Barbecue and Baseball in Chicago

On July 11, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Chicago5 Comments

We had a great time visiting Chicago over the fourth of July weekend. While many people across the country were in their backyards grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, we went to a “Ribfest” in uptown Chicago and then, the following day, we watched the Chicago Cubs baseball game from rooftop stands that overlook Wrigley Field. On our third day in Chicago, we walked the streets, ate a lot of food, and made sure that we stopped in at Ditka’s restaurant, a tradition of ours. It was a busy, but wonderful time in one of our favorite cities.

Apparently there are events every weekend during the summer in Chicago, and the fourth of July weekend was no exception. If you’re a fan of barbecue ribs, Ribfest is definitely the event you want to attend. In addition to the ribs, there was plenty of pulled pork, kabobs, mac and cheese, and more. We tried several ribs from the different places, all boasting to have one different competitions and proudly displaying their awards, but one of the more unique things that we ate were some pulled pork nachos. Very different. In addition to all of the food, there was live music as well, and everything else that you would expect at a food festival. What we didn’t expect, and was a strange sight indeed for uptown Chicago, was the pen offering camel rides as well as pony rides. We’ve ridden camels on the beach in Morocco, so we chose not to ride one on the streets of Chicago.

Going to the baseball game was a lot of fun, although we have to admit that we’re not huge baseball fans (soccer is more our game). Before the game, we went to one of the traditional “watering holes” for Cub fans and got ourselves an ice-cold beer. There was plenty of traditional ballpark food, lots of beer, and the Cubs even beat the Cincinnati Reds by six runs. Even if it hadn’t been the fourth, there would have been plenty of red, white, and blue at the stadium due to the team colors. Even if you’re not a sports fan, going to a game at Wrigley Field is something that you should do at least once, it is a truly American experience. After the game, we went and played darts at another local spot and we even got a few bullseyes.

We were fairly exhausted after a couple of long days trying to keep up with our youngest daughter’s twenty-something friends, so we enjoyed a relaxing day walking the streets of Chicago. We were going to go to the top of the Willis Tower (still called the Sears Tower by locals), but a holiday weekend is not the time to go to a tourist spot, so we took pictures of the tower from below and will go to the top when it isn’t as crowded and wait times aren’t as long. The architecture of Chicago is always fascinating to us and we truly enjoy simply walking the streets and seeing the various skyscrapers the city has to offer. We had to go to Ditka’s Restaurant, we’ve been there every trip to Chicago and weren’t about to miss out on this trip. Mike Ditka is a former head coach of the Chicago Bears who took them to victory in a Super Bowl and the restaurant is filled with memorabilia from his career as a player and coach.

Every trip to Chicago ends with us wondering why we haven’t lived there yet. For a large city, the people are generally nice, and there is so much to do and see. We’ve gone to most of the traditional tourist spots like the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, Michigan Avenue, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Field Museum, and the observation deck at the Hancock building, so we were content not to do any of those on this trip, but clearly if you go to Chicago, those are must-see attractions. Our time in Chicago went by too fast, but we’ll definitely cherish our memories, especially of the baseball game.

The Fusion Food of Lima, Peru

On June 29, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes, South America10 Comments

We had heard a lot about the food of Peru and, more specifically, of Lima. With the praise that has been given by chef’s such as Anthony Bourdain about the vibrant food scene in Lima, we were interested to taste for ourselves what people were talking about. We talked to the concierge at the hotel in order to get the best recommendations and although there are a few places that serve traditional Peruvian food, it is all about fusion. Of the various fusion inspired foods, Asian fusion was the most popular.

For lunch we had some more traditional Peruvian food, enjoying a chicken with a tangy sauce and pickled slaw on a brioche bun. We also had a steak and avocado sandwich with a creamy mustard sauce. Both were served with Peruvian fries, which are a little different than what we’re normally used to, cut thick, breaded and then deep-fried. It was a lot of food, but truly delicious.

For dinner, we took the hotel’s advise and tried some Asian fusion food. Basically, it is utilizing all local and fresh ingredients and using them in non-traditional Asian dishes. We had to have ceviche as we had heard that Peru prepared it better than anyplace else in the world. It was definitely extremely good, but we haven’t had ceviche in enough places to chime in on whether it is as good as the hype that we’d heard about it before we got there. Then we had a beef stir-fry served with an Asian interpretation of a tortilla. Not only did it taste wonderful, with each tortilla having a different combination of ingredients, but it was visually appealing as well. Unfortunately, we only had one night in Lima before travelling on to Bolivia, so we’ll have to go back to try more of the gastronomy of the city.

Taco Salad

On June 22, 2016 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Recipes8 Comments

This is definitely more of an American dish than a Mexican dish, but that doesn’t make it any less tasty. You could almost call it a “nacho salad” instead of a taco salad since we used tortilla chips instead of deep-frying a flour tortilla to make a bowl as most restaurants do. You could just as easily do this with shredded chicken or beef instead of ground beef, it all depends on what you have available. It is also such a simple dish that it makes for a great weeknight dinner. There are all sorts of options to change this up, such as using flavored tortilla chips, doing the deep-fried flour bowl, or leaving the chips out completely for a healthier version. Enjoy.

Ingredients

1 lb Lean Ground Beef
6 tbsp Taco Seasoning
3/4 cup Water
1 Tomato – diced
1/2 Jalapeno Pepper – seeds removed and diced
1/2 Poblano Pepper – diced
1/4 Yellow Onion – diced
1/2 cup Shredded Cheese (Mexican Blend, Cheddar, Colby Jack, etc.)
Shredded Lettuce
1/4 cup Sour Cream (optional)
Sriracha Sauce to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Add the water and stir in the taco seasoning and continue to cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the sauce thickens. If desired, heat the tortilla chips in an oven at 325 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, just to get them warm. Assemble the salad by adding the chips to a plate or bowl, the ground beef, cheese, lettuce, tomato, peppers, and onion. Drizzle with sriracha and add the sour cream.