Travels: Aurora, IL Midtown Pub and Grill

A picture of my friend's burger

    In the heart of downtown Aurora there is a place that has been dishing out American classics with a twist, for over ten years now. Midtown Pub and Grill is a beacon for Hamburger lovers across the area. Honestly one of the best burgers I have had anywhere and I've been to a lot of places around the country to try burgers, but no one comes close to the chary, juicy, meaty burgers that Head Chef Carlos dishes out fresh every day! Now I'm a regular of Midtown so I know the ins and outs of the place. Walking in you find a fairly large bar; tables that are positioned near the windows; a back section of the bar where you find more tables, gambling machines, and a large stage. There has been much renovation done to the bar which gives it a more welcoming and inviting feel to it.

Midtown Nachos

     Last Thursday I decided to go to Midtown on a busy night, karaoke, which is always a fun night. But I also went because they had a special on another one of their famous dishes, Midtown Nachos. For $6 you get a heaping plate of chips topped with an abundance of chicken, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, jalapeños, a mix between melted Chihuahua cheese and a house-made cheese sauce, all topped off with drizzles of sour cream. This plate can literally feed a table of four, with some left over.  The plate was massive, and the presentation was nicely done especially taking into consideration that Carlos was the only chef and was taking in other orders at the same time. My first bite into of the fresh chips cooked right in front of me, (I was sitting at the bar), was an explosion of flavor bursting in my mouth! The juicy tender chicken mixed with the cheese and jalapeños was absolutely lip-smacking! Of course as in my other blogs you can’t have good food without a good pairing of beer. My choice to counter balance, the salty, spicy, nachos was another special that Midtown had on top. The Leinenkugel's Orange Shandy was my drink of choice, but since I do not like sweet beers I decided to have them mix it with Blue Moon. The pairing was perfect! Refreshing, crisp beer, with crunchy, salty, and spicy nachos! The rest of the night went awesome and included myself and a couple of my friends singing our lungs out on stage.

     If you’re looking for a place with great atmosphere, amazing food, and a fun place to hang with your friends, then you have to come down to Midtown Pub and Grill. In the heart of every city, there’s a place where people from all walks of life come to congregate, and Midtown is that place! So pack up your bags and go out there in the world. See what adventure lies ahead for you, and on the way your going to have to eat so don't hesitate to sample everything the world has to offer. With Food and Travel Around the World this is Samuel Núñez saying adios!

The perfect pairing

Travels: Aurora, IL

THE VIEW FROM OUTSIDE

        My travels this week took me to Downtown Aurora on the corner of Benton St. and Lasalle St. where I found Taqueria Durango. Being a local I have heard of Taqueria Durango and its famous Al Pastor meat. Now Al Pastor is seen as being adopted from the shawarma spit-grilled technique that was brought to Mexico by Lebanese immigrants. The marinated pork is delicately seasoned with spices, dried chiles and pineapple and cooked slowly over a vertical rotisserie. Now since that small history lesson is over lets get to the food!
   

Al PASTOR MEAT

         I wasn't too sure to believe many of the reviews and individuals who were raving about their Al Pastor because in Aurora you have choices from over 30 Mexican Restaurants all of which who have their own distinct twist to their Al Pastor. Walking in, the smell of meat, tortillas, and grease engulfed the air that surrounded me. The establishment reminded me of a small quaint restaurant that would remind you of an old-fashioned diner. Now grant it, I came in for pick up because it was a late night and my brother and I were starving and decided to try this place out. Since I came to pick up the food I decided to try some "small" samples of the other items that were featured on the menu. One of my favorite types of meat are Tripas, or Tripe. Now they must be cooked perfectly, if you under cook it its too chewy, overcook it its too crunchy, it has too be somewhere in middle to have that perfect texture. I asked for mine semi-toasted and boy did they do a hell of a job. They packed the tortilla with a heaping amount of tripa with cilantro and onions. First bite into a juicy, semi-greasy, "flavor-punched' taco was really good.

SMALL DINER FEEL

        My temptations had to be resisted in my quest for the famous Al Pastor Cheese Fries, of which I was waiting for. Finally the order came and I had promised my brother that this time I was going to actually bring the food home as a whole and not eat it before there was none left. So I waited but the smell was hard to resist so I took a small peak. ......small peak turned into a small sample... small sample turned into a big big bite! I can only describe the taste in the simplest of words, Deliciously Meaty. There was fries on the bottom of the to go box, and heaping amounts of juicy Al Pastor meat on top, all topped off with gooey, oozing cheese. Pair it off with a New Blegium 'Fat Tire Beer, and your set.
       Now if your thinking, that sounds weird, well tough luck for you. I was introduced to the perfect fusion of two cultures American and Mexican (fries and Mexican meat). If you guys are looking for late night cravings, or just want to be daring and try something new, then look no further than Taqueria Durango of which hours are 8:00 A.M.- 11:00 P.M on Weekdays, and 8:00 A.M-3:00 A.M. on weekends.
      So pack up your bags and go out there in the world. See what adventure lies ahead for you, and on the way your going to have to eat so don't hesitate to sample everything the world has to offer. With Food and Travel Around the World this is Samuel Núñez saying adios!

ME GETTING READY TO DEVOUR THE AL PASTOR CHEESE FRIES

  

 

Seeing the world in one location: Epcot

             To start off my blog, I decided to give you guys an idea of what food really means to me. This sight is designed to show my amateur culinary expertise, as well as trying food from different cultures. So for my first blog I decided to discuss my experience at the Food and Wine Festival at Disney's Epcot Theme Park. It really was a unique experience to sample food from around the world in one location. Having been a previous Cast Member, (worker), for Walt Disney Company, I had the awesome opportunity of actually going and sampling what the "World Showcase" as it is known as, has to offer. Choosing from over 25 different countries to sample from was not an easy task, but what I had sampled was simply delicious! When I arrived with my friends we started off in Australia since one of my co-workers was from there, and we had the Garlic Shrimp with roasted tomatoes. They weren't extremely large shrimp but they were cooked pretty well and gave I was given about six in a small food container. The garlic was cooked well, and I had asked for extra garlic which the Cast Member did not hesitate to say yes. Are next stop was to Singapore for a taste of home for another one of my co-workers. I was parched and needed something to drink. So I decided to order a Cherry Gin. It was very robust with hints of mint and a big burst of cherry deliciousness. We stopped in South Korea which was right next store to get something small to eat to balance out the Cherry Gin. So I decided to order a kimchi dog, which was just scrumptious. 
              My journey around the world didn't stop there! I was determined to go around the world in just 3 days, not 80 days like the great author Jules Verne wrote in his epic novel. I decided to go to my home away from home, Germany and sample the beers of the homeland. At the Bier Garten (German for Beer Garden) I was able to get a sample of four different beers all from different regions of Germany. Shofferhofer Grapefruit, Hovels, Braufactum Roog, and Oktoberfest were my choices, and boy am I glad I chose them. Of course though, you can't go to Germany and get bier without a pretzel. Let me just say it took me over an hour to eat that thing. (As a side note I would like to mention that this is over a span of a few days, so I'd like to make it known that not all alcoholic beverages were consumed in 1 day, and I do not recommend trying to do so all in 1 day either.)
               My journey still wasn't over quite yet. I went over to Norway for a sweet delicacy known as a Creme Puff. The fresh berries that surrounded the soft, almost cloud like creme, really countered balanced the sweet creme with their tartness. One morning I decided I wanted to go to Paris, France and have breakfast, so I did. I arrived with the intention to do as the Parisians do and have a Mimosa with my breakfast. I ordered a spinach quiche topped with goat cheese. Honestly, I cannot describe in words how amazing this was. The soft, flaky crust surrounded the gooey filling of spinach and creamy goat cheese. I have to be honest and say that every time I went to Epcot I made certain to go to France and get the quiche, and that was about 22 more times. The mimosa wasn't too bad with the quiche it added a refreshing, but yet somewhat bitter balance with the warm decadent quiche.
                So if you ever think to yourself, "How can I go everywhere around the world? It would be too expensive and time consuming if I tried." Will No Worries. Disney makes it very accommodating by offering a "World Showcase" all in one location. So pack up your bags and go out their in the world. See what adventure lies ahead for you. on the way your going to have to eat so don't hesitate to sample everything the world has to offer. With Food and Travel Around the World this is Samuel Núñez saying adios!