Merry Early X’mas!!!

The Counter is a customizable burger chain from California, but according to my burger-loving boyfriend, all burgers are awesome, particularly if they’re from Cali. And especially if they have options for non-beef eaters like me!

I checked out some Yelp reviews and reviewed the menu, fully intending to get the burger of the month, an ahi tuna burger!!! Except…when we got there, The Counter was OUT of the tuna. We started off with the much recommended…

Sweet Potato Fries

Picture from Life on the Edge

Tastiness: B+. Honestly, I’ve had better sweet potato fries, but these were fine. They were cut up thin and fried till greasy, which is why I ate my fries sauce-less in order to get the flavor of the sweet potato. I will not complain about the value for money since this was a big dish of fries!! We had to bring half of it home. The fries came with some horseradish mayo, which wasn’t as popular as our little dishes of ketchup.

Giant Veggie Burger Salad with Caramelized onions, grilled pineapple…

My Toppings (4 free, others $0.50 each): Grilled Pineapple, Corn and black bean salsa, Sprouts, Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Chilies, Caramelized Onions

My Sauces: Sweet BBQ, and Sweet Onion marmalade (hmm see a theme here?)

Tastiness: B+. The burger patty was the highlight of my salad. It’s homemade and stuffed silly with corn, black beans, panko bread crumbs, peppers, rice, herbs, shredded carrots and zucchini’s, which contributed to how crumbly it was. Yes, it was pan-fried and dredged with oil, but the flavor was great and I enjoyed the chewy bits of rice and veggies in the patty.

The additional fresh toppings I picked were fresh and tasty, except for 2 rants. 1) The pineapple was from a can and it tasted like it came from a can, 2) The caramelized onions were FAR too greasy and yet still undercooked, aka not caramelized NEARLY enough! Order the onion marmalade sauce instead (see picture above)

1/3 Pound Burger with Bacon, Egg, Cheese…

Nick’s Toppings: Cheese, Grilled Pineapple, Caramelized Onions, Roasted Pepper, Bacon (+$1), Fried Egg (+$1) (And others that I can’t remember)

Nick’s Sauce: Garlic Aioli

Tastiness: A-. Although this wasn’t my dish and I didn’t sample since I don’t eat beef, Nick said that it was ON PAR with the Kuma’s Corner classic Kuma burger (if you live in Chicago, you will know that this is probably one of the most famous burgers in town!) The egg was perfectly cooked so the yolks oozed all over the burger when you cut into it. Apparently this burger was SO giant Nick ALMOST couldn’t finish it. He said he’d totally order this again in a heartbeat.

RATINGS

Flavor: 3.5/5

Originality: Up to you isn’t it?

Plating: 2.5/5 (The white plastic plates reminded me way too much of dining hall food back in college)

Value: 4/5 (I had a buy one burger, get one free coupon. Our bill came out to be ~$25 including tax and tip)

Service: 3/5 (Our waitress was nice and came to check back with us twice to make sure we were fine)

Overall: We wouldn’t enjoy paying full price for the meal (shakes are $5+) but with a coupon this is definitely worth it. I would have hoped things were less greasy and more fresh ingredients were used, but the sheer amount of possibilities when it comes to making your own customizable burger (or huge salad in my case) are endless and way too fun!

***

Amusement of the Day…What type of Diner are you?

I read this (entertaining) diner’s psychology article in the NYT and according to Mr.Rapp the researcher, there are 4 types of diners in this world:

1) The “Entrees” do not want a lot of description, just the bottom line on what the dish is and how much it is going to cost.

2) The “Recipes,” on the other hand, ask many questions and want to know as much as they can about the ingredients.

3) The “Barbecues” share food and like chatty servers who wear name tags.

4) The “Desserts” are trendy people who want to order trendy things.

Are you one of these 4 types, or you somethin’ else?

I’m totally 65% Recipe, 20% Entree, 10% Dessert, and 5% BBQ.

You probably know the giant Clif company who makes all-natural (mostly organic) energy foods and drinks.

This page is dedicated to all the Clif and Clif Mojo bars I’ve had a chance to review. You can find ‘em all in your local grocery store or health food store for ~$0.99 each.

Clif vs. Clif Mojo Bars

Clif  Bars – Higher in calories and carbohydrates, mainly in the sugar department (average ~20g plus sugar per bar), and hence has a much sweeter taste. Chewier and denser texture that can get a little too sweet and monotonous if you don’t pick the right flavor for you. Lots of fun seasonal flavors to choose from. 70% of ingredients are organic!

Mojo Bars – Slightly lower in calories per bar (most just under 200 calories), less sugar, and has a blend between sweet and salty flavors. It also has a higher “crunch” factor because they are topped with nuts and pretzels.

My pick: Mojo bars all the way! For the same amount of protein (avg 9-10g per bar) and lower calories, I love the interesting flavors and texture of the Mojo bars more than regular Clif bars, but I do have to say that Clif seems to have more fun seasonal flavors that Mojo’s don’t have. (P.s. Mojo’s also have a shorter ingredient list!)

***

Clif Bar - White Chocolate Macadamia Nut

Stats (1 bar): 240 Calories, 7g fat (1.5g Saturated), 160mg Sodium, 41g Carbs, 4g Fiber, 21g Sugar, 9g Protein

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Soy White Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Cocoa Butter, Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, ClifCrunch® (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium), Macadamia Nuts, Organic Soy Butter, Organic Macadamia Nuts, Organic Date Paste, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt.

Picture courtesy of Freckle Foodie

Tastiness: 7/10. This doesn’t taste “bad” per se, but I would have never guessed that white chocolate macadamia was it’s actual flavor title. This reminded me much more of a much more dense and chewy oatmeal cookie that had exactly 2 bites of macadamia flavor throughout the entire bar. I enjoyed the fact that it powered me well through my workout, but it’s not my favorite Clif bar yet. While it’s sweet, it wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet like the carrot cake flavor.

***

Clif Bar – Blueberry Crisp (Mini)

Stats: 100 Calories, 2g fat, 62mg sodium, 100mg potassium, 18g carbs (2g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 4g protein

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Organic Rolled Oats, Blueberry Fruit Pieces (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Blueberry Puree Concentrate, Brown Rice Syrup, Pectin, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Natural Flavor), Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), Organic Dry Roasted Almonds, ClifCrunch® (Organic Oat Fiber, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Organic Milled Flaxseed, Organic Oat Bran, Psyllium), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Blueberries (Blueberries, Apple Juice Concentrate), Organic Date Paste, Almond Butter, Organic Sunflower Oil, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt, Citric Acid.

Tastiness: 8/10. This was a decadently sweet and sticky, chewy bar with a little bit of crunch to balance it out. You can see visible chunks of smeared blueberry bits and crumbled pieces of almonds. The “crisp” in the bar were small and light, offering a fun textural element to the bar. The bar base had a slightly gingery, cinnamon, spicy base with a nutty and oat-y after taste which was the highlight of the bar for me. I am in love with the mini size as it is perfect for a pre-workout energy snack! Any bigger and the bar would have been too overwhelmingly sweet.

***

Clif Bar – Spiced Pumpkin Pie (seasonal)

Stats: 240 Calories, 5g fat (2g saturated), 140mg sodium, 250mg potassium, 45g carbs (5g dietary fiber, 23g sugar), 10g protein

Ingredients: Organic Brown Rice Syrup, ClifPro® (Soy Rice Crisps [Soy Protein Isolate, Rice Flour, Barley Malt Extract], Organic Roasted Soybeans, Organic Soy Flour), Soy White Chocolate (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Cocoa Butter, Soy Flour, Soy Lecithin, Natural Flavors), Organic Rolled Oats, Organic Toasted Oats (Organic Oats, Organic Evaporated Cane Juice), Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Dried Pumpkin, ClifCrunch® (Apple Fiber, Organic Oat Fiber, Organic Milled Flaxseed, Inulin [Chicory Extract], Psyllium), Organic Dried Apples, Organic Raisins, Organic Date Paste, Organic Soy Butter, Organic Dry Roasted Almonds, Natural Flavors, Organic Sunflower Oil, Sea Salt, Colored with Annatto.

Picture courtesy of Elllie (one of my faves!)

Tastiness: 8/10. The pumpkin pie is probably one of the Clif flavors that I enjoy most because: (1) it smells so darn delicious and well-spiced; (2) the orange color just makes me happy, (3) The thin white coating of soy white chocolate put the bar over the top; (4) It really does taste like it’s spiced, albeit not as pumpkin-y as I like.

Like all Clif bars, this one was extra sweet (like dessert, but I suppose I’m eating “pie”) and has a super chewy, hearty consistency stuffed with bits of grains, oats, and random pieces of dried fruit. . It got way too overwhelmingly sweet for me toward the end of the bar. I was almost glad there wasn’t more to it…haha. The bar fueled my work out SO well though…I’m sure the carbs helped. Overall quite tasty! I’d buy it again despite the long ingredient list.

***

Clif Mojo Mountain Mix (almonds, peanuts, raisins, & chocolate chips)

Stats: 180 Cals, 8g fat (1/5g saturated), 220mg sodium,, 240mg potassium, 21g carbs (2g fiber, 12 g sugar), 9g protein

Ingredients: Organic brown rice syrup, O dry roasted peanuts, O raisins, Dry roasted almonds, Soy rice crisps, O chocolate chips, O pretzels, O peanut butter, O dry roasted soy beans, Dry roasted pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds, O oat syrup, Vegetable glycerin, O sunflower oil, Sea salt, O gum Arabic, Natural vitamin E.

Picture courtesy of Healthy & Sane

Tastiness: 9/10. I would consider myself a bar veteran, and this one meets my entire criterion for a delicious and nutritious bar. The bar has a layer of soft, chewy soy crisps held together by various syrups as a base, holding up generous amounts of nut pieces, chocolate chips, and pretzel bits packed on top. Almost candy bar-like in flavor, you get the saltiness purely from the pretzels and the nuts. I love the contrast in textures of the chewy base with the crunchy toppings. I would buy this again! For 9g of protein, fewer calories, and only half the sugar in a regular Clif bar, I would totally buy the Mojo again!!

***

Clif Mojo Honey Roasted Peanut (Roasted Peanut & Pretzel Pieces)

Stats: 200 Cals, 10g fat (2g saturated), 200mg sodium, 20g Carbs (2g fiber, 9g sugar), 10g protein

Ingredients: Organic dry roasted peanuts, Brown rice syrup, honey roasted peanuts, pretzels, dry roasted soybeans, peanut butter, oat syrup, honey, vegetable glycerin, sunflower oil, sea salt, gum Arabic, vitamin E

Picture courtesy of Nattietian

Tastiness: 6.5/10. Decent, not great. This bar was far too sticky to eat with my fingers, but chewing it was fun nonetheless. This is a highly peanut-flavored bar with pieces of nuts wedged throughout. It was definitely a blend of sweet and salty, and I’m glad it’s not as CRAZY sweet as regular Clif bars. A light honey flavor enters your mouth, but a nuttier salty aftertaste remains toward the end of the bite. Paired with the random pretzel sticks over the top, this was a chewy bar with an occasional crunch to it. I definitely missed the tartness you get from dried fruits and found the bar a little monotonous.

Instead of a X’mas Wishlist,  I have a list of my favorite comfort food finds and creations.

In spirit of the holiday and my going home in…7 days (!!!!) here are some (mostly) edible things that are comforting. Speaking of which…is it “bad” to turn to food for comfort?

1. Improvisational Fried Rice

Why it’s comforting? Tastes like home! You can’t have real Chinese fried rice without a few things though… they include eggs, peas, and white rice! These were our additional add-ins to spice things up a little:

• Imitation Crab Meat
• Scallions
• Onions
• Maple-glazed ham chunks
• Sesame oil
• Dark soy sauce (Did you know that “light soy sauce” is more concentrated and actually MORE salty than dark soy sauce? )

Nick makes a mean fried rice, but not with brown rice, that’s for sure. With white rice, you’re able to achieve a rice “cracker” like texture when the rice granules char slightly on the heated wok. If you order this at a restaurant, your chef will most likely use leftover rice from the night before because it’ll hold up better to the stir-fry process and not get soggy.

2. Elegant Ramekins

HELP! I have an obsession with cute and pretty bowls/ramekins! I bought a set of 3 at Marshall’s for $3.99. Good deal huh?

Almond Apple Pie Spiced Steel Cut Oats

Use this as a base and top it with lots of yummy things!

• 1/3 cup steel cut oats
• 1/3 cup water, 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 Tbs Fine ground almonds
• 1/2 tsp apple pie spice (I ordered from MySpiceSage.com*)
• 3 drops liquid Stevia (I used NuNaturals)
• 1/2 tsp almond extract (Ordered from MySpiceSage.com*)

Simply throw everything into a slow cooker, stirring occasionally until oats are thickened and have absorbed most/all of the liquid.

*MySpiceSage sells seasonings and spices in BULK! The price will often come out cheaper than if you bought it from your local grocery store. They also have an insane collection of spices!

3. Cereal + Banana + Peanut Butter Dribbles

Kid food for grown-ups!

Multi-Grain puffins are my newest cereal find. Too bad TJ’s doesn’t have it. I had to pick it up from (the always over-priced) Whole Foods. Yummiest served with super ripe bananas and some Krema peanut butter. (Does the bowl look familiar?)

Tastiness: 8.5/10. They are in between the size of a regular puffin and the peanut butter puffin, so it’s pretty much a smaller PB puffin without the PB flavor. Get this cereal and drizzle it with REAL peanut butter – it’ll knock your socks off.   The multi-grain puffins are excellent at soaking in a little bit of its surrounding milk, yet still retains is crunchy flaky texture. Delicious!! Beware of addiction.

4. My $10 Gingerbread House!

To be fair, Nick bought the kit for us when I got sick over the weekend for our entertainment. We spent 3 hours assembling the house and decorating it. I will never underestimate cake decorators and their frosting abilities!

*warning* Store bought ginger bread kit houses are NOT meant to be eaten. Blechh…

Now it’s just going to sit on the counter until creepy crawlies start move in.

Hmmm I wonder where the gingerbread boy’s foot went? Nom nom…He looks like a ghost doesn’t he?

5. Spicy Noodles (spoken like a true Asian yes?)

Though I wouldn’t consider instant noodles a “health food” per se, the Annie Chun instant noodles have no chemicals and no MSG at all. After a tough day at work, it’s nice to have a piping hot bowl of fresh chewy noodles to eat for dinner.

The product: Gochujang is a popular Korean red chili paste that is the main component of the sauce. Annie Chun’s combined fresh-cooked (Chinese) hokkien noodles with the sweet and spicy Gochujang to create a bowl of broth-less “tossed” noodles ready to be consumed in literally 2 minutes.

Tastiness: 8/10. The sauce itself is a wonderful well-balanced blend of sweet, savory, and a tad of spiciness thanks to the gochujang. You smell the aromatic sesame oil from the moment you open the package and just makes the sauce sing. The noodles themselves are incredibly chewy and fresh-tasting, but like all instant noodles, the vegetable toppings are pretty much tiny and non-existent.

NOTE! The bowl packs an astounding amount of sodium (1660mg per bowl) and contains 1 major food group: carbs.

Served with Chinese braised eggs and  furikake *drool*

My Recommendation: Split the noodles into 2 servings and top each with a hefty plate of veggies and protein to round out the meal. Flavor-wise, this is excellent, but nutritionally, it’s not exactly awesome.

6. Getting inspired by food blogs!

I suppose it’s not a coincidence that pretty much everything is in the form of carbs huh? What Comforts You??

Have you ever experienced vegan chocolate bars? Hard to imagine anyone could make chocolate without milk OR butter without compromising flavor right??

Flavor-wise: If you like dark chocolate, you won’t be disappointed if you buy NIBMOR. The dark chocolate is sweeter than regular dark 70% chocolate and is sweetened with organic agave nectar. The coconut oils really do enhance the aromatics of the bar, adding an additional fruitier, sweeter element to the flavor overall.

Texture-wise: If you like your chocolate on the “soft”, bendy side, you’re in luck. But if you enjoy your chocolate solid and firm, these may not be your cup of tea.

In 2 sentences, NibMor “believes that the food we eat should be as simple as possible. That means using ingredients made by Mother Nature, not someone in a lab coat.”

Nibor all-natural chocolates are: Organic, VEGAN, Raw, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, No GMO, No Refined Sugar (They use agave nectar to sweeten their chocolates!)

Their products include:

• Original Chocolate Bar
• Almond Chocolate Bar
• Crispy Chocolate Bar

The Original Chocolate Bar - “A true dark chocolate experience with a balanced mix of bitter and sweet, effortlessly melting on the palate with a soft lingering finish.”

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Agave Nectar, Raw Vanilla Powder, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin (an Emulsifier)

Stats (per bar): 360 Cals, 31g fat (18g saturated), 75mg Sodium, 29g Carbs (5g Fiber, 20g Sugar), 3g Protein

Tastiness: 7.5/10. Made of 70% cacao, the original bar met all my flavor expectations for chocolate. I like it creamy, bitter, and with an air of sweetness. However, the texture of the chocolate bar was bendy and pliable, something that was a little off-putting to me at the beginning. The pieces don’t break off as cleany as I like, nor offer the satisfying bite (it’s a tad mushy), but it will melt on your tongue and take you to chocolate heaven if you just let it sit in your mouth.

Almond Chocolate Bar

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Agave Nectar, Raw Almonds, Raw Vanilla Powder, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin (an Emulsifier)

Tastiness: 8.5/10. I love any dark chocolate with almonds in it. That nut just pairs so well with dark chocolate it’s hard to ignore the nuttiness, crunchiness, with creaminess of cocoa butter. You can definitely taste the coconut oil and the fragrance that it brings to the bar. Mmm mmm good!

Crispy Chocolate Bar- A classic crispy bar gone dark chocolate. We use lightly toasted brown rice (gluten-free). A healthier alternative for this American favorite

Ingredients: Organic Cacao Butter, Organic Cacao Powder, Organic Agave Nectar, Gluten Free Puffed Brown Rice Crispy, Raw Vanilla Powder, Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Sea Salt, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin (an Emulsifier)

Tastiness: 7/10. This reminded me a little too much of a limp Crunch bar…did you have one of those? The little tiny crispies add a lot of fun textures to the bar, but I’m not crazy about the airy crunch paired with a slightly soft and bendy chocolate. I definitely prefer the other 2 flavors!

Online Cost: $5 per bar (sold in boxes of 12 only)

My Cost: Complimentary from Nibmor (Thank you so much Nibmor!)

To locate Nibmor Chocoaltes at a store near you, click here.

Recently, the folks at NuNaturals (aka the genius developers and makers of many unique stevia sweetener products) sent me some products to sample. Most of you guys all prolly have heard of ‘em already, so keep reading so I can share a few of my home baked creations with you all!

Stevia is an excellent alternative to sugar and artificial sweeteners. Derived from plants, this natural sweetener used to have a reputation of having a slightly bitter aftertaste, but after trying the NuStevia products, I’ve concluded that it is ONLY bitter if you add WAY too much of it.

My Take: There are so many pro’s to these products it’s difficult to come up with any downsides apart from perhaps the price tag, which can sound steep for a sugar substitute. For example, my favorite product: the vanilla stevia extract retails at about $13. However, a few drops go a LONG LONG way. Although it may look like Splenda is cheaper at the store, you definitely end up using a larger volume of it in all your recipes than the Stevia products from NuNaturals.

My recommended Products: Liquid Stevia Drops, Vanilla Liquid Stevia, and NuStevia packets (for coffee on the run!)

***Peanut Butter Jelly Banana Bread***

Vegan & Sugar-free

So moist and so peanut buttery, you won’t know what hit you!

Ingredients:

DRY

1 cup whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

1tbs baking powder

WET

1 cup vanilla almond milk (or milk)

2 tbs flax seeds dissolved in 4 tbs water (or 2 eggs)

1/2 cup NuNaturals Baking Blend (or 1/2 cup white sugar)

1 cup all-natural smooth or chunky peanut butter (I used Krema Smooth Peanut butter)

1/3 cup apple sauce

1 medium banana, mashed

2 Tbs oil

1/3 cup jam of your choice (pumpkin butter will do too!)

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 275F. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray.

2) Stir together dry ingredients in large bowl.

3) Combine wet ingredients in another medium bowl.

4) Pour wet into dry and combine until moistened (don’t over mix)!

5) Pour 1/2 the batter into the loaf pan. Spread a layer of jam over the top of the batter. Then pour the remaining batter over the top of the jam.

6) Bake in oven for 50 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean. Cool in pan, but eat hot if desired.

***Holiday Cranberry Pistachio Granola***

Vegan and non-vegan options

The first batch came out so yummy I literally stood at the oven and ate almost the whole batch straight off the baking pan. I have no shame huh? I proceeded to double the recipe and re-make everything so I could store it up to eat and give some away. Did I redeem myself?

Ingredients:

DRY

1 cup rolled oats (I went for 2 types – ½ cup spelt flakes, ½ cup oats)

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

WET

1 Tbs oil (I used Hemp seed oil)

1 Tbs maple syrup (or honey, if you’re not vegan)

4-5 drops NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia drops

Splash vanilla almond milk/other milk substitute (add more if wet batter looks too dry)

1/3 cup pistachios

1/3 cup cranberries

My favorite variation is: to add puffed kamut flakes in addition to the oats. It bakes out SO delicious, crisp, and airy you’ll want to eat it plain.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Line a baking tray with foil.

1. In large bowl, combine dry ingredients

2. In medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients until combined

3.Toss wet into dry until all oats are coated evenly. Bake in oven for 10 minutes.

4. Remove tray from oven and toss granola. Mix in almonds. Replace tray into oven to bake 10 more minutes.

5. Remove tray from oven. Toss cranberries into granola/almond mixture and let cool slightly before enjoying or you may burn your tongue…like some people.

Does this yell holidays or what? And just so you can share my excitement for going home…

I’ll be on a plane going back to Hong Kong in 12 days, 16 hours, and 46 minutes!!!!

What would you like to see from Hong Kong?

For Part 1 of my birthday, Nick took me to Frontera Grill for lunch because I’ve been DYING to try the mole that won Rick Bayless the title of Top Chef Masters. Good reason? Hehe

Click here for the Menu’s for all 3 of Rick Bayless’s restaurants!

*Frontera tip* The restaurant DOES take very limited reservations (contrary to what many people tell you), so plan ahead to guarantee yourself a seat!

We were seated right away at a cozy table that was jammed pretty closely to its neighboring tables. A little awkward, especially since the people next to our table kept pointing and talking about the food we ordered because…it was literally 3 feet away from them. But ANYWAYS…

An amuse bouche snack of deep fried nuts were placed on our table. A little on the greasy side, but well-spiced, salty, and perfect for hungry diners or those enjoying Frontera’s famously delicious margarita’s. Which…I didn’t order. (Sorry! I’m just not much of a drinker. The only thing I love is strawberry daquiri’s. hahahah) Now I regret it…a little.

Nick and I couldn’t decide what appetizer to order, so we got the big sampler platter!

Entremes Surtido: appetizer platter of cheesy quesadillas, crispy chicken taquitos with sour cream, tangy ceviche tostadas, crunchy jcama salad and guacamole and tortilla chips served with 2 salsa’s

Overall Tastiness: Will have to depend on what component of the platter we’re talking about. Overall – SO VERY AVERAGE even though they have fancy names. Here’s what was on the platter in detail. You can order all of them separately…which I will next time.

• Quesadillas Capitalinas: Mexico City-style quesadillas (corn masa turnovers) stuffed with Samuels locally handcrafted Jack cheese and fresh epazote; guacamole to daub.

Tastiness: C. Nick didn’t enjoy this at all, which is strange because he loves cheese and fried food. These were literally fried dough stuffed with cheese and almost non-existent guacamole.

• Taquitos de Pollo: crispy taquitos filled with chicken, black beans and poblanos, with homemade sour cream, and aejo cheese.

Tastinss: B. Quite good on the inside, not too greasy on the lips, but easily forgettable.

• Tostaditas de Ceviche: crisp little tortillas piled with lime-marinated Hawaiian blue marlin, manzanilla olives, tomato, serrano, jcama and cilantro.

Tastiness: A. I’m a die-hard ceviche fan and these were fresh, the fish were perfectly seasoned, a little tart, had good chewy texture, and went perfectly with the salsa.

• Jicama Callejera: crunchy jcama, cucumber and pineapple with fresh lime and crushed guajillo chile

Tastiness: A-. I really enjoyed the cold refreshing tart jicama salad and especially the pineapple slices. They offered a good flavor contrast to the other fried goods on the platter.

Guacamole – Honestly, I think chipotle has the winning recipe here. Overly salted that day! Better off buying it at Xoco, Frontera’s cheaper neighbor sister store.

Our Entrees

Enchiladas de Mole Poblano: homemade tortillas rolled around Gunthorp free-range chicken, doused with Mexicos most famous mole; black beans. 14.75

Tastiness: A-. Nick ordered the mole so I could satisfy my craving with the salmon and graciously allowed me to clean 1/3 of his plate. Hahaha. I literally couldn’t stop eating the enchiladas in mole. The shredded chicken in the tortillas were so well spiced and moist it didn’t need mole. However, the mole was certainly delicious!!! It was bold, smoky, a little sweet, a little spicy, and complex. Like a very special BBQ sauce almost! Nick ate the rest excluding half the black beans. He was not a fan of it hence the A minus!

Pescado del Dia: fresh day-boat catch of the day. Market price.

My description: Mexican marinated and wood grilled wild atlantic salmon served in spicy creamy peanut reduction sauce. Served with a side of refried black beans.

Tastiness: B+. Nick and I agreed the peanut sauce was rather Asian flavor-wise. It tasted just like sweet curry, except much thicker and super peanut-y. The best part of the dish was the PERFECTLY seasoned and grilled salmon, which had a little crunch from the charred edges while the core was still slightly raw. I would have been happy with just the fish.

There were also grilled zucchini pieces in the sauce, which was phenomenal. Everything came with ~6 warm homemade tortillas and a disappointing batch of refried black beans. It was so dry on the outside and tasted bland on the inside with a strange sticky consistency. I didn’t even finish half of it, which is SAD considering black beans are my favorite beans in the world!!

Dessert(s)

Pan de Muerto: Warm brioche Day of the Dead Bread sandwiched with chocolate-Negra Modelo ice cream, calabaza en tacha (Spence Farm pumpkin braised in unrefined cone sugar). Tequila-infused cherries. 8.25

Tastiness: B. Quite a conflicting dish I must say. The highlight was most definitely the negra modelo ice-cream!! Creamy, sweet, a teeny bit alcoholic and mysterious, this beer-based frozen treat now has me curious. How do you make it Rick?? Sadly, the brioche was stale and the cute colorful beads topping the dessert were a DISASTER to eat. They’re so hard on your teeth, overly crunchy, and adds nothing to enhance the flavor of the dish. What a nuisance. Lucky there was yummy sweetened pumpkin and those tequila infused cherries…*drool*

Chocolate Cappuccino: Intelligentsia Black Cat espresso and Oaxacan chocolate steamed with hot milk 5.00

Tastiness: A-. If you love bittersweet chocolate (like the 70% dark cocoa kind) you will love this! It was steamy, slightly sweet, not too creamy, and definitely the perfect blend between chocolate and coffee. Oh YUM for me, but too bitter for Nick. Guess who got to finish it all?

RATINGS

Taste: 4/5 (Hit or Miss. Watch what you order!)

Originality: 4/5 (You have pretty standard appetizers, but there are some really creative entrees!!)

Plating: 4/5

Value: 3/5 (It may be a 2.5 if we went for dinner…pricey!)

Service: 3/5. (Twice, 2 different servers forgot Nick’s “birthday request” after he secretly hunted them down to tell them. Frontera is either understaffed or they really don’t’ give a darn about us…but at least our waiter was knowledgeable and they got our orders right!)

And that was my 2 hour birthday brunch at Frontera Grill. Thanks for joining!! I might be back…for the chocolate cappuccino and my margarita!

***

AND for the Giveaway winners….

DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!

Krema Peanut Butter Winners

Here are your random numbers:

50  26

Timestamp: 2009-12-01 15:54:16 UTC

#73: Nicole – “1. I am from Chicago, Illinois but currently live in Tulsa, Oklahoma for a bit!
2. I apparently can’t find Krema PB in Oklahoma…but I can buy some when I’m in Chicago next week or for Christmas!!”

#26: Melinda – “Doesn’t look like it is sold in Maryland  My fave PButtery thing is adding it to ice cream.”

SodaStream Winner

Here are your random numbers:

89

Timestamp: 2009-12-01 16:27:25 UTC

#89: Lillian H. – “I would choose Ginger-ale (diet), Lemon-Lime, and Peach Mango if I win. If I could create one, it’d be Lychee-Mango! I’ve also added you to my Google Reader. Love your blog and great giveaway!!!”

Congrats Ladies!!! You’ll be getting an e-mail from me!!!

Ann Sather is a famous “Swedish” restaurant chain in Chicago that serves up a huge selection of brunch foods (my favorite!)…and according to its patrons, world-class unforgettable cinnamon rolls.

Nick and I decided to go one morning despite the 3-star average reviews on Yelp (Strangely few stars considering they have supposedly nailed the great American cinnamon roll.) My verdict? I’m so glad we went and satisfied my eggs benedict craving! It may not get all 5 stars, but for the price, the value, and the selection of the food served, this is totally at least a 4 star restaurant! For now, here’s the menu link.

It was noon on a Saturday and we walked into the Belmont restaurant. NO WAIT, No line!!! Woohoo! I get cranky when I have to wait 45 minutes for my brunch (*ahem* Bongo Room)

I didn’t realize that all breakfasts come with two sides of your choice, included in the price of your entrée. The list includes:

• 2 cinnamon rolls (yes, 2 giant rolls = 1 side dish!)
• 1 Sweet muffin
• 2 Biscuits & Honey
• Toast and Jelly
• Sliced Tomatoes or Applesauce
• Fruit Cup
• Hash Browns

I picked the cinnamon rolls and the fruit cup. Nick picked the cinnamon rolls and the hash browns. Our rolls came out LITERALLY 1 minute after we placed our order. Nice, warm, fluffy, and dripping with goopy frosting.

Tastiness: B+.Warning- I’m a tough critic. The outer edges were a little tougher than I liked and the frosting was RIDICULOUSLY sweet. Too sweet for my liking. However, the inside of the roll was soft, fluffy, and moist. Once some frosting was scraped off the top, I fully enjoyed the cinnamon roll. There are others (like Nick) who think the frosting is the best stuff ever. He didn’t leave a sliver of frosting anywhere on his plate.

The best things about our benedict entrées were that they come with 2 sides of your choice, AND the hollaindaise is served on the side without needing requesting! The sauce was actually pretty nasty looking and clumped up as soon as it started to cool. Ick. Lucky it wasn’t on top of my eggs.

Crab Cake Benedict – $9.95
Poached Eggs, Cajun Crab Cakes and Hollandaise Sauce

Tastiness: I can’t judge since this wasn’t my order, but from what I tasted, although the egg was perfectly cooked with a hot runny yolk and soft egg whites, I absolutely did not enjoy the crab cakes!!! They were dry on the outside and the crab might as well be non-existent. I definitely recommend going to Tavern on Rush and paying $3 more for a REAL crab-stuffed crab cake. This got a B- because Nick didn’t mind it…the flavors were “good.”

Smoked Salmon Benedict – $9.95

Poached Eggs, Norwegian Salmon, Fresh Dill and Hollandaise Sauce

Tastiness: A-. My benedict was perfect. The salmon was warm and the poached eggs were hot with a perfectly cooked runny yolk. The muffin didn’t get soggy because whoever was in the kitchen took the time to drain the eggs and wick extra moisture off the smoked salmon slices before serving. Delicious! There was so much flavor no hollandaise was needed! All it needed was some ketchup. Of course.

RATINGS

Taste: 3.5/5 (my entrée was fabulous and so were the cinnamon rolls)

Originality: 4/5 (the menu is SO huge they have all the classics and much more!)

Plating: 3/5

Value: 4/5 (For a $20, you get a LOT of food)

Service: 4/5 (No complaints at all. They took care of us so well and so promptly I was amazed)

Just a few recent reviews I’d like to share with you!

Make sure you’ve entered my Giveaway!!! It ends this Monday!!

***

Amy’s Lemon Poppyseed Cake

I never imagined how SPOT ON delicious (and nutritious) Amy’s desserts could be until I tried this cake, which by the way is 99% organic. You can find it in the freezer section since Amy’s does not add any preservatives (nor MSG or trans fats) into the product.

Stats per slice (assuming 6 slices per loaf): 200 Cals, 7g fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 170mg sodium, 31g carbs, 1g fiber, 17g sugar, 2g protein

Main Ingredients: Organic wheat flour, organic evaporated cane juice, organic buttermilk, filtered water, organic high oleic safflower and/or sunflower oil, organic lemon juice, organic poppy seeds, organic lemon essential oil, sea salt, baking soda, baking powder

Tastiness: 9/10. I couldn’t resist eating this cake straight out of the freezer (though you’re meant to thaw in the fridge for 2 hours prior to serving) and it was GOOD, really good. The top of the cake is lightly glazed with cane juice that gives is a slightly sticky, indulgent, finger-licking quality. This is not a sour cake by any means, but has all the refreshing, sunny flavors of lemon paired with the exciting littlecrunch of the poppy seeds in every bite. It is definitely sweet and dessert-like in every way, except it contains only ingredients you can feel good about!

As you can see, this pound cake appears very dense in texture but unlike regular pound cake, it’s not greasy AT ALL. To serve, I just sliced up the cake and microwaved for 30 seconds, thus producing soft, warm cake. Thank you Amy’s Kitchen for a dessert I can go to when I’m not feeling like baking (or if I’m having trouble buying poppy seeds! Haha)

Amy’s Kitchen says, “We’re not saying that Amy’s cakes are “health food”, but if you are going to indulge, read the labels and enjoy knowing that our cakes are as close as you can get to home made.”

I say, “I couldn’t agree more!”

Retail Cost: ~$4.50

My Cost: Complimentary from Amy’s Kitchen

Where to Find: Freezer section of health food stores and grocery stores such as Whole Foods.

***

Miguel’s Chips

Miguel’s Products is committed to the support of sustainable farming methods that ensure great tasting foods without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides in soil that is naturally nourished.

Exotic Plantain Strips - Often referred to as “Potatoes Of The Air”, plantains are a member of the banana family. In contrast to the soft, sweet banana (which is sometimes called the dessert banana), plantains tend to be firmer and lower in sugar content.When delicately cooked, plantain take on the taste of a fine potato chip while retaining the subtle flavor of banana.

Honey Plantain Strips

Tastiness: 9/10. Yummy!! I’ve never been a fan of plantains, but these were like crunchy, yummy, dessert chips. They are extra crunchy thanks to the thin and even coating of honey surrounding the entire chip, non-greasy on your lips, and very addicting. They are also rather sweet, but not to the point that you want to gag. I highly recommend these because they taste so good AND I consider them healthy. These are just like the ones from Trader Joe’s!

Salted Plantain Strips

Tastiness: 6/10.These strips are very much like SUPER crunchy chips, almost too tough on my jaw. I like that they aren’t overly salty, and pair very well with a dip like hummus and salsa. Because it is so non-porous, the chips hold up extremely well to more watery condiments. On the flip-side, one may view it as a little more bland, but it’s nothing salsa can’t fix.

Organic Dippers – All Miguel’s Organic Tortilla Dippers are hand-crafted using secret combinations of certified organic ingredients in concert with our signature, fine ground organic corn masa to deliver a totally unique flavor experience. Our “Dippers” are gluten-free and, no artificial colors or preservatives have been used. Nothing gets in the way of their great taste and satisfying crunch.

Vegetable & Seed Tortilla Dippers

Tastiness: 8/10. The red chips are my favorite while the green ones are less so. The difference is that the red ones actually taste slightly sweeter while the green ones taste a little bit bitter to me (I’m guessing because of the green pepper flavoring.) Nick didn’t notice any bitterness, so it may just be that I’m super sensitive. I love the shapes of these dippers because they can get into hard to reach salsa jars, but they’re so crisp that you can’t pile on too much baggage or it snaps!

Everything Dippers

Tastiness: 7/10. I like that these dippers are also perfectly salted and nobody went overboard with the salt shaker – a big problem with a lot of chips these days. There are only a handful of other seasonings so you truly get the natural flavors of corn and seeds in each bite! Not an especially special flavor, but decent at the very least.

Three Pepper Dippers

Tastiness: 8/10. If you like black pepper, you’ll like these. These dippers have 3 kinds of peppers infused into the chip – red bell pepper, green, and of course black pepper. You definitely taste a little bit of sweetness from the red peppers, but for the most part, the spicy black pepper packs a nice big, bold punch. I can take a lot of spiciness, but this one gets overwhelming if you’re not a fan of heat.

Retail Cost: TBA.

My Cost: Complimentary from Miguel’s Products

Creamy soup without Flackers is no fun!!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

70  22

Timestamp: 2009-11-23 17:14:27 UTC

The Winners of the Doctor In The Kitchen Giveaway are…

#66) fruitsveggieslife

#22) Averie (LoveVeggiesAndYoga)

Congratulations Ladies!! I’ll be e-mailing you guys for your mailing address!

Didn’t win this time? That’s ok! Have you entered the SodaStream and Krema All-natural Peanut Butter giveaway yet??

It’s a BIG bad giveaway, and here’s what it’s all about!

I really do love giving away things and sharing with others the stuff that I love. I can’t thank you all enough for reading and supporting Lucky Taste Buds through the months, and your thoughtful comments sometimes become the highlight of my day.

This giveaway is dedicated to a few goals I’ve set for myself on my birthday. I hope you’ll join me by entering the giveaway!

1. Living as green in as many ways possible. Walk more, print double-sided, eat sustainable food, eliminate buying bottles and extra packing.
2. Be more adventurous! Experimenting outside of my foodie comfort zone – I admit, I always order the smoked salmon eggs benedict or squash-anything off a menu. I have also never set foot in an Ethiopian or Irish restaurant in my life but I would love to.
3. To read and be able to understand the “ingredients” in the ingredient section of nutrition labels, not only look at numbers.
4. Not to take myself too seriously sometimes. “Perfectionism” does not exist.
5. To be more giving in every way possible!

Prizes:

There will be 3 winners total…

1 winner will win an entire Sodastream soda-lovers machine and starter pack (valued at ~$100)

2 winners will win 2 jars each of Krema’s delicious all-natural (aka Crazy Richard’s) smooth and chunky peanut butter

How the giveaway works:

1) Read the reviews for whichever prizes you’d like to win and follow the directions on the post…

• For SodaStream, click HERE.
• For Krema/Crazy Richard’s Natural Nut Butters, click HERE.

2) If you’d like to be entered for 3 extra entries, comment on THIS post why you think the goals above pertain to both of the prizes.

3) For another 3 extra entries, link back to THIS post too!

BOTH contests open to US resident only and end at midnight on November 30th! The best Month of the year!