Food is my go to destination at least three times a day; more when I’m stressed, and if you’re one of the handful of loyal blog fans (thank you, thank you, thank you), you know all about the stress in my life of late.
I did get those donuts I mentioned last week, the ones earmarked for relieving the stress. The two chocolate glazed donuts that had my name on it were part of the dozen I brought home early Saturday morning to show my appreciation for the guys that showed up to spend the bulk of their day demolishing my flooded basement down to the studs.
Alas, the sugar was a temporary fix. It always is. Sometimes I think I should just fast forward the ingestion process and simply slather the confection all over my hips and derriere where it always ends up anyway. But I always come to my senses. Who in their right mind would want to skip the sweetest part of this deliciously artful combination of flour, eggs, yeast, milk, shortening and chocolate to go straight to the less-than-desirable repercussions? Duh!
I did get those donuts I mentioned last week, the ones earmarked for relieving the stress. The two chocolate glazed donuts that had my name on it were part of the dozen I brought home early Saturday morning to show my appreciation for the guys that showed up to spend the bulk of their day demolishing my flooded basement down to the studs.
Alas, the sugar was a temporary fix. It always is. Sometimes I think I should just fast forward the ingestion process and simply slather the confection all over my hips and derriere where it always ends up anyway. But I always come to my senses. Who in their right mind would want to skip the sweetest part of this deliciously artful combination of flour, eggs, yeast, milk, shortening and chocolate to go straight to the less-than-desirable repercussions? Duh!
Now that I’ve had some time to absorb this latest catastrophe, the donuts are behind me (literally and figuratively). I hit the gym yesterday in an effort to handle the stress more effectively. Alas, if you’re going to do the crime, than one has to be prepared to do the time.
It's truly a shame that two Dunkin Donut Chocolate Glazed Cake donuts equal 580 calories, 32 grams of fat and 66 grams of carbs. It's even more shameful that it takes one hour of regret and sweat on the elliptical to undo the damage!
As usual, there are never enough hours in the day to cover my caloric hopes and dreams; which is why I decided to blog about food today rather than consume more than my fair share of the buffet.
And talk about buffets! Oy vey! I had a tough time a month ago deciding what to have for lunch while standing in line at Manny’s, Chicago’s quintessential Jewish Deli in the South Loop’s Printer’s Row neighborhood.
It's truly a shame that two Dunkin Donut Chocolate Glazed Cake donuts equal 580 calories, 32 grams of fat and 66 grams of carbs. It's even more shameful that it takes one hour of regret and sweat on the elliptical to undo the damage!
As usual, there are never enough hours in the day to cover my caloric hopes and dreams; which is why I decided to blog about food today rather than consume more than my fair share of the buffet.
And talk about buffets! Oy vey! I had a tough time a month ago deciding what to have for lunch while standing in line at Manny’s, Chicago’s quintessential Jewish Deli in the South Loop’s Printer’s Row neighborhood.
Jim and I have a hands full of left overs; that's our carry-out.
It was déjà vu school cafeteria style, complete with the wise-guy servers keeping the food and people moving,
The line was out the door just after we arrived.
including the personable cashier at the end of the line.
If Alan looks familiar, you're a loyal fan. He's Mr. Kernel of Popcorn Factory fame.
Since the Raskin brothers, Jack and Charlie, opened their cafeteria-style restaurants back in 1942, their famous mile-high corn beef sandwiches (a bit of hyperbole, but not much) had earned them the respect of Chicago’s working class looking for a quick, hearty lunch reminiscent of the home cooking they’d grown up eating (back when fast food was an anomaly).
No baloney; that's piling the corn beef on pretty thick.
The Russian-born immigrants hit the mark with a smorgasbord of fine food with recipes straight from their mother’s kitchen.
Jim couldn’t stop talking about their latkes during the drive into the city with good friends Alan (of Popcorn Factory Tour fame) and Diane.
The three musketeers, a.k.a. homegrown Chicago kids.
Jim frequented Manny’s often while a college student at the University of Illinois’ Chicago campus, when the deli was located on Roosevelt Road near the open-air market area known as Maxwell Street. Not much had changed in the last forty years except Manny’s location, although the recipe for their signature potato pancakes was now available online. I wondered if they’d always been the size of Frisbees.
This was my very first trip to this cultural icon. As an east coast transplant with more time served for good behavior raising a family in the Chicago suburbs (the last 25 years) than even I’d like to admit, I’m busy now making up for lost time.
The deli was an obvious favorite among politicians and policemen if the news clippings on the walls and the spattering of officers currently mingling with the common folk were any indication. President Clinton’s and Obama’s visits were documented and proudly displayed for those who might question the popularity of the plentiful and tasty fare at Manny’s.
This was my very first trip to this cultural icon. As an east coast transplant with more time served for good behavior raising a family in the Chicago suburbs (the last 25 years) than even I’d like to admit, I’m busy now making up for lost time.
The deli was an obvious favorite among politicians and policemen if the news clippings on the walls and the spattering of officers currently mingling with the common folk were any indication. President Clinton’s and Obama’s visits were documented and proudly displayed for those who might question the popularity of the plentiful and tasty fare at Manny’s.
I could swear President Clinton was a big burger fan.
Ken Raskin promised to deliver to the White House.
Our take on all things kosher was certainly presidential; nostalgic too.
No one going home hungry from this establishment.
It had been years, decades if truth be told, since I’d had water from a little cone-shaped paper cup. The cute little red base was the epitome of the fifties. That kid of yesteryear was having fun running back and forth to the fountain to fill up.
The cafeteria was never this much fun in school.
If more is better, the food was the best. The guys had found nirvana between the humongous helpings of juicy corn beef and the Matzo Ball soup only a mom could duplicate. Matzo balls were not part of my WASPy upbringing.
Nirvana is obvious serious business for Alan.
I personally put my big mouth to work relishing the task at hand. There was plenty to relish; enough to leave me in a pickle.
Open wide and say, ah; or rather, say delicious!
I took home half of what was on my plate, but not before having my picture taken with Ken Raskin, genial son of the late Manny (family nickname for Emanuel), grandson to founder Jack.
OMG! I'm one of those blinkers when it comes to having my picture taken. Who knew!
---------------------------------------------------
The Bottom Line on Manny’s Deli
Verdict: If you’re looking to order a genuine Jewish nosh, this is the premier place to go in Chicago. The nostalgia alone makes the experience worth the visit, although this is a far cry from the food served in school cafeterias.
Insider Information: Check out Manny's website for daily specials that include Salisbury steak, stuffed cabbage, gefilte fish, and chicken pot pie. The same goes for the rotating soups. They even ship anywhere for those unable to make it to Chicago.
How to Get There: From Chicago’s Millennium Park area (Lakefront), head north on N. Michigan Avenue then turn right onto E. Congress Parkway. From Congress Parkway take a left onto S. State Street. Follow State Street to W. Roosevelt Road and turn right onto Roosevelt Road. Follow Roosevelt to S. Jefferson Street; make a right onto Jefferson. Manny’s will be on the right. You can't miss it. It's where all the cars are double parked while customers run in to pick up their take-out.
The Bottom Line on Manny’s Deli
Verdict: If you’re looking to order a genuine Jewish nosh, this is the premier place to go in Chicago. The nostalgia alone makes the experience worth the visit, although this is a far cry from the food served in school cafeterias.
Insider Information: Check out Manny's website for daily specials that include Salisbury steak, stuffed cabbage, gefilte fish, and chicken pot pie. The same goes for the rotating soups. They even ship anywhere for those unable to make it to Chicago.
How to Get There: From Chicago’s Millennium Park area (Lakefront), head north on N. Michigan Avenue then turn right onto E. Congress Parkway. From Congress Parkway take a left onto S. State Street. Follow State Street to W. Roosevelt Road and turn right onto Roosevelt Road. Follow Roosevelt to S. Jefferson Street; make a right onto Jefferson. Manny’s will be on the right. You can't miss it. It's where all the cars are double parked while customers run in to pick up their take-out.
Two and three cars deep is the normal in front of Manny's.
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