What a Weekend to be Waited On

As much as I absolutely love cooking, and generally speaking I take this time to center my chi, sometimes it is nice to just sit back, enjoy a delish meal, and be waited on. Most importantly to me, when I am in this particular type of mood, is that the meal I have in front of me is superb.  That I'm not simply satisfied in terms of my appetite, but my palate is not left wanting.  So Friday night my friend Danielle and I had a girls night out and decided to try the Italian restaurant right down the street from me, Manzo's (corner of Kedzie and Irving Park, and you wouldn't even notice it unless you knew it was there).  Now I usually do not make it a point of going out for Italian food.  There are VERY VERY VERY few places that I don't think are a rip off, unauthentic, or of course both.  But if there was one person who I would take their opinion on Italian for fact, it would be Danielle, since she is even pickier in terms of this factotum since she is 100% Italian, in fact her mother is straight off the boat from Sicily.  Needless to say we were both more than pleasantly surprised.  The service was absolutely wonderful (our waitress Cheri was sooo incredibly appeasing it was a breath of fresh air, since often my number one complaint out is not the food, but the service).  The food was tantalizing, they had everything an Italian restaurant would normally have on the menu, and also quite a few more "authentic" items that you do not want to miss out on, like the Aranchini (rice ball with a meat center, fried, and served with marinara on the side).  I could have just eaten this for dinner.  Instead I thoroughly enjoyed the Veal Saltinbocca (veal filets stuffed with proscuitto and served in a white wine and citrus sauce), while Danielle went with a pasta dish of homemade cheese raviolis with meat sauce.  Both our meals came with either soup or salad, crusty bread and butter, and if you don't get a pasta dish you are offered a side of spaghetti or mostaccioli (with marinara or meat sauce), baked potato, side veggie of the day, or even french fries (which I thought a little odd, but to each there own).  Essentially we both took well over half our actual meals home.  Of course dessert was a must (just one of those weeks).  Danielle ordered the italian ice, which was so creamy I would have thought it was gelato, and I devoured a cannoli that was most undoubtedly one of the best I've ever eaten.  We also partook in multiple potent potables that were ridiculously well priced.  They do not have an extensive wine menu, but they have one of each of the major varietals.  I chose the chianti and was NOT disappointed, and was even more excited once I saw that it was a mere 5 dollars a glass!!!  Everything else on the menu was more than reasonable, and although I walked in there planning on indulging in terms of what I ate,drank, and how much I spent, I walked out of there having spent only 35 dollars on a 4 course meal, and three glasses of wine.

The very next day I played three and half hours of competitive indoor volleyball and my friend Adrian and I decided to go grab foodage since we were of course famished, and Danielle and Adam (her BF) were going to meet us wherever we decided to go.  I had yet to go to Kuma's Corner, which has been labeled by many as having the BEST burgers in Chicago.  I had also seen it featured on the Food Network on three separate occasions (so of course I was dieing to try it!).  You can't just walk in and think you will be seated immediately, be prepared to wait at least an hour and half, that way if its less you will be more than pleased.  The nice thing is that while you wait, you are welcome to order from a very tasty, and uncommon, beer list, that will both wet your whistle and keep you from extreme pangs of hunger (try the Alagash White, it's a keeper).  Although, since I had next to nothing in my stomach, two 16 oz drafts made me a little bit tipsy to say the least (half the fun of the experience).  The decor of Kumas is not by any means trendy.  It is filled with artistic variations of masochistic/sadistic/border line pornographic paintings and background music that you would normally be head banging to, or maybe starting a mosh pit.  The individuality of this place, of course heightens the experience but really, at the end of the day, it's the burger that keeps you coming back.  Each of their burgers is named after a heavy metal/rock genre band.  You will not find a burger with just ketchup, mustard, and pickles, NOSIREE.  The Mayhem was my burger of choice, containing 16 oz of 100% angus beef, cooked to perfection (for me that means practically still mooing) and topped with thick cut pepper jack, fried pancetta, slices of fresh jalapenos, and Gardinera mayo, all on a mouthwatering pretzel roll bun (lettuce, tomato, and red onion also on the side), and served with either tater tots, waffle fries, or side salad.  There are no words to describe the tastiness of said burger.  Yes the accoutrements were delish, but the burger in itself, that 16 ounces of indescribably juicy, tender, tasty meat, would have simply been enough.  I was in heaven!  I finished my entire burger, and was so completely stuffed, I had to leave the fries to the wayside (though they were in themselves awesome and perfectly seasoned).  I will definitely be slowly but surely making my way through that menu.

(In case you are interested I am pic 1 eating The Mayhem, describe above.  Pic 2 is Danielle eating The Neurosis: Cheddar, Swiss, Sautéed Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, and Horseradish Mayo. Pic 3 is Adam, monstrously enjoying his The YOB: Smoked Gouda, Bacon, Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Garlic Mayo)

So next time you don't feel like cooking, but still want food that inspires, either of these local haunts will do the trick, and then some!!!!