The past weekend was a non-stop parade of diverse and delicious food. Breaking it up into multiple entries doesn't do justice to the whole picture. So, here's a summary of the whole affair:

The weekend kicked off with a whole sea bass in olive oil and lemon in the rustic Greek environment of Santorini. They offered to filet it for us, but if I'm paying for a whole fish, I want the whole fish. We also had their regular Friday night braised lamb shank special, which was quite good.

On the way home, a short stop at Sweet Mandy B's where we picked up a slice of lemon cake and some banana pudding (a favorite of Ms. EC). The lemon cake was good due to tart lemon curd and rich buttercream frosting, but a little dry since it had been sitting sliced all day. The banana pudding (eaten the next day) was, in my humble opinion, just as good as pudding gets, which is just ok.

Saturday was a cooking day so I went ingredient shopping. Marketplace on Oakton was jammed with people buying stuff for Easter brunch/dinner. The legs o' lamb were flying over the meat counter faster than you could count. All I needed from them were a couple pounds of oxtail, but the lamb looked mighty nice.

I made my way to Argyle St. to pick up some curry paste that would be accompanying the oxtail in a recipe that evening. (This is not a recipe blog, but if you're interested in hearing more about the special curry, go here. My entry is about the 7th one down.) Before shopping, it was time for a light walking lunch from Ba Le Bakery. There's nothing like a roast pork Bahn Mi sandwich at Ba Le.

Next stop was a couple doors down to Thai Grocery for two different varieties of curry paste. The rest of the day was spent braising the oxtails and preparing the curry which was eaten for dinner.

Easter brunch was Indo-Pak BBQ with Vital Information, and family, on Devon (where there was no sign of Easter at all). Khan BBQ is just across Devon from Bhabi's Kitchen and always has fantastic smells coming from it. We were able to try plenty of items including an extra-rich aloo palak, nicely spiced bihari kebab, surprisingly complex seekh kebab, a couple chicken dishes, naan, and parantha. The food was fantastic and fresh. The atmosphere is simple but you can't beat the price: four adults, three children, all stuffed for just over $30 (+ tip).

After a long Sunday afternoon nap, I could think of no better way to end the weekend than with a little fusion. The leftover Santorini lamb from Friday night found its way into Saturday's curry, which was looking for a little meat to replace the devoured oxtails.

Looking back, there's no better way to sum up the weekend then with the smiling face of Khan BBQ's bread guy:

Check out...

...Santorini for fresh seafood in Greektown at 800 W. Adams, 312-829-8820, Complementary valet.

...Sweet Mandy B's for old fashioned desserts at 1208 W. Webster, 773-244-1174.

...Ba Le Bakery for a fantastic array of Bahn Mi and French-Vietnamese foods at 5018 N. Broadway,
773-561-4424.

...Thai Grocery for all your Thai home-cooking needs at 5014 N. Broadway, 773-561-5345.

...Khan BBQ for Indian and Pakistani grilled meats at 2262 W. Devon Ave. 773-274-8600.