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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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

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.

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.

Six pizzerias are part of the tour with four of the six being visited on a given day. My journey through pizza heaven began in the loop at Pizano’s. Owned by Rudy Malnati Jr. this pizza boasts a delicious “butter” crust, fresh cheese, and a delicious sauce. Both deep dish and thin crust are top notch with the thin being the surprising sales leader. This is no walking tour so we hop on our bus and take a short drive to Hyde Park. Italian Fiesta is our next stop and it has a connection to the White House. When Michelle Obama was a little girl she used to get rewarded for good grades with a pizza from Italian Fiesta! While good, the soft crust and sweet sauce make up an ordinary slice of thin crust we’ve all had at our local pizza joint. My apologies to the first lady.

Back on the bus and off to Coal Fire in West Town. Here we find a truly unique pizza place for Chicago. Why? For starters it’s the only pizza place around that burns coal instead of wood or gas. The second reason is because your pizza cooks in 3 minutes and the last being that the crust is delicious! Crisp and chewy at the same time, this pizza is truly amazing! Two must haves are the garlic and ricotta “white” pizza and the red pepper and spicy salami ‘Farantino.”

Last stop of the day is Gino’s East in River North. Golden corn based crust is loaded with sausage and is a very filling end to our pizza journey. But the tour is more than just the pizza (gasp!), pizza is very communal so you begin to bond with your fellow tour mates. You listen and laugh at your tour guides stories about Chicago and our version of pizza.

The pizza tour runs $55 per person and includes a lot of food! If you are still hungry after this tour you probably have a tape worm (apparently I do)! Since you are on a bus, the tour does not stop due to poor weather. So come hungry and leave full as well as little educated about your favorite food, PIZZA!

For more info visit them at http://chicagopizzatours.com/

Pizzerias

Pizano’s Pizza & Pasta – Loop

www.pizanoschicago.com

Gino’s East – River North

www.ginoseast.com

Coalfire – West Town

www.coalfirechicago.com

Italian Fiesta – Hyde Park

www.italianfiestapizzeria.com

Reggio’s – University Village

www.reggios.com

Frasca – Roscoe Village

www.frascapizzeria.com

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.

The first reason is the federal homebuyer tax credit’s April 30 expiration. In order to claim up to $8,000 in tax credits, home buyers must have been in mutual contract for a property before May 1. There is no doubt this contributed to a run-up in sales, especially among first-time home buyers.

The second reason is that mortgage rates have remained exceptionally low, defying expert predictions. Low rates don’t sell homes, but they do make monthly payments easier to manage for households torn between renting or buying.

And, lastly, March and April’s new home sales may have been buoyed by aggressive discounting on behalf of homebuilders. As compared to February 2010, April’s average new home sale price was lower by 13 percent. That’s a sharp drop in a short period of time.

For now, though, homes are selling, supplies are dropping, and buyer interest is high. It’s no wonder builder confidence is soaring.

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? You should try them all to satisfy your taste for adventure and because your taste buds will thank you. First up is the Chocolate Chipotle Butter Pecan. Smooth Belgium chocolate is kicked up with chipotle peppers for some late arriving heat and topped with buttery pecans for a crunchy finish.

Roasted Banana Cashew Heath Crunch has fire roasted banana, brown sugar, salty cashews, and sweet toffee pieces for a sweet and salty delight.

The most challenging of the new flavors is the Durian. Known in Southeast Asia as the “king” of fruits, durian is large and prickly with an aroma and flavor that is best described as an acquired taste. The gelato version has thankfully toned down the pungent aroma and has a beautiful golden color, although the taste is still and acquired one. Organic Maple Caramelized Bacon is the show stopper of the group! Rich maple syrup flavor is complimented well with the smoky, salty, crunchy bacon. The bacon actually brings out the sweetness of the gelato while the crunch adds great texture.

These specialty flavors are offered at both Chicagoland Paciugo locations, but only until the end of the month. For the less adventurous Paciugo also offers a large variety of gelato and sorbet in traditional flavors. But I say be adventurous! Try these new flavors and challenge you taste buds to soar to new heights!

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

Loactions

7510 Madison St

Forest Park, IL

708-366-6080

3241 N. Broadway

Chicago, IL

773-248-8433