You may remember my friends Amy and Breyers from my last food porn blog. They are good people, and they love good food and me. In another attempt to woo me back home and cure some of my homesickness, they sent me the ultimate pictures of the infamous Southport burger. Look at this bad boy: A huge patty, cooked exactly how you want it, aged white cheddar, caramelized onions, sour cream, and a flaky toasted brioche bun.
Hea-ven. And just about the best burger I have ever had the joy of consuming. It comes with a side of homemade tater tots and a caramelized onion dip that is so good; you can often find me licking the last of it from the ramekin. When I saw this picture, I cried a little on the inside. THAT is how much I miss this burger. It comes from Southport Grocery and Cafe, a cute little store/restaurant in Chicago that has a very creative, fun menu for breakfast and lunch. They serve things like grown up pop tarts, gourmet hot dogs with three different relishes, and cupcake pancakes. This is Amy with my favorite juice in the entire world, Martinelli’s apple juice.
This stuff is just pure, unadulterated apple. You have tasted apple juice until you had a Martinelli’s. Even my cousin, who is the king of McDonald’s and refuses to drink anything but soda can appreciate this stuff. This is the steak sandwich… good, but doesn’t hold a candle to the burger.
Here is the grown up pop tart, which has fresh blueberries, mascarpone cheese, and candied nuts on the inside.
A very kick ass brekky indeed. And finally, what made Southport famous: their vanilla cupcake!
Not a cupcake alive has come close to this one, folks. Perfect ratio of frosting to cake… cake is light and airy and perfectly vanilla-y, while the frosting is a rich buttercream that plays nicely against it. It’s so good; we had these instead of cake at our wedding!
Awww, my friends really do love me. Thanks guys! I am one step closer to coming home! Reason # 567 why I have the greatest friends in the world. ~LTG
