TiLT - Chicago Edition

About two weeks ago I was in Chicago for a friend's birthday but also for my best friend's bridesmaid dress fittings.  While we were there I got to relive some of the things I've missed since I moved away from that City.  This is my tribute to those things that I miss and love.

1. The Art Institute of Chicago Museum.  To most people the out entrance is what they first think of but to me the art doesn't start until you are inside the building by those stairs.  They are like the cross-ways of time for me.

2. The Armory Room at the Art Institute of Chicago.  I could spend hours upon hours in that room looking at all the intricate metal work and the way things are jointed together.

 

3.  Millenium Park - It's just a great park, even though it was snowing we still got in our obligatory "bean" photos.  During the summertime it is a bumping place to be with live music, shows and just gorgeous the way it connects directly to the museum now with it's bridge into the modern art wing.

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3. China Town Dimsum at Phoenix & Bubble Tea from Joy Yee's.

Phoenix is hands down still my favorite dim sum place in the midwest.  These Crab balls are HUGE and each has their own claw.  Can't get much better then that.  Joy Yee's has the best bubble teas I've EVAH.  They use only real fruit in all their mixes none of this powder tea business.  Every time we get dim sum we have to finish it off with bubble tea at Joy Yee's.

 4. Japanese Candy Store Aji Ichiban. This one is located in the Chicago "new" China town section.  They have pretty much candy for every single taste you have including my favorites of dried mango chunks and fish jerky.  Then you have more "normal" things like lychee jellies and pop fizzes.

5. Love- in all forms with my fiancee and friends.  Nothing is better then traveling to see friends or with friends and sharing those special memories.  It was a most excellent weekend!

You Win Some you Dim Sum

I don't normally ever talk about food on here since I'm not really a good type but I gotta tell you Dim Sum is one of my favorite ways to eat!  It is also surprisingly inspirational to me in the shapes and colors that all these delectable foods come in.   It happened to be the week of Chinese Lunar new year when my friends and I went.  If you live under a rock and had no idea this is the year of the Rabbit.

 

Of course there was a Lion Dance going on during the more annoying time ever.  Leave it to poor planning and gloomy outside weather to make everyone uncomfortable for about 20 mins as a completely non-asian troupe performed a traditional dance to the best of their abilities.  You gotta give them a gold star for effort. The Lion Costume is always a great inspiration with the vivid colors, the comical shapes of the eyes and mouth and the ingenuity to fit so many people and coordinate them together.

 One of these dishes is my favorite thanks to fond childhood memories of reading Ranma 1/2.  It's not the Chicken feet! But the color on those toes is really an amazing orange.  From left to right clockwise we have BBQ pork buns, Chicken Feet, Spare ribs and Tripe.  My favorite is BBQ Pork buns because I remember all those fights Ranma and Ryoga had over them at the school cafeteria which is why Ryoga set out to follow Ranma for revenge and ultimately became cursed as P-chan the adorable baby black pig.  Yup I'm a nerd and it's ok check out the Wiki for Ranma 1/2 here.

Back to the food, check out the trip in the lower left corner, that creamy palette with the sprigs of green onion and you can see a little of the spiky looking bits reminds me of a sea urchin.  The knobby looking spare rib to the lower right reminds me of bobble stitches in knitting.

This Egg Custard was not only super delicious and buttery but the color and shape make me want a ring bejeweled with little yellow lacquer pools clustered together.

This was towards the end.  You can see we did a pretty thorough job eating the vast majority of it.  By the time we left there was nothing left on a single plate.  The friend Taro root at the back far right is another favorite of mine.  It has a super delicate shell on the outside that looks like some masterful lace work that just crumbles as you eat it.  I imagine I am eating a masterpiece every time I eat one of those.

Typically after Dim Sum it is followed by an extended food coma on the couch where I brainstorm and sometimes sketch ideas.  Perfect mind and belly feed to get the creative juices flowing.
If you are wondering where in the world this is, it is simply Sunflower on North Sawmill Road.  They even have the wonderful cart service that I love!  In Chicago my favorite Dim Sum restaurant is Phoenix in China town close to the new section.