Happy first day of March! This week has everything: two tornadoes, nice weather today, and possibly snow on Friday. This week also marks my third year as Smile Politely’s Food + Drink Editor. Three years ago, just days before everything shut down, I wrote my very first article: Five things to eat or drink in C-U: March 2020. Then restaurants had dining domes, and I was sharing which grocery stores were still open.
March will bring what it may, but one thing is for sure no matter what: we have to eat. This month, go eat all my favorites in Champaign-Urbana. These five things are my current food obsessions: a Sicilian dessert, a big ball of burrata, a tasty smashburger, phenomenal chicken wings, and an awesome sandwich-cocktail pairing.
Honey Cinnamon Cannoli︱Baldarotta’s
There’s a variety of cannoli at Baldarotta’s gelateria, but I am obsessed with the honey cinnamon cannoli ($3.50), my favorite of all five cannoli flavors. Filled to order, the cannoli was bursting with cold, fluffy ricotta that was cinnamon-flavored but not sweet. The sweetness came from the sweet, sticky ribbons of honey and the double dusting of powdered sugar and cinnamon sugar. Made in house, the cannoli shell was fresh and had a crunch like cinnamon toast. The creamy filling with the crunchy pastry shell tasted so good, and the super sugary exterior took the cannoli to the next level.
Baldarotta’s Porketta & Sicilian Sausage
300 S Broadway Ave
Urbana
T-F 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sa 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Su noon to 3 p.m.
Burrata︱Ladro Enoteca
I love cheese plates, but my favorite cheese is burrata, a soft Italian cow milk cheese with an outer casing of solid mozzarella and inside, stracciatella (fresh curd and gooey cream). In Downtown Champaign, Ladro Enoteca serves burrata ($16) on the mozzarelle part of the intimate wine bar’s menu. Served with a spoon, the burrata cheese burst easily, and the creamy stracciatella paired deliciously with the nutty flavor of the pesto. The crispy garlic garnish was insanely good, and it totally made the dish. With just a few ingredients, the simple elegance of Ladro Enoteca‘s burrata was sublime, and the appetizer was perfect to split with someone. If you’ve never had burrata, this is a great way to try it, and if you’re a burrata lover like me, you will absolutely love this.
Ladro Enoteca
1 E Main St
Champaign
Su-Th 2 to 9 p.m.
F+Sa 2 to 10 p.m.
Spicy Teriyaki Wings︱San Maru
I love chicken wings, and I really love these wings. Served piping hot from the kitchen, San Maru’s spicy chicken wings ($12.99) had crispy skin and a delicious housemade teriyaki glaze. These Korean chicken wings were very messy and so yummy. Sweet and not too spicy, the garlicky glaze covered the ten wings and then some. The pool of extra sauce was convenient for dipping the chicken, so every bite had that amazing zingy ginger and pepper flavor. The tasty, tingly spiciness increased the more I had, each wing spicier than the last. Paired with complementary radish kimchi banchan, San Maru’s spicy teriyaki wings also come in a smaller order of six wings or a larger portion of 20 wings.
Eat these chicken wings at the Korean restaurant over at The Crossing or order online for takeout.
San Maru
2504 Village Green Place
Champaign
T-Sa 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. + 4 to 8:30 p.m.
Bacon Ranch Burger with Tots︱Smith Burger Co
This beautiful bacon ranch burger ($9.75) had two meaty patties smashed thin with two slices of melted American cheese, strips of bacon, onion, and made-in-house ranch dressing. The soft bun was a little bit crispy from the grill, and the thin burger patties had a nice charred flavor. Together, the cheese and drippy ranch made a gooey combination that tasted so good, and I loved how the cheese melted into the smashed beef and crispy bacon.
Dusted with a cinnamon chipotle seasoning, the sweet potato tots ($4.50) tasted salty-sweet and stayed hot even after a drive home. If I get the tots, I’m getting the truck’s sticky marshmallow embellishment ($0.25), too. The ‘mallow sauce goes so well with the sweet potato, like a bite-sized Thanksgiving casserole. Smith Burger Co has done some extraordinary burger mash-ups with Baldarotta’s, Maize, and Ye Olde Doughnut. If you see that green food truck out in C-U, try this burger with housemade ranch this month.
Chicken Sammie and a Wabbit︱Watson’s Shack & Rail
Watson’s has other satisfying entrees on the menu like the firecracker shrimp po boy and the Du Velo, but the original fried chicken sandwich ($14) — especially with a cold drink — is my jam. Watson’s fried chicken sandwich has a battered thigh with a mighty crunch, and tanginess from a smear of herb mayo and housemade pickles offset the saltiness of the brined chicken. I particularly love this sandwich when paired with The Wabbit ($10), an adult beverage made with gin, honey, ginger, and carrot. I love the drink’s subtle carrot sweetness, and the fun cocktail pairs perfectly with the salty sammie.
Though you can’t get the cocktail at Watson’s food truck, you can get this fried chicken sandwich (with waffle fries instead of wedges) from the truck.
Watson’s Shack & Rail
211 N Neil St
Champaign
M 4 to 9 p.m.
T 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
W-Sa 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Su 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. + 4 to 9 p.m.
