Chicago Chronicles: Grahamwich

What do fresh coffee, laundry detergent, dog food, and cute shoes all have in common? I can buy them at Target. My love affair for the Bullseye store is deep, like, way deep. I can go into that store for toothpaste and a roll of tape and come out with four bags of items I didn’t even know I needed.

Recently, Target has been doing a great job of getting big name designers to create clothing collections that are fashionable and affordable. I could buy a cute Missoni top or Jason Wu skirt and feel like a million bucks, without actually spending a million bucks.

I feel like Graham Elliot and Target have a lot in common. 

With his self-titled restaurant, Graham Elliot has left a huge culinary imprint on Chicago and the world. The restaurant and its name sake are racking up awards and accolades like nobody’s business. While dining at Graham Elliot would undoubtedly be a revelation, I have yet to make it there. My dollars will only stretch so far.

On food and family

I realized quite a few things this weekend, some of them bad, some of them good, and some of them great.

I realized that it only took me a little over a year to become acclamaited and accustomed to city life. I realized that the women in my family don’t have the best sense of direction. I realized I am not the little six-year-old girl visiting her favorite Aunties anymore, but a young woman, an adult, and they treated me like it. I realized that family, not laughter (but there was plenty of that), is really the best medicine.

Chocolate helps too.

See, my aunts were in Chicago this weekend and I was lucky enough to get away from prison school to take a day to visit them. There was a lot of talking, laughing, and eating. Those things are a constant whenever I see my aunts. They always have been.

Chicago Chronicles: Stanley's Kitchen & Tap

Since I am avoiding class work for one more day going into Chicago to visit my aunts this afternoon I figured it was high time for a new Chicago Chronicles post. It has been far too long, although I’ve been eating out plenty. I either forget my camera or forget to take pictures.

But I didn’t forget it when I ate at Stanley’s Kitchen andTap before Christmas. And I was with a large group of ladies, so we ordered a bunch of different dishes and I got to try a whole bunch of items that I wouldn’t have gotten if it were just me, or just two people, that’s a win.

I don’t pretend to be an authority on any southern cuisine. And I’m always a little leery of eating popular regional dishes out of said region. But, Stanley’s is doing something very, very right with their approach at comfort food from the south (at least, according to this Wisconsinite).

I know shrimp and grits is a HUGE thing in the south, but I had never had it before Stanley’s. I don’t know how or why I waited so long! Grits to me had always been a grainy, hard, and bland substitute for oatmeal in the morning or rice at dinner. Not something I was into. But, oh boy, am I even into grits now! Creamy, buttery, and full cheese, these grits were amazing! I have tried grits at other so-called southern restaurants since, and none have even come close to Stanley’s. None I say. The shrimp on top were cooked perfectly and the Andouille sausage had just the right amount of spice, even if it was a little on the tough side. I ate the entire bowl!

The second best thing I sampled that night was the pulled pork with apple slaw. I love, love, LOVE pulled pork. It’s one of the dishes I order most at restaurants, looking for the perfect one. While Stanley’s wasn’t the best pulled pork sandwich I have ever had, it is definitely up there. The pork was tender and soaked in a tangy barbeque sauce, my favorite! I think what really put it over the top was the apple slaw which was a tart, crunchy contrast to the succulent pork. Swoon.

The much touted mac and cheese was so-so. I like my mac and cheese really creamy and lush, with extra breadcrumbs on top please! Stanley’s mac was a little dry for my taste, and it didn’t have that fluidity that comes from a creamy, rich sauce. It was more like a pasta bake which isn’t really my style. It was also a bit plain, but better than boxed mac and cheese!

While the food was all good, if not great, the service could use a little work. We were one of maybe five tables in the restaurant at the time and our waiter was very inattentive and we saw neither hide nor hair of him the entire meal. He dropped off our food and then dropped off our check, never really checking on us during the process.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Stanley’s but I don’t know that I will go there again, barring a huge craving for shrimp and grits. It was good, don’t get me wrong, and reasonably priced to boot! There is just so much to see and eat in this city that I’m going to have to get to work if I even want to make a respectable dent!

This Weekend

This weekend I...

Saw my best friend from back home.

Ate lots of tasty food for breakfast.

For lunch.

And for dinner.

I ate pie too, but forgot to take a picture.

I laughed so hard it hurt. I ate so much it hurt.

Drank a goat’s milk latte.

Walked around Chicago showing off “my city.”

Missed home a little bit more, and a little bit less.

Didn’t do any homework.

Danced (badly).

Loved every minute of it.

Happy MLK Day!
Amanda