Tag: foodie

My New Favorite Drink

1024px-Latte_at_Doppio_Ristretto_Chiang_Mai_(cropped)

Where has iced caramel macchiato been all of my life?  Since the summer it has been at the top of my purchased drink list. An iced caramel macchiato is made with vanilla syrup, frothed milk, milk foam, a shot of espresso and of course caramel and ice.  I have tried it pretty much anywhere, Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds and of course at Starbucks.  While I am no drink connoisseur, I can break down the best and the… well I wont say worse but not the best.

  1. Dunkin Donuts is my favorite, which shocks me because I am not really a huge fan of their coffee.  Depending on the location, they can go overboard with the caramel, but for the most part I like theirs the best.
  2. Starbucks would be my second choice.  I do not consider myself a real coffee drinker, so I think Starbucks has a bit stronger coffee than Dunkin Donuts.  It is still good.  I have had a regular hot caramel macchiato at Starbucks but didn’t like it too much.  For hot drinks I will stick to the White Chocolate Mocha
  3. McDonalds would be the least favorite.  Their version is too sweet.  They always put more caramel into the drink than anything else and essentially that is all you taste.  This version will send you to the dentist in a hurry.

I am not sure what drink you are enjoying.  This is the holiday season and there are plenty holiday versions of drinks available, and I don’t get caught up in that.  I am sticking to what I know and what I have come to love which is the Iced Caramel Macchiato.  If you have never tried this drink then give it a try the next time you find yourself in one of these locations or even your local coffee shop.   I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Be Blessed!  Be Fabulous!

pink-lips

 

Bravo Batter and Berries

fambatter

So for as long as I can remember I have been hearing about this restaurant on Chicago’s North Side, Batter and Berries.  I have heard nothing but good things, the only complaint that I have ever heard was that there is always a wait, but I always hear that the wait is worth it.  So today I had the opportunity to try Batter and Berries for myself.

Anyone who truly knows me knows that I love breakfast.  I feel as if my day is incomplete if it does not start with breakfast.  Even if I sleep in or get a late start to the day breakfast is my jump start to the day.  My uncle is in town visiting and I promised him that I would treat him to breakfast, and I let him and my cousin decide and Batter and Berries it was.

Let me begin by saying that true to form there was a wait.  Not unlike many other popular breakfast restaurants in the city, so this was no big deal.  My family arrived before I did, so actually my wait was shorter than theirs.  The place was packed to capacity.  It is quaint and cozy however they accommodated our group of 5 easily.  Once we were in and seated the hostess informed us that they short wait staff, but that someone would be with us shortly.  Once we were seated the drinks water and coffee, came right way.  So far so good.

 

Catfish BB
Catfish with Egg Whites and Hashbrowns (with cheese) 

 

Our server came over and introduced himself, he was professional, polite and friendly.  He explained to us about the daily specials available and offered to answer any questions we had regarding the menu.  We made our selections and continued on with our conversation.  Shortly after our orders were taken the food arrived, hot fresh and DELICIOUS.

 

Cajan Salmon Benedict
Cajun Salmon Benedict

 

 

 

My family loves to eat, so anytime there is silence at the table you know and understand that the food is good.  Our waiter can back and offered the signature hot sauce and also explained that the butter was maple flavored, which in my cousins opinion was the perfect compliment to his French toast flight.  As each member of my family raved about how good their food was, we even shared bites across the table.  This was roll your eyes in the back of your head kind of good eating.

Let me just say that the Cajun Salmon Benedict was phenomenal.  The Salmon was seasoned to perfection, the Benedict and Hollandaise sauce were as close to perfect as I can recall.  The potatoes were cooked well and did not require any additional salt or pepper.  My mother raved about the flavor of her catfish, and my uncle was in love with his deconstructed steak omelet.   My other uncle and cousin were extremely satisfied  with their French Toast Flights.

As a breakfast lover, I am so disappointed with myself that I waited so long to get over to Batter and Berries.  I will definitely be going back.  There are so many more things on the menu that I am eager to try.  This is the first and only restaurant I went to and came home and blogged about immediately.  It was that good in my opinion.

 

Be Blessed!  Be Fabulous!

pink-lips