Fresh Moves – Mobile Produce Market | Chicago

Photo via .seedingchicago.com

“The drought is over!” This is the message Fresh Moves is sending to Chicago. Fresh Moves was created to serve communities in Chicago that fall within a food desert, areas that have no access to grocery stores or healthy, affordable food. Imagine having to travel miles to get fruit or vegetables. This is especially hard for people who are elderly or are constantly working and the only free time to get food is late at night and takes 2 buses and a train to get there.

I love food trucks and this repurposed CTA bus is top on my list for the needs it is serving. Consider volunteering your time or donating to Fresh Moves to help keep Chicago fresh.  To find out more information check out their website: Fresh Moves – Mobile Produce Market |.

Image via http://freshmoves.org/

Need a Skin Detox? Official Glowing Green Smoothie (R) Recipe

I’ve been trying to eat a bit healthier these days. This morning I woke up and began making the greenest smoothie I’ve ever had. I knew it would be good for me but what about the taste? That was my excuse for sitting on the recipe for, well…months.

My blender isn’t very big so I used about half what the recipe calls for in spinach and romaine but used all of the fruit and still had enough for two servings this morning and another two for tomorrow. I don’t need to tell you how healthy this is, one serving has about as many greens as most people have in a week, makes your skin glow, helps you lose weight, etc. What I need to tell you is this is good. Not just kind of good but, for real good. There is really no reason you shouldn’t make it. The fruit gives it a sweet taste, it is very filling and it is very easy to make. You can easily change up the greens (kale, arugula) and the fruit (strawberries, blueberries) to suit your taste.

Image via kimberlysnyder.net

The original recipe is at the link below but these are the proportions I used:

• 1 ½- 2 cups very cold, filtered water
• 2 cups spinach, chopped
• 1 cups organic romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 stalks of organic celery
• 1 organic apple, cored and chopped
• 1 organic pear, cored and chopped
• 1 organic banana
• 2 Tbs. fresh organic lemon juice
• Ice cubes (the extra coldness can help newbies with the taste)

Check out Kimberly Snyder’s site for more recipes and information.

Kimberly Snyder’s Official Glowing Green Smoothie (R) Recipe.

America’s Best Doughnuts | Food & Wine

Do you have a sweet tooth? If so, sorry but these doughnuts might put you over the edge.

Image via Food & Wine - Photo © Triphena Wong.

Food & Wine give their take on 16 of the best Doughnut shops in the country. In the first spot, I am happy to say, is The Doughnut Vault in Chicago. I haven’t been here yet but I heard the line is long and starts early. A good sign, if you have time.

Another two on the list that I’ve had the pleasure of tasting:

Café du Monde, New Orleans, LA – quick post about their coffee and beignets here last summer.

VooDoo Doughnut, Portland Oregon. Check out their Captain my Captain doughnut.

Image via http://thesvilla.com

Couldn’t resist, one more pic for ya:

maple bar with bacon from Voodoo Donuts I've been back living in Portland for 3 years and finally got around to trying Voodoo on Saturday. Evil, but so good. Better than I had expected (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

See the full list at the link:

America’s Best Doughnuts | Food & Wine.

Oregon Chardonnay Finds Its Voice – NYTimes.com

Chardonnay Grapes (Photo credit: pmarkham)

This weather is getting warmer and that gets me to start thinking about white wine again. A good friend of mine is a wine maker in Oregon at the Lemelson Vineyards. As any winemaker he is proud of what is produced but so is the wine drinking world.

Image via NYTimes.com

The New York Times rates their reserve chardonnay #1 in a recent tasting. Congratulations! I am awaiting a bottle in the mail to try. The 2009 Reserve chardonnay from Lemelson is described as, “…very much reminded me of a good Pouilly-Fuissé, with its lively energy, seemingly ready to uncoil in the mouth, and subtle flavors that might best be described as mineral, spicy and nutlike, but not fruity.” Now that is a description.

Despite being the most popular white wine among Americans, chardonnay has had a bad rap. As this article points out with the first sentence, “IN the beginning, there was chardonnay, and it was not good.”

This is changing in the Willamette Valley as the “second wave of Oregon chardonnay has appeared in the last decade or so, the product this time of conscious decision-making and more confident winemakers.”

So if you have ignored Oregon chardonnay in the past consider it again. If you are looking for something new, check out this list. Especially the 2009 Reserve chardonnay from Lemelson Vineyards.  Cheers!

Link to the full article:

Oregon Chardonnay Finds Its Voice – NYTimes.com.

The 20 Best Food Trucks in the United States

Image via Wikipedia

The Smithsonian Magazine lists their take on the 20 best food trucks in the US. Chicago has a way to go to catch up with the likes of Austin, Los Angeles, and Portland. I have no doubt once the laws are eased on food trucks, Chicago will be up showing up more and more on the best food truck lists. I can see Big Star’s Consuelo food truck as a stand out.

Check out the list:

The 20 Best Food Trucks in the United States | Travel | Smithsonian Magazine.

5th Annual Chicago Restaurant Week – February 17-26, 2012

Image via www.choosechicago.com

The 5th annual Chicago Restaurant Week participants have been announced. This is your chance to take advantage of the special prix fixe menus starting at $22 for lunch and $33/$44 for dinner from some of the best Chicago restaurants.

Make your reservations sooner than later to snag a spot! You can find participating restaurants and more information in the link below.

Some on my wish list: Blackbird, Bistro Campagne, The Bedford, The Bristol, Deca Restaurant and Bar, Gemini Bistro, GT Fish & Oyster, Hearty Restaurant, Mercat A La Planxa, Mirai Sushi, Nightwood, NoMI Saigon Sisters, Sepia, Spiaggia and Café Spiaggia, Terzo Piano, and Wildfire.

What to do in Chicago, Chicago hotel rooms and sites – Choose Chicago.

Wine Bar In The Works: ‘Check, Please’ Host Patners With Bistronomic Owners

 

Image via www.southportgrocery.com

Fans of Check Please!, the show that lets every day people review their favorite Chicago area restaurant, will be happy to know that the host Alpana Singh is opening a wine bar in River North.  No word of exact location or estimated opening date but I will be on the look out for more updates.  In my opinion there can never be enough good wine bars.

Alpana Singh Restaurant, Wine Bar In The Works: ‘Check, Please’ Host Patners With Bistronomic Owners.

Anthony Bourdain’s The Layover Sneak Peek Video – Travel Channel

 

“Writer, traveler, professional eater.” Now, that’s what I’d like the title of my business card to say someday. I wrote about this show back in August but wanted to give an update now that the premiere date is around the corner.

Format of the show will have Anthony Bourdain spend 24-48 hours in each city. Bourdain will “cut to the chase” and give his list of “dive bars to five-stars.” Chicago didn’t make the list but I am sure if there is a second season it will be on. Looking forward to this show. Here is the city line-up:

New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Hong Kong, Singapore, London, Rome, Montreal, and Amsterdam

The Layover premieres Monday, November 21 at 9 E/P.

The Layover Sneak Peek – The Layover Video – Travel Channel.

Get Dosed! | Dose Market & Open House Chicago

Image via Dosemarket.com

The Dose monthly market is tomorrow from 10am – 4pm at the River East Art Center.

Another great lineup of fashion, art and of course food. Some debuts by Salted Caramel caught my eye:  pretzel-graham toffee, Salted Caramel cocoa mix and salted bourbon caramel sauce.

Get Dosed! | Dose Market.

Image via openhousechicago.org

The perfect opportunity to see some of Chicago’s most important and fascinating architecture for free.  From the openhousechicago.org website:

“Over the weekend of October 15-16, 2011, the Chicago Architecture Foundation is proud to present openhousechicago 2011 (OHC), a free public event that gets you behind-the-scenes of many of the city’s greatest spaces and places and illuminates areas that are normally open “by invitation only”.”

You can plan your itinerary here.

Attention Oyster Lovers: Shaw’s Crab House – Royster with the Oyster Festival

Image via Shawscrabhouse.com

The  “Royster With The Oyster” 23rd Annual Oyster Festival and Tent Party started this Monday and continues through tomorrow at Shaw\’s Crab House. For anyone that likes oysters and a party, this is for you.

There is an Oyster Hall of Fame Dinner tonight at 6:30pm. $79/person. Friday Shaw’s hosts their Tent Party on Hubbard. There will of course be oysters but also other seafood on Shaw’s menu as well as live music. Live music starts at 3pm.

Last but not least, The Oyster Slurping Contest. Or as Shaw’s calls it,  “…Slurp-Off, is as simple as whoever slurps a dozen oysters the fastest, sans hands, wins.” That should be interesting to watch.

Image via Shawscrabhouse.com

Shaw’s Crab House: Fresh Seafood Events – Royster with the Oyster Festival.