Category — Websites

I recently stumbled upon the fantastic food blog Fancy Fast Food. In each entry the author Erik, and occasionally guest authors, showcase their stunning fine-dining creations that are made from nothing but fast food. The picture above is “Seared Pollock Cake with Southwest Ramalan Sauce” made from one McDonald’s filet ‘o fish sandwich and one premium southwest salad.

“Honey Apple Glazed Christmas Holiday Ham” made from Burger King Quad Stackers and breakfast Croissanwiches

“Chick-sat-A:” Chicken satay made from various Chick Fil-A items

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Urban Bellyis a noodle and dumpling restaurant in the Chicago neighborhood of Avondale. Chef Bill Kim, of fine dining fame at Le Lan, Charlie Trotter’s, and Trio, among others, opened this counter-service gem tucked inside of a small strip-mall near Belmont and California Ave (3053 N. California Ave.). The restaurant offers a well-balanced menu of noodles and dumplings of Korean inspiration. Each day, Urban Belly offers seasonal kimchi and a dumpling special. The dumplings are well worth the visit and feature all sorts of flavors and ingredients, from lamb and brandy to foie gras. The noodles are spectacular as well. I suggest the rice noodles with hominy, kimchi, and spicy pork broth. The noodles have a delightfully glutinous texture and are perfect with the spicy broth.

Urban Belly is a counter service restaurant. After ordering you can sit at one of four long tables in the small and minimalist dining room. Instead of chairs Urban Belly has short stools made of old Chinese Elmwood. Eating at Urban Belly on a busy night is a surprisingly enjoyable communal experience, as complete strangers interact around the long dining tables. Urban Belly is B.Y.O.B. Although the menu is pricier than most other counter service restaurants, the quality of food and atmosphere at Urban Belly justifies the price tag. If you live in Chicago, or are planning to visit soon, put Urban Belly on your list of places to eat!

Bill Kim also recently opened Belly Shack in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood, another counter service restaurant offering his unique takes on a myriad of street foods of Asian and Latin-American inspiration.

Shrimp Udon at Urban Belly in Chicago

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I’d like to introduce you to a fantastic website, foodpairing.be. Food Pairing is an ever-growing site featuring food pairing “trees” of popular ingredients. The goal is to find new and exciting flavor combinations and understand classic flavor combinations. The food pairing trees are a visual feast and feature a handy synopsis of the major food categories, such as dairy or sweets, that a particular ingredient pairs well with. Here’s a pairing chart for apples:

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Some pairings on this tree are obvious, like pecan and butter. Some are intriguing, like mustard and black tea. These flavor pairing charts are a great starting point to create exciting dishes based on unusual but validated flavor pairings. Stop by Food Pairings and spend a few minutes browsing the flavor trees.

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