Tocino Madness

This past May, my boyfriend took me on a trip to Chicago as my birthday present!! I had only been there once before and was very anxious to head back to tour the city & see TNT.. AKA Teddy and Theresa, our friends in Chicago!

TNT :)

Chicago's architecture was breathtaking and we really had the best trip!! Teddy and Theresa took very good care of us... we biked ALL over of Chicago, went to a White Sox game, shopped along Magnificent Mile, and tried all the Chicago food specialties :)

Deep Dish 

Italian Beef

Chicago Dog

I was really pleased with all the food. The Italian Beef was my favorite... the meat was thin similar to that of cheesesteaks and was very juicy! The hot dog had a lot of fixings, (yellow mustard, tomatoes, raw onions, a WHOLE pickle, relish, celery seed, & pickled peppers), which made for a more enjoyable dog :)! I was intrigued the most by Chicago pizza and after trying it I think I still like my thin NY style pizza more. It was so heavy that I could only have one slice, but the variety of toppings were really yummy! 

Even after eating all this food, I left Chicago with a hankering for one item only. It was not a typical dish from Chicago and I also had never heard of it before. This food item was called Tocino. Theresa is Filipino and introduced us to one of the best breakfasts of our lives, Filipino Breakfast!!!! YES it was that good :) This place in Chicago is called Uncle Mike's. http://www.unclemikesplace.com/ They serve both traditional American AND Filipino breakfast. I ordered Tocino, along with Teddy and Theresa, and Greg got the combo which is the sausage and pork. 

Filipino Breakfast Items

My Tocino mmmm!

Uncle Mike's Tocino breakfast includes: cured pork, garlic rice with 2 fried eggs on top, pico de gallo style side dish in vinegar, & rice pudding! The pork paired with the fresh tomatoes in vinegar was surprisingly addicting. I think what I favored most was breaking my eggs over the rice and then having a bite of egg, rice, and pork! MMMMM! The rice was so garlicky and the mixture of every ingredient made my taste buds aching for more! This is a must while in the Chicago area!!!!

Thank you Teddy and Theresa for an amazing time, can't wait to see you soon! And lastly but most importantly, thank you Greg for a truly perfect birthday present :)!!

Trying to fit in with our Chicago shirts <3