Categories
Dublin Dining

Dublin Dining: Beef brisket sandwich, Green Bench Café

Dublin Dining chronicles my food & drink experiences during six months living in Dublin, Ireland.

Brisket sandwich, Green Bench Cafe
Sandwich with spicy slow-cooked beef brisket, avocado, tomato relish, coleslaw, and mixed baby leaves

I’ve been hearing rave reviews of Green Bench sandwiches for weeks now – the queue outside at lunchtime is supposedly one of the longest in the city. This week, I was fortunate enough to be included in a group order picked up by someone else, so my extraordinary lunch came queue-free. A generous pile of shredded beef brisket anchored the sandwich, with just a touch of heat in its marinade, and the coleslaw was a crunchy foil to the tender meat. Avocado and tomato relish are already two staples in my Irish diet, so they were welcome additions. I was prepared for the sandwich to be rather messy, but the well-toasted bread somehow held up to the all the fillings.

The details: Green Bench Café, 18 Montague St., Dublin 2, Ireland.

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Categories
Best Bites Chicago

2014 Best Bite #29: The Grill Club, Standard Market Grill

For the third year in a row, I’m using each day in December to celebrate the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2014, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at year-end Best Bites from 2012 and 2013.

The Grill Club, Standard Market Grill
The Grill Club with brie cheese, toasted everything bagel, shaved turkey, avocado, oven-roasted tomato, bacon, and honey mustard

Why it’s another 2014 Best Bite: This sandwich came as sustenance after a few hours of walking around BrewLights at the Lincoln Park Zoo (holiday beer samples in conjunction with the zoo’s annual light display). It was the little lavish details that made it go above and beyond a typical club sandwich: brie cheese, roasted tomato, avocado, and of course a toasted everything bagel instead of bread. A side of top-notch sweet potato fries also didn’t hurt.

The details: Standard Market Grill, 444 W. Fullerton Pkwy., Chicago.

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Categories
Best Bites Chicago

2012 Best Bite #16: Ensalada Azteca, Native Foods Café

Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.

Ensalada Azteca
Ensalada Azteca

Why it’s a Best Bite: This is my idea of a salad: a bowl packed with bright, healthy ingredients – jicama, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, currants, and avocado, to name a few – that add diverse textures in addition to their flavors, and a punchy dressing – mango-lime vinaigrette – that brings it all together. The second time I ate this salad over the summer was after a beach volleyball game, and it was just the right way to refuel. View the recipe on the restaurant’s blog.

The details: Native Foods Café, 1484 N Milwaukee Ave. and 1023 W Belmont Ave., Chicago.