#88 Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before or not but I've made it my life goal to visit every bar on The Growler List: 125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die. I consider it to be my bucket list of sorts since I don't have a real bucket list. I LOVE a good beer and so many of these bars are in places that I'd like to visit so it's a no-brainer. I've only visited a few of the bars on the daunting this so far so this past weekend I decided to take a trip off the beaten path and visit #88 on the list, Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern, located in Monroe, Wisconsin. 

For anyone that doesn't know where Monroe, Wisconsin is located don't feel embarrassed. I had know idea where it was and I've lived in Wisconsin but after a quick Google Maps search I found Monroe to be about an hour from the IL-WI border and was on my way...
 

 

This is what most of the drive to Monroe looked like...lots and lots of farms and open space.

 Made it! The store in located on Monroe's town square.

Baumgartner’s has two maps that dominate one of its main walls - one of the US and one of the world. They will give you a pin to stick in the map to mark where you are from.

 I was amazed to see how far people had come to visit Baumgartner’s! It's a small world!

 Baumgartner’s is covered in signs filled with funny quotes. This one in particular "unattended children will be given a shot and a free puppy" was my personal favorite. 

 I have no idea why the ceiling was covered in dollar bills...

 The tavern is of Swiss origin so it has a big map of Switzerland with all of its cantons listed. 

 That's me with my beer! I chose a New Glarus Spotted Cow, a Wisconsin favorite.

 

Since it's a tavern AND cheese shop I thought it was only fitting that I purchased a cheese plate to go along with my beer.

I liked Baumgartner’s so much that I bought one of their t-shirts and posed with one of the animal statues on the town square. :)

Cheap Eat: Pastoral

So last week I was craving a lunch that was fresh, different but would still fit within my lunch budget. I had heard my co-workers rave about Pastoral so I decided that I would check it out. I don't know how they do it but Pastoral manages to stuff tons of delicious gourmet ingredients into their salads and sandwiches and sell them to customers at shocking prices. Granted this is not your McDonalds dollar menu, (not knocking it - I love a McD's hot fudge sundae as much as the next girl) but for getting a sandwich like the BLTA - house-made proscuitto bacon, mayonnaise, fresh tomatoes, avocado and field greens - for around six dollars or the Fromager's Salad - field greens, goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, spiced almonds and balsamic vinaigrette - for just over seven dollars is a great bargain for lunch in Chicago.

When I returned from my delicious lunch I did some further investigation on Pastoral's website. I found that they even offer wine classes and cater picnics that are quite reasonable in price. Since Pastoral's Loop location is so close to Millennium Park, I definitely see a picnic order in my future to go along with the free concerts in the park on Monday nights. :)

Selection of gourmet sauces and condiments

 Cute :)

 A SMALL section of the cheese case - I was so excited to see that Pastoral offers cheeses from all over the country, specifically from Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor!

 Pastoral's storefront

 Fromager's Salad - field greens, goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, spiced almonds and balsamic vinaigrette

Cheap Eat: Cozy Noodles n' Rice

I've decided that since I'm back in Chicago I'm going to commit to doing a weekly "Cheap Eat" blog post (in addition to other posts...hopefully) to showcase all of the amazing food stops that Chicago has to offer.

For my first Cheap Eat entry I chose Cozy Noodles n' Rice in Wrigleyville. I stopped in with my brother after a Cubs and fell in love with the quirky decor (see pictures below) and eclectic Thai menu. I ordered the Pad Khee Mao which was described on the menu as stir-fried spicy wide rice noodles with chicken, basil leaves, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, baby corn and bell pepper. I subbed the chicken for beef, added a bit of extra spicy sauce and viola a delicious and filling noodle feast.

My brother ordered the Dumpling Noodles - stuffed shrimp dumpling, Chinese broccoli, bean sprouts, egg noodles and BBQ pork. It looked delicious although I didn't sample it because I was too engrossed in my own plate of Thai happiness. :)

The restaurant itself is quite cozy and seems even tighter because it is wildly decorated with collectibles galore. However, Cozy Noodles n' Rice does offer a really nice outdoor seating area that if we weren't in a rush I would have taken advantage of.

The best part of the meal though I have to say was the price. Both of our dishes cost only $7.50 each - a steal for a filling meal that's sure to provide leftovers. In addition to having great prices, the restaurant also offers a number of coupons and deals on their website making Cozy Noodles n' Rice an easy choice for anyone - whether on a budget or not.

3 Interesting Things

So I once dated a guy that used to end every day asking me, "What are three interesting things that happened to you today?" At first, I thought it was really annoying. I hated that after a day that was either really long, stressful or incredibly uneventful I had to try to think of things that would be deemed "interesting". However, after some time of telling each other interesting things that occurred in our days I began to open my eyes more to the world around me and to be honest, it helped our conversations from falling into the "How was your day?"..."Fine, yours?" routine. Unfortunately, when that relationship ended my need to tell someone about "interesting things" ended as well. So, recently I've been trying look out for things that are noteworthy and although I do not plan to include 3 interesting things I did every day on this blog, I thought including 3 from this week might be a good start, especially since I haven't posted at all this week. So, here goes...

1. I discovered an awesome new bakery in Madison, Wisconsin called Peoples Bakery thanks to a colleague traveling in with doughnuts. They are a Lebanese restaurant/bakery that apparently has some of the best gyros in Madison, but also makes a mean jelly doughnut if you ask me.

2. Started a new art project to serve as organization for my ever-increasing scarf collection - inspired by DIY project found on Design*Sponge. I purchased a number of different off-white knobs from Anthropologie and plan to finish up my drawer hanger project next week.

3. I tried a new recipe for vodka sauce from scratch. I found it to actually be lighter than the traditional vodka sauces that I've had in restaurants. It was delicious and served as a great cold-weather treat

Visiting Portland

I eluded to my love of Portland when posting last week but I didn't go into much detail regarding my trip. It was definitely a whirl-wind and although I wish I could have spent more time there, I did enjoy just about every minute of my trip. I did a fair amount of research before heading to Portland because I knew my schedule was going to be tight and I wanted to be able to fit in as much as I could of what the city has to offer. Surprisingly, one of my best tools turned out to be the Portland City Guide offered by West Elm. West Elm actually offers a number of these City Guides and they are filled with the best restaurants, hotels, landmarks and shops to visit in an given city - great idea, especially for a furniture shore - it makes them appear more local and less corporate.

But anyway, back to Portland. The city itself is amazing - practically set into the mountains, split by a river with almost a dozen magnificent bridges connecting the city and a size that was neither overwhelming nor too small. The culture of Portland is very eco-friendly and seems to really focus on leveraging mom and pop shops rather than large food chains, which I loved. My favorite spots had to be Le Pigeon (an amazing french inspired restaurant that only houses a handful of tables but has some of the most amazing dishes I've ever tasted) and basically any shop or brewery that resided within the Pearl District, one of Portland's distinct neighborhoods set right next to downtown.

The only downside to Portland would have to be the rain, which I don't know if I could ever get used to if I lived there. As one would imagine, it rains slightly less than Seattle and slightly more than San Fransisco...which still equates to quite a bit of moisture in the air year-round. However, the city is so unique and inspiring that maybe after investing in one of the patented Patagonia rain jackets that everyone was sporting, and some durable rain boots, I'm be able to make the sacrifice. :)

 

Clyde Common - really neat spot (lots of exposed piping and old wooden tables) where I had my first meal in Portland...you can see my meal below...

Delicious Chicken Grana sandwich equipped with local Portland IPA

 Downtown Portland at dusk

 Very cool "Vegas-ish" sign that lights the way to downtown

 Cupcakes of course - I found these at Cupcake Jone's in the Pearl District which was surprisingly the only cupcakery I found during my trip

 Pearl District

Cool art on one of the sidewalks downtown

The Pacific Coast - not part of Portland obviously but I included since it's close-by and was a great part of my trip

The Green Zebra

The Green Zebra is another of those Chicago restaurants that has been on my bucket list of restaurants to try ever since I saw it rated as one of the best vegetarian restaurants in Chicago. I wanted to see what a true vegetarian restaurant experience would be like since I can't remember ever going to a restaurant that was specifically vegetarian. Well, I have to say that I would not describe  the Green Zebra as one the best vegetarian restaurants in Chicago, I would instead describe it as one of THE BEST restaurants in Chicago. All of the dishes were hearty and provided layers upon layers of flavor. I learned that one of the Green Zebra's secrets is to add egg to a number of their dishes which helps to create the richness and depth that is often lacking in vegetarian dishes.

The menu itself was very eclectic which I hadn't anticipated. I knew that it changed with the seasons but I didn't realize that I would be able to try dishes that ranged from having Asian elements to Italian and everywhere in between. The dishes merged cooking origins and styles in such a way that I didn't have the capacity to notice that they lacked the meat that usually would take precedent in my meals.  I took some photos which I've included below but they do not do the meal justice. I recommend taking the trip to the Green Zebra at your earliest chance and can promise that you will not be disappointed and definitely will not miss the meat!

The Purple Pig

The Purple Pig is a Chicago restaurant that I had been dying to try ever since it opened last year. The menu boasts an eclectic mix of meats and cheeses prepared with a Mediterranean twist. What's even better is that the plates are served tapas style so that you can order a number of different items and really get a good feel for what the restaurant has to offer.

I FINALLY made it there recently (every time I'd tried to go previously it was packed and had at least a 2 hour wait) and it was definitely worthy of the all the buzz that's been going around about it. I may have overindulged just a bit in trying the Butternut Squash Arancini & Sage Pesto, the Fried Brussel Sprouts with Thyme, Lemon & Chili Flakes, the Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs, the Chicken Thigh Kebabs with Fried Smashed Potatoes & Tzatziki, the Jamon Serrano with Oyster & Trumpet Mushrooms with Fried Egg over Grilled Bread and the Lemon Panna Cotta but you only live once right, and I should note that I did have a partner in my gluttonous endeavor.

My favorite dishes were surprisingly the Fried Brussel Sprouts (although this dish was difficult to eat) and the Lemon Panna Cotta. The brussel sprouts had an amazing crispy texture and exploded with flavor while providing a hint of heat from the chili flakes. The panna cotta was one of the best desserts that I've ever had which is saying something since I consider myself to be somewhat of a dessert fanatic. The other dishes we tried were really satisfying as well, my only complaint being that the meal as a whole was quite heavy - now that could be due to the items we selected - but everything did seem a bit on the rich-side and you could tell that a lot of salt was used. On the other hand, the service was incredible, the atmosphere was very cozy and comfortable and the presentation of the food was impressive to say the least. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience and am looking forward to making my second trip back to try out even more dishes!

Restaurant menus displayed on the light fixtures

Excellent wine that was recommended by our waitress (it went really well with all of the dishes we selected)

 Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs

 Fried Brussel Sprouts with Thyme, Lemon & Chili Flakes

 Butternut Squash Arancini & Sage Pesto

 Jamon Serrano with Oyster & Trumpet Mushrooms with Fried Egg over Grilled Bread

 Chicken Thigh Kebabs with Fried Smashed Potatoes & Tzatziki

 Lemon Panna Cotta

Fun surprise at the bottom of the panna cotta! Yay Purple Pig!!!

The Places You're Surprised You Loved

Being the "learn by the school of hard knocks" kid that I am (well, according to my mother anyway) when I graduated college I decided that it was unfathomable to subject myself to the "failure" of moving home and limiting myself to finding a job in the city that I had grown up in. I kept telling myself that if I never left and branched out I would stay in Chicago forever. Now, don't get me wrong, Chicago is an amazing city that I feel blessed to live/work in, but I saw so many of my peers going off in new paths and didn't want to be the only one not stepping out of my comfort zone. So, my senior year, I started the inevitable job search and decided that I was only going to consider Chicago as an afterthought, focusing on other major metropolitan areas for my search. Well, funny thing about that is whenever I was given a great lead/opportunity/job offer in another city I found something "wrong" with it. I think the real thing "wrong" was probably my unrealistic expectations and unwillingness to lose the safety net of being within driving distance of my parents house (just in case). But anyway, long, super drawn out story later, I ended up taking a post-grad internship in Ann Arbor, Michigan - a safe four hour drive from Chicago.

I didn't really know what to expect when I moved to Ann Arbor. It was nothing like Chicago. The people were different, the culture was different and even the pace was different. I took a big leap of faith by moving there considering I had limited resources in terms of friends nearby. Oh and did I mention that I had never been there before? But cares to the wind I made my way up north, subleased an apartment from a more than a little questionable character and set off to test myself in the city of blue and yellow.

Soon enough I became accustomed to the great little cultural nuiances that make up Ann Arbor, and even now I find myself missing many of the things/places I took for granted while living there - most notably the AMAZING restaurant scene that comprises Ann Arbor.

If you're even in Ann Arbor, there are several AMAZING restaurants that you must try:
DISCLAIMER: I use the word "restaurants" in terms of really really good cheap food that I could afford on an intern salary. I'm sure their are a ton of great high-end culinary stops in A2 that I would have loved to try given a different financial situation.

For one, Le Dog was my go-to lunch stop at least once a week I'd say. It's a little homemade soup/hot dog joint that boasts some of the best quick-food around and (don't kill me Chicagoans) it could easily beat out many Chicago hot dog stops. Not to mention, their lobster bisque is hands down the best I've ever had. The only problem is that they only offer it on Thursday's and Friday's.

Zingermans, a sandwich shop/deli revolution in Ann Arbor's KerryTown District has garnered national press for their wide variety of specialty sandwich options and unique eclectic culture. It's a little on the pricey side for a deli in my opinion, but worth the occasional splurge.

Blimpie Burger...need I say more? If you haven't seen Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on The Food Network you may not know what I'm talking about so I'll cue you in. Blimpie is your average hole-in-the-wall burger joint with no-so-average tastes. Their burgers are HUGE, delicious and fairly priced. The best part though is how you order. It kind of reminded me of "the soup nazi" episode on Seinfeld. They have a very specific way for you to order your burger and if you don't abide by their rules...well, just do me a favor, follow the rules. :)

Ashley's was my favorite libation stop at the end of a hard day of work. The bar (with pretty decent pub food) offers over 60 beers on tap and a number of themed beer flights like Fruit Beers...I'm still convinced that the pear beer I tried there had to be juice.

Savor the Flavor

This week I traveled to Savor the Flavor, a little restaurant gem that I have been dying to try ever since I happened by it. The concept behind the establishment in brilliant...grilled cheese, ice cream and coffee. What else could anyone really need?

Now usually when I get myself all psyched up to try a new restaurant I tend to leave a little disappointed, or at least realizing it was not what I had expected it to be. To my pleasure, Savor the Flavor was exactly what I expected!

It had a very relaxed/comfortable, hole-in-the-wall type of feel that worked well with all the mis-matched, worn-in furniture strewn throughout the place. Of course it didn't hurt the vibe they gave off by having Nora Jones playing the background.

The restaurants walls were covered with purchasable art and from local artists, which is a great concept in my opinion. I personally LOVED the one in the white frame on the left side in the picture above. If it hadn't been $250 I might have ran away with it.

Oh, and did I mention that they had a whole collection of well-loved board games to play while waiting for your food?

Yummy grilled cheese. I had mine made with cheddar and swiss with tomato on wheat bread. Savor the Flavor lets you create your own grilled cheese by choosing from a variety of breads, cheeses and toppings to customize your sandwich to your liking.

Ice cream. One of my all-time favorite treats. I had the Moosetracks. I would have taken a picture of it for you but unfortunately for me, i was quicker at eating the ice cream than my hands were with the camera...oh well. :)