Leena Eats, Gourmet Communication ... Food, Travel, Gastronomy

Bobby, looking pissy his cocktail has yet to arrive, and me blissful with my hot cider.

When I first arrived home from Australia, I had one thing on my mind: brunch at my favorite restaurant in Chicago with my best pal and food twin, Bobby. You might remember it from this post. I recently moved from Chicago to California, and I knew I needed a repeat. Because when you are leaving a town that you grew up in on a quite permanent basis, one needs a great meal with a food twin. Enter Bobby (Bobert, Bobby Magoo, etc.) and Lula Cafe’s Monday night Farm House dinner. Hot damn, some bitches gonna be eating a storm up in HERE! Every Monday, Lula Cafe hosts a farm dinner, a three course, preset meal, for a mere $28 a person. On this occasion, Bobby went with the farm dinner, and I ordered off the menu. First course: soup Bobby: Pork Belly Consume

Pork belly consume @ Lula Cafe.

I believe the reviews for this soup were: hot damn! And maybe a “oh god!” in there somewhere. This was savory, smoky, and piping hot,perfect the chilly night we were hiding from. Needless to say, I was a bit sad this was NOT mine. Mine: Butternut squash and apple bisque

Butternut squash and apple bisque @ Lula.

Don’t get me wrong–this was a good soup. But compared to the highly flavorful pork belly consume, this one just didn’t pack a punch flavor-wise. I was wanting a bit more of something, perhaps acid? Who knows. Just wanted this to taste better than it did! Main course: fishies Bobby: Grilled arctic char with peeky toe crab fritters, green lentils, baby turnips, celery root, and Michigan apples

Grilled arctic char with peeky toe crab fritters, green lentils, baby turnips, celery root, and michigan apples @ Lula.

I remember both of us digging this one greatly. It was a nice balance of savory, sweet and tart flavors. Mine: fish…of some sort…maybe sea bass? trout?

Don’t remember what this was, maybe trout? But I do remember it had these kick-ass little pickled okras.

I remember I liked it, but again, not as much as the farm dinner. At this point, I was starting to think I should have gotten it! Dessert: we shared the farm dessert, which was a cherry-chocolate phyllo dough thing with cherry gelato, I think. It was SO good.

Chocolate-cherry dessert @ Lula.

Conclusion: eat here. And if you go on a Monday, odds are the farm dinner is your best bet, taste-wise and financially. Thanks to my boo, Bobby for enduring yet another dinner with me filled with delicious food and way too much flashes from my camera. ~LTG!