No surprise here, but the fanciest ingredients don’t necessarily make a dish the best. Sometimes, it’s the elementary foods that make the most memorable impression, and I’m talking straight elementary. Literally. The Grilled Cheese Grill in Portland, OR is one of those places that does it right and SIMPLE. As their name implies, they serve grilled cheese just like mom* used to make.

Located on a street corner in the King neighborhood, you’d think that you just happened upon a junk yard. There’s an old school bus on the lot, a trailer, and some dirt & gravel. NOPE! That colorful school bus is their dining room. Inside you’ll find a diner setup, tables on one side and a bar on the other. The tables are littered with old school pics from way back when (creepy). Think milk carton children shrine.

GCG’s cute menu starts with the ‘Kindergartner,’ a classic grill – american or cheddar on white or wheat, and for the sophisticated, grown-up kid, the ‘Gabby’ offers a cheddar, colby, jack, and mozz on white.

Just like in school, the guys in the kitchen get on the horn when your order is ready and summon you down to their ‘office.’ The only difference is when you get there, instead of detention, you’re greeted with a tasty treat. I opted for the ‘Morton,’ meatball marinara, ricotta and mozzarella on grilled Italian sourdough. So delicious. It was the perfect amount of saucy, meaty and cheesy. The idea of seconds was immediately on my mind. I couldn’t have been more satisfied, especially with the massive hangover that I was fighting off that morning. And in the words of the Cars, “you’re just what I needed.” If I recall correctly, those were the exact words I whispered to my sandwich.

Big high-fives to the Kenyons for sharing the delicious adventure with Matt and me! And for you Portlanders or anyone visiting, the GCG is open until 2:30 am on Fridays & Saturdays, making it a perfect drunken eats spot. EAT IT!

*’Mom’ in this instance implies that your mother was All-American and served you grilled cheese. In some cases of ethnicity, mothers may have served grilled cheese with rice or an alternative side dish or no grilled cheese at all. NOOOOOOO!

Yes, I now use this on EVERYTHING. Do yourself a favor and order some.

…just kidding, I’ve been hard at work just not here obviously. Mad props to Denise for keeping this thing going while I’m away. My buddy Andrew sent me this great article for you New Yorkers. It’s got “Shane Eats” written all over and under and through that bitch. Check out, “Say When with Max Silvestri”. For those of you in Chicago asking yourselves, “Hey Shane, where can I get Korean chicken like that?” refer to my previous post, “Get Ready For Heaven.”

EAT IT!

A little less than a year after I moved back to Chicago, my parents began to get tired of empty nesting in Central Arkansas - who could blame them - and started to sniff out some new land to stake their claim.  After an exploratory road trip through the Southwest, up the West Coast and back, they called me, excited to tell me where I’d be spending the Christmases of the future…

They chose a town between Dallas and Fort Worth, a little hiccup next to Arlington called Grand Prairie, Texas.  My brother and I were skeptical.  Five hours immediately west of where they live now and still south of the Mason-Dixon?  Yeah.  Big change.

As is the case very very rarely, we were both wrong.  They’re in a great location to take advantage of both Dallas and Fort Worth’s strikingly diverse flavors - Dallas has more airs of a big city; Fort Worth is still quintessentially a good ole boy big town.  Urban cowboys.  Great entertainment.

Lately, a surprising number of my friends have found reason to visit the Dallas/Fort Worth area and have asked for good food recommendations.  After several visits over the past two years, with many thanks to my awesome cousins who live in Fort Worth, I’ve been able to establish my favorite spots, which I’ve recommended to so many of my friends lately that I thought it’d only make sense to share with all the Eat Feats readers as well.

1. Joe T. Garcia’s.  A James Beard award winner, Joe T.’s was started as a family business in 1935 that experienced escalating success, becoming one of the most popular restaurants in Fort Worth by 1970.  It retains this popularity today - with reported seating capacity of over 1000, there is still a line out the door and a rat race to find parking on any given day.  With reservations, large groups can be accommodated here, and much of the seating is on a huge, beautiful outdoor patio wrapped around a pool.  It’s a great spot for Texas people-watching. Oh, and Joe T.’s is cash only.

2. Railhead Smokehouse BBQ. I really don’t think you can go wrong with BBQ anywhere in this area, but this is the place my cousin Vanessa chose when we met for lunch, and I just remember forcibly resisting the urge to lick my plate.  Give it a shot, let me know what you think.

3. Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse.  I don’t even know where to begin with this place.  I wouldn’t know downtown Fort Worth without it.  This is the kind of place where “succulent” can be put to good use as a legitimate description of the quality of food - without getting smirked at…at least not a lot.  I had a Sesame Seared Tuna with soy ginger glaze here that changed my life.  My brother met The Rock here, and it changed his life.  Top notch surf and turf, top notch celebrity sightings.

4. Grace. This elegant newish spot, the brain child of a Del Frisco’s alum, has something to satisfy both the meat-and-potatoes cowboy and the sophisticated urban eater alike.  Huge wine list and really striking display wine cellars are placed at focal points through the dining room.  The menu, elegant American classics was crafted by Executive Chef Blaine Staniford, who at 19 was one of the youngest graduates of the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde Park, NY.  Notably, he has studied under San Francisco chef Michael Mina (shameless pitch, my good friend Jason is currently studying under Mina).  Great people watching too - we were seated next to a table of 40-something year old women who collectively had enough plastic on their persons to craft a formidable Barbie army.  Sexy, can I?

5. Zambrano Wine Cellar. I’ve only had the wine and desserts at this place, but it’s been enough to draw me back in almost every time I find myself in downtown Fort Worth.  Owner Cef Zambrano is another illustrious Del Frisco’s alum and is one of the most reliable wine sources throughout Dallas/Fort Worth.

6.  Sonic. Happy Hour.  Seriously.

And there you have it.  May these places find a spot in your heart and stomachs as well.  Anyone have any other Fort Worth (or Dallas, since I didn’t even touch that) favorites as well?

The last two days of my trip were my “personal days” – after waking up disoriented on the couch in the previous night’s dress and shoes, I had to recharge (and recuperate from a crazy evening at Rex’s) at Baker Beach with Steph before some chill time with my family. Saturday was a full day spent with my family in Vallejo at my adorable godson’s 7^th birthday party. Got to catch up with my cousins, love on the two new babes in the fam (so tiny. SO cute), and eat my weight in Filipino food (I think they get everything catered by Goldilocks).

Have you had quality Filipino food? If my people will be honest with themselves for one minute – it’s kind of an oxymoron, right? To buck the trend, the food at my family parties in Vallejo is consistently delicious. Filipino spaghetti – made with a sweet banana-based sauce – is without a doubt my childhood favorite.

There were the typical unidentifiable meats and overcooked veggies inexplicably mixed with seafood (mussels and chicken?), floating in a sweet, salty, vinegary mystery sauce, best served over rice – it’s a gamble, but always good. Bistek, Filipino beef steak teeming with onions, made a late appearance, and luckily I was already at the table filling my third plate, so I got the freshest pickins.

I’m drooling a little bit.

And then there was lechon (roasted pig). My friends were horrified. They were more horrified when I picked up the cleaver, giddy as a child, and hacked off a few choice cuts of dark meat for myself. Slather some Mang Tomas on top, some rice – sarap!

After an exhausting day I spent the evening hanging out with Steel and Steph playing Guitar Hero and – what else – TETRIS ATTACK. Get re-addicted, it’ll change your adult life.

In the best role reversal of the trip, while Steph and I were glued to the screen cursing each other playing Tetris Attack, Steel made us these adorable desserts – fresh cut pineapple with some kind of subtle fruity ice cream they had in the freezer, with a splash of Malibu. Tasty!

Now Sunday. We drove down to Sausalito, a gorgeous drive that nearly did me in. Why must lovely roads wind so sharply? Anyway, it was a special trip to a spot called Fred’s, famous for their deep-fried French toast. We met up with great friends Josh and Travis and Rhianna (who JUST welcomed their new babe Olivia into the world - Congrats, guys!). A rare treat, I indulged Shane-style with deep-fried French toast, hash browns, eggs, corned beef hash, and toast. Incidentally - sourdough toast is its own beast in San Francisco. Don’t tell me “it’s just sourdough bread, you can get that anywhere.’ That’s a bold statement, leaving you liable to get a thrashing from me – or anyone else who has ever lived in San Francisco, for that matter.

Fred’s deep-fried French toast is a slab of three pieces deep-fried into a perfect trio of golden-brown triangles. Melted butter on top, syrup all over. The texture is initially crispy, but not flaky, and French toast inside is perfectly moist and saturated with creamy cinnamon goodness.

To stave off the pending food coma after the brunch feast, we took a stroll down the Sausalito boardwalk, poking our heads in a candy store for some saltwater taffy – for me, a handful of Lemonheads and GIANT Now n’ Laters. Giant Now n’ Laters smack of my childhood, and Lemonheads are the reason I got two cavities my senior year of high school. One story in particular sticks out – in the vaguest terms, a certain potential romantic interest situation went sour, and the guy made it up to me by buying me a box of Lemonheads…and all was well.

After that, hugs all around and Steel, Steph, and I were back across the bridge to San Francisco. We made a beeline for Tartine Bakery. Tartine, of James Beard Award-winning fame, is totally worth the trip, and also worth standing in the eternal line. My best recommendation – get your treats to go and stroll down to Dolores Park. For the daring and indulgent, Bi-Rite has some killer salted caramel ice cream. Bring the Lactaid and go all out.

One last stop at Falletti’s Grocery for some Vicolo frozen pizzas (my favorite!) to stuff in my suitcase, and I was on my way to SFO, and onward to Chicago. A word on Falletti’s – if you remember the opening credits of Full House, where they’re picnicking on a hill in front of the painted ladies – I lived two blocks down the hill from that scene. A trek to Falletti’s always involved a hike up that steep incline and a tiptoe down – both ways. Was it worth it? Every time. Great, albeit steeply priced, produce, cuts of meat, and any deliciously snobbish, organic product under the sun. Impressive wine collection and a full aisle of diverse organic imported ethnic foods.

All too soon, it was over.  Can’t wait for next time, San Francisco.