Day 2- M Henry, Kumas Corner and Peqouds Pizzeria

Day 2.

We woke up later than we wanted to so we hopped on the train and headed to the North Side for a late brunch. Our first breakfast place we wanted to check of

f the list was M Henry. Known for its delicious pancakes and french toast, it would be the perfect place to fill up before we traveled around the city.

Usually there is a seriously long wait, but it was cold and rainy and later i

n the day so we only had to wait ten minutes. We were quickly seated and ordered right away. I ordered their house made hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, large orange juice, apple chicken sausage and the banana rumba french toast.

The dish came with two thick slices of brioche french toast dipped in cinnamon. On top was a rum and cinnamon syrup, caramelized bananas, golden raisins and pecans. It was insanely good and exactly what I wanted for breakfast. Everything we ordered was amazing and was one of the better breakfasts' I have had in a while.

After traveling around the city, we decided to take a taxi to one of the most highly anticipated restaurants. Kumas Corner. Easily the best burger in the city and one of t

he best in the United States.

Usually waits can be 2-3 hours, but we came at an off time and were able to score a spot at the bar right away. One thing unique about this place is all the employees are covered in tattoos and there is loud Metal playing the whole time, while all the burger names consisted of American metal bands.

The menu is quite overwhelming and everything sounded so good. I decided on the make your own mac and cheese with sweet corn and jalapenos and the Lair of Minotaur burger.

First off, the mac and cheese was gigantic and it was absolutely delicious. A huge serving of creamy pasta with spicy jalapenos and sweet corn.

Next, the burger

The burger was a 10 oz. patty cooked medium rare accompanied by caramelized onions, pancetta, brie cheese and poached pears, with fries on the side. The burger was one of the best I have ever had. The meat was cooked perfectly and oozing with juices and flavor. The pancetta and brie cheese added the saltiness which was counterbalanced by the sweet onions and pear. Everything went so well together and made it ridiculously good. I just wish this place existed in Orange County.

After leaving Kumas, we went to the Blackhawks game and after got some deep dish pizza. Unfortunately it was too dark inside the restaurant, I was still able to get some pictures a day later after we took the pizza home.

We went to Peqouds pizza which is one of the most popular in Chicago. They specialize in deep dish and towards the edge of the crust, they caramelize the edges which makes the cheese extra crunchy.

I opted for the sausage deep dish.

I also ordered an order of twelve wings and ate all of them which in turn made me way too full to eat all of the pizza.

Overall the deep dish pizza was delicious. The sausage made the whole pizza and the caramelized crust added another dimension of flavor. The only issue I have with the deep dish is that I would not call it pizza. It may have the same ingredients, but it's more like a casserole. Whatever it is, I like it.

Chicago- DAY 1- Old Town Social and Girl and the Goat

My brother and I arrived in Chicago on Monday afternoon around 3:00 and had no eaten anything all day. We quickly got a cab to the house and walked down the street to find a quick bite to eat.

Luckily, it was 5:00 so all the dinner restaurants were just openin

g. We came across a newer restaurant called the Old Town social whi

ch is (New) American fare. The restaurant itself was really awesome, basicall

y a giant saloon with a huge bar, and tv's coming from the ceiling and the bar.

We were really hungry so we ordered right away because we also had a huge dinner in a few hours.

First thing I ordered were the pretzel bites and pork rilletes.

The pretzel bites were the perfect consistency and went really

well with the accompanied dijon and cheese sauce. The rilletes are essentially spreadable meat on bread and they were also good. A little dry, but flavor was good.

Next I ordered their most popular item, the burger "Their way", wh

ich consisted of a burger with bacon, house aoili and a fried egg.

The burger was pretty good. Probably a little overcooked and I am not totally sold on the fried egg in a burger, but it was certainly passable and looked really good. Th

e extra vinegar ketchup also added another dimension of flavor.

Although we were not planning on dessert, they had a special of Donuts so we felt obligated to order them.

Two hot donuts dipped in cinnamon sugar arrived to the table accompanied by a bourbon creme fraiche. It would be really hard not to like these and they did not disappoint. Absolutely amazing.

After the meal, we decided to go back to the house and get ready

for dinner at the Girl and the Goat.

We took the train for about twenty minutes to the restaurant and right away noticed that all of Chicago may have been inside. The place was absolutely packed and we were quickly seated at a communal table right near the kitchen. The restaurant is basically all small plates and are intended to share. Since one of us was a vegetarian, we decided to each get three dishes which is what the waiter requested.

First order was their fresh baked wheat bread with honeycomb

mb and a banana and bacon whipped butter.

The bread was insanely good. A homemade wheat loaf and when paired with the salty bacon and banana butter with the honeycomb made it one of the best breads I have ever had.

Up next, the server suggested the confit beef tongue so I went with that.

Beef tongue has always been one of my favorite cuts of meat and this did not disappoint. Cooked in its own fat until melt in your mouth tender, the meat was so rich and delicious and the accompanied greens and chips cut down the fatiness of the tongue perfectly.

Up next was one of their signature dishes. A goat, pork and veal sugo over papardalle noodles.

This pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente and the ragu was so rich and flavorful. You could taste all three different types of meat and everything melded so well together. Easily one of the best pastas I have ever had.

The last savory dish I ordered, was the wood oven roasted pig face.

This was basically a more decadent and delicious play on bacon and eggs. It really just tasted like bacon but a thousand times better if that's even possible. Due to my love of pork, this dish was just ridiculously good.

And now for dessert. I got the pork fat donuts with a sesame semifreddo.

The donuts were really great and you could get that hint of pork in every bite. The ice cream was overwhelmingly spicy on its own, but when paired with the pork donuts and pineapple chunks, it was a flavor explosion and was amazing.

Overall, I had very high expectations heading into the Girl and the Goat and it very well exceeded them. Every dish was extremely unique and the flavors were some I have never experienced before. This place is booked months in advance for a reason and now I know why it is up for best new restaurant in America. Can't wait to come back.

Bouchon Bakery and Ad Hoc

For the second half of the day, we went to Thomas Kellers famous Bouchon Bakery, and his family style restaurant Ad Hoc.

While walking to Bouchon Bakery, we noticed a huge line out front so we decided to take a walk down to the French Laundry.

"The best restaurant in the world"

The French Laundry garden

After we saw the French Laundry, we were off to Bouchon Bakery. The line had died down so we went in and got a few of their signature Pastries.

First was the Bouchon's. These little cakes were a mix between a cake and a really dense brownie. Super rich and super filling, but extremely delicious.

Next were their Macaroons. We decided on Hazlenut and Caramel. The Hazlenut one was very good, but the Caramel Macaroon was outstanding.

Now that dinner was approaching, we decided to head over to Ad Hoc, easily the most anticipated meal of my entire trip.

Ad Hoc serves a pre fixe menu with an appetizer course, entree, cheese course and dessert. Their menu changes daily and is always something different and portions are served family style. Onto the food......

Course 1: Winter citrus salad, candied hazlenuts, blood orange, oranges and pickled red onions.

The salad was crispy, light and refreshing. The candied hazlenuts added the perfect sweet crunch and the two types of oranges worked perfectly. Great start to the meal.

Course two: Herb Crusted Sirloin of Lamb, Braised Greens, Bacon, Yam Mash.

The lamb was cooked sous vide and then grilled. I have no problem saying that this was easily the best lamb I've ever had. Even though it was cooked to a medium rare, the lamb wasn't gamey at all and was extremely flavorful and tender. The herb crust just added a crisp and delicious herby flavor. The braised greens were the perfect addition as was the bacon to give a little texture to the greens.

Alongside the lamb was a yam mash which is basically mashed potatoes, but done with sweet potatoes or yams. The mash was so creamy and smooth and the perfect consistency.

Course 3: This course was a hundred day aged goats milk cheese alongside a celery puree and some bread. The cheese texturally was like a Parmeggiano Reggiano, but tasted along the lines of a goat cheese.

Course 4: For the dessert course, we were presented with a flawless Apple Tart with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce

.

It was easily the best apple dessert I have ever had, but it was also one of the best desserts I've ever had. The tart was so flaky and the apples in the middle were caramelized. It was crispy, crunchy, chewy and so good. The ice cream on top just made it even better when paired with the caramel. It was almost like a bananas fosters, but instead of bananas it was apples. An amazing dessert for a meal I will never forget.

Ad Hoc strives to do family style food. The food is simple, common and food that people are used to. Ad Hoc takes those ideas and memories and transforms them into the most refined and delicious renditions I have ever had. Every dish was flawless, the service was top notch and the restaurant is perfect. Rarely do I ever leave a restaurant and wonder how soon I will be back, but I could eat at Ad Hoc every single day.

Redd, Yountville, CA

When coming up to San Francisco, I knew I needed to make a stop in Yountville to eat at a few restaurants that have been at the top of my list for awhile. My plan was to go to Redd for lunch, a quick stop at Bouchon Bakery for some pastries then to the famed Ad Hoc for a four course family meal.

We arrived in Yountville just in time for our 1:00 lunch reservation. Luckily the restaurant wasn't too crowded so we were able to sit outside on the patio overlooking the valley.

The lunch menu at Redd is mostly small plates consisting of varying dishes from pastas, to asian food to steak and chicken. Since we were going to have such a big dinner, we decided to order a few different small plates that represented what the restaurant had to offer.

We first started off with their Glazed Pork belly with an apple puree.

The pork was belly was melt in your mouths tender and so flavorful. The apple puree paired perfectly with the crispy pork. The layer of fat on the upper third of the pork was definitely the best part. One of the best pork belly preparations I've had.

The next plate we opted to get was the tasting of the cold Foie Gras preparations. There were three different preparations of Foie on the plate; a mousse on top of a puff pastry, a terrine and a gallantine.

Aside from the beautiful preparation, the mousse and terrine were the clear winners. Each preparation paired perfectly with a fruity accompaniment and went great with the pieces of brioche bread. The gallantine posessed a very strong liver taste that made it almost too heavy. But the mousse and galantine were fantastic and were certainly memorable.

For the entree plate, we got a Prosciutto and Arugula pizza.

The pizza was very light and relatively simple, but it packed a lot of flavor. I appreciated that the arugula was on the bottom and prosciutto was on top instead of other prosciutto pizzas. The pizza was very flavorful and wasn't heavy at all.

For the last dish, we had to get their famed Steamed Pork Buns with Hoison sauce.

The steamed buns were pillow like and the pork inside of them was chopped up pork belly. If we weren't so full by the time these came around, they would have been devoured in seconds. The meat was super tender and the Hoison added the perfect amount of sweetness. Certainly the best dish of the afternoon.

Redd definitely lived up to my expectations. Every dish was spot on perfection and the ambiance and service were nothing short of perfect. A great lunch spot that would start the day off with some amazing food.

Arizmendi Bakery, La Taqueria, Humphry Slocumbe and Flour and Water

For my first full day in San Francisco, I decided to take out a few heavy hitters that I've been meaning to try.

To start off the day, I went to Arizmendi Bakery; a top bakery choice in the Bay Area famous for their delicious pastries and vegetarian pizza. I have heard many things about their pecan roll so I decided to get that.

It was easily one of the best cinnamon rolls I've ever had. Not too sweet and very sticky with just the right amount of pecans.

For lunch, I decided to go to La Taqueria in the Mission District which is arguably the most famous Taqueria in all of San Francisco. I ordered their famous Carnitas and Carne Asada tacos.

Although the Carne Asada taco was excellent, the Carnitas taco was even better. Unlike Southern California street tacos. La Taqueria tacos are much larger and filled with pinto beans, meat, guacamole and salsa. No wonder that the Carnitas taco is on the 100 Things to try in San Francisco list.

For a quick dessert, I decided to walk down the street to the newly famous Ice Cream Shop Humphry Slocumbe. Unlike Bi Rite and Mitchells, Humphry Slocumbe has a wider range of more exotic flavors including Proscuitto, Foie Gras and Secret Breakfast ice cream. Their most popular ice cream is the Secret Breakfast, so I decided on that.

The ice cream consists of a vanilla base, infused with Jim Beam bourbon and cornflakes. The combination may sound strange, but it was amazing. The bourbon was very noticeable and the cornflakes added the right amount of crunch.

To cap off the day of amazing eating, we went to the very popular Flour + Water to sample some of San Francisco's best Pizza and Pasta. When we arrived there was a huge line, but the place was just opened so we were lucky enough to snag the last spot at the communal table. When it was time to order, we decided to start with a pizza then get a pasta and another pizza dish for entrees.

The starter pizza was something very unique. It was a Osso Bucco Bone Marrow Pizza with Rapini, Fontina Cheese and Horseradish. The pizza was super rich and flavorful and all of the different components went perfectly with each other. One of the most unique pizzas I've had.

Unfortunately, It was so dark inside that I couldn't get pictures of the other two dishes. The second pizza we got was a salsiccia pizza with italian sausage, pecorino cheese and wild nettles. The pizza was very good, but not as good as the previous pizza. What makes Flour and Water's pizza so good is their light and flaky crust. The crust has the perfect amount of char and it super salty and flavorful. Definitely one of the best crusts in the city.

For the pasta dish, we got the rabbit and hen tortelli. No question this was one of the best pasta dishes I've had in a long time. The stuffed tortelli were so delicious and although the portion was small, the massive amount of flavor made up for it.

To finish off the meal, we opted to get their famous Chocolate Budino with espresso ice cream and sea salt.

Unlike most other budinos, this was a cross between a pudding and a torte. The chocolate paired with the ice cream and salt was amazing. The saltiness contrasted with the sweetness perfectly and made for a great ending to an amazing meal.

Incanto, San Francisco

I decided to come to San Francisco for a week during my winter break to obviously hang out with my sister, but also sample some of the best food San Francisco has to offer.

My first stop on my culinary adventure is Incanto; a rustic italian cuisine in the heart of Noe Valley. Incanto is famous for their Offal cuisine headed by Celebrity Chef Chris Cosentino. Cosentino is famous for his Offal style of cooking which is best described as cooking the "nasty bits" of animals or essentially the parts that fall off the animal during the butchering process of different animals.

There were a few specials of the day including a terrine of porchetta, housemade chorizo, and veal tongue.

We started off with Pig Trotters which are essentially braised pig feet formed into a crispy cake.

The dish was pretty amazing. It was fatty, salty, porky goodness formed into a patty accompanied by pickled red onions, arugula and snails. Everything came together very nicely and made a great start to the meal.

The next dish we had was one of the specials which was the Veal Tongue. The tongue came braised atop some greens to cut the richness of the tongue.

The tongue was melt in your mouth tender with a slight crunch to it. The flavor and texture wasn't offensive the least bit and it was very nice.

The first of two entrees was the hanker chief pasta with a rustic pork ragu.

The pasta was super fresh and very delicate. The ragu was perfectly seasoned and posessed the perfect amount of "porkyness". For people that are too apprehensive of trying anything out of their comfort zone, this is the perfect dish.

For the final entree, I ordered Oxtail and Sweetbreads. For those who don't know what oxtail is, its basically the tail of a cow. Most of the time the tail is braised to make it super tender. Sweetbreads may sound like something sweet, but they are actually the thymus gland or the throat of a cow.

The braised oxtail was very reminiscent of braised beef in a stew, but fattier and more flavorful. The sweetbreads weren't offensive at all; crunchy, chewy and prettyflavorful.

For dessert, there were a few familiar options, but we opted to order the Lamb Mincemeat Turnovers with rum caramel and spiced ice cream.

The turnovers were filled with mincemeat which is basically lamb heart, kidneys and anything else mixed with figs and sugar. When the turnovers combined with the caramel and ice cream, it was pretty outstanding. There was only a hint of lamb in the turnovers, mostly tasting like a fig newton.

Overall I was very impressed with Incanto. Although they are famous for their Offal cuisine and certainly shine in that area, their other more simple food is just as good. It's impressive to see a Chef treat usually unused and undesirable parts of animals and make them into something familiar, approachable and downright delicious.

10 Favorite Dishes of 2010!

I have been looking at a lot of food blogs posting about their top meals of the year and since I have eaten so many good things in 2010, I feel inclined to share some of my most memorable dishes and where you can find them.

In no particular Order....

1. The Pabellon Arepa with lots of green sauce @ Mil Jugos in Santa Ana, California

To most of you who do not know what an Arepa is; an Arepa is a bun made with cornmeal stuffed with types of meat and cheese. The Pabellon arepa is filled with shredded beef marinated in garlic and other spices, topped with black beans and cotija cheese. The condiment that takes it over the top is the green sauce that is in a bottle on the table. I would classify it as a mix between a salsa verde and guacamole. A truly phenomenal dish.

2. The Margherita Pizza @ Tony's Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco, California

The 2007 Naples Grand Champion and Certified Pizza Master Tony Gemignani only makes 73 of his Award Winning Margherita Pizza's Daily. I went to Tony's on a Friday night hoping that there would be at least one pizza left for me and luckily there was. When the pizza came to the table, I knew it was something special. The sweet and tangy sauce and buffalo mozzarella were the perfect pair when combined with the light and flakey crust. The crust on the pizza was the true star showing absolutely no grease and maintaining a unified crisp throughout. For a traditional neapolitan pizza, it doesn't get much better than Tony's.

3. Foie Gras Cheesecake @ Haven Gastropub, Orange, California

I know what your thinking. "Who puts fattened duck liver and cheesecake together?" I know it may sound crazy, but this dessert was beyond delicious. The Fatiness of the liver mixed with the cheese made this dish very rich, but also very satisfying. Since the cake itself was so heavy, the accompaniment of the apricot preserves really balanced out the dish nicely. The addition of the graham cracker crust on the bottom gave this dish a perfect crunch and a dish that was simply Mind blowing.

4. The Apple Fritter @ Ronald's, Las Vegas, Nevada

I have had a lot of Apple Fritters, but this one stands out above the rest. Ronald's Donuts is quickly becoming a staple in the Las Vegas area for having amazing VEGAN donuts. That's right I just said VEGAN donuts. It may sound weird, but Ronald's donuts are some of the best I've had anywhere and my favorite donut at Ronald's is undoubtedly the Apple Fritter. This gigantic fritter must weigh in at least one pound of deep fried goodness. What makes this donut so special is the chunks of apples and large amount of cinnamon throughout each bite. I have had the World Famous Apple Fritter at BOB's in San Francisco, and I can honestly say that Ronald takes the cake, well Donut.........

5. The #3 with Jalapeno Bacon @ 25 Degrees, Huntington Beach, California

Without a doubt one of my favorite burgers I ate in 2010. It was very hard for me to pick a clear favorite burger without taking some other great one's I've had into consideration (Ie: Haven Burger at Haven Gastropub, Squeeze burger at Squeeze Inn and PB &J burger at Slaters 50/50) Even though those burgers are amazing in their own right, I feel that my favorite burger of 2010 is the #3 at 25 degrees. The burger starts off with a 2/3 pound angus beef patty cooked to a perfect medium rare accompanied by Jalapeno smoked bacon, mezzo secco jack cheese, avocado, green chillies and a chipotle aoili topped by a giant buttery brioche bun. When all those elements are combined, the burger creates an explosion of flavors that is unlike any burger I've had to date.

6. The Butterscotch Budino @ Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles, California

This dish came as a total surprise to me and when I had it, my mind was literally blown. Budino translates to Pudding in English and it's safe to say that this is the best pudding I've ever had. The pudding consists of a silky smooth butterscotch pudding layered with caramel and creme fraiche. The pudding is topped with a sea salt to enhance the flavor of the caramel and provide a contrast of salty and sweet. The pudding literally melts in your mouth and the when all the flavors are combined, it's amazing. Even though I am not a huge butterscotch fan, this is one of the best dessert's I've ever had.

7. The Country Porkchop @ NOPA, San Francisco, California

Nopa in San Francisco is one of the most popular New American restaurants in the city. All of their food is great, but the dish that really sticks with me is the Country Pork Chop. The Pork Chop is brined overnight and is cooked to a perfect medium, possessing a slightly pink center. The 24 hour brine helps the meat become very tender and extra juicy. The first bite of the chop, the flavor was almost overwhelming; almost too flavorful. But bite after bite, it tasted better and better and I couldn't get enough of it. The chop literally tasted like a gigantic piece of tender bacon which is definitely not a bad thing. I often have pork chops, but I don't know if I will ever have one as good as Nopa's.

8. Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding @ Tartine Bakery, San Francisco, California

Tartine Bakery was voted one of the top 5 bakeries in the United States. The bakery has a wide array of world class pastries, desserts and rustic breads. I have had many amazing things at Tartine including chocolate croissants, banana cream pies and cinnamon buns, but the chocolate banana brioche bread pudding is easily one of the best things I've ever eaten. The pudding consists of shredded brioche bread, chocolate chunks and caramelized bananas that all combine to create something magical. Unlike most watery bread puddings, Tartine's is much thicker and denser which makes it extremely rich and filling. Thank the lord I don't live anywhere near Tartine, or else I would be eating this dish every day.

9. Fennel Sausage Pizza @ Pizzeria Mozza, Los Angeles, California

I was sort of skeptical my first time I went to Pizzeria Mozza because the place was so hyped up, I just knew I would be disappointed. When I left Pizzeria Mozza for the first time, the place didn't just live up to the hype, but it blew any other pizza place out of the water. I have had a few pies at Mozza, but the one I keep coming back to is the Fennel Sausage Pizza. This pizza combines a Perfect crust with sweet onions and an amazing Fennel Sausage. What makes the sausage so good is that it is ground in house everyday and is spread liberally throughout the pizza in large chunks. The sausage is so rich and flavorful, by the time your done with this pizza, you won't want to eat for awhile. The main reason why Mozza's pizzas are so good is their magical crust. The crust is extra crispy, but maintains the density similar to a croissant. Unlike Tony's traditional crust, Mozza's crust is salty and tastes phenomenal all by itself. This pizza has changed my views on how unique and special a pizza can be.

10. The Manage-A-Trois @ Ike's Place, San Francisco, California

There is no way I could have a list about my favorite dishes of the year without mentioning Ike's. Now hidden within a lounge in the Castro District, Ike's place is famous for serving up legendary sandwiches packed with flavor. Although I have had a few sandwiches at Ike's and have loved them all, the Manage-A-Trois is so unique and better than any other sandwich I have ever had. The sandwich consists of halal shredded chicken breast, real honey, honey mustard, BBQ sauce, pepperjack cheese, swiss cheese and smoked gouda cheese with all necessary veggies and Ike's special "Dirty" sauce squeezed between the amazing Dutch Crunch bread. It is hard to explain this how good this sandwich really is because there is just so much going on. The combination of the sweet honey, tangy barbecue sauce and cheeses makes this sandwich truly remarkable.

Another year has gone by, exploring different cities and sampling the best food they have to offer. Although this list consists of only ten dishes, there are so many more that have made an impression on me. Some runner ups include; Seared Foie Gras at the Montage, Lamb Burger at Haven Gastropub, Braised Oxtail at Lola Gaspar, Cookies and Cream Cookie at Anthony's Cookies, Grasshopper Pie at Mitchells, Maple Bacon Donut at Dynamo Donuts, Sweet Potato Tamale at Mesa Grill, Lamb Shank at Aziza, Vampire Dip at Slaters 50/50, Carnitas and Al Pastor at Taqueria Tapatia #2.

My hunt for amazing food will continue and I promise that 2011 will be an even better year of amazing dishes from around the world.