Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are.-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Greece Eats: The Highlights

I was thrilled to be going to Greece and one of the highest reasons was because of the food. Simple cooking, fresh ingredients like fish and veggies and lots of olive oil, all sound yummy to me. While we did find some duds and I didn't get a Gyro (which is actually made with chicken or pork in Greece, who knew?) we did have some good eats. I remember none of the names of the restaurants so I'll break it down by location.

Athens

Just outside the Plaka (never, ever go there) there are lots of restaurants as the area is a tourist trap. We found a gem with nice outdoor seating near a church and I was thoroughly impressed with my salmon. Not overcooked, tasted fresh and paired with grilled vegetables. One thing, they don't de-bone their fish which was a challenge but worth it.

Mykonos

Oh lord, the food, the scenery, the male scenery, Mykonos is amazing. We found a restaurant along the water with a charming (and handsome) waitstaff. I had an appetizer of grilled eggplant topped with tomatoes, toasted feta and balsamic drizzle. Holy hell. This was one of the best appetizer I've ever had, ever. I was devastated when I'd finished it. The dish wasn't too oily and it was so simple...four ingredients. Simpler can be better. My other small plate were meatballs which tasted fine. I'm not much of a fan but I liked these. Plus the tzatziki sauce was heavenly. I love that in Greece tzatziki comes with everything; it's like their ketchup. I even tried baklava, something I've never enjoyed. But if I have to eat it somewhere, might as well be Greece. It was flaky and sweet, not dry like I've usually had. I'm a changed baklava woman.

Santorini

We tried to go to a restaurant on the edge of Santorini that had been featured in the New York Times called Sphinx but it was closed! So I spotted a nearby restaurant with a similarly great view and good looking menu. We started with toasted baguettes with oregano and olive oil with eggplant and olive tampenades to dip. That oregano flavored bread was so good, I was in carb heaven. I had an appetizer of roasted vegetables with feta, traditional but tasty. Main course was lamb chops in a fig cream sauce. The lamb chops were so tender and seasoned so well but there just wasn't enough lamb on the chop to soak up the phenomenal sauce. I was so happy with my meal I was glad Sphinx was closed. We made a great discovery.

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?-Author Unknown

London Eats: The Highlights

I expected some good eating in London. While they aren't really known for their national cuisine, London is an international city with fantastic restaurants. We didn't get to any pubs or Indian food while there, but we did find some great places.

The Archduke

First night we went to Waterloo where there's an abundance of restaurants along the River Thames. Each one of them looked super busy as the weather was gorgeous, it was a Friday night and we were in a fairly touristy location. About a block away from the river we found The Archduke. Wonderful decor with many different types of dining rooms; rooms for eating a full meal, rooms for drinks, rooms for drinks & small bites, and a beer garden. For an appetizer we had asparagus spears with shaved Parmesan and poached hen's egg. Big, fat, grilled asparagus spears with some lemon and pepper, long pieces of shaved Parmesan and a delicious egg. This was a fantastic appetizer; definitely one of the best prepared asparagus I've ever eaten. I don't see long, thick asparagus at the grocery store that much, so these were a real treat.

For our main dish we had lamb chops. Well seasoned, a little tough, but still good. They don't seem to ask how you'd like your meat prepared and I like my lamb medium rare but I still cleaned my plate. The lamb came with roasted peppers and steak fries with sea salt...bliss.

This place was such a find.

The Archduke

All Bar One

All Bar One is a chain in the UK. We had a drink at the one in Edinburgh and were so impressed by the menu, we had to go there for dinner for our last night in London. They serve small and large plates that are incredibly inventive. Dishes like duck tostadas and lime & lemongrass cheesecake grace the menu. It was certainly tough to pick but I settled on tiger prawn linguine with lime, ginger, saffron and creamed paprika sauce. Holy crap. The lime and ginger were so subtle but gave the dish an acidity you usually get with lemon. The creamed paprika sauce looked like tomato sauce but was a bit smokier. A fantastic twist on a classic dish. I loved it.

I was thrilled to see a successful (the place was packed on a Monday night in London and fairly full at three o'clock on a Monday in Edinburgh) chain that serves inventive dishes at affordable prices. I wanted to try everything on the menu. I'd love to see something like All Bar One in America. It's a fantastic place to eat, a good Happy Hour hot spot and seems to be a great place to go prowling; it has everything.

All Bar One

I love you like a fat kid loves cake-50 Cent

Restaurant Eve

During my short weekend at home, a celebratory graduation/belated birthday dinner with the folks was in order. We went to Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, a place I'd always wanted to try because my parents love it and it is that is consistently well-reviewed.

It sits quietly in Old Town in a small, unassuming building. There's a picturesque stone path that leads you into a brightly lit restaurant with big windows and couch-like booths. So beautiful and comfortable to dine in. That alone made me like the restaurant immediately.

Their cocktail list is exceptional. I knocked back a grapefruit, vodka and sauvignon blanc cocktail and a gin and tonic. Both tasted good, not too sweet and not overly liqueured up.

My appetizer was mussels in a bacon broth. There were little smoked bacon pieces at the bottom. The mussels were meaty and good. I was much more in love with my mom's salmon mousse. something I never thought I'd say. Any mousse I've tried has tasted cheap but this was like frosting; smooth and refreshing.

I had a lamb dish on a bed of carrot, turnip and shallot ragoo. Not the best lamb I've ever had but still a high A. Cooked well and flavorful.

Dessert was birthday cake! I was expecting a slice of something but I got a giant cupcake sized cake, covered in pink frosting and sprinkles with a little vanilla sauce on the side. It put me over the edge but I ate every last bite. Moist cake inside, silky frosting outside, this was better than any birthday cake I'd ever had. I think a candle should've been added just because.

Great dining experience, fantastic location and decor.

Restaurant Eve

Strength is the ability to break a chocolate bar into four pieces with your bare hands-and then eat just one of those pieces-Judith Viorst

Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Cream

1 1/2 lb thin-sliced boneless & skinless chicken breasts, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1 small onion (diced), 1/4 cup dry white wine, 1 cup chicken broth, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup sun-dried tomato pesto, rosemary

Season both sides of each piece of chicken w/ salt & pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over med-high heat. Add half of the chicken; cook 3 min/side or until done. Transfer to platter, keep warm and repeat with remaining oil and chicken.

Add red pepper flakes and onion to skillet; cook for 3 min. Add wine, cook for 1 min stirring to dissolve brown bits. Add broth, cream and pesto. Bring to boil; cook, uncovered for 4 min or until slightly thickened. Pour sauce over chicken and season w/ rosemary.

I got this recipe from a Family Circle cookbook. I absolutely love this dish. The sun-dried tomato and cream is so flavorful over the chicken, which can sometimes be a blank canvas meat. I would add more red pepper flakes to give the dish even more of a kick. The dish goes great with quinoa or mashed potatoes. Though you get a veggie with onion, I wanted to add zucchini because onion just isn't enough.

Of soup and love, the first is best.-Spanish Proverb

Aja at the Dana Hotel and Spa

The Dana Hotel and Spa is a sleek and swanky boutique hotel located on State Street in downtown Chicago. I went to an event at the Dana that was catered by their Asian restaurant, Aja. I didn't get to enjoy any of the delicious looking food, so I decided to head back this weekend since I had a guest in town.

Asian food can be hit or miss for me, but Aja was a hit! I wanted to keep my meal light so I didn't go into a food coma post meal, so my group stuck with appetizers and sushi rolls. I chose the Aja Spare Ribs and the Rainbow Roll.

The spare ribs were exactly how spare ribs should be: tender, soft and flavorful. The ribs fell right off the bone and into my mouth. They weren't too chewy either; smooth as butter. There were a few more bones in the ribs than I would've liked but what can you do. They were also almost entirely trimmed of the fat which was a plus. They were covered with a spicy hoisin bbq glaze, which gave them a nice kick.

The rainbow was your typical rainbow roll: tuna, salmon, shrimp and white fish rolls filled with crab and avocado. They were good, not life changing, but still gone within five minutes because I'm completely gluttonous when it comes to sushi.

I got to try my friend's firecracker spring rolls that were stuffed with crispy chicken and peanuts and came with a hot mustard dipping sauce. These were just phenomenal! I love peanut flavoring, especially with chicken and the hot mustard sauce definitely lived up to its name. The spring rolls were so crispy you could keep popping them in your mouth like chips. If I go back to Aja, I'll definitely get those.

I decided to splurge on a cocktail and chose the Lemongrass Lemonade, which is essentially a classy vodka and lemonade, my latest drink of choice. The beverage was made with Grey Goose vodka, lemongrass syrup and fresh squeezed lemon. I noticed that our bartender tried our drinks with a straw and made a couple of changes after. He was checking its quality and wouldn't give it us until it was perfect. That's a great attention to detail and is a mark of a good and professional bartender.

Aja

I don't like gourmet cooking or "this" cooking or "that" cooking. I like good cooking.-James Beard

Microwave Stuffed Peppers

4 large peppers, 1 pound extra-lean ground turkey meat, 1/3 cup water, 1 envelope dry onion soup mix, 1/2 cup low calorie marinara sauce, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Wash peppers, cut off tops and remove seeds. Place in a microwave safe pan and cover. Microwave on high for about 6 minutes. Microwave peppers until they are partially soft but remain firm. In the meantime, brown turkey meat in large saucepan and drain all fat.

In a small bowl, mix the dry soup with water. Pour the mixture over the cooked turkey and stir. Simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes, stir occasionally. Spoon 1/4 of turkey mixture into each pepper, filling to the top. Spoon marinara and Parmesan cheese over each pepper.

Microwave peppers in microwave safe pan, covered, for about 2 minutes on high.

This recipe comes from my roommate's binder o' random recipes. I've been slowly typing up each one that I like and making my own word document o' random recipes.

Ground turkey, we meet again. You taste good if I mask your flavor with salt, pepper, and extra marinara sauce. It's so unfortunate but I just cannot get my taste buds around ground turkey. It just feels so weak and limp in flavor. I don't want to have to dump marinara sauce on the turkey to get me to eat it. That's how parents get their kids to eat veggies, by masking their taste with something else. It's just not worth it, which is such a shame because I had a fantastic workout after eating the turkey meat. I loved this dish, I just need to sub the ground beef for turkey.

I paired my stuffed pepper with mini potatoes and kale, the super leafy green. I like my kale spicy and I'm working on cooking it just right. I've been adding paprika and black pepper. It'll be a long time before I make Mrs. Raboy kale, aka the spiciest and most delicious kale you'll eat.

My tongue is smiling.-Abigail Trillin

C-House

Who knew Top Chef Master winner Marcus Samuelsson had a Chicago restaurant? Despite Samuelsson's unattractive personality on the show, he won for a reason. I was debating between his restaurant, C-House, or Top Chef Season 4 winner Stephanie Izard's restaurant, Girl & the Goat, for my birthday festivities. But Girl & the Goat is in a super random and far location and getting 8 people on a 30 minute bus ride is undesirable. So I went with C-House.

Lately I've been ordering one or two appetizers and a side dish for my meal. My obsession with tapas is carrying over into non-tapas restaurants. I had a lamb chop appetizer with kale, tomatoes and two potatoes in lamb jus and a side of goat cheese and pork sausage macaroni and cheese. Lamb was perfectly cooked and the kale was spicy and not in texture, the way some leafy greens are. Macaroni and cheese with goat cheese, why have I not had this before? I love traditional mac & cheese but this goat cheese was a welcome addition to the cheddar. Pork sausage was good but super spicy.

I also had a bite of the yellow tail tacos. Basically sushi in a crunchy tortilla. Baller. However, my one complaint about nearly everything I tried (minus the pork sausage and kale): bland. Bland, bland, lacking salt bland. I had to add salt to everything.

C-House