sugarcrook

I have to admit that the skyrocketing cost of rice left me scratching my head a bit. Thankfully, Business Week posted an article in friendly question/answer format that explains why it’s happening.

INGREDIENTS:

* 1 15-19 oz can chickpeas, drained
* 1 small onion, chopped
* 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 1 tablespoons of fresh parsley, chopped
* 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon coriander
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* salt and pepper
* 2 tablespoons olive oil

PREPARATION:
Drizzle olive oil evenly in shallow baking dish. Preheat oven to 350.

While oven is preheating, mash chickpeas with mortar and pestle or in food processor. Add onions and garlic and blend.

Add remaining ingredients to make a thick paste-like consistency.

Shape into ping pong size balls and place in preheated baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning halfway through cooking.

“What’s that smell?”

“It’s the soup.”

“Smells like cat food. You actually eat this?”

“Yeah, it covers the raw sewage taste of the spring roll.”

“Oh. Why do you eat here?”

It seems that a number of people don’t know how to properly grill steaks. Since my steaks are world-famous, I’ll explain how I do it.

1. Take the steaks out of the fridge about 30 minutes prior to putting them on the grill. This will allow the steaks to reach room temperature and make for easier, more consistent cooking. Start the grill, preferrably charcoal.
2. Once 30 minutes have elapsed, season the steaks as you see fit. I like to poke both sides with a fork and apply some kosher salt and pepper.
3. Put your steaks on the hottest part of the grill and sear each side for 1 minute. This will lock in the juices.
4. After the searing is complete, move the steaks off the direct flame. We don’t want to burn them. Cook them for an additional 4-6 minutes on each side. The cooking time varies based on meat thickness and desired doneness.
5. With cooking complete, place the steaks on a plate and cover with tin foil for about 5-6 minutes. Letting the meat rest is important to let the juices settle.
6. Serve and enjoy.

Gas grill tip: Turn the heat down! It’s not a race.

Charcoal grill tips: Use the lid! It’ll provide a more consistent heat and prevent flare-ups. You won’t need much charcoal to grill a large number of steaks. Besides, if you use a lot of charcoal, you won’t have a place to move the steaks to for the cooking phase.

Also, don’t use a fork to flip the steaks. Use tongs, the kind that won’t puncture the meat when you flip. Another thing is to leave the lid closed at all times, unless flipping. Leaving the grill open causes you to lose heat and possibly cause flare-ups.

There are a few bars near me that serve food. Burgers, some salads, etc. Pub food. It’s usually edible, but not really great. Thankfully, Kuma’s Corner, at Belmont and Francisco, is all about the food.

From the grilled Ahi tuna, to the roasted turkey sandwich, everything is excellent. Do they have burgers? Of course. Try the Kuma burger, complete with a fried egg and sweet potato fries. Or the meatloaf, which beats the hell out of Floyd’s.

What about the service? Also excellent. They haven’t been issued a liquor license yet, so it’s not as busy as it will be, but every member of the staff is friendly, offers advice about the food, and usually has more than one opinion about either the Cubs or the White Sox. The owner is easy to find - he’s usuallly asking customers about the food.

The owner also owns a tattoo and piercing parlor, and everyone that works there has some ink and maybe some body jewelry. Don’t let that put you off if you’re conservative. You owe it to your taste buds to visit Kuma’s at least once.

I’ve been meaning to blog about my experience at Kaze, a reasonably new sushi joint in Roscoe Village. I’m not going to bother linking to them because a) I don’t know if they have a site and b) it’s not going to be a pretty review.

First off, the important bit: the food was simply amazing. Everything we had, which wasn’t much, was excellent. They were out of a lot of stuff, which was surprising for a Tuesday night. Even more surprising was the crowd - the place was packed. We had to stand (!) for about 20 minutes before we got a table. There’s no overflow area for you to drink your overpriced vodka on the rocks or gin and tonic.

Once we got seated, our waitress introduced herself. At least I think she did. She must have a job calling auctions because I couldn’t keep up with her. And she didn’t make eye contact with me. Ever. Since I couldn’t figure out the specials, I just pointed at a few things on the menu and on other peoples’ plates. 45 minutes later, we got our food.

Like I said, the food is great. It’s everything else about the place that I hated. Insanely overpriced, pathetic service and pretentious as hell, I won’t be going back. Instead, I’ll be heading to Coast or Cafe Sushi. It seems that Coast has gotten quite popular, so I’m on the lookout for a new place. Mirai, perhaps.

The Babaluci, at 2152 N. Damen, claims to have the number 1 pasta in Chicago. This is clearly a lie. The Babaluci is possibly the worst place I’ve eaten in in the city, with poor service and worse food. The seafood alfredo wasn’t very exciting, with the sauce probably from a can and the seafood (mussels, shrimp and scallops) was sparse.

The waitress was horrible. Anyone that screws up a drink order shouldn’t be allowed to work in a restaurant. The place wasn’t even busy, with a handful of couples and table full of fat women on cell phones.

Next time, I’ll happily wait 45 minutes for a table at Coast.

Rating: 3 out of 10

The Babaluci
2152 N. Damen Ave map

Floyd’s, a new Bucktown pub, replaces Cloud 9 at Armitage and Oakley. I never had the pleasure to visit Cloud 9, but since the place was always empty, I don’t think I was missing much. Floyd’s seems to attract a moderate crowds for weekend lunch and evening drinks, with a number of attractive people from the surrounding area joining the fray.

The food is pretty good. I’ve had the steak salad, the burger, and a few of their sandwiches. Always a solid turnout. The service was also prompt and friendly. And, as the closest bar with food, I’m just happy to have them around.

Even if you don’t stick around for drinks after dinner, you can also visit the Map Room or Green Eye. The crowd at Map Room consists of people from the surrounding area, so it’s pretty dull. Green Eye, on the other hand, attracts an eclectic mix of people from the nearby Blue Line stop and the from points West.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Floyd’s
1944 N. Oakley map

I know I’m late in getting to this, but I want to post it because I ended up visiting a number of places last weekend.

After my hellish trip into DC, I fully expected the rest of the trip to be just as difficult. Luckily, it wasn’t. Two days of meetings followed a weekend-long birthday party for my friend Jessica turned out quite well.

We hit Alexandria’s Old Town area Friday night, starting with dinner at Il Porto, a popular Italian restaurant. The food was excellent but the service was the worst I’ve ever experienced. The woman waiting on us shouldn’t be allowed to enter a restaurant again, let alone work at one. On the rare occassion that she stopped by, you had to demand drinks and bread. Even the excellent food can’t save this place: 3 out of 10.

Needing more drinks after the dinner situation, we ventured to The Bayou Room. Loud 80’s music and difficult service, The Bayou Room is still one of my favorite places in Old Town. Quiet during the week and packed on the weekends, make sure to stop by. 7 out of 10.

Bullfeathers, a DC staple, was closed by authorities. Apparently they were serving underage drinkers, which is believable. After all, I drank there when I was underage.

The last bar we hit was Ireland’s Own. You guessed it - an Irish bar. I remember the old Ireland’s Own, with rich wood interior, class and character. Their new location looks like a restaurant converted into a bar. However, the bar staff are still stellar and the Guinness is just as good as before. 5 out of 10.

On Saturday we went to Baltimore. If you go there, avoid ESPNZone. The service is horrible and the bar food doesn’t make up for it. 2 out of 10.

Dinner was at a place called Phillip’s, a pretty famous seafood restaurant. I had the crab cakes, which were excellent. If you decide to try them, make sure to get them broiled, not fried. The flavor is much better. We were a party of six people, and everyone enjoyed their food. After the nightmare service I’d had all weekend, Jay, our waiter, impressed everyone at the table with his prompt and efficient service. The 90-minute wait for a table was the only drawback, but it’s a popular place and we were there on a Saturday after a home baseball game. 8 out of 10.

I never plan on going to Darwin’s. The goal is always to try someplace else in Bucktown but events always work against me. Either I’m in a bit of a hurry or the place I wanted to eat at decided to close its doors and I’m stuck at Darwin’s. Again.

Having eaten there about four times, it’s surprising how inconsistent the kitchen staff can be. Each time I’ve ordered a burger, medium rare, and it’s anybody’s guess if it will arrive charred or still moving. I also have issue with the buns used. Either they’re impossibly small - croutons taken from the salad perhaps - or they dwarf the pattie. Why do I keep getting burgers? The menu is extremely limited, with the bulk of the menu consisting of burgers and sandwiches.

One saving grace is the barstaff. Each time I’ve visited they’ve been friendly and reasonably attentive. Unlike some places I’ve visited lately, most of the waitstaff are also competent. (Goose Island on 5 July was a complete disaster. We left in disgust. More on that shortly.) The beer listing is good for a place as small as Darwin’s, but for a more complete listing you should visit The Map Room (1949 N. Hoyne map) or Green Eye (2403 W. Homer map ).

The crowd in Darwin’s ranges from couples getting a quick bite to guys out for beers. I’ve never stayed for a second beer after I finish eating. It just doesn’t have the feel of a place that you can hang out at. I’m always left expecting more.

Rating: 6 out of 10.

Darwin’s
1935 N. Damen map