The heart wants what it wants.
Same goes for the stomach.
There are some meals and drinks that are just absolutely and inexplicably swoon-worthy. And I’m not talking about that $50 steak or a top-shelf bottle of bourbon. Sometimes, it’s the cheap $1 burger at a dive bar in a college town. Or it’s a stack of pancakes at IHOP at 3:00 a.m. Whatever it is, you know you won’t be able to get it out of your head until you take a bite.
So, how far would you go for that bite?
It’s a question that’s been on my mind a lot lately.
- Take, for example, the time my friend and I were trying to figure out where to go for appetizers and drinks. She began talking about a cocktail she loved getting at a restaurant in the area. She listed several other great options of places to go, but kept circling back to that one drink at that one restaurant.
The only issue: An ex worked there. Obviously, she wasn’t too interested in running into him.
But that drink…
“Maybe you can run in first,” she suggested. “Just ask if he’s working that night.”
Stomach: 1, Heart: 0 - Or how about the time I began craving sushi from my favorite spot across the street from my apartment. I was in my pajamas, curled up and watching How I Met Your Mother on Netflix, and suddenly, all I wanted was a shrimp tempura roll.
It would have been significantly less expensive to just throw on a real outfit and walk over to pick up a carryout order. And yes, I did have some delicious home-cooked leftover pasta in my fridge.
But that tempura roll…
Well, I did what any rational, financially-savvy person would do: I ordered delivery from a place literally right outside my building.
I felt slightly ashamed when the delivery guy arrived. I swear he was trying not to laugh as I paid for dinner.
But then I took my first bite of sushi and that feeling went away.
Stomach: 1, Head: 0. - Oh, and let’s not forget the craving that just about anyone from the Chicago-area can relate to: a slice of Portillo’s chocolate fudge cake.
Every year when I returned home from college or from my job in Louisville, Portillo’s was one of the first places I would go. It wasn’t exactly close. It was at least a 30-minute drive, and I’m sure I probably passed a dozen fantastic bakeries every time.
But that cake…
Ironically, while I was living in Milwaukee, Portillo’s opened three new locations of significance: one that’s 10 minutes away from my parents’ home, and two in the Milwaukee suburbs. So wherever I went, I was blissfully surrounded by my favorite cake in the entire world.
But I worried that would change if I ever moved. So, I decided I’d need my own version of the cake to bring with me wherever I go… and then I moved to Champaign, which also has a Portillo’s location that stays open pretty late every night. So I’m set.
But just in case… I have a knockoff cupcake version of its chocolate fudge cake at the ready.


Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes
Boxed cake hack inspired by Portillo's
Ingredients
Cupcake
- 1 1/4 cup water
- 1 box Betty Crocker Devil's Food Cake Mix
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup mayonnaise
Frosting
- 1 tub Betty Crocker chocolate fudge frosting
Instructions
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Preheat oven.
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Mix all cupcake ingredients together in a bowl. Whisk until well-blended.
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Pour batter into muffin tins (with cupcake liners) and place in oven.
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Bake for roughly 15 minutes. Check to see if cupcakes are ready by inserting toothpick.
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Let cool.
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Frost cupcakes and enjoy!
What meal would you drive hours for? Comment below!