Antique Taco

I ventured to Wicker Park to a taco joint that I had heard a lot about. Antique Taco is it's name, and amazing mexican cooking is it's game.
The cool thing about the Antique Taco is that is is run by husband & wife team Ricky and Ashley Ortiz. Rick is the head chef and takes care of creating an authentic Mexican menu, reflecting his Mexican Heritage, while Ashley is the creative director of the restaurant. The result is the seamless incorporation of a "home-y"atmosphere and great Mexican Comfort food.

The Chili Cheese Curds caught my attention, and they lived up to my curious expectations. These Beer-Battered Cheese Curds are lightly fried - almost like a tempura. They top a bowl of Chorizo Chili and then are drizzled with a Crema Fresca, Scallions, and tortilla chip strips. These little balls of gooey cheese with spicy Chorizo Chili really were fantastic, I highly recommended for any cheese lover.

Chili Cheese Curds

I love a good fish taco, and usually hesitant when ordering them at a restaurant  I have never had them at before.  The Crispy Fish Tempura tacos came with an interesting Siracha Tartar Sauce - which actually worked quite well - Smoked Cabbage and were topped with chives and sesame seeds. The fish itself was battered very lightly and had a perfect amount of crunch. The taco was good, but was quite plain. I would of loved  some sliced avocado or pickled onions to give the taco just a little more.

Crispy Fish Tempura

Overall, the restaurant was great, definitely a spot I'd recommend and somewhere I'll be visiting again.   The cozy atmosphere of the restaurant, along with the  the good service, and great Mexican comfort food gets this taco joint 4/5 ★★★★☆ stars!
Antique Taco Menu

The Butcher & The Burger

This is a neighborhood burger joint "like nothing you've seen before... at least under one roof."

The Butcher & The Burger specializes in creating customizable craft burgers, but has an upper-hand when it comes to the quality and specialty of their ingredients.

Their menu is broken down so that you create your burger step-by-step. And believe me, there are too many choices (not that that's a bad thing!)

Patty. With standard Natural & Local House Blend Beef and the Grass-Fed Beef options serving as a staples, the other patty choices consist of some a little more unusual for a neighborhood burger shop. Locally Raised pork,  Naturally Raised Turkey, Grass-Fed Bison, and even Elk.

What really stood out was The Butcher & The Burger's spices. After choosing your choice of meat , there are a handful of different spice blends that you can add to be mixed into your protein. Simple (kosher salt & cracked pepper), Chicago Steakhouse, Cameron Parish Cajun Blend, Grandma's Onion Soup and Curry-Coconut - the list goes on. I have never heard or been to a burger joint that has products so fresh that they wait for you to order your burger to mix in the seasoning.

The extras to add onto your burger are nearly endless, but some honorable mentions include a fried egg, black truffle mayo, and sautéed Foie Gras...

A little overloaded with the endless possibilities my burger could potentially go, I went with a specialty burger suggested on their chalkboard, the 'Home On The Range' burger.

The burger was amazing. It consisted of a Bison patty with "Bottom Game" spices added into the bison. It was topped with Cheddar Cheese, Tennessee-smoked Bacon, and BBQ sauce. I added some Black Truffle May and grilled onions to scene, just to make sure it was extra tasty - and it was. The Bison was so tender, and cooked a perfect medium. The bacon was crispy, but not overcooked. The Black Truffle Mayo and BBQ sauce went surprisingly well together, and made for a messy meal - but all the better. 

It was honestly one of the top 5 burgers I had ever had. I already can't wait to go back and build mine from scratch.

I'm going to give The Butcher & the Burger 4.5/5: ★★★★✬

P.S. you HAVE to get the Beignets, they are warm, moist and covered in a snowstorm of powder sugar, which just melts in your mouth. 

Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

Two years ago, I was a student at The University of Texas in Austin. I was fully immersed in an amazing food scene and a mecca for film and movies... There really is no other place like Austin, Tx. This only fueled my passion for both food and cinema, ultimately leading to the creation of this blog.

 Things have changed since then, and after about a year and half, this blog is making a slight readjustment. I have since moved up north to Chicago which, with over 6,000 restaurants, is heaven for a Foodie like me. I have not even been here for two weeks and already love it. 

With the site re-design and move up to Chicago, I hope to bring you a more focused and frequent blog. 

Get ready for some real good eats.

Cheers!

Instagram: @jpt423

Twitter: @moviesandmeals

Foodspotting: foodspotting.com/moviesandmeals

Fried, Fried and Fried

As today marked the closing of the 2012 State Fair of Texas, here's a look at some of the great fried food I had this weekend.

Big Tex carried away in a body bag after being dismantled 

Chocolate Funnel Cake

These "Torpedo Taters" seemed to be the new staple 

Had to stop and get a Fletcher's and beer

Fried Oreos

Yes, they were amazing

Fried Peanut Butter & Jelly (topped with generous amounts of jelly & powdered sugar)

Fried Cookie Dough

..As gooey and amazing as you can imagine

Fried Jambalaya, this year's Winner for 'Best Taste'

Fried Bubble Gum - Didn't try it, but had to snap a pic

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Waffle Ball -- My favorite fried item at the State Fair this year

Fried Samoas

Change is coming!

Stay tuned. There are some major changes coming to Movies and Meals in the next month! The blog will get a re-design with more frequent updates and a change of location. Thank you for all of your support. 

Pizza! Pizza! part II

The next two pizza food trailers in The Daily Texan Article were via 313 and Firefly Pies. Both were less than a block away from each other on East Sixth (I believe that Firefly Pies has since moved). Via 313 features Detroit style, which I had never had (or heard of before). Their pizzas are made in steel square pans and are basically made upside down -toppings go on first, followed by the cheese, and topped with red marinara sauce. The crust of their pizzas is somewhat like the Chicago deep dish style but not as dense and has a great crunch from the pan. I got the original, which comes with double pepperoni, and added jalapeños to my order. The pizza came hot right out of the oven and was delicious. The crust was amazing - crunchy on the bottom and soft in the middle. I'm glad I added the spicy jalapeños for a little kick, really went well with all the pepperoni on the pizza.

Check out via 313's menu here!

My final destination was Firefly Pies. They serve Neapolitan style pizzas with thin crust out of their custom made wood-fired brick oven. Their menu is diverse and has items you wouldn't regularly find, such as organic pears, yellow onions, dried figs, or smoked gouda. While many of their offerings looked enticing, I went with the Honey Pear pizza, the perfect marriage of sweet and salty. The pie has an olive oil and roasted garlic base with taleggio, Pecorino Romano, organic pears, pancetta, drizzled with honey and topped with fresh basil. I had never had a pizza like this before! The sharp and salty cheeses were met perfectly with the fresh pear and touch of sweet honey in my mouth. Another great thing about Firefly Pies is that you can order any pizza in the original 14", or you can get an individual pizza at 8". 

Honey Pear

Here's Firefly Pies' menu, check it out