Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Measuring Cup (East Dundee)

Located directly along the Fox River Trail in East Dundee is a gem of a little bakery with a few other things to nosh.  The Measuring Cup, at 217 Barrington Avenue, is just the place to replenish your spent calories on the trail and delight in some pie!  If you are already walking, jogging or biking along the Fox River Trail in the area they are literally steps off the path.


Yes, they have breakfast pizza & quiches and couple types of sandwiches which are all tasty.  But the REAL reason to come here is for the PIE...Soooo many pies....and if they don't have what you want put in a request & the owner will most likely be able to whip one up for you with advance notice.  The pies are on the pricey side compared to your supermarket but THESE PIES make those other ones look & taste like cardboard.  Worth. Every. Penny.

The seating is mainly outside with just a few tables inside.  And honestly who wants to eat inside when you can sit out on the lawn and people watch those going along the Fox River Trail?



To check out their menu or get in touch with the owner to request a pie find them at http://www.themeasuringcupcafe.com/ or call them at (224) 484-8233.



Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Keepin' Cool (Capanarri Ice Cream, Mount Prospect)

To celebrate the wonderful Summer...I mean, Spring we are having so far we headed out for some ice cream! But not just ANY ice cream...no push-up pops or Ben & Jerry's just wouldn't do. We were looking for something extra special. Ice cream so wonderfully creamy and delicious it makes you want to buy a moo-moo to lounge around in, calories be damned! With that said we headed to fabled Capanarri Ice Cream at 10 S. Pine Street in Mount Prospect. You can peruse their offerings by visiting http://www.capannaris.com/ and can reach them by phone at (847) 392-2277.

If we hadn't already been told how AWESOME Capanarri's is the line going out the door would have been a good indicator. They have oh so many yummy flavors of ice cream! With an impressive array of regular flavors and a nice selection of rotating seasonal flavors you may find it difficult to decide what lucky flavor to spend some quality time with. If you simply cannot choose you'll be happy to know you can get a tasting flight of four different flavors of their ice cream! Oh yes, we thought wine flights were fabulous...but an ice cream flight? Heavenly!

Their ice cream texture is very smooth and creamy, but not as heavy as a custard-style. The staff consisted of teenagers who were actually helpful, upbeat and friendly. They have some benches outside and they are conveniently located next to a nice little park with additional tables & seating. They are currently open weekends only in March, Fridays 3pm - 10pm, Saturdays noon - 10p-m and Sundays noon - 9pm. Check their website or give them a call for updated hours once April is here!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

For the love of cheese (Barones, Glen Ellyn)

Mmm. Cheese.

Always on the lookout for great pizza, and there are a lot of carryout places around us, not as many sit-down. So we thought we'd venture to Glen Ellyn (not nearly as far as it used to be) and try out Barone's (475 Pennsylvania Ave, Glen Ellyn).

This is not a huge place, and it's kind of old-school, cozy and definitely very popular with the locals. It was nearly full when we arrived (5:30ish?) and jam-packed by the time we left. Lots of folks waiting for carryout.

We got a big loaf of bread plus olive oil and butter right away, but our water was quite slow to arrive. Got the impression that a bus boy was supposed to bring it but it never happened; thankfully the waitress picked up the slack pretty well and our refills were well attended after that.

We ordered mozzarella sticks as an appetizer and a medium deep-dish (pan), just cheese. See, I told you -- lots of cheese.

The mozzarella sticks were homemade and served with a great chunky marinara. They were not steaming hot, which definitely made them easier to eat but also made me wonder how long they'd been out of the fryer.

The pizza was also a reasonable temperature, with gooey cheese, tasty sauce and a buttery crust that was one of the better I've had. A touch of garlic would be perfection. I also appreciated that they proffered us red pepper flakes, parmesan shaker and oregano -- I enjoy some oregano.

It was noisy thanks to tons of families and people waiting, and the wait staff was clearly kind of frazzled; I think they did as well as they could.

I'm sure we'll be back, but maybe not on a Friday night next time.