red velvet

another birthday post!

my roommate N from freshman year (whom i used to refer to as Pedro on my previous food blog hahaha) brought me a red velvet cupcake from Bennison's for my birthday! i was quite excited to try it, as i've heard many good things about their baked goods - not to mention Peet's sells them on a daily basis.

the cupcake itself was quite large, and the amount of frosting that is on top takes up about 1/4 of the height. the presentation was super cute! however, the frosting was way too sweet for my taste - way too much sugar, not enough cream cheese. i definitely think Lola's has the right idea in terms of sweetness.

the cake itself was very moist and soft, which was good, because no one likes a hard cupcake! still, i think i would've enjoyed being able to eat some frosting with each bite.

Bennison's also sells red velvet donuts! i'm quite interested in seeing how that tastes...

Bennison's Bakery
1000 Davis St.
Evanston, IL 60201

Prairie Moon

okay, so i've been kind of rubbish at keeping up with this blog. for the past month i was occupied by finals, work, and then a nice warm trip to Jamaica with J, so i haven't been too good with posting. but i'm back and i'll make up for lost time! (:

anyway, for my birthday dinner a few friends and i went to Prairie Moon, one of my favourite restaurants in Evanston.

i normally LOVE their burgers (especially the Pico Pepperjack Moon Burger.. best thing ever!), but i decided that i'd actually try one of their entrees for a change.

i got the Key Lime Margarita Shrimp Skewers ($18.95), which came with 2 shrimp skewers, tortillas, rice, sliced avocados, and salsa.

 i was surprised by the amount of food they give - it was a lot of shrimp! the only thing was that the salsa was incredibly bland...it kind of tasted like pasta sauce, actually.

the shrimp was not extremely flavourful either .. i was rather disappointed. i mean, it still tasted good, but the "key lime margarita" definitely didn't come through like i thought they would.

normally i'm pretty happy with things they serve, so i'm hoping that this was just an off day? still, i think the next time i go back i'll be sticking with the burgers - definitely a lot cheaper and less of a gamble!

Prairie Moon
1502 Sherman Ave.
Evanston, IL 60201

Tapas Barcelona (in America)

i made the distinction because i actually have pictures from REAL tapas from Barcelona as well! that is a post that will come later this week, i think..

anyway, this tapas place is located right next to the Northwestern campus, so it's rather convenient to go to for a quick Spanish meal. i last came here in summer 2009, and i think my friend and i nearly cleaned the entire place out. the waitress was quite surprised by how much we ordered! i think we were just starving, and everything on the menu looked super appealing at the time.