Feed

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Manly ass slap – ½ star
Fone and fone – 0 stars


Restaurant: Feed
Location: 2803 W. Chicago


There are some experiences that are better “live”. For example, everybody claims that music is always better live. You can feel the music move through you. The crowd adds that extra element of energy. The songs are played with a little more passion. But I disagree. Music isn’t always better live. Go check out a Rhymefest (or almost any hip-hop act) concert and you’ll see what I mean. Or see a show in a venue with suspect acoustics. Or a musician that is so over-produced that a live show exposes their lack of talent. Then you’ve got musicians playing their songs so they sound EXACTLY like they do on the album, leaving you wondering if they are just lip-synching the entire show. And I hate that. Or musicians that play their songs so they sound NOTHING like they do on the album, so you don’t even recognize the songs. I hate that, too. I love live music. I’m one of those people who think, when done right, music really is better live. The problem is that it isn’t done right as often as people want you to think it is.

On the other hand, food is something that is better “live” 9 out of 10 times. Actually, more like 95 out of 100 times.

Take Feed, for example. I’ve been there a couple of times, and every time I say it’s one of my favorite places and that I should eat there more. I love the simple menu, the simple atmosphere, the clucking chicken egg-dispensing machine, the chickens roasting in the back, the old school cooler filled with cans of soda, even the out-of-the-way location. Well, the other night I headed over there for some take-out. And it was no surprise that take-out from Feed wasn’t nearly as good as eating at Feed. And it’s like that for almost every restaurant when you do take-out/delivery vs. eating at the restaurant. It’s just that subtle difference of food coming out hot and prepared just like the chef intended. Whether it’s burgers, pizza, hot dogs, sushi, Chinese food, tacos, whatever, it just looses a little something in the time it takes to get it from the restaurant to your house.

Anyway, back to Feed. Your choices are simple. They have a couple of sandwiches to choose from (pulled pork, BBQ chicken, burger), roasted chicken (1/4. ½, whole, dark or white), and some side dishes (mac and cheese, fries, collard greens, mashed potatoes, etc…).

On the take-out night I got the BBQ chicken sandwich, pulled pork sandwich, ¼ white-meat chicken, fries, and some mac and cheese (just to be clear, it was for me and my wife).

The BBQ chicken sandwich was the best of the bunch. It’s normally really good, and somehow suffered the least in the drive from Feed to my house. If I’m not eating the roasted chicken, I usually go with the chicken sandwich. The pulled pork didn’t have the same results. Granted, if you’re looking for pulled pork Feed isn’t the place to go (I’d head to Calvin’s BBQ on Armitage, which isn’t too far away). Feed is known for their chicken, as it’s about 90% of their menu. But if you want pulled pork, get it only if you’re eating there and not taking it with you. The roasted chicken at Feed is some of the best in the city. It’s usually juicy, perfectly cooked, and just tears apart with ease. You don’t even need any sort of sauce or anything to enjoy it. The juices and roasting process are enough. However, my car must have a dehumidifier, because the chicken was a little dry by the time I got home.

That being said, the sides suffered the most. The mac and cheese is so delicious at feed it hurts. It’s normally just a bowl of cheese and noodles with some spices. In fact, the mac and cheese is a little sweet. I’m not sure what they put in there, but I could eat a gallon of it. At home? Not as cheesey. A little cold. And it felt like a slightly smaller portion size. It was definitely missing something. The fries were even worse off. They have hand cut fries here, and I usually just devour them. But when I got them home I ended up leaving half of them uneaten. And that’s saying something.

So, if you want some good chicken and some down-home cooking, head to Feed. Just make sure you eat there (and try the fried okra. It’s fantastic.).

A tasty chest bump (but a disappointing fist bump if you get it to go).



Got a question? Send it to born2fork@yahoo.com.

Maiz

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Fone and fone – 0 stars
Manly ass slap – ½ star



Restaurant: Maiz
Location: 1041 N. California

Let me ask you a couple of questions to try and get a sense of the type of person you are (my answers below):

1. If the moon were a piece of cheese, would you eat it?
2. If you could cut off a body part in order to never work again, how much flesh would you be willing to give up?
3. Chocolate, vanilla, or double chocolate?
4. NBA or NCAA Basketball?
5. Redheads, brunettes, blonds, or anything with a pulse?
6. Do you like corn?
7. Do you like corn when it’s used a bunch of different ways to prepare some kick ass Mexican food you can cram into your mouth for under $8?

Well, if you answered “yes” to the last question, then you’re going to like Maiz. If you answered “yes” to the last two questions, then you’re really going to like Maiz. You see, “maiz” is Spanish for “corn”. I think.

Doesn’t matter, this place is great. They have a surprisingly big menu, but once you spend some time with it, you realize it’s not that big and actually pretty manageable. What they do is offer what I call “headline options”. So, they have quesadillas, or Huaraches (I’m sure I blew the spelling on that one), or fajita tacos, and so on. And under each one they offer like ten filling choices. So, it’s like they have 80 things to choose from, but really, it’s like having eight things to choose from. All you have to do is decide what filling you want, then decide which “headline” you want, or vice versa.

And I’m sure Carlos (the owner) is pretty pumped up I’m describing his menu like this, but whatever. It’s how I was able to manage it, so I’m sharing the secret with you.

Now, I ordered the steak Huarache. Good choice, but not a great choice, and that was my fault. I kind of defaulted to the steak when they have like nine other great choices, like a seasoned pork or marinated chicken. So, the dish was really good, but I think with a filling that was a little more unique, it would have been great. How do I know this? Because my wife ordered the quesadilla with the marinated chicken, and it was Holy Crap good. Seriously, all this thing had was chicken and chihuahua cheese (again, my spelling is embarrassing, though I might have actually spelled that right. Sure, I could open up the dictionary right next to me, but that just shows how lazy I am.), and it was still mouthwatering. I made her switch plates halfway through. It was that good.

I think everything involves corn somehow, and usually it’s just as simple as using handmade corn tortillas. Everything is a traditional Mexican dish and very authentic. The menu even has a little story on where each dish is from. Truly great food. Oh, and the guacamole. Again, Holy Crap good. Might be the best I’ve had in the city. Maybe. And the chips were still warm, fresh out of the fryer, and covered in salt. Each one was like a little fried triangle of heaven.

I will warn you, the place is cash only, so bring money. There isn’t an ATM anywhere in sight, so if you don’t have cash, I hope you don’t have delicate hands cause you’re gonna be washing dishes. But, the menu is really well priced, and just about everything is under $8. And the place has relatively odd hours, as it’s open only from 5-10, Tuesday through Sunday.

This place is a great deal and I see myself visiting here often. A good, old-fashioned Chest Bump.

And the answers to my questions are as follows:

1. I know I would.
2. My left arm, but hopefully it would only take a pinky toe.
3. Double chocolate, with chocolate chips. And some chocolate sauce.
4. NBA
5. I don’t objectify women. But if I did, brunettes. Or blonds. Or redheads.
6. Yes. And porn.
7. Yes.