StringGrrl sees the World

 

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The Filling Station Feeling a little nostalgic for a Mr. Fables Burger and Rings during a drive back from Chicago to Grand Rapids. My colleague who lives in Comstock Park was kind enough to tell me that while Mr. Fables is long gone, you can still get a "Mr. Fabulous" at the filling station. GAME OVER, Take my money, I am there. The Mr Fabulous and Fables Onion Rings  The Mr. Fabulous burger, is a deluxe two patty burger topped with cheese, onion, tomato, olives and "secret sauce". Their onion rings, though are what always kept me coming back to Mr. Fables all those years. Great big onion rings with light crispy batter. 180 degree panorama of the Filling Station

 As a resident of the "D" we hold Chicago in odd esteem. A classic midwestern jewel that once played second fiddle to Detroit. Where the makers of the motor city, deigned to trade for commodities; the lesser of the Great Lakes Cities. But now Chicago is held in higher regard than Detroit. The two cities bear a great deal in common, both are cities ravaged in the early years by devastating fires. Then rebuilt to greater glories. Cities that border great expanses of fresh water, home to shipping, industry, and trade. Chicago remains a great city to visit and for the multitudes that live there a fine place to live. StringGirl makes visits there every few years, and always loves going there. Great food, people, and culture. Giordano's Stuffed Pizza No visit to Chi-town is complete without getting some of their local specialty stuffed pizza. This visit we made our way to Giordano's. A perennial favorite with the tourists this place is arguably one of the pizza...

So we are in Chicago wrapping up day 3 of a 4 day trade show, and my colleague suggests that we have some Barbecue. After a couple of days of big steaks and top shelf seafood, I figured yes some good old fashioned barbecue could be just the thing. Mark said he read the BBQ sign from his hotel window, so we walked out the front door of the hotel in the direction he noted and found the sign. It does say BBQ, but from up on the 30th floor Mark missed the prefix--Japanese. Not one to be discouraged Mark asked what I thought, I told him that BBQ in the Japanese and Korean style is great, and that if the wait is not long we should do it. Mark who has trusted me on several "gastronomical expeditions" while in Detroit and SE Michigan, took my work for it and gave it a whirl. To keep our lives simple we ordered the "Samurai" meal. Which simplified the act of trying to decide which dishes to get. At a set price for 2 people it is not too bad a deal. And...

Amber and StringGirl stop off at Hippos If you have not had a Chicago Style hot dog, then you are missing out on a significant part of your sausage lore. Being a Detroiter we revel in the "Coney Island" which can spark nuke-u-lar level arguments among the faithful. Who has the best, what are you allowed to put on it, and how to best eat it. Chicagoans as well have their own specialty dog which if you have a chance one must take the time to enjoy. The Chicago hot dog is a complete meal The Chicago Dog (at Hippos where we usually stop in for the treat it is simply called a Hippo) features the Vienna Beef hot dog. These natural casing dogs have a great snap made only better by being seared on a hot griddle prior to serving. Laid in a steamed poppy seed bun along side tomatoes, kosher dill, onions, and sport peppers for your salad. They are then dressed with mustard (NO KETCHUP), a lurid green relish and a dash of celery salt. The Cajun Sausage  They also have se...

On the corner of Woodwoard Avenue and Birmingham Row is a long standing Metro Detroit institution. THE Hunter House. Opened in 1952 it is the longest continually running restaurant in Birmingham. It has seen the rise and fall of many fast food giants, seen slow food revivals, and vegan, gluten free, gluten full and every recent food trend and bucked them all. Except for the recent resurgence of sliders as trendy food. They may have invented that trend. View Larger Map one of the few remaining burger stands from the origins of M1 and the first paved roadway in the US The Pillbox Diner was once a staple of Americana in the 1950's with dozens of these simple structures popping up around the US as more and more baby-boomers sought to start their own fast food establishments. These small mom and pop establishments soon gave way to larger chains and all but vanished once the McDonalds, Burger Kings, Hardees, and Wendy's of the world took over. But the Hunter House stuck ...

Chung Ki Wa is the latest incarnation of Korean dining at the location previously known for the "Seoul Garden". The family had been great fans of dining at Seoul Garden for years, but had fallen off the wagon and gone several years without a stop in to eat. So when given the chance to pick a place to eat lunch with a couple of colleagues, I dusted off my restaurant archives and checked to see if we could still get Korean at the corner of Dequindre and 15 Mile (Maple) in Sterling Heights. So happy and pleased to find the answer was YES. Some Bulgolgi (marinated Beef) plated up and Dae Ji Bulgolgi (spicy marinated pork) on the grill  For this trip to the we opted for the Barbecue at table options. If you are not familiar with this variety of Korean dining you are missing out. A small gas grill is embedded into the table with large exhaust hoods over the table. You order plates of prepared meats that you then grill at the table as you eat. The most well known Korean Ba...

As summer fully winds down into Autumn one longs for something new, something fresh, warm and distracting from the grayness that is Zurich in fall. Dinner at Mama Africa is just the ticket.  Mama Africa located in the trending area of Zurich-City-West (Kreis 5). With vibrant decor and flavorful foods, Let Mama Africa chase away the Zurich City Blues.  We went there with a large group of folks from the office, 14 people. They were ready and able to accommodate us all at in the restaurant comfortably and seemingly without taking over the entire dining room. The appetizer plate The menu at Mama Africa can seem a little daunting with many dishes, even if you have good Swiss German vocabulary. As with any deeply ethnic restaurant, the spices and combinations might not be what you expect. The cuisine is South African in style. Chicken, Beef, Prawns have starring roles in the Entrees while some more exotic meats will make appearances in the starters (Vorspeisen or appetizer...

Having logged hours locked securely airside in the airport.  It is genuinely refreshing to be able to step outside.  Delta Airlines and the Atlanta Hartsfeld Jackson Airport offer that rare opportunity. Aviation geeks can get their fix watching the take offs from here. One of the busiest Air ports in the world. Chef Andre! The austrian chef and his wife pose with StringGirl and Amber Lots of comfy seats to soak up more vitamin D a nice view of the planes even grass