Author Archives: Nik Bronder

Chinese New Year Parade


Yesterday Julie and I headed down to Chinatown for the annual Chinese New Year Parade which this year celebrated the 100th anniversary of Chicago’s Chinatown. We weren’t sure what to expect but there was a huge crowd with the parade running through the center of Chinatown. The parade kicked off with a large fireworks display and then marching began. There were dragons, floats and high school bands as well all the elementary schools in the area. We managed to get a good spot about halfway down the route and once the parade began there wasn’t anything keeping the crowd from creeping into the street. No barriers, nothing.

Side Notes:

* Leave it to the Irish to march on a Chinese New Year Day parade.  The Shannon Rovers pipe band was out in full force.
** The rest of the my photographs are on Flickr.

Pig Roast at The Southern

Chef Cary Taylor
Today I headed over to The Southern to partake in their weekly Pig Roast.  All through January The Southern has been doing Pig Roasts at 3pm each Saturday. For $12 you get all you can eat roasted pork and sides until it’s gone.  For a winter day with 6 inches of snow on the ground it was a great crowd and quite possibly the best deal in town.  The setup was great, they pushed together two hightop tables and Chef Cary Taylor carved the Pig as everyone in the bar formed a line.  The bartender said last week had a bigger crowd (less snow) but it seemed like everyone had a chance for a seconds.

I can’t stress how amazing this was for only $12.

Pig Roast at The SouthernPig Roast at the Southern

Side Notes:
* Julie and I stopped by The Southern on Wednesday night for some live music and that’s how we found out about the Pig Roast. That night I had the Fried Chicken Dinner and it was also great.
** The Southern will do a pig roast to order for groups of 10 or more. I’m looking for 10 people right now.
*** The rest of my photographs can be found on Flickr.

New Years Eve 2012


We decided to stay in for New Years Eve with a couple friends and I made a valiant attempt at cooking a Prime Rib Roast we picked up at Paulina Meat Market. Long story short, it worked out pretty well. I think it could have been a little less done but nonetheless it was good.

Roughly following this recipe I set the 6 lb. roast out to rest for about 3 hours, then preheated the oven to 500°F. The roast was rubbed with kosher salt, pepper and butter on the sides and then put it in the oven. The roast sears at 500°F for about 15 minutes and then finished at 325°F for about an hour and a half.  I let the roast rest for about half an hour and then carved away.

Side Note:
Brownies and Ice Cream with Jameson Caramel Sauce
* We also made a Jameson caramel sauce to pour over brownies and ice cream.