Unhealthy Reading

I read a lot of food blogs online. Mostly about food in NYC and Chicago and learning about which resaurants have the best food in town and around the country as well.  I also watch some food shows on Food Network and The Cooking Channel (Best Thing I Ever Ate, Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Unique Eats, etc...) Because of the knowledge I gain, I am able to make recommendations to friends in the city and while traveling and use the information myself when on vacation. I also enjoy looking at, what my family calls "food porn;" pictures of specific food items or meals that others post online. Its kind of strange that I enjoy reading about restaurants and food because I rarely eat out. Looking at this stuff online is kind of a mentally unhealthy thing to do since I have such food and weight issues, but its better than eating the actual foods. Instead I stare at them and pretend that I know how good they would taste if I actually allowed myself to eat half of these things.

Because its not good for my wallet or my waistline, I maybe eat out once a week. If money were no object and food didn't have any calories, you better believe that I would eat out all the time. But since I don't make a lot of money and everything that I eat sticks to my ass, I do not have that luxury. However, looking at pictures of these foods and reading about the best of the best, might actually do more help than harm. They give me something to look forward to and I know when I do eat these foods to really enjoy them because I eat them so infrequently.

With all the reading about food that I do, and places I have actually eaten at, I sometimes think that if I had only a few meals left to eat on Earth, what would I eat? Or if I was on death row, what would be my last meal? Well, below are my top five favorite meals.

1. Lou Malnati's. (Chicago) Deep dish sausage pizza with a side of creamy garlic dressing.  I fantasize about this pizza. It's thick. It's cheesy. And and there is a whole LAYER of sausage on the bottom. But this pizza is kicked up another notch with the addition of Lou's  creamy garlic dressing. The extra flavor it gives when you dip is just amazing. If you haven't tried this combo of pizza and dressing, do it. You will thank me later. Hmmm....maybe I should have my mom send me a Lou's-To-Go?

2. Shake Shack. (NYC) Double Shackburger, cheese fries, and the Concrete Jungle concrete. I never order all three of these things at once because its just too much food, even for me. And this is saying a lot. A Cheeseburger and fries is my all-time favorite meal and this is seriously the BEST burger I have ever had. It's dangerous that Shake Shack is so close to my apartment, but none of my clothes would fit if I ate this as much as I craved it.


3. Mannys. (Chicago) Corned beef on white bread with mayo with a big potato pancake.  This has been one of my favorites since I was a kid.  I use to go to work with my dad and we would grab lunch here. It was always such a treat. And still is.  This is also a meal that I get made fun of the most about. See, being Jewish and ordering corned beef on white (and not rye) and getting mayo (instead of mustard) is sacrilegious. I rarely go there anymore, but Gino, the man (legend) behind the counter, knows who I am because of my order. "If you weren't so cute, I would never serve you this" is the line I get every time from him as he shames my father for allowing me to order this. Them, and a lot of others in line laugh at me because of my "gentile" order. Whatever. I love it.

4. Wildfire. (Chicago) Chopped Salad, no bleu cheese. Ranch on the side. A big salad is one of my favorite meals and this salad has it all: Chicken, avocado, tortilla strips, corn, green onions, corn, and bacon. Yum. It also has fantastic dressing to really tie it all together. I am a firm believer that the dressing makes the salad. Even with the best ingredients, if a salad has a gross dressing, its inedible. And I am super picky about my Ranch. There is definitely "good ranch" and "bad ranch." And bad ranch is just plain unacceptable and says a lot about a restaurant. I do not eat this salad to be healthy at all (I mean look at the ingredients and creamy dressing!), but it is just so good that it's a must have every time at Wildfire.

5. Woodman's. (Boston) "Chubby's Original" Fried clam plate.  I rarely eat fried foods and I have only had this meal once, but it was incredible. One of my good friends is from Boston and had said it was a must-try when heading to Mass. It's not in the city, but in a nearby town called Essex. I knew the second we drove up, my meal would be incredible based on the smell and the atmosphere. This platter of fried clams also comes with both fries AND onion rings. And not to mention great tartar sauce. The clams were so fresh and although everything was fried, it wasn't disgustingly greasy. Yes, my stomach bothered me the rest of the night because it wasn't used to so much fried food, but it was delicious going down and I dream about this meal sometimes.

Writing this entry was a little torturous because these are seriously foods that dreams are made of. But better to write about it then go out and eat it. There are no calories when reading, just some drooling and I can deal with that.