Queso fundido @ El Taco Real

Last month was Dan's bday, so to celebrate, we drove to Hammond, Indiana to visit one of his favorite Mexican restaurants growing up in the Chicago area, El Taco Real. I know... Hammond, IN? Driving through, it didn't look like much, but boy did El Taco Real live up to expectations.

Now this is what I call kitschy appeal.

We started with strawberry margaritas and guacamole.

You can't really mess up either of these items, but I will say that I prefer my guacamole to be a little chunkier, and with more onion or other little crunchy additions.

Then came the most beautiful thing I've ever seen:

Queso fundido with chorizo! Do you see how awesomely broiled the cheese is? The little burnt parts of the cheese are my favorite. Makes for a slight crisp on the top, and below is the best gooey-cheesy-meaty concoction.

More pics for size perspective. You can almost swim in this stuff, it's so big. (Note to self: try to dream about that tonight.)

The whole thing comes out literally piping hot. The chorizo was super tasty and had a great kick. Eating the queso with the provided corn or flour tortillas = perfection. Hands down, the best queso fundido I've ever had.

We also ordered chicken fajitas, which arrived on a similarly ginormous plate.

The fajitas were solid. They didn't blow me away (I am, after all, from Tex-Mex nation), as they could have used more flavor and seasoning, but they weren't bad. Definitely fulfilled our fajita-craving.

Basically, make your way to Hammond, IN for the most ridiculously delicious queso fundido. It may just change your life!

El Taco Real

935 Hoffman St

Hammond, IN 46327

219-932-8333

Quick sushi at Hasaki in East Village

Yay ! My camera is repaired ! 

Thank you for all your prayers.  I reward you with this picture of a baby octopus salad from Hasaki.  My friend George once told me that this Greek restaurant used to tenderize its octopus by tumbling it in an actual clothesdryer.  Because this octopus was so tender and light, I was imagining it being tumbled dry low also. (It's just fun imagining octopus in dryers though, right?)

It was also fun eating this - soft tentacles accented by the sharp tang of thinly sliced scallions and sweet squish of slightly ripened tomatoes. 

Roll options are limited here, but well executed - tightly rolled, perfectly sized and fresh.  Our favorite was the yellowtail special roll with burdock root, smelt roe and sesame seeds.  

The mackerel and ginger was sharply spicy and a touch tart.

And the spicy tuna was solid.  It's nice when spicy tuna isn't completely pulverized into a mush - Hasaki's has good-sized chunks lightly spiced.

Han's Nonsensical Rating: Not an earth-shattering meal, but great service, comfortable ambience in the basement of a brownstone, and solidly priced.  It's worth a visit if you need sushi in a pinch in the East Village.  (PS. I hear the red miso soup is the thing to get here though we didn't try it.)

Hasaki

210 E 9th St

New York, NY

Irish breakfast @ Mad Hatter Cafe

Don't you love coworkers who also happen to own amazing cafes? I sure do. Thankfully, we have Michelle - she and her husband Dermot run the Mad Hatter Cafe in Weymouth, MA, serving up delicious breakfast and lunch treats. A few of us stopped by to indulge a couple of weeks ago, and we LOVED it!

First, you have to know that Dermot is Irish - like, legit Irish - and a good portion of the restaurant employees are Irish, too. So, being greeted by a lovely Irish accent the moment you walk in? Awesome. Second, Dermot makes the most fluffy, most perfect eggs. I don't know how he does it. More about that later.

Kevin, Chelsea, Jesse, and I decided to maximize the number of things to try by sharing everything. I strongly encourage doing the same... it's all so tasty!

We ordered the traditional Irish breakfast, because, how could we not? Behold: two eggs, Irish bacon, black & white pudding, sausage, grilled tomato, beans, and homemade soda bread.

I didn't know what to focus on, because every bite was so good. The sausage? Great consistency, flavor, and not at all too salty (which is my complaint about most sausages). Irish bacon? Like a better version of Canadian bacon (read: extra layer of fat). The eggs? Like I mentioned earlier, best eggs ever - fluffy yet substantive, creamy yet not at all soggy. Perfection on par with Shopsins' eggs, and you KNOW how we feel about Shopsins' eggs. And the soda bread! Next time I visit the Mad Hatter, I'm taking a loaf of that soda bread to go. 

We also had to try the crunchy french toast. Yes, encrusted with frosted flakes. Yesssss.

It is as wonderful as it sounds and looks. 

Waffles, too!

Great texture, and the addition of the pure maple syrup made us very happy.

For our final choice, we went with a special - crab cake eggs benedict.

I'm always a fan of crab cake eggs benedict, but this one was even better than normal. The the crab cake itself had a fuller flavor than others, and together it all just melted in my mouth. Now, about the potatoes - I don't know what Dermot puts in these, but they were one of my favorite things about the whole breakfast. I love it when breakfast potatoes are given the love and care they deserve.

Take a few minutes to drive outside of Boston, and visit the Mad Hatter Cafe. It will rock your world. 

Mad Hatter Cafe

119 Main St.

Weymouth, MA 02188

339-201-4247

Thin is in ! Rubirosa and a corn cup from Fonda

(I wish I could do you better justice than these shitty-pix, Rubirosa, but you'll just have to forgive me.)

Rubirosa has become one of my back-pocket staples when it comes to figuring out a restaurant to take a visitor to experience a form of New York pizza, and Italian food, all in one.

The special bruschetta comes one to an order, perfect for Thanan, who prefers not to share anything, especially good-looking bruschetta topped with brussel sprouts, sweet onions and gooey cheese that I watched him pull from the toasted bread like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.  "It's good!" he said, stating the complete obvious.  (That cheese string just has to be good.)

Pizza is served with a clover of pretty toppings - red pepper, Italian seasoning and finely grated Parmesan.

Thin pizza makes Jamie look especially Asian - it's a direct correlation !

Pizza at Rubirosa is amazingly thin - a paper crisp crust topped with a myriad of options.  The sausage and broccoli rabe was topped generously with  thinly sliced sweet sausage and tender broccoli.

Though the broccoli rabe pizza is fine, the delectable vodka pizza is definitely the main star here.  The velvety tomato and cream sauce is absolutely titillating on the tongue - slightly tart, a little bit sweet and a lotta bit tasty.

Later visits included orders of pasta which was pretty much drenched in vodka sauce and thus perfect in every way.

Another thing that turned out perfect was their slice of New York cheesecake.  Light and creamy, finishing it was fairly effortless (since it was Thanan's dessert, and he ate it all - haha). 

I love going to Rubirosa.  The service is always solid, the food delicious, and they take reservations ! Who can't get down with that?

After, we celebrated Anne's coming of age at the nearby Tacombi.  She's glad you could be here to celebrate it too !

I can't speak much for Tacombi's tacos and such, but their corn cup is on point.  The combination of chili, mayo and cheese add up to a brilliant cup of spicy, creamy fun! 

Han's Nonsensical Rating: Any way you slice it, Rubirosa is a tasty pizzeria with an addictive vodka sauce.  Definite recommend !

Rubirosa
235 Mulberry
New York, NY

Tacombi
267 Elizabeth
New York, NY

Grocery ! I Mei's Pearl Milk Ice Cream Pops

I found these at the 99 Ranch Market in Plano yesterday.  I wonder if they have always been in Asian grocery stores, and I have just been SLEEPING AT THE GROCERY CART WHEEL, because it combines my two favorite loves in life in one very portable package.

I mean.  Pearl milk tea.  As a popsicle??

How would that work?  How is that even possible??!

I stared hard at the package through the frosted freezer door at the grocery store, until I could stand the wait no longer.

I rushed home and ravaged the package immediately.  As you can see, I could not even wait to take a picture until after I stuck my giant chompers through it.

It did indeed taste like a cold cup of pearl milk tea !  The right side has a subtle, slightly bitter tea flavor with bits of chewy pearls, and the left side is sweetened milk, and together, it is simply magic.

I love these.

I hope you try them and fall in love too !

Dallas ! Emporium Pies and KlydeWarren Park

More Dallas restaurant cuteness pops up everyday !  

A jaunt with the nieces to the Bishop Arts district found us at the cute Craftsman-style home of Emporium Pies.

As we drove up, I noted a couple getting some engagement photos on the porch. 

Me: "Look at those two getting their engagement photos here."

Skye: "Why are they doing that?"

I honestly had no clue.  My engagement photos would have slices of pies in my hands, and in my significant other's face.  (This is why I will never be engaged.)

If you get your pies to go, they will be packaged in a cute wooden container, bundled with colored twine and a wooden fork.  Packaging is everything.  I want to eat out of this everyday !

Slices run $5 here, with a rotating selection.  Today's included cherry, bourbon pecan,deep dish apple pie (super deep!) and lemon chiffon.

There was too many to choose from.  My nieces erred on the side of chocolate (they are indeed of my blood!).

Jasmine did not hesitate to order the Smooth Operator, french silk in a pretzel crust.  It was creamy, chocolatey and not as dense as you'd imagine, so you can easily finish off the whole slice (it's that smooth!).

Skye opted for the Ebony & Ivory, described as a buttermilk chess pie swirled with chocolate hazelnut spread.  Swirled is probably an understatement.  The pie tasted like an undercooked chocolate chip cookie bar where a mass of chocolate has sunk to the bottom.  In order words, it was absolutely glorious.  Crunchy. Creamy. Decadent. Swoonworthy.

The Snowball was a light and airy coconut custard confection topped with toasted coconut.  With a buttery crust, it was a perfect midafternoon treat.

After, I tried to make my nieces partake in some physical activity at the newly constructed KlydeWarren park in downtown Dallas to burn off some of the pie poundage.

The park is spacious, clean, and lined with food trucks.  When did this happen, I have no idea, but I am so excited at the prospect !  Food truck choices included banh mi, Coolhaus ice cream sandwiches, sushi, snowcones and more.

The kids play areas have neat little structures on which to scamper.

My favorite is the ropey molecule.  If I was not three times the size of everyone here, I would've totally gotten myself tangled in there, but I didn't want to accidentally smother any small child.

The humidity eventually got the best of us, but Dallas, you are looking pretty spiffy of late !

Han's Nonsensical Rating: Emporium Pies is a resounding, definite YES for ladies who dessert, gents to take online girls to impress them with their tender side, and for anyone who is easily charmed by a perfect slice of pie.

Emporium Pies

314 North Bishop Ave

Dallas, TX