First Grill-Out, Continued: Dessert at Hot Chocolate

Sorry, the quality of these photos is not up to par. The lighting was quite low at the restaurant. As soon as I get a chance, I will tweak things in Photoshop and hopefully you'll be able to see the dishes!

After eating such a great steak, we both agreed that such a fine meal was almost too good to not be followed by dessert. It was early enough that we decided to go out to one of Chicago's hottest dessert restaurants, Hot Chocolate.

We started off our dining experience with some wine and a cheese plate. Specifically, I had the Artizuri Garnacha (another Spanish red!), and the wife had Fritz's Riesling, a semi-dry Austrian riesling. Both paired well with the cheese plate, which had Manchego Grand Reserve, Dunbarton Bleu, and Grand Cru Gruyere, along with some candied nuts, plain crostini, shortbread cookies, and a baby green salad.

After our cheese course (because, after all, we were making this the continuation of our dinner!), we ordered our desserts. I had the Poppycock dessert, which is quite possibly the most delectable thing I have ever tasted. It is a pecan pie square with caramel corn ice cream on one side, and the other side is a piece of shortbread with caramel corn ice cream, topped with a drizzle of honey, tangerine, and vanilla bean cream. Oh, and there is some poppycock (think Cracker Jacks, but better) on top of both sides that just completes the dish. It was unbelievable.

The wife had a creme brulee that was nearly perfect: creamy, sweet, caramelized, and had a hint of citrus to it. I much preferred my dish, but hers could not be ignored either.

Eggs Benedict and French Toast from Jam

In honor of Casimir Pulaski Day, or rather, in honor of the wife having the day off work due to Casimir Pulaski Day, we decided to have a late breakfast at a local place we've been waiting to try. Jam is that restaurant, and what a place! Their focus is on brunch, and I ordered the Eggs Benedict. Now, I'm a big fan of the Benedict in general, but this was something special. The eggs were perfectly poached and looked like domes of glistening white savoriness; crisped pork belly replaced the traditional Canadian bacon; and instead of slathering the whole thing with fatty hollandaise, the beet flavored hollandaise was used as a decorative garnish with enough to provide flavor while letting the other components stand out on their own merits.

The wife had the Malted Custard French Toast. This photo really doesn't do it justice. It was magnificent--light, creamy, fluffy, and savory all at once. The menu says it has 'macerated rhubarb, lime leaf cream, and pink peppercorn' as flavoring, but really it was the rhubarb that stood out.

Jam gets a great recommendation from us. Cash-only, but there is an ATM on the premises.

Five Guys Burgers

I didn't really eat breakfast or lunch today. This is not good for keeping the metabolism up, and substituting a cup of coffee for a meal is not a replacement, I know. But, my lack of calories through the day meant that I felt a bit justified eating a big fat dinner.

So we went to Five Guys Burgers on Clybourn Ave. and had some awesome burgers. If you haven't been to a Five Guys before, check it out. Their menu is simple (burgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and fries), but they focus on freshly sourced and prepared food, and it shows. No freezers in this place, and everything (fries included) is cooked to order. You wait a couple minutes extra, but the food is well worth the wait.

If you consider this to be a 'sit down' restaurant, it isn't the best food you're gonna get. But if you think of it as a Fast Food place, you have got to be impressed with the quality, freshness, and juiciness of the burgers. (Check out Yelp's reviews for some opinions on the matter.)

The damage: I had a bacon burger (comes with 2 beef patties), a pop, and the wife & I split a large fries. Now, I'm off to shovel a parking space (and put some lawn furniture in it to reserve it, of course) to work off all the calories I just ingested. See you at breakfast!