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!!

Old School Chicago spot, preserved forever on video! You are welcome! ; )

This is old school Chicago; The Vagabond! This is the 1st foodies video I ever shot and edited and I did at an old school place that has been gone for years... THE VAGABOND! This spot used to be on Diversey and I forget if it was at Laramie or Austin, but it was right on the corner, they had the craziest specials you could ever find in any diner: Skirt Steak & Eggs, $5.95! 1 lb Burger & Fries, $4.95! Ham, over a pound, and eggs, $4.95! And the serving were so damn big....... well, you'll just have to watch the video I made to see for yourself, enjoy!!


THE VAGABOND VIDEO, click this link!!!!!

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!

Stall 16 a.k.a Shopsin's, a fine diner in New York.

In the Essex Street Market, stall 16 at 120 Essex St. in New York holds one of the most unique and delicious diners I have ever encountered... SHOPSIN'S! This place is full of character, good food and the longest menu (pictured below) that I have ever laid my eyes on. But all the hooey aside, the food, the real hero, is Monte-licious! And it's all they will let you photograph. I coulda swiped a few pics of the interior which is a 4 table (2 top) spot with 2 bar seats and 1 bench but the waiter, a fellow metal head, was super cool and I had to respect their wishes. But the place is sorta like a hoarders apartment with a lot of nick-nacks, pennant flags, etc. Back to the food! There are literally so many items on the menu I became overwhelmed and went something had a little bit of everything I like... So I had a sandwich where the bun is potato pancakes with an interior of eggs, bacon, and cheese. It was so good that I have dreams about it. Pictured above was my wife's meal, she had two breaded and fried pieces of corn bread with fried chicken, it was also extremely Monte-licious!!

Here is my sandwich in all it's glory..... Potato pancakes, scrambled eggs, cheese, and bacon. 

A nice close-up.

Under the hood after a bite.

Gettin ready to take it down.

Takin it down! look at me go!

I am so focused...

..like a champ, I am makin it disappear. 

All gone!

I had to take this back to the hotel, but then I ate it as I walked away from the spot.

The place is pricey mc dicey, but in my opinion it is worth it. I couldn't afford to go regularly but every now and again is perfect. I also wanna mention the cool waiter plays heavy metal when it's a little less crowded, that is cool.

Here is the menu, side 1...

side 2.

Excellent breakfast/brunch atta bar? Yup!! And it's right offa the Blue Line.

I used think bar food was meant to be low-down, dirty and greasy, but that was in the old days! Today some of the best chefs end up working at bars and making ridiculously amazing food. And Township (2200 N. California) in Chicago's Logan Square hood is exactly one of those bars with a great chef and crew! Tamiz is the head chef and add's a middle eastern influence (Indian) to the food that really makes it unique and delicious. Like the Saag Paneer Scramble pictured above. That's Eggs, Spinach, Paneer (Indian cheese), Almond Sauce,
Spicy Potato Cake, Two Pooris (pooris are the puffy fried dough things, they are awesome!) and a cup of fruit. So freakin Monte-licious! 

And here^^^ we have the Steak Benedict, along with the spicy cake potato, which I wanna mention tastes like a Samosa minus the bread shell. I love that potato so much, I wish it was bigger though. Back to the benny: Skirt steak atop spinach, atop gluten free bread and topped with a poached egg and a delicious curried hollandaise sauce! You are  gonna love this!

I also wanna mention that these are the brunch items, the lunch and dinner menu is fantastic as well! The turkey pannini is killer! Burger too! If ya like seasoned fries, you will like their fries. But ya gotta like seasoned fries! Township also has a lot of gluten free and vegan options to choose from if yer looking for that!

Some of the greatest Garlic Bread EVER can be found in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!!

This beautiful piece of foodery you see before you is the garlic bread from Mama Mia-Barbiere's-Silver Spring, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (2615 W. Silver Spring Dr.  #414-463-6262). I drove from Chicago just to have this bread, then I drove right back home. They bake the fresh in the a.m. split the loaf, submerge it in garlic butter, sprinkle a little bit of garlic salt on it, re-bake and voila! My future ex-wife! This garlic is that freakin' good! and it's so buttery! Wisconsin, midwest buttery!!   

Look at me, I can't believe it!

Oh my! The bread is perfectly crunchy on the outside and soft & warm on the inside. And it's a buttery and garlic delight to behold!!

Buttery is an understatement! This garlic bread is ridiculous!!!

Takin it in!

Opening up to get the tail end in..

...it's a comin...

And gone!!!

So freakin Monte-licious!!