Hungry Z, Grand Overview

When choosing a place to dine you can go for simple or you can choose something fun! From the minute you step inside Salsa 17 you know you are in for a good time. Lavishly decorated walls and high ceilings set the stage for an evening of good food and fun. So grab some friends and enjoy the ride!

The fun starts with an extremely knowledgeable staff that knows each menu item inside and out. The first thing you must try is the guacamole. Why? Prepared tableside, this super fresh dip can be catered to your liking. More garlic or less jalapeño, no problem!

How about ceviche prepared tableside as well? Yup, fresh scallops were incorporated with onion, cilantro, honeydew, and cantaloupe for a super fresh taste experience! Want more tableside fun? Many of their margaritas are actually shaken and poured right at your table!

Our main course was actually prepared in the kitchen but did not disappoint. A steaming plate of chicken tamales brings an intoxicating aroma to the table and its wonderful textures leave your mouth smiling. While they certainly have tacos and burritos, a wise choice would be to sink your teeth into the “Arrachera Chalco.” This super tender skirt steak cuts and tastes like a much more expensive cut of meat. It is topped with poblanos, onions, salsa, queso anejo, and is just wonderful.

Life isn’t complete without dessert and leaving without is simply not allowed. Mexican fried ice cream is a nice choice with its crisp cereal crust and creamy vanilla ice cream center. The true delight was the espresso flavored flan. Not overly sweet, this flavorful custard had the perfect texture!

Prices range from $10 all the way up to $23 for entrees, so how much you spend is entirely up to you. Overall Salsa 17 offers wonderful food, knowledgeable service, and fun atmosphere for average to above average prices. Rating *** out of ****.

Location

17 Campbell St

Arlington Heights, IL

(847)590-1122

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Now that it is summer time, we really have to search hard for a good excuse to not be working out and eating right. This is the time of the lake front runners, the marathon madness, and an endless choice of summer sports. The idea is to just do something. I think one way to really get going is to set a goal. I really believe that over 50% of marathon runners are only running the marathon because they needed a goal in order to get in shape. If that works for them, then great! Setting a goal is a great way to give us something to work towards. This goal could be a race, a goal in the gym, or a weight loss goal. It doesn’t really matter, what matters most is that we stick to it and achieve it. When we stick to our goals and see success we learn to trust ourselves. We learn that we can achieve what we set out to do. This in turn gives us positive self image. And let’s face it, most of us are so hard on ourselves that we could use some good reinforcement. There are some important things to think about when setting goals. First, you need to make the goal achievable. So like losing 10 pounds is a better goal than 30 pounds. Although it may be true that you need to lose 30 pounds, its going to be tough to see fast enough results to stay motivated. Second, set yourself up for success and not failure. For instance, my clients always want to set a goal of working out every day. This is bound to create failure and disappointment leading to quitting. If they would instead set a goal of 4 days a week, this is more achievable. Then if you get in a few extra days, now you can celebrate a good week! Although in both instances you may have worked out the same amount of days, one way you feel like a failure and one way you feel like a success. Third, be ready to work hard. Goals shouldn’t have to be super easy to achieve. Be ready to be disciplined and have to sacrifice a little bit here and there. This is good for us! Fourth, have compassion for yourself. If you mess up forgive yourself and move on. Don’t yell at yourself and make yourself feel like a loser and decide it’s all crap anyway, and quit. Stand up brush yourself off and re-motivate. You can do it. You can achieve your goal. Move on and remember you’re human, and humans are never perfect. Keep going and tell yourself that even if it takes you 100 tries you will make it. If you don’t believe in yourself no one else will!

Hungry Z, Grand Overview

Seasons change, people change, and so do their taste buds. Ever notice how certain times of the year get you craving certain foods? The folks at Seasons 52 in Schaumburg understand that and have put forth a menu influenced by the four seasons. Each of the four seasons gets its own menu in order to keep the menu fresh. So what’s with the 52? Each week the chef has a new list of specials to tantalize diner’s taste buds and to flex his creative muscle.

Located in the old Bennigan’s in Schaumburg, Seasons 52 is one “BIG” restaurant! Even with its large size the noise level is quite low, giving the place a very intimate feel. First order of the night was the spicy chipotle shrimp flatbread. The crisp and chewy crust is topped with creamy feta, tender shrimp, and a sweet yet spicy chipotle sauce. This was so good that I was tempted to order another! Next up was the goat cheese ravioli. This rich ravioli was filled with delicious goat cheese but was unfortunately over cooked and a bit soggy.

Let’s talk about the main course now. Caramelized sea scallops were the top choice tonight. Grilled scallops were fork tender and nestled on a bed of sun dried tomato pearl pasta and roasted asparagus. The other selection was the wood roasted pork tenderloin. Tender yet under seasoned slices of pork lay on top of creamy polenta, cremini mushrooms, and topped with a sherry glaze. While still a solid choice, the flavor failed to match that of the scallops.

When it comes to dessert, that’s something you need to make room for. How much room is entirely up to you. Desserts here are served in shot glasses and are great for just a taste of something sweet or for a fun dessert “flight”. Sure I tried all 8 desserts available and of course I had a few favorites. The carrot cake was moist and thankfully not too sweet. The key lime pie was refreshing and balanced the sweet and tart flavors wonderfully.

Want to know a secret about every dish I just mentioned? Not one of them had more than 475 calories! These “lighter” not “smaller” dishes were actually quite satisfying and left me feeling rather comfortable at the end of the meal. Overall Seasons 52 offers tasty food, reasonable prices (most dishes under $20), and a guilt free feeling.

Rating ** and ½ (Good) out of ****.

 Check out all of Hungry Z’s reviews at HungryZ.com

Location
1770 East Higgins Rd
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Phone: (847) 517-5252
Fax: (847) 517-4452

According to foreclosure-tracking firm RealtyTrac.com, bank repossessions reached record levels for the second straight month in May, topping 93,000 properties nationwide.

As compared to May 2009, all 50 states now show an increase in annual REO activity.

Data like that won’t surprise today’s active home buyers in Chicago. Foreclosed homes are prevalent, available and accounted for one-third of all home resales made in April.

Furthermore, total foreclosure actions — the sum of REO, default notices, and foreclosure auctions in May — topped 300,000 for the 15th straight month.

Foreclosures remain a huge influence on the housing market.

However, two interesting trends emerged in the data:

1.9 of the top 10 metro areas for foreclosure posted annual activity decreases
2.Each of the top 4 states for Foreclosures per Household posted annual activity decreases
We can infer, therefore, that foreclosure activity may be in permanent decline in the areas hardest hit through 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2010, the data shows, foreclosures are waning.

This is reason for optimism — especially as FHA delinquencies slow nationwide. As fewer homeowners go delinquent, the pace of foreclosures will slow further and that should help boost home values on every block in the country.

If you’ve been considered bank-owned homes for your own purchase, give a look at the RealtyTrac foreclosure report. It’s provides insight on a state-by-state level, and in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas.

Then, to complement your research, talk to your real estate advisor about the foreclosure market and what opportunities may exist. Competition for bank-owned homes can be fierce at times, but there’s plenty of “deals” out there.

You just have to know where to look.

The Consumer Confidence Index is rising, a potentially double-edged sword for residents of Chicago and for Americans, in general.

According to The Conference Board, economic confidence is as high as it’s been since August 2007 — 4 months before the start of the recession. Americans are optimistic again.

Confidence matters to the economy because as confidence increases, in theory, consumer spending follows. Consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of the U.S. economy.

It’s why Wall Street is responsive to confidence data.

When consumer confidence is rising, households start to make big-ticket purchases they may have otherwise put off indefinitely. Maybe it’s a replacing old appliances; or, trading in an old automobiles; or, splurging on a vacation.

Rising confidence can also spur real estate sales.

When confidence is rising, a growing family that chose to “make do” in their 3-bedroom, 1.5-bathroom starter home may opt to move-up to a 4-bedroom, 3-bath instead at a slightly higher monthly carrying cost. And there are families in every city in every state making those same decisions.

As a result, the housing market gets a boost — especially in the mid-to-upper price ranges. Values rise on higher demand for homes.

The downside is that growing confidence tends to push conforming and FHA mortgage rates up. This is because an expanding economy draws investment dollars away from bonds and into stocks — including mortgage bonds.

The reduced demand for mortgage-backed bonds leads bond prices to fall and mortgage rates to rise. Sometimes by a little, sometimes by lot.

So, if you’re buying a home or thinking of a refinance, rising confidence in the economy may be a signal to act sooner rather than later. Talk to your real estate agent and/or your loan officer about next steps and get your plan in place.

Hungry Z, Grand Overview

No matter where in the world you are these days you will find pizza! Let’s face it though, we do it best. Chicagoans don’t just like pizza, we LOVE it! The casual pizza eater buys a slice every once in a while. Someone who likes pizza gets a pie delivered or occasionally goes out for some. But for those of us who love pizza, dream pizza, are generally fanatical about pizza, then Chicago Pizza Tours is for you. Read more »

The supply of newly-built homes for sales plummeted in April, a positive indicator for the Chicago housing market as we head into the summer months.

It’s no wonder that homebuilders are breaking new ground at the fastest clip in 2 years.

At the current sales pace, the nation’s complete supply of new homes would be sold in just 5 month’s time. That’s more than double the pace of a year ago.

Also, as more good news, in terms of total housing units, the government reports that New Home Sales topped one half-million homes sold for the first time since May 2008.

It’s a similar spike as within the Existing Home Sales data released earlier this week.

But before we declare the housing market “repaired in full”, we have to consider a few of the reasons why home sales are charting so strongly. Read more »

Now that its summer, we need to think about dropping our winter eating habits and embracing a summer philosophy. Summer eating should not be the same as winter eating. For one thing, the seasonal foods are way different. We need to be thinking about what’s in season now. The best way to know this is by shopping at farmer’s markets. I know it seems like more effort to go to a farmer’s market when your local grocery store is on the way home from work. Trust me, you’ll be so happy you made the effort! The produce is so fresh and smells like food should. You know it’s organic and it hasn’t been sprayed 20 times with waxes to make sure it didn’t rot by time it got here from some place far far away. Why in the world should we buy Mexican tomatoes when we can grow them locally? Read more »

HungryZ, Grandoverview

Do you like to try new foods? How adventurous are you? In the food world sometimes the oddest sounding combinations produce some fantastic flavors. Gourmet burgers are very much in vogue now but how about gourmet ice cream/gelato? Gelato is actually a wonderful canvas for the creative mind, so when the Food Network calls for a collaboration, you listen.

Bob Blumer, celebrity chef and host of the hit show Glutton for Punishment, which airs on the Food Network, called on Cristiana Ginatta, co-founder of Paciugo Gelato & Café, to help develop a collection of flavors for the popular 2009 Austin Ice Cream Festival. Their collaboration resulted in four unique flavors, including the Ice Cream Festival’s Best in Class award winner, Maple Bacon Crunch. The wacky culinary combinations and successful teamwork with Blumer inspired Ginatta to roll out the flavors as gelato in all Paciugo locations. 

So what are all these new flavors and should you try them? Read more »

A personal trainer friend and I got talking about getting results in the gym. We were talking about the difference of going through a motion and actually contracting your muscle through the motion. I know this may sound a little weird, of course I contract a muscle or how could I get the motion, right? Not necessarily. Let’s take bicep curls for example. It’s a very different experience to lift the dumbbells 20 times or to actively contract the bicep muscle very hard, hard enough to raise the weight towards your shoulder. Probably the most ignored in this department is the abs. I see people doing 30, 40, 50 sit ups with no problem. Um, problem. I doubt that they were even contracting their ab muscles. Try this. Lay down on your back with your knees bent. Hands behind your head, elbows back even with your ears, eyes on the ceiling. Now, contract your abs muscles really hard, now keep contracting them harder until you can use them to raise your shoulder off the floor. Keep your elbows back and your eyes on the ceiling, a space between your chin and your chest. Is it hard? It should be! Try 20 of those and let me know if you feel it. You should! Or are you unable to even find how to do it? It’s not easy to purposefully contract a muscle if you’ve never done it. The difference between a good work out and a great workout is muscle contraction. The difference between some results and great results is in the muscle contraction. Next time in the gym try this with every exercise. Every exercise! See how different you feel at the end of your workout. Note, you may have to drop the weight in order to do it.