International House of Pancake

We woke up at 4am on SUNDAY as we had a plan to take a romantic walk at the beach and enjoy the beautiful sunrise. As far as we know, there were not much restaurants operated 24 hours around our areas. So, we decided to go to IHOP for breakfast before we went to downtown.

We were the only guess in the restaurant when we first entered. We could only see two employees in the restaurant. One of them was vacuuming the floor and the other one seated us.

We ordered a coffee to stimulate our wakefulness.

Eric had the traditional breakfast. It’s called International Passport. There were two eggs, two bacon strips, two pork sausage links and choice of pancake. He ordered this as it sounded like their signature breakfast. “IHOP - International house of Pancake”.

I had the Chicken Florentine Crepes. It’s a chicken breast strips sautéed with fresh spinach, mushrooms and onions in light seasonings. Rolled inside two delicate crepes with Swiss cheese and topped with rich hollandaise.

We were totally disappointed by the food’s appearance and taste. This restaurant really needed improvement in every area. After breakfast, we started to become sleepy. So, we drove all the way back home and continued our dream. Mission failure! :-)

By the way, I missed the IHOP at Forest Park, OH. We used to go there for supper when we lived there. They were great!

Fuego Mexican Grill & Margarita Bar

17 W Campbell St, Arlington Heights IL 60005. www.fuegomexgrill.com

We exhaustedly waited 25 minutes to be seated after a whole day shopping at Schaumburg.

The classic interior features Mexican décor with hats, old lamp, tequila etc. The concrete fence like panel makes you feel like dining outdoor.

We started with two refreshing frozen margaritas. Wow, they have bunch of selections only on margaritas. I had the guava and Eric took the banana. Both were fruity and frosty, perfect drink for summer.

Then, the server brought us a basket of nachos and dipping sauce. We did not take the well-known guacamole for our nachos because it was too big in portion. It was tableside prepared with freshly avocado, jalapeno, tomato, onion, cilantro and lime.

We would probably come back for this on our next visit. We took a long time to learn about their menu. Not only they have an intensive menu but also 90% of their dishes are new to us. As a result, we took the server’s recommendations to have Calamari Fritos, Pechuga en Huitlacoche and Mole Poblano.

After placing order, we were served a small little cup of chicken soup. I squeezed in some fresh limejuice. It was too delicious than what I would have expected. (we immediately made this soup at home for the next day:))

The calamari was ordinary good with chipotle salsa.

I had the Mole Poblano. It was nothing exceptional than what I would expect from a Mexican mole. But, it was really good by adding some fried banana on the dish. Yum…

I love Eric’s Pechuga the most. I was not sure what was that but it tasted rich and creamy. Although it didn’t seem to have cheese or cream. Smart choice!

P/s: We reached 70% full after half basket of nachos. Therefore, half of the entrée went to the box for our next day lunch!

Hija de la Guayaba – Tequila Corralejo, tropical fruit juices and guava.
Baila Banana – Ripe banana, Tequila Cazadores and banana liqueur.
Calamari Fritos – Fried calamari served with a citrus roasted Chipotle salsa.
Pechuga en Huitlacoche – Chicken breast stuffed with sweet poblano peppers and queso Oaxaca, doused in a salsa de Huitlacoche (inky corn mushroom) Served with Chipotle mashed potatoes and sautéed vegetables.

Mole Poblano – A black sauce from Puebla, featuring toasted seeds, spices and the most talk about ingredient – Chocolate.