Kevin "Fancy Ketchup" A.'s Profile

BEST STEAK OF 2011

Mastro's served me my best steak of 2011.  

Every moment from start to finish was perfect.

The meal started out great as I loved the the dark, lively dining room with live music  and their piping-hot pretzel rolls.  Things got better as my gigantic Manhattan arrived.  Not only was it delicious, they left the shaker at the table which contained enough for 1-2 more pours.  

On to the main event.

My ribeye was absolute perfection.  It arrived on a plate of sizzling butter, well-seasoned, and the definition of medium rare.  To gild the lily, we asked for some grilled onions (not on the menu) and they willingly obliged.  Paired with their crack-infused creamed spinach and creamy mashed potatoes...I was in heaven.

Unfortunately, we didn't have room for dessert, but I'll definitely give the butter cake a try on my next visit.

GET YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER READY

Because Chicago Chop House has gotten so expensive they may have to run a credit check on you before you order your meal.  I recently went for a work dinner after a brief hiatus and was shocked to see how much the prices have gone up.  

But it's a steakhouse, you're thinking... of course it's going to be expensive.  Yes, I expect a steakhouse to be expensive, but $80-$110 just for the steak (non-Kobe) is a little excessive,  especially in a town with so many great steak options.  Hell, it makes Cut and Peter Luger seem like a steal.

The steak, atmosphere, and service are all still good, but I left feeling like I didn't get my moneys worth.

YOU WIN THIS ROUND, BAYLESS...

Unlike many Chicagoans, I do NOT worship at the altar of Bayless.  I lived in Southern California for years and have traveled extensively through Mexico, so I have a pretty good idea of what good Mexican food is.  Plus, I've never felt the burning desire to return to Clark Street to stand in line with the sheeple for pricey Mexican food when I can just go to Pilsen, Logan Square, or Humboldt for some good, cheap Mexican eats without the wait.

But... I was at Old Orchard, and was hungry, grumpy, and tired from a long day of stimulating the economy and decided to give Frontera Fresco try.

I ordered the cochinita pibil torta and tried really, really hard not to like it.  But the bread was crusty and toasty, the pork was tender and juicy, the pickled onions were tart and bright, and the habanero sauce was kickin'.  

Aaargh!  I yield.  Baaaa...

I'LL NEVER PAINT AGAIN

After painting my guest bathroom last year I had vivid memories of all the fun of sanding, taping, painting, drips, fumes, and cleanup.  With that box checked, when it came time to repaint my master bedroom and bathroom I decided to go with the pros.  

I contacted 4-5 companies stop by for quotes.  Some of the quotes were outrageous and some of the companies were unprofessional and unresponsive.  The one with the best mix of value and professionalism was Chicago Painters.

I couldn't be more happy with the results.  Watching the guy they sent  work his magic and cut in with his brush without the need for tape convinced me I will never paint again.  I kind of wished they had sent two guys so the job wouldn't have gone faster, but for the value I got and the quality of the work, I've got no complaints.

BREAKING RULE #3

I've got rules, you see.  And dining rule #3 is no eating at pan-anything restaurants. You know what I mean... Pan-Asian, Pan-Latin.  It's like the restaurant is saying, "Come on in!  We've taken the rich culinary traditions of five countries and decided to do all of them, none of them particularly well!" No thank you.

I made an exception with D'Noche, because I was really craving some skirt steak and the carne en pipian rojo sounded amazing.  

I trekked up to Logan Square and parked in their spacious, free parking lot.  So far so good, D'Noche.  

I walked inside and saw the cool and decor and atmosphere.  Getting better, D'Noche.

And then I had the skirt steak with the amazing pipian sauce, Chipotle mashed potatoes and onion rings.  Sold!

D'Noche is officially in my Latin restaurant rotation.  I guess some rules are meant to be broken.

GO HERE SECOND

Because then you'll be able to compare the great deal Rick is going to give you versus the outrageous prices elsewhere.  You'll also be able to compare Rick's fun, low-key sales approach versus the slimy, high-pressure tactics elsewhere.  This will save you the return trip.

Rick helped me find exactly the mattress I was looking for at a great price.  A few months in and I still love my mattress.  The pain I was getting in my lower back has vanished and I couldn't be happier.

THIS BEER TASTES LIKE BURNING

Three words folks... Ghost.  Chili.  Beer.

I just took a swig and that was all it took to go from...  hmm, that's not so hot... ok it's getting hotter...  hotter... HOTTER... ok my throat is burning.   It was fun to taste it, but I don't think I could drink a pint.  Definitely save it for last so you can preserve your taste buds for the other wonderful beers on the chalkboard.

Speaking of other beers, I really enjoyed doing a tasting here.  When you're ordering two or ten beers at a time it's very easy to lose track of what you're tasting.  The solution: the beer place mat complete with the names of all their beers.  Genius!

TOT-TASTIC

I know I'm supposed to be writing about the beer and how much I love White Rascal, Ellie's Brown Ale, and the Out of Bounds Stout, which are all very good.  However, what I really want to talk about are the tots.  Specifically the sweet potato tots.  

Damn, these are good.  Normally sweet potato fries are limp, soggy, and burnt and tots can walk a fine line between a soggy Ore-Ida texture and being brutally overcooked.  Avery's tots, however, were perfection.  Bite-sized, crispy perfection with just the right amount of sweetness.  Pair it with some Cholula hot sauce, their awesome BLT with thick cut bacon and avocado, and a nice beer and you're in business.

BOB IS DA MAN

I grew up in the tropics so I'm getting into skiing a little late in life.  I took a group lesson last year at another resort and have skied twice since (does Wisconsin count?), understandably failing to progress much.  That was until my trip to Winter Park.

I signed up for a group lesson and ended up being the only one in my class.  I was a little concerned they were going to cancel the class, but they didn't skip a beat and I ended up getting a three hour private lesson with Bob, the director of the ski school.  

This guy is da man.  First of all, being the director, every instructor on the mountain knew this guy; it was like skiing with the Godfather.  We spent some time talking about why I'm getting into skiing, what I wanted to get out of the lesson, and my goals for the future.  We started out slow, focusing on one fundamental at a time (staying centered, controlling turns with my feet and legs, simultaneous movement, etc.), gradually progressing as I was ready.  My goals for the lesson were to learn the proper techniques to make clean parallel turns and to graduate to blue runs and I accomplished both.  Hell, he even got me to ski backwards!  

I've still got a lot of practicing to do, but Bob's patience in teaching me the fundamentals will stay with me as I can now feel when I'm doing the right things and when I need to correct myself.  

Can't wait to hit the slopes again in January!

NICE TETONS!

Hubba hubba!  I've seen some nice tetons in my day, but I've got to admit these are the nicest of them all.  This place is so amazing that I'm going to make a point to:

-Marry a Rockefeller
-Buy a sprawling ranch with view of the Tetons
-Wear Ralph Lauren everything
-Hire people to run said ranch (you don't really want to castrate a horse in your fancy Ralph Lauren duds)

Seriously though, one of the most beautiful places on Earth.