Hustling for Mango Guacamole & Grilled Pineapple Tacos

If Jeff liked this combination you know it has to be good. Known for his dislike of coconut, oranges and most things tropical, I was pleased to find Jeff loved our dinner at Bien Trucha Saturday night in Geneva, IL. He always loves Bien Trucha, but when he say the Guacamole of the Day included Mango, he wasn't so sure. After a successful appetizer, we had our favorite fish tacos and a new item to try -- pork tacos with grilled pineapple. Excellently prepare pork with subtle seasoning and a delectable think strip of fresh grilled pineapple down the middle made for a terrific pairing. We both thought it was fantastic, and worth the stress that trying to eat at Bien Trucha can cause. Those in the know realize that running is an appropriate action if you see other patrons getting close to the door. That is because the restaurant is so popular, and doesn't take reservations, so it is imperative to get your name on the list. We usually walk down the block and have a drink while we wait the 30+ minutes for a table to open up. Bien Trucha takes your cell phone number and will ring you when the table is free. But, spotty coverage can create anxiety for hungry diners like us, as was the case this time. We had been bumped down the list by patrons running for the door ahead of us and we weren't about to lose our spot this time. So, we ran from the bar and headed back to Bien Trucha, where luckily our spot was still held. Despite the drama, we both agreed the meal was more than worth it.

Arby's Mac and Cheezers

Being the adventurous foodies we are, I didn't turn my nose up at the new Arby's concoction, Mac and Cheezers. This very easily could have been awesome. It combines two of my favorite food groups — mac and cheese and fried. Unfortunately, it kind of tasted like fried nothing. The outer crust is way too thick, a necessity probably with a gooey, non-solid interior. The inside was molten hot and super bland. Overall disappointing. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Graham Eliot and Homaro Cantu don't have to worry about the good folks at Arby's stealing their market share anytime soon.

Gourmet Baby Formula

Of course a child of mine would want and need only the best. We are proud to have our son Nic home now for almost two months, and one of my top cooking priorities now is mixing up Similac Neosure formula. It not only has more calories than regular formula to help preemies catch up, but it also has a lot more of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals than you find in other formulas. And, you guessed it, it's more expensive. (If you are a mom with any Similac coupons or checks, let me know! I'll send you some coupons to trade from your wishlist.) We also have to add a special thickener, Simply Thick, to the recipe to make it nectar consistency. This is because his swallow reflexes are still immature and uncoordinated. It helps him swallow without aspirating the milk. It is a clear substance that comes out of a pump or individual packets. It doesn't taste like anything, except what you would imagine clear gel to taste like. Jeff has joked that if it weren't so expensive he'd use it to try to thicken sauces and other recipes. (I would love to know if anyone has done this!) But, nothing is too good for our Nic. So, we will give him gourmet formula and special thickener for now and save the exciting, more flavorful, food for when he's ready for solids.

Indian Harvest in Naperville

We've been to Indian Harvest in Naperville on Odgen twice in the past month or so. We took my mom before she went back to Missouri and I think she liked it. Their sampler appetizer platter is really nice with a variety of veggies, chicken and lamb sausage. I really enjoyed their chicken tikka masala and chicken saag (spinach). The chicken vindaloo tasted good but it was red hot. Not even the multiple grande Kingfisher beers could cool that heat down. We ordered the regular naan and one with fresh cheese in it. Both were really nice and good to sop up the lovely sauces. The pre-meal papadums with chutneys (tamarind and yougurt mint) started everything out wonderfully.

If you like Indian and live in the Chicago suburbs, Indian Harvest is worth the trip there. The food is very authentic and isn't so reliant on the typical buffet aesthetic of more is better. They had a set-up for the buffet but we haven't seen it going for dinner so ordering off of the extensive menu ensures a super fresh, piping hot meal. The atmosphere is comfortable and subdued. Although the restaurant is set in an older strip mall, next to a Lover's Lane, the interior feels like a much nicer setting. The prices might be a little more than some of the Indian places on Devon that we love, but with what you save on gas, it's well worth the extra few bucks.

Life-changing events

We have not blogged in well-past forever since things have been so hectic for us. Natalie had previously blogged about being a pregnant foodie. Well, our future foodie, Nicolas Bryant, came more than three months prematurely and we've been camped out in the hospital for so long now. If being a pregnant foodie is tough, let me tell you, being a hospitalized foodie is even worse (and the husband of a hospitalized foodie). We subsisted on fast food and hospital fare for weeks and are still in the quicker is better phase now. When priorities change, you eat what you can, when you can. That said, we've managed some nice home-cooked meals in the interim, especially Easter Dinner with family and trying some new restaurants that I will blog on later. Natalie is able to have a little bit of wine or a beer with dinner every so often.

Through all of our chaos and anxiety, we are already planning for our future foodie. Natalie bought some really cute kids pots and pans from IKEA and we already had some other kids cooking tools including a Rachael Ray Furi knife. I know Nic's already been exposed to so many different flavors from Natalie and through her breast milk. We'll just be so happy when we can get him home and begin to let him try some of the food that we love.

Bien Trucha is Truly Wonderful, Unique

While out shopping during the afternoon of New Year's Eve, we decided to have a late lunch and spring for a culinary adventure. With the snow falling steadily and many shoppers hurrying around to get last-minute party supplies, we walked into the quiet, cozy nook that is Bien Trucha in Geneva, IL. This is a restaurant that's hard to spot, even though it's located on bustling State St. in downtown Geneva. To say it is tiny is an understatement. The restaurant maybe sits 12 people at the most. The bathroom is located in the back of the tiny kltchen, in which patrons are invited to wander if they need to use the facilities. The building's miniscule proportion compared to other businesses along this stretch is striking. It sits next to an empty lot that I think is destined for condos or large retail fronts. It is almost a shack of a building that holds Bien Trucha. But it is tidy and warmly decorated on the inside.

We'd tried to eat at Bien Trucha for dinner on several occasions, only to find people hovering outside in the cold waiting to get into the restaurant, which does not take reservations. So to find it open and empty, save one other diner, was something of a New Year's miracle. Our waitress was knowledgeable and explained the menu to us after asking if we'd dined there before. Her manner and thorough menu descriptions were as impeccable as that at any fine dining restaurant we've experienced.

The traditional chips and salsa brought to our table held the first delight and surprise of the meal. The homemade chips were accompanied by a warm salsa that had a creaminess to it -- and possibly the addition of pureed pinto beans. It had a kick of chipotle to it as well, and was unlike any salsa we'd ever tried. We decided to start out with the Guacamole del Dia, which the waitress informed us was the house guacamole with the chef's addition of red grapes. How intriguing! Jeff likened the concept to that of chicken salad, combining the creaminess of the avocados (like the mayo in chicken salad) with the sweet crunch of the grapes.

Jeff ordered the fish tacos (Tacos Pescado) as his entree, and they are literally the best tacos I have ever tasted. Each corn tortilla contained a hearty piece of battered and fried tilapia, topped with a red cabbage slaw with creamy chipotl-morita aioli and tomatoes. My entree was the one of the Cazuelitas, which is best described as a gooey dish of chihuahua cheese bearing vegetables and/or meat. I had the Championenes, containing wild mustrooms, chile dearbol, garlic , onion and crema fresca. It is presented in a square bowl along with a chipotle salsa that can be layered in corn tortillas to create your own quesadillas. The dinnerware and presentation for all the dishes was clean, modern and unexpected for such a small restaurant.

To drink, Jeff ordered the traditional margarita, while I had the fruit water of the day, pineapple. Because pregnancy has made ordering anything beyond water and soda almost impossible, I was excited to have a nutritious, non-alcoholic drink that also delighted my senses. It was a frothy pineapple water that even Jeff, who does not like most tropical fruit, tried and claimed to be refreshing.

As you can tell we were both thrilled with our lunch. We both needed to use the restrooms and were equally impressed by our journey through the small kitchen. Three people worked in a tiny, but very clean space with fresh produce and ingredients stacked against the walls. After being fans of Gordon Ramsey's TV show "Kitchen Nightmares," you never know what the kitchen of any restaurant holds behind closed doors, but I think even the very demanding Gordon would have approved of this setup.
I only hope Bien Trucha finds enough success to move into a space worthy of its culinary accomplishments.

The Sacrifices of Motherhood Include Really Good Cheese

Being pregnant and finding the right balance of what to eat is not an easy task. That task is made doubly hard when you're a finicky foodie like me. Now that I am in my second trimester and the all-day morning sickness has passed, I am able to move beyond cereal, bananas and buttered rice for nourishment. My appetite is increasing, but I am restricted from many of my favorite foods. With all the advancements and knowledge available in pre-natal care, eating has now become a highly regulated part of life for pregnant women. I want to know I am doing everything I can to provide the best start for my baby, but all the codes and restrictions at some point seem overwhelming and a little obsessive.

It's funny but I feel women of my mother's generation must think pregnant women my age just need to relax. No one told their generation to limit coffee and chocolate, avoid alcohol, stay away from soft cheese, ban all deli meat and bacon, seek and destroy all preservatives and nitrates and that you're already a bad mother if you drink diet soda. Times may not have been better for pregnant women of their era, but they sure seem a lot simpler from my vantage point. Somehow our mother's managed to get most of us into the world without too many problems.

Although I have been pretty much following all the guidelines given to me by my doctor and the many pregnancy books I own, the sources can be downright confusing. My doctor says it's fine to eat soft cheese as long as it's pasteurized and I'm confident that it's been stored properly (to avoid any chance of getting listeria that might be growing in there), most sources say to avoid it altogether. So that leaves me to devise my own rule system. Currently my rule (as approved by the other half of this project, my thoughtful yet concerned husband) is that I limit what is undoubtedly my favorite food category -- and when I do eat blue cheese, brie and goat cheese, I do so only at highly regarded restaurants and from meticulously inspected packages of cheese purchased from respectable retailers.

Although most cheese in the U.S. is supposed to be pasteurized, some cheese are allowed to be made with raw milk if they are aged for a certain amount of time. Also, I have noticed several restaurants recently offering raw-milk cheeses on cheese platters and in appetizers, so I've found it necessary to ask the waiter more questions if I am not absolutely certain I know how the cheese was made. It makes fine dining less thrilling when you have to cut out a large portion of your ordering options and feel you must beg your spouse for the tiniest sip of wine. (Sorry, I could go on for days.)

Don't get me wrong, I am so thankful to be pregnant and know I have many rewards coming at the end of 9 (what is really 10) months. But, it would be nice if expectant fathers got the same dietary guilt trip or if the Italians would create the perfect non-alcoholic prosecco. But, at the top of my foodie wish list is a lift of moratorium on really good cheese. Even when I eat it now, I still feel wary because of all the warnings I've seen. In my mind, though, I have this comfort -- how could Velveeta possibly be as good for a baby as a runny triple-cream that's been made with small batches of fresh milk, by producers who put their heart and soul in to the cheese and that is aged naturally without all those frightening-sounding preservatives. That's pretty sound logic to me.