KYOTO

CUSTOM CHI-TOWN VANS

Pair of custom VANS (White VANS) “OFF THE WALL” with the Chicago skyline on the front and the Chicago logo on the back.

I really liked wearing these, but they did not last. I used the wrong type of paint, and after a while it began to crack and chip. Too bad…

JAPAN MiSC

TOKYO SPRiNG

YAKiSOBA – 焼きそば

Yakisoba (焼きそば) is a Japanese dish that literary translates to fried-noodles. However, the name is a bit deceptive as the noodles are made from wheat flour and eggs, while traditional soba noodles are made from buckwheat. Nonetheless, yakisoba is a popular fast food in Japan, and is often sold by street vendors. It can be found during most festivals at stalls being stir-fried on large flat-top grills with double spatulas.

COOKING DIRECTIONS:

• Yakisoba is delicious and easy to cook. However, the challenge is to not overcook the beef, making it tough & stringy.
• Begin by slicing the onion into half circles, the cabbage into thin slices, and the carrots into thin strips. The easiest way to shred the carrot is to use a peeler to slice it thinly, then dice it into long pieces.
• Next, heat a tablespoon of canola oil to medium-low heat, then add the carrots & onions.
  

• After the onion and the carrots are cooked, raise the heat to medium-high and add the beef (or other meat). If you are adding garlic or ginger, add it with the beef or just after.

• Just as the beef is cooking through, mix in the yakisoba sauce.
• Add (cooked) noodles, and top off the skillet with the cabbage and the sprouts. Pour in a little water, soy sauce, and mirin over the cabbage and cover the skillet. Do not mix. Lower the heat to medium and wait about five minutes.
• Uncover and stir-fry until the liquids evaporate.

MR. GREEK’S ITALiAN BEEF

Chicago’s Italian Beefs:

Mr. Greek’s

Location:

Mr. Greek Gyros

234 S. Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 906-8731

Includes:

Italian Sweet Peppers
Giardiniera (Hot Peppers)

Price:

$5.05

Review:

Mr. Greek’s Italian Beef is among the biggest in the city. It was so big that I was forced to tackle it with a fork after failing to get the entire thing in my mouth and not on my face. After eating more than half the beef, it finally became the same size as many of the other Italian Beefs around the city. Overall, it was good and more than satisfying. The only thing missing was a little extra kick in flavor, but that’s just a personal preference.

Rating:

SMOKiNG FROGGY

Hand drawn with my trusty Pigma Microns (#01 & 05) and a ton of Sharpie Permanent Markers on the back of a clipboard.

Based on the ‘Opticz Smoking Froggy Blacklight Reactive Tapestry‘

ATOMiC CHICKEN

One of the main characters in one my fictional stories about the post apocalyptic world called “Earth-Atomos”. Drawn in pencil by hand. The lead was softer than I prefer and I was unable to make the shading as clean as I like.

In a post apocalyptic world, men is an endangered species. While pets and other furry creatures of the 21st century roam the lands. However, these  once harmless critters have been transformed by radiation and the industrial waste of old to dominated the food chain.

The “Atomic Chickens” are one of the deadliest creatures on Earth-Atomos. They stand 3-5 meters tall, shoot a mild laser from their eyes, and can glide short distances. While their beaks cover their receding rows of razor sharp teeth.

BLACKiE’S OLIVE BURGER

Chicago’s Burgers:

Blackie’s Oliveburger

Location:

Boston Blackie’s

164 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 938-8700

Includes:

Pimiento Olives
Cheese
Tomato
Lettuce
Pickle
Coleslaw

Price:

$8.49

Review:

Blackie’s burgers are big, but lacking in flavor. I should have ordered extra-well-done to bring them out of the beef a little more. Also, I didn’t choose the best toppings. I’m not a fan of mayo on a burger, but I think that mayo would have really complemented the olives. Finally, cheddar wasn’t the best choice of cheese here. Provolone or Swiss would have definitely made this burger better. As it was, this burger was at best so-so. On a side note, the coleslaw was actually quite good.

Rating:

DON QUiXOTE DE LA MANCHA

This is not my first attempt at drawing the Don, but it is a version I’m happy with. As usual, I used my trusty Pigma Microns (#01 & 05) to do this (and all) ink drawing.

The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha is a novel written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Don Quixote is the most influential work of literature to emerge from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. Don Quixote is a middle-aged gentleman from the region of La Mancha in central Spain. Obsessed with the chivalrous ideals touted in books he has read, he decides to take up his lance and sword to defend the helpless and destroy the wicked. After a first failed adventure, he sets out on a second one with a somewhat befuddled laborer named Sancho Panza, whom he has persuaded to accompany him as his faithful squire. In return for Sancho’s services, Don Quixote promises to make Sancho the wealthy governor of an isle. On his horse, Rocinante, a barn nag well past his prime, Don Quixote rides the roads of Spain in search of glory and grand adventure. He gives up food, shelter, and comfort, all in the name of a peasant woman, Dulcinea del Toboso, whom he envisions as a princess.

SOURCE: Sparknotes