I recently came across a new food that, while it looks kind of frightening, is pretty intriguing – black garlic! Black garlic is popular in China, Korea and Japan and is really just aged and fermented whole cloves of garlic. The flavor is more mellow than raw cloves with a bit of a tang. And it’s spreadable. Some Whole Foods stores sell black garlic, but you can get it online, too.
What is Black Garlic?
Filed under World Eats
Mexico: Taquería El Milagro
Taquería El Milagro
1923 S Blue Island Ave
Chicago, IL
It’s an annual tradition for the Eaters to spend a day in December wandering around Chicago’s Pilsen district. We stop by the National Museum of Mexican Art to catch their annual Día de los Muertos exhibit, do some Christmas shopping at the museum’s Mercado Navideño (Christmas Market), and then have an afternoon meal at one of Pilsen’s great Mexican restaurants. For the past few years, this has meant ordering the mole enchiladas (for L) and the fajitas (for M) at Restaurante Nuevo León (1515 W. 18th Street). But this year we decided to try something new, so we walked an extra few blocks to Taquería El Milagro.
El Milagro’s relatively unadorned exterior wouldn’t be very noticeable from the street – if it weren’t bright magenta/pink, that is. The interior is inviting – Spanish colonial tiles adorn the walls around the entrance, and large Mexican paintings hang from the other walls. But this is by no means a fancy restaurant – the cafeteria-style setup is quick and simple. You wait in line, order your food, pick a seat, and a few minutes later it is brought out to you. It being a cold day, L and I took the opportunity to each try a champurrado, ($1.75) a Mexican hot chocolate drink, thickened with cornmeal and with cinnamon and other spices. If you are thirsty, this is not the drink to try – think of it more as a liquid dessert. Perfect for a cold day, though. Champurrados are normally served with churros, and while I didn’t order any, I really should have bought some from the man who came in the restaurant to sell them.
We had anticipated finishing our warm drinks by the time the food arrived, but no such luck. Both L and I had ordered chicken burritos ($4.95), which to our shock were entirely made to order. Neither of us care much for refried beans, but we decided to go with it because asking for our burritos sin frijoles just seemed like such a gringo thing to do. Otherwise, there were no other order options. No qualifications for what toppings or sides we wanted, no tortilla specifications, nothing. Just straight chicken burritos – and they took care of the rest.
We can use this to contrast with Chipotle, the fast-food joint that bills itself as Mexican. When you order a chicken burrito at Chipotle, the chicken is sliced into little cubes that get put inside a watery, thin flour tortilla, all for $7. They ask you each and every ingredient you want, holding up the line and using all the questions to overcharge you for prepping. Not so at El Milagro – when we ordered chicken, two fresh raw chicken breasts were plopped down on the grill, just for us. When the burritos came, they had lettuce, rice, two halves of a tomato slice, and some cheese all bean-sealed inside a thick, warm, grilled flour tortilla. Five bucks. And so very excellent – you could tell all the ingredients were fresh and filling without being unhealthy. L and I had purposefully not eaten all day in anticipation of our meal, but suffice to say between the champurrados and the burritos, we both had a hard time finishing.
We were so hungry in fact that we neglected to take our usual context photo. Instead we present the remains of our burritos, after I remembered we had forgotten to record them for our readers. This is a fairly common problem for the eaters – accordingly we have no photos of Jim’s cheeseteaks or any of our breakfasts in Puerto Rico. Overall impression? Take Chipotle – subtract the lines, the fat, the questions; add fresher ingredients, better prices, and more food – and you get El Milagro. Also, if you’re jonesing for some more tortillas, the El Milagro Tortilleria is right next door! We’ll be back.
Filed under Reviews
Food Trends for 2009
Epicurious.com posted a list of their top predicted food trends for 2009. Included are some international food trends we would love to see happen – like Peruvian food becoming the new Thai. Peruvian is M’s personal favorite, so we’d dig it, but we’re weighing in that Peruvian will only be the new Cuban. And we also love that they gave props to amatuer reviewers. Hello, Yelp!
Filed under Links
Germany and Austria: Adventskalender und Weihnachtsmärkte (Holiday markets)
It’s December 1st! And that means a new year of Advent calendars. Advent calendars (Adventskalender) date back to Lutherans in 19th Century Germany, where they were (and are) used to count down the days until Christmas. In our case, December 1st means chocolate advent calendars. There are some enticing looking varieties out there. But I’m going to opt for something a bit more low-key. Cost Plus World Market sells some good varieties from Deutschland for less than 5 bucks.
December 1st is also the traditional start date for Weihnachtsmärkte, Austrian and German outdoor holiday markets. According to Wikipedia, Vienna’s market is the oldest and dates back to 1294. This past weekend we had the fortune to go to Chicago’s very own Weihnachtsmärkte, the Christkindlmarket. The long-running market takes place at Daley Plaza in the heart of Chicago’s Loop and contains a giant Christmas Tree and tons of booths chock full of German handicrafts and food (like the Bavarian steins above). The Market runs through the 24th so there is still plenty of time to get festive.
Ethiopia: Addis Abeba Restaurant in Evanston [closed]
Addis Abeba [closed]
1322 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL
A few weeks ago, I headed out on a rainy night for a group dinner at Ethiopian Diamond. I think perhaps Ethiopian food is tailor-made for group dinners, since it is designed to share! The restaurant itself was unfortunately barren except for our big table, owning to the freezing-rain downpour. As our group was evenly split between vegetarians and omnivores, we decided to order a range of meat and non-meat dishes to share. Like most Ethiopian restaurants, the food is served communally on a large, round mesob platter on a large piece of thin injera bread. 
On the vegetarian plate we selected a variety of chickpea-based dishes. We ordered Yeater Kik Wot ($10.25) – yellow split peas sauteed with garlic, cloves and cinnamon; Mitin Shiro ($10.25) Roasted, chick peas in cinnamon-clove spiced butter with cinnamon and cloves; and Azifa ($8.50) a cold dish of lentils, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers. In truth, being seated in front of the veg platter, and being an omnivore myself, all of the chickpea fare started to blend together. It was good, but not distinctive. Maybe not so many beans next time.
On the meat-eater platter we ordered Chicken Shish Kebabs ($14.75) with a spicy yogurt sauce; Yebeg alitcha ($14.75) a spicy lamb dish with onions, garlic and turmeric; Minchet abish ($14.00) ground beef served with a berbere sauce, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and garlic. The chicken kebabs were nice and spicy, however the pieces were much too big to grab daintily with the injera. Had to use the hands here. The Yebeg Alitcha was deliciously garlic and tender. However, the combination of sweet and savory (ground beef and cinnamon) was bit too much for me, where the minchet abish was concerned.
To finish of the meal we shared a pot of flavorful Ethiopian coffee ($2.50) served in a traditional style. This coffee is potent, and accordingly served in tiny cups, but, with impending research papers in mind, we kept the refills coming. Though Ethiopian Diamond is definitely still our Chicago favorite, AA is pretty good for an Ethio fix in Evanston, especially if you bring a few friends along.
Filed under Reviews
Friday Foodie Links
MicroReviews. I really like this new concept – Twittering micro food reviews. Tweatingout does 140-character reviews of Chicago restaurants. Sometimes brevity works.
Big in Japan. McDonald’s has introduced a new unbranded concept restaurant in Japan that serves…only quarter pounders. The stores were accompanied by a huge viral campaign that is apparently making the restaurant concept into a big deal in Japan.
Recipes from Famous Folks. Cookstr provides a clean searchable website with recipes from some pretty famous chefs including James Beard, Charlie Trotter, etc.
Two Lovely Food Blogs. I recently stumbled across these two food blogs and they are great: Ezra Pound Cake and CakeSpy.
Eating the Map. Using GoogleMaps’ API, someone has created a handy map of all of the locations visited on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
Filed under Links
Feliz Cumpleaños, ETW!
Happy 1st Birthday, Eating the World!
Yes, this blog is one year old today. It’s been a good first year. We have thus far eaten 54 out of the 194 nations recognized by the US Department of State (27.8%). In the upcoming year we hope to knock off a few more countries (we’re coming for you, Ecuador…). Thanks for following us on our adventures!
P.S. Contrary to the above picture, if Eating the World had a birthday cake, it would definitely be chocolate.
Filed under Note
Sicily: Sfogliatelle
We returned to Pasticceria Natalina, and as always, came away as happy campers. Our snack of choice on this trip was the tongue-twisting southern Italian favorite sfogliatelle which translates to ‘many layers’. That pretty much sums up the dish, it’s multi-layered fried sweet puff pastry filled with ricotta cream. Pasticceria Natalina’s version ($4.95) was flaky and delicious and the ricotta filing was spiked with almonds and tangy Sicilian orange peel. In a word – heavenly (though good thing it didn’t come with nutritional facts).
Filed under Reviews
Japan: Giant Bluefin Tuna at Mitsuwa
I had heard that Mitsuwa Market in Arlington Heights was staging a public sale of some giant bluefin tuna this past weekend. The tuna was flown in fresh, and weighed upwards of 300 pounds. Mike Sula at the Chicago Reader’s Food Chain provides a nice recap of the event, which seemed like quite the experience. On non Tuna-carving days, Mitsuwa market is still worth the trip for an extensive grocery, bakery, bookstore and tasty food court with Sushi and Udon shops.
Mitsuwa Market
100 E. Algonquin Rd.
Arlington Heights, IL
Filed under Reviews
Lebanon: Taste of Lebanon
Taste of Lebanon
1509 W Foster Ave
Chicago, IL
Don’t think of this tiny cult-following Andersonville eatery as a restaurant – more as an indoor food cart. Sparse decor and simple tables and chairs line the path to the back wall where a hand-lettered signboard advertises an adequate menu of Middle Eastern favorites like baba ghanouj, shewarma, and falafel.
Anyone who reads reviews of Taste of Lebanon will immediately encounter reviews of the lentil soup declaring it one of the best soups in the city. It being a cold night when the Eaters arrived, of course we decided to give it a shot. We don’t have enough soups under our belt to judge it in reference to the rest of Chicago, but its rich, creamy texture with a potent peppery kick was delicious and surprising in a very good way. It was definitely the highlight of the meal.
M had the chicken shewarma, which was good – but not great. The chicken was a little on the dry side, and for a dish like shewarma its pretty important that the chicken’s natural flavors come out to interact with the other ingredients. Given how good the soup was, and that shewarma is such a standard dish for Middle Eastern restaurants, he was pretty surprised that it wasn’t a few notches higher on the tasty scale. L stuck with the falafel wrap and a hummus plate to share, two of her old favorites. Our table enjoyed the hummus, which was creamy and with plenty of tahini. The falafel wrap was also good, and the falafel freshly fried – it was advertised on the door as ‘world famous’ though I’m not sure I would go that far with the praise.
The only downside was that the pitas were anything but fresh (or good, for that matter). They came to the table in the package, and were bit dry and stale. Going a little dry on the chicken is acceptable, but it’s a bit of a sin not to have good pitas. Those non-withstanding, you can’t really go wrong at Taste of Lebanon. Overall, the food is delicious and your wallet won’t take a hit (a definite plus for us grad students). If you’re still hungry for more after dinner, for some dessert head across the street to Middle Eastern Pastry and Bakery (1512 West Foster Avenue).
Filed under Reviews
Friday Foodie Link: Yes We Cake!
Because carving an Obama pumpkin is not enough – how about making a cake, or a cupcake (or 100)? Yes we cake showcases the awesome work of some politically conscious citizen bakers. Makes me want to make a cake myself!
Cards from CakeSpy.
Filed under Design and Photography
FTC: Galeux d’ Eysines Squash
The culinary harbingers of fall are squash and pumpkins. I admit to getting a little overloaded on pumpkins around Halloween time (though I do like to carve them) since they get incorporated into every type of food, from ravioli to lattes. However, I have noticed this unusual squash at several farmers markets recently, and it really caught my eye. It’s called a Galeux d’ Eysines – in French Galeux translates to warty or scabby, so that’s pretty appropriate. Apparently this French heirloom variety is quite tasty and the ‘warts’ are merely cosmetic. You can even grow your own!
Filed under Finer Things Club
Thailand: Sala Thai
Sala Thai
36 S Fair Oaks Ave
Madison, WI 53714
L and I had long meant to head to Madison’s east side and sample some of the famous curries at The Corner Store on Willy Street, but never had the opportunity. But when I found out that the shop’s owners had opened a full-service Thai restaurant, we had to give it a shot.
Sala Thai is located in an unsuspecting location, a remodeled building tucked between a 50s-style diner and a residential street. Still, the restaurant manages a fine ambiance with intricate Thai wood decorations and carvings, plenty of artwork, and a large, well-lit dining room. From reviews we read previously, service was supposedly notoriously slow, but we found the exact opposite. This may have been because the waitstaff was really on its game, or they had little to care about at 4PM on a Friday. We’ll never know unless we make a return trip, but our small meal was definitely enough to bring us back if we ever again find ourselves in the area.
L had a bowl of the delicious Tom Yum soup. The unsuspecting dish packed a great deal of flavor (provided mostly by lemongrass and ginger), mushrooms, and a good amount of heat. The soup’s broth was thin enough to really put the focus on the big ingredients (although it would have helped if it had a “don’t eat the ginger” sign). For $5.95, it was a great afternoon snack, one we wish we had the recipe for to try to make it at home.
I (M) had one of my classic favorites, Panang Curry. I’ve been frustrated recently by a number of Thai restaurants that pass off glorified soups as curries, sacrificing the hearty thickness of the curry in favor of thinner, more “healthy” curries. But just as advertised, Sala Thai did not disappoint. Thick and full of coconut cream, the curry mixed together carrots and other vegetables with well-prepared chicken (another recent sticking point of Thai restaurants with me) in a sauce that, thick and tasty as it was, could have used a few more peanuts (though I do like peanuts far more than most). At $7.95, the curry was comparably priced in comparison to other Thai restaurants in the city, and didn’t hurt itself with the free large rice.
Final verdict: good food, excellent curries, quick service, good decor, and apparently a brisk takeout business. We wish them well, and will be back should the opportunity present itself.
Filed under Reviews
St. Martin: Beach Food
Some of the main draws on St. Martin are the beautiful beaches (no surprise there), but what did surprise me was there are excellent food options to be had at many of the more well-trafficked beaches. Not just your typical concession stands, these beach-front restaurants churn out reasonably-priced and well-executed food ranging from simple sandwiches to extravagant seafood dishes.
The Key
Islet Pinel (Orange Umbrellas)
St. Martin
Pinel island is a beach eats mecca. On the beach there are three different colors of umbrellas – orange, yellow and blue – each corresponding to a different restaurant. If you are feeling so inclined, you can have your food delivered right to your umbrella on the beach! On our visit we ate at the Key – the place with orange umbrellas. The platters at the Key (ranging from €16-18) include classic fare like hamburgers, BBQ Chicken and fresh grilled fish. Though simple, the food was excellent. We all ordered burgers, which were generously proportioned and charcoal-grilled. Alongside the entrees there were fries and a rather impressive salad of carrots, grapes, sprouts and carrots with a sesame vinaigrette, which was cool and refreshing in the hot weather.
Tropical Wave
Le Galion Beach
St. Martin
Tropical Wave, on the beautiful Galion Beach was this was the first outdoor dining experience we had in St. Martin. There is an open air dining area, with long wooden picnic tables under a canopy. The menu is classic fare like sandwiches, sodas and ice cream, along with an array of cold beverages (most important). We ordered the grilled chicken (€7.50) and a shrimp salad (€13.50). This was definitely a casual place, and was mostly full of beach-bound families grabbing a quick bite.
Do Brazil
Shell Beach
St. Barths
In keeping with the upscale feel of St. Barths, this restaurant is more expensive than any of the others we had been to. More than a simple grill with a few benches and an awning, Do Brazil is a full-fledged, multi-story restaurant with a bar, with a more casual al fresco seating area right on the beach. We were impressed by the extensive interantionally-flavored menu (sashimi, Brazilian pomelo salad and foie gras were among the offerings).We ordered a Lobster Club Salad (€22) and a Thai Chicken sandwich (€19). Though expensive, it turned out the food was quite good, and more sophisticated than a typical beachside lolo.
Filed under Reviews
Friday Foodie Link: Iced Coffee today?
We like this site because of its simplicity. Is it iced or coffee weather today tells you if the weather in your zip code dictates hot or cold beverages. Sadly, it seems like our Iced Coffee days will be over until next year. Fans of this site might also enjoy the non-food related Umbrella Today?
Penang, Malaysian Cuisine in Chicagoland
Penang
1720 W Algonquin Rd
Arlington Heights, IL
With an outpost in Chicago’s Chinatown, the Penang empire is spreading Westward with a new location in Arlington Heights. M and me, along with our Junior food editor A, are all big fans of Asian foods, so we were excited to try something new. Malay food itself is bit of fusion between Malay, Thai, Chinese, and Indian cuisines, so we were excited to sample this variety. Though Penang’s building formerly housed a burger joint, We were impressed by the sophisticated, modern decor at Penang and the airy space. In the nooks and crannies of the restaurant there were little personal touches everywhere – including a series of gold Buddhas standing watch.
The menu at Penang is wide and varied featuring curries, noddles and meat dishes. I ordered Curry Mee ($7.95) – chicken and shrimp with rice noodles in a coconut broth. The curry came in a bowl with tons of tasty broth and round rice noodles and was rich and delicious. A ordered Malaysian sweet and sour chicken ($11.95). Much like the common Chinese dish – it consisted of lightly breaded chicken, Tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, sweet and sour sauce. However, the sauce in Penang’s rendition was tangier and not as cloyingly sweet as S&S chicken usually is. M ordered the Ayam Rendang ($11.95) – onion, lemongrass and red chili paste in a coconut gravy. The dish was pleasantly sweet, but with some kick to it. Of all of the dishes, this one had the most Indian influence.
The service at Penang was very attentive and always arrived with a smile (at least out kind waiter did). To M’s delight, the waiters at Penang were quick at refilling our water glasses. Everything was delicious and unique, and A enjoyed her first foray into Malaysian food. We were tempted by the mango smoothie ($3.50) on the menu, but our entrees left us full. Maybe next time.
FTC: Korean Red Ginseng Candy
A colleague of mine is from South Korea, and she always brings in the most interesting candies to share after she takes trips to South Korea. Her latest treat was red ginseng candies. Red ginseng is a popular ingredient in Korea – and is found in everything from tea to candy to jelly. Red ginseng is a special preparation of ginseng where it is heated to create a brittle texture.
I know ginseng is supposed to be good for you – and has been shown to have some anti-carcinogenic effects, but I’ve never had it like this. The little candies looked suspiciously like lozenges – and at first sample – they tasted like them too. Gradually the little maroon-colored candies tasted sweeter, but with a bitter, medicinal tinge. All in all, not bad – and pretty good for you (for a sweet). I’ve seen red ginseng candies in Asian supermarkets in the Chicago area, however you can get them from several online shops as well.
Filed under Finer Things Club
Friday Foodie Link: The future of food
In this edition of Friday Foodie Links, I will post a couple of stories about the future of food.
Esquire recently had an interesting short piece, “What the 21st Century Will Taste Like” on how our eating habits will likely change in the next century. One of the more obvious changes predicted by the article is that our meat-loving ways will not be able to be sustained. Interestingly the piece is written by chef David Chang of Momofuku – an exclusive NYC restaurant known for its meat-focus dishes and inhospitably to Vegetarians.
The second story is about a small grocery in Chicago that is running on a business model usually used for free software products. It’s called Open Produce (1635 E. 55th St.), and they are working on an open source model making all of their data from finances to wholesaling prices available to the public. You can follow their progress on the Open Produce blog.
Filed under Links
[Road Trip Eats] Mexico: Tulum
Tulum
17 W. Morton St.
Bethlehem, PA
We were jonesing for some cheap but tasty eats in Bethlehem, PA on a hectic weeknight, so we scoured the web for suggestions. We heard Tulum was a local favorite for casual Mexican food, so we decided it was worth a shot. Tulum (self-proclaimed “Beth-Mex”) is located on the campus of Lehigh, and is obviously a student hangout (though class wasn’t yet in session). The storefront was unassuming with a counter on one wall and a few rickety tables on the other. It being a nice day outside – several other tables were enjoying dinner on the patio out back.
The menu at Tulum consists of TexMex favorites like burritos, chips and guacamole, quesadillas, and the speciality of the house – various styles of burritos in ‘regular’ and ‘mini’ sizes. The burritos came on a flour tortilla and were filled with rice, cheese and a house-made crema (mixed with lime and poblano peppers) and fresh, mild pico de gallo. M opted for a Chicken Verde Burrito ($6.84) with medium green tomatillo salsa. L picked the Chicken Mole Minirrito ($5.35), which was more than filling enough. Tulum turned out a delicious rich mole, though the burrito could have used a bit more of the delicious sauce itself.
We were impressed by the quality and freshness of the burritos, which were certainly many cuts above Chipotle-style chains. Another fun surprise was that next to the counter there was an assortment of homemade sauces in Corona bottles. Our favorites were the sweet but super-spicy Mango/Habanero sauce and the smoky Chipotle sauce. Though its unlikely we will ever find ourselves back in Bethlehem, we’ll now know where to get a good burrito.
Filed under Reviews
Eating The World 
