Cuba Libre

Part of the reason I've been writing so infrequently is that I was in Orlando last week for work. The weather was not as nice as I was hoping for and the week was jam packed with events and lots of small-talk. Plus, if you've been to Orlando you know that the restaurant options are somewhat limited compared to the windy city. Disney's east coast home is also home to every chain restaurant in America. T.G.I. Friday's and Perkins were just two of the many less than delicious places I stopped at during the trip. But, I was able to try one unfamiliar restaurant.

One night I had an event at Cuba Libre, and while it is still a chain, it doesn't have quite the national reach of Friday's (it has three locations in Orlando, Philadelphia and Atlantic City). I've never been to Cuba (or even another Cuban restaurant) so I really can't make any claims about authenticity, but my guess is that Fidel would not be pleased - it's a bit hokey. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the restaurant.

We started with terrific mojitos - very refreshing and almost too good, as I struggled to stop drinking them. Since the event was work related, I wasn't able to choose from the entire menu. Instead, we had a few shared appetizers which were my least favorite course. It was an assortment of fried chicken and shrimp pastry turnovers that were sub-par. The next course was a plain spinach salad that was a nice palate cleanser. For an entree, we had a choice of steak, chicken or salmon. I chose the grilled skirt steak that was served with garlic mashed potatoes and steamed greens. It was served in a delicious lemon, parsley and onion sauce. I really enjoyed it and the serving size was perfect.

The best part of the meal was dessert. Everyone received three mini portions of papaya and mango rice pudding, flan with mixed berries and a chocolate souffle tart. The flan in particular was wonderful.

I'm not dying to go back to Orlando or Cuba Libre anytime soon, but it was a nice break from the generic sandwiches and salads that made up almost all my other meals in the city.

Tab: About $30 a person (w/the much enjoyed mojito)

Quartino

Sometimes my sister and I go on dates - and often we head to Quartino. It's a really lovely Italian place on the near north side (near my office).

They offer tapas-style Italian, so it's the perfect place to go to share dishes and gossip. The last time we went we had a great time, as usual. We split the funghi pizza, grilled shrimp and lots of bread with oil and cheese. Everything was delicious. I especially like the funghi pizza - they load it with mushrooms and it is wonderful [full disclosure: I LOVE mushrooms].

In the past we've ordered the broccoli rabe, eggplant parmesan, and a meat and cheese tasting appetizer. Each of these has been great, too. We've tried a lot of the menu and never have been disappointed.

Quartino is affordable, yummy and has a great patio in summer. It should definitely be on your to-do list, if you haven't been already.

Tab: About $30 for two (w/out wine)

Who loves cheap Chinese?

I love Chinese food, but more specifically, cheap chinese. Mark and I have been busy and haven't eaten out in a while, but we did order-in some chinese last week. We always order from the same place that delivers to our neighborhood - Young's Chinese Restaurant.

Young's isn't a hole in the wall, but it's not fancy. With consistently good food that is delivered promptly, I recommend it to you north-siders. We usually order an assortment of some of the following: shrimp fried rice, sesame chicken, won ton soup, crab rangoon and pot stickers. Everything is good, but I especially like their fried rice.

They don't have a particularly new or original take on any of the Chinese standards, but it's a great place to order for a quick and easy meal. We usually order a few things and it provides enough for two meals.

Tab: About $25 for two entrees and an appetizer or soup

Hema's Kitchen

My bestie from college, Fiona, turned 25 this past week and we headed to Hema's Kitchen to celebrate. It's an Indian restaurant in Lincoln Park that's BYOB. I love Indian food - it's spicy, rich and absolutely delicious. I can't get enough naan, chicken tikki masala and chicken curry.

I tried something new at Hema's and got the chicken biryani. It's a really spicy rice dish. I enjoyed it, but I think I like my normal dishes better. I also tried the chicken tikki masala from a friend's plate and it wasn't the best I've had. Not bad, but all in all the place is just okay. The naan is great, but I don't think that it ever tastes very different. Maybe that's just because I have simple taste buds...

I can't say I don't recommend it, but if you are going to try Indian, go to India House. It's a little more expensive than Hema's, but totally worth it.

Tab: About $15 per dish

Smoque

Honestly, when I saw that the a la card had a gift card to Smoque BBQ, I squealed with joy! It meant I had a reason to go to one of my favorite places in Chicago. Last weekend, Mark and I took our guests to this northwest side favorite and we all ate far too much.

When Mark and I are debating where to eat out, often our first thought is to head to Smoque. This place is really popular, and deservedly so. There are routinely one to two hour lines on Friday and Saturday nights, and we try to avoid those by going on off-days or at odd times. On this past visit, we went for a late lunch around 3:00 and still waited 20 min. Waiting here actually means standing in a grocery style line until you order, pay at the checkout and wait for a table to open up. Still, it is completely worth it. The place is BYOB, so just discreetly open your beer while waiting.

Smoque is in a garage-like space with the menu written on a huge chalkboard on one wall. People can order brisket, pulled pork, ribs, chicken or sausage with a choice of various sides. I've tried everything on the menu except the sausage and it's all good. My favorite, and my regular pick is a half pulled pork sandwich with a side of fries, baked beans, cornbread (instead of coleslaw) and peach cobbler. Even if you don't feel like dessert, do yourself a favor and order the cobbler. You will not regret it. It's a perfect little serving and is one of my favorite dishes. It's gooey and warm in the middle, but has a yummy brown sugar topped crust.

We've brought lots of people here from out of town, and everyone has loved it. I can't recommend this place too strongly -it's absolutely worth a trip and will become a favorite for you. Just plan to go when you don't have anything planned afterwards, because there will probably be a wait and you will want a nap.

Tab: About $20 for two people

Mixteco

This is a very belated post - my apologies. Last weekend, Mark's Dad and his lady friend were in town from Columbus, Ohio. Plus, this past week was busy with work and birthdays (Happy B-day, Fi)! I'm back and have some great restaurants to tell you about from the week's festivities.

When our guests arrived last Friday, we walked right over to Mixteco Grill. Mark and I had been there before and really enjoyed it. The restaurant is always very busy and it's hard to get in with out reservations, we had called a week in advance. The space is really small, colorful and loud. It's a fun place to go.

They serve lots of chips and green salsa to start - and it's delicious. We started with a crab dip, guacamole and the Corona Beer we brought (it's BYOB)! It was a great start -the crab dip in particular was fantastic. Small chunks of crab, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, an unidentified cheese and lime juice came together into a tasty appetizer.

For the entree, Mark's Dad and I both ordered the scallop dish pictured above and Mark had a pork dish with plantains. The scallops were cooked perfectly and I really enjoyed the rice and asparagus that came with it. The chipotle sauce it was served on was too spicy for my taste. Mark's pork dish was really good - it's served on a mole sauce that we both enjoyed.

We all had a great time and I would definitely recommend the place for a nice dinner. I've also been for lunch - which is still good, and cheaper!

Tab: About $80 for four people (not including the beer we picked up before)

Cupcakes!!!

My lovely husband likes to tell me I am a terrible baker. He is incorrect, but there definitely are people (like my forever friend, Katelyn) and places that can bake better than me. Mark and I picked up Molly's Cupcakes to bring to a friend's house this past weekend and it was amazing!

The shop is too cute with little swings and bright colors - I just wanted to stay and browse! They have about one million flavors and I would like to eat them all in one sitting. We didn't though - we picked out some of the ones that looked the best: the tiramisu, chocolate raspberry, red velvet, chocolate on chocolate, cookies-n-cream, peanut butter nutella, vanilla with vanilla and chocolate/vanilla mix.

I only tried the cookies-n-cream and chocolate raspberry and both were good, but the chocolate raspberry was my favorite! It was made with a milky chocolate batter, topped with a chocolate frosting and one raspberry, and then filled with a yummy raspberry glaze. IT WAS SO GOOD!

I haven't been to any new/interesting restaurants lately so Molly's was a treat! It's expensive, but so worth it!

Tab: About $25 for 8 cupcakes