Food Digest

I fired up the ol’ charcoal grill in the backyard after work and made dinner. Four hot dogs (two for me!), one foil packet of asparagus and another foil packet with red pepper, onion and zucchini. I have to say, I did a pretty good job. Might have taken the food off a little prematurely out of pure anticipation, but it still came out tasty and edible.

Now I’ve got a mean case of onion-breath. Nothing a little dessert can’t take care of.

When the Missus comes home from work and says she feels like barbecue, you can bet I’m feeling like barbecue, too. These opportunities don’t happen very often, so I know when to take advantage of good luck.

We went to Smoque, and I ordered the sliced brisket platter with french fries, corn bread and their incredibly delicious cole slaw. I sometimes wonder if it was a subconscious decision my brain made that led me to buy a house within walking distance of the best brisket in Chicago. Whether it’s that or coincidence, my belly ain’t complaining.

Instant Indian food! Ate at home before heading back out to cover a night meeting. Tandoori rice and chana masala, wrapped in leaves of lettuce. Pretty good, for 90-second prep time.

The best three words to be yelled in a newsroom (other than “Stop the presses!”) is this: Dinner is served.

Rubbery chicken, pasta in marinara sauce and a garlic bread-puck. Eaten happily and with a smile on my face at the tail end of a long, hard, productive shift. 

As the barbecue birthday bash wound down, I snuck out to join some friends for our monthly poker match. Before any friendly game of low-stakes cards can begin, pizza must be eaten. It’s sort of a rule. The host bought this pepperoni pizza, and another cheese one, from Leona’s in Ukrainian Village. It tasted better than it did in my memory, but it’s been a few years.

Chicken burrito from Las Asadas. One of my favorite burritos in town, even though they’re not 100 percent “authentic.” They’re close enough, for this muchacho. Normally theirs come only with beans, onions and chorizo. But they’re even better with cheese, sour cream and tomato. Las Asadas uses the most delicious white meat chicken chunks, not the stringy chicken most other taquerias use. Couldn’t eat it all, which just means I have even more reasons to wake up tomorrow.