Need an inspiring meal? Try Inspiration Kitchens...

I did and I loved it! Inspiration Kitchens are a Chicago based restaurant that employs homeless and is also a training center for chefs. You get a great meal for a decent price and you can feel good about where your money is going... You are sometimes helping someone pay for a room for the night.

They have 2 locations in the city, I ate the Uptown location: 4715 N. Sheridan. I went there cause Tweet, a place I love was packed. But what a fortunate turnout for me. The other location is: 3504 W. Lake St. (Garfield Park).

Well, let's get to the food, that's really what we're here for. I had the The Whole Pig Breakfast Skillet and this is what this delight has in it:
Braised pork, bacon, ham, caramelized onions and potatoes topped with two sunny eggs and barbeque sauce.

Just look at that! Seriously, look at it.

I bust the egg open atop it so the yolk can smother into the meat and potatoes, that's how to do it properly. 

Oh yeah, look at me. I am so serious. Seriously ready. 

YES! 

Shovin it in like a good boy.

Got it all in like the champ that I am!

And when it's good it is gone! See ya!

Little (freakin) Goat Diner! So good you would kiss me!

 Little Goat Diner is in Chicago's West Loop and was opened by celebrity chef Stephanie Izzard at 820 W. Randolph St. This place is really freakin delicious! Usually I shy away from places like this, but too many people spoke highly of it, so I went. And man was I glad I did!! Pictured is a fried chicken sandwich on a potato bun, topped with ham, and I forget what that white sauce was but it was Monte-licious! And I got the side of shredded hash browns with cheese. This sandwich is so good that I believe I could get any woman into bed with one! Even Jennifer Anniston. The chicken was in a light, crunchy batter and the meat was all white and juicy! Fried to perfection and not dry at all! The ham was fried with a slight crunch on the edges, perfect! And that sauce was so perfect atop of it all. The sauce soaked into the potato bun and made it all mushy like baby food, which I love,  and mixed in with the crisp of the chicken all in one bite..... OMG!!!

This ridiculously beautiful thing above is the fresh made cinnamon roll! Uh, drool! I feel you can see everything that I could possibly say about this, it is ridiculous! Eat it!!

Just so you can see how big this sandwich is I held up my XXL hand up next to it. My ring size is 13, the sandwiches ring size is 34!!

Getting ready to take it in, like a champ!

Look at that....

So freakin drippy, gooey and amazing!

I am contemplating all the deliciousness in my mouth...

Running the sandwich through it's own juices

Now I will mix the hash browns in with some of the drippings.

Look at how open and airy it is inside, very comfy and lots of natural light, which I love!

A quick shot of the window into the kitchen. Go there and enjoy yourself, and the prices aren't as bad/high as I thought they'd be, it was relatively affordable. 

Red. Hot. Ranch! One of the finest around, if ya like the ol' "rubber dog!"

This is partially for my landlord, Peter. He loves hot dogs as much as I do. Here we go...This, the pic above, is the hot dog from Red Hot Ranch in Logan Square at 2072 W. Western Ave. I love this place and let me tell you why.... when I was a kid my favorite hot dog spots were Jimmy's Red Hot's on Grand Ave. & Pulaski and the now world famous "Gene & Judes" at Grand Ave. & Des Plaines River Road. I loved these places for the fresh cut fries and the fact that both had the exact same hot dog, the Vienna Beef 10/1 dogs with the skin/casing on em. A.K.A. The Rubber Dog! The skin/casing is what it gives it that snap, which I love!! The skin/casing is made from intestines. And "10/1" means there are 10 hot dogs per pound. It's a pretty skinny dog, yet packed full of flavor. They also both steam their buns, do not offer ketchup and they pile the fries right on top of the dog. Red Hot Ranch has same the dog, same buns, almost the same fries, yet better fries. And they have fried shrimp too. Without the tails! They also have their own parking lot, but they all do. But the reason I now go to Red Hot Ranch almost exclusively is the hood is much safer than at Jimmy's, and it's not as far as Gene & Judes and there is Never a line longer than a few people, if that even. 

That all being said, with a delicious/exact same dog, and amazing fries, Red Hot Ranch has become my new spot for a "Rubber Dog." That right there is a Chicago Original, I was born and raised here..... I mean the hot dog... the hot dog! All beef Vienna dog, made right in Chicago at Damen & Fullerton. The Rubber Dog, my all time favorite hot dog. I love biting into it, I keep the fries on too, it makes the perfect combo. You get the soft squishy from the steamed bun, the snap from the skin/casing on the dog and nice little crunch from the french fries.... so freakin Monte-licious!!!!

I am so happy to be with this hot dog.

As you can see, I waste no time. 

When I was a kid my dads friends used to tease me and gave me the nick name "2 dogs." It was because I would call my dad when he stopped by his friends houses and ask him to bring me 2 hot dogs on his way home. He hated doin it, mostly because he knew I was gonna do it each and every time, but I was also an ungrateful little bastard. Sometimes I would even ask my cousin Tricky or my dads friend Pete to get me 2 dogs when they would call and say they were coming over. I was such a spoiled little cutie.... brat!!!

And look at me now.... enjoying a hot dog like I did as a child!

Did I mention how crunchy and delicious their fries are? They are really freakin good! They even have that thick cheddar cheese for cheese fries. 

You can use the ATM if you need to after you eat yer hot dog, it's just 6 inches away from the bench where you may be eating. 

There it is, it used to be a taco place called Las Asadas, but they moved... across the street! WTF! Who does that? Now the taco place has a smaller parking lot and they are less busy. 

Do not park in the Red Hot Ranch lot if you are not there for them, you will get towed. But you really should be there for them. Oh,  the guy that owns this place also owns the world famous "Wiener Circle" and the hot dog stand at the Bunny Hutch mini putt putt on Lincoln Ave.  Go eat a hot dog!

Do you like Vietnamese food? If not, you are missing out! Not me!!

Hoanh Long at 6114 N. Lincoln Ave is easily one of my favorite Vietnamese spots in the city, but I do have a few others.... This place has been around for a while, it is family owned and operated, you will always see the same people working there no matter when you go there to eat. And if it's after school hrs, you will see all of the employees children sitting in the corner doing homework or watching some random movie on the semi-big screen tv on the back wall. Like the last time I was there we watched "Ghost" with Patrick Swayze. Kids love that movie!!

Let's get to the food already, right?! This place is known for it's Seafood Hot-Pots, but there is one appetizer that I always get and eat alone as my dinner, that is the Papaya Salad with grilled steak! There is another variation of this meal where the steak is prepared differently and I do not like it one bit!  It's not grilled, it's weird, it almost seems boiled. But I get the right one now (pictured below). What is it? A wonderfully crisp cool papaya salad that is sweet and crunchy! Loaded with shreds of carrot, red onion, mint, basil, and of course papaya! It's lightly dressed in a sweet sauce, and topped with char grilled steak and crunchy garlic n onions!! So freakin Monte-licious! The veggie part of the salad is really fresh, crunchy and cool! While the steak is charred and hot! A great combo! Those white things on the side are shrimp cakes, I don't eat those.

Look at the beauty of the papaya salad^^^

Take a look on the inside, look at the fresh, crispness in that salad!

Ready to chow, for you.

Takin it down too.... you know where!

Here is the Sea-Food Hot Pot! They bring this right to your table, heat up with a little camp stove and let you go to town!

It is filled with glass noodles, clams, mussels, scallops, you name it, it's in there... shrimp... catfish... and it's covered in crunchy garlic, onions, basil, cilantro, mint.... so good!!

Our table, we are gluttons, and proud! Check this place out, you should love it!!

Square Bar: Why wait in line at Kuma's like an ass when there is a place just as good, right across the street? Why?!

I have said it before and I will say it again, you must be a real jerk to stand in line at Kuma's, or anywhere for that matter, for even 10 minutes! But especially at Kuma's (which I enjoy) when right across the street is Square Bar, 2849 W. Belmont (Logan Square), and this place is equally as good as Kuma's. Seriously!  And at Square Bar you have more options than at Kuma's, so why wait in line?? Like at Square Bar you can get chicken tenders (pictured above), pizza, shrimp, rib tips, wraps, brunch!!! They have so many excellent options and I have eaten a lot of em' and it was all Monte-licious!! 

I wanna mention that these were the garlic, parmesan flavored tenders and they are delightful! The breading is light and crunchy, the chicken is tender and juicy. The tenders are tossed in olive oil, fresh ground garlic and parmesan cheese. So freakin good!!!

There it is, you can get a new muffler next door while ya eat lunch or dinner!!

Here is the pork sandwich... Ridiculous!!!!!! Pork, bacon, cheese, and pineapple!!!

Look at how good that looks!!!

I eat it all so well...

And then it's gone!

Lunch specials make Me feel special! And you should feel it too!

I love a good lunch special and I love Thai food, Amarind's in the charming Galewood neighborhood (Chicago, 6822 W. North Ave. free parking in back) provides that perfect combo. Before we get started let me mention that this place is owned/run by ex-Arun's employees e.g. chef's, cooks, etc. And Arun's is one of America's top Thai food destinations at $90 per person with a pre-fix menu, so come to Amarind's and eat similar tasting food made my amazing chefs for under $10 is a real treat!!

Let's go.... the lunch special comes with apps! ^^^Above we have the crisp, crunchy and sweet, cucumber salad!

Here we have 2 egg rolls, not just one like you get with most lunch specials! So crunchy on the outside and still slightly crunchy on the inside too! ; )

This is an entree, I believe this was lemon chicken or chicken curry. Whatever it was, my friend loved it.

My dish, and it's my staple order for my 1st. time atta Thai spot; Chicken Pad See Ewe. Wide rice noodles, broccoli, baby bokchow, scrambled egg, light brown sauce, and my beloved chicken!! I love this dish! You get the nice wide, chewy rice noodle that holds it all together, stir fried with the scrambled egg and gravy, then in comes the green broccoli with a little crunch and then our tender white chicken slices!!! So freakin Monte-licious! Thai food should not scare you, especially this dish. It is pretty basic and the flavors are light and not overwhelming, this is good intro into Thai food if you are not already familiar. I would also recommend trying Chicken Lad Nar, it's basically the same meal without the scrambled egg, and some places deep fry the rice noodles so they are crunchy, I like that a lot too! 

You will notice I have a little bit of everything in one bite, like a shish kabob... This is the proper way to eat a meal!

Upon entry.....

we have contact....

...and we lost contact as it falls into my belly!!!

Check out this not so great shot of the inside.. the place is super clean and they have a lot of colorful pics and statues. A lot of gold colored stuff is in this place.

Like this.... this is gold and in there.

When you see this building, you have made it! Yes! Enjoy!