Where have you found lamb bacon? Although I doubt my wife would eat it.

For the life of me, I can't remember which restaurant had beef bacon that I thought was very good. We have a condo in Chicago and a house in a suburb that has a large Jewish population, so lots of kosher delis around us in the suburb, which we enjoy. I'm fairly certain it was one of those delis where I had the beef bacon. Still, I'm choosing pork bacon whenever it's an option :).

I hate to say this, because like your bacon in Saigon, I've had some of the best food in my life in Asia, but I think the best bacon I've had is at a Marriott in Texas! It's good no matter how long it's cooked, but I prefer softer bacon, and they delivered.

Do you have any favorite delis in Skokie? In highland park I’m only going to once upon a bagel and I’ve yet been to the deli across from Sunset Foods. But in late 2018 I was thrilled to use doordash for Max & Benny’s. Yummy and so nice in November.

I feel that I’ve seen lamb bacon at niche butchers ...

Oh, you used to live in Chicago? Cool. We don't have a regular place in Skokie. But we're not far from Max and Benny's, which is probably our favorite, and Once Upon a Bagel, also good. We've been to Emma's in Skokie, but I believe Kaufman's is supposed to be good. Haven't been there yet. To be honest, we just bought the place in the suburbs fairly recently, although we've spent a lot of time in the area for several years. Staying in Chicago with no yard and nothing open kind of felt confining.

when I’m in HP, I look at Zillow. All so cheap compared to sf. Sigh. Lol

when I can enjoy the HP rec center walking track for 3 years for $5 as a visitor... I walk so much while playing online poker and looking at RE bargains. Sigh.

My spouse is from HP so I’m there enough and was there in February!

Beef's is underrated in terms of casual dining. The menu now is a bit too large, yet stick to the basics and you're golden.

They really overexpanded around 15 years ago when they franchised, but as they're Tampa-founded (like many chains now) the locations near where I grew up are still originally owned. I remember when I lived in Ft. Worth and a franchise opened in Arlington, south of I-20 whose franchisee got under water fast due to having to give beer away due to a liquor license issues as the Southwest Arlington Hooters suffered from too. Apparently, two miles from a high school was too close.

I recall decades back, they were one of the few places you could get Iron City and IC Light in Tampa. Wings are acceptable, beer is cold and priced right and if you can accept lots of kids, it's good since they were basically grown out to be the Hooters alternative in Tampa Bay.

Dinner menu:

Barbecued chicken drumsticks
grilled zucchini
garden salad
roasted cauliflower

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...727e7e54b.jpeg

I did ocean trout last night with a little marinade of oil, soy sauce and this Pitcairn Island honey that I ordered and finally arrived (boat only sails twice/year from Pitcairn). Served it with roast potatoes, spinach, brussel sprouts and asparagus. The potatoes weren't so good. For some unknown reason I left the bottom vent on the Weber almost closed and didn't realise until about 20 minutes in when the temp had dropped to ~160, so they didn't get the needed until well into their cook. Oh well. Everything else tasted great.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...a466b4e0ab.jpg

How much honey did you purchase to cover the 6 months?

supper:
fresh spaghetti (store-bought) with sautéed cherry tomatoes, green olives, capers, and toasted bread crumbs
cheese quesadilla
”kit kats” made Saturday at cooking class
haagen daaz chocolate ice cream

online poker soon. Excited.

Sushi
Chocolate Milk Shake :)

which rolls? Yummy

I don't eat much honey, I just kind of bought it on a whim. The package arrived with some cool Pitcairn Island stamps on it too. I don't know if you could have it on toast it has a very fruity/floral flavour. Different to any honey I've tried. I think it would be amazing as a glaze on a ham.

Pitcairn Island Honey

Fairly major celebration planned for tonight:

Caviar tasting: Sevruga, Oscietra, Siberian and Platinum (all half price at King's Fine Foods currently)
Champagne Augusta NV

Grilled Fillet of Tregirls Beef with grilled courgettes and cauliflower couscous
Ostler Pinot Noir 2017 Wairapa

Cornish strawberries with Cornish clotted cream
Ch Coutet 1983

The caviar tasting sounds ace. Enjoy enjoy!

Kaufman's is the gold standard, real Jewish deli. It's been there forever. We used to go there when I was a kid. I remember taking a different pickle out of each of the barrels and trying them all.

For the best bagels and bialys, go to New York Bagel & Bialy on Dempster..

Max & Bennys is also good...it was my grandpa's favorite.

Thanks, we'll have to give it a try. I've heard good things. Our new place is kind of right in between Deerfield, Northbrook, Glencoe, and Highland Park. Weird corner area of the burbs. So Skokie isn't super-convenient, but lately we've been getting restless in confinement and going for drives so it might happen. The 3 you mentioned always seem to show up on "Best Jewish Deli" lists around here.

How is Kaufman's whitefish salad, if you've had it? I haven't found one I love yet, including at Max and Benny's. Actually, so far I prefer buying smoked whitefish on the bone and making my own. It's delicious! :)

Probably I haven't had it. I haven't been to Kaufman's since I was about 11, and at the time I wouldn't have gone near any kind of fish. My grandpa used to tell me (as he was chowing down on lox and smoked herring) that if I didn't like lox I couldn't possibly be his grandson. Now I love lox...but nova is better, less salty.

Oh, and if you're talking about dairy and fish, you're talking about "appetizing". Deli specifically refers to meat. Keeping them separate is one of the main points of kosher rules. Though I don't know how many people call them "appetizing" stores anymore...except Russ & Daughters in NYC.

Interesting, didn't know that, thanks. Most of the places around here sell and serve both, but I usually just see "deli" in the name, if there's any designation at all.

Yeah, I think it's an old timey distinction. I grew up just calling them all delis but then was wondering why Russ & Daughters referred to appetizing when I lived in NYC.

do you like Once upon a Bagel - I love their bagels so much.

are you near old Skokie Hwy?? you’re in my favorite area because I love HP but also love that regular deli in Glencoe, different Deerfield spots, Barnaby’s, and of course Hackney’s. Seriously I spend hours looking at places there when I do the indoor walking track in the Rec Center.

Anyway did you get the whitefish from Once upon a bagel?

I strongly like once upon a bagel best and I’ve been going there over a decade. I’m so HP that I’m an admin on a FB HP group despite not even being from there.

My better half is making coq au vin for dinner tonight. I'm super excited.

I’ve been looking for a good coq au vin recipe. I have tried bits of Paul Bocuse and Julia Child’s as well as some others but none are perfect. Which one does your SO use?

Doing a Costco run and will see what I come up with. Hoping for seafood.

2 grilled artichokes (they weren't very big) with chipotle, garlic mayo.
grilled peaches.

Cheeseburger sliders and cucumber and Haagen daaz ice cream
grilled sausages
cauliflower - Girl & Goat style with shredded mint, crunchy butter, grated Parmesan, and toasted almond slices (instead of toasted pine nuts)
oven fries
black olives & cucumber

freshly-baked cookies - doubletree recipe

water with refrigerator ice and ice from large sphere & cube ice trays.

Well, it was a first attempt using Chef John's recipe on Allrecipes. I'm guessing not very authentic and quite simplified. That said, it was delicious and we will make it again.

(The thread-opening post 17 and a half years ago :) )

And it's "deja vu all over again."

Mmmmm..... chili.

fun! One day I’ll learn to make it...

it’ll be grilled steak, carrots, and penne with Rao’s marinara on the side. Yummy.

i also added an Italian chimichurri sauce - I googled the term and whipped up a nice dipping & marinade. Yum.

dessert - Lotus salted caramel ice cream and fresh Doubletree cookies

I didn't intend this to be this way:
Wheat thins & Brie with fig orange jam
Baked potato with lots of butter and salt and pepper and the crumbs that were in the bottom of the Costco cheddar bacon crisps. :tu:
Cheap wine
Cosmopolitan but made with (my homemade) limoncello instead of lime.

Changing planes at DCA tonight so whatever I can scrounge there. In the old days on a 3 hour layover like I have tonight I'd leave security and hit Legal Seafoods or the sushi place but I'm not sure they're going to be open.

That seems like a perfectly acceptable dinner to me. :D

Homemade quiche (just Swiss cheese, nothing fancy - but tasty!)

Homemade cream-style corn (made using fresh corn and buttermilk)

Romaine salad with blue cheese, toasted pecans, dried cranberries and raspberry vinagrette
Cauliflower with the pepperoncini and mint (girl & goat style)
Grilled pork tenderloin with apricot, ginger, honey mustard, jalapeno glaze

I'm actually not sure if I've been there. I think that's the place my grandma used to love.

Turkey burgers broiled inside. The condo came with a gas grill but no propane in the tank. On the side: Publix Southern style potato salad (with hard boiled egg), Publix sweet cole slaw (it had the furthest out expiration date) and mai tais from a very inauthentic recipe (but delicious all the same). The plan has been to cook in the condo on this vacation but don’t expect much in the way of effort. I was drained after a day in the hot sun with the grandkids.

You guessed it, we're just a couple minutes drive from Skokie Hwy. So I know all those places of course. I don't recall if we've had the whitefish from Once Upon a Bagel, but I'm sure we will one day. We tend to go with lox more often. Restaurants in the suburbs have just reopened for outdoor dining only. So we're going to brave the 90 degree humid day tomorrow and go to Bobby's in Deerfield. And up to Highwood on Friday night if the weather cooperates! Love to cook, but I'm really looking forward to eating at restaurants for the first time in almost 3 months.

Bobby’s and the highwood restaurants have always had nice outdoor dining for the summer. I don’t know why Prairie Grass, which is probably REALLY near you, doesn’t have outdoor dining (like their sister restaurant) considering that gigantic parking lot!

i really love driving in that area overall when I’d have a rental convertible. Either stay at embassy suites across from hyatt Deerfield or we rent a house. Now I’ve no idea when we’ll return - the fact that normal people on FlyerTalk aren’t flying totally screams much. So I know this region really well and I’m not stalking when I mention names and places out there. Plus being where the John Hughes movies and Ordinary People all occurred... just so priceless and essential, especially now.

i annoyed the boss at the egg place by Demetra’s because I asked about all the celebrity pictures. He’s in all of them and I had to know how he got to be photographed with such royalty.

Pasta with white sausage sauce (from NYT). So simple, so tasty.

I’ll have to maybe check out white sausage sauce. I’m already very satisfied with marinara - esp the Rao’s even though I’ve always enjoyed my own cooking of marinara sauce from DOP san Marzano tomatoes and basil.

supper was turkey tacos and dessert was frozen homemade “Kit kats” - still rich but very good from the freezer. Very rich; I had only 2 slices. Very ace dessert.

Not being able to travel to Beyrut this month, we decided to make the Lebanese-ish experience at home. The Menu consisted of:

Labneh with Maanesh Flatbread, Hummus and Kibbeh

Lamb Kafta with rice and Tomato Salad

We originally decided on having Baklavas with the final coffees, but our guests surprised us with bringing a Layali Lubnan, topped with chrushed pistachios, ashta and strawberries, so that made it as the formal Dinner Finale.



The Lebanese red wine Chateau Musar with the starters and main. The coffee/baklava combo was enhanced with a non-Lebanese digestif

Disaster! My daughter wanted cold shrimp. Publix was out of cooked/cleaned so I bought a pound and a half of “Argentine Red” peel and eat. Got home and they were mushy and fishy. Fortunately I had bought cold fried chicken for the grandkids and there was enough for everyone. Supplemented with hummus, carrots and celery & watermelon.