Milk and Honey in the Heartland [Chicago Food]

Last week, I went back to Chicago to visit K. While I <3 SF, a part of me is a bit sad that I won't be spending another summer in Chicago.

I find it always refreshing to be back in the heartland of Chicago, where the portions are.. well.. hearty. I've always wanted to check out Milk and Honey over on Division whiled I lived there. But, every time I walked passed it during the weekend, it was brimming with people.

Given the fact that its cafeteria style, hunting down seating is always rare when the place is full. I got a chance to check it out last week. The weather was a bit brisk, but warm when sitting outside--like San Fransico. K ordered the Crabcake with Chipotle Mayo and Shredded Lettuce. There was a nice kick thanks to the Chipotle mayo. I got the grilled Pastrami and swiss with horseradish-mustard spread on Dark Rye.

All is all, a great place to brunch!

Milk and Honey Cafe
1920 W. Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
773.395.9434

The Mile High High Wi Fi Club [Southwest Wi-Fi]

I'm on my way down to San Diego, CA for a couple days. We originally had plans to check out a couple places on the border, but given the current flu concerns, my plans have shifted a bit.

What is exciting, is the fact that I'm currently at cruising altitude writing this. I'm pretty stoked. For an hour flight, that means that I can be connected to all of you for another 45 minutes or so.

I've posted a screenshot of the landing page immediately after connecting to wi-fi. It's a bit busy, but there are a couple gems above the fold.

1. Updated Flight Information - The bar above the map shows your progress. Hovering over it allows you to read ETA, speed, and estimated time of arrival
   
2. Weather @ Destination - 'Nuff said. Always important
   
3. Trip Planner - The rest of the items are dedicated to helping you explore the city. From top recommendations to upcoming events.

I just learned how to perform a screenshot for a mac, but not sure how to add bubbles to highlight the image. Suggestions?

Now, if only they had an outlet for me to charge my laptop...

Update: As I start to descend, I wanted to provide a quick update on the speed. The speed is definitely a lot faster than I would've thought. Mind you, back in 2000 when I was working at a startup in Boston, we had 3 computers sharing a dialup connection. This is significantly faster. I was hoping to get in a hulu test. I was able to clock it via rietta and here are the results:

Start Time:	1240876274630
End Time:	1240876275271
Download Time:	0.641
Data Size:	508.466796875
Raw Speed:	793.2399327223088
KBPS:	6472.8
K BYTES/s:	793.2

Aged Well in Berkeley [Cheese]

The great thing about being in the bay area is the communal aspect of food. I was reading through Corby Kummer's earlier articles and came across an article on cheeses. There's a sidebar on Artisan cheeses. Lucky me, Corby highlights Cheeseboard Collective in Berkeley.

Can't wait!

Image Source: Marxfoods.com

Do Re Mi [Choreographed Flash Mobs]

I went to my first Bring Your Own Big Wheels (BYOBW) event last weekend on potrero hill and left a happy, happy customer. While there, I heard of DJ Amandeep Jawa's Flash Dance events (Flash Mob + Dance Party).

View Larger Map

SF seems a bit zany and irreverent. I can't wait till I get a tweet from deepasaurus for the next dance party.

On a related tangent, have you seen what happened at Antwerp's Central Train Station in Belgium:

Barefoot Coffee Roasters [Coffee Shops]

Within miles of strip mall deserts, Barefoot Coffee Roasters is an oasis of different between a sleep train and a bed, bath, and beyond.
Barefoot is an "artisan" coffee shop. For a premium you get a dose of fair trade coffee with a dash of creativity.

I visited it over a weekend afternoon and found the staff really helpful in helping me navigate through the unique menu. He readily walked through each item. In the end, I settled with the "whim," which put my taste buds squarely in the hands of the barista.

While I'm not sure it's advisable to take off your shoes and prop 'em on a table, it's definitely a nice place to go with friends and catch-up.

Maybe I'll go back down during another weekend to check out their coffee and tea tasting classes.

Barefoot Coffee Roasters
5237 Stevens Creek Blvd
Santa Clara, CA 95051
(408) 248-4500

Google Map

Image Source: Bradley Allen

Obama and Me [Presidential Similarities]

It's nice to see that Obama is also a bit depressed that BSG is now over. Maybe I can pick up gardening.

The 2009 Grub List [SF Eats]

If you don't know me already, you should know that I like to eat. Having recently moved from Chicago to the bay area, it's hard to figure out what to check out and where to eat. Currently, I've been following my gut instinct (no pun intended).

I've been seeking comfort food, or food I grew up with. That translates to Japanese food (predominately ramen), Chinese food (Taiwanese and Schezuan), and fried chicken. Having satiated that innate desire, I've recently venture out of my warm, comfortable center. Earlier this week, I went to check out Hog Island Oyster Company. I went for the $1 oyster happy hour. Turns out, it's Monday/Thursday, not Monday-Thursday. Dash, slash... eh... what's the difference? Well, about $1.25.

I've decided to follow the recommendations of the 400+ judges who make up the James Beard Foundation. There are a couple restaurants that have made the semi-final round. Here is a list of a couple categories, with local restaurants highlighted. I've already made reservations for next week at A16. If you're interested for a 6pm seating on Wednesday, let me know!

Outstanding Chef
José Andrés, Minibar, Washington, D.C.
Dan Barber, Blue Hill, NYC
Tom Colicchio, Craft, NYC
Suzanne Goin, Lucques, Los Angeles
Vincent Guerithault, Vincent on Camelback, Phoenix
Sam Hayward, Fore Street, Portland, ME
Jean Joho, Everest, Chicago
Paul Kahan, Blackbird, Chicago
Barbara Lynch, No. 9 Park, Boston
Michael Mina, Michael Mina, San Francisco
Tamara Murphy, Brasa, Seattle
Scott Peacock, Watershed, Decatur, GA
Charles Phan, The Slanted Door, San Francisco
Stephan Pyles, Stephan Pyles, Dallas
Anne Quatrano, Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Ana Sortun, Oleana, Cambridge, MA
Frank Stitt, Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Marc Vetri, Vetri, Philadelphia
Janos Wilder, Janos, Tucson, AZ
Michael Smith, Restaurant Michael Smith, Kansas City, MO

OUTSTANDING RESTAURANT
Alan Wong’s Restaurant, Honolulu
Babbo, NYC
Bacchanalia, Atlanta
Bern’s Steak House, Tampa, FL
Blackbird, Chicago
Boulevard, San Francisco
Brigtsen’s, New Orleans
Delfina, San Francisco
Everest, Chicago
Fore Street, Portland, ME
Greens, San Francisco
Hamersley's Bistro, Boston
Higgins Restaurant and Bar, Portland, OR
Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL
Jean Georges, NYC
Kinkead’s, Washington, D.C.
Lucia’s Restaurant, Minneapolis
Magnolia Grill, Durham, NC
Sanford, Milwaukee
Vidalia, Washington, D.C.

Outstanding Restaurant
Animal, Los Angeles
The Bazaar by José Andrés at SLS Hotel at Beverly Hills, Los Angeles
Bottega, Yountville, CA
Camino, Oakland, CA
Cork, Washington, D.C.
Corton, NYC
Distrito, Philadelphia
Django, Des Moines, IA
Emilitsa, Portland, ME
Feast, Houston
Holeman and Finch Public House, Atlanta
Hungry Mother, Cambridge, MA
Izakaya at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa, Atlantic City, NJ
L2O, Chicago
Merriman’s Kapalua, Maui, Lahaina, HI
Momofuku Ko, NYC
Noca, Phoenix
Palate Food & Wine, Glendale, CA
Poppy, Seattle
Raku, Las Vegas
Richard Chen Pittsburgh
Scarpetta, NYC
Spinasse, Seattle
Sra. Martinez, Miami
Tei An, Dallas
Trattoria Lucca, Charleston, SC
Volt, Frederick, MD
Zahav, Philadelphia

RISING STAR CHEF OF THE YEAR
Nate Appleman, A16, San Francisco
Sean Brock, McCrady's, Charleston, SC
Aaron Deal, Tristan, Charleston, SC
Sonja Finn, Dinette, Pittsburgh
Evan Funke, Rustic Canyon Wine Bar and Seasonal Kitchen, Santa Monica, CA
Vannessa Garcia, Restaurant Charlie at the Palazzo, Las Vegas
Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill, Atlanta
Will Gilson, Garden at the Cellar, Cambridge, MA
Sarah Kosikowski, Michael Mina at Bellagio, Las Vegas
Jackson Kramer, Interim Restaurant & Bar, Memphis
Travis Lett, Gjelina, Venice, CA
Jonathan McDonald, Pub & Kitchen, Philadelphia
Johnny Monis, Komi, Washington, D.C.
Dave Racicot, Lautrec at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA
Charles “Chip” Roman, Blackfish, Conshohocken, PA
Gabriel Rucker, Le Pigeon, Portland, OR
Justin Schoville, Söntés, Rochester, MN
Ryan Skeen, Irving Mill, NYC
Michael Solomonov, Zahav, Philadelphia
Sameh Wadi, Saffron Restaurant & Lounge, Minneapolis
Rachel Yang, Joule, Seattle
Sue Zemanick, Gautreau's, New Orleans

BEST CHEF: PACIFIC
Gino Angelini, Angelini Osteria, Los Angeles
James Boyce, Studio at Montage Laguna Beach, Laguna Beach, CA
Michael Cimarusti, Providence, Los Angeles
Josiah Citrin, Mélisse, Santa Monica, CA
Chris Cosentino, Incanto, San Francisco
Jeremy Fox, Ubuntu, Napa, CA
Hiroshi Fukui, Hiroshi Eurasion Tapas, Honolulu
Bev Gannon, Joe’s, Wailea, HI
Quinn Hatfield, Hatfield’s, Los Angeles
Douglas Keane, Cyrus, Healdsburg, CA
Loretta Keller, Coco500, San Francisco
David Kinch, Manresa, Los Gatos, CA
Chris Kobayashi, Artisan, Paso Robles, CA
Christopher Kostow, The Restaurant at Meadowood, St. Helena, CA
Peter Merriman, Merriman’s, Waimea, HI
David Myers, Sona, Los Angeles
Daniel Patterson, Coi, San Francisco
Gayle Pirie and John Clark, Foreign Cinema, San Francisco
Craig Strong, The Dining Room at the Langham, Pasadena, CA
Jason Travi, Fraîche, Culver City, CA

Read the entire list of nominees here.

Econoland [Economist Theme Park]

In tough economic times, it's always refreshing to hear of companies who are able to capitalize on the environment. According to their website, "The Economist Group is delighted to announce the development of a public-entertainment facility that combines the magic of a theme park with the excitement of macroeconomics."

Among the different attractions, rides include:

• The currency high-roller: Float like a butterfly with the euro and drop like a stone with the pound!
  
• Chamber of horrors:Fiscal fantasyland: Watch the economy shrivel before your very eyes as you struggle to stop growth falling!
  
• The Severe Contest: Try your strength against a bear market!

Let's just hope its an April fools joke.