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Dennis Lee

Contributor - Serious Eats Chicago

One thing led to another, and after a test review with the esteemed Daniel Zemans, the Serious Eats staff decided to give Dennis a crack. To this day, no one knows why. No one. Seriously, nobody.

Boy, did they regret it!

Now Dennis is the mastermind behind the Lunch in the Loop weekly feature, along with as many shenanigans he can pull off before he gets in any real trouble...that you know of.

Location: Chicago
Favorite foods: Pretty much anything that'll fit into his mouth. And if it doesn't fit into his mouth, get a hammer, and we'll make it fit. That's the "royal we."
Last bite on earth: His aunt's famous kimchi. Or, maybe avocado. Steak? Does bourbon count as a bite of food?

Comments

How to Make a Killer Fully Loaded Iceberg Wedge Salad

I ran an entire wedge salad through my juicer along with the rest of a whole surf and turf meal including the steak and lobster. Wedge salads juice well. A little TOO well.

Think Inside the Bun: How to Make Your Own Taco Bell Cemita

Max, this feels like something I would have thought up. Oh man. Ya'll crazy!

Why You Should Turn Your Taco Night Into Puffy Taco Night

Josh, how long do the puffy shells stay crisp? If you're making a batch of them do they eventually get soggy and does that mean you have to eat them immediately? Also, hi.

Cheese Sauce for Cheese Fries and Nachos

Kenji, I made Josh's beer variation twice. I just can't get the graininess to go away. No idea why it won't emulsify properly; I've read the comments and am wondering if you've got an official idea on how to fix it? I'm obsessed with it because I'm so damn close to getting it rjg

The Glorious Return of French Toast Crunch

I meant, I'm dead. Because I laughed. That sounded really creepy. I'm sorry.

Leandra, you need to write every day. Dead.

How to Make Halloween Witch Finger Cookies That Actually Bleed

I LOVE THIS.

An Introduction to the Spicy, Funky World of Korean Soups and Stews

Don't forget boshintang.

Just kidding. You don't want that on this list.

The Best Korean Food in LA's Koreatown

Yes.

The food of my people.

Farley, you are now an honorary member. But if anyone questions you, refer them to me, and I will likely not be honored.

Every Diner Should Serve a Gyro Omelet

Well, consider me a regional expert then (not really)! They make very good hangover food. Seems so normal to me that I never thought of it as regional.

If you use the Google search string: Gyros Omelet Chicago or (omelette), you'll get a huge list and that's probably not even all of them.

Max!

I know you're a very long way from Chicago, but I'd say about at least a 1/2 of the diners/greasy spoons around here serve gyro omelets. Likely more. Omelette. Whichever spelling. I didn't realize it was kind of a novelty for you guys! They are delicious and terrible for you.

So You Like Flavor? Don't Soak Your Black Beans!

I laughed, I cried, I learned. Did you eventually tell Adri what you were up to, or were you trying to keep the mystique alive?

I will pass the soaking thing onto our chef. At our office, we tend to prefer the quick-soak (I'm wondering how it compares to this), so I'm wondering if that is any different.

Mul Naengmyun: The Cold Korean Noodle Soup Perfect for Summer

@Daniel Try buying a kit in the refrigerated section, complete with broth and stuff. That's how I'm used to it tasting. There is a lot of MSG and base, @joonjoon is correct. That being said, it's tasty as hell, but I do like MSG and I'm not ashamed of it!

This is perfect - I grew up eating mul naengmyun. My mom would make it for me (sometimes from a kit, which is still pretty good, but heavy on MSG). The mustard oil is key. I really like the hard-boiled egg too, cut in half.

You can choke on buckwheat noodles if you aren't careful, I'm speaking from experience, so you may want to go the Korean route and use scissors to get a few cuts in there to make the noodles a little shorter.

Along with the mul naengmyun, we also had a cold kimchi called mul kimchi (translates to "water kimchi," just like mul naengmyun is "water naengmyun") which is a thinly sliced radish kimchi that has a cold vinegary broth that is sweet and really tangy, and is served ice-cold. Even if you don't have air conditioning, these dishes will cool you off.

So You Want to Pitch a Food Article? What to Do (and Avoid)

Hmm. Is now a good time to tell everyone how I was able to join as a contributor? Maybe not. I did everything the exact wrong way.

This Week at Serious Eats World Headquarters

Hi Irene- I'm still here. I'm working on some stuff, but it's been a little slow since I got a new job. I haven't gone anywhere, I've just gotten quiet.

Our Top 10 Burgers in Atlanta

Dude, Todd. I trust you on this because you're awesome, but man, that buffalo burger scares the shit out of me. It looks scary! I don't know why. I remember feeling that way when you wrote your original piece on the thing.

I'd try it...but I think I'd need someone to hold my hand.

Essential Tex-Mex: How to Make Cheese Enchiladas With Red Chili Gravy

HEY! I'll have you know, Nick, I watch infomercials in my undies all the time!

...I guess that explains a lot more about me than I realized.

I hate this! Ugh. NO ROBYN.

No. EEEYAAAAH

How Katz's Deli Makes Their Perfect Pastrami

Kenji's comment is also cracking me up.

Manner Matters: The Finer Points of Eating With Your Hands

Thanks for the advice, guys. I do the same thing with guacamole at parties, but sometimes people frown at me. I think they don't like to see the second-degree burns on my hands after I eat devastatingly hot stew.

I was trying to think of foods I would need to eat with my whole hand. I could only think of a giant turkey leg. Then I imagined myself taking an entire fistful of scalding hot beef stew and trying to shove the entire mess into my face at once.

The Wok Mon Converts Your Home Burner Into a Wok Range. For Real.

Finally a burner add-on that I can use to forge the mighty Andúril and destroy Sauron with, once and for all! I can also use it to make authentic stir-fry dishes!

Thou shall not pass!!!

How to Make Chicago-Style Italian Beef at Home

@Lacey Hi! Sure, I meant that just the beef part would be cooked via sous-vide and then use the jus that Nick made. I'd imagine it would taste better if it was roasted at high heat in the oven for color on the outside, but only quickly, so it doesn't all turn gray and tough.

I realize that not everybody has sous vide machines (I don't have mine yet!) but it would be a fun thing for me to try later.

I got in on the super cheap sous-vide thing that Kenji posted up a while back, the Anova. I'm wondering if sous-vide cooking of the roast beef would work for cooking that sucka until proper. Whatcha think?