Weber Grill or Buff-Yay or Buff-Nay?

Brunch buffets can be tricky. Buffets are great for large or mixed groups, especially when those groups contain picky eaters, because chances are better that everyone can find something they'll like. Sometimes buffets are also the most economical option, but not always the most delicious. Sometimes they are overwhelmingly loaded with amazing food, but also with overwhelming price tags. The choice usually boils down to luxury or basic survival with very little in between. Over the years, I've taken mental note of a handful of buffets that I think do a good job of providing quality food for the price they're charging, and this small list usually ends up being some of the places I recommend most often.

After seeing some interesting items on Weber Grill's Easter brunch menu, I was curious to check out their breakfast buffet. I entered into it with a hopeful outlook and a touch of skepticism; hopeful in that I've had Weber's perfectly grilled cuisine before, but skeptical because their website didn't list much more than a few items. I took Starr along with me (she is a burger expert after all) and we settled in for what we hoped would be some delicious meaty offerings.

Weber Grill's interior is a little dark with a definite masculine aesthetic in the woods and red tones throughout. We settled into a comfy booth by a window and our adorably chipper server, Igor, made sure we had water and (in my case) coffee right away. We then sampled a couple of their breakfast cocktails while we created our game plan. The house mimosa was pretty simple, and actually tasted quite fresh. The Backyard Bloody Mary was made with their house mix and boasted a garnish of smoked Gouda, sausages, pickles, olives, and a chaser of Weber's own Backyard Brew. Though I'm not the biggest fan of bloody mary's, this one had a nice briny flavor with just a little kick of spice that I rather enjoyed.

The small selection of buffet items had been set up along the side of the bar, and the kitchen had a few items they could make to order. We decided to have the kitchen fix us up some sweet dishes while we composed our plates. Aside from the normal stuff you'd expect to see on a buffet (fruit, yogurt, cottage cheese, various bagels, pastries, cereals, and muffins), we were a little saddened to find only four hot dishes; scrambled eggs, house potatoes, bacon, and sausage. We took a little bit of everything back to the table and methodically tasted our way through them. What we discovered was that everything was actually cooked really well. The eggs were still moist and fluffy, unlike a lot of other buffet eggs I've come across, and the meats weren't overly greasy. The potatoes ended up being the best part, as they alone showed signs of the Weber Grill I know and love; along with the perfectly crisped spuds, there were chunks of tender steak.

Now, I don't mind a smaller buffet, and the food that was on this buffet was surprisingly good. I was just disappointed that there wasn't anything there that showed off the Weber brand. No grilled meats or veggies, nothing fire roasted or broiled or skewered. Just a simple continental breakfast. Now granted, this buffet will run you less than $20 a person, and for those kinds of prices, I'm more than certain that most people can get their money's worth. I guess I was just expecting to see a little more personality.

Igor cheerfully delivered our freshly made sweet dishes: some French Toast and a Belgian Waffles. Both had been garnished with fresh berries, fresh whipped cream, and came served with butter and maple syrup. Again, these were both plenty tasty, just not very creative, and with so many other restaurants in the area vying for attention, it was hard for me to understand why Weber wouldn't want to add a little more sparkle to their menu. After chatting with a few of the employees there, I came to understand that the buffet was created to offer the guests in the hotel upstairs an easy option, rather than to entice people off the street. This made total sense, and for a "hotel breakfast buffet," I think what they were putting out was pretty good. I just wanted more... fire.

Starr and I decided to stick around for the lunch service, which started at 11:00, so that we could remind ourselves what Weber Grill was really all about. We ordered a Firestarter Sampler, which came with a skewer of shrimp, chicken, steak, and BBQ ribs. Now this was what I pictured when I think of Weber Grill! Glistening meats with perfectly seared grill marks, wonderful marinades, and succulent seasonings, ready to be picked up and consumed in the most primal kind of way.

Starr decided to try out the Pulled Pork Sandwich, which came dressed with their house BBQ sauce and topped with a scoop of creamy cole slaw. This was backyard eating at it's finest, with lots of finger licking and lip smacking and sauce going absolutely everywhere. I went for the Prime Burger, which was topped with bourbon grilled onions, Wisconsin white cheddar, and fried pickles. The cheese had a bit of a mealy texture to it, but otherwise, this was a perfect burger, with plenty of flavor and a perfect char on the outside.

At the end of the day, if you're looking for a breakfast buffet that is quick, good, and not overwhelming to the senses or the wallet, Weber Grill is a great option. But if you're looking to satisfy your carnivorous cravings, get there after 11:00 and order from the lunch menu instead.

I was given parts of my meal free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Postcards from Bunny: Pangea Nutrition and GIVEAWAY!

Ingredients delivered by Amazon Fresh

"Where on earth has Bunny been?" we hear you cry, and it's an understandable query, seeing as how she has been mysteriously absent almost this entire year. The truth is Bunny went deep underground late last year, to a place where social media dared not tread. And we mean "deep underground" quite literally, as Bunny has spent the last several months living in the deepest caverns of Spain, Italy, Greece, and all along the Mediterranean, helping her beloved Benedict research the fossils of all the ancient animals that once called them home. "I did start to miss sunlight after a little while," Bunny giggles, "But I don't think I've ever slept better! Also, being so far down that none of my electronic devices could pick up any signal certainly was a blessing and a curse. On the one side, I didn't have to read any distressing news or angry online rants, but I was also cut off from all my favorite food sites! The first thing I did every time we surfaced was to binge on all the delicious food I could find!"

Roasted chicken with sauteed veggies and quinoa

After a while, Bunny actually began to notice something: Even though she was gorging on piles of food as they moved across the continent, she was actually feeling better than she had in ages. She felt spry and alert and light on her feet. Why was this, she wondered, especially when upon returning to the States, she immediately began to feel sluggish and weighed down. Was it that the clean, well balanced eating habits of the people on that side of the world had had such a profound effect on her disposition?

As it turns out, many nutritionists consider the eating habits of Mediterranean people to be some of the healthiest in the world. Dr. Christos Mantzoros, a global obesity, diabetes and metabolism pioneer and Professor at Harvard Medical School, is one of those people, and that is why he recently co-founded a one of a kind meal kit delivery service called Pangea Nutrition, which takes everything about the Mediterranean way of treating food and translates it into an easy to follow guide to healthy eating.

Quinoa and radicchio salad with balsamic vinaigrette 

Bunny decided to give this service a try to see if her energy would indeed return to what it had been. The thing she appreciated right away was that she didn't need to worry about any of the meal planning. All of the ingredients for the recipes where ordered by Pangea Nutrition through Amazon Fresh and came straight to Bunny's doorstep. One week's worth of the service included recipes for three dinners and three lunches, all of which had over lapping ingredients to simplify preparation and minimize waste. All that was left was for her to prepare the meals.

The recipes Bunny received consisted of two chicken focused dinners and one salmon focused dinner, with a variety of salads for lunches and some nuts for snacking. All of the dishes were quite easy to create from the recipe cards, though they did take some time to prep. Bunny liked that there was a little bit of room in the recipes and with the ingredients she was sent to add a little more flavor here or there in order to customize the dishes to her personal taste. And because each recipe was built to feed two people, Bunny and Benedict were both able to reap the rewards of the plan.

Roasted chicken with quinoa and feta, raisins, and baby spinach

Glazed apple and arugula salad with walnuts 

Walnut crusted salmon with wilted garlicky greens

Beet and feta salad with pinto beans

Over all, Bunny loved the simplicity of Pangea Nutrition. Her one complaint was that she would have liked a little more direction when it came to breakfast. Since the plan only included instructions for snacks, lunches, and dinners, breakfast was sort of left up in the air, and as Bunny had seen first hand, there were plenty of fresh and healthy ways of enjoying a Mediterranean inspired early morning meal. Never the less, Bunny was so delighted with Pangea Nutrition that she wanted to give the chance to try it out to one of her readers!

GIVEAWAY INSTRUCTIONS: Give the Pangea Nutrition Facebook page a like, then visit the Pangea Nutrition Website to make sure Amazon Fresh delivers to your area. Finally, leave us a comment below telling us what you hope to get out of trying Pangea Nutrition (make sure you also leave something like your email address or a social media handle so we can get in touch with you if you win). We will pick a winner around noon CST on Friday June 16th. Good luck!

The writers of this blog were sent products free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Postcards from Bunny: International Lunching at Roti and Hakka Bakka

Because Bunny travels so much, she often gets attached to certain international delicacies, and then when she moves on to her next destination, finds herself craving those treasured dishes from afar.  "I can't tell you the number of times I've wanted nothing more than a hot bowl of ramen while traversing the Alps or am suddenly over taken by the desire for empanadas while sailing across the Aegean Sea," Bunny often pouts to Brandy, "It's one of the reasons I do so love Chicago, as I can pretty much find everything I'm craving somewhere in the city."

On a recent stop into Chicago for a round of holiday shopping, Bunny made a point of seeking out some of her new found favorites from around the world for lunch.  First stop was to the newly re-vamped flagship location for Roti Modern Mediterranean in Northbrook.  The restaurant, which has locations both inside the city of Chicago as well as in a few other US cities, is in the process of moving towards some more fresh, chef inspired menu options with their signature rotis (a pita stuffed with spiced and roasted meat and other toppings), salads, soups, and even beer and wine.  Bunny just loved that the concentration of the new menu had been squarely placed on using authentic Mediterranean ingredients while keeping everything healthy, fresh, and made in house where possible.  Bunny especially liked the Spicy Lamb Meatballs, which packed a surprising kick, the crunchy (and naturally gluten free) Falafel, and the absolutely delicious hummus and pita chips.  The entrees at Roti, which featured different flame grilled meats and toppings, came as the aforementioned pita sandwich, or in a rice bowl or salad.  The sides and toppings also really impressed Bunny, such as the house made rosemary pickles and Quinoa Caulifower Tabouli.  Being that such care had been put into the choosing of the ingredients (the salmon was sustainably raised, the beef grass fed, and the chicken antibiotic free) Bunny had to agree that, as their slogan put it, this was indeed "food that loves you back."  The new items on the menu are exclusive to the Northbrook location for now, but will eventually roll out into all the other Chicago locations throughout 2016, and then to every one of the 22 restaurants nationwide.

Another restaurant new to Bunny was Hakka Bakka in Lincoln Park, just a little beyond the Depaul campus on Fullerton.  This fast casual spot features a type of wrap native to Kolkata in India, the kati roll, which is made with a thin grilled flat bread and filled with meat and veggies, then a variety of sauces and house made chutneys.  Lamb and chicken were the meats on offer, which were tempting, but when Bunny saw that house-made paneer cheese was an option, she immediately opted for that.  The preparation that was suggested to Bunny was to have the thin bread layered with egg, then to dress the reshmi flavored paneer (there were three options for flavorings; the white, slightly spiced and creamy reshmi, the red and spicy tikka, or the green cilantro and mint hariyali) with onions, cucumber slices, and all four of the house made sauces.  The point of putting each of the sauces into the roll was to make each bite unique, and that they most certainly did, creating pockets of creamy, spicy, sweet, and herby sensations.  Bunny also adored the the Mango Lassi, which she could have drank gallons of, and the Marsala Fries, which had been hand cut and sprinkled with a spice mix made in house to create the perfect hybrid of Indian and American cuisine.

"Of course I could stop for lunch at some burger place or grab a cold sandwich somewhere, but why on earth would I when Chicago has options like these?" as Bunny put it, "If I ever find anyone in this city who claims to be bored by the same old food, I will personally escort them to the nearest optometrist so they can get their vision evaluated.  The world is literally all around us, and it is delicious!"

The writers of this blog were invited by the restaurants mentioned in this post to sample their wears free of charge in order to facilitate the writing of this post.