The Maple Tree Inn

The Maple Tree Inn, Blue Island. http://www.gotwalrus.com/Maple_Tree_Inn/Welcome.html  Cajun & Creole food.

Caramelized Onion Souffle- with jumbo lump crab & Gruyere cheese. This was good but no caramelized onion flavor, needed more onions and for them to actually be caramelized.

N'awlins Gator Bites- marinated in beer, Tabasco & spices breaded and deep fried. Served with homemade Spicy Remoulade Sauce. These were very good, so far the best alligator we have ever had. Very tender and delicious.

Crab Mornay- Lump crab meat topped with Mornay sauce and Gruyere cheese, served with garlic toast. This was real good, nice amount of crab.

Crab Mornay

Hickory Buttered BBQ Shrimp- served with Jalapeno Cheddar Grits. Fabulous, Excellent dish, nice spice and deep, tangy BBQ flavor and great grits. Our friend ordered this and my Husband said this is what he will get the next time we go back.

Hickory Buttered BBQ Shrimp

Crawfish Etouffee- crawfish tails covered with sauce with "a-2-fay" risotto.Good depth of flavor, nice spice, would defiantly order again.

Sourdough Garlic Bread "Boat" filled with fried shrimp with Brie sauce. The shrimp were fried excellent, very tender and juicy. The Brie sauce was excellent.

Avery Maharaja- 10.5% ABV, Imperial Double IPA

Lagunitas Wilco Tango Foxtrot "WTF?"- 7.8% ABV, Imperial Brown Ale.

Anderson Valley Summer Solstice- 5.6% ABV, Cream Ale.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous- 8.7% ABV, Black IPA.

Oyster Shooters.

Pecan Pie- very good.

Sweet Potato Cheesecake- Very good, everyone like it, even I did and I don't like sweet potatoes.

Banana Bread Pudding- Very good.

with the owner.

We had a very fun time and would go back.

Smak-Tak for excellent homemade Polish food

 Smak-Tak Polish American Restaurant. http://www.smaktak.com/index.htm

Borsch with Mushroom Dumplings.

We started with the Borsch, a beetroot soup. This Borsch was fantastic, I had never had it before but my husband and mother-in-law have and said it was the best they have had.

The mushroom dumpling.

The dumplings were fantastic!
 

Pierogis: Cheese and Potato, Sauerkraut and Mushroom, Sweet Cheese, Meat, Blueberry, Plum, Cherry & Strawberry.


These were the best pierogis we have ever had. They were great and fresh!

My husband liked the meet, I liked the cheese & potato the best, our son said the meat and the Mushroom & Sauerkraut were both the best. My husbands mother liked the Mushroom & Sauerkraut the best. For the fruit ones the the Blueberry and the Cherry were our favorite.

Cheese and Potato

Mushroom and Sauerkraut

Sweet Cheese

Blueberry

Cherry

Plum

Polish soda, Apple Mint.

The drinks of the evening. The Restaurant is BYOB and they have some very interesting Polish drinks.

Hungarian style pancake: potato pancake stuffed with gulash, mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, peppers.

Grilled sausage in old Polish style.

Breaded pork cutlet: with mushrooms a sunny side up egg, potatoes, salad and sauerkraut.

Stuffed cabbage rolls with beets, salad and potatoes.

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We all had a great time and a lot of Great food!

The Barley House

The Barley House in Algonquin. http://www.barley-house.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

The Barley House has a funny set of rules.

BARLEY HOUSE RULES:

• IRISH MUSIC ONLY ALLOWED ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY UNLESS ITS DANNY BOY OR UNLESS WE CHANGE OUR MIND.
• THE CUSTOMER IS USUALLY RIGHT—WELL SOMETIMES THEY ARE NOT RIGHT-BUT WE WILL BE NICE
• SATISFACTION GUARANTEED
• WE ACCEPT CASH, MC, VISA, DISCOVER, AMEX AND FIRST BORN CHILDREN (ONLY IF THEY CAN WASH DISHES)
• 18% GRATUITY ADDED TO PARTIES OF 6 OR MORE
• WE DON’T SERVE ESPRESSO OR SKINNY MOCHACHINOS—THERE IS RAVENHEART COFFEE IN THE COMMONS
• LEGAL DRINKING BEGINS AT 21 YEARS OF AGE—NOT 20 YEARS, 364 DAYS AND 22 HOURS
• FEEL FREE TO TALK TO STRANGERS
• PLEASE PUT YOUR CELL PHONE ON VIBRATE—EVERYONE ELSE DOES NOT NEED TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE IMPORTANT
• PARTIES LARGER THAN 8 MIGHT BE SEATED AT TWO TABLES
• HAVE TO MUCH TO DRINK? WE’LL CALL YOU A CAB
• ALTHOUGH WE DO CHARGE FOR FOOD & DRINK, ADVICE IS FREE
• PLEASE DO NOT USE THE WORDS OR PHRASES “IRREGARDLESS”, “A WHOLE NOTHER” AND “ALL OF A SUDDEN” - THANKS STEWIE
• DON’T FIGHT OVER WHO’S PAYING THE BILL - IF WE ANTICIPATE A FIGHT WE WILL USE THE FOLLOWING RULES...
              1.) WE WILL GIVE THE CHECK TO THE REGULAR CUSTOMER IF HE OR SHE DEMANDS
              2.) GIVE THE CHECK TO THE BETTER TIPPER
              3.) GIVE THE CHECK TO THE FIVE YEAR OLD AND CRACK EVERYONE UP
              4.) DROP THE CHECK ON THE TABLE LIKE A HOCKEY PUCK AND LET EVERYONE FIGHT IT OUT

Beer Battered Onion Rings, Peter Piper Pickles-Beer Battered fried pickles,       & Portabella "French Fries"-deep fried portabella strips.

One of the Portabella French Fries

Foie Gras- "Hudson Valley", spicy rice krispie treat, balsamic reduction. One of my husbands favorites.

Fish and Chips "Oh My Cod"- sustainable cod, bacon apple slaw, hush-puppies, french fries and tartar sauce. Very Good.

New York Strip.

Bananas Foster Brownie.

Doughnuts with dipping sauces- caramel, chocolate and raspberry.

Smores Sandwich, it was fantastic!

Yummy gooey insides.

We had a very nice time and the food was very good, we recommend this restaurant.

Can There Be Such A Thing As To Much Bacon?

Bacon Fest Chicago 2011 at the UIC Forum. http://baconfestchicago.com/ This was the third year for this event. Unfortunately the first we had heard about it. 57 chefs creating marvelous bacon concoctions for your gluttonous pleasure.

Waiting in anticipation of Bacon!

redFLAME PIZZERIA, Bite-sized BLT pizza and bacon inspired bruschetta with garlic and goat cheese.

The Elvis: Home-made crunchy peanut butter, fried banana, honey peppered bacon on griddled banana bread.

The Elvis Burger.

Stephanie Izard, Chef owner Girl & The Goat.

Stephanie was great, taking time to take pictures and say a word with her fans!

Caramelized pork belly with escarole and maple pineapple chutney from Miramar Bistro.

BBQ pork bao and Bacon, Egg & Cheddar bao from Wow Bao

694 Wine & Spirits, Benton's Bacon on Bacon-braised Texas toast with aoli, tomatoes and iceberg.

694 Wine & Spirits.

Bacon: "magic of roses” tea gelee, daikon, bee pollen, by Quince.

Caramelized pork belly with wilted escarole and a maple pineapple chutney, by Miramar Bistro.

 Roasted pork belly with Meyer lemon marmalade, buttermilk biscuit and pine-nut aillade, from Vie.

From Naha, Slow roasted slab bacon with rhubarb and Burton's sorghum.

My husbands #1 pick, Best of Baconfest! From Naha.

Becker Lane Belly:quick cure and confit with Anson Mills grits, blue Mediterraneo cheese, and verjus-pickled cauliflower, from Inovasi.

ING Restaurant, Bacon Dumpling with bacon date consomme.

Bacon Manhattan Milkshakes with cherry pearls, from Chalkboard.

Aleppo pepper cured pancetta with Vandenboom Farm egg, Tuscan kale and warm onion vinaigrette, from Cafe Spiaggia.

The Hearty Boys, Steve McDonagh  & Dan Smith.

Steve Mc Donagh, Gale Gand and Dan Smith.

an interview for some TV show with Big Jones.

Bacon & Foie Gras Moon Pie from Big Jones.

Pork belly & grit hash, smoked gulf shrimp, bacon E.N.C. vinegar sauce, from Lillie's Q.

Bacon "Drumstick" cone, bacon caramel, bacon ice cream, bacon chocolate and crispy lardons, by ING.

Applewood Smoked Bourbon bacon jam, crispy polenta cake, St. Andre cheese fondue, from Sable Kitchen & Bar.

Empanadas with Dreymiller and Kray cinnamon bacon, dried Seedling strawberry, toasted almond, salsa verde, from Terzo Piano.

Bacon & Eggs- house cured Duroc pork belly, quail egg,  aged Wisconsin cheddar grits, and smokey bacon broth, from Stanley's Kitchen & Tap.

Bacon rillette lollipop with maple bacon cotton candy, and a shot of bourbon, from Longman & Eagle.

Bacon rillette lollipop with maple bacon cotton candy, Longman & Eagle.

Chocolate Vodka, bacon infused vodka.

BLT, bacon infused vodka.

About 100 people took pictures of my husbands T-shirt or with him because of his shirt. We saw it many places on line later!

Bloody Mary.

I don't really like Bloody Mary's but this one was very very good!

"All Bacon Chicago Style Italian Beef...well, pork" from Socca.

Berkshire Pork Maxwell Street Burger- butterkasse cheese with crisp belly bacon, from Park Grill.

Park Grill.

Bourbon Bacon Cream Float - maple bourbon ice cream, candied bacon jimmies, from Park Grill.

We had a great time. My husband said it was his single best food experience so far!