I've been traveling alot and playing hooky most of the summer. Been eating out alot, but mostly out of town and not much in the way of noteworthy food. Although, I do have to say that I make a pilgrimage to the Outdoor theater just outside the WI Dells every year (Big Sky Drive-in) to watch a couple of movies and eat a Big Mamaburger. Yum!! Weird that I look so forward to a greasy burger so much--but they really are good!

I'll be vacationing in New England for 2 weeks soon...places like Philadelphia, Washington DC, Boston and York Beach, Maine just to name a few stops on the trail. I'll post lots of pics and share all about the great food when I return.

As always, I encourage you to post a comment on some of the great places you've enjoyed close to home and far away. I'm always looking for my next meal!

Thanks and Good Eatin'
Staci

and haven't posted to my blog--Wow! Time to get back on the bandwagon. And, techinically, we just flew into Miami and then stayed 3 nights in the Keys. 20th Anniversary get-away!

Since my last blog we've been to a few places, but the most noteworthy was Maxie's Southern Comfort.

Hubby and I had a night out last night. I won tickets to the TransSiberian Orcestra concert so we decided to make an evening of it.
Hmmm...where to eat, though? So many places I'd like to try and always so little time. Well, I had heard the the Bloody Mary's at The Wicked Hop are awesome, and its within walking distance of the Riverside Theater--so the decision was made!

We arrived at 5:45pm to a surprisingly busy restaurant. We had to wait 20 minutes or so for a table and actually ate at a high-top in the bar. That's okay--we're casual when it comes to things like that, and truly, its a Pub, the whole place is a bar. Great atmosphere!

We enjoyed our Bloody Mary's, complete with chaser, while waiting for the table and they did not disappoint. Really good, spicy tomato base with a dash of horseradish flavor, stuffed with beef stick, olives, pickle and cheese whips!! I really didn't need anything to eat after!

Now what really surprised me was how good the food was. We ate dinners, rather than sandwiches. We started with crab cakes--everyone knows how much I love crab cakes--and theirs were good, not great, but worth ordering. A little too much breading and a little overworked, but the sauce they served with them was great! Nicely garnished with Spring Greens and well presented.
For entree, Hubby had a Hanger Steak that was served with an oriental glaze, Wasabi Mashed Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus and garnished with black and white sesame seeds. Flavors were terrific, everything was well balanced and its was again, beautifully presented. For me, it was Rue Bourbon Chicken Pasta, topped with Blackened Shrimp--outstanding!
Dinners were served with soup or salad--hubby had a caesar (extra charge) which he enjoyed and I had a Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Parmesan which was yummy!

A bonus to this meal was that I found a discount certificate for The Wicked Hop on www.restaurant.com
If you haven't tried this out yet, do so! It's a great way to try a new place, without breaking the bank. To start--You purchase a certificate--ours was a $25 certificate. The charge for the $25 food certificate is $10 but you must spend a minimum of $45--not hard, since at The Wicked Hop your drinks count towards the total (some restaurants don't count drinks towards the minimum food charge). So, basically, $15 free--that's an entree!! (read the fine print provided with each certificate before you buy as its different for each restaurant).
And, if you do your homework, you can buy the Restaurant.com certificates at a discount, too!
Go to this site... 

Well, recently we visited Texas de brazil in Chicago for a friends birthday. It's a Brazilian Steakhouse in Downtown Chicago where the Gauchos bring swords of meat to your table and carve it for you. If you've never been to this style of restaurant, they really are a lot of fun!!
Go hungry, because the salad bar is unlike any you've ever seen. I only get the salad bar, as I can't do justice to 15 different meats plus the sushi bar, soup stations and the plaintains, mashed potatoes and gougeres that they bring to the table.
Pricey, but worth it!! We go 2-3 times per year. Ask to sit near the wine storage--you'll understand why, when you get there!!

Another recent dine out night for us was last night for Tapas Tuesday at Heaven City in Mukwonago. We haven't been there in 10+ years. We went with my brother and sis-in-law and spent the better part of 3 hours grazing on small plates, cocktails and dessert.
The atmosphere at Heaven City is just so neat--the building and individual rooms are beautiful, staff is friendly and food is really good.
The menu for Tapas Tuesday changes weekly, but one standard is a 6oz. filet for $10.95 served with a Cognac Demiglace. Most other Tapas on the menu range from $8 to $13 and can be split between 4 people.
We ordered 3 waves of Tapas and then dessert and with tax/tip was about $70 per couple and we left full.  Give it a try, it's a fun, social dining experience.

If you want to stay closer to Milw for Tapas, try La Merenda on 1st & National. We've enjoyed this restaurant in the past as well.

We had a great time at the Housewares Show again this year.
Ate lots of great food and met lots of the Food Network guys like Guy Fieri, Cat Cora, Paula Deen, Ming Tsai and Todd English--who was just too handsome!!
You can check out the pics on my website page Housewares Show 2010. Let me know what you think!!

Haven't hit too many restaurants lately...
We've been to Chubbies in Racine (High St. east of Douglas Ave.) for dinner plate size burgers! Love em!!
We ate dinner after the Housewares Show at Pat's Pizzeria in Chicago for the best thin, cracker like pizza you'll ever eat!! We also had Pumpkin Ravioli with a Walnut Cream sauce for an appetizer--yum!!
Also, Alex's Beef in McHenry IL for great Chicago-style Italian Beef Sandwiches.

Post your comments and let me know the best places you've been eating!

Well, we went to Capitol Grille a week ago. It's a chain restaurant so I'm not always that excited to go to them--I'd rather support the local owners, but we thought we'd try it.
Very good! But, be warned, it is very pricey! Menu is ala carte and steaks begin at about $40 and then you add on side dishes (which serve 2-3 each) etc.
We were lucky enough to be there on the last night of a 4 course specialty menu. We had a Tomato-Fennel Soup served with mini grilled cheese (bagette slices filled with fresh mozzerella prosciutto), a Boston Bibb Lettuce Salad with Homemade Russian Dressing, I had Braised Wagyu Short Ribs with Gruyere Crust and Horseradish Mashed Potatoes and Mark had Open-faced Tenderloin Wellington with brioche under and filo shreds on top and the same potatoes. For dessert we each had a slice of Carrot Cake dressed with cinnamon honey and evergreen ice cream--WOW!! Wonderful and rich!!
We enjoyed the atmosphere and the service. We will definitely go back.

So, last Saturday, February 20th, my sis, hubby and I decided to try John Hawks again. It's probably been 15 years since we were there and it's good...not great, but good. The atmosphere is nice, pub-like with lots of wood.
Menu is mostly sandwiches, which we knew, so we were not surprised. My sis and I had open-faced prime rib sandwiches which were very good but the fries were cold --which means our food had been sitting in the kitchen. Hubby had a large cut of Prime (aren't we adventurous) which again was very good.
I actually think that next time I go I'm going to try the Fish n Chips--they looked fabulous walking by--and its available any day/night of the week.
Service was slow. Our waitress was running with lots of tables but several others were just hanging at the bar chatting. Our drinks sat at the bar for almost 15 minutes (no non-busy waitsaff had the drive to bring them to us) before we got them. I was just getting up to go get them myself when our waitress finally had time to bring them for us.
I think this is why our food was semi-cold , too. She was too busy and none of the others bothered. I really prefer when wait staff works as a team and helps each other out. Sometimes they just don't want to.

Then, this past Tuesday, my sis and I headed to Chez Jacques (1st & National) for brunch/lunch. I, of course, had my favorite sandwich...Croque Madame, which is a ham and gruyere sandwich topped with a fried egg. A nice salad with a sharp dijon vinaigrette on the side. Dawn had Crepes filled with Nutella and Bananas (lunch and dessert all in one)--she loved them!! and we split a piece of Quiche Lorraine. So good!!
I really like Jacques and try to get there several times a year.

Now, tonite we are heading to The Capitol Grille. I hope it lives up to its reputation. I'll let you know!!

Enjoy--and don't forget to post your favorite food spots in the comments.

Hmmm...haven't posted anything in a week! Well, it was a busy one--even had class on Tuesday in the snowstorm. That was some fun driving. Only 1/3 of the class made it, but they were troopers and they ate reallllllllllllly well!!

Fat Tuesday is this coming Tuesday, February 16th. Get your paczkis while they're hot!!

These are a few of my favorite things...
The Spice House
Dannys Meats
Tenutas Italian Market in Kenosha
Uncorkt wine Shop in Racine


Went to eat last night at Final Approach on Howell Ave. across from the airport. Father-in-law and his girlfriend flew back in from Phoenix last night so it was a convenient meeting point for dinner.

If you haven't been to the Final Approach--they have pretty good food at reasonable prices. Good burgers, great French Onion Soup, they make all of their salad dressings homemade (which is a very rare thing for restaurants) and one of the best Bloody Mary's you're gonna find! Huge garden salad of a Bloody Mary with everything including shrimp. You can make dinner just out oftheir Bloody Mary.
Only drawback...bad ventilation! It was reallllllly smoky last night. My oldest daughter had to leave the table towards the end of the evening and stand outside. She couldn't take it anymore.
All of our clothes went right into the washer--including jackets--they were so smoky.

But, don't worry too much--ALL Wisconsin Restaurants and Bars will be smoke free by July 5, 2010!

Tonite is dinner at Buca's with a large family group. Bucas is always fun--pretty good food, great atmosphere, but it does get crowded when you have to wait for a table. Not sure what their reservation policy is, but we have 11 so we've got resies and no waiting!

Have a great day and don't forget to blog comments on your favorite restaurants!

Spending some time today getting ready for the Superbowl tomorrow. Having a few friends over for drinks & apps and possibly even to watch the game (more likely the commercials).
I'm planning on...
Boneless Chicken Wings--4 styles
     Southern Fried

     Caribbean Jerk
     Habenero Honey
     Traditional Buffalo

Breaded & Fried Ravioli with Marinara

Asst'd Cheeses & Sausages with Crackers

Beer-Cheese Spread with Honey Pretzels

Taco Dip with Chips and Cucumber Sandwiches (being provided by friends)

Chocolate Glazed Brownies (football shaped)
     and a friend is bringing Kopp's Custard to go with!!

Also, Hurricanes (New Orleans is in the Superbowl!!) and Margaritas

A good time shall be had by all!!

Busy all day with class related stuff, not sure what to make for dinner, I headed to Danny's in the early afternoon. While gazing at the lovely meats one called out to me...Prime Rib Roast on the bone.
I had to think this over...pretty expensive for a regular dinner at home...Did I have the time? What should I make with it? etc etc

Well, I had a head of cauliflower at home--ok, side dish one taken care of. I also had about 5-6 yukon gold potatoes at home, side dish two taken care of. So, I bought a 2 bone roast, small end of the rib, only about 3.5 lbs or so.

Brought the roast home, let it come to room temp for about an hour, heavily rubbed it with garlic, onion powder, kosher salt and pepper. Into a roasting pan, insert probe thermometer (set to 133 degrees internal temp--perfect med-rare) and about 1/2 can of beef broth. Into a preheated 450 oven for 15 minutes and then lower temp to 325 and roast to desired temp. For med-rare takes roughly 15 minutes per pound BUT USE A THERMOMETER TO BE SURE!

Also, factor in at least 10-15 minutes to rest the roast after its out of the oven. While its resting, throw the roasting pan on a burner, bring to a boil, add the rest of the beef broth and reduce by half. AuJus is ready! Ne seasoning usually required because you have all the flavor from the roast.

While roasting, I steamed the cauliflower, made a cheddar cheese sauce, tossed them together and put cauliflower in the oven with the roast for the last 30 minutes of the roasting time. Scrubbed and boiled the potatoes, tossed them with butter, fresh lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper! Tada! dinner is prepared! (So easy, I even had time to watch a Seinfeld episode).

Don't be intimidated by something like a Prime Rib Roast--they are easier than you think. Just take your time and use the proper tools (like a thermometer) and you'll be ok!