered.

i suppose that could have been meant in a good or bad way - on the positive end, the food gave the comfort what homemade food usually offers. on the other side of the spectrum, the food wasn't all that inspiring. in general, i somewhat agree that while the food was hearty and good, nothing really stood out. well, okay.. that's not entirely true. the wonderful rendition of grilled calamari struck as the special exception.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

i was residing in evanston for about 5-6 years before moving to chicago a year and a half ago and i'm ashamed to say i've never had edzo's burger shop which a lot of people and friends swear by as the best burger place they've had. well, that was true until a few months ago, when i've finally made my way to evanston to try this place out myself. even the chicago reader critics agree when they awarded edzo's burger shop as best new burger for their charburger. 

a beautiful saturday afternoon, i met up with christina (her favorite burger place - she would go so far to say that it even tops kuma's burger) and lyle around noon and the place already had a line almost out of the door. the first comment when i saw the place was "whoah, this is really like an original american diner" which i thought was really cool. edzo's is the creation of eddie lakin, a former fine dining chef who promises all-american beef burgers, never frozen and is freshly ground in house daily. 

while waiting in line, you've got some time to figure out what kind of burger you would like to try. christina recommended griddled burger which is served between a brioche bun and all i had to do was to choose the topping. eddie lakin was at the counter taking order and he was really friendly. it took me more than a couple of minutes going back and forth with different ideas until i finally went ahead with the idea of a mushroom swiss - so i ordered a single griddled burger with mushrooms and swiss burger. the single is at $3.59 while additional cheese is $0.75 and the other toppings are either $0.50 or $1. to complete my whole american diner experience, i ordered a bottle of coke (although i guess milkshakes would have been the traditional pairing but oh! the calories -.-)

the burger itself was delicious - a bit of char from the griddle and you could really taste the moist well seasoned meat while the brioche captures its juices.i have to say that i made a great choice with mushrooms and swiss cheese and didn't even need any ketchup or mustard. needless to say, it was a burger done right in all its essence with freshest ingredients. it was a tad messy to eat but sooooo worth it - all you need is just a couple extra napkins..

speaking of milkshakes, christina ordered the almond milkshake which she kindly offers to me to try. the milkshake itself had a thick, smooth, creamy texture with occasional bits of almonds with huge almond flavor all around - in a good way. i was kinda like a small kid in a candy store as i watched the person make the milkshake at the machine which i thought was so cool. similarly, you could also watch the cooks make your burger at the counter if you wanted to. :)

of course, burger meals feels incomplete without fries. edzo's serves only twice fried, hand cut fries in many different ways. christina ordered "old fries" ($3.29) to share which are extra brown and extra crunchy. she mentioned that this was the only one she really like because the fries are crunchy unlike a few of the other renditions she's tried here. they were what they promised - fresh and crispy and was salted just enough. one of the better fries i've had here in chicago.

  

my experience at edzo's somewhat reminded me of my fond memories at hot doug's. there are a few similarities between hot doug's and edzo's - you get to meet the friendly owners as you order your food at the counter, both adopting the diner concept (although one takes on more of a traditional decor) but most importantly, they are awesome at what they do - dishing out amazing food. not only edzo's does the burger perfectly, it comes with the whole american diner ambience as a plus :) 

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

two reasons |

one. friend, M's phd defense yesterday. i told him i was gonna make him something - gotta keep my promise :)

two. my other friend, J can't have any gluten and thought that perhaps i could kill two birds with one stone

solution | dessert of choice :: espresso chocolate chip meringues by giada de laurentiis.

i'll spare you the details and post photos instead. i've made this twice before -

first time: turn out mostly alright.
second: slightly burnt scorched toasty. 

perhaps my third time's the charm. 

(you can tell i am not quite the baker...i'm still working on it!)

a couple of great tips that i found either from watching food network or taking from people's experience:

o1| keep the bowl and whisk attachment chilled - could help a lil bit with the stiffening of the egg whites

o2| eggs must be room temperature. very good to plan ahead.

o3| try to make it on a day when the air isn't too humid. i've seen deflated meringues when there are too much moisture in the air which also means your utensils you use should be clean AND dry.

some other great tips can be found on this article on making the perfect meringue.

a few things i did differently from giada's recipe:

i divided the meringues as evenly (~2 tablespoons) as i could - it is supposed to yield 12 of these. i also shorten the cooking time to about 40 minutes (since my last attempt was slightly overcooked) and checked it periodically. and i used a hand mixer since i do not yet own my dream kitchen aid mixer... you know that lil pretty red thing? dang, i really want one of those!

favorite parts of the baking were when i mixed the espresso into the mixture - loved the smell of the coffee (if you like coffee, of course) and the tasting...

this batch was the best of the three attempts i've made so far. still got a long ways to go but very happy with how they turned out. i think i need to beat the egg whites a tad longer because it wasn't quite where i would have liked it to be. but it was definitely airy and quite a fun dessert to eat texturally. crispy shell with moist chewy inside. :)

you can find the recipe here if you would like to try to make them:

espresso chip meringues

by giada de laurentiis

found on foodnetwork.com

ingredients | 

directions | 

giada's note | the meringue mixture can also be placed in a pastry bag fitted with a large, plain tip (recommended: ateco #9808) and piped onto the baking sheet.

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.