Bacon, the swaviest of them all

Like most sane people, I'm an avid bacon fan. I love the classic BLT and BEC and have tried everything from chocolate covered bacon to bacon cupcakes. As long there's bacon in a meal, I've never been disappointed.

Two new amazing bacon discoveries this weekend: Bacon Doughnuts and Bacon Sushi!
Bacon Doughnuts, dulce de leche, coffee ice cream from Traif in Williamsburg, one of the best brunch spots I've ever been to (more to come on Traif next post). The combination of flavors and textures was amazing. Sweet, salty, savory, soft, crispy, crunchy, hot, cold. Somewhow it all came together to form a beautiful harmony. 4.5/5 I only wish the doughnut was filled with a little bit of salted caramel on the inside. Imagine already being seduced by the first layer of flavors and then finding a gooey center, the effect would be mindblowing.

Popeye Roll: bacon, spinach, cream cheese, avocado from Geido in Prospect Heights. I was a little doubtful about this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. The bacon was steamed so the texture almost resembled that of fish. The steaming also eliminated most of the grease, I felt almost healthy eating it. The cured saltiness of the bacon replaced the need for soy sauce, I dipped it in a bit of terriyaki, for an extra swave factor. 4/5 which confirms the fact that bacon pairs well with everything.

Bacon, I'm sorry, I will never doubt you again.

porkapalooza

Hey Swavory readers, aka the charming and dapper Matthew. Sorry for the delay in posts, I've been jamming out in Chicago the past few days at Lollapalooza. I had bookmarked a massive list of restaurant to try in Chicago but I got distracted by the music and made it out to only one - Rick Bayless' Xoco. I ventured out for the tortas and was pleasantly surprised when i saw their dessert menu.Guess which one I ordered?
The Maple-pecan-bacon streusel with salted caramel sauce of course!
Not the most beautiful presentation, (though it did come in a compostable cup) nor the most delicious combination of ingredients, but it was tasty. A 2.5/5. It tasted like normal soft serve with caramel and granola, the maple, pecan and bacon flavors were overpowered by the dairy. I'd recreate it with bigger chunks of bacon, candied pecans and the salted caramel and toppings whipped in, mcflurry style.

The dairy came in handy when we ordered our tortas. My friend Char ordered the Cochinita Pibil, wood roasted suckling pig with achiote, black beans and pickled onions. The torta came with a side of habanero sauce which the waiter warned was spicy upon delivery. Being the extremley competitve person Char is she challenged the waiter and proceeded to drink the habanero sauce all in one gulp.

The waiter was so impressed he brought us a free sandwich, an Ahogada - golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce, and pickled onions. Char then proceeded to slurp all of the soft serve, down an iced coffee and a glass of milk and then spent the next 20 minutes in the bathroom.
A fiery start to a fiery night with Gaga rising to the occassion with her sparkler bra.
Next time I'm in Chicago. Urban Belly and Belly Shack for Urban Belly Ramen and Bacon Chocolate Chip Soft Serve.

sweet + savory, the only way to do brunch

Brunch is a meal best enjoyed with friends and in particular with friends who have an appreciation for both sweet and savory items. Beverly and I went to brunch at Buttermilk Channel in Brooklyn a few weeks ago after falling in love with their darling and immaculately designed website.

Upon looking at their menu, we knew that there was only one way to satisfy our cravings, by ordering one sweet dish and one savory option. For sweet we opted for the pecan pie french toast and for savory the ABC (apple, bacon and cheddar) grilled cheese.

The pecan pie french toast was to die for, the bourbon added a nice touch without being too sweet and the pecans were toasted to a crisp.

The ABC grilled cheese was good, but the bread was a slightly too hard. I like my grilled cheese to be crispy, chewy, and gooey all at the same time. The salad accompanying it was great and tossed in a perfect vinaigrette.

Overall, we were charmed by the Buttermilk Channel and can't wait to go back for dinner. (3 course dinner on Mondays for $25!)