First of all, can I comment on how disgusting everything feels at LaGuardia airport? I know disgusting is such a strong word, but as hungry as I am (or think I am) I can never stomach anything there. Everything has such a an airport sheen to it. You know that feeling when you are on plane and you are sick of your book, can't focus on the movie, and know you will not be able to sleep. You feel trapped and know that you have no choice but to wait it out. The food at LaGuardia airport feels like that. My flighted boarded at 8am so I chose sleep instead of eats at home and thought to pick something up at the airport because like any good midwestern girl I need my breakfast.
At the United Terminal, there are two options the gourmet shop which is kind of like the gourmet deli's in New York--not gourmet at all just a fancy sign or Au Bon Pain. Ordinarily, I like Au Bon Pain, but the the one at the airport is questionable to me--questionable like street meat. I feel like it's a bootleg Au Bon Pain. Everything looks a little spoiled, a little greasy, and the feel that has been sitting out for a while. Even the bagels look stale. Even the asiago cheese one. I ended up getting the fruit and cheese plate. I mostly ate the crackers and grapes because I thought the cheese tasted like airport. It made me feel sad. Unsatisfying food always makes me feel sad.
Anyway, after I landed, my BFF and I ended up going straight to breakfast. I imagined that my airport food did not exist. We ended up going to Earwax which has lots of sentimental value to me. It is the locale of one of Mark and I's first dates. Its dinner menu has a lot of healthy options and things like seitan, soy, and tofu. At the time, I was a fast food junkie (I was 18!) so I was afraid and got the tuna melt. I thought it was good. However, ten years later, at breakfast, I took it simple and got a Greek omelet with potatoes, toast, and jam and the best eating accompaniment--good conversation. The food was delicious the omelet was fluffy, the potatoes soft and well seasoned, and most of all it tasted like home. My shoulders relaxed and it felt like the three years I've lived in New York never existed. I was home before I finished my first cup of coffee.
After an afternoon of shopping, mostly browsing, we decided to catch a movie. I'm going to interject here to say that I came home to visit my best friend. We have seriously been best friends for 22 years. Kind of insane when you really think about it. Anyway, since we hadn't seen each other since March, we thought it was high time to get together and do all things we missed doing together. All the things you take for granted when you can do it anytime, but end up missing when its been half a year. Usually, my visits are a whirlwind of trying to see as many friends and family as I can, but this time, I came just to hangout with my BFF hence the shopping and movie. So we decide to see a movie, but immediately come across the problem
of being hungry while the movie is about to start in 15 minutes. As you all know, movie theater food is randomly so expensive and definitely not healthy, so we decide to kick it super old school high school style and pick up food elsewhere and sneak it in. Right away we have our hearts set on Potbelly's, a Chicago based sandwich chain.
It looks amazing right! We actually very quickly walked six blocks and went up four escalators and risked missing the beginning of the movie for this sandwich. It comes in two sizes regular and big. We split a big turkey sandwich with all the fixings mayo, mustard, lettuce, onion, tomato, pickle, oil and Italian seasoning. Of course, we got a bag of salt and vinegar chips to go with it. Once we settled into the movie the theater we placed said bag of chips between us, slid our bottled waters on the exterior drink holders, split our sandwich, and were as happy as clams. Our only discomfort being the loud crunch of the salt and vinegar chips--people didn't need to know how much we enjoyed our illegal eats!
After the movie, we went home to change for what else? dinner! We decide to go to Las Palmas where in the past I have enjoyed this amazing sizzling steak in a molcajete with sizzling onions, cactus, and cheese complete with tortillas. Do you see the drool on my keyboard? We get there with no reservations of course and realize that there is an hour wait. We give our name and run across the street for a drink.
We go to The Southern, which is new to me. It definitely has a Southern theme. The bartenders are all in in suspenders and bow ties and all have serious moustaches. You know what I'm talking about those long curling moustaches. We each grab a Southern influenced drink. My BFF gets the Dirty Peach a vodka, peach schnapps, lemonade, and mint infusion, while I get the Southern Belle a rum, chambord, lemon juice, and prosecco concoction. We take these drinks and sit outside and enjoy these by the fire. I do have an actual picture for this. Her drink was strong like bull, while mine was very sweet.
We go back to the restaurant and wait a little more with a couple of margaritas, because why not I was on vacation! Once we are seated, I was so disappointed to find that the steak I dreamed about not longer existed. They had changed the menu. Time does go on when you live somewhere else. I had imagined that time stopped. However, the guacamole still stands, so we order that and I am so happy to be eating real serious guacamole again. If anyone knows me they know that I take my guacamole very seriously. I ended up ordering the Mar y Tierra aka the Surf and Turf. It is basically a grilled 4 oz filet mignon and pan-seared shrimp with sweet potato-chipotle puree, jalapeño chimichurri, and sautéed baby spinach & baby carrots. It was so good it almost made up for my sizzling steak because imagined things are always tastier. Still, it really was short of amazing. I wish I had it in front of me now.
After dinner, we go to a couple of nearby bars and end the night eating a just a little more. We stop by a restaurant that is new to me too, so much is new to me now, called Angels are Mariachis. This is where I kind of got taken over to the edge. We shared the Queso Fundida which is basically a melted cheese dip that you can roll into a corn or flour taco. It was so good because how can cheese not be good but it made me really full. Well, the strawberry basil mojito I had probably didn't help either. I then went to bed with a sensitive stomach because like a piggy I don't know when to stop eating.
When I wake up the next morning I obviously have learned nothing because I start my day with an appetizer of an old fashioned donut. I really like plain donuts especially with a coffee so yum. Not even an hour passes and we decide to got to brunch. We go to the cutest place, not far from where I use to meet a boy in my high school years, called The Portage. My BFF and I did what we call "The Special" meaning we split a couple of things but we just like to call it "The Special". After school, we used to go to her house and split a tuna sandwich and ramen noodle soup and we called it "The Special". Sometime we were extra fat and did "The Extra Special" meaning we each got a tuna sandwich and each had a package of ramen noodle soup. Oh the days of no diets! This time we split the Eggs Benedict (poached egg on toasted english muffin, with sautéed artichoke hearts, country ham, and hollandaise) and the
Pulled Pork Chilaquiles (pork chilaquiles, with tortilla strips and eggs). It was the perfect meal which we felt had to be completed with three scoops of homemade ice cream (chocolate, ginger lemon, and buttery popcorn). It was all so divine but so so filling. I really had no business but it was "I'm on vacation who knows when I'll be back eating". Needless to say, I had big workout plans for my return home.
My visited lasted longer, but that was my last meal in Chicago. Later at O'Hare airport, I wanted to want to eat. O'Hare airport is the most magical of airports. It is the exact opposite of LaGuardia, you want to eat everything at O'Hare. It has representations of so many good Chicago restaurants, but I really couldn't eat one more bite. I got a ginger tea and hoped my stomach would settle from all of my good eating. xoxo happy nibbling!
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