Food Digest

Had not one but two evening assignments to cover, so in between I stole a half-hour to fuel up. Went to the relatively upscale hot dog joint U Dawg U, in Northfield, where I got a cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup and mustard. Ordered a cup of cheddar on the side, but it was so coagulated that it made me feel gross just looking at it, all clumpy and hanging off the end of each french fries.

Dinner presented me with a logistical issue — I ate lunch at 2 p.m., but had work commitments scheduled straight from 6 until 10. So even though I wasn’t hungry, I ate a grilled chicken in a pita from U Dawg U, in Northfield, Ill. just a little more than three hours after lunch. I was hoping for a salad, but their offerings weren’t up to snuff, so I settled for this relatively healthy option. I wouldn’t order it again. I do plan on returning to this place, though. I kinda like the ambiance, even if the food is a little overpriced.

For some idiotic reason, I decided to splurge on dinner. And this pile of sloppy leather-bites inside a halo of broccoli is what I got.

Went to Hunan Chef, in Northfield, Ill., for some Chinese food. Was initially going to get something cheap-o, like lo mein or cashew chicken, when the “crispy chicken” caught my eye on the menu. It sounded akin to my favorite dish at my favorite Chinatown restaurant — dry chili chicken from Double Li. Figured it wouldn’t be as good, but wanted to give it a shot.

FAIL. I mistakenly though Hunan Chef’s dish would be dry. It’s not. At least, not like Double Li’s. It’s coated with a not-spicy-at-all sauce. What IS dry is the actual chicken. Was sort of like chicken jerky in a goo. The only positive was that I ate some broccoli with my dinner, and broccoli is good for me.

This dish cost a whopping $13.25 on the menu. With tax, that totals $14.44. Since the place was completely empty, and the waiter was a nice dude, I left a $3 tip. Can you imagine? $17 for THIS? Oh, the humanity. To add insult to injury, I had to go BACK TO WORK after eating half the plate.

Luckily, the dog loves eating garbage, so she’ll love the leftovers.

Long day — but before an evening meeting, I decided to treat myself to the Thai fried rice with chicken from Penny’s Noodles in Northfield, Ill. Spicy, greasy, filling and satisfying. And I think I set a new land-speed record for ordering, eating and paying at a restaurant. I placed my order before my butt hit the chair (without even touching the menu), devoured the food and signed my bill in 15 minutes. 

Was a little early to an evening assignment, so I treated myself to a Friday Frappuccino at Starbucks, in Northfield, Ill. This one’s of the iced mocha persuasion, and I don’t need you judging me for drinking it. It was delicious.

By the way, if you’re reading this Starbucks, the term “Friday Frappuccino” is mine. You can’t have it. For free, that is.