Before I leave for New York, I thought I’d leave you with this small gallery of pics from after the New Year. Just some random food and drink happenings as well as the latest up and coming project from my buddies and me, the Model UN. Catch you on the flip.

Well, I decided to push the competition ahead because I didn’t want to run the risk of being sick on chicken during my trip to NYC. And the result…

Awww yeahhhhh! Josh was a good sport about it. We got most of it on video. I’ll try to get it uploaded soon. New York next week!

I had the pleasure of meeting these fellas while they were in Chicago. I, unfortunately, was unable to attend this bacon feast, but if I were there, I would’ve brought a pot of white rice along to accompany my bacon. It’s an Asian thing?

While we’re on the subject of bacon.. my buddy Josh shared this recipe with me today. The literal BACON-BURGER.

There are a million other places that I still need to check out, but I keep going back to the burgers at Kuma’s. It’s a straight-up addiction. Lauren called me up on a rainy Thursday and told me to get ready beause she’d be outside in a few minutes. BURGER SURPRISE! After that Kuma’s visit, I wrote a confession. Here’s how it went:

Dearest Mastadon,

I never meant for things to be this way. The thought that there could ever be another had never crossed my mind, but when I met the Pantera, I knew it was real. That beautifully roasted pablano pepper, the crispy bacon, a combination of cheddar AND monterey jack cheeses, ranchero sauce ALL topped with crispy tortilla strips. It was a dream that I couldn’t pass up  fulfilling. I’m sorry. You’ll always be my first with a special place in my tummy.

Hungrily,
Shane

Don’t plan your entire day around eating Asian food.

Or do. We did.

Lunch started out in Chinatown at the Seven Treasures with sliced pork & green beans in a great garlic sauce served over rice, lup cheong (Chinese sausage) & noodles, and a pair of egg-drop soups. So we did some work on that while Josh shared stories from his Bali trip just the week prior.

Seven Treasures is your quintessential hole-in-the-wall place to get some cheap Cantonese food. Too legit to quit.

The highlight of the day came at dinner. Josh and I agreed that Korean would hit the spot, and he knew of just the place in Lincoln Park. Cho Sun OK is a gem of a Korean restaurant, small and located on a corner. I was convinced that it was about as traditional as it could be, none of the staff spoke and you put in your order and that’s that. To add to that, I’m fairly certain that we were the only two non-Korean folk eating so that’s a pretty good sign that it’s authentic, amirite?

There’s an unexplainable joy that I feel when I watch my food being cooked in front of me. Hibatchi, sushi, dishes that require the waiters to light on fire before serving, AND.. our Korean beef dish. Each table has its own portable, gas-powered range. Moments later, our waitress came out wielding this huge stone pot, called a dolsot, set it on our burner and poured some oil in… “Awesome.” After it had enough time to heat up, she threw in the marinated beef that was sitting next to our side dishes, banchan. You may be familiar with the most popular banchan, Kimchi or kimchee. These delectable dishes were awesome to snack while we watched our main course cook away. My favorite was a tie between the boiled sweet potatoes and the Musaengchae, “Noodles” of white radish in a sweet vinegar sauce.

One observation we had about Korean food is that a large portion of time is spent on preparation and not the actual cooking process. The fresh vegatables cut, the sauces and marinade for the beef, slicing the beef, etc. No fancy frying, baking, or grilling. It’s in the flavor, son.

Our waitress came by to stir up our beef and another 10 mintues and we were scarfing down this delish beef and white rice. My only complaint? Not enough rice… I literally could’ve eaten a whole pot of white rice. So bellies filled, we started to head out and there was a line out the door and around the corner.

It’s that good.