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Reviews – Eating Out & Taste Tests

El Gallo Tapatio

May 6, 2012

Usually, this place is the place we head to after a night out. Drunk when I stumble through the door. The same waitress, most of the time. The fare here is good, whatever you get you won’t be disappointed. I stumbled in last Sunday, without any alcohol running through my veins. Well, not a lot of it, and I can never figure out why I always need to order half the menu. Could be cause everything sounds so good, that I can’t make up my mind, so I get a little bit of everything. The meal, included tacos Al’ Pastor, a Milanesa Tostada, and a Pork Tamale. All came quickly and I was on my way home. I fumbled through the bag as I was driving home, and burned my hand twice. Everything was smoldering hot. Tacos are always authentic, having only onions and cilantro, not the bastardized way most places serve them. The tamale was a bit dry tonight, but that was the first time that happened, and I’ve been ordering them for a while now. The Tostada, was perfect. Served on Pan Bolillo, or at least I thought it was, the breaded steak was nice and juicy....

Fatso’s

October 10, 2011

Right by 95th and Southwest Highway. Fatso’s recently opened this summer, and we finally got a chance to try their fare. A hole in the wall, that focuses on their quality, and we mean it in a good way. Walked in and ordered the highly acclaimed Fatso burger and Loaded Fries. A triple decker with the works, bacon, onion rings fries, lettuce tomato, pickles and an orange sauce. Maybe ketchup and mustard mixed together? Fries on a burger. Sure. It works. We’ve been eating fries on our gyros in Greece. The Loaded Fries were covered in cheese and bacon. A perfect combination on a fall afternoon. As I dug in I tasted all beef, seasoned, and cooked to perfection. Only thing I didn’t like, was that the burgers were char-broiled, as I prefer them on the flat top were they can cook in their own fat. But, we can’t take points off for a matter of preference. The Loaded fries were just that, Loaded, over the top. Don’t need no ketchup for these fries, and if you do, somethings wrong with you. If you’re ever riding down 95th, take a chance on this place. Don’t need to get the...

Koko’s Kafe

September 16, 2011

Had to wake up early for this one. Well not that early but early enough for me. We headed on to Koko’s Kafe. It was time for breakfast, and I needed a good meal to get me ready for work. With my posse in tow. Ok, not really a posse, but it wasn’t just me. We sat down inside and a looked around, I noticed that the decor was a bit too upscale for a pancake house. But that didn’t matter, just a small detail when you’re hungry. As we sat down we got our coffee quick and that makes the Boozin’ Foodie happy. Order up, I got a German Pancake, and a Garlic Omelet with a side of pancakes. A what now? You heard me. Or read me. What else was ordered, … let’s see. Eggs, and bacon, a stuffed French toast, and soup and salad. That German Pancakes gonna take 20 minutes? Not a problem just bring it out when it’s ready. Our order came out quick, minus the German Pancake. It’ll just come later. I dug in to the omelet pretty quick. Decent, although I did expect a stronger garlic flavor, but all I got was...

Kitchen Confidential

September 8, 2011

This was the first book written by Anthony Bourdain, about his life in the kitchen. Now most of the chapters were taken from his articles written for the New York Times, but the other half were written for this book. Bourdain tells it all in his no nonsense kind of way. If you’ve seen his shows, you know what I’m talking about. And this book was written before he went on the Food Network with “A Cook’s Tour”. From his humble beginnings at a restaurant up in New England to his time as the Executive Chef at Les Halles, it’s all in here. This book is a great read for everyone interested in the restaurant business, or people that are interested in becoming a chef. But beware, this book can scare you away. “I struggled and sweated and hurried to keep up the best I could, Tyrone slinging sizzle-platters under the broiler, and me, ostensibly helping out, getting deeper and deeper into the weeds with every order. On the rare occasions when I could look up at the board, the dupes now looked like cuneiform or Sanskrit – indecipherable. I was losing it. Tyrone, finally, had to help the...

Calphalon Katana, Paring Knife

September 4, 2011

I picked up this knife after my Henckel parer “grew legs”. And now, I’m kinda happy it did. This Calphalon Katana Paring Knife is way better. For me, at least. The key to a good knife is that it feels comfortable in your hands. Only because, well it’s your knife, and you’re the one who’s going to be cutting with it. The handle looks a bit different than your usual knives, but this one fits perfectly in my hands. And, the blade holds a great edge, not needing too much honing on the steel. I’ve been using it for over a month now, and it’s usually one of the two knives I grab whenever I start a shift. Even at home it’s always my Chef knife and my Calphalon Katana Paring Knife. I remember when I first got it, I really liked using the knife, so I went around helping anyone I could that needed work done with a parer. Broke into this one real good.

Bismalahi Restaurant

August 29, 2011

As, I was walking back to my car after work, I noticed a sign on a building that said “Open”. Earlier, when I was walking to work I thought the place was a cab company. When I looked closer though, I saw it was actually a restaurant. And since there were about 6 cabs parked around there, I decided to go in. Bismilahi Restaurant. No Menu, well this was strange. I walked up to the counter greeted the cashier, and asked “What’s good?” He just looked at me. “What?” he asked. I said to him. “What’s good, foo? I’m hungry.” “Everything, I don’t know.” Some answer. “Make me a plate, put whatever you like on it.” “You want vegetarian?” “What do I look like, a rabbit” Well the conversation didn’t really go like that, but you get the point. He started piling on the rice, then some stir fried chicken, some sauce on the rice. After all was ready he asked if I wanted hot sauce. Hell yeah. Green hot sauce, I didn’t catch the name cause, I hardly understood the guy. I paid the man and grabbed a seat. As I dug in, I noticed the rice was...

El Bombazo

August 16, 2011

After getting off work late at night, there’s hardly any places around that are still open for a bite. And at 1:00 in the morning you do get hungry. I noticed this little place on Cicero and Marquette, my stomach grumbled and I found myself parking in El Bambazo’s lot. The place was dead. Just 3 guys in there. A cook, a waiter, who was at least 70 years old, and a security guy. I took a seat and the waiter came and gave me some tortilla chips with some green sauce on the side. Always a good way to start. As the waiter didn’t understand any English, the cook came out to take my order. I ordered up four tacos, 2 Al Pastor and 2 Picadillo, and a tamale. And he went straight to work on my food. I was munching on my Chips, while the security guard was walking in and out of the place, then came in through the back door, passed through the kitchen, and out again. My food came up with the quickness of an aging old man. He was bring out the plates one by one. I didn’t mind, not at all. The...

The Frugal Gourmet

August 12, 2011

Picked this book up a couple of weeks ago, and I can say that it was a fun read. Jeff Smith was the host of “The Frugal Gourmet” on WTTW. Sure they claimed he sexually abused some boys that worked for him, but then again talk is cheap. I watched a couple videos of his show, and I must say that they were well produced for a show that aired from the 80′s to the 90′s. It seemed as Jeff Smith was actually talking to you, and not just talking to the camera. Anyways on to the book. The book was written, with various anecdotes, and historical information for all the recipes that were in the book. And the way he would explain things, they are easy to understand, even for an inexperienced cook. Only thing that turned me off, was half the time it was like you were reading a christian cookbook. God-this and God-that. Why can’t people just leave religion out of things. This is cooking for God’s sake. I’ll also leave you with a short passage from the book. “I did this recipe on our very first show years ago in Tacoma. I had been given...

Smashburger

July 1, 2011

So, today was the second time I stopped by. I came in earlier this time, cause last time I didn’t have enough time, and left before I got anything. This time was different. I had about twenty minutes left when I was offered a free sample. Now free samples are always good. Deep Fried Pickles. Normally they’re served with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing, but not right now. So, I munched on them while I waited in line. They were pretty decent, but would taste better with that Ranch dressing. Too much of a vinegar aftertaste. Not something you want when you’re eating deep fried foods. Anyways it was finally my time to order. Stepped up to the register, and she asked me if it was my first time here, I replied yes, and then she started babbling on about how their burgers are 100% black Angus beef, fresh never frozen, blah blah blah. Sure all that’s good for a commercial, but I’m hungry. I ordered up a Windy City Burger, some Smash fries, and an Oreo Milkshake. Said it would be about five minutes, I looked at my watch and that would give me about five minutes to eat. I...

Epic Burger

June 21, 2011

I’ve been walking all day around downtown Chicago, from North and Halsted,to Michigan, to Lake back to Halsted turned around to State and then down to Roosevelt. What the hell was I thinking? All I knew was that I was beginning to get hungry. And on my was down State I came upon EPIC Burgers. “Come on in and enjoy a truly Epic Burger” That’s what I heard, so I followed that voice, Come to think of it, it was just my stomach grumbling. I ventured inside, out of the heat and into an air conditioned burger shop. Walked all the way to the back. “Gimme a burger” I ordered up a combo with a chocolate shake. Then she started asking me what I want. Cheese? What Kind of Cheese? Everything? Grilled or Raw Onions. White or Whole Wheat? And that was just for my burger. After getting my number I sat down, and took a sip of that chocolate shake. Thick and Creamy, and not too sweet. That’s good in my books. Before long, my meal came and I dug in right away. The fries weren’t too great. With that out of the way let’s talk about the...

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