Southerner in Chicago

[bknox]

What a great forum. To be honest it has been a couple of years since I have been actively involved with a forum but this one is great.

I was raised in Virginia, just outside of Roanoke and also lived a good deal of time in Lexington, Kentucky. My Mom is still in Harrodsburg but my brothers are distributed through the south in North Carolina and Virginia. I am now in Chicago.

I find the conflict of Chicago city living to the country lifestyle I was raised in to be a source of a great deal of humor and sometimes gets a look of concern from my wife, who is a native Chicagoan.

She hates it when I mention squirrel hunting in the neighborhood or duck hunting in Grant Park. When I tease her that I am going to get sushi (for bait) so I can go fishing in the Chicago River, she rolls her eyes and sighs. She loves me.

Bryan

 

[jkath]

Bryan, Welcome to the family!
I've already seen your great suggestions on various threads and was wondering when you'd be formally introducing yourself. We're really glad you're here.

 

[callie]

Hi, Bryan! Welcome!!

 

[jennyema]

Welcome!

Chicago is my kind of town! It's a really fun place, espcailly for foodies!

 

[bknox]

Thanks to everyone. In the last couple of days my head has been swimming with recipes and suggestions from this forum. Tonight or possibly tomorrow depending on my day, I will be making a Papaya Avocado Crab Dip I found in the forum as well as an experiment with cedar and a pork roast. I will report back on how it turns out.

Thanks again for the warm welcome,
Bryan

 

[GB]

Glad to officially meet you! I agree with Jenny, Chicago is a great town for foodies! I ate at Lowry's while there and of course Uno's and Duos (is that how they spell it?). Plus some great blues clubs.

 

[bknox]

Music and Food. What a great place to be. We do go out and test restaurants. There are many many to go to from expensive, foo foo styles such as Rick Bayless's Topalobompo or what ever it is called (right next door is his Fontera Grill that is more reasonable) to neighborhood places such as El Ranchito on North Clark. We usually opt for the more local joints. If you look you will find excellent food in every category you could imagine.

For you music lovers, here is some inside scoop. Look up a bar called Rosies (sp?). They serve up some of the most authentic Chicago style blues. Although it has been a couple of years since I have visited, you will want to take a cab to the front door. Not a really safe neighborhood but the music is the best.

I have to run and clean my grill and get some work done. Thanks again for the warm welcome.

Bryan

 

[kitchenelf]

Welcome to DC Bryan - where in NC is your brother? My head swims every day with all the suggestions and recipes!!!!!

 

[bknox]

Kitchenelf,

My older brother, Kevin, is in Mebane, NC, about 40 minutes from Raleigh and my younger brother and business partner, Tim, is in Waynsboro VA. They both still live out in the country. I miss having wide open spaces around me but my path has taken me to Chicago where the mountains are made of concrete but the people are still very nice.

Bryan

 

[Barbara L]

Glad to have you here Bryan. The only part of Chicago that I have been to is Union Station and O'Hare, but I would love to really visit sometime. I live in a small South Carolina town now, but I was born and raised in San Diego County, California. I'm glad to see you have made yourself at home. I loved your amusement park ride post!

Barbara

 

[PA Baker]

Welcome, Bryan! It's great having you here!

 

[SousWee]

Greetings to a fellow transplanted Chicagoan!

 

[bknox]

Transplant, thats funny. I have a friend who refers to me as "import"

bryan

 

[texasgirl]

Welcome to DC, Bryan. You'll enjoy it here. Lots of great people.

 

[jennyema]

I love Topolobambo (not froo froo to me )

and Frontera Grill. Glad that Frontera is exporting their product out of the heartland, too.

House of Beer on Division Street is still one omy my favorite places. Next to the Cubby Bear, that is.

Froggy's in Highwood is fantastic and right across from the train.

 

[crewsk]

It's great to have you here Bryan!!

 

[middie]

hi bknox. i've seen your other posts. it's nice to officially "meet" you, and
welcome you to dc !

 

[bknox]

Mamajuana in the Dominican Republic

I love Topolobambo (not froo froo to me )

and Frontera Grill. Glad that Frontera is exporting their product out of the heartland, too.

House of Beer on Division Street is still one omy my favorite places. Next to the Cubby Bear, that is.

Froggy's in Highwood is fantastic and right across from the train.

Jennyema,
I do love Rick Bayless's food as well, just seems a little pricey at times.

Are you from the Dominican Republic? I noticed your location was Dominicanrep. If so, I have a question. We visited the Dominican Republic last October. We had a great time, we loved it. Although we were in a resort we made it into the nearest town to eat and shop. We were served, some would say over served a drink called Mamajuana.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Mamajuana is a mixture of bark, roots and herbs that has been soaked in white rum and red wine. In the Dominican Repuplic the cocktail was dark in color, sweet and slightly bitter and said to the cure for anything from head aches to fatique. You could purchase bottles of the bark, roots and herbs sans the rum and wine, which I did, to bring home. I added the rum an red wine as directed and it is waaaayyyyyyyy to bitter.

I am wondering if there is some kind of local secret to taming this down so it can be consumed.

Any input would be appreciated.
Bryan

 

[jkath]

bumping this up so jennyema will catch it:

 

[jennyema]

Sorry Bryan,

I selected a random location because "My Own Private Idaho" had no flag available

I live in the Boston area, not too far from my friend GB, who went to DR recently and may know the answer.

I admit I would probably be reluctant to try something made with bark, although I did drink absynthe in europe a few years back.

Hopefully someone will have the answer for you. My specialties are brining and botulism!