When you get invited to many a product launch or special event or opening, being part of the media can be pretty sweet. Just picture the event I was at last night: Have a glass of wine, listen to the nice jazz combo...and sink your teeth into the new Angus Third Pounder, McDonald's first new burger since the Big N' Tasty came on the scene in 2001.
Yep, these new burgers are a big deal to McDonald's, so they had a nice little shindig at the 23 S. Clark St. location to celebrate the addition to the menu. I got to sample all three versions of the new burger, meet the chef behind the product, and rub elbows with Ronald McDonald.
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— Jill Jaracz /
When I first spotted Taxim in Wicker Park, I noticed small and quaint tables tucked into a narrow storefront on a historic stretch of Milwaukee Avenue. The look made me think of a relaxing bistro - where you'd duck in off the street to sip a glass of wine and slowly eat a meal. But would anything on the menu be vegan? That's not a question I like to ask when I don't want to turn away. This was a place I wanted to try for its captivating appearance alone. With a little gentle asking, perhaps they'd do something vegan for me and a friend.
This was few months ago. I promptly gave Taxim a try - and then filed away my review without posting it. I'd been waiting for resolution on a simple detail - how to describe the seating in their window. It turned out to be, apparently, Turkish folding tray tables. Here are my first impressions from that April evening.
I asked what the kitchen recommended for vegan. None of the main courses on the evening I visited were vegan. Our server was quick to suggest putting together six of the meze (appetizers) from the evening's menu. There would be slight modifications, but they could easily be prepared vegan. She suggested we take two items at a time for three courses, which was more than enough food, and quite a diverse selection. One of the staff called my friend and I the "nicest vegans." What does that mean to me? Kitchens seem quite willing to accommodate, just as long as you ask nicely.
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— Chris Brunn /
Frankophiles? Franks for a franc? Cheap haute dogs? Whatever the pun, the deal's a good one: Brasserie JO, 59 W. Hubbard, is selling "French style" hot dogs -- on a baguette with mustard (presumably Dijon) -- for just a dollar between 5pm and 7pm every day in July. Why? Because July is National Hot Dog Month, and hey, why not?
It's worth noting that this is apparently not the prototypical French hot dog. According to Wikipedia's entry on hot dog variants, if you order one in France you'll get a grilled dog topped with melted cheese (usually gruyere) on a baguette, possibly with Ketcepes, a mushroom-based catsup. Sounds like it'd go well with a little wine.
— Andrew Huff /
Last week, my husband and I went to the May Street Market to take advantage of the Yelp Eats' prix fixe menu--a three-course meal for $25. As is often the case with these promos, we had to ask for the "Yelp menu," but our waiter was gracious when asked. The selection was intriguing: choosing one each from the two appetizers, four entrees and two desserts was a marginally agonizing affair though we did come out of it in one piece. I chose yellow corn veloute, smoked spring chicken and ice cream flight, my hubby fried green tomato, smoked scallops and cupcake flight.
They were all very tasty, but what stood out was the use of aromatics, unexpected and delightful. Almost every dish had a hidden perfumy surprise or two. My corn veloute (cream corn soup) was scented with orange rind, while the asparagus that came with the smoked chicken had sneaky bits of fresh mint that provided a nice contrast to the earthy, green sweetness of the asparagus. (I took mental note to steal that technique.) The refreshing mint paired surprisingly well with the meaty mushrooms (porcini?) in the same dish. Mint and mushrooms--who knew? My husband's smoked scallops sat on a bed of curried couscous, which, in itself, isn't anything new, but a little drizzle of orange-based sauce lifted the couscous to an aromatic heaven. Desserts didn't disappoint, either; my husband's cupcake flight included one that paired lavender cake with earl grey (I think) butter cream. Yum.
It was early on a Tuesday, so we shared the roomy "bistro" area with only a handful of other groups. Late afternoon sun cast a nice, warm glow on our table by the windows, while the bar sank in comforting semidarkness in the back. Toward the end of our meal, as the afternoon sun gave way to growing cloud cover, staff dimmed the lights and distributed votive candles. We watched the flickering dance of the tiny flame for a while after the meal, sipping coffee. It was a thoroughly relaxing evening with great food--we'll definitely be back.
If you missed the Yelp Eats, don't despair: May Street Market has practically extended the deal. $25 three-course dinner is available Monday through Wednesday for the time being (our waiter didn't know how long). According to him, these three days of the week will also be BYOB nights, meaning no cork fee for wines you bring in.
May Street Market
1132 W. Grand Avenue
312-421-5547
— Yu Kizawa /
Andersonville's La Tache underwent a makeover recently and reopened as La Tache Bistro and Bar. The restaurant's logo and overall design concept has changed, but the food is pretty much the same. On a recent Monday night, a $20 prix fixé menu was offered, featuring standard French fare: steak frites, bouillebaisse, crème brulée. These dishes are what La Tache continues to do best. More exotic dishes, like the walleye with pappardelle in an orange-flavored broth, were less impressive. Nevertheless, this little neighborhood bistro still oozes charm, and because of its location just off Clark on Balmoral, the outdoor sidewalk dining area is relatively quiet and serene, perfect for a warm late spring evening.
— Dana Currier /
Everyone knows that when you go to Gibson's, you should expect a meal of unbelievable proportions. Huge steaks, massive potatoes, and a dessert that can probably be shared by your entire table, and maybe even the next one over.
So when a big restaurant has a big anniversary to celebrate, they're going to do it up right.
Gibson's is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and you get to party with them for 20 days in June.
From June 10-29, the restaurant will give away one gift certificate a day worth $1,000. On the 30th, they're going all out with a $25,000 raffle and a rollback menu. One lucky prize winner will receive (pick your jaw up from the table after you've read this):
20 $200 Gift Cards
20 WR's Chicago Cuts (22 Ounce Bone-In Ribeye Steaks)
20 Bottles of Gibsons Reserve Cabernet
20 Australian Cold Water Lobster Tails (12 Ounce Tails)
You can enter the raffle at any of the Gibson Restaurant Group restaurants, and no purchase is necessary.
The rollback menu means you can get a steak for 1989 prices. That's right. A Filet Mignon for $14, a Porterhouse for $24. Dinner's already sold out, but you might still be able to nab a table for lunch.
— Jill Jaracz /
Bon Bon is a fun Wicker Park storefront cafe serving Vietnamese sandwiches. Its shelves and cooler are lined with treats and snacks like Pocky and red bean rice cakes. I took the portobello sandwich, well-seasoned, with pickled daikon, cucumber, carrot match sticks, and cilantro. I passed on the mayo. It comes on a baguette that has a nice chew inside yet a good crunch on the outside.
"I used to say I wish I didn't have to go to Argyle to eat these Vietnamese sandwiches," a friend told me, "and now I don't have to." Although she'd like to see Bon Bon do a tofu sandwich. (Apparently, the ones on Argyle are great.)
Imagine a sandwich shop with colorful chairs and walls, a nice wood floor, swivel lounging chairs, a sofa at a coffee table, and still plenty of tables to eat your sandwiches. This is the type of place I could see myself pulling out my laptop and hanging out, using the Wi-Fi for a few hours. Their coffee is strong - at least when I ordered it black - with solid chicory tones. They have receptacles to separate recycling from garbage.
Bon Bon, 2333 W. North Ave., (773) 278-5800
— Chris Brunn /
Smash Cake, the bakery named for a birthday cake meant for a one-year old to smash, had its grand-opening party on Saturday. The space has been open for about a month, offering cupcakes kids can decorate themselves, sandwiches, soup, coffee, tea and juice. As with sister store Bleeding Heart Bakery, everything is organic, and the store sells not only foodstuffs, but a lifestyle as well. At Smash Cake, there are homemade aprons covered with little skulls and crossbones for kids to wear as they decorate their cupcakes or take part in crafts activities. Similar aprons are available, in children's or grown-up sizes and fabrics, from designer Kerry Vitali. Her cards are displayed, as are the cards of other local designers and printers, along with sample party invitations, so you can plan and prepare for an indie kiddie party in one stop. Artwork is for sale as well. Currently one wall is covered with paintings by Derek Erdman, featuring bright images of neckties, ice-cream cones and school buses.
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— Lori Barrett /
Starting tonight, Spacca Napoli is open for dinner on Monday nights from 5pm to 9pm, which means you can now enjoy their Neapolitan style pizza any night of the week. They're still closed for lunch on Mondays and Tuesday, however.
— Andrew Huff /
Chef Mon Jun 01 2009
If you love amazing food, my friend, then you must eat at Hot Doug's before you die. Anthony Bourdain says so in Men's Health. Congrats to Doug Sohn for making the list alongside restaurants like The French Laundry, Katz's Deli and El Bulli.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
Holy Jebus! I just ate the best Wonton Soup of my life. This was accompanied by some life changing chicken wings and some unusually light and fluffy shrimp fried rice.
I've been having tummy issues and when my favorite internal organ isn't happy, neither am I. The one food I am able to consume, no matter how miserable my guts are, is Wonton Soup. I am convinced it has powerful healing properties. My latest slurp of this medicinal goodness was simply amazing; hence, I felt compelled to share. Likewise, I always know when I am truly sick when wine doesn't sound good. So, something is seriously awry in my belly, and rest assured I will take this up with my docs. But enough about my GI track...
Get thee to Great Sea restaurant post haste. This joint has some sublime Chinese chow. Now, I have no idea if its authentic or regional or anything like that. I just know its good. Upon first glance at the menu, its nothin special. Just your usual Chinese take out fare. But lordy lordy, the execution of these dishes really sets this place apart.
Take for example, the Wonton soup above.(Apologies all around for the crappy quality of my phone pics.) Its lightly salty, chicken-ish broth is nice, but its all the added goodies that blew my mind. Wide chinese noodles, tiny shrimp, greens, and wispy threads of egg are in generous quantity. Even the mushroom slices had real texture. Now, there are no dumplings in here per say, but who needs em when you have all the ingredients in tastier form swimming in the bowl?
Oh, and I bet you have an opinion on chicken wings. Really, who doesn't? The Spicy Sweet Chicken wings here will blow your mind. First off, they are trimmed and fried to make a lolipop is crispy chicken form. The sticky glaze is sweet and spicy as advertised and plentful, which makes for a nice drizzle on a side of white rice. Not only are these little treats unbelieveably tasty, but way less messy than you average wings or drummies. The trimmed bone as handle keeps your fingers free of sauce. Next TV viewing party I host, I'm totally ordering up a ton of these. Start angling for your invites now, or hustle to Albany Park for your own.
Great Sea
3254 W Lawrence Ave
(between Sawyer Ave & Spaulding Ave)
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 478-9129
— Christine Blumer /
There's a new place on Franklin Street across from the Sears Tower. Protein Bar lies just a few steps down from the sidewalk, in a storefront that's been carved from the face of a parking structure. It's very hard to tell that cars were, perhaps, parking in this location not long ago. The space looks bright and cheery, and with a nod perhaps to the office tower across the street, a ticker ran along the bottom of a large flat screen on the wall when I visited.
Protein Bar's offerings break down into three categories: blended drinks, savories like wraps, chili and bagels, and third, elaborate bowls of grains like oatmeal, quinoa with fresh peaches, and granola. They offer almond milk, rice milk, skim milk, soy milk and purified water as the base to their drinks. I chose soy in my Wrigley Peeled, which is a blend of chocolate, natural peanut butter, banana and ice. I asked why they don't use frozen bananas. They tried it, but didn't like the flavor as much, they told me. Perhaps it's a trade off between flavor and thickness. Although at home I'm a big fan of enough frozen bananas to make my drink achieve shake-like consistency, my drink at Protein Bar was nicely smooth, with a light chocolately flavor. They told me that many of their other drinks are thicker, however, because they use frozen fruit.
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— Chris Brunn /
Event Thu May 21 2009
This week, many Chicago restaurants may have a little extra going on in their wine offerings thanks to Riesling Week. While it may not be much more than a PR move to train the spotlight on German, Austrian and Alsatian wines just when spring is beckoning oenophiles towards Pinot Grigios and Sauvignon blancs, and everyone else towards Memorial Day Miller Lites, Riesling Week couldn't have come at a better time. The first few perfect days of spring, a participating restaurant on my way home from work...patio seating. Sold.
Located in the Affinia hotel, C-House specializes in imaginative seafood and features a nicely tiered menu of bites from the bar, appetizers, entrees, and sides -- all of which work in endless combinations to appease big and little hungers, sushi-enthusiasts and anti-raw stalwarts alike. And many of which work really nicely with the sweetness of their featured Riesling flight. Our server noted that rather than pairing each wine with a course, the chef rather intended all three to be tasted with everything we ate to see how the different flavors played off each other with each individual sip. It certainly took the concern out of ordering. We tried various combinations of bites and apps, standouts being the crab salad (wrapped up in paper thin slices of apple to create something resembling more of a candy than a summer salad), lobster club sandwich, and the seemingly grilled and freeze-dried corn kernels that accompany the very popular yellowtail fish tacos.
The wines were a relatively dry 2006 Keller Riesling Trocken from Rheinhessen, Germany; a sticky sweet 2007 Monchoff, Robert Eymael, also German and with a sweet and tart punch that made me think of mead; and a 2004 Schloss Lieser, Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr Spatlese, which was the most balanced of the three, though try ordering another one of those after you've had a few. A classic, dessert-friendly Riesling which went really nicely with the tartness of the fish tacos' pickled onions, the buttery richness of the lobster and yellowtail, and the sweetness of the crab salad. Bites at C-House start at $4, and the wine flight runs $22 through the end of this week. Zum Wohl!
— Andie Thomalla /
News Wed May 20 2009
After visiting 109 U.S. pizzerias and sampling 386 pies, GQ food critic Alan Richman deemed Great Lake pizza in Andersonville the best in the country.
Agree? Disagree?
Discuss.
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
Since moving to Chicago a year and a half ago, I have come to love Middle Eastern food and jump at any chance to further explore the cuisine. After hearing friends rave about Maza for months, I finally got around to trying it out. This was my first time trying Lebanese food and I was thrilled with the helpful service and the ease of sampling many of the items on the menu.
The restaurant is very small cozy and I immediately felt the day's tension melt away as I got settled into our candle-lit table and had a sip of the Lebanese wine that was waiting for us. The owner of the restaurant, Joe, greeted us immediately and brought us menus. It must have been obvious that we were a bit overwhelmed because he didn't hesitate to offer suggestions for first-time Lebanese diners.
At the owner's suggestion we ordered the maza (similar to tapas, maza is an array of small dishes) for two and, though we knew it would be a lot of food, were shocked when 26 little plates came out from the kitchen. First though, was the lentil soup and it may have been one of the best cups of soup I've ever had. It was the perfect way to start the evening.
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— Kaitlin Olson /
Rumors of Bennigan's demise have been greatly (or partially) exaggerated. The restaraunt chain did file for bankruptcy last summer, but some franchise owners have reopened their shops on their own. Among these newly reborn Bennigan's is the restaurant on South Michigan Avenue, across from the Art Institute and currently the only Bennigan's in the city of Chicago. On Monday, the restaurant launched a "Break Fuel" menu, a selection of wings, fried mushrooms, mini burgers and deep-fried egg rolls, or Stogies, filled with Buffalo chicken or Philly cheesesteak. It's a little surprising that all of the new menu items are fried (even the banana in the Kahlua banana-split-shot), except for the burgers, but in a slight nod to the ever-growing population of health-conscious diners, the kitchen has created a lighter batter for the chicken tenders and zucchini planks. To lure Michigan Avenue office workers, museumgoers and other sightseers, a sidewalk patio will open later in the spring; and if the weather still refuses to warm up come June, the view inside includes 22 new flat screen TVs.
— Lori Barrett /
I dream of vegan restaurants that hold their own against non-veg restaurants. My latest inherently biased vegan recommendation goes to Delicious Cafe in North Center. They're an adorable cafe with classic Chicago style "tin" ceilings, chalkboard menus, a back patio coming soon, and a floor of simple large plywood-esque squares laid on a grid angled some 45 degrees with the walls. Delicious has quite smooth coffee, from soy lattes to drip to slow brews. You can sip yours on the couch at the window by the coffee table with an old-school globe of our illustrious planet, or at a window counter or one of several small cafe tables.
My friend looked at my slice of cake, and then said something like, "it looks so fluffy. That's hard with vegan." The humming sounds that soon followed from her mouth suggested a great enjoyment in the cake. Chocolate frosting and strawberries combined with a creamy wet feel like custard, and separated three layers of tender, moist yellow cake. More chocolate frosting topped the slice, underneath chocolate chip-shaped frosting droplets.
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— Chris Brunn /
Event Wed Apr 22 2009
It's not exactly a bar crawl, as you'll ride in a trolley and make only two stops. But KDK's Trolley Crawl on Thursday, May 7, offers a chance to try two well-loved Randolph Street restaurants and two stylish South Loop spots all for $50. The tour will include stops at Marche, for a French Martini, Gruyere beignets and mushroom en croute; Opera, for Singapore Slings, dumplings and wontons; Gioco, to sample a South Side Cocktail and wild boar papardelle; and Red Light, where Mango Martinis will be accompanied by Executive Chef Jackie Shen's famous Chocolate Bag. Space is limited for the Crawl, which will start at 6:30 pm at Marche, and end across the street at Red Light. For reservations, call Marche at 312-226-8399.
— Lori Barrett /
News Mon Apr 20 2009
Alinea made the top 10 in the annual S. Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants survey sponsored by Restaurant magazine. That's not all that surprising, though -- Alinea's star has been rising steadily since it opened. What's a bit shocking is the continuing fall of Charlie Trotter's. The Lincoln Park institution has been on the list since its inception, but this year it didn't even make the top 100. This is obviously a major blow, coming on the heels of being dropped from New City's own Resto 100. As Michael Nagrant said then, "We don't dispute the fact that his Lincoln Park spot was influential in building the world-class food city we have today, but in recent years he's been a victim of his own success, as protégés and followers have gone on to provide more cost-accessible and innovative quality restaurants by watching him." Apparently that opinion is shared by many.
MenuPages Chicago has the full list of 100 for your perusal.
— Andrew Huff /
There's that food that we love, without hesitation. It just completes us. It can differ from day to day. What defines it is that it tastes perfect. We don't have to know that we're going to love it. In fact, sometimes we hesitate to order it. But when we do, we have no regrets.
A friend of mine bought into Handlebar some time ago, but I held a love for the place well before then. I sat out on the patio Friday night, inspired by the newly warm air to sip Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout from a snifter. This ten-percenter holds a smooth but deep molasses flavor with perhaps a caramel-like finish. It lends a warming mouth feel, quite possibly from the high alcohol content, that goes brilliantly with the spiciness of the wing sauce in my Buffalo 'Chicken' Wrap. This soothing feeling lingers in the most comforting of ways.
Handlebar makes the vegan wing sauce and vegan ranch dressing. The sauces combine into a perfectly creamy, but not thick, a little runny, spicy and wet coating for crunchy lettuce, juicy tomato bits, and perhaps most importantly, squares of Upton's Naturals' chicken-style seitan. These squares taste meaty, soft and tender, with just a bit of a crunch on the outside, as if they'd been lightly fried. I hadn't much use for the wrap's accompanying limp pickle. I love, however, the crispy and salty French fries that have been perfect on almost every visit. This time I went for the greens, sautéed with a fair bit of garlic for a good, hearty feel.
Handlebar has an excellent beer selection with equally grand offerings of vegan, vegetarian and some fish options, including brunch at the appropriate times. 2311 W. North Ave., (773) 384-9546. El: Blue Line to Damen/Milwaukee. Bus: 49 Western, 50 Damen, 56 Milwaukee, 72 North.
— Chris Brunn /
A couple of weeks ago some friends, Rob and Jess, were visiting from London and we were on a mission to introduce them to everything Chicago. They had been here before a few years ago but somehow didn't have a chance to try Chicago-style pizza. I usually prefer thin crust myself, but I do love Art of Pizza's deep dish. On their last night in Chicago, we ordered a pizza to go and took it over to The Ashland.
A few nights before we found ourselves at Tony's Burritos for some late night eats and Rob ordered two burritos, saying while he was in America he wanted to eat a lot of dirty American food, like Americans. So when we told him we were getting pizzas he told us, half joking, that he wanted his own pie - piled high with meat. When we got to the bar with our pizzas (a meat lovers for Rob and a veggie pizza for the rest of us) and opened the box, they couldn't believe how thick it was. Rob immediately took out a one pound coin and stood it up vertically next to the pizza and took at least a dozen pictures to show everyone in London how thick the pizza really is.
When I was in London last fall, we stayed with these friends, Rob and Jess, and there was a pizza joint just down the street from their house called "Chicago Pizza." They're no strangers to pizza but after just one bite, Rob exclaimed that he had never had pizza before this. After just two pieces, Rob was stuffed and we told him he was falling into a pizza coma. From his spot on the couch at The Ashland he laughed and said, "I like that, a pizza coma."
— Kaitlin Olson /
As the folks at Menu Pages say. Holy. Effing. Shit.
Writer's Theater sent board members and volunteers out to collect some amazing auction prizes. Trips, tickets, dinner at Alinea, etc. Sounds fantastic, and typical. Well, one of their board members is married to managing partner Nick Kokonas from Alinea. So, the world-renowned, award-winning restaraunt is auctioning off: "A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cook and host your own dinner party for six in the world-class, state-of-the-art kitchen at Alinea." Hence the Holy. Effing. Shit.
I dig a little dinner party action, no matter which side of the table I'm on. But the idea of going to Alinea having a day to prep, and then spending evening time with Nick and a chef who will help you cook and serve sounds like a culinary dream come true. And if being able to call Alinea your home kitchen for a night wasn't enough, you can also purchase wine from their cellar at a discount for the evening.
I know that my budget won't permit me to come close to winning, but if one of you win and you end up looking for a sixth person to round out the evening, I'd totally come and watch you cook.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
Rural food in India seems simple and lean. Chutney Joe's, an instruct-them-how-to-assemble-your-meal-at-the-counter type of place, just South of the Loop, doesn't claim to be rural food so far as I know, but it does remind me of that. Their Web site indicates an interest in wanting to change from "Americanized Indian food," and the chickpea masala held especially true to this on my visit. The flavors could be tighter and more mingled, but the essence feels refreshingly simple and lean.
The garbanzo masala, as they call it, isn't oil-laden like so many that I've had eating out in Chicago. It feels brothy, light and simple, and the sauce softly warmed and soothed the lining of my mouth. The chickpeas resisted my bite at first, and then crumpled without hesitation. The gobi potatoes, or cauliflower and potatoes, didn't include diced potatoes, as the online menu suggests, but instead whole, skinned, oval-shaped potatoes, as I probably would have preferred anyway. These potatoes were tender and firm, with a soft touch of oil. The cauliflower still held a bit of its snap. If you "create a meal" of it, like I did, you get your choice of basmati rice or one flat bread. I chose a soft, tender and nicely textured whole wheat flatbread that "should" be vegan, I was told (the other bread options had dairy). Other items are clearly identified as vegan on the menu, and they offer non-vegetarian and other vegetarian items, as well.
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— Chris Brunn /
Tell me that your veggie sandwich is vegan and has homemade cashew butter, and you've probably got my attention. Tell me that you plan to have vegan scones made in Evanston and baking fresh in your oven on the weekends, and I'll be back. Tell me you threw in some potato salad - it's vegan, you tell me - as you hand me my takeout, and I've already written the start of this review in my head. Birchwood Kitchen opened today with all of this in a quaint storefront on the quieter side of Wicker Park - on North Avenue, a few blocks west of Damen. The feel is warm and accessible: nicely finished wood floors, wood tables, a brick wall, windows visible front and back, and a glass display case with bowls of potato salad, green beens, olives, fruit salad and some meats in front of the open kitchen. They're into local products, including Metropolis Coffee and Co-op Image hot sauce for sale. I left with two of these cashew butter veggie sandwiches for my friend Jessica and I, who continues the story.
Tell me that you'll pick me up a sandwich when I'm exhausted after a mediocre work out, and I'm there. I arrived at Chris' home after a quick shower with a big appetite. First I cracked open a Goose Island reserve beer, and next I unveiled the "Vegetable" sandwich. A veggie sandwich tends to be pretty standard across the board. This experience was unique. The menu describes it as "spiced cashew butter, carrot, cucumber, pickled red onion, sprouts" on multi grain bread. The perks of the sandwich were the cashew butter, pickled red onion and multi grain bread. The cashew butter was dolloped on generously. The tinge of sweetness from the butter effused the veggies and created a multi-dimensional sandwich. The pickled onions gave the package its kick. Chris commented that the onions were what made the sandwich "so funky." I agree. They gave the sandwich funk, in a good way. James Brown funk. The bitter pickled flavor coupled with the sweet cashew butter couched in a hearty bread were what made the sandwich for me. I think it would have fared slightly better without the carrots - they were a bit too thick and cumbersome in the otherwise light, fanciful sandwich. Tell me they have replaced the carrots with tomatoes, and it may become a staple.
Birchwood Kitchen, 2211 W. North Ave., (773) 276-2100
(in the space formerly occupied by Cold Comfort)
By Chris Brunn and Jessica Gingold
— Jessica Gingold /
Review Mon Apr 06 2009
Formerly the 27th Ward's local Chicago Public Library branch, and even more recently closed and vacant for ages, Branch 27 has brought new life to the corner of Chicago and Nobel with a buzzing contemporary American restaurant in a lovely typographically inflected space. The latest from what seems to be a fathomless pool of Rockit and Empire Liquors alumni, Branch 27 feels a bit more mature than some of its cousin establishments, and brings a new sense of balance to the ever-expanding Chicago Avenue dining scene. And you can be sure no one will shush you in the building's newest incarnation -- the prevailing mood seems to be celebratory and the place will be crowded, if this past weekend is any indication.
More thoughts on an opening week meal after the jump...
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— Andie Thomalla /
I recently had the perfect Sunday. It began with a cozy skype conversation with a friend in Hungary (and yes, I was); followed by a homemade brunch; wandered into thrift stores on Milwaukee Ave. and culminated in a late lunch. This perfect late lunch was at Letizia's Natural Bakery (2144 W. Division St.).
As I stood in line waiting to order I found myself torn over whether to go with the creamy Tomato Basil Soup or the Bella Capri (A "Grilled Baguette, Fresh Baby Mozzerella, Ripe Tomatoes, with Homemade Basil Pesto"). My friend, Johanna, saved me from my conundrum: "Why don't we split both?" The food was delivered to our table in the sun. It glistened. First: the soup. We each took a spoon, dipped it into the frothy tomato bisque and lifted it to our mouths. I looked over at Johanna and it seemed she was equally moved by the experience. We smiled coyly and lifted our hands to high five in celebration of the flavor. At about the fifth bite (but who was counting?), Johanna said, "I think this may be the best tomato soup I've ever had." I agreed.
Next: the sandwich. This was no ordinary sandwich. The baguette was crispy and tender; the kind of bread that resists your first attempt on breaking through, but eventually gives way and fills your mouth with supreme satisfaction. The fresh ingredients complemented one another to perfection. One might think having both a tomato basil soup and tomato and basil on the sandwich would be overwhelming, but the flavors maintained their distinctness. Once again we took a bite and were forced to clasp hands. Mind you, I do not high five over just any meal. This meal had it all: a great ambiance, a sparkling sun, an enthusiastic eating partner, an affordable price and a delicious bounty of flavors. Some may give it five stars, I give it two high fives!
— Jessica Gingold /
If you've got a Lettuce Entertain You Frequent Diner Card, Monday is a good day to score some points. Present your card at any Lettuce restaurant on Monday and you will automatically get triple points. Maggianos, Don & Charlies and banquets are excluded along with a couple of other restrictions. Chow down and get closer to those gift card rewards!
— Christine Blumer /
Office workers around Chicago, and around the nation, who still have jobs to go to are giving up their daily $10 sandwich or salad deals and bringing lunches from home instead. And with the stylish new lunch-toting options available nowadays, they can carry their food with pride and panache. Whole Foods carries a bento-box lunch "system," on display right next to the overpriced salad bar, so you can fill the little compartments as soon as you've paid for them.
The tiffin carrier, available from Design Within Reach or other online retailers, is an even sleeker vessel. It might look like the tin pail Laura Ingalls Wilder carried to school on the Little House on the Prairie TV show, but the stainless-steel carrier is inspired by the word "tiffin," which means light lunch or snack in parts of Britain and India.
If having a stylish lunch box makes you feel pressured to fill it with healthy, sophisticated foods, there is help available.
Continue reading this entry »
— Lori Barrett /
In a likely attempt to entice recession-weary customers into their sleek, modern dining room, Aigre Doux, a contemporary Amreican restaurant in River North, just introduced a bar menu. My husband and I had wanted to try this restaurant for a long time, so we decided to use this new bar menu as an excuse. And here's the rundown:
The Good: Most of the items on the bar menu come under $10. The menu includes items that show Chef Mohammad Islam's love of blending classic French techniques with diverse culinary influences and ingredients: braised smoked bacon is served with Asian cabbage and tangerine slaw, while brandade is a classic Mediterranean dish. For the classicists, there's also moules frites. The adventurous might find crispy veal sweetbread with snow pea salad intriguing.
Continue reading this entry »
— Yu Kizawa /
Did you know Hop Haus was opening a second location? Neither did we, until I drove past Clark and Howard this morning and spotted workers putting the finishing touches on the signage at 7545 N. Clark St. The new restaurant opens at 4pm today.
The storefront was previously occupied by Amphora, a Greek/Mediterranean joint; African Harambee still occupies the space next door. Both spaces were once part of the sprawling Gateway Bar & Grill, a favorite hangout of Rogers Park's actors and artists -- it featured murals by the late Ed Paschke.
A manager was not available to comment today, but we can assume that Hop Haus' wide range of microbrews and gourmet burgers will be available at the new location. More details to come.
UPDATE: I stopped by the new Hop Haus tonight for a post-work drink with Chicagoist's Chuck Sudo -- and we inadvertently ended up the restaurants first official customers. The restaurant is quite fresh and clean -- just as you'd expect from Leona's restaurant group's bar and grill concept. A large mural of sports celebs greets you as you enter the bar area, with booths and tables beyond.
The menu is identical to the original Hop Haus; one new addition (available in both restaurants) is the "Egg Burger," which as the name suggests has a fried egg on top, along with Canadian bacon, tomato and romaine lettuce. It's a good iteration of the trend, though the flavor of the Canadian bacon was a little bit lost among the other toppings and half pound patty.
While we enjoyed our burgers and beers at the bar, a young couple came in and asked whether the restaurant was open. They were on their way home and saw the sign -- and were excited to have such a hip restaurant in the far reaches of Rogers Park. Says a lot.
— Andrew Huff /
Drink Fri Mar 20 2009
Hart Davis Hart Wine Co., Chicago's fine wine auction house, hosts a BYOB night at Blackbird for a wine friendly dinner paired with the cuisine of Chefs Paul Kahan and Mike Sheerin. Here's an occasion to break out that special bottle you've been saving or some gems from the cellars of HDH. The evening includes a Champagne reception and a four-course meal in the private dining room. Start perusing your cellar or the local wine shops now. Reservations required.
Blackbird
619 W Randolph St.
6:30pm reception
7pm dinner
$125 all inclusive
contact Leah Jacobs for reservations here
— Christine Blumer /
Bar Thu Mar 12 2009
While I'm not too big on getting wasted under a giant green top hat on St. Patrick's day, if someone asks me to get a tasty Irish pub grub or two, I'm game. I confess that my flirtation with Irish pub food doesn't have a long history, and that I don't really know what "authentic" Irish food is supposed to be. (Hell, I haven't even been to Britain, let alone Ireland.) But in the recent few years, I've found some pretty good Irish food on this side of the Atlantic (and of Lake Michigan, for that matter). Here are two suggestions for the upcoming Green Weekend.
Fado, an Irish bar-cum-sports bar on the corner of Grand & Clark in downtown, has a great dish called Trinity Steak Boxty. It's sort of like garlicky, whisky-y beef stew made with plenty of onion and mushrooms, served over Irish potato pancakes (which is what a boxty is, I have learned). The galicky sauce has a rich, caramelized flavor, and clings beautifully to the boxty that's crispy on the outside, tender and starchy on the inside. As I said, I don't know if that's the way it's supposed to be. But it's a great pub food all the same.
Continue reading this entry »
— Yu Kizawa /
Mambo Grill, a River North restaurant of Pan-Latin cuisine, will apparently be closing temporarily. You might think that it's the economy, but in this case, it isn't. The owner, Susan Fresca, says that they were forced to close the door of this 14-year-old restaurant, currently at 421 N. Clark, because they couldn't get a 90-day lease extension from the owner of the building while the restaurant prepares to relocate to 410 N. Wells in summer. Frustrated Frasca says, "Restaurants are closing right and left and Mambo's sales are up 5% from last year. We are rocking and now we have to temporally close until the new space at 410 N. Wells is complete and operational."
While the restaurant will reopen in a larger space in summer, about three quarters of its employees will be temporarily laid off on March 31, when the restaurant close. (The rest will be absorbed by Kinzie Chophouse, which is owned by the same company as the Mambo Grill.) If you are a dedicated fan, make reservation for your last-before-the-move dinner at 312-467-9797 through March 31.
— Yu Kizawa /
Nothing makes my day quite like a chocolate vegan cupcake. Except, perhaps, when my roommate is kind enough to surprise me with one. She had tasted a sample from Swirlz Cupcakes yesterday at Whole Foods at North and Sheffield, through staffers wearing shirts lettered with the word "happy," which quite accurately described how I felt while tasting their work -- and seems to sum up the sound of Swirlz Cupcake's website.
"It's not like you'd say they're good for being vegan. They're just good." My roommate emphasized "good." The cake is moist and a tag fudgy, and the frosting is thick and creamy, with just the right amount of sweetness to affirm that you're eating a treat, without feeling like you're eating anything too sweet. Swirlz Cupcakes, 705 W. Belden. 773-404-CAKE.
— Chris Brunn /
Looking for a cheap vacation destination? Look no further than Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., which will host the 15th Biennial United States Championship Cheese Contest from March 17 to 19. The event is free and open to the public, including tasty samples of the more than 1,300 cheeses and butters entered by dairy masters from across the nation. If an event touted as the "Super Bowl of dairy product contests" doesn't scream road trip, I don't know what does.
If you'd rather stay closer to home, Prairie Grass Cafe is highlighting local artisanal cheese throughout March. Featured dishes include pizza with arugula pesto; prosciutto and Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheese; and chopped romaine and Three Sisters Garden pea shoots with apple, Capriole Farm goat cheese and crispy shallots.
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
The owner rang me up for my usual as I approached the counter. I've come to Petra Cafe often for lunch in the Loop, and I almost always get a falafel sandwich. I remember the owner almost always, if not always, smiling. This familiarity and friendliness makes me glad to return. I'm a sucker for that. I wouldn't be, though, if their food weren't so good.
The falafel is well seasoned, and fried just enough to brown its outside. Petra's hot sauce is a bit thick and well balanced. This time, for the first time, I also ordered the spinach soup, which they offer Wednesdays and Fridays. Although the broth is translucent, the soup is so thick with spinach that every spoonful seems nearly all green. Wheat was there, too - the same type used in tabouleh. There's definitely a nice salty taste that goes well with what looks like bits of celery that have been cooked until they nearly melted into the stock. It's epic. 331 S. Franklin, (312) 913-9660.
— Chris Brunn /
Review Tue Feb 17 2009
The team behind Northside Bar & Grill, Streetside, Danny's and the Logan Bar & Grill opened Simone's Bar in Pilsen this past weekend. We stopped in Monday night to try the food and check out the completely rehabbed building. The space is enormous, with booth seating, a long horseshoe bar, and a gallery space in back that will be joining the Pilsen 2nd Fridays art walks. The interior is inspired by recycled objects and architectural remnants -- and there are some nice touches like the bar-top made from an old bowling alley lane -- but overall the space seemed a bit cluttered and overly-calculated.
I look forward to trying the black bean & banana empanadas and the potato, Parmesan & rosemary pizza in the future, but we were hungry for a heartier meal. I ordered the vegan burger, which is made in house with quinoa and black beans. The patty was bland, and was just barely saved by spicy mustard and the blue cheese I had ordered on top. My companion enjoyed his regular burger. The fries, a mix of sweet potato and baking potato, were excellent. The dessert list includes the delicious tres leches cake from Kristoffer's and local Black Dog gelato -- a nice touch.
The one thing that will likely bring me back (besides the fact that it is within stumbling distance of my house) is the beer menu -- Rotating Bells, Dark Horse and Three Floyds handles, $2.50 PBR tall boys, Two Brothers Cane & Ebel, New Holland Dragon's Milk, and Dogfish Head 90 Minute bottles.
A review of Simone's seems to beg a comparison to the Skylark, so here it is: The prices are about the same and the service is good at both establishments. If you are looking for a low-key bar, a great burger or a fresh, seasonal salad in Pilsen, I'd still direct you to the Skylark. But, if you are looking for a good beer menu, Simone's might have a bit more to offer.
— Gemma Petrie /
Well, if Intelligentsia's changes have you feeling a little burned, maybe it's time to trek up to Julius Meinl and try their Pikant drink. The Pikant, which can be either a mocha or a hot chocolate, is made with cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I had the Schokolade version, and the cayenne pepper really made this drink taste pretty awesome. Not only did it spice up my taste buds, but it also warmed me inside. Given that we're back to cold winter weather, this makes for a perfect foil to the chill.
At $4.30 for the Pikant Schokolade and $4.45 for the Pikant Mocha, this drink is pricier than your average cup of coffee, but it's in line with Meinl's other specialty coffee drinks.
— Jill Jaracz /
You might have noticed the temporary closure of Intelligentsia Coffee's Randolph Street (er, "Millennium") store for Valentine's Day weekend. Chicago's homegrown gourmet coffeebar chain is renovating in advance of rolling out the same controversial change made at the Broadway store in Lakeview last year: eliminating all regular drip coffee in favor of pricey, single-cup Clover drinks. That means, just in time for the New Depression and an unprecedented era of belt-tightening for most Chicagoans, a sub-$3 cup of coffee is now a thing of the past at Intelligentsia. Huh?
Continue reading this entry »
— Mike Doyle /
Have you ever surprised yourself by discovering a good lunch spot that's been hiding for years just a few blocks from you? Or perhaps you've become excited upon finding a good coffee shop that serves a tasty lunch, only to find they were planning to close up shop in a few days. There's a certain uneasy pleasure and sadness that accompanies such finds, feelings that are quite fresh in my head right now.
To enter my first find, Goodwin's, a lunch spot on Franklin in the Loop, you descend a flight of stairs from a relatively opaque street-level storefront. They made me a good Sloppy Veggie Wrap that held quite a bit of black beans, pico de gallo, guacamole, salsa, and - when I ordered it without sour cream and cheese to make it vegan - a nice rich mole that I asked for instead. It comes with chips, salsa and guac that I hear varies in spiciness from trip to trip. I'll be returning again.
Then there's the place that I would love to go back to but has closed. Bean Addiction Cafe was, until a few weeks ago, a coffee shop that made toasty spinach tortilla wraps that you could eat from a comfy lounge chair while watching a small in-wall waterfall. They filled it marinated mushrooms, zucchini yellow squash, red peppers, tomato and lettuce. The wrap was moistened with the soft flavors of red pepper puree and the hummus I'd asked them to substitute for cheese. Whenever I see cheese on what I'd like to order, and I notice hummus anywhere else on the menu, such a request is often a no brainer - for a little insight into my vegan brain.
Goodwin's is at 175 N. Franklin, (312) 634-1134.
Bean Addiction Cafe is no longer, but used to be in the lobby of The Presidential Towers at 555 W. Madison.
— Chris Brunn /
Michelle Garcia of Bleeding Heart Bakery distributed a news release today explaining the circumstances surrounding its closure yesterday due to health code violations. The full text of the release follows after the jump.
Despite the shock and dismay that often arises with such closures, the reasons behind them are often more procedural than anything that truly endangers customers' health. In Bleeding Heart's case, some temporary and easily fixed plumbing issues and a late trash pickup were involved, compounded with some missing paperwork regarding employee certification, led to a mandatory closure. If it were just one of the three problems, the bakery may have simply gotten a slap on the wrists and an order to have it fixed for another inspection in a couple days, rather than a week off.
Obviously, if the inspection reported rodent droppings, things would be different. But if you look at the details on this case, it was much ado about not very much.
Continue reading this entry »
— Andrew Huff /
Chicagoist has been exploring the city's latest culinary superstar, Laurent Gras's L2O. There's plenty of foodporn to be had, both behind the scenes and on the plate (Gras and his team produce plenty of foodporn of their own on their blog). You also get a look at the restaurant's decor. The series culminates on Monday with an interview with Gras himself. If you were intrigued by L2O's appearance on the Chicago episode of "No Reservations," this will only whet your appetite further for an increasingly hard to get reservation.
— Andrew Huff /
Review Tue Feb 03 2009
Walking past Piccolo in the middle of winter makes me long for summer days and gelato. I was recently reminded that this charming establishment has plenty to offer patrons in the colder months as well. The menu boasts panini, Italian subs, soups & salads, and bruschetta -- all made to order with fresh ingredients. (The black forest ham panino with Gruyere and tomato is pictured above with an artichoke heart salad.)
They deliver to the surrounding area and you can place your orders online. (The cafe has a much better design than their website.) The menu lists several vegetarian options and they are also accommodating to vegans. Read Chris Brunn's post on the topic here.
Piccolo
859 N. Damen
773/772-3355
— Gemma Petrie /
If you've been meaning to try Mixteco Grill but hate eating dinner at 10pm or making a reservation weeks in advance, then be happy. I had a quick peek into their new dining room tonight and was delighted that it looked close to completion. A server confirmed that the second room will hopefully be open next week. It's hard to believe they've gone from brand-new restaurant to doubling in size in 9 months. Impressive. As is their Oaxacan porkchop in mole negro, their empanadas, and their tres leches cake. And hopefully it will be twice as easy to get in. At least until everyone finds out that its easier to get a reservation.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
Review Thu Jan 22 2009
Last week I had a rare craving for Thai food so I went to Duck Walk - a Thai restaurant right around the corner from my apartment. It's hard to believe that I walked by this place without a second thought for more than a year and a half. Thai food has never really been my thing, but Duck Walk certainly is.
I can never, ever resist pot stickers so we started out with an order of six - they were a little doughy but still pretty good. For the entrees I had the Pad Khee Mao and my boyfriend ordered the Goey See Me. Both dishes were full of flavor, fresh ingredients and had a little spice to them (both were pretty mild but they have a fantastic spicy sauce you can use to spice it up). Added bonus: BYOB.
Beyond the delicious food, the service is great and it is conveniently located a few steps away from Belmont el stop. The food is also incredibly cheap - we got an appetizer and two entrees for just $20! Duck Walk has a very warm, cozy atmosphere - with just a few tables the restaurant can fill up quickly. Don't be discouraged if it's busy when you get there - the tables seem to clear up pretty quickly. And, if you don't feel like waiting you can always get takeout.
Duck Walk
919 W Belmont Ave.
— Kaitlin Olson /
The city of Chicago tourism website has a rundown of area restaurant specials to honor the 44th president of the United States.
Highlights include a recreation of Lincoln's inaugural luncheon at Harry Caray's ($16.44), Obama-themed lunch specials at the Berghoff ($4.44), and 15% off your bill at Piccolo Mondo.
— Gemma Petrie /
Last weekend, Merge scribe and local blog diva Jasmine Davila and I headed to the Macy's State Street seventh-floor food court to sample the popular-but-pricey Marc Burger (Yelp link) that recently set up shop there. After two Angus burgers, two frozen custards, and fleeing for our lives before a phalanx of fast-approaching snow plows later that afternoon, we concur: the burgers are alarmingly expensive. But oh, so nom-nommy good.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mike Doyle /
Not long after turning Cincinnati Jamie onto the Asian hot wings of doom during a visit to Pilsen's Take Me Out one tornadic night last summer, he turned around and clued me into Argyle Street's venerable Sun Wah (see here for Facebook group). Super-flavorful, super-cheap Beijing Duck that can feed three people? Ditch that third person and come with me, I'm sold.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mike Doyle /
News Fri Jan 16 2009
Cru Cafe & Wine Bar is closing its doors next Saturday, Jan. 24, due to the "economic climate," according to owner Debbie Sharpe. If you're in the market for higher-end wines, the cafe will be selling off some of their better bottles this week.
The space will be closed for three weeks for renovations and re-open as a Feast Restaurant + Bar, to complement The Goddess and Grocer next door. A new chef will be announced on Monday.
In related news, Feast Restaurant + Bar and The Goddess and Grocer are expanding to Lincoln Square at 4743 N. Lincoln Ave., right near the fountain at Giddings Plaza. Both are expected to open sometime around June. Feast will seat 120 people indoors, with sidewalk seating for 80 in good weather.
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
Review Thu Jan 15 2009
I grew up ice skating on frozen flooded soccer fields and baseball diamonds, where the ice got rougher and more dangerous as the winter drew on -- unless a neighbor or Park District employee thought to revisit the rink with a hose. I don't know that this tradition continues, though I wouldn't be surprised if liability and insurance concerns have made these hand-crafted rinks unfortunate casualties of a more concerned sporting population... Skating in Millennium Park, for obvious reasons, doesn't feel exactly the same as the remembered experiences of my youth. The glow of shining Christmas lights and the sky high faces of the Crown Fountain, the sweeping city scape, and, well, an awful lot more people make for a decidedly more urban experience. But the delightful and terrifying feeling of those first tentative, flailing moments on newly glassed ice is exactly as I remember it. (Here, there's a zamboni to keep that feeling coming back, no neighbors needed.)
And enjoying a hot, ever-so-slightly greasy meal after skating -- well, why stop with tradition on the ice? Michigan Avenue offers slightly more upscale after-skating food and drink options than a dubiously boiled bratwurst served by the local middle school hockey club booster association (located at the counter between the skate sharpener and WWF wrestling video game). The earthy but haute comfort food at The Gage, or slightly more classic American fare at the Park Grill may beckon, but why not wander down to Pizano's Pizza. You either already know this place, or have walked past it a hundred times. If you're in the latter category, stop by for some of the best thin-crust pizza around -- buttery, biscuit-y and deeply flavorful. Make it a great end to a good night of skating, and you may find yourself crafting a new tradition on the spot.
— Andie Thomalla /
Chickpea, West Town's new middle eastern restaurant, moved into the former space of The Bleeding Heart Bakery in November. While it may be a rough time to embark on a new business, owner Jerry Suqi knows the ropes. With Narcisse, La Pomme Rouge and Sugar under his belt, Suqi hopes to share his mother Amni's traditional cooking with this latest venture.
The space is bright and airy, with Arabic movie posters and advertisements decorating the walls. The prices are modest and the menu offers plenty for meat-eaters, vegetarians, and vegans alike. The dinner menu also includes daily "Mama's Specials" like Koosa Mihshee and Mussakhkhan.
Seven dollars bought me a beautifully presented lentil soup ($3) and a falafel sandwich ($4). The service was excellent and the food was simple, tasty and satisfying.
West Town was in need of a restaurant to temper the plentiful bar food and fast food options in the area. Chickpea delivers serving high-quality middle eastern fare at reasonable prices.
Chickpea
2018 W Chicago Ave.
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 384-9930
Monday - Sunday, 11am to 10pm
— Gemma Petrie /
If there's a time and place for a tropical drink big enough for four, served in a pearlescent porcelain conch shell with giant straws, January in Chicago is it.
The aptly named Rum Giggle arrived at our table near the end of the recent media dinner for Chicago's newly-opened Trader Vic's, 1030 N. State St. Three years ago, the city's previous incarnation of the famous tiki bar and restaurant, then-located at the Palmer House Hilton, closed its doors. For those who never made it there, the Rum Giggle sums up the Trader Vic's experience: festive and sophisticated, but with just the right touch of camp.
Read about Trader Vic's behemoth cocktail menu after the jump.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
Chef Thu Jan 08 2009
Jessa Crispin of Bookslut recently interviewed Grant Achatz of Alinea. You can find the video here.
— Gemma Petrie /
On New Years Day, a few of my friends and I decided to go out for a holiday brunch. After calling several bars in the Lakeview area and after being let down many times, O'Donovan's (2100 W. Irving Park Rd.) came to the rescue with a brunch special. Let me break it down for you: Multiple varieties of soup and salad, dinosaur-shaped chicken fingers, mac 'n cheese bites, biscuits and gravy, fried chicken, potatoes, scrambled eggs, beans, mini corn dogs, sausage, bacon, mini quiche, French toast, two types of pasta, veggie tray and sloppy joes. That was the first set of tables.
Move across the room to find every kind of fruit imaginable, yogurt, granola (amazing!), muffins, bagels, build your own omelet station, ham and roast beef (freshly carved), waffles (made-to-order), marshmallows, whipped cream. This all topped off with a fountain of chocolate.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a few items but this covers most of it - besides, what else could you ask for? This brunch special takes place every Sunday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.; all you can eat for $13.95. I highly recommend checking it out.
— Kaitlin Olson /
This is a bit of an old news by now, but I'll post it anyway: sometime in late December, my husband and I went to dinner at Uncommon Ground on Devon. We checked our bulky down jackets, and when the hostess handed me the coat tag, it was weird. It was a credit-card sized thing with cute design on it, in brown-and-baby-blue color scheme. It didn't look like a coat tag at all. In fact, it had a name of a restaurant on the back, with a little description. And that restaurant wasn't Uncommon Ground. Why would they use a gift card for a completely different restaurant as a coat tag? We puzzled over it during our hearty dinner (Millman burger for me, bacon-wrapped meatloaf for hubby). Are they owned by the same people? Are the two restaurants teaming up to beef up marketing (pretty clever, indeed)? When we left, we were still pretty mystified.
As it turned out, the "coat tag" was a piece out of à la card, a deck of 52 cards, each dedicated to an independent, chef-driven restaurant in Chicago. You buy the whole deck for $30, and each card is redeemable as a $10 gift certificate at the restaurant it describes. Uncommon Ground is one of them, of course, and among the impressive assortment are Hot Chocolate, Hot Doug's, Spacca Napoli, Naha and Smoque, covering a pretty wide range of cuisines, neighborhoods and prices.
It's a formidable task to conquer all 52 restaurants in a year (the deck expires on December 31), but even if I can't go through all of them, it seems like a fun excuse to try out restaurants that we've been meaning to go to forever and never have. Or, as Mike Sula at Food Chain points out, you can hand out individual cards to "friends and minions."
— Yu Kizawa /
An inside source tells us that Orange on Harrison, which announced it was closing back in September and then never did, really will be closing after Sunday's brunch service. The owners plan to open a new Orange outpost near Fullerton and Clark in March.
— Andrew Huff /
News Tue Dec 30 2008
The August 2001 episode of "Check Please!", featuring the then-State Senator Barack Obama and his visit to the Dixie Kitchen will air on Friday, January 16 at 8pm on WTTW. The popular restaurant review show will mark its 100th episode by airing this "lost" episode. (Via Eight Forty-Eight.)
UPDATE: Here's a sneak peek at the episode!
— Gemma Petrie /
Back in August, I made my first-ever visit to Ohio's Queen City, Cincinnati. Much to my surprise, I was completely blown away by the place--and especially by the chili. I can still picture the shocked look on Cincinnati Jamie's face as I scarfed down five-way after coney seemingly (okay, literally) at every Skyline and Gold Star chili parlor that we passed for three days. It wasn't until I got back to the Windy City that I discovered our one, lonely, yet exceedingly authentic Queen City chili joint. Dear Cinner's in Lincoln Square: you own me now.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mike Doyle /
A year ago, I was excited when the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant empire opened the third outlet of their modest Wow Bao Chinese (oh, excuse me, "Asian") bun chain at the corner of State and Lake, a five-minute walk from my house. Before they came to me, I'd often walk over at their postage-stamp-sized Mag Mile location at Water Tower Place for some barbeque pork buns and "homemade" ginger ale. I'm glad my walk is shorter now. If only the prices were more reasonable for some of the most popular items on the menu, the place would be perfect. For now, my advice is simple: hold the rice.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mike Doyle /
The city's best place to get cursed at while ordering hot dogs has been shut down by the Health Department. The Wiener's Circle was closed for not having hot water and storing cooked food at unsafe temperatures. Yeah, fuck you, too.
— Robyn Nisi /
News Mon Dec 15 2008
Morton's turned 30 this year, and to celebrate, you can get free mini cheeseburgers this Sunday, Dec. 21, at any of their locations from 5pm to 6pm. (They also have a $49.95 three-course prix fixe deal if you're interested.) UPDATE: Morton's will also be handing out complimentary steak sandwiches on Friday, Dec. 19 from 4:30pm to 5:30pm at the Wacker Place (65 E. Wacker Place) and State Street (1050 N. State St.) locations.
On the other hand, The Reader's Free Shit blog reports that only half of McDonald's downtown locations are prepared to make good on the promise of free McCafé coffee on Mondays. The others either aren't participating or can't because the new machines aren't set up.
— Andrew Huff /
Event Sun Dec 14 2008
Saturday, December 13 was Santa Lucia's Day. Only I wouldn't have known, if we hadn't gone to Tre Kronor--a popular Swedish cafe on Foster--for breakfast. There was a big Christmas tree with lots of golden ornaments, and everywhere on the walls were wreaths with red and gold ribbons. It was bustling as usual with tons of customers filling the dim room with happy buzz, and we were lucky to get a window-side table for two in a quiet corner. On the table was a long white candle that I didn't remember from our last time there.
When the server guy came over to take our order, he mentioned that it was Santa Lucia's Day in Sweden, which is why they had special "saffron buns" on the menu. Instead of our usual side of cinnamon roll, we decided to try a saffron bun, and ordered from the daily specials. We sipped coffee, watching young servers whisk around plates of omelets and eggs Benedicts. In a few minutes, the saffron bun (called lussekatt in Swedish) showed up--it was shaped like a flower with four petals, two of which held a raisin each. Sprinkled with a few rock sugar candy and dyed with threads of saffron, the yeasty bun was rich and moist. Although this rather bland bread wouldn't be my favorite bread, knowing that it was a traditional item associated with this specific day made it feel quite special. (It made me remember all the traditional foods of Japanese holidays in my childhood that had undoubtedly been special in the old days but my modern palate didn't particularly enjoy.)
Continue reading this entry »
— Yu Kizawa /
My favorite neighborhood restaurant I wouldn't wish on anyone. Well, at least not on the weekend. That's because Emerald Loop, the Vaughan Hospitality Irish pub on the ground floor of downtown Chicago's Jeweler's Building, is a little bit like Sybil. Just when you're ready to sing her praises, she dishes out something completely unexpected. And at times, awful.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mike Doyle /
Time Out uncovers a very twisted tale surrounding the surprise closure of Mantou Noodle Bar. It seems the owners of the restaurant have been subleasing the space but not paying their rent. Chef Rick Spiros had a crazy profit deal that was basically unworkable, and the owners changed the locks and hired a lawyer.
Sounds like shades of Sweet Occasions/Sweet Thang to me.
Meanwhile, this week's Time Out features their annual 100 Best Things We Ate feature. (Mantou's not in it, natch.)
— Andrew Huff /
"The best of the year" issue of Bon Appetit (January 2009) recently arrived in my mailbox.
In the recurring "BA Foodist" column a reader from Naperville, IL asks, "What was the best restaurant dish you ate in 2008?" The reply includes one Chicago selection: #8 Sauteed Maine scallops with soba gnocchi at Takashi.
In a round-up of the best new American taverns, The Publican is listed at #9. "The long-awaited more casual follow-up to well-regarded Blackbird and Avec is finally here. The menu features lots of fish and sustainably raised heirloom pork. The restaurant also has one of the city's most diverse international beer lists."
And on the Bon Appetit website, the excellent Chicago blog Blue Kitchen is highlighted in the Blog Envy slideshow for his hazelnut rosemary jam cookies.
— Gemma Petrie /
A friend of mine has been raving about the breakfast at a Guatemalan restaurant, El Tinajon (2054 W Roscoe St.), in Roscoe Village for months now. A couple of weeks ago he took a few of us there to check it out. Chips and salsa for breakfast? This place won my heart immediately.
Back up a second - I started with a cup of coffee and let me tell you, it was the best coffee I've had since I was in Mexico some seven or eight years ago. Dark, smooth and with a hint of cinnamon - I think I had about seven cups. Accompanying the coffee (and on the house) was a glass of warm rice milk - fantastic!
For breakfast I had a delicious combination of tortilla chips, eggs, onions, salsa , cheese and black beans. These breakfast nachos have become my new favorite breakfast. For those who like more traditional breakfast food El Tinajon also offers pancakes, steak and egss and a variety of omelets.
The service was really great and the prices were pretty reasonable. If you're up for an unconventional breakfast, definitely check it out.
— Kaitlin Olson /
Review Wed Dec 03 2008
Brasserie Jo has been a culinary nemesis of mine for several years. Ever since first visiting Lettuce Entertain You's take on French casual dining for a sorely disappointing birthday dinner (things started well with a duck confit flatbread and hit an unpleasant wall with the Alsatian choucroute, a bland and boring house specialty), Jo has been on my list. Not the good list. I haven't had many bad meals in Chicago -- at least, not many from establishments where I'd been expecting better, and maybe I've taken it personally. But in a city where eating well can be so effortless, I feel like my disappointment has merit.
So I haven't been back. For over three years. I'm not great with second chances. And just recently, I got a notice about Brasserie Jo's new menu, unveiled at the beginning of November, and featuring such additions as striped bass with artichokes and a classic sounding braised calf's liver. I thought maybe things had changed. Maybe it was time to forgive and forget and forage on. Maybe I'd judged too harshly, too quickly. Or maybe not. More details on a reconciliation meal and the final verdict, after the fold.
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— Andie Thomalla /
Random Mon Dec 01 2008
Local artist Lucy Knisley recently went to Alinea with her boyfriend, and drew a comic about the experience. The pupil dilation is pretty much spot on, in my experience. [via]
— Andrew Huff /
News Tue Nov 18 2008
Earlier this year, Wicker Park's Sweet Thang bakery lost its lease and had to close its doors, Chef Bernard Runo promised to reopen in a new location. And indeed it did, at 2142 W. Roscoe Ave. in Roscoe Village.
Unfortunately, the new Sweet Thang is nothing like the old one. Runo appears not to be involved, as the new location apparently doesn't bake its own cakes and pastries, and prominently features a Chocolate Shoppe ice cream counter.
Wait, does that sound familiar? Oh yes, sounds exactly like the offerings of the late Sweet Occasions chain. And in fact, the new Sweet Thang is in fact a reincarnation of Sweet Occasions, which abruptly closed over the summer in what was later revealed to be a scandal involving unpaid employees, extravagant spending and more. In the comments on a post about the store closures on Edgewater Crime Blotter, a former employee made passing mention of one of Sweet Occasions' owners, Andy Singer, "concentrating on the purchase (with what money, I don't know) and opening of Sweet Thang in Roscoe Village." Reviews in Yelp -- which have been almost universally negative since the new location opened -- seem to confirm it.
Unfortunately, history appears to be repeating. Paychecks began bouncing, and after being confronted on the matter, Singer has closed Sweet Thang.
The employees aren't taking it lying down, however. They have teamed up with the Chicago Interfaith Committee on Worker Issues to stage a protest and press conference on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 3pm in front of the store, demanding payment (full press release follows after the jump). Maybe they can get some money for all the unpaid Sweet Occasions employees, too.
[photo credit: Rachelle Bowden]
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— Andrew Huff /
Whether Bush's economic stimulus checks had any impact on the economy might be debatable, but Open Table's "Appetite Stimulus Plan" will most definitely stimulate our appetite. Between November 17 to 21 (that's Monday through Friday next week), more than a hundred restaurant in the Chicago area are offering three-course lunch for $24 and dinner for $35. Participating restaurants are nicely wide-ranging, from Custom House (steak) and Sushi Samba Rio (well, sushi) to Le Lan (modern Asian) and Aigre Doux (contemporary American). For those of you rooted in the suburbs, the list also includes a nice selection of restaurants outside of the city as well. Sounds like a good time to try out a new restaurant, or pay another visit to an old favorite.
— Yu Kizawa /
Disclaimer: When an over-critical, hypersensitive chef (like myself) eats at a restaurant, it's hard to put that on the back burner (pardon the pun). While you can take the chef out of the kitchen it's harder to take the kitchen out of the chef. Imperceptible missteps which mean little or nothing to the uninitiated civilian can be elevated to deal breakers por moi.
One pea under the mattress ruins my sleep and makes me a tough customer. Not in a cruel or contemptuous way towards wait staff (very tacky), but most often as an aside to my dining companions.
For instance, I know how much the diver scallops cost by the each and the price of the starch, vegetables and sauce that may accompany them. I know when caramelized onion actually is caramelized or, all too often, simply sautéed trying to pass. Or the difference between wild mushrooms (foraged) and exotic mushrooms (cultivated) -- my particular nemesis and cross to bear.
A menu typo means negligence. A menu description that reads one way and a plate that delivers another is either an insult to the consumer's intelligence, proof of the chef's ignorance or a diabolical plot to cheat the patron.
In a home, I'm quite different, but not, alas, in a restaurant. In a word, I'm one picky bastard when I eat out. My friends, critics all, humor or ignore me. But this perspective can be useful here in this arena, that of food critic.
When asked if I'd be interested in reviewing Eve, I jumped at the opportunity. While I'd heard some good things about Chef Troy Graves, Meritage and Tallulah, I had no firsthand knowledge. That was about to change.
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— Alan Lake /
The Thanksgiving 365 sandwich with turkey, brie, and cranberry-horseradish chutney at Hannah's Bretzel called my name at lunch yesterday. It's delicious - and seasonal, if turkey has a season.
It got me wondering what other local spots offer the early bird. A quick Google-search revealed a few:
According to Metromix, Jerry's (with West Loop and Wicker Park locations) will have a Thanksgiving-inspired sandwich on the menu from Nov. 24 to 26, with herb-roasted turkey, mushroom and roasted apple stuffing, turkey gravy, basil, fresh mozzarella cheese, cranberry sauce and Cholula hot sauce on your choice of bread.
The Pilgrim is a regular on the menu at Uncle Sammy's in Lincoln Park. It's got turkey, raisin herb stuffing, cranberry sauce and mayo.
The Goddess and Grocer offers the Turkey Twist year-round, which certainly qualifies as Thanksgiving-esque, with its turkey breast, cranberry mayonnaise and caramelized onions. From Nov. 24 to 30, they're also offering the Thanksgiving Sandwich, with roasted turkey, stuffing, lettuce, tomato and cranberry sauce on whole wheat.
Know of any others?
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
When I decamped from New York to the Windy City almost six years ago I did so with love, instantly going native on many things including food. Except for Italian beefs. Local friends still don't believe me when I try to explain neither Gothamites nor most other Americans grow up eating the juicy bovine wonders. They're a peculiarly Chicagoan palate-pleaser.
Until this year, you couldn't get me to touch one of the soggy sandwiches with a plastic-wrapped ten-foot pole (with or without a wet-nap). Then pastry-chef Chris dragged me to Johnnie's Beef in near-west suburban Elmwood Park and much like my relationship with the flat shores of Lake Michigan, it was love at first sight. Well, bite really.
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— Mike Doyle /
Event Wed Oct 22 2008
Starfruit is throwing a "customer appreciation party" tonight from 6pm to 8pm at the store at 1745 W. Division St. Get free fall toppings on your fro-yo (actually, fro-kefir), including apple cobbler crumbles, pumpkin shaped sprinkles and bits of pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. There will also be a raffle to win a free six-month membership to Wicker Park Fitness or Blackhawks tickets.
Whether you stop by the store or not, you can create your fro-kefir and topping combo and submit it on their website (I'd point directly to where to do that, but the site is entirely in very slow Flash) for a chance to be the "Creation of the Month" for November.
[Photo by Supafly]
— Andrew Huff /
I had strolled into Blind Faith looking for a treat and was pretty sure of my selection once I saw the display case, but it was too easy bait. I asked for help, and the cashier steered me another way. A certain vegan cappuccino brownie was looking right at me from behind the glass. A whole troop of them were there, all in formation on a tray, and all luring me over with the thick chocolate bases that I imagined to be luscious, fudgy experiences. Each also had a lighter-looking layer, both in color and density, which must have been the cappuccino. This made me think of some ultimate creaminess, under a topping of a thick, soft chocolate. Still, I doubted the brownie, perhaps because I had now loaded it with enormous expectations that would be hard to fulfill.
I asked the cashier for help. Shall I get the vegan cappuccino brownie or the vegan peanut butter chocolate cake? He wasn't shy about his preference for the cake. But what was the vegan cappuccino brownie like? I don't think he answered that follow-up question directly, but expressed that in his opinion the vegan peanut butter chocolate cake was the best of all the vegan options. Perhaps he was right, but I left wondering about the other vegan treats. There's a thick round dessert labeled vegan chocolate mousse, vegan chocolate cake, a vegan vanilla cupcake that is a toasty looking cupcake topped with swirls of chocolate frosting, a vegan chocolate cupcake with plenty of white frosting, and vegan cornbread. Of course, there are plenty of non-vegan choices, too. But I have my focus.
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— Chris Brunn /
A second Sonic America's Drive-In location is set to open in Algonquin, or, as I like to call it, Schaumburg 2: Retail Boogaloo. The new location will open in late November along the bustling retail corridor of Randall Road. Sonic has plans to open more locations around Chicago, including Vernon Hills and Lake Zurich, with as many as a dozen in the next few years.
I was quite surprised to see this second location, as I was just at the Aurora store on Saturday after a road trip. I've made the trek a few times now and have been pleasantly surprised by the food. Yes, it's fast food, but it's good, and they have tater tots.
— Christian Scheuer /
Earlier this month, Potbelly Sandwich Works introduced a new sandwich, it's first in five years, a Clubby club sandwich with 30% more meat (turkey, ham and bacon). Now, Jimmy Johns is rolling out a new sandwich as well, it's first new sandwich in more than four years. The creation, the #17 Ultimate Porker, features freshly-sliced applewood smoked ham and bacon, plus lettuce, tomato and mayo on bread baked in house. According to Jimmy John Liautaud, founder of Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches, the shops don't "rely on gimmicks, promotions and new menu additions to fool people into coming in and buying our sandwiches." But the time was right for a new addition, "another option for people like me who like the taste of ham and bacon together and want it served freaky fresh and freaky fast," said Jimmy John via press release.
The sandwich chain wants its customers to help come up with a slogan for the Ultimate Porker. The company says: Jimmy is running a campaign, and the Ultimate Porker is his running mate, representing change for the people. From now until October 24, sandwich (and pork) lovers across the nation can submit a campaign slogan for Jimmy and Porker on their road to sub-premacy at sofastyoullfreak.com. The top ten slogans will then be posted on the web site and voted on. The writer of the winning slogan will get a fully catered Election Day party. So, vote early, vote often, and do so with a sandwich in your hand.
— Lori Barrett /
Local foodies will recall on the morning of August 11th, 2008, newly opened and critically lauded Asian hot wings joint Take Me Out got taken out by a major fire in the Pilsen neighborhood. (Much to this scribe's chagrin, I had only recently discovered--and fallen in love with--the place).
I'm happy to report that, according to co-owner Karen Lim (who owns the storefront with husband Nathan), Take Me Out will repoen for business on Saturday, October 18th. This a great boon for anyone who's ever sampled her "little hotties"--Korean-inspired, caramelized, ginger-chili hot wings based on a a recipe borrowed from her parents' longtime North Side eatery, Great Sea. Lim tells Drive-Thru she'll give out the fabulous bird bits for free on re-opening day.
You can read the story of the restaurant and its almost early demise in our previous coverage of the August fire, and browse other positive opinions about the place on Yelp and at the foodie-centric LTH Forum.
Last time I sampled the hot wings, shortly before the fire, I ended up dramatically fleeing from Chicago's mid-summer massive tornado warning. I attributed all the excitement, however, to the hot wings. And if you're wise enough to give them a sample starting October 18th, you likely will to.
Should you become hopelessly addicted to them, don't say we didn't warn you. Welcome back, Karen and Nathan!
— Mike Doyle /
As was noted in Merge earlier this week, Potbelly has introduced a new sandwich, the Clubby, to compete with the extra meat options at Quizno's and Subway. The Clubby contains ham, turkey, bacon, provolone cheese and ranch dressing, which is 30 percent more meat than Potbelly's other sandwiches. But how does it stack up compared with what most people would consider Potbelly's previously "biggest" sandwich, the Wreck? Here's a side-by-side comparison, with the Clubby on the right:
You can see that there's more meat (primarily turkey) for a meatier sandwich. But unlike the adding extra meat to a Subway or Quizno's sub, the flavor balance of the Clubby isn't thrown off -- it remains a well balanced bite. And it's not so much larger than I felt stuffed and bloated after eating it, which is a good thing for office workers in fear of falling asleep at their desks from food coma.
The Clubby is $5.39, compared with $4.19 for Potbelly's other sandwiches, but if you skip the chips, you'll hardly notice the price difference -- or the extra calories.
— Andrew Huff /
The death of Orange on Harrison continues to be delayed, but according to sources close to the restaurant, the owners plan to open a new outpost near Clark and Fullerton. To timeline for that yet.
Meanwhile, Rockit Ranch Productions is hiring for a "new Asian" concept called Sunda. They hope to open in January near Clark and Illinois. Across the street from Rockit Bar & Grill, something called Theory Sport.Dine.Lounge has begun renovating the old Kevin space; from the name, I think it's safe to say it'll be an upscale sports bar and grill.
— Andrew Huff /
Realizing that his fan base wants more of the top-end cuisine he churned out at his days at Avenues, Graham Eliott Bowles has announced that the decor and menu at his self-named restaurant, which opened a few months ago, has been recently overhauled in a (successful) effort to attract more business.
— Robyn Nisi /
When fellow Drive-Thru scribe Chris Brunn asked to interview me today about my love of the Chicago Diner's Radical Reuben for the Third Coast Audio Festival (did you get all those links?), I couldn't help but ask why.
"Because it's fascinating that an omnivore New York native like you would consider a veggie Reuben the best he's ever had."
He's not kidding. While I may have grown up in the homeland of the Jewish deli, where you could swing a cat and hit an establishment doling out authentic corned beef, pastrami, and chopped chicken liver (much like another personal fave in this town, Eleven City Diner), with numbers does not necessarily come consistency. For every terrific corned-beef Reuben I had in my 33 years in NYC, there was always another terrible one, full of gamey sauerkraut or week-old griddle grease, but not much real Reuben love.
Aside from the lack of meat, for Yours Truly the Chicago Diner's Radical Reuben really nails the sandwich down, and in a perfectly consistent way every time I've ever had it--which would be every time I've ever eaten at the Chicago Diner.
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— Mike Doyle /
Rarely does anything good come of dinner with one's ex. Last week, such was not the case when pastry-chef Chris and I broke bread in Oak Park. Not because of our so-so meal at the has-been Pasta Shoppe on Oak Park Avenue (originally to be the subject of this post). But from finding the truly phenomenal Lido's Caffé, tucked away on Marion Street in the heart of the downtown Oak Park.
When Chris suggested strongly that we visit the newly opened Lido's, given his line of work I expected something good. So let me get this out of the way first and everything else will be commentary: this place is a doppelganger in quality and (almost eerily) appearance of my all-time favorite hometown Italian caffé and gelateria, NYC's Rocco's Pastry Shop on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village. A counter lining one side of the long space punctuated by pastry and gelato display cases, an imported espresso machine, locals nestling into their Tribs and laptops while tucking into Italian cookies--this New Yorker had the sneaking suspicion he had just found a convenient new home on the Harlem Green Line.
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— Mike Doyle /
I know a group of really great people who get together twice a month for dinner. The dinner club was formed two years ago and anywhere between four and 20 people show up at each gathering. A new person "hosts" the dinner each time we go out so we're always exploring new neighborhoods and new restaurants. However, the food is usually ethnic, usually cheap and the restaurant is always BYOB.
Last week we went to Vee Vee, an African restaurant in the Edgewater neighborhood. Immediately after walking in, I felt a strong sense of friendship and community among the patrons. A group of five or six men were sitting at a table, clearly having a great time and enjoying their food. The comradery these men displayed was infectious and, combined with the welcoming atmosphere, made the experience extremely enjoyable. For most of us, this was our first African cuisine experience and our waiter gave us really great recommendations and was excited to share his favorites with us. We tried the meat pies and soup (really, really spicy) to start out with - both of which were great and unlike anything I had ever had before. For dinner, I had the jerk chicken with rice, black beans and plantains - the meat was really tender, there was so much flavor and just the right amount of spice.
The service here is also fantastic - everyone was friendly and shared the same enthusiasm that our waiter had. A little slow at times, but that goes along with the culture and I definitely appreciated it. It was nice to have a slow meal and enjoy each others company.
— Kaitlin Olson /
Event Mon Sep 15 2008
I hadn't planned on staying at Renegade Craft Fair long enough to get hungry, but Bigbite Catering pulled my friend in with a "Vegetarian & Vegan friendly" sign. She's neither veg nor vegan, but she's a big fan of the cuisine. BBQ seitan tacos were in front of us minutes later, under an umbrella on Division Street in the rain watching wellies and flip-flops go by as the moment's predominate choice in footwear. After hours of looking and buying, we were getting great service steps away at Via Carducci La Sorella by a friendly but down-to-business waiter who'd gone to the kitchen to check if the risotto special could be made vegan.
Bigbite, the catering arm of Bite Cafe, had a tempting spinach pie, but since I'm a sucker for anything with Upton's seitan, my choice was obvious. Sadly, neither of these items is on the menu at Bite Cafe, but I hear that they use the seitan in their hash. I seem to have lost some of my taste on account of a slightly sore throat, but the texture of the tacos was pleasingly moist of BBQ sauce while maintaining the seitan's requisite slight chewiness. Renegade for me was hours of running into friends and browsing the adorable paintings of Johanna Wright, temptingly hip vegan belts of Buncombe Buckles, soothing screenprinted fabrics of Maramiki, and industrial look of rings at Mike and Mary Jewelry. And finally, after the declining sun reminded me how long it had been, there was dinner.
A glass of red wine goes very well with Via Carducci La Sorella's crusty, warm and tender bread. The risotto special's rice was par-cooked with a bit of chicken or chicken stock, so my vegan-friendly friend and I went for their Spaghetti alla Napoletana - spaghetti, cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic and olive oil. She added eggplant and I requested spinach and extra garlic - without any cheese if they topped it off with some. I had smelled a deep, warm garlic flavor on the street, and suddenly couldn't imagine dinner without plenty it. I remembered the last time I'd been here, eating in the cozy gangway on the side. Now, after just one glass of well-tannined cabernet, I'd lost my fork in my pasta. I noticed another fork on my side, but I'm sure it wasn't intended as the backup I used it for. The spaghetti was cooked just right. My only complaint: it could have used more veggies on top. I like generous portions, where the spinach and tomatoes hide the pasta, like I remember by the piano at Orso's.
— Chris Brunn /
I recently met a friend at Mana Food Bar to sample the vegetarian fare.
We each ordered a lemonade (tangy or sweet for $2) and decided to split four of the small dishes. We started with the house made pickled vegetables for $4 and the baby potato salad in spicy mustard and bleu cheese for $4.
The pickle plate contained some wonderful pickled okra, a nice medium-spiced kimchi, and pickled daikon radish that we found so over-powering that we didn't finish it. The potato salad balanced the bold flavors of bleu cheese and mustard well. I am going to try to recreate this pleasing combination at home.
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— Gemma Petrie /
Max and Benny's (461 Waukegan Road, Brookside Plaza, Northbrook, IL 60062) is selling these handsomely tasty cookies. They also have cookies for McCain and have confirmed that starting next week they'll be carrying cookies with the faces of the Veeps on them to in case you'd prefer to sink your teeth into one of them. And these cookies don't just look good, they taste good, too. The icing isn't too sweet and the cookie isn't too dense. Much better than anything presidential you can get a chain bakery counter, lemme tellya. And I can say from personal experience that Obama tastes great with a glass of milk -- vanilla soy in my case, but I'm sure he'd go great with chocolate milk, too.
Each cookie is $2.95 and can be picked up at the restaurant, ordered over the phone (847-272-9490), or through their website. And if you're more inclined to get your face on a cookie, they'll do custom orders. You could always get some with your face, some with Obama's face, and then spend a tasty week eating cookies and drowning your sorrows that you got passed over for Biden.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
News Tue Sep 02 2008
Last month, I wrote a love note of a review in Drive-Thru to Orange on Harrison, the South Loop location of the popular local chain of brunch eateries. Well sign me spurned, because according to sources at Orange, the Harrison Street location is slated to shut its doors permanently by mid-September.
Apparently, the lease is up and the landlord wants more money than Orange's owners wish to bear, given the allegedly shoddy state (according to Orange) of the building and its HVAC system. Owners are hoping to make up for the loss in business with the opening of a new Orange later this month at Clark and Fullerton.
Say it isn't so. The best grilled cheese in downtown Chicago about to bite the dust? Where will the hordes of weekend students with visiting parents in tow who usually people the place on Saturdays and Sundays go? It's not like Yolk has the space to handle that many gourmet pancake-flight refugees.
I should have seen it coming. My last favorite, Pilsen's Take Me Out, burned down soon after I discovered it. Note to any eateries I've reviewed recently: you may want to cross your fingers for the next few days. Bad news always seems to travel in threes.
In all seriousness, a sad loss this will be for a neighborhood with few other close-by options anywhere near as cool, or with as good grub. Oh well, River North's Kitsch'n. I guess you're my new brunch daddy now.
— Mike Doyle /
Review Sun Aug 31 2008
Some restaurants are like Sybil: some people love them, others aren't fans and it's confusing to try and figure them out. A recent client lunch in Wicker Park gave me the chance to try and get to the bottom of the love/hate relationship many of my friends have with the hipster hood's Italian eatery, Francesca's Forno.
For a chain restaurant to locate in the middle of indie-oriented Wicker Park is a brave move. (There are 14 other "Francesca's Family" restaurants across Chicagoland, mostly in the suburbs). The most worrisome advance comment I had heard about the place came from a local who told me, "I'm never impressed, but my husband loves the place. I asked him why once. He said because he was full." But Yelpers seem to like the food, so I knew there had to be a middle ground somewhere. Perhaps the place was just a contradiction in terms?
My clients were 45 minutes late, so there was much time to peruse the sizable lunch menu. It seemed am ambitious list of selections for a Noontime meal, with no fewer than 43 items to choose from among cold and warm anitipasti, pastas, pizzas, grilled paninne, and cheese-and-meat pairings. For a moment, I flashed on the opening of every episode of Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.
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— Mike Doyle /
Review Sat Aug 30 2008
There are two kinds of New York City pizza: the good kind; and the kind my mother warned me about during my Queensborough childhood. They're both authentic. Trouble is, oftentimes in the Chicago area, eateries settle for serving up the latter. On an accidental road trip today, I sampled the best and the worst Gotham-style pizza on offer in Chicagoland.
My foodie friend, Jamie, and I had intended to end up at the Botanic Garden in Glencoe. Ninety-degree weather in the northern suburbs had us ditch that plan fast. We opted for a North Shore lunch, instead. I had been meaning to try the lately much-ballyhooed New York-style pizza at Highland Park's recently opened New York Slices and Jamie, a recent Cincinnati expat, had never had the experience of a good Gotham slice. So we pulled up the pizzeria's Yelp listing, pointed our iPhone Google Map apps to it and off we went.
The press on the place promised a pizzeria experience like I had grown up with: floppy thin crust pies; garlic knots; black-and-white cookies; and Marino's Italian Ices, complete with their cute little wooden tongue depresser-shaped spoons. Walking in, the place looked like home. Pre-cooked slices sitting behind a glass counter shield, waiting for the order to be warmed up.
My, how looks can be deceiving.
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— Mike Doyle /
This 1,200 word ode to Olive Garden reminds us how lucky we are to live in a city with a vibrant food scene.
As one commenter aptly put it, "If it's sly parody, it's genius. If not, all the better. "
— Gemma Petrie /
I hadn't thought much of Skewerz, perhaps because I still yearned for Half & Half, previously at this location, where I loved meeting friends for coffee and granola in the morning. Skewerz pleasantly surprised me a bit, despite the corny look of the chairs - made of bamboo or bamboo-like sticks that seem superficially tied together with rope - which appears consistent with the overall theme. That all said, the amazing look of their grilled artichoke was backed up by the women eating it and raving, upon my inquiry, about it being "really, really, really good." There may have been a fourth or fifth "maybe."
The small round tomatoes on my vegetable skewers were bursting with hot and juicy flavor, while the mushroom caps were nicely tender and salted, and the onion slices pleasantly crisp and refreshing. The tofu was relatively plain, but firm and nicely charred. The fried rice was a tad dry, but gladly not oily, and its raisins added a nice sweet touch. The red curry peanut sauce is vegan, mild and thick. The staff member helping us seemed quite well versed in the ingredient contents of all the sauces - not to mention raving about the healthiness of the grapeseed oil they use. It was all good, but the highlight of the experience was seeing a well-heeled and nicely groomed couple, sitting a few places down, drinking two bottles of the Stella they had brought, with their other four bottles in a bucket of ice. I'll be planning a return for their yucca fries with banana ketchup, gilled baby bok choy and the smoothies, and perhaps my own six pack on ice. BYOB. 1560 N. Damen. (773) 276-9805. El: Blue Line to Damen. Bus: 50 Damen, 56 Milwaukee, 72 North.
— Chris Brunn /
How far is too far for a restaurant? Five miles? Ten? Twenty? How about 90?
I'm a lazy ass who generally wants her kibble within easy reach of her lair. (This is why I usually end up eating at the just-passable Thai restaurant on the corner after a busy day.) But when it comes to barbecue, I travel far. Way too far. Ninety miles.
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— Yu Kizawa /
Review Thu Aug 21 2008
I know Orange on Harrison's claims to fame are its delicately constructed rice-and-fruit sushi ("Frushi", pictured) and weekly pancake flights: four mounds of mini-pancakes smothered in a pun of flavors. (This week's schtick, French Dessert toppings: tarte tartin sauteed apples; baba au rhum rum syrup; au'chocolat chocolate ganache and napoleon sweetened ricotta and strawberry anglaise).
I prefer my morning sugar infused in a cup or three of strong coffee. So usually when I hit my favorite downtown brunch palace, I go for the savory side of the menu. At my second of two visits to the eatery this week, the waitress pegged me from my pleading request. "You've been coming here since before we changed cooks, right?"
Right, but I didn't know about the change. A year ago, a staffer told me the eatery was trying to save money by metering butter out only to those who asked for it.
Since then, whenever I've ordered a grilled cheese (my favorite: mild melted white cheddar and mozzarella gluing together two pieces of earthy marbled Rye, zested up with tomato and bacon), or on my rare sweet-tooth mornings, the popular French Toast Kabobs (honey-drizzled coconut French toast and fruit on skewers), I've layed on the begging for an adequate amount of butter to be applied to my meal's griddle of origin. It's long been the only way to make Orange on Harrison's grilled creations more palatable than chewing on cardboard.
I'm happy to report the dry spell is over.
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— Mike Doyle /
Review Tue Aug 19 2008
Seeking a northern escape from downtown Air & Water Show crowds, foodie partner-in-crime Jamie and I found ourselves at Andersonville's Algerian crepe joint, Icosium Kafe. Opened in spring 2007 as the second outpost of the eatery's mother ship down the street in Lincoln Park, Drive-Thru first dropped in last November and found the place to plate up some out-of-the-ordinary crepe creations.
More used to the thickly sauced, velvety goodness found inside French- or Québécois-style crepes, I reserved judgment for the vegetable-heavy Algerian variety I was about to experience. The menu offers more than half-a-dozen savory and sweet crepes all for under $10.
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— Mike Doyle /
The newest venture from Michelle Garcia, organic bakery maven and general punk-rock princess, glams up cakes, tortes and other confections for West Lakeview. Chaos Theory Cakes, which threw its grand opening party last weekend, is much in the same vein as its cousin shop, the Bleeding Heart Bakery -- sweets served up with a goth circus flair. As the more grown-up face to the growing Garcia empire, Chaos Theory's cakes feature ingredients as diverse as onions, peppercorns and avocados, as well as more standard Oaxacan chocolate, blueberries, and fluffy whipped cream. Not all in the same recipe, though it probably wouldn't be that much of a stretch. More below the fold.
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— Andie Thomalla /
Karen Lim's popular Take Me Out hot wings joint in Pilsen was heavily damaged by the early morning fire that gutted the 1500 block of West 18th Street on Aug. 11. In its brief, four-month life, the eatery received rave reviews for its "Little Hotties" Asian hot wings.
The mighty wings first arose at Great Sea, the longtime Albany Park Chinese-Korean fusion restaurant run by Lim's parents, but her version are no slouch either. On a recent pre-fire visit, the wings were fried to a succulent, caramelized, crispy goodness reminiscent of roast duck, and smothered with a spicy-sweet mix of soy sauce, chili, ginger and garlic.
I knew the wings would be on my short list of favorite Windy City eats when, after I could eat no more, I had an overpowering urge to suck the sauce from the serving platter with a straw. "I'd say mine were better, but my parents had a 21-year head start, so we're about even," said Lim, standing with husband Nathan in the middle of the shuttered eatery on Wednesday, the first time the police let them inside to see the damage.
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— Mike Doyle /
Review Wed Aug 13 2008
Shikago, the chic Asian restaurant on the first floor of 190 S. La Salle, opened around this time last year to overwhelmingly positive reviews from serious amateurs and semi-serious professionals alike. I admit, I drank Kool Aid (not literally -- I think I drank water and black tea) and was happy to count it among my favorite downtown eats, even if I didn't get there as often as I would have liked.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. My most recent trip, after a long absence, was one of the most disappointing lunch experiences I've had in the Loop in a really long time. And yes, that includes a stop at The Great Steak and Potato.
The dining room was still cool and dark, and seemed full of happy lunch-goers, so perhaps I'm judging too harshly the wrong section of the restaurant. But the take-out counter was a train wreck. One harried cook was rushing to fulfill an order for a cranky woman who claimed to have placed an order for pick-up 20 minutes ago, as two bored-looking sushi chefs looked on and tried not to get involved. When another kitchen denizen finally materialized to lend a hand, I was skipped in line, despite standing patiently for 15 minutes. A small tantrum got me service, but only after I'd seen the original cook scoop out short ribs from one of Cranky Lady's to-go bento boxes, replace them in their deli case bin, and sub in some barbeque pork. It may not be a health code violation, but come on dude, at least do it out of sight. If the food had been worth this irritation, I probably wouldn't be complaining. But the tofu tomato and cucumber was all water with little flavor, and the spinach salad (which totally looked like seaweed salad, and how would anyone be the wiser, as nothing in the case is labeled) tasted like a dirty dish sponge. Yeeegh. At least the smoky barbeque pork, sticky with an almost chocolate-y five-spice glaze, was still delicious. But I don't know if it was enough for me to consider going back. What a disappointment.
— Andie Thomalla /
Chef Sun Aug 10 2008
Now that my heart is no longer aflutter and my breathing has returned to normal, I'm clear-headed enough to write about the encased meat sandwich that lured me to Hot Doug's on Friday. Kevin Haas won Time Out Chicago's contest to have his hot dog made and sold at Hot Doug's. It admittedly wasn't the sandwich I voted for, but I was delighted to try it anyway. I love the concept of combining a variety of different ethnic cuisines into one meal. And it almost works really well. But only almost.
The chorizo sausage is one of the best I've had. It packs a lot of flavor and spice in each bite, and it's not so greasy that you end up with orange juice running down your chin which was nice. Fat may add flavor, but too much fat flattens the flavor and ruins the taste. The spiciness of the chorizo was expected and enjoyable for the first couple of bites, but the spice of the sausage combined with the chili mustard quickly became overpowering and drowned out the flavors of the Asian pear chutney and the paneer. Which was a shame, because the chutney was heavenly and made only better by the chili mustard. The paneer was fried, which I hoped would add a little flavor to an otherwise bland, but soothing, cheese. Unfortunately, the paneer was cold when it was placed on top of the sausage, and served in large chunks, so they mostly fell off while I was eating. If the cheese had been in smaller pieces, so they stayed on top of the sandwich, or if the cheese had been soft and melty so it stuck to the sausage, I think the paneer would have provided the cooling sensation that it provides in many Indian dishes.
So while I had a very, very enjoyable lunch and would even end up ordering this sandwich again, I'd probably split it with someone because by the end of the sandwich all I tasted was the chorizo. Thankfully the ingestion of duck fat fries (which are so amazingly good) provided enough grease to counteract some of the spice so I could eat without sniffling while sitting just a few feet from Anthony Bourdain. Maybe I'm not done swooning after all.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
Chef Fri Aug 08 2008
I decided to swing by Hot Dougs today and enjoy the award winning New Chicago dog and some Duck Fat fries. Right after I finished taking a photograph of my encased meat, a young woman came over and asked me very apologetically if I would move over a few seats. "You see, we're doing some filming, and this is unfortunately the seat with the best light." Since I was done using the light for my own purposes, I agreed and asked who was filming.
"It's a Travel Channel program called No Reservations.
My belly flopped, my breathing stopped and I was somehow able to mutter "Yeah, but Anthony Bourdain isn't really here? Right?"
"Oh yeah," she replied. "He's waiting in line."
I spent the next several minutes trying to eavesdrop on his ordering conversation with Doug Sohn, owner and head comedian of Hot Doug's, and trying to get a halfway decent shot of him standing in line. And then he came and sat beside me and grumbled about how hungry he was while the camera operators got everything focused and queued up and then he began to eat and talk while he was eating. The eating definitely took preference over the talking and he ate The Dog (what Doug calls a Chicago dog) and he ordered a "Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Mustard, Foie Gras Mousse and Sel Gris", probably just to piss of Alderman Joe Moore for trying to make foie gras illegal and costing poor Doug a fine for selling it anyway.
Honestly, if you've seen one man eat a hot dog, watching Bourdain eat a hot dog wasn't really any different. However, because almost everyone in the restaurant knew who he was, even though they were trying to pretend they weren't staring at him, and since everyone was suddenly "dialing" their cell phones at eye level, even he seemed a bit unnerved by the staring and attention. But he handled it gracefully. I honestly think he's used to being stared at while he eats, but probably not used to being stared at by people who know him while he eats. But he seemed to love his meal, including the duck fat fries (even though the camera operators, assistant and sound folks probably ate more of them than he did). And while Chicago is no Malaysian jungle, this Chicago foodie hopes that Tony enjoyed the rest of the meals he ate in our fair city. I'm not sure about everywhere that he went, but The Food Chain has a few places listed.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
An unfamiliar crepe cafe might not be the first place on a vegan's choice of dinner spots. (I typically associate crepe batter as not especially vegan, some exceptions of course). I was strolling along Clark Street in Lincoln Park, looking for food with a friend before a movie at Landmark, and feeling adventurous in the search, so I popped in to see what this one crepe spot's modern but slightly raw look was all about. Magazines announced themselves from underneath glass tabletops. The staff was vibrant, just like the toasted sandwich they made me. The sandwich was filled with well-placed savory finishes throughout, and included a caper berry so large I might have taken it almost for an olive if the chef behind the counter had not set me straight. That chef also expressed keen interest in figuring out a vegan version of their crepe recipe, which made me smile a bit more. Couture Crepe Cafe, 2568 N. Clark, (773) 857-2638.
— Chris Brunn /
Review Mon Aug 04 2008
I'm still in that post-adolescent, pre-"adult" space where, full-disclosure, free food is a major motivational force. So the prospect of a media dinner at Devon Seafood Grill (not to be confused with Devahhhn the street, but rather pronounced after the British seaport) was tempting. But tempered with skepticism. I've walked past the place since it's opened, but have always allowed myself to assume the worst about it. So close to the Mag Mile, so bright and trendy looking -- I assumed it had to be Cheesecake Factory with fish. Which was unappealing on a couple different levels. But the gratuity got the better of me, and I signed on to cover the event. Not to spoil the ending, but I was dead wrong, and Devon is in fact a great alternative to other tourist-trapping Gold Coast restaurants, and probably deserves more tourist and local attention than it currently gets. More details below the fold.
Continue reading this entry »
— Andie Thomalla /
Hot Doug's debuts the Time Out Chicago recipe winner today. Head over between 10:30 and 4 to try one.
"The TOC Winner Kevin Haas (Today's Celebrity Sausage)
The New Chicago: Smoked Mexican Chorizo with Chili Mustard, Asian Pear Chuntney and Indian Fried Paneer Cheese served on a Pretzel Roll
$7.00"
— Gemma Petrie /
This past weekend while visiting St. Louis for a wedding, my husband and I had the pleasure of dining at Niche--a small, hip restaurant in the Benton Park neighborhood. It also happens to be the home of Gerard Craft, one of Food & Wine magazine's best new chefs of 2008. After reading about Craft and his restaurant a few months ago, I made a reservation. I'm glad I did.
Continue reading this entry »
— Bobbi Bowers /
Review Sat Aug 02 2008
When Urban Cafe, a new breakfast-lunch-and-dinner spot, opened down the block from our apartment at 1467 W. Irving Park a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I were thrilled. We love our neighborhood, but the lack of a coffee-and-eggs joint within walking distance has been a bummer on Saturday mornings, especially since we had great options like S&G and Wishbone near our old place.
Urban Cafe is a sunny spot with a friendly owner. We've visited twice, the first time on a weekday for to-go coffees and the most decadent chocolate ganache brownie I've ever had. I told my husband that if he is ever in the dog house with me, he'll have a much better chance of getting out if he gets me one of those brownies.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
A fried peanut butter sandwich is just about as good as it gets. At least when the Violet Hour is serving it up with banana inside - and a deep sweetness that just happens to come from honey. (I'm vegan, except that I don't identify with the bees and, while I don't go out of my way to eat their honey, I don't make much effort to avoid it either). I took the sandwich without the bacon that the menu mentions. (I'm more sympathetic to the pigs).
The sandwich reminds me of a donut in the way peanut bits stick to its outside like a coating. It melts in the mouth as if it was specifically designed to deliver maximum comfort. It's super tall, too - perhaps double high. It was hard to tell quite how much bread was involved in the dim light. Violet Hour, 1520 N. Damen. (773) 252-1500. Go early to avoid possible lines.
— Chris Brunn /
News Fri Jul 25 2008
The winner in Time Out's contest to create a new hot dog for Hot Doug's has been announced: it's The New Chicago!
Mexican chorizo sausage, Asian pear chutney, Indian paneer cheese, chili mustard, served on a multi-grain roll. As the original Chicago dog reflected our immigrant heritage (Greek, Italian and Jewish immigrants), this encased meat reflects our new and future immigrant population. Latinos now account for 1 in 4 city residents, our Asian population is expected to grow over a third in a matter of a decade, and India presents the third largest group of new immigrants to Chicago. This new sausage celebrates this new Chicago.
The New Chicago Dog was created by open source programming consultant Kevin Haas; his masterpiece will appear on the Hot Doug's menu soon. All four finalists were pretty awesome, though, and "Hot" Doug Sohn has said we shouldn't be surprised if all of them — and others not chosen as finalists — made it to the menu at some point.
— Andrew Huff /
This weekend was epic. It was one where I had one of my favorite dishes again. Curry, and the velvety coconut-based Thai curry no less. To get there, a friend and I engaged in a typical lunch-place negotiation, something like, "Want to join me?" "Sure, where do you want to go?" Then it came up: "You have more restrictions than I do." I like to think that I could eat anywhere and keep vegan. And that's mostly true, less perhaps someplace just serving steaks. So, I asked my friend, "Well, where would you go if you were by yourself?" After a long pause, the response was, "I'd go home [and eat]." We were soon en route to Joy's on Broadway on bikes for Thai food, when we deviated for Cozy Noodles & Rice on Sheffield, just north of Clark. It's cutely decorated spot with a few tables outside in front.
We kicked lunch off with spring rolls and a salad of crispy tofu, shaved carrots, thinly sliced onion and green onion in a tart sauce, strengthened by the lime wedge we squeezed over it. Our server asked another worker to describe the crispy white bits over the salad, after I'd asked. It was rice, cooked until crispy, and then finely ground. The person describing it added that it had a nice smell. I liked the crunch, too.
We ordered the green curry without fish sauce, per the menu's offering, and not spicy for my friend, hoping for a change from the menu's clear indication that this was a spicy dish. The mild curry didn't look as fun, with potatoes and green peas. We wanted the bamboo shoots, green peas, carrot, basil leaves and Thai eggplant - with tofu. Minus its hot peppers, it was still a bit spicy, but wonderfully creamy, with soft and gentle tones from the coconut milk. Cozy serves brown rice now, for anyone who's tired of white. 3456 N. Sheffield (at Cornelia). (773) 327-0100.
— Chris Brunn /
Actually, the Tineka sandwich I ordered last night at Lula was more like a "PBLTCOSSSS," which stands for "peanut butter, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, (red) onion, sprouts, sambal and soy sauce." Obviously, this isn't any ordinary cross between a peanut butter sandwich and a BLT. The "spicy peanut butter" is a homemade concoction which tastes like the best sweet-and-spicy Asian peanut sauce you've ever had, and while the heat is rather tame, the other flavors make up for it. The vegetables are stacked on slices of multi-grain bread, which is slathered with the grown-up peanut butter, and served alongside a pile of their crispy house potatoes. The only thing between you and this sandwich is, of course, the wait. And while you could always go home and open up your trusty jar of Jif, something tells me it wouldn't be quite the same.
— Dana Currier /
Here's an interesting way to get a good lunch deal: the Lincoln Park outpost of Vietnamese restaurant Hai Yen, 2723 N. Clark, has teamed up with ThePoint.com to create a critical mass campaign. If 11 people commit to having lunch there on August 13, they'll all get 25 percent off their meal. The lucky 11 don't have to know each other, they just all have to show up between noon and 3pm.
— Andrew Huff /
Random Wed Jul 16 2008
When it's hot out like today, why not treat yourself to thick, cold vegan ice cream or smoothie? Below are some of my favorite sources.
• Karmers on Wabash in the Loop has Temptation vegan ice cream by the scoop, either on the sidewalk or inside available by asking at the counter. I hear that you can also find the locally made Temptation by the scoop at Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor in Forest Park, and Heavenly Gelato & Ice Cream in Logan Square.
• Fresh fruit smoothies at Soy Organic in Pilsen.
• Seedling blends up smoothies with the fruit they grow at Green City Market.
• Ice cold and smooth vegan shakes are at Veggie Bite in Wicker Park and Beverly.
• Chicago Diner makes some of the best vegan shakes, served in a tall glass.
• Vegan ice cream on cones at Just Indulge in Wicker Park.
• Sorbet at Ruth & Phils Gourmet Ice Cream in Lincoln Square.
• Temptation is available by the pint at the Green Grocer at Grand & Noble, W Crossings on North Avenue in Wicker Park, True Nature in Uptown, and Whole Foods in Lakeview, South Loop, and on Halsted.
And a few places I've been meaning to try:
• I've seen smoothies being made weekend days on a table out front Crespo's at North Avenue at Leavitt.
• I've heard about a new juice and smoothie shop at 2246 W. Armitage, apparently serving up wheatgrass shots and carrot apple ginger juice.
— Chris Brunn /
I walked in toward a line of people wrapping away from the counter at Freshii, and then I was led into place by one of many helpful greeters. I was about to taste creamy tahini sauce over steamy brown basmati rice. She asked me if this was my first time. It was. She had stepped back and pulled a clipboard with an order form from on or near a wall. Three sections on the paper were calling out to be completed, plus a spot for my initials in two boxes in the upper left corner. This was a task that I thought that I could certainly accomplish with no real effort, but I was wrong.
Just as I'd breezed through the first part of Step 1, the order form illuded me like a surprise question on a high school final exam. I'd wanted a bowl - not a salad, salad-wrap or soup. That much I knew. But I had no idea what to write in the "type" section next to "chef designed." I could skip down to Step 2 and choose my own toppings, but this is not what I'd come in for. I'd seen something on their online menu that looked good. My helpful greeter was still here, and dashed off to bring me a large, glossy menu with the listings. She was like a temporary personal assistant, filling in the rest of the form for me when I couldn't fend for myself. A check in Step 3 went for chili powder, another check for tahini sauce, and "regular" got circled to indicate I didn't want to deviate from the standard amount of sauce. Soft tender avocado chunks made me a fan of the Power House bowl immediately, as did the optional chili powder, but they could have mixed the sauce more to distribute it evenly throughout the rice, tofu, chickpeas, sunflower seeds, tomatoes and red onions. It was perfect on top, and it all tasted super fresh, but the sauce wasn't plentiful towards the bottom. Maybe I just needed to check the box for "heavy" sauce, and then try to mix it myself without overflowing the tight constraints of the little box it came in.
I handed my form to someone at one end of the counter, strolled in line to the other side to pay, and then waited for my initials to be called. I'd chosen a bag of spicy salt and peppered crinkle cut Kettle Chips and a bag of dark chocolate covered coffee beans from an extensive selection of chips, fruit, popcorn, Cliff bars and licorice.
Outside, a band played as I sat at a patio table aside the lawn out front at 311 S. Wacker and gazed up at the Sears Tower next door. The music continues through the summer Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Here's the plan, from building management: July 2 - Mr. Blotto; July 9 - Maryann and the Professors; July 16 - Diver; July 23 - Goodfoot; July 30 - Waterhouse; August 6 - Jack Straw; August 13 - Angel in the Solar System; August 20 - Gareth Woods Band; August 27 - Lynn Jordan & the Shivers.
— Chris Brunn /
Chicago’s (and the nation’s) first Kids’ Restaurant Week wraps up today. The idea behind the week was to introduce kids, particularly those who normally eat chicken nuggets and pizza, to different flavors and more nutritious foods. And, a dollar from each meal sold went to Chicago’s Green City Market. It all sounds so fun and progressive.
But in the middle of the week, when I finally had a night when my family of four could make it to a restaurant before 6:30 (the meals were served between 5:30 and 6:30 each night), and I started calling restaurants to find out what was on their menus, I was surprised at how much macaroni & cheese and pizza was being dished out to kids looking for (or being forced into) a culinary adventure.
Continue reading this entry »
— Lori Barrett /
The July issue of Gourmet Magazine mentions Hot Doug's in a short piece on duck fat fries. Also mentioned: The Harrison in NYC and Joseph's Table in Taos, New Mexico.
Serious Eats has a great round-up of other locations to find duck fat fries across the country.
However, the verdict (1, 2) seems to be that horse fat is the best way to go. Selling horse fat in the U.S. is illegal (but if anyone is in Montreal, you can find them here). Has anyone tried horse fat fries?
(Photo from Pro Bono Baker.)
— Gemma Petrie /
Review Wed Jun 25 2008
If, when you when you walk into a new restaurant on a weekday evening, Rick Tramonto is sitting in the window enjoying his dinner...chances are it's going to be a decent meal. Of course, if you have poor eyesight and do not immediately notice Mr. Tramonto in the softly lit confines of Mado, (or even have lingering doubts over the strenuous but whispered protests of your all-but pointing and waving dining companions) you are probably still going to have a more than decent eating experience.
With its exposed brick, wood and gleaming stone appointments, and excellent locally sourced, clean and simple Italian cuisine, Mado is edging fine, trattoria-style dining ever further north on Milwaukee. More details on a great meal, after the fold.
Continue reading this entry »
— Andie Thomalla /
Review Fri Jun 13 2008
According to chef partner Kevin Dusinski, the addition of the brunch menu to Roy's downtown outpost was to take advantage of the Sunday morning traffic created by the church across the street. Or at least, that was the plan until the church closed. (Okay, to be fair, the Holy Name Cathedral isn't exactly closed, but seems to have shut its doors on State Street during its $8 million renovation campaign.) As the Sunday morning plans of me and many others like me more often include opening a menu than a hymnal, however, I doubt Roy's will have any trouble bringing in the brunch traffic with their Hawaiian inflected takes on weekend morning favorites, and a prix-fixe menu that can be upgraded from three courses (at $26.95) to three courses plus bottomless mimosas ($38.95). Bottomless. Without bottom. Think about it. More deliciousness after the fold.
Continue reading this entry »
— Andie Thomalla /
The July 2008 issue of Bon Appétit arrived at my door filled with recipes for grilling season and one mention of Chicago. Takashi, the new restaurant from Takashi Yagihashi, recently opened in Wicker Park. The photographs of this French-American cuisine on the Takashi website are stunning. Yagihashi also lends his name to Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi, a lunch spot in the loop that has received mixed reviews. The Wicker Park restaurant seems to be fairing quite well so far.
Takashi
1952 N. Damen
773/722-6170
— Gemma Petrie /
Nothin' says summer like a burger. Rockit Bar & Grill's Burgerfest '08 began yesterday and runs through Sunday. A different burger is featured each day, and burgers that receive the most votes earn a permanent spot on the Rockit menu.
Today (6/3): Cayenne Shrimp Burger
Chili lime shrimp, lettuce, tomato, worcestershire mayo, mixed green salad with cherry pepper-tequila vinaigrette
Wednesday (6/4): Duck a la Orange Burger
Grilled frisee, pickled red onion, orange marmalade aioli, parkerhouse bun and duck fat chips
Thursday (6/5): Pork Burger
Maple barbeque glaze, applewood smoked bacon, granny smith apple coleslaw
Friday (6/6): Kobe Beef Burger
Melted leeks, triple crème camembert, pancetta, red onion brioche, truffle fries
Saturday (6/7): The Natural Burger
All-natural beef, sprouts, heirloom tomatoes, soft white bun, fingerling potato chips
Sunday (6/8): Benedict Burger
Black Angus, poached egg, lettuce, tomato, red onion brioche, béarnaise sauce, fries
Rockit Bar & Grill
22 W. Hubbard St.
— Bobbi Bowers /
Epic Burger's cheery staff serves a savory portabello sandwich that's brilliant when you get it with grilled onions. But their fries are really where it's at. Hearty, with some skin still on, they're soft on the inside and a touch crispy outside. With the requisite amount of oiliness, they're the kind of fries that might be mushy and unfun cold. But who cares? When hot like I had them, they're really, really good. On the sandwich, thin slices of pickles take it a notch above just lettuce and tomatoes. I opted out of the sauce to keep vegan and then went for the P.B. Enjoy smoothie - all natural peanut butter, banana, soymilk switched in for dairy, and skipping the yogurt. It was thick enough to make drinking with a straw a little work and quite rewarding. 517 S. State St., (312) 913-1373.
— Chris Brunn /
Devon Avenue's Sher-A-Punjab Indian Restaurant has put a buffet in the Loop, onto a comfortable second floor of the 7-Eleven on Washington and Wells with a close-up view of the end of the Washington Elevated platform. Get fluffy naan and eggplant with peas in a thick and rich tomato sauce. Golden potato and pea samosas were nicely crispy and filling, with seconds being eagerly brought to our table with the $10.99 combo, which included a soda in a 7-Eleven Gulp cup (otherwise, $6.99 a pound). There's also rice with peas and carrots and some non-veg options. Service was quite enthusiastic both to explain what was what, and to ask us to bring in our friends. Washington and Wells, southwest corner, inside the 7-11 and up to the second floor.
— Chris Brunn /
My husband and I visited friends in Indianapolis last weekend and, frankly, we didn't expect to find anything of culinary note. I grew up in Indiana. Sweet corn season aside, it's not exactly an epicurean epicenter.
But we stumbled upon a little gem that I'm going to share with the throngs of people headed south for the Indy 500 this weekend: snag an outdoor table at the Brugge Brasserie and order the fries.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
Max's Italian Beef has taken the popularity of its "Ghetto Fries" — french fries covered in Merkt's cheddar cheese, beef gravy, barbecue sauce, hot giardeniera and chopped onions — and expanded to a full line. For $3.19 each, you now have your choice of:
• The aforementioned ghetto fries
• "Loaded Fries," with melted mozzarella, bacon, green onions and ranch dressing (pictured)
• "Pizza Fries," with melted mozzarella and homemade red sauce
• "Hail Caesar Fries," with hot pepper juice, caesar dressing and grated parmesan
— Andrew Huff /
Ada's is a familiar lunch spot for many East Loop cube-dwellers, who stop in for decidedly straightforward and affordable takes on diner classics, such as matzo ball soup and the turkey club. Worker bees in the know hit up the joint's 14 Karat Lounge (14 S. Wabash) after hours, to get all that Ada's menu has to offer, plus some of that sweet, sweet nectar.
On a recent visit, I wanted my nectar extra sweet, so I ordered a mai tai. Paired with my usual veggie omelette from Ada's menu, it made for a grown-up twist on a.m. OJ and eggs. The ability to order breakfast for dinner with a tropical drink cocktail isn't all the 14 Karat Lounge has going for it. An unpretentious crowd, baskets of buttery popcorn on every table, and perhaps the most enthusiastic, hardest-working bartender in the Loop give the place a special lustre. My only suggestion is that they turn down the music a couple of notches to make the lounge a less deafening option for friends who want to catch up after work over a drink.
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
I finally got around to reading the Gourmet Magazine from last month. While I didn't catch any mentions of Chicago in their "Cooking Vacations" themed issue, I was pleased to find an entry on the Republic of Georgia.
Georgia is a country at the top of my travel list. When I spent some time in Russia a few years ago, one of the highlights was the prevalence of Georgian restaurants. Chicago doesn't have any full-fledged Georgian restaurants, but we are very lucky to have one of the only Georgian bakeries in the country.
Argo Georgian Bakery is located in Rogers Park and serves up some of the most delicious breads from their "tone" oven. The main reason I visit is to order their incredible khachapuri - a cheese bread that is unimaginably delicious. Their lobiani are also delicious - breads stuffed with kidney beans, garlic and cilantro.
If you would like to try your hand at making your own khachapuri, the beautiful site, The Traveler's Lunchbox has a great recipe. I also highly recommend one of the books she mentions, The Georgian Feast by Darra Goldstein. (Gourmet also provides a recipe with their article).
(Oh, and if anyone wants to fly me to Georgia to write an article, I will happily write more than the one page the Gourmet author mustered.)
Argo Georgian Bakery
2812 W. Devon Ave
(773) 764-6322
— Gemma Petrie /
Orbit Room, Hot Doug's, and Kuma's Corner are getting some diner competition this summer; Urban Belly, an Asian-inspired BYOB eatery headed by Bill Kim (formerly of Le Lan, Trio, and Trotter's) will be located near Belmont and California.
— Robyn Nisi /
Bar Tue May 06 2008
It's a pretty bold move. To not only feature shochu so primarily on the drink menu, but also name the restaurant itself after the Japanese liquor, that is. Shochu, a type of distilled liquor made from things like barley, buckwheat, sweet potatoes and rice, is definitely not the most approachable of Japanese boozes. For one thing, shochu, at around 25 percent, is more alcoholic than wine and sake. The biting sharpness of alcohol is much more pronounced in shochu than in often-smooth sake. For another, shochu often has an aroma that may not be particularly appetizing to the uninitiated. Many Japanese swear by it, and many others avoid it like vermin. Still others venture into the recently rediscovered territory of shochu with ardent curiosity. Once considered a lower-class beverage, shochu has been experiencing a sort of a renaissance in Japan in recent years, with many shochu bars popping up like bamboo shoots after a rain. And that boom seems to be catching on in the U.S. as well. Shochu, a new shochu-and-small-plates bar in Lakeview, is a great place to try out some without spending thousands to cross the Pacific.
Continue reading this entry »
— Yu Kizawa /
I bit into the crusty, toasted bread of an Atomix sandwich. The cheese flowed through tomato and steamy spinach. I'd ordered vegan cheese – Tofutti the counter told me. The tofu turkey was sliced in the way I imagine only a deli slicer can do.
From a booth in the back, I heard one man talking to the man working the counter. It was about the turkey alternative they call tofu turkey. I didn't make out the start of it. The counter responded something like, "it's tofu-based." The patron humbly and sincerely asked, why then, is it called turkey? And the counter, in a tone that seemed as objective as could be, answered: because it's supposed to be similar. There was no stress on "supposed to." To someone who hasn't eaten meat in years, the tofu alternative seems to serve its purpose: to provide salty substance with a little chew, and perhaps protein, to a sandwich based on thick, hearty, toasted bread, with plenty of vegetables and a good savory spread like pesto or hummus.
Atomix is the type of low-key, simple coffee shop I come when I want to be free to read a little, nibble on a crumbly vegan coffee cake muffin, or combat the type of strong, primal hunger that demands a dense sandwich – and knows how to be patient while they slowly make it.
— Chris Brunn /
Review Mon Apr 28 2008
Let us be very clear: I am not a vegetarian. I am a bacon-loving, steak-charring, carnivorous foie gras advocate if ever there was one. I'm hard pressed to cook anything that doesn't get an extra protein kick from an animal. And it should go without saying I'm about as far from a vegan as a puma. But I've been eating at the new Veggie Bite location on Milwaukee kind of a lot lately. And I'm kind of into it.
I'd like to think I came into Veggie Bite biased, but evenly on both the pros and cons. I'd read some seriously mixed reviews, but also heard some excited interest from among my vegetarian friends. Yes, it's a fully vegan restaurant bringing some pretty restricted dining options down to the average hungry hoi polloi, but at the end of the day, it's just fast food, so how good can it really be? With these qualifiers in the back of my mind, I've now tried Veggie Bite's cheeseburger, cheese fries, nachos, and chicken nuggets, and had tastes of their wrap and milkshakes. (Of course, "cheese," "burger," "chicken," and "milk" are all theoretical terms in this context). For fast food, it's not bad in the slightest. The nachos and cheese fries come slathered in something called Golden Sauce, which does a fair job resembling the barely-dairy cheese sauce at a regular fast food stop. The fake chicken in the nuggets was just as good, if not better, than what I've been avoiding eating at McDonald's for years -- and no troubling, unexpected shards of rock-hard unidentified chicken substance (which are why I'd stopped eating regular nuggets in the first place). I was really impressed with the burger as well, which had the flavor and texture of a single patty nailed -- Golden Sauce replaced the requisite slice of melted American, but it worked. The shakes may be on the sweet side, but they avoid that melted ice cream taste that I always associate with Tofutti.
Granted, there are problems with the service (it's slooooowwwww, my goodness, and on my second visit, my chix-free nuggets seemed to break the deep-fryer and force the folks in line behind me to rethink their dinner options), and the Milwaukee outpost looks like it could be a kindergarten classroom in its free time. But for a fairly cheap snack or dinner on the fly, I'll certainly consider Veggie Bite among my options from now on. Way to go, vegetarians -- you may be onto something.
— Andie Thomalla /
I've been thinking about this burger for the last three days, and wondering when I'd have the next opportunity to order it. I called a friend and asked about her plans for dinner tonight; she was free, so I suggested we walk over to Kuma's Corner. I needed a Mastodon burger. I deserved a Mastodon burger. BBQ Sauce. Cheddar. Bacon. Frizzled onions. YES.
Apparently the universe thought differently. We walked in and saw the hoardes of people crammed near the bar, waiting for a table. The place was hopping. The wait was almost 90 minutes. We could have driven to Wisconsin (in good traffic) with that kind of time. We looked at each other, wondering where our other dining options were. A small group of people entered and quickly exited Kuma's, disgruntled with the wait; "This is what happens when a cool restaurant gets on 'Check, Please!'," one of them muttered. You don't say? Well, restaurants need to make money, and this place deserves the attention, even if it's a bitch to get a table these days.
We decided to stay our ground and wait it out, but the rumblings from our stomachs were louder than the grindcore playing inside Kuma's. We glanced eastward on Belmont to the gleaming building that sat 50 feet ahead of us. "Okay," she said. "Let's go to Burger King."
I'm not against fast food, and hunger makes the best sauce, so we made it over to BK for a very tasty meal. It was cheap, and we sat there talking for quite a while, well past what any busy restaurant staff will allow during a crazy dinner rush. Best of all, I ordered a Rodeo Cheeseburger, the paste-eating cousin of Kuma's Mastodon; a burger with barbecue sauce, cheddar, and onion rings. While my dinner wasn't exactly what I planned, it worked. Even without Napalm Death blaring in the background.
P.S. We also got word that Kuma's is in the works to open a second location soon--in Las Vegas.
— Robyn Nisi /
What's not to love at Mekato's?
This little sparkling clean Columbian bakery taunts me often with it's wafting aromas of sugary fried goodness. But what caught my eye on a recent visit for sandwich cookies stuffed with caramel was the harlot tray of freshly baked arepas being hoisted into the display case by a stout capable woman in baker's gear. I checked around inside my already stuffed full of bebimbop belly and found there was no space. I made a date in my head. A good friend of mine and itinerant explorer of edibles, S.C., and I went for breakfast a few days ago.
Sublime. Truly.
The cafe con leche is perfectly sweet and just strong enough. The arepas were pillowy soft and sweet with a little blanket of slightly chewy white cheese melted on top. Not being able to decide which meat to go with, we got chicharon. Hold the phone. It came out with a little masa cake top hat and a tub of peppery salsa verde. Honestly, I can't pick a favorite, but it lingers somewhere between the simply perfect arepa and the cassava dumpling stuffed with shredded spiced pork. Oh my sweet porky divinity.
We had a nice big cross section of their breakfasty wares and were not disappointed by any of it. Cheesy fried bread, beef empanadas, and perfectly textured flaky pastry slightly sweet with guava and cheese. My head was spinning. I love this place and I plan to go often. It is open from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. daily. I plan to park myself at the shiny green and yellow tiled counter and dig in till they have to pry me, pork and cheese filled, from the stool.
Just to give you an idea, here's what our receipt looked like:
2 cafe pequeno
1 chicharron
1 arepa de queso
1 carimanola (the cassava/pork empanada)
1 empanada carne
1 pastel dulce (the guayaba or guava/cheese pastry)
1 pan de queso
total with tax: $13.08
— Rachel Humphrey /
Soy Organic market in Pilsen and the fast food spot called Feed in Humboldt Park were both fun stops on last night's scouting for this year's Veggie Bike and Dine, an event I co-organize – as a disclosure. One can get non-veg items at both places, but they're also quite vegan friendly. Soy Organic, a small, friendly grocery on the corner of 19th Street and Paulina in Pilsen, has tubs full of bulk grains, nuts and dried beans, small bags of dried fruit, Swad brand of Indian products, and, my favorite among a couple grocery aisles, meatless soy chorizo in the refrigerated section – a vegan version of that spicy pork sausage. It should fry up brilliantly on a hot pan in it's own oil. Throw some tortilla pieces or corn chips in the pan, maybe some crumbled tofu, and you could be reflecting visions of chilaquiles. Oh, and Soy Organic is starting up their smoothie machine quite soon, using real fruit.
Hours later, Feed, on Chicago at California, took care of us with good counter service. Our two orders of our fried okra were vegan – they made a special effort to check – batter-coated in small, round nuggets. Ditto for the hand cut sweet potato and regular fries, tender spinach, succotash, coleslaw, beet salad, and juicy fried green tomatoes with a super light batter. Yes, they're all side orders, but combined, they're a meal for four people who just pedaled many miles. Sure, we did have some snacks from Soy Organic earlier. Call them tapas if you need convincing that you can make a meal out of such pieces. Two of my companions put tunes on the old chrome jukebox playing vinyl. We had decided to go in after one of us, a scout if you will, went inside to check on its vegan options. This person emerged with a plate of a few sweet potato fries, as a sample. I was hooked.
— Chris Brunn /
Life Vegan is the North Side's echo of the famed Soul Veg, the masters of vegan soul food in Chicago, and a South Side beacon for many vegans. Tucked into a storefront on a quiet street in Evanston, it's a short walk from the Purple Line, and a refreshing journey for me onto unfamiliar streets. Life, as they seem to call themselves, stood out with sincerely gracious service and a smiling sous chef. My gyros spread out on a pita that took most of the plate. I poured all of the accompanying sauce over the crispy slices of the fake meat. My dining companion's jerk wrap held plain tofu cubes slathered with intensely savory spices. My salad came with a garlic and nutritional yeast dressing that I couldn't get enough of, my potato wedges with a thick BBQ sauce. You can get the sandwich without these extras for a few dollars less. 1601 Simpson St., Evanston. (847) 869-6379. El: Purple to Foster (in Evanston), and then walk about 12 minutes one block north, and then west on Simpson to 1601.
— Chris Brunn /
Just the other day the top quarter of my mouth was utterly violated by an evil minion. Actually, my dentist is rather cute and very capable, but dental work is never a positive experience, especially when the first of four sessions in a month’s time hurt as bad as that one did.
The whole hour and a half that my mouth was pried open and I watched the descent of various tiny metal torture devices into my “open wide” mouth, I distracted myself with the view from the window. Across the street was Tam Popo Japanese Restaurant. I soothed myself with fantasies that some wildly talented quirky Japanese woman was spinning out the bowls of noodles to inspire a great film.
Continue reading this entry »
— Rachel Humphrey /
Bar Mon Apr 14 2008
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the 800 North Clybourn Goose Island brew pub location will be closing at the end of this year due to lease renewal issues. The Wrigleyville location will remain open and the closing is not expected to interrupt brewing services.
— Gemma Petrie /
In my mind, Spacca Napoli could have made up tonight for one bad review. But what do I know; this was my first visit. Our server graciously stepped us through some of the antipasti, listing ingredient after ingredient when we dropped the vegan word. They cook the eggplant in oil, no butter – and top it with good, fresh basil. She told us how the truffle focaccia, which turned out to be a complete treat, and not on the menu, came without any cheese. I wanted to eat those slices continuously, like a child binge eating after sneaking into a closed chocolate store. Instead, my rational side surfaced, and it told me that I could wait, until my pizza came, to overeat just a bit. A sauce of San Marzano tomatoes, blended with salt, made the marinara pizza brilliantly savory, so much that it felt a touch silky. I think I sensed a crispy bit of rich garlic, definitely basil leaves, and with no cheese by default. It's this vegan's dream for a pizza shop to decide for itself to leave off the cheese on a few selections that hold their own without it.
To anyone who has had a bad time here (and all those who love the place), I'll tell you that service was so tops tonight that one of my dining partners strongly argued that it would be unfair not to give props to our server by name. Maybe you will find that Spacca Napoli has completely turned around and improved. Or perhaps you should just ask for Meredith. 1769 W. Sunnyside. (773) 878-2420. El: Brown Line to Montrose. Bus: 50 Damen, 78 Montrose.
— Chris Brunn /
We told you several weeks ago that Big Jones Chicago would soon be opening up in the old Augie's space on Clark St. in Andersonville. As of Wednesday, they're officially open for real. Tonight they're hosting a fundraiser for eco-Andersonville, a green initiative run by http://www.andersonvilledevcorp.org/ Andersonville Development Corporation, and $50 gets you a sampling of their menu, cocktails, wine, a preview of the restaraunt, and the knowledge that you're making a neighborhood better.
And I have to commend Big Jones for really understanding the internet. Seriously, folks. I've looked at a lot of restaraunt websites, and frankly most of them suck. But these people get it. You can reserve a table online through them (instead of having to go through Open Table). They have a map, their full menu (that thankfully doesn't involve music or downloading a pdf). And they even have a blog. They're not even open and they have more information on their website than most established restaurants. Oh! and they have tea service! With red velvet cake! Lord have mercy upon my waistband.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
Tod Mun and it’s reputation runs the line from much maligned to utterly forgettable. This little fried treat more often resembles the exact flavor and texture of disinfected shoe soles than a delicate lime inflected pillow of deliciousness. It is a tremendously simple thing: fish, and sometimes shrimp also, are pureed with long beans, curry, lime leaves and eggs, made into little patties and fried. They are traditionally served with cucumber dipping sauce. Together the two make a fresh lip-smacking treat, if done right. Somewhere the balance gets lost often, it is easy to make the collagen in fish become spongy and chewy. And taken overboard, lime leaf can taste more like furniture polish than one of my favorite things.
I have tried Tod Mun at nearly every Thai place I have entered in this city, and it has been many…perhaps too many…but that’s for another day.
Honestly, at it’s best it is hands down my favorite Thai treat, well, next to a really well executed green papaya salad. These two dishes require a certain level of skill and sense of balance, which makes them an excellent gauge for a kitchen’s commitment to good solid cooking.
Here are a few of my favorite Tod Mun, and be assured that they are just the tip of the iceberg for these three really special Thai spots:
TAC Quik: Thai Authentic Cuisine. Ask for their Thai menu. So incredibly good, the whole fish is also incredible as is this insane anise scented stew. God love’em, get over there.
Spoon Thai: one in a stretch of pretty good Thai spot on Western, they do these sorta lame lunch specials, but at night when you can get the special Thai menu, it is so good. There are these chive dumplings that are gooey and chivey and just excite me.
Sticky Rice: Um…northern sausage? Coconut water in a shell….I have had some very very exciting food here. Damn…
Honestly I was tempted to say that each of these places has my favorite Tod Mun, but that’s not possible, they are seriously head to head. Make sure to try these little swimmer patties, they are incredibly satisfying and just make you want more.
— Rachel Humphrey /
The serenity of Spa Cafe's decor has long been a neighbor to diners with meat and marinated tofu alike, but the new chef Daniel Asher has taken the vegan friendliness up a level. There's one more menu in front of the ordering counter, one that drops the word vegan. It lists a jumbo (vegan) beer brat, a chik'n sandwich, a Devilburger made of seitan, and a burger of sunflower seeds, brown rice, and veggies. Make sure to ask for no honey mustard if you don't want honey; they'll substitute Vegenaise, if you'd like. I took the beer brat, with crisscut fries instead of chips and salsa. Daniel opened a rotating case to get the fries, soft and slightly crisp on the outside. The brat felt tender and tasted nicely seasoned, with grilled onions and tomato. Maybe they had just fired up the grill for lunch service as I rolled in about 11 a.m., but my order took significantly longer than my friend's non-grill wrap. As I waited, Daniel told me they had vegan, gluten-free cheese for the fries. From the original menu, their marinated organic tofu wrap is quite tender and savory, just add a soup like the sweet potato chipotle to fill up. They carry Alternative Baking Company's vegan cookies in packages at the counter. I'm a big fan of the lemon poppyseed and Explosive Espresso Chip. You can also find the cookies at Kramer's and the DePaul Center Barnes and Noble Café, two other explicitly vegan friendly spots in the Loop, with various seitan-based entrees and fake cheese lasagna in their coolers, Barnes and Noble's coming from the famed Soul Veg. (Disclosure: I casually know the chef at Spa, and I think he knows I write for Gapers Block, just in case this made for any difference.)
— Chris Brunn /
The April issue of Gourmet Magazine focuses on the culinary marvels of Italy (with a sprinkling of Passover dishes). Though, there is brief mention of Chicago in the "Letters" section. A reader writes in to request North Pond's recipe for Ramp Soup and Gourmet obliges (page 24).
Some of the Italian recipes featured in the issue sound delicious and perfect for spring. Asparagus Ravioli in Parmesan Sauce, Fava Beans with Red Onions and Mint, and Creamy Limoncello would make an impressive meal. Perhaps this will be the year I finally break down and buy my own pasta machine.
— Gemma Petrie /
Don't get me wrong: Dollar Burger Night will always be an old standby for my husband and me. Tonight, though, we upped the ante by checking out the "steak for a penny" promotion at the Drake Hotel's Drake Bros. restaurant.
Here's how it works: buy one steak, and receive a second steak of equal or lesser value for a penny (in other words, bring a friend.) We chose the 22-ounce ribeye and a 10-oz Wagyu flat iron steak, setting us back just $46.01 for two of the most tender, flavorful steaks we've ever had. I'm quite sure we couldn't even buy the meat for that price at our local butcher.
In true foodie fashion, we celebrated our savings by ordering an appetizer, lobster and crab spring rolls nestled in a delicious salad of bitter microgreens, oranges, grapefruits, and citrus dressing that seemed to have a hint of vanilla. The spring rolls were full of crab, if a bit light on lobster, but overall a great start.
Steaks generally come with a salad and side at Drake Bros., but diners taking advantage of the penny promotion must order a la carte. It's a small price to pay, since sides generously serve two and run just $6 to $8. The potato and truffle casserole received our highest "scrape the serving dish clean" rating.
With appetizer, two steaks, side, and two martinis — hey, it was Tuesday, after all — our bill, with tax and a $28 tip came to just $131. I defy anyone to find a better deal for an excellently prepared steak dinner for two anywhere in Chicago.
Oh, and one more thing: spring for the side of wild mushroom sauce for your steak ($2.50). You're worth it.
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
I'd been to Ras Dashen many times before, always loving the Ethiopian food and the intimacy of their deep narrow storefront, but my last visit raised the bar to a whole new level. The vegetarian combo lets you pick several items from a few areas on the menu, but make sure to focus in on the specials, either pumpkin or mushrooms. The night I last went, the kitchen was cooking up both. The soft pumpkin held a clean, smooth taste. The mushrooms were the prize – deep, tender and rich with balsamic flavor like a steak bathed in a rich sauce. A usual favorite, yellow split peas were creamy and mild as usual. A whole lentil version of miser wat was full of flavor and hearty. Our server reminded us to eat the injera beneath what was left of our veggie combinations. Try the coffee for a boost; it's quite rich and powerful, served with grounds in a decorated vessel. They offer vegan ice cream for dessert. Full disclosure: Ras Dashen co-sponsored the Veggie Bike and Dine in 2006, which I co-produce. 5846 N Broadway St. (773) 506-9601. El: Red Line to Thorndale. Bus: 36 Broadway.
— Chris Brunn /
Men.Style.com, the "Online home of Details and GQ," has posted an article on the 15 best breakfast restaurants in America. Unsurprisingly, Lou Mitchell's makes the list. I have a special place in my heart for Lou Mitchell's because it was the first place I encountered the incredible combination of apples and cheddar cheese as a kid (in one of their omelets). However, I think any resident could name half a dozen better choices for breakfast in the city. These lists always make me wonder if some author just did a Google search to write the article...
There is a slide show of 5 of the selected restaurants (including Lou Mitchell's). The picture above was the most intriguing to me. It is from Taco Taco Cafe in San Antonio. I love the dishes.
The full list after the jump.
Continue reading this entry »
— Gemma Petrie /
News Mon Mar 24 2008
The nominees for the 2008 James Beard Awards were just announced, and Chicago has pretty good representation this year. The Chicago chefs/restaurateurs nominated are:
• Rich Melman, Lettuce Entertain You, Outstanding Restaurateur
• Grant Achatz, Alinea, Outstanding Chef Award
• Mindy Segal, HotChocolate, Outstanding Pastry Chef
• Brian Duncan, Bin 36, Outstanding Wine Service
• Spiaggia, Outstanding Service
• Graham Elliot Bowles, formerly of Avenues, Best Chef: Great Lakes
• Carrie Nahabedian, Naha, Best Chef: Great Lakes
• Bruce Sherman, North Pond, Best Chef: Great Lakes
Tufano’s Vernon Park Tap received a James Beard Foundation "America’s Classics" Award. The citation said, "One of the few remnants of Chicago's Little Italy, Tufano's Vernon Park Tap has been owned and operated by the same family since it opened as a bar in the early 1930s. The small table in the bar's kitchen has since expanded to include two dining rooms that are regularly packed with businessmen, police officers, families, and pre-game sports fans. The restaurant's chalkboard menu offers diners Italian-American classics like lemon chicken, eggplant Parmesan, and fettuccini Alfredo at prices that make just about everyone a regular."
In addition, the Sun-Times' Janet Rausa Fuller was nominated for Best Newspaper Feature Writing without Recipes for her story "Fish Fraud: The Menus Said Snapper, but it Wasn't!"; CBS2 Chicago's Vince Gerasoli's "Table for Two" was nominated for Best Television Food Segment, National or Local; and the WTTW special "Foods of Chicago: A Delicious History" was nominated for Best Television Food Special. Robert Louey Design was nominated for Outstanding Restaurant Graphics for their work on Sepia.
— Andrew Huff /
Review Thu Mar 20 2008
Transmission Editor Anne Holub submitted this review of Andersonville's new Great Lake Pizzeria.
Last night, I had the good fortune of enjoying an amazing meal at one of the newest pizza joints to open up in Andersonville, called Great Lake. The little storefront shop, which offers carry-out or dine-in at their single eight-person table, is just off Clark on Balmoral, and is in real danger of being my new favorite neighborhood haunt. It's a simple restaurant, making a thin crusted, quality ingredient driven, lovingly baked pizza that's a wonderful addition to Chicago's growing roster of pizza masters.
The shop, which sells a few dozen gourmet dry goods, teas, coffees (along with a few locally made screen-printed cards), features just four pizzas on its menu — but oh, you hardly need more than that. Last night, I opted to sit at their extremely welcoming table with a couple of friends while we BYOB-ed a bottle of wine and made acquaintances with my new favorite Italian meat, sopressata. This pizza (#2 on their menu) included the delightfully complex sopressata, fresh mozzarella, olive oil and imported sea salt, along with a fresh tomato puree from a farm in Wisconsin. Our second selection, pizza #4 on the menu, included smoked bacon from Kentucky (infused with a rich smokey flavor that I could feel across my whole mouth with every bite) crème fraiche, onion and fresh sage, along with a generous grind of tellicherry black pepper.
The pizzas we opted to wait to try (not for lack of salivating, but merely for lack of room in our stomachs) include a tantalizingly simple combination of tomato puree, fresh mozzarella and marjoram (pizza #1) and pizza #3, which features cremini mushrooms and wine-cured goat cheese. Believe you me, I will eat these pizzas someday soon, and they will be delicious.
Great Lake pizza is open from 3pm to 9pm Wed-Fri, 1pm to 9pm Sat, and 1pm to 7pm Sun. You can call in your order to 773-334-9270 or stop in at 1477 W. Balmoral Ave.
— Andrew Huff /
A piece of the dining mecca that is the small stretch of California between Logan and Altgeld is moving. Sai Mai, the (adequate) Thai restaurant located at 2532 North California, will soon be moving to a new (unknown) location that the management promises will be within walking distance of the current spot.
— Robyn Nisi /
I announced myself as vegan, and humbly asked about making changes to a few of Avec's items. I thought perhaps I'd have their house-marinated olives, cauliflower and garlic crostini, wood-fired pizza or focaccia. I was up for whatever they had in mind, so long as I could gaze down this narrow restaurant, warm of light wood walls, tables, stools and benches, all cleanly organized in line from front to back. Our server consulted the kitchen, tucked behind the bar, and then suggested the olives, citrus salad and a specially made pasta dish. My friend and I signed up. The olives came with a warm rectangular roll, tender inside and slightly crusty. Curly endive, fennel and halved hazelnuts made the salad's balsamic dance in my mouth, excited by fresh citrus wedges. Spaghetti was brilliantly nutty with almond slivers, with a nice chew from the looks of breadcrumbs, fennel, parsley, hot red pepper and plenty of oil. I wanted another, just a little less slippery. Our server suggested that the kitchen might not take well to a change request to their already customized offering, but they came through. The kitchen had known best though, their way had the more sensational mouth feel. I learned my lesson, wanting to make the original pasta in my own kitchen. I left on my bicycle, my friend sitting on the sturdy Dutch rear rack, my mouth still feeling quite happy. 615 W. Randolph Ave., (312) 377-2002.
— Chris Brunn /
A promising new frozen custard cafe has opened in Wicker Park: Just Indulge. While the primary focus is on custard, Just Indulge offers an assortment of fine chocolates, gourmet popcorn and other desserts as well as Chicago's own Intelligentsia coffee. The custard comes in an assortment of flavors with a wide range of toppings, and they even offer a soy-based custard for folks who don't do the milk thing. The shop has a family friendly feel to it, but is equally comfortable to the adult with a more refined sweet tooth.
Chicago has a bit of history with frozen custard; it was introduced at the 1933 World's Fair.
Just Indulge is located at 1755 W. North Ave. and is open daily 11am to 9pm — till 10pm Friday and Saturday. 773-486-6680
— Christian Scheuer /
My server asked what I, as a vegan, wanted to see her serve. I took that as license to order whatever I wanted that could be reasonably made with what the cafe already stocked: a bagel with hummus and loaded with veggies. She filled in the details. Sunflower seeds loaded my multigrain bagel sandwich, warm and served open-face, each side with hummus and then sliced cucumber, tomato, red onion, red cabbage and greens, perhaps beet greens. She had asked after bringing out my first order, an English muffin on a dainty plate with a dollop of jelly. Sometimes their soup is vegan, she told me.
I became the official doorman at Cafe Ballou near the end of my visit, or so our server joked. I'd been closing the nearby door that had perhaps given up on a long life of reliable latching. Two storefront windows flanked the door, providing clear views of fluffy snow falling outside. Tables on the window ledges lured customers up. Sepia photos hung on parchment colored walls, above a wood floor, and below white tin ceilings. Marble tops set into wooden tables that held small shaded table lamps. In the middle of the cafe, across from the counter, upholstered armchairs stood around a table and over a rug. Free internet. (773) 342-2909. 939 N. Western.
— Chris Brunn /
Sipping a glass of Pinot at 11am may only appeal to some, but the new brunch lineup from Juicy Wine Co. will appeal to all. Menu items range from the basic (fresh fruit, organic yogurt and homemade granola) to the extreme (two pieces of fried chicken from Harold's Chicken Shack on top of homemade waffles), so there's something to suit all tastes. Be sure to order the fresh-brewed Intelligentsia coffee, a bloody mary, or a bellini to wash it all down. Best of all, all menu items are $5 -- even the cocktails.
Brunch takes place every Saturday and Sunday, from 11am to 4pm.
Juicy Wine Co.
694 N. Milwaukee Ave.
312-492-6620
— Bobbi Bowers /
Good Magazine recently published an article on America's Tastiest Streets. Broadway in Chicago's Lakeview and Edgewater neighborhoods shares the page with picks in Queens, Houston, Seattle, Miami, Nashville, and Los Angeles. The article highlights the following establishments with a favorite offering from each. See the Chicago list after the jump.
Continue reading this entry »
— Gemma Petrie /
Put some sunshine in your Monday! Make reservations now for a celebration of sunny Provence at copperblue. Enjoy six wines from Peter Fischer and Chateau Revelette along side four courses from Chef Michael Tsonton for just $79 all inclusive.
Menu highlights include:
preserved Seville orange gnocchi with pink peppercorn applesauce, grilled fennel salad, apple cider-lemon thyme vinaigrette
Gunthorp Farm organic pork shoulder - roasted allspice, juniper berry and vanilla
Revelette Rouge gelee and burnt brioche with sauce Revelette
call: 312-527-1200 for reservations
Monday March 10th
7pm
copperblue
580 E Illinois
— Christine Blumer /
I celebrated Presidents Day a few weeks ago by having brunch at Lincoln Restaurant, which is just north of the intersection of Lincoln, Damon and Irving Park. What better way to celebrate our country's revered heads of state? Aside from the gut-busting portions of eggs, pancakes and breakfast meats, our stomaches were just as full of soda at the end of the meal. At least one of us could not turn down the giant frosty mug full of 32 ounces of root beer (pictured above, behind a regular 12 oz. portion). I don't think Honest Abe himself ever ingested such a large amount of carbonated beverage, but if he had wanted to, he surely would have come to his namesake restaurant to do so.
— Dana Currier /
Since Masouleh opened its door in early February, the tiny Persian restaurant has seen a steady stream of customers--and that's not a surprise.
Masouleh's opening was a welcome surprise in a mostly Mexican stretch of Clark street in Rogers Park. Since its burgundy-colored awning had appeared, we'd waited for its opening with anticipation. Having a place of "fine Persian cuisine with a northern twist," as the sign said, within a walking distance from home seemed fantastic. So, when it opened, we virtually rushed in.
Continue reading this entry »
— Yu Kizawa /
On a recent (relatively) warm winter day, my mom and I ventured out to Oak Park to visit Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio. When it came time for lunch, we headed to Winberie's, a bright and airy yet warm and comfortable cafe on the corner of Oak Park Ave. and Lake St.
Continue reading this entry »
— Dana Currier /
Years before I even lived in Logan Square, my mother and I unofficially chose Lula Cafe as our default dining option when we would meet up for the day. During a recent visit we formed impromtu brunch plans with some family and I suggested that we all head to Treat rather than wait all morning for a table for 5 at Lula's. Lula may have the best brunch that I have enjoyed in the city, but in the last few years it has become so difficult to get a table that I just don't bother during high traffic times (which is great for them!).
Next time you find yourself beginning the long wait at Lula's, consider heading a mile south on Kedzie to Treat. The owner and chef, Tamiz Haiderali, used to work at Lula's and uses equally fresh ingredients and beautiful presentations. I recently enjoyed their Mushroom, Tomato & Herb Omelet with Toast and Spicy Potatoes for $6.95 (pictured). While the staff is sometimes less than personable, their food is superb. Additionally, Treat is BYOB and they take reservations!
Treat
1616 N. Kedzie
773/772-1201
— Gemma Petrie /
Blog Wed Feb 27 2008
Evidently, David Tamarkin does, and when he gets the urge, he heads to Deta's Cafe at 7555 N. Ridge. Not that he would ever sit down at a table inside, though. He prefers his burek to go.
— Dana Currier /
The March issue of Gourmet Magazine highlights Chicago's Prosecco in their monthly restaurant roundup. "Thirty varieties [of prosecco] are on offer; a minurature flute starts each dinner; and the drink finds its way into chef Mark Sparacino's creamy gold-leaf risotto."
Prosecco is currently participating in the Chicago Restaurant Week, offering a $32 prix-fixe dinner menu.
Prosecco
710 N. Wells
312/ 951-9500
— Gemma Petrie /
Like other reviewers, I'm still holding out hope for Andersonville's newest Mexican restaurant. When I ate there the other night, I was not wowed by the food, but the fact that the kitchen is still working off a provisional menu gives me reason to believe that the dishes are still being refined, and that, once the kinks are worked out, La Cocina de Frida will offer a much more satisfying dining experience.
Continue reading this entry »
— Dana Currier /
Review Mon Feb 25 2008
best breakfasts in America," and Chicago is represented by the original Lou Mitchell's on West Jackson.
It’s not because the hostesses ply those waiting for a booth with warm homemade doughnut holes. And it’s definitely not the gratis stewed prunes that appear on the table just after you sit down. No, what elevates this Greek-run West Loop diner above the rest is its authenticity, evident in the faithful execution of founder Uncle Lou’s simple cooking. Long before culinary integrity became a restaurant-industry branding tool, Lou Mitchell’s was baking its own bread and using only double-yolk eggs for its masterfully prepared omelets—which are served right in the skillets in which they were cooked.
I gotta admit, Lou Mitchell's is very good. But the best in Chicago? I suppose that depends on what you're after for breakfast (note that it's not the best brunch in America). Someone really into pancakes might go for Original Pancake House first; others might favor the cinnamon rolls at Ann Sather or the gritty atmosphere of the White Palace Grill. I personally am a big fan of Wishbone's biscuits and gravy (though for my waistline, maybe I shouldn't be.)
So, what's your vote for the best breakfast in Chicago?
— Andrew Huff /
Just when you start to think that Chicago might actually lose its reputation as a city run by mobsters, something very questionable happens involving an Italian restaraunt, gunshots, and $15,000 worth of windows.
— Cinnamon Cooper /
An all vegan fast food restaurant on the South Side (Mount Greenwood neighborhood) that's known for its vegan takes on gyros, Italian beef, buffalo wings, chili cheese fries and dogs, will soon open its much anticipated North Side location in Wicker Park, at 1300 N. Milwaukee. I rode my bicycle past Veggie Bite's soon-to-be second location yesterday morning, their name and logo prominently and repeatedly displayed in papered windows. (I had long wondered if they would take the iconic one-story building left by Burger King's departure ages ago, on the corner of Milwaukee and Honore, a block south of North and Damen.) Columbia College's Chronicle talks about the restaurant, the differing reactions to its original location, and how they're going for a mainstream eco-friendly appeal with their new Wicker Park address.
Meanwhile, Chicago-area Chicago Soydairy wants you to buy a slice of the vegan pizza that has their new vegan cheese, from the Whole Foods in Lake View at 3640 N. Halsted. Their main product, Temptation Vegan Ice Cream, seems to hold a solid reputation as the vegan ice cream served at several area restaurants, and according to Soydairy, the new cheese melts and tastes great.
— Chris Brunn /
Open:
• Noble Tree Coffee & Tea opens today at 2444 N. Clark St. It's owned by Phil Tadros of Dollop, so expect free wifi, quality coffee and Hoosier Mama pies.
• After being closed for a month due to the Montrose Hole, Scot's reopens tonight. Nice write-up on the TOC blog of a benefit for the bar's employees.
• Lalibela, an Ethiopean restaurant at 5631 N. Ashland Ave., opened this past week. Reviews on Yelp so far are positive.
• Further south in Andersonville, Dish reports that pizzeria-grocery Great Lake, 1477 W. Balmoral (next to La Tache), opened Wednesday.
• Also via Dish, Tallulah, an American bistro in the former She She space, 4539 N. Lincoln Ave., has opened ahead of schedule last weekend.
• Union Pizzeria, 1245 Chicago Ave. in Evanston, opened last week. It's owned by Campagnola's Steve Schwartz, so expect gourmet pizzas, small plates and seasonal ingredients. Here's an early review on LTH Forum.
Coming Soon:
• Aberdeen,1856 W. North Ave., aims to open March 8 in the former Celebrity space.
• Further north on Western, "Kan Pou: Cooking and Baking with spices in the Thai style" says the sign on the former El Palmar space, 4256 N. Western. No word on the opening.
• Yet a little further north, the former Thai Nippon space, 4825-B N. Western, is papered over, and a hand-drawn sign on the door says "Snow Spice Thai" is coming soon.
• 312 Dining Diva has some news on the Chicago outpost (739 N. Clark St.) of suburban hotspot ZED451. The website says March, but expect mid-April.
• It's April for C House, too.
• Again with the April: that's when to expect Gaylord India Restaurant to reopen in its new spot at 100 E. Walton.
• Lincoln Park pizza and pasta joint O'Famé's new Lincoln Square/St. Ben's location, 4159 N. Western, looks nearly open -- the paper is literally peeling off the windows -- but a call to the original turned up no answers. Could be weeks, could be months.
• In Andersonville, Big Jones, in the old Augie's space, has filed its liquor license application and its walls are framed in. Baby steps.
— Andrew Huff /
When Noodles & Company first opened in the Loop nearly two weeks ago, I excitedly went for lunch, but the line told me to come back later when it buckled at the door, even as a friendly employee handed me a menu and engaged me to ask questions about it. Today, there was nearly no line, minutes before noon. Before I ordered, I asked the cashier if the Indonesian Peanut Sauté was vegan. "Let me check for you," she said as she turned to consult a nearby sheet. Yes, it's vegan, she told me. I asked her for it with tofu while noticing her co-worker using a scale in the background to measure vegetables. With a number card so they could bring me my food, I took a seat on a wooden counter among wooden tables and booths, over carpeting and under framed photos of farm stands and another of people eating. The setting is a hybrid of fast food and sit down. You order and pre-pay at a register but are served with metal flatware and ceramic bowls. "Need anything else," the person who delivered my food asked. The bus person thanked me as I left. Service was great, and my food tasty. The rice noodles were bunched up and sticky with savory peanut sauce. They were steamy, despite one cold carrot sliver among otherwise hot vegetables and cubes of tofu. One broccoli floret tasted especially full of flavor, like citrus, perhaps from my squeezing of lime. I'm curious to go back soon and see what the Sriracha hot chili sauce on the table does for their Bangkok curry and Japanese pan noodles. 180 N. Michigan Ave.
— Chris Brunn /
I finally had the chance to stop in The Original PapaNicholas Café, "Chicago's #1 whole bean coffee roaster," and I was presently surprised. Located in the former spot of Frappe Coffee Lounge, this Portage Park coffee shop has everything you would expect from a coffee shop in this day and age, free Wi-Fi, flat screen televisions all in a comfy contemporary space. The Batavia-based company has been roasting coffee in Chicago for years, selling a variety of blends in area grocery stores such as Treasure Island, Sunset Foods and Jewel. This is their first stand-alone café; a few mini cafes have been in area Jewel stores in the suburbs.
The café has an impressive and affordable menu, standards of muffins and scones, deli sandwiches and grilled paninis -- the Grilled Chicken and Apple sounds interesting. One of the more attention-grabbing items PapaNicholas Café offers is Nick's 96, 96 ounces of coffee to go -- most likely a big container of coffee intended for the office, but I could see some monkey trying to drink it all himself.
The Original PapaNicholas Café
4431 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-282-9682
Monday through Thursday 5:30am to 9pm
Friday 5:30am to 10pm
Saturday 7am to 10pm
Sunday 7am to 9pm
— Christian Scheuer /
On a recent chilly evening I meet my friend my Margaret at Artopolis in Greektown to see her off before she moved to D.C. Conveniently located just a few blocks from the blue line, we enjoyed a warming meal of soup and "Artopitas" (variations on the traditional Greek spanakopita). For dessert we tried their raspberry and mango yogurt mousse (mango pictured). I'm not crazy about super sweet desserts, but the yogurt in this mousse provided a nice tartness to mellow the sugar. The soup, sweets and coffee at Artopolis make excellent complements to a snowy evening and good conversation.
Artopolis
306 S. Halsted
312/559-9000
— Gemma Petrie /
Ambitious chefs are upping the culinary ante in Chicago--and people are taking notice. In the latest issue of Food & Wine, Heather Shouse (editor of Time Out Chicago's "Eat Out/Drink Up" section) suggests adding these new Chicago restaurants to your "must try" list.
• Sepia
• Brasserie Ruhlmann
• Cafe 103
• Coalfire Pizza
• The Drawing Room
• Old Town Brasserie
• Pasticceria Natalina
• Sol de Mexico
• Table Fifty-Two
• Violet Hour (technically a bar, but praised for its innovative bar food menu)
Also, keep an eye-out for new spots from these culinary heavy-hitters:
• Marcus Samuelsson's C-House (coming March '08)
• Laurent Gras' L.20 (formerly Ambria, coming April '08)
• Terrance Brennan's Artisanal Bistro & Wine Bar (coming September '08)
— Bobbi Bowers /
Concierge has an article up on their picks for the world's most romantic restaurants. Each location has a compelling photo that, romanticism aside, fuels some serious travel fantasies. Dubrovnik, Croatia is definitely still on my list.
-via yumsugar
— Gemma Petrie /
Hey guys, does the thought of making Valentine's Day plans leave you flustered? Does your dream date involve sharing intimate conversation over candlelight in the most romantic of settings? Then you should "wow" your lady this Valentine's Day with a romantic dinner for 2 at White Castle. Reservations are required, so call 708-458-4450 ext. 516 to reserve your spot at the White Castle nearest you.
Hey, if it was good enough for Harold and Kumar, it's good enough for your lady. And who knows, she may enjoy it so much that she'll forget about the fact that you didn't propose to her.
— Bobbi Bowers /
Random Mon Feb 11 2008
In some parts of Europe, people throw oranges at one another in various Lenten celebrations. I got to witness the Shrove Tuesday festival in Binche, Belgium, a few years ago, where local men dressed in bright costumes toss oranges at one another and people foolish enough to be standing around. I made it out alive, thanks to a friend's husband who blocked most of the flying fruit.
In the Piedmont region in Italy, in a town called Ivrea, the start of Lent is marked by a Battle of the Oranges, where all are welcome to join in the giant food fight that now has established teams and rules.
And, in Chicago ... there isn't any orange tossing. But you can celebrate the Battle of the Oranges at Frasca Pizzeria & Wine Bar. From the 24th through March 1, Frasca's menu features orange-theme menu items, like a blood-orange and shaved onion salad, and duck and asparagus in an orange-taragon sauce. Just wait until you leave the restaurant to throw fruit at your dining companions.
— Lori Barrett /
Serious Eats has a very thorough report on an ingenious new contraption. BBQ Chicken, a South Korean fried chicken chain, has started selling the Col-Pop. This beverage container has a snack tray built right into the top (see Serious Eats' cut-away image) - making your cola and popcorn chicken stop even more convenient. BBQ Chicken is currently only located in a few East coast cities, but I bet other fast food establishments will not be far behind with similar offerings.
— Gemma Petrie /
Strip mall fare usually falls along the taste spectrum somewhere between "bland but edible" and "foul." About a year ago, my husband and I were pleasantly surprised to discover a definite exception to the rule, La Gondola, a family owned and operated Italian restaurant all but hidden away in the Jewel Plaza at Ashland and Wellington.
La Gondola's handful of tables are consistently filled with regulars who will tell you that a reservation is a must on Friday and Saturday nights. The atmosphere is cozy, if a little cramped, as a carry-out line often fills the tiny waiting area. But everyone's in it together at La Gondola, where the chef has been known to man the register in a pinch on busy nights.
The service is good and the atmosphere genial, but they come for the food.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
My friend's sweetie's first solo exhibition opened at Swirl Wine Bar tonight with an artist's reception. The complimentary Cabernet was quite good, but I was hungry. The small veggie pizza on the menu looked good, just without the goat cheese, which seemed like enough of a change to make it vegan. The crust was thin and crispy with a thick tomato sauce and the fragrance of caramelized onions. Slices of eggplant, roasted red pepper and onion covered the slices. James F. Hajicek's paintings of nudes and street scenes show through March 1. 111 W. Hubbard St.
— Chris Brunn /
Maybe it's adherence to the weather predictions of rogue Brookfield Zoo groundhog Cloudy (take that, Punxsutawney Phil!), or obeisance to the marketing whims of the great fro-yo juggernaut that is Pinkberry. Whatever the source of inspiration, local lunch fave Wow Bao recently added frozen yogurt to their menu, branching out from their previous dessert selection of sesame clusters and honeyed pistachio pieces. You can now get a cup of icy goodness...topped in sesame clusters and honeyed pistachio pieces! Yogurt flavors range from plain to pomegranate-hibiscus and ginger, and fresh fruit toppings are available in addition to the crunchy snacks. While the current ice monsoon may not be totally conducive to the enjoyment of frozen yummies, when it warms up, rest assured Wow Bao will be there for you.
— Andie Thomalla /
Montrose Avenue reopened for traffic on Friday, but that doesn't mean the knot of businesses around the Montrose Brown Line stop have all returned to normal.
Glenn's Diner, one of several restaurants and bars closed by the Montrose Hole, reopened today, and the neighborhood welcomed them back with a packed lunch service. Subway and Beans & Bagels returned last week, the latter having used the closure as an opportunity to do a little clean-up and remodeling. Other spots remain closed, including El Torito, Scot's and Roong Petch remained closed, with little activity inside. The water main break severely damaged the foundation of the building housing El Torito, so it's uninhabitable until the city inspects and approves the repairs -- a delay that may close the restaurant for good.
[photo by TheeErin]
— Andrew Huff /
Having moved to Chicago from South Florida, my experience with Vietnamese food was very limited. In the year that I have lived here so far I have taken every opportunity to stuff my face at any Asian establishment anyone recommends and Pho 777 on Argyle was the first one in a very long line.
There is one very simple reason I keep returning to 777. Stock, plain and simple.
Continue reading this entry »
— Helge Pedersen /
Chicago Magazine's Dish has a review of the first breakfast service at Sixteen, the restaurant located on the 16th floor of the just-opened Trump Hotel. The reviewer makes it seem decent, but not overwhelmingly delicious (although she does note that she ordered a rather "boring" breakfast).
Sixteen is currently only serving breakfast but will open for dinner beginning next week on Feb 6.
Photo by Abel Uribe, Chicago Tribune
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
The Edgewater Lounge is known as more of a summer spot. Its location at Ashland and Bryn Mawr features a sidewalk patio in the warmer months, and while the view isn't great (four lanes of speeding traffic on Ashland, a gas station and Jiffy Lube across the street), the atmosphere is festive and friendly, and the patio is often packed in the evenings. On a recent frigid Saturday night, however, there was plenty of seating indoors.
Continue reading this entry »
— Dana Currier /
Time Out Chicago has a timely feature on buffalo wings, in which Hungry Mag's Michael Nagrant sampled nine of the region's best hot wings with local champion competitive eater Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti. Worth a read if you're looking for a batch to order this weekend.
Over on Hungry Mag, Nagrant shares some further thoughts about hanging out with Bertoletti.
*Is it just me, or is it just impossible not to come up with a dumb pun headline when writing about chicken wings?
— Andrew Huff /
Review by GB contributor Marla Seidell
A serene and mellow atmosphere, the humming murmur of conversation intermingled with soothing indie folk rock playing in the background, this could only be one place — the new Uncommon Ground in Edgewater.
Located at the corner of Devon and Glenwood, the new Uncommon Ground finds itself in the same corner as an ominously blinking police light. Apparently, owners Michael and Helen Cameron aren't deterred by the reputation of crime in the area. Although it was a Monday evening, the place was far from empty; by 8pm it was buzzing with patrons. Hip but casual, this is not a place to see and be seen, as the décor and design — mostly squares and rectangles, exposed brick, luxuriously long leather booths, and earth artwork (nature scenes in wooden frames) is far more interesting to look at than what people are wearing or doing.
The key at Uncommon Ground is cozy. My boyfriend and I were seated right next to a blazing fire; on an evening of blistering winds and rain this was startlingly appropriate. Candles burned brightly on the wooden tabletops all around us. Uncommon Ground is a good place for a conversation with an old friend, or a gathering of pals. I wouldn't say it's necessarily romantic, but socially inviting, yes. The demographic was varied, reflecting the diversity of the neighborhood: a few students, thirtysomethings, gay couples, even two cops on a break were enjoying the laid-back atmosphere.
Continue reading this entry »
— Andrew Huff /
Event Tue Jan 29 2008
Have a new sweetie that you want to share Valentine's Day with, but not sure they're worth a $200 fancy pants feast? Or maybe you just want something a bit more low key than the fixed priced menus and disaffected waiters that most joints serve up on the officially sanctioned Day O' Luv. Bittersweet bakery is offering two seatings of a 3 course menu on the 14th for a mere $35 pp. Menu includes an organic greens, beets, and goat cheese salad, your choice of veggie gratin or lamb chops, molten chocolate cake and a glass of bubbly. With seatings at 5:30pm and 7:30pm, you can continue the evening at a swanky bar or back at your love shack with some sweet treats from the pastry case. Reservations are required. (773) 929-1100. Bittersweet Pastry Shop. 1114 W. Belmont Ave.
— Christine Blumer /
When Golden Rise Bakery moved into Logan Square they immediately impressed me with their breads, sandwiches and high-quality coffee. However, I wasn't sure how quickly this family-owned business would find success on an often lonely strip of Diversey Avenue. I've been pleased to find Golden Rise bustling each time I visit and I certainly hope this means they will be sticking around for quite some time.
The Farmer's Basket sandwich (pictured above) is delicious and makes an excellent weekend lunch after a late night: Gouda, Muenster and Cheddar cheeses are toasted on sourdough bread with granny smith apple slices, bacon and mustard. Their fresh baked breads are reasonably priced (about $4) and excellent quality.
Golden Rise Bakery
2957 W Diversey
773/772-7620
— Gemma Petrie /
I invited my roommate out for a spicy dinner on a freezing evening last week to celebrate her birthday. Udupi Palace may be my favorite stand-by South Indian establishment on Devon Avenue. The service is excellent and the food always hits the spot.
We ordered the Gobi Masala Curry and the Mattar Paneer (pictured) for $10.00 each, an order of Alu Paratha (whole wheat flat bread stuffed with onion, potato and spices) for $3.50 and two sweet Lassis to cut the spice for $3.00 each.
What is your favorite South Indian food in Chicago?
Udupi Palace
2543 W. Devon Ave.
773/338-2152
— Gemma Petrie /
News Tue Jan 22 2008
Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse, the spendy spot to see and be seen is rumored to have plans for another equally spendy location: South Beach. I think the namesake of the popular high-protein diet will make an appropriate winter home for Gibson's.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
We could look down onto the cooks' cutting boards on overhead monitors at Borrowed Earth Café. Looking over the counter, I saw one gal squeezing a hand juicer over a blender and a man command a food processor. A cook was chopping through a big red pail of spinach, cutting batch by batch using his long chef's knife to lift the cuttings into another container.
Continue reading this entry »
— Chris Brunn /
A-ville Daily tips us to the opening of La Cocina de Frida, featuring "made-from-scratch Mexican food and family recipe cooking," in the space previously occupied by Angel's, 5403 N. Clark. The menu promises fresh guacamole, made-daily tamales and empanadas, pollo en mole negro Oaxaca and other authentic Mexican dishes inspired by Friday Kahlo.
— Andrew Huff /
Event Fri Jan 18 2008
River North's Aigre Doux celebrates its first anniversary Monday with a $75 prix fixe dinner which includes a complimentary glass of champagne and a menu with all sorts of creative delights such as pan-seared diver scallops with sea urchin foam and blood orange vinaigrette, Tasmanian crab cake with avocado and pomelo mizuna salad and bluefin tuna carpaccio with arugula, kumquat and Sicilian pistachio. And those are just the appetizers. Not sold? Check out our review from last spring.
Dinner service begins at 5 p.m. and reservations are recommended (which can be made online or by calling 312-329-9400.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
Got the afternoon to kill? Have some tea at Chalkboard, one of Lincoln Ave newest restaurants, where a high tea service was just added to the menu. Tea is served from 2 p.m to 4:30 pm on Saturdays, but the restaurant is planning to expand it into a "full weekend service."
Chalkboard's High Tea Service is now served from 2pm-4:30pm on Saturdays, and they're ready and willing to serve vegan guests, although it's encouraged to call ahead.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
This past weekend, I was hoping to use my NPR member card for the first time. This valuable little piece of plastic came with a guide listing all the restaurants where I could flash it to get a free second entree (of equal or lesser value than the first, of course.) Some restaurants have restrictions on the deal, obviously, but many claim to accept the card "anytime." Unfortunately, there are also some restaurants who claim to accept the card anytime (at least according to the guide) but in practice, do not. Unfortunately, La Tache is one of these restaurants.
Continue reading this entry »
— Dana Currier /
No dairy, no egg is what we asked for, and that is what we got. I'd forgotten that didn't mean vegetarian — until the collard greens came. I should have known at a restaurant celebrating "southern reconstruction" cooking. Ironically, if I had simply asked for vegan straight away, Wishbone probably would have accommodated just fine, as their Web site correctly suggests: ".. a hard-working staff and a restaurant you can feel comfortable in whether you come with kids, stuffy business associates, boho vegans, or senior parents from out of town."
Continue reading this entry »
— Chris Brunn /
News Wed Jan 09 2008
Both Metromix and Chicagoist have reported on Schwa's comeback. According to Metromix, Shwa's chef, Michael Carlson, was just taking time off to spend time with his baby daughter and spiff up the joint.
While Schwa won't be back in business until late January at the earliest, you can pass the time with Naz's foodporn, shot at the restaurant early last year.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
Shine Morida's service was tops and courteous. Our server intently placed our water glasses on the table, pausing a moment after lowering them to our table, just before they touched, as if to buffer a clanking sound. We'd asked him to see if the kitchen would make satay with tofu (menu lists chicken, beef, shrimp); but they said no. Meanwhile, he checked to see if some dumplings, edamame shu mai I think, had any egg in the batter. They used egg to seal the pastry, so I turned our problem back on the kitchen, asking our server to ask the kitchen what they'd recommend as a vegan appetizer. I didn't want to go back and forth with questions, and our server very kindly accommodated. Veggie dumplings, gyoza I think, were the answer. They were filled with tender minced vegetables and served in a thickly woven steam box.
Continue reading this entry »
— Chris Brunn /
A few coming soon signs around town:
• Sweet Occasions opens its third location, on Bryn Mawr at Kenmore, next Tuesday, Jan. 15. Three more locations, in Roscoe Village, Boystown and Lincoln Park, are planned for later in '08.
• The owners of Think Cafe recently began construction on a new restaurant, to be called Knew, in Wicker Park. No opening date set yet.
• At Wilson and Ravenswood in underserved Ravenswood, O'Shaughnessey's is nearing completion; looks to be a couple months from opening. From the external signage, it'll be a standard model Irish pub, unless they're serious about being "tea merchants" and "whiskey blenders."
• Metromix reports that a new beer garden is growing in East Ukrainian Village. The Old Oak Tap is aiming for a September opening.
• Pollo Campero will open its third Chicago location on a western stretch of North Avenue in the coming months.
• Eno, the wine room chain with an outpost in the Hotel Intercontinental, is opening another branch in the lobby of the Fairmont Hotel; look for it to pop up in May.
• The beloved, belated Tiny Lounge (formerly under the Addison Brown Line stop) is soon to reopen in the former Charlie's on Leavitt space at Leavitt/Lincoln/Montrose. Let's hope for a quick build-out and open.
— Andrew Huff /
My hubby and I did some holiday returns this weekend, and all of those overheated stores and long lines made us hungry. I had dinner plans with a friend, so I just wanted a snack. He hadn't eaten all day, so he wanted something more substantial. To further complicate matters, we were in Old Town, where few options exist besides overpriced bar food and really overpriced fine dining. That's why we were pleasantly surprised when we stumbled upon Old Jerusalem.
I don't know why I've never noticed the place before; it's been a fixture since '76. No matter. I'm glad we found it this weekend. I ordered the combination vegetarian entree, knowing Brian would power down my leftovers. The platter had generous helpings of hummus, tebouleh, and Jerusalem salad; the most delicious and exquisitely smoky baba ganouj I've ever tasted; and three perfectly crispy, piping hot falafil. Brian ordered the shawirma sandwich. The beef and lamb shawirma was tender and, notably, not over seasoned. Plus, the pita was so stuffed with meat and the works that we marveled at how it maintained its structural integrity.
Service was polite and prompt. Despite my dinner plans, I decided it would be worth it to sample Old Jerusalem's sweets. The harisa, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made mainly of semolina, burst with flavor. Interestingly, the cake was soaked in a milk and honey syrup, as opposed to the more traditional citrus-spiked simple syrup. I like it Old Jerusalem-style, and I'll definitely make a return visit to try the kinafa, which features ricotta cheese, and the baklawa.
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
Zagat Survey has chosen the top 11 restaurants of the year based on cost, service and decor. It is an interesting mix with only two establishments hitting close to home. All of the restaurants scored a 29 out of a possible 30 points. Has anyone dined at these restaurants?
Bacchanalia - Atlanta, GA
Barrington's - Charlotte, NC
Carlos' - Highland Park, IL
Jean-Robert at Pigall's - Cincinnati, OH
Thomas Henkelmann's Homestead Inn - Greenwich, CT
French Room - Dallas, TX
Sanford - Milwaukee, WI
Restaurant Nicholas - Red Bank, NJ
Gary Danko - San Francisco, CA
The Inn at Little Washington - Washington, VA
Xavier's at Piermont - Piermont, NY
Image: The Creme Brulee at Carlos'
— Gemma Petrie /
I had stayed in and ordered Pizza Metro delivered this weekend. When I think of their square cut slices on my dining room table, I want it to be warm outside. I want to sit once more at their sidewalk tables on Division. I'd often grab a friend and share a potato rosemary pizza done with the extra sauce, no cheese. Extra sauce gets some crusts soggy, but not here. It comes out crispy on the edges, and firm underneath. Their sauce comes thick, moist and tangy when you get more of it. Toss on mushrooms, green olives or whatever you want. There's no liquor license, but stores a few steps in either direction that will sell you containers. Pizza Metro here has been glad to provide an opener.
Continue reading this entry »
— Chris Brunn /
Event Fri Dec 28 2007
If you absoutely have to go out for dinner on amateur night, best make your reservations right now. Luckily, a quick scan of opentable shows plenty of early res's available at lots of swanky spots throughout the city. They even offer a special page that shows some of the fixed price deals and promos for the big night out.
Standouts include Anteprima, Copperblue, and Naha offering their regular menus and others with special tasting menus and the ever popular Champagne toast. BOKA, Gejas, Le Lan, and Bin 36 all have tasty looking options that range from $50-$135 depending on your seating time and number of courses. The best bargain seems to be The Park Grill with a five course tasting menu, live jazz, and free trolley rides home within a two mile radius all for $55. As an added bonus, you can order $10 glasses of Veuve Clicquot NV all night long.
— Christine Blumer /
The most recent issue of Bon Appetit highlights three local establishments. Smoque BBQ is hailed as a stand-out option in a city that apparently has a "dearth of good rib joints." Lovely Bake Shop's adorable mini-pies and down-home ambiance charm the writers into comparisons to New York's Magnolia Bakery. And Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi, located in the former Marshall Field's building, has received decidedly mixed local reviews, but Bon Appetit highlights this new establishment in an article on U.S. noodle bars. Perhaps we Chicagoans just aren't ready to spend $10 on a bowl of broth and noodles. Personally, if you are looking for a nice lunch in the loop, I would recommend the gem that is Frontera Fresco in the same location.
Smoque BBQ
3800 N. Pulaski
773/545-7427
Lovely Bake Shop
1130 N. Milwaukee
773/572-4766
Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi
111 N. State, 7th floor
312/781-4483
Frontera Fresco
111 N. State, 7th floor
312/781-4483
— Gemma Petrie /
My sweetie and I stopped off at Usagi Ya for dinner while biking back from the MCA and took a table against a soft bench along a bubble like-textured sidewall across from the sushi bar. Our waiter said vegetarian might be hard, that he didn't see many come in, and admitted he wasn't quite sure what vegan was.
Continue reading this entry »
— Chris Brunn /
The small stretch of California Avenue from Logan to Altgeld has changed considerably in the last years with the addition of Provenance Food and Wine, Buona Terra, Sai Mai, and Hachi's Kitchen; however, there's a new restaurant that opened this week called Rustik (2515 N. California, phone 773-235-0002) that balances out the flavor of its neighbors with more American dishes, like meatloaf, pizza and macaroni and cheese. Billing itself as "putting a new spin on comfort food," the interior of the restaurant looks very high-end and Straight Outta Aspen--beige everything, dim lighting, stone wall edifices, and chandeliers fashioned from antlers--but the menu prices seem reasonable, and the location alone is promising for the restaurant's success.
— Robyn Nisi /
After only a few short months, Cyberia Café has closed down. It saddens me that an independent coffee shop I recommended, or at least introduced, didn’t make it past the six month mark. The River North shop had a bit of bad luck early on. Someone broke in after hours and stole a large flat screen television as well as some other items — all caught on tape, but as far as I know, the suspect was never apprehended. The window he used to get in has been boarded up since, as the owners insurance wasn’t active at the time of the burglary.
The closure of a coffee shop so soon isn’t all that uncommon, I was once told by a café owner that most independent coffee shops don’t make it past the six month mark, but if and when they do, the chances are much better they will be around for a longer time.
— Christian Scheuer /
A good friend was headed to my place with Thai take-out from Roong Petch. Savory red curry went down warm - just what I wanted on a snowy night. The Double 'O' Tofu's "top-secret chili sauce" made me feel hotter. I loved scooping up the sauce with my spoon. Edamame cooled me down. The egg rolls snapped crispy with tender insides, just like expected. They made it all vegan. For next time, I'm imagining dipping their banana rolls into the syrup they come with - banana and shredded coconut inside deep-fried spring rolls. I'm told service is quite good. When my friend was in the area more and used to frequent Roong Petch, a server remembered her, consistently volunteering to substitute cucumber salad for a non-veg item she didn't want from the $5.50 lunch combo menu. 1828-30 Montrose Ave., (773) 989-0818. El: Brown Line. Bus: 50, 78.
— Chris Brunn /
I attended the opening of Connoisseur Wine Co. last week. Gerald Lott and Frankie Versean Cox have created an intimate space (seats only 50) for patrons to enjoy wine, champagne and a small plate menu designed by Chef Philipp Vitti, formerly of TRU
Those interested in getting a first-hand look at this new establishment should check out the offer posted on Chicagoist for this weekend.
Connoisseur is located at 1041 W. Grand, a wise choice just off the blue line. The unassuming building was flanked by a doorman who welcomed me out of the cold into their cozy space where I met several courteous individuals involved in the project. Juliana Angel, the Wine Program Director, brought me the Alfredo Roca Pinot Noir, Medoza 2005 ($10/35), the Morgadio Rias Baixas, Albariono 2006 ($12/40) and the Bollinger Special Cuvee ($120).
Samples of their menu offerings were also available. Of note were the Crawfish Rolls: Spicy sushi rolls with ginger and plum sauce ($12), Lobster and Chile Ceviche: Lobster ceviche with grapefruit, hearts of palm, cilantro and key lime ($16), Grilled Asparagus: Marinated, grilled asparagus with toasted walnut and gorgonzola ($11) and truly luscious Sweet Potato Soup ($8). Dan Deaton, the Executive Chef, would like the menu to push his guests to try something new, while still making them feel comfortable.
Connoisseur is a nice addition to the higher end market, providing a refined environment for conversation, a small meal and a glass of wine from their thoughtful selection. Connoisseur felt refreshingly unpretentious to me, but I do wonder if the type of patron who frequents such an establishment might desire more glitz from their surroundings. A few small changes could give the space a more upscale feeling and I believe that Connoisseur will have to make them in order to compete in the luxury market.
Connoisseur
1041 W. Grand Ave.
312-738-3055
Hours: Tues.-Fri. 5pm-2am, Sat. 2pm-3am and Sun. 2pm-2am
— Gemma Petrie /
Toasted oil-touched bread gave way with a crisp and chewy crumb, and then came fresh green lettuce that broke sharply with my teeth, luscious seitan with juices of fresh tomato wrapping around my tongue, sautéed peppers and onions, and a mild tang of a vegan cheese. That's the sandwich that much talked about co-owner Michelle Garcia brought to my table from the kitchen - the Chicago cheese steak (or cheese seitan for vegans like me) - just after she'd arrived through the front door with a big hug for me. Moroccan couscous salad came on the side - thick Middle Eastern style couscous tossed in an olive oil vinaigrette with square red onion slices, pieces of eggplant, tender zucchini and thin slices of red and orange peppers.
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— Chris Brunn /
When I began working in West Town a few months ago, I quickly fell in love with Fiore's Deli. Access to a corner store where I can buy ripe avocados, Vitamin Water, high-quality Italian pantry items and homemade tiramisu has certainly improved my life. Their deli counter always has a surprisingly steady stream of customers given their residential location, but until recently I had not tasted any of their offerings.
The first snow this week was by all accounts a fairly gentle introduction to winter, however I still felt unreasonably interested in moving slowly and staying warm. The two-block walk to Fiore's for a hot sandwich proved to be the perfect quick lunch. The scrambled eggs were rich and creamy, dotted with hearty slices of cooked green and red bell peppers. The sandwich is served on Italian bread and comes in three different sizes. I ordered the 7-inch for $4.50. Not a bad deal for a truly comforting meal.
Fiore's Domestic Import Deli
2258 W. Erie
312/942-9419
— Gemma Petrie /
Get your head out of the gutter.
I'm referring to Cincinnati chili--an almost sauce-like chili that consists of finely ground beef and a blend of spices. And while I've lived in Chicago my entire life, Cincinnati's chili holds a special place in my heart (and I don't mean in the form of cholesterol).
If you're not familiar with Cincinnati chili, you should know that it's not your average chili. It's served on top of spaghetti and topped with a huge portion of shredded cheddar cheese (3-way, the classic) and onions (4-way) and kidney beans (5-way). And to Cincinnatians, chili is no joke. According to the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau (as posted on Wikipedia), Cincinnatians consume more than two million pounds of chili each year. That's a lot of chili.
I recently heard a rumor about a Cincinnati native who was planning on bringing some of that chili-love to Chicago in the form of a restaurant named Cinners. But much to my dismay, the restaurant--which will make Lincoln Square its future home--still isn't open, but they do have a website. Until then, I'll continue to make my own using chili seasoning packets that I pick up during trips to Cincinnati to visit family. Not planning on visiting Cincinnati? Order your own and try it for yourself.
— Bobbi Bowers /
Chances are, you've tasted Metropolis coffee. It's now served at many Chicago restaurants and coffee shops. But maybe you haven't made the trek up to Granville to the Metropolis Cafe. Yes, it gets crowded with Loyola students and local residents, but there's a reason for that. The coffee is always hot and fresh, and the food is pretty good as well.
Continue reading this entry »
— Dana Currier /
Milk and Honey Bake Shop became more vegan friendly after a nice email exchange with the owner in October. While their food menu is limited compared to their main Division Street location, the bake shop started offering their portobello sandwich without cheese. (I'd been told the sandwiches were pre-made before). They sell granola by the bowl now, too (not just by the bag), available with soy milk. Strict vegans note, the granola contains honey. Of course, they also serve espresso and coffee. This location is geared toward take-away customers, but a few tables stand with stools along the windows.
Milk and Honey is located across from Half and Half's now closed location.
1543 N. Damen Avenue.
El: Blue Line to Damen/Milwaukee. Bus: 50, 56, 72.
— Chris Brunn
Review Sun Dec 02 2007
This guest review comes from reader Rosamund Miller. If you'd like to submit a review of your own, please email it to drivethru@gapersblock.com.
I love Chinese food. Growing up in San Francisco, I ate a lot of it. Much to my mother's surprise and delight, my generally picky 6-year-old self had no trouble putting away a carton of ma pao tofu, mu shu pork or even scaly, mysteriously delicious chicken feet at dim sum. After a number of years in the culturally and culinary different Midwest, I've come to the conclusion there are four kinds of Chinese restaurants: really bad dives, really good dives, high-end places with average food, and the excellent but at times elusive middle. The middle has great food and surroundings to match. You can go for a nice dinner with visiting relatives or collapse into fried noodles at the end of a long night. Prices are reasonable. The food is the main priority, but atmosphere isn't too far behind.
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— Andrew Huff /
The opening of English, the River North gastropub, was met with much fanfare last summer, but the verdict reached by most reviewers was that the food was mediocre and the beer list was a little lean. That's why I wasn't expecting too much when I had dinner there last week. Fortunately, I was in for a surprise.
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— Dana Currier /
Korean mixed vegetables with rice, or bi bim bop, seems incongruent with my notion of a typical greasy Chicago diner. I imagine the type of place where I could order bacon and eggs, cheese dogs, meat on toast, and pizza puffs at a walk-up counter. Hound Dogs Burgers & Teriyaki has all that, plus teriyaki sandwiches and bi bim bop. I ordered the rice dish without the typical egg and beef. At a place where meat seems to take priority on the menu, anyone wanting to order vegan should assume the responsibility for ensuring their dietary guidelines are met. I stick to the basics. I asked for a vegetarian bi bim bop, no egg. They told me, sure, one bi bim bop, no egg. Hmm, I thought, I better make sure about the meat. No meat, I said, and more notes went on the kitchen's ticket.
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— Chris Brunn
The second location of Icosium Kafe, on the corner of Clark and Foster, opened this past spring and promises to have more staying power than previous occupants of the space. The crepes on the menu are not your run-of-the-mill, ham-and-cheese-filled French variety but rather more substantial, heavy-on-the-vegetables Algerian style crepes.
Continue reading this entry »
— Dana Currier /
Chef Mon Nov 26 2007
I spent the morning reading a profile on NY chef David Chang and his recent success in the foodie and media circles concerning his and business partner Joaquin Baca's Momofuku restaurants. It's the kind of place that seems to exist primarily on the coasts: superior worldly ingredients cooked at a high level which produces what some might call the New American Cuisine. A combination of small plates and large, communal dishes at a very affordable (almost student cheap) price, a lack of reservation options, no dress codes and chefs being cooks, servers and host, all in one.
The question I have for Chicago is this: we're in an amazing place right now for food culture -- Alinea is here, Paul Kahan's Blackbird and Avec, Hot Doug's and Kuma's Corner -- so I ask the readers, where's some really exciting high level cooking going on right now?
— Naz Hamid /
The secret is out. My favorite neighborhood BYOB has been mentioned in Chicago Magazine's 124 Best Meals. It's funny when you love a place so much that you don't want it to get too popular, yet you realize that it needs that popularity to stay in business. Sigh...
I'm talking about Semiramis--a Lebanese gem in Albany Park. The consistently delicious food, very reasonable prices and excellent service put Semiramis at the top of my list. And while the rotisserie chicken got Chicago Magazine's attention, I keep going back for different favorites.
I start with the kibbeh trio appetizer, a blend of ground lamb and spices encased in a crust of potato, corn or the traditional bulgur wheat. Keep an eye-out for the chilled yogurt soup appetizer--a tangy seasonal favorite consisting of a creamy yogurt base, diced cucumber and grape halves. For my main course, I almost always order the chicken shawarma with fattoush--a chopped vegetable salad that's tossed with mint, sumac, olive oil, lemon, and toasted pita bread, and then topped with house-marinated chicken. And if I've successfully finished my wine (BYOB, $3 corkage), I'll finish the meal with Arabic coffee spiced with cardamom. Ahhh, happy tummy.
So if the next time I go to Semiramis and find myself waiting in line, I'll have this post to blame. But that's OK--it's too good not to share. 4639 N. Kedzie Ave., 773-290-8900.
— Bobbi Bowers /
The possibly cursed restaurant spot near the CTA Blue Line station at 1560 North Damen is going for one more try following the recent closing of coffee shop Half and Half. An extension of the upscale deli The Goddess and Grocer is opening Monday, November 19.
— Robyn Nisi /
Out front ZK Food tonight, a sign mentioned new lunch specials. By dinnertime, they'd run out of lentil burgers, but they still had vegan Creole soup. I took a cup to go. The man working the front told me one of their four daily soups is always vegan. He also told me that they have brought in someone who works or worked at Green Zebra, the swanky spot on Chicago Avenue known for it's celebration of the vegetable - so look for more new vegan options in coming weeks. As for my Creole soup, it gives the kind of nice, sharp sting on the back roof of the mouth that's perfect on a cold winter day. It has a rich tomato flavor. I see slices of onion and celery and chunks of tomatoes. Bits that seem to resemble pears, apples or some kind of pale vegetable feel soft and tender. I don't know what they are and I almost want to call and ask. But I'd rather just enjoy my soup.
1633 N. Milwaukee Ave., (773) 278-9600, Blue Line at Damen and Milwaukee.
— Chris Brunn /
Half and Half at 1560 N. Damen is closed. The inside looks gutted. No cabinets. Electrical conduits are all that are left of the counter - they rise up from the floor with outlet boxes at their tops and look as lonely as a few trees in an otherwise barren landscape. A sign on the door sends us thanks for years of business, and tells us that Feast (a block north on Damen) will have Half and Half's breakfast sandwiches as of Monday.
Earwax Cafe and Film is now just Earwax Cafe. A new door blocks the downstairs entrance to what used to be the cafe's video store. They couldn't compete with Netflix, someone coming out from the closed downstairs told me. I'm going to miss a guru of movies who used to work there. The cafe remains open.
— Chris Brunn /
I know my fiancée loves me above all else, but coming in a very close second is a plate of extra-crispy diner-style hash browns.
Maybe I should take offense at ranking just above a plate of fried potatoes, but I don’t, and here’s why: proper hash browns seem deceptively simple to make, but much like light-as-air Southern biscuits or flaky pie crust, they can be maddening to master. While I consider myself confident in the kitchen – I roast a mean chicken, am not intimidated by cream sauces, and brine and deglaze with the best of them – I’ve given up on at-home hash browns. On the many occasions that I’ve tried to deliver a homemade plate of crispy ‘taters to my love, I’ve never come close to the real deal. The day I dissolved in tears over yet another sticky, oily, starchy pan of ruined spuds was the day I declared that any and all hash browns consumed by our household would be purchased and eaten in their rightful place: the diner.
Continue reading this entry »
— Mandy Burrell Booth /
I'm so in love with the energy and the old school family diner feel of Eleven City Diner that they could have served me just coffee and I would have raved. I hear they do have a good cup of it, too. I also hear that the wait isn't always some 30 minutes as it was the Sunday at noon I came. It was full of families and art students alike. I wouldn't had been there had I not raced to catch up with my roomie Liz and our pal Andy. They were on their way, and I had to go with after seeing multiple tofu items on the Eleven City Diner’s menu online.
Continue reading this entry »
— Chris Brunn /
I mentioned earlier this month that Kuma's Corner would be on "Check Please!" soon, ensuring egregiously long waits for your heavy metal burger. Get in there before Friday or be prepared to wait.
Your reward for going this week is a pair of new items on the menu: the Goblin Cock (formerly a chalkboard special) and the Minsk. The Goblin Cock, named for this band, drops a split char dog on top, along with a dose of pico di gallo and a special mustard; the menu warns that use of ketchup is punishable by expulsion. The Minsk is essentially a Reuben on top of a burger. (You might want to bring some antacid.)
[photo by Rachelleb]
— Andrew Huff /
Edgewater gets a new noodle shop today with the opening of Summer Noodles & Rice, just west of the Granville Red Line stop. Here's a look inside from yesterday:
Looks pretty nice; details to come as we get in for a review.
— Andrew Huff /
Random Thu Oct 25 2007
I recently received a delivery menu for the Byron's hot dog stand near my office. Fairly standard, run-of-the-mill menu, really, until I flipped it to the back. There, in small type so it'd fit on the half-page, was a poem. An ode to "The Friendly Frankfurter."
The gentle frank all red and white, I love it with all my soul.
It gives me meat with all its might to eat upon a roll.
It's tasty, toasted - It's racy, roasted - It's full of iron and phosphorus.
It's the favorite ration of all our nation.
And mustard is the sauce for us.
The frank's the friend of every man, proud,
It's curve is pure American, and full of eating beauty!
Thanks, thanks for excellent franks.
That are practically always digestible.
The dickens with chickens or steaks on planks.
The frankfurter's my comestible!
This masterpiece was unsigned, which is a shame, for it is a poem for the ages. Almost makes me hungry for a hot dog.
— Andrew Huff /
It's a gray, dreary morning, almost bone-chilling. It's been unseasonably warm for the past few weeks, and I'm utterly unprepared for the chill. As I walk a few steps from the car to the door of Tweet, breeze from the lake stirs up the few fallen leaves on the pavement, and I bury my chin in my fleece jacket. Once inside the restaurant, though, the scene undergoes a drastic change: it's warm, cozy and welcoming.
Continue reading this entry »
— Yu Kizawa /
Franchised coffee shops don’t seem to be doing to well in Chicago, with the Coffee Beanery on Damen breaking ties and becoming the independent Bucktown Beanery and now the apparent closure of Saxbys Coffee. The Saxbys Coffee on the corner of Jefferson and Lake was seized by the Cook County Sheriff's Department recently and the location, as well as the local Saxbys Training Facility, is no longer listed on the Philadelphia based companies website. A Plano store is open and operating, but a second location in Chicago was to open on North Clark but never came to fruition. From what little information I was able to gather, the owners or manager of the Lake Street store may have had issues in regards to paying employees — as in not paying them. Saxbys has been billed as an alternative to the corporate giant Starbucks — a location of which is coincidently across the street.
— Christian Scheuer /
The lively and colorful Dodo will see its last day of breakunch - as they call their breakfast + lunch service - at 935 N. Damen on Sunday, October 28. They plan to reopen with air conditioning at 2003 W. Fulton in early 2008. I've written about their tofu scram twice (in April and my first time in January), and have more recently enjoyed venturing to order that savory fill with half seitan and half tofu. I will certainly miss it while Dodo moves.
— Chris Brunn /
Chicago's homegrown Argo Tea has a new brand of vegan muffin made by the same company, Bake 'n Joy, that makes their conventional ones. I think I remember a gal behind the counter at Argo on Adams telling me that the staff there thinks that these new vegan muffins taste better than the non-vegan ones. I must qualify that with: I'm vegan, my note-less memory could have blurred, and she hadn't tried them herself. Thinking about the taste of the apple caramel variety and already pedaling home, I adjusted my route home to pass another Argo in order to try the other vegan flavor, blueberry. Both types tasted tender and moist, with a soft, slightly spongy mouth feel that sparkled with a touch of sweetness. Either would be brilliant with a morning's tea or coffee.
— Chris Brunn /
American contemporary Butter, tucked into a side street not quite part of the Greektown scene and too far from Randolph Street to be considered part of that world, is nevertheless quite well thought of by most diners and consistently gets good press. Its menu is adventurous and tasty, and its service is impeccable. I stopped in on Saturday night with my family after a nearby event, and we were treated wonderfully and even received an amuse bouche, even though we were only having desserts.
So imagine my surprise when I learned from an industry friend that Butter had abruptly closed its doors Sunday. True, the restaurant was mostly empty at 9:30 on a Saturday night, but it didn't seem like it was in that bad of shape. I called this morning and was informed that Butter had indeed closed, but only for ala carte service — in other words, no reservations, no walk-ins. The woman who answered the phone informed me that the owners had decided to focus on hosting private functions in the space.
If you're interested in booking the space (or have any questions), the old phone number still works: 312-666-9813.
UPDATE: Another contact familiar with the situation says, "That's their spin, but really the "just for a la carte" thing is trying to save face and hang onto what little banquets they had booked. The staff has been released and the remaining dates will be served by servers from other Really Nice Restaurants with a different chef. The location will be either sold or launched as something entirely different next year."
— Andrew Huff /
I didn't know how well mashed sweet potatoes accept the smoky flavor of chipotles before La Encantada schooled me last night. My dining companion suggested they'd be brilliant for Thanksgiving. We shared an order of two enchiladas banana - hers with cheese, as it comes, and mine without. Its thin mole moistened well. Plantains inside tasted of rich caramel. A side of sautéed spinach with mushrooms and onions refreshed while tasting grilled. Service was great. Look for this crisp and clean storefront Mexican restaurant under a bright awning on an otherwise gritty block. Don't be turned away at night, when surrounding shops close and the bakery across the street only has its window sign lit. La Encantada serves wine, beer, margaritas, sangria and other drinks.
3437 W. North Ave., (773) 489-5026
— Chris Brunn /
Chef Mon Oct 08 2007
According to Time Out Chicago, Schwa officially closed yesterday. No word on any new projects from Chef Michael Carlson but he tells Time Out that he will return to cooking in Chicago "after dealing with personal issues." I'm sure all of Chicago joins me in wishing him the best.
— Christine Blumer /
While it may still meteorologically feel like the dog days of summer outside (a little better today, but I'm still skeptical and wary to unpack my corduroys for at least another week until the weather makes up its damn mind), Chicago is at least gastronomically starting to feel like fall. Apples and squash finally, blessedly, are taking a strong stance in supermarket produce bins and specials around the city are taking on that long-shadowed earthy autumnal flavor, with pumpkin and cream sauces, comfort food and rich dishes creeping onto menus.
For a great shot of autumn that also complements the current atmosphere, check out Lula Cafe's heirloom squash ice cream with cranberry sorbet and apple cider semifreddo. It's like Thanksgiving in a bowl, served up in several icy scoops, with tart apple slices and a honeyed crisp with a consistency somewhere between bread and cookie and a great delicate sweetness on the side. The ice cream is all cream and nutmeg, and the squash is sweet without being overpowering. The two glassier scoops of sorbet and semifreddo (an Italian-derived form of half frozen food, in this case, basically a cider sorbet) are full of strong flavors true to their fruit components and neither too sweet nor too tart, though very very cold.
Lula's menu rotates regularly, so try the ice cream dessert special while you can, and while the warm weather permits. Soon enough it will be cold enough to be craving your squash and cranberries served hot.
— Andie Thomalla /
Chain restaurants typically don't lure me, but I like Macaroni Grill. Their service is fun. Servers write their names on butcher paper that's used as a tablecloth. Somehow that doesn't seem cliché there - at least not to me. Perhaps it's because various colors of crayons let you play as you sip large juice glasses of a rather smooth house Chianti and tear apart gratis focaccia. The bread is best mopped around in plenty of olive oil that's been peppered, salted and squeezed with fresh lemon. Customize your pasta. A sauce of garlic olive oil really brings out the flavor and texture of sundried tomatoes, caramelized onions, spinach, pine nuts and broccoli. They say to choose up to three (PDF), but will gladly add more on for a few cents. A rigatoni's thick tubes have just the right size hole to help your fork scoop up all these veggies.
21 Blanchard Circle, Wheaton (also in Hoffman Estates)
— Chris Brunn /
If you can put up with the abusive wait staff (and the abundance of 7-year-olds celebrating their birthdays), it's worth it to take a trip to Ed Debevic's in River North just to get the mini sundae at the end of your meal. Plus, where else do they give you a paper hat when you walk in and scream at you when you hesitate over your drink order? The mini sundae isn't on the menu, but you can ask for it, and as you can see, it's a lot easier to finish than the full sized portion.
— Dana Currier /
Lovely Bake Shop's chocolate cupcakes are vegan when they're naked - that is, before the buttercream frosting goes on. And they're often naked ones lying about in the morning. Why are the cupcakes half-vegan? One of the owners, Gina, told me that she picked a great recipe for the chocolate cake, and it just happened to be vegan. She and co-owner Brook, both came out of Chicago's French Pastry School. The next day, I sat at the bar, chatting with Brook, hearing that they make the gently sweet apple butter I was having with natural peanut butter on a famed H&H Bagel from New York. The bagels come par-baked, and they finish them every morning. Lovely also makes lavender-peach preserves and berry jam. Gina walked by and remembered me as the chocolate cupcake guy. Gina and Brook are both fun to chat with, especially when they were playing a 1980s mix just before closing. Lovely sells DIY wares on a sidewall. One piece of furniture is a holdover from the Casa Loca furniture store that used to be in Lovely's space, next to a nook high in the corner that keeps a cruiser bicycle. How fun is that?
Lovely is on the way biking into the Loop on Milwaukee. A tin ceiling painted green and wooden floors set the scene for an old general store wooden table in the middle and a refurnished wooden bar on the side. The bar sits across from an espresso machine on a wood counter along the wall, below a wooden cabinet. The cabinet's doors are open, showing brightly colored coffee cups in red, green and blue. It sits on a ledge over a short rise of white ceramic tile. Newly vinyl covered stools alternate between showing white polka dots on pale green and flowers of pink-red and yellow-orange with greens against white. Charming glass and wood cases show off their bakery items.
1130 N. Milwaukee Ave., (773) 572-4766
— Chris Brunn /
My dining companions and I hadn't noticed Uru-Swati before. It has the sort of bright and simple interior that you might expect from a new place where you'd grab a quick meal on Devon Avenue. The menu - all vegetarian - offers quick bites ($2.25 to $4.25), from samosas to dosas, as well as "mini meals" and typical entrees. The samosa chat came with chickpeas, sauce and crunchy fried bits topping a smashed dosa. I asked that they hold the ghee on all items to make them vegan, but I forgot that the samosa chat could include yogurt. It did, and I chalked it up to my fault and carried on. I'm sure it's tasty either way. Vegetable Upma for $4 is quite a large serving - at least when you're ordering it as one of many items from the mini meals section of the menu. Think of a savory cream of wheat. It's fluffy, yellow from turmeric, a little spicy from chili, and savory with mustard seeds, corn kernels, chopped carrot, green peas and cashews. A large slice of a bright red tomato topped mine; it made me remember their menu's tag line: healing through food. Service was extremely attentive, with immediate help for any of our questions or requests. While the menu they gave us is all in English, descriptions aren't given for the native names of the dishes. The servers seemed more than glad to help describe the offerings. If in doubt, order boondi laddoo from the sweets section of the menu - or go up to the counter and look in the case. These sweet round balls made from chickpea flour have a dense texture and a very good crumb. We had them for dessert, but you can buy plenty to take home. They sell their sweets by the pound and they ship anywhere in the U.S.
2629 W. Devon Avenue, (773) 262-5280
11 a.m. - 10 p.m., closed Tuesday
— Chris Brunn /
A couple recent closings of note:
• Dish reports that Wolfgang Puck Grand Cafe in Evanston closed without warning on Sept. 16, citing rising food costs. On the other hand, Puck's kosher cafe opens in the Spertus Institute downtown on Nov. 30.
• Also noted in Dish, Delicioso y Sabroso Grill, semi-itinerant chef Geno Bahena's most recent restaurant, closed already after the sale of the building. Bahena is working on a new spot on Randolph Street.
• The owners of Augie's, 5347 N. Clark St., have retired after 53 years, shuttering the time-worn old-school breakfast place in Andersonville.
• Also in Andersonville, Gilly's, at the corner of Clark and Bryn Mawr, came and went in the space of a couple months. (It didn't look like a winner anyway.)
• Melvin B's, 1114 N. State St., and its beloved beer garden close for good Oct. 1, so get over there soon if you want to live it up one last time.
— Andrew Huff /
In my never-ending quest to find new coffee shops, I tend to rely on many different sources, word of mouth, the Internet and sometimes dumb luck, as was the case with Sweet Bean and More.
I first noticed a sign in a window almost six months ago about this new addition to the Lakeview neighborhood and made note of it in one of many notebooks since lost. Recently, I drove by on a whim, and, lo and behold, people milling about and patio furniture outside signaled that they were open. Lucky for me it was their first day open and worth the wait. Situated below the newly-constructed Diversey Station condo complex at 1855 W. Diversey Pkwy, Sweet Bean is one of the most elegant shops I’ve seen of late, very comfortable and inviting with rust and gold wall treatments, hand-laid tile accents and a gorgeous wood and marble bar. This new offering just begs for people to sit and enjoy the day, and with plenty of outdoor seating for the warm months and free wi-fi, who could blame you? Sweet Bean serves Chicago’s own Metropolis coffee and espresso as well as a nice variety of baked goods both savory and sweet.
Sweet Bean offers a breakfast daily until 10:30am, the open-face sandwich on French bread with mushroom, red onion, feta and scrambled egg, as well as a variety of salads and sandwiches all decently priced around $8. All of the sandwiches and salads are prepared in-house to order. Sweet Bean is also offering a weekend brunch from 8am to 2pm with a special, elegant menu.
Sweet Bean and More is open daily 6am to 8pm Monday through Friday and 7am to 8pm Saturday and Sunday. It is located at 1855 W. Diversey Pkwy. (773) 857-3100
— Christian Scheuer /
I just noticed The Coffee Beanery on Damen has changed its name to The Bucktown Beanery. Upon further investigation, I found the location is no longer listed on The Coffee Beanery’s franchise Web site, so I stopped in to see what was up. Apparently the shop was sold and the new owner didn’t like the whole franchise thing so he closed up, did some remodeling and opened up as The Bucktown Beanery. Featuring Metropolis coffee, the shop is now a fully independent coffee shop, something I’m a big fan of.
The Bucktown Beanery is located at 2158 N Damen Ave.
— Christian Scheuer /
I have never eaten a pannekoeken, but I'm familiar with the Dutch dish, which is a thin, large hybrid of a crepe and pancake that can be topped with savory or sweet items. I realized that very few restaurants in the city actually sell pannekoeken, so when Pannekoeken Cafe opened in Lincoln Square (4757 N. Western) I was all over it.
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— Robyn Nisi /
Somewhere between Ukrainian Village and Humboldt Park, I forget just where the line is drawn, lays Star Lounge Café. Open for just about three weeks, this 20-seat coffee bar is yet another new offering to the Chicago coffeehouse scene. Down right comfy and warm, probably due to the orange hued walls, dark wood floors and the wood bar that runs half way down the shop, Star Lounge offers a bit of a different feel than the regular coffee shop. It’s more like going to the local pub than waiting in line for a double tall half-caff latte at some chain store. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable about coffee; I talked to the barista, who seemed more like a bartender than coffee jockey, mostly about other coffee shops around the city and about different roasters around the country. He seemed to know what he was talking about.
Star Lounge offers a variety of breakfast and lunch items named for Chicago neighborhoods and streets, such as the Grand Avenue, crunchy peanut butter and sliced banana on your choice of bagel from New York Bagel & Bialy, or the East Village Veggie Delight, an iron-pressed flat sandwich, hummus, tomato, black olives, red onions on white or wheat. Star lounge even has a bit of a kids menu with PB&J and grilled cheese sandwiches. They serve all the standard specialty coffee drinks one would expect from a coffee shop: cappuccino and lattes, as well as some none coffee stuff like Jones Soda, Naked Juice and a variety of teas. The Cosmic Creations, like the Peppermint-mocha Macchiato, a traditional latte macchiato layered with a splash of peppermint flavoring and marked with espresso and chocolate sauce, are worth trying. And you’ve got to love a shop that calls there espresso blend “Dark Star.”
Star lounge has a few other things going for it as well, notably the backyard patio, for that chilling’ at home kind of feel as opposed to sitting on Chicago avenue watching cars speed by, and of course free wi-fi, the hallmark of any new coffee shop. Hours are a bit limited; they're open daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. according to Menu Pages. Hopefully the hours will expand in the future. Of all the new offerings the city has at the moment, Star Lounge Cafe is well worth checking out.
Star Lounge Café is located at 2521 W Chicago Ave. (773) 384-7827
— Christian Scheuer /
Celebrated food writer, cookbook co-author and Bourdain partner-in-crime, Michael Ruhlman wrote a while ago about how the classic Caesar salad was no longer really a Caesar salad in the modern American restaurant (or rather, chain).
A call to arms was made and Ruhlman proposed the Chicken Fried Pork Belly Caesar Salad, urging chefs across the country to introduce it to their menus. While chef Chris Cosentino of Incanto in San Francisco brought his version to the dish and answered the call, Mike Mavrantonis, chef of (all places), Mike Ditka's in Oakbrook has brought it to the Chicagoland area.
Kevin Pang, writer of the Trib's Stew, reviews the dish.
— Naz Hamid /
Event Thu Sep 13 2007
Blu Coral has been open for a few months now, but they're only just now getting around to a grand opening tonight. But the wait is worth it: RSVP on the site and get on the guest list for free sushi and appetizers from 6pm to 10pm, along with a ribbon-cutting at the beginning and drink specials throughout the night. [via]
— Andrew Huff /
As per our usual Sunday mornings, my spouse and I went out for brunch. We tried to hit up the newly-opened Pannenkoeken Cafe (4757 N. Western Ave), but found a crowd gathered on the sidewalk. It was 10 a.m., so we expected nothing different, but when we asked how long the wait was we were told, not one hour, forty-five minutes, or a half hour, but "quite a while." I suppose that being so new, they're unable to make those sorts of determinations, yet.
We were starving (one can only go for so long on two big cups of coffee), so we walked over to Café Selmarie instead, where we feasted on the following:
Chilequilles Casserole and pancakes with all sorts of goodies such as cinnamon streusel and fresh whipped cream.
Did anyone get to try out Lincoln Square's newest quaint addition to the restaurant scene?
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
Event Fri Sep 07 2007
The super fabulous Concord Grape Tart returns to the menu at West Town Tavern for a limited time. Make sure you save room for this tasty treat that made the Time Out Chicago "100 Best Things We Ate" list when you go. Also, catch Chef Susan Goss for a live demo of two recipes at Green City Market tomorrow at 10:30am.
— Christine Blumer /
Event Fri Sep 07 2007
Plenty of opportunities to have fun with fish this fall with The Fish Guy. Take a sushi class from Hiroko Shimbo on October 14, 15, or 16 for just $100. Class includes lots of sushi and sake as well as signed copies of both of her cookbooks. You can also snag a coveted reservation at the once a week restaurant Wellfleet on September 7, 14, or 21 if you act quickly. Sign up now and get a free Caviar Wellfleet for each couple. 773-283-7400.
— Christine Blumer /
The flagship Ann Sather on Belmont is closing temporarily, as soon as next month. Alderman Tom Tunney has sold its building and has begun renovation on 909-913 W. Belmont, the building just east of the entrance to the Sather's parking lot (and former home of the alderman's service office).
So what's going into the old building? Well, upstairs has already being converted into the latest home to ComedySportz, and downstairs? Word is, Panera Bread. Sigh. The suburbanization of Chicago continues.
Incidentally, this isn't the first move for Ann Sather. The diner has been in at least a couple other spots along Belmont, including next door to the current location. Though it certainly looks like 929 W. Belmont has always been a Swedish diner, it was originally a funeral home -- and it's possibly haunted. Many Sather employees say they've heard footsteps and doors closing in the empty upstairs (where the embalming room once was) after hours.
— Andrew Huff /
I asked if Piccolo would make a panini vegan and got what I thought, for an instant, was a rude response. But I was wrong. I thought he had said no - as in, we won't make one vegan. But when I asked why, he answered something like, because we didn't think of it when we made the menu. I realized he might have thought I'd asked if they had anything vegan on the menu - much different than, can you switch something up a bit to accommodate me? That misunderstanding yielded a tasty sandwich. Fig-olive tapenade in my panini was thick and pasty, and a little sweet - a bit like dessert. It went well with the juicy warm tomato, arugula, and chopped asparagus I picked from ingredients across their panini menu. The sandwich showed the indentations of well-pressed panini. The bread tasted lean - this was no deep fried sandwich. My choice of side: three bean salad with green beans so crispy they snapped. While we sat at the counter waiting for our order, they came out to ask my friend if butter would be OK in the onions she had ordered atop her bruschetta. The check-in suggested that the staff considers dietary restrictions - well appreciated. I highly recommend the sorbet. I tasted both the slightly fluffy blueberry peach and the half sweet, caramel-reminiscent plum. For next time, I'm thinking of their white bean spread. Ask for what you want if you don't see it on the menu.
859 N. Damen, (773) 772-3355
— Chris Brunn /
Review Fri Aug 31 2007
Julius Meinl has been one of my favorite bakery/coffee shop in Chicago. Their European-style cakes are always fantastic (excellent on the palate, beautiful on the eyes), and the airy interior always makes me feel as if I were on a trip in Europe. Only nice bike ride away in Lakeview, but everything about the coffee shop puts me in the splendor of faraway continent. Furthermore, Meinl is a special place for me--it was where I met my partner for the first time.
So it pains me to say that I've been a little worried about the operation there. It's not the food quality that I'm concerned about; it's the service that seems to get especially iffy at weekend peek hours.
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— Yu Kizawa /
Drink Fri Aug 31 2007
Do you already have Labor Day weekend plans? No? Well then get out of town for a quick trip up to America's Little Switzerland, New Glarus, Wisconsin, and visit the New Glarus Brewing Company. They offer free, self-guided audio tours every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a tasting room where you can get four, 3-oz tastings of their beers for only $3.50. The Web site says only three tastings, but our experience was slightly more plentiful. Of course, you'll want to spend a lot more purchasing cases of beer after the tastings: New Glarus isn't sold outside of Wisconsin. Be sure to get some Dancing Man Wheat and Copper Kettle if they're available. Both are nice wheat beers, the former being lighter and brighter in flavor and the Copper Kettle darker and maltier (check out RateBeer for more detailed and informed opinions on the brews).
In addition to the souvenir tasting glass, the brewery will also give you a coupon for a free small beer at a local restaurant.
My suggestion: go to the Glarner Stube where you can enjoy big, steaming pots of cheese fondue, puffy fried cheese curds and my favorite, roesti, a dish of fried grated potatoes laced with Swiss cheese. While your heart my stop on your drive back to Chicago, I-90 is well traveled and rescue crews will be able to reach you quickly.
This weekend is also the Wilhelm Tell Festival, so expect extra revelry in the town's Swiss-ness.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
Drink Thu Aug 30 2007
Intelligentsia is raising the prices of their drinks. Like Starbucks , Intelligentsia is citing rising costs of milk, paper goods and other raw material for the price hike. The Chicago institution hasn’t raised prices in some time, and it is something they don’t take lightly; the increase is between five and nine cents, a mere drop in the coffee cup. The average retail price of a gallon of whole milk in August was $3.87, and depending on what report you’ve read, the price may go above four dollars in the fall.
— Christian Scheuer /
Joining the ranks of Ethiopian eateries located on Broadway will be Demera Ethiopian, taking up residency where Charming Wok was once located at Broadway and Lawrence Avenues.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
The attentive staff at the elaborately decorated Nacional 27 brought us many little tastings along the way to dinner. They mentioned that each came from the chef. As my dining companion pointed out, that conjured thoughts of the chef watching over our table knowing just what to send out and when. First came two servings of guacamole - each on a long, deeply crispy fried potato chip. Blended into the avocado, smoked chili pepper gave a wonderfully fragrant woodsy flavor. Long and flat cumin-cilantro bread sticks were given to us sticking from a glass. A thick, deep red but mildly spicy chili spread accompanied. They took care of my vegan wishes by offering their Latin vegetable tasting or modern Latin vegetarian rice. The latter filled me well. The kitchen formed corn, mushrooms, roasted peppers and chayote into a tightly formed cone shape. It tasted newly picked. Salsa dotted the perimeter, with larger concentric spots of oil separated out. Another gratis treat had come just before that - a mixture with baby octopus or squid (I don't recall) on small spoons with long, hammered metal handles. Perhaps the chef forgot I was vegan. No worries - my friend told me the finely diced celery in them was amazingly fresh. For dessert, we shared a snifter of richly sweet El Dorado rum. Two cakey chocolate truffles came with. I'm guessing they weren't vegan either, but the gesture was appreciated. I'd return, perhaps for their Friday or Saturday salsa nights as soon as I learn to dance. In the meantime, I'll try their house-made bitters.
— Chris Brunn /
Dunkin' Donuts has announced that in an effort to make their calorie-laden treats healthier, they have developed an alternative cooking oil that will make all of their products contain zero grams of trans fat by October 15. In a nation that is struggling with obesity and nutrition problems, how meaningful is it to make donuts, the hallmark of All Things Simpson, slightly healthier?
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— Robyn Nisi /
Drink Mon Aug 27 2007
River North has a new coffee shop in Cyberia. This 30-seat shop on Wells, opened in early July, occupies a space that has been a few other places, including the Italian spot Calabria Coffee and before that a Seattle's Best. As you may have guessed, Cyberia offers free wi-fi with purchase and access to about a half dozen computers for a nominal $5 an hour, with print and fax services at a buck a page.
Cyberia serves Chicago's own Intelligentsia coffee and teas as well as an array of sandwiches, soups, fresh salads, cakes and pastries. With its comfy couches, warm and friendly space, attentive and friendly staff as well as good coffee and Internet, Cyberia is a welcome addition to Chicago's burgeoning coffee shop scene.
Cyberia is located at 701 N. Wells St. (312) 573-2789
— Christian Scheuer /
I'm not a pizza person. Thanks to a three-year-long tragedy involving free Dominoes Pizza on "production nights" at my college newspaper and too many all-around bad pizza experiences, I generally avoid eating the savory pies, no matter what the foodies say about Crust or Spacca Napoli.
Apart Pizza in Lincoln Square has changed all that for me. Their thin crust is more than just a bottom layer for more tasty ingredients to sit upon. It's flavorful and manages to be both crunchy and chewy in a way that sates both pizza lovers and (former) pizza haters. The ingredients are fresh and the pies are served without an ounce of pretension. The small are only $5 and are plenty of food for one person. An added bonus is that you can get fountain drinks for a mere 50 cents.
It's a tiny joint, the space being occupied mostly by the oven. Seats are scarce, but it's located directly across from Wells Park, where you can plop yourself in the grass or sit on a bench and turn pizza night into picnic night.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
News Sun Aug 19 2007
Finally I can do away with the doggie bags: Governor Blags has signed legislation that would allow dogs to accompany their owners to outdoor seating areas of restaurants. The law, which will be reviewed by city aldermen later this month, would also forbid employees from handling the dogs; prohibit dogs from sitting on a seat, table or countertop; provide disposable towels and liquid hand sanitizer for you and your animal, and require cleaning of all spilled dog food. The law also states that pets can't be inside any restaurant or food prep area. Restaurant owners are not required to observe this law, and will have the right to refuse service to the dog owner in case the dog shows aggressive behavior.
— Robyn Nisi /
If you haven't noticed by now, Uncommon Ground is setting up a new shop on Devon in the former Speakeasy Supper club space. Expect everything you get from the original: an eclectic menu featuring natural and organic ingredients often locally supplied, live local music and art-oriented events. The new location promises to be just as green as the original, and then some, with reclaimed woods for the décor and furnishings, a roof-top collection well for rainwater re-use in plants and toilets, solar panel heated water and a roof-top garden to grow vegetables, plants and herbs for the kitchen.
Expect Uncommon Ground on Devon to open in early fall.
Uncommon Ground on Devon is located at 1401 West Devon Ave.
Uncommon Ground is located at 3800 N. Clark Street
— Christian Scheuer /
That there are "secret" menu items and other "menu hacks" at fast food joints and chains is pretty common knowledge now — but what about stand-alone restaurants? At a recent outing with friends, we discovered that the Daily Bar & Grill will substitute its tasty tater tots for the tortilla chips in their excellent nachos. Deeelicous, to say the least.
What secret menu hacks have you come across at local restaurants?
— Andrew Huff /
This weekend, Califone and the Ponys are rocking West Fest on Chicago Avenue and the Midwest Buddhist Temple hosts Ginza Festival. Meanwhile, the 12th Annual Chicago Korean Festival fills Bryn Mawr between Kimball and Kedzie with a bandstand plus food and advocation tents in typical street fair style. I took the Homan/Kimball bus north from North Avenue, met up with my pals and popped out of the fest and into Tofu House (3307 W. Bryn Mawr) for a meal. The commercial corridor of the Korean enclave seems to span just the few blocks of the festival. It's a delightful find, not too far from Arabic cafes, restaurants and stores on Kedzie near Lawrence. Tofu House's steamy tofu vegetable soup is full of spice, just like I asked for, and brought to the table simmering - perfect inside air conditioning on a hot day. We're in a room off of the main wood paneled room that's under a ceiling of dark wood slots. The wood lends a wholesome feel that becomes humbly charming with the dark, almost forest green that paints chairs and the table frames that hold medium-stained wood tabletops. Service is attentive, and includes a current Korean fashion magazine to admire while we wait. Across and down the street, through the festival's table tents and wrestling sand pit, sits a modest looking Lawrence Fruit Market (3318 W. Bryn Mawr). Packaged goods like soybean paste, barley flakes and rice paper for spring rolls sit in shelves around a table with crimini, shitake and oyster mushrooms and okra and coolers with organic tofu, broccoli, leeks and more. Fresh plump and deeply sweet figs and lychee wait at checkout. The back of the store seems reserved for unpacking. On the sidewalk, my pals and I peel the lychee's round, prickly outside and appreciate the sticky, grape-like sweet inside. I spit the pit into a trashcan and get lost on a side street. The bungalow-lined streets are pristinely manicured. Down an alley, friends point out a Korean backyard garden. Gourds and cucumbers hang from a trellis, homemade from electrical pipe, that makes me think of going home to unpack the veggies I just bought.
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— Chris Brunn /
Potato Salad, Protein Tidbits and Lentil with Cornbread.
Nestled among Grand Crossing's cozy bungalows at 75th and Indiana, Soul Vegetarian East cooks some of the tastiest, most filling all vegan comfort soul food and serves it wearing ethnic clothing. Soul Veg, as it's affectionately called, is the local outpost of the worldwide restaurants run by the African Hebrew Israelites. Sunday breakfasts include pancakes or fluffy biscuits, fruit or maple syrup, savory tofu scramble, a heavily seasoned sausage-like bulgar patty, juicy "down-home" grits, hash browns and organic apple juice. Dinner specials often offer tender and savory collard greens as part of a full plate. This time, BBQ Delights were the protein. I had my choice of thick soup of the day (the lentil finished with a nice black pepper glow) with cornbread or a salad with a thick dressing, with a side of creamy and mustardy potato salad. Gyro sandwiches are succulent with a thick and cool dressing, slightly chewy protein tidbits are fried crispy like their other finger foods, Carrot Supreme salad coolly refreshes, and the fake steak sandwich is battered and fried like chicken fried steak. Take the Red Line to 79th Street and transfer to the eastbound 75th Street bus. Or find their take-aways wrapped up in the cafe at Barnes and Noble in the Loop.
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— Chris Brunn /
From August 16-22, Mon Ami Gabi is whipping up some awesome corn-inspired French dishes during Corn Festival. Check out the menu:
- Amuse: Complimentary Mini Bags of Popcorn with Brown Butter, Parmesan and Herbs
- Corn Bisque
- Corn Meal Crusted Halibut Sandwich
- Soft Shell Crab with Succotash
- Grilled Veal Skirt Skate with Arugala and Grilled Corn Salad
- St. Andre Cheese with Warm Cornbread
- Corn n' Cream Ice Cream with Caramel Corn
You can still order from the regular menu, but why bother? Corn ice cream? How often does that come around. For more info, call 773-348-8886.
— Shylo Bisnett /
It's hard to believe, walking past bright and shiny new Ukrainian Village panini and gelato spot Piccolo, that just a few scant months ago it was the Lava Lounge. Gone are the pulsing, sweaty darkness and dance beats, and now light streams into an almost oversized open space accented with dusky brick and green walls the same inviting hue as the roasted pistachio gelato in the front freezer case.
Opening just a week ago today, Piccolo is a new joint venture by the team behind Small Bar, with culinary creations from former a Hot Chocolate-er. While the space still seems to be in a transitional mode and there's a distinct fresh-paint odor upon entering, Piccolo promises to bring back some diners to a long struggling corner (Just Baked, just across the street, has finally given up the ghost to Ceasar's Deli, which still seems unsure quite what to do with itself). Offering panini and bruschetta in a wide variety of combinations (from cured aged beef with pickled onion to the other end of the spectrum with Nutella and banana), it's the gelato that really caught my eye. Details after the fold.
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— Andie Thomalla /
It's always a bummer when you plan a trip to a new "hot spot," only to walk up to the door and find a sign in the window telling you there's a private party going on inside and the general public won't be allowed in for another 3 hours. No matter, though, since this particular stretch of Broadway just north of Lawrence has become "quite the destination" all of a sudden, and several other dining (and drinking) options quickly presented themselves. The one we chose was Fiesta Mexicana, with it's tidy fenced-in patch of sidewalk and bizarrely tall set of tables and chairs. We weren't expecting a whole lot from the place, so we were delightfully surprised by the pitcher of margaritas, which wasn't a bad deal for $23. We got almost 2 full rounds (8 drinks) out of the fat-bellied clay pitcher and decided we'd have to come back on Tuesday, when the same pitcher purportedly goes on special for only $15.
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— Dana Currier /
I really don't ever order off the menu. I'm not well-versed in the cuisine of other lands to flippantly describe a favorite dish to a waiter and have any confidence that I'll get what I asked for. The native dish of my people is cheese -- not much you can do with ordering off the menu with cheese. And granted, a friend and I did once accidentally order aloo gobi off the menu from Bhabi's Kitchen (we were ordering over the phone, didn't have a menu -- much more inadvertent than studied restaurant ordering technique) but since they had the ingredients, they made it for us anyway.
In any case, when I'm offered an opportunity to order off the menu, I usually jump at it. And on a visit to Coast Sushi last week, ordering off the menu paid great dividends with a brand-new, just created special summer wasabi apple roll. Behold its glory, and continue on after the fold for all the sweet and spicy details.
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— Andie Thomalla /
Orso's-inspired picnic makings
A good quaint Italian restaurant reminds me of the places my grandpa would take me to. They were fine, humble, had great service, and usually a pianist through the night. Orso's takes me back there. The piano plays most nights, the lighting is romantically dim, the ceilings of Old World tin, and they take care of me changing up the menu to meet my vegan whim. Their amazingly succulent portobello lying in a juicy red wine balsamic reduction needed no change. Hearty with plenty of rosemary, its deep flavor suggested molasses. After that starter, I asked for penne in olive oil with peas and mushrooms. Again, the mushrooms were fabulous, and they were in plenty. Penne came perfectly al-dente, in plenty of well-salted olive oil. Multiple wines are available by the half carafe, and they check in on you quite well. Leaving on my most recent visit, my sweetie and I had a fine time walking around the quaint streets of Old Town Triangle a few blocks up, feeling like I was in Old World Europe.
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— Chris Brunn /
Il Fiasco (which means "flask" as well as "flop" in Italian) is Andersonville's newest Italian restaurant (following quickly on the heels of Anteprima). It is located at the corner of Clark and Carmen, in what used to be Rioja. Already, Il Fiasco is getting some good press, which is why I was slightly disappointed by my underwhelming dinner there last night. Fortunately, as Joe Gray writes in his post for The Stew, the prices are more than reasonable. Most pasta and pizza dishes are $10, and the tasty house red, at $7 for a quartino (about 2 glasses of wine), is quite a steal.
Continue reading this entry »
— Dana Currier /
Bar Mon Jul 16 2007
River North has a new gastropub, English. Located in the historic Furla Photography building on LaSalle Street, this new offering from the people behind Union Park, Bar Celona and The Central, caters to the local lunch crowd during the day with a menu consisting of sliders, burgers, pressed sandwiches, salads and some higher-end entrees such as the Earl Grey tea encrusted center cut filet served with a black currant demi-glaze. English also serves as a neighborhood night spot for late-night lounging, boasting three floors, the first featuring a 30-foot main bar and casual dining, the second for more formal settings and the two free pool tables, and a third for private parties.
Though I think the beer selection needs a bit of work — most are pedestrian offerings in my beer snob mind — the standards of Coors, Bud and Miller and some English brews, St. Peter’s Porter among others — English looks like a nice place to lunch and a relaxing place for late-night hanging out.
— Christian Scheuer /
• The West Loop Wishbone — or possibly its valet service — was picketed by the Teamsters last week for allegedly paying substandard wages and benefits.
• The Food Chain reports that the sadly departed Meyer Delicatessen's Lincoln Square storefront will soon be filled by Gene's Sausage Shop & Delicatessen. They hope to be open by the holidays, and they're leaving the classic Meyer neon sign intact.
• The second of many more planned Pollo Camperos has opened, at the slightly-more-convenient-for-northsiders 4830 N. Pulaski. Fried chicken fans who haven't tried this Guatemalan import owe it to themselves to make a pilgrimage.
• The waitstaff and bartenders at Kuma's Corner are donating their entire salary and tips on July 27 to the preservation of the Wicker Park Dog Park. What better time to eat one of the city's best burgers?
— Andrew Huff /
The only way to start a birthday is with a special meal, which is why I hauled my cookies this morning up north to Andersonville to ring in a new year with friends at M. Henry. As usual, this place did not disappoint.
Continue reading this entry »
— Robyn Nisi /
It seemed like a bad day for the man behind Half and Half's counter who spilt my bowl of granola as he poured it - and a temporary disappointment for me because it was the last of it. Without that though, I might never have tried one of their vibrant bagel sandwiches. A week later, I still remember the crunch of an everything bagel contrasting well against the soft hummus that coated it. In the filling, wedges of avocado came tender and ripe, a tomato thin and juicy, cucumber fresh and crisp, and slices of red onions shaved thin enough to impart just a fraction of the usual raw onion smack. I drank my coffee outside in the sidewalk section that, this year, has expanded to wrap around the building towards the Blue Line entrance at Damen. The train, three bus routes passing by, and a mix of hype make the location quite busy and ripe for people watching. Many pedestrians and bicyclists converge here.
1560 N. Damen, (773) 489-6220
— Chris Brunn /
I was walking past 444 N. Wabash earlier this week, so figured I'd see how things were coming along at the Jackson Park Bar & Grill, the 9,000-square-foot Beaux Arts-styled restaurant planned by Chef Jason Paskewitz, a star of the Chicago restaurant scene (formerly of SushiSambaRio, Nine, Wave, JP Chicago and others). One of the windows was open for construction access, so I peaked in with my camera; this is what I saw:
A lot can get done in a couple months, but I'm not sure they're going to make the "Summer 2007" delivery date posted on the website (most news articles are now saying early fall.) But hey, at least they've got their hours figured out, and the menu sounds delicious.
— Andrew Huff /
Drink Tue Jul 03 2007
Get a big ol' beefy lunch all next week at Primehouse and help out Common Threads. From 11:30am to 3pm, July 7-14, David Burke's Chicago meat emporium is offering a three course lunch special for $20.71. For just $7 more, you can sample seven wines from the selected region of the day to compliment your meal.
— Christine Blumer /
With all the blog chatter lately on BBQ, you may be hankerin for some ribs. Every Wednesday night, Chef Susan Goss is serving up a Texas-style pork spareribs special with sides of fried potato salad and black-eyed pea relish for just $18.75. If you really want to do it up, visit on July 18th for their official BBQ rib kickoff. On that evening, you can add a glass of Murphy Goode Liar's Dice Zinfandel 2004 for $10 and Chef will throw in a piece of her famed Lemon Chess Pie on the house. Plus, every diner that orders the Q special will get a packet of her BBQ dry rub spice blend to take home. Best make reservations just to be safe. 312-666-6175.West Town Tavern. 1329 W Chicago Ave.
— Christine Blumer /
News Tue Jul 03 2007
While eating brunch with a friend recently, I found a hair stuck to a piece of bacon. If I was home, I'd forget about it quickly, as I'm the only one frying the bacon (and bringing it home, I might add), but obviously I'm in a restaurant, so my reaction was different. The waiter apologized and quickly brought over a replacement plate. My experience was minor compared to some of the horror scenes that city health inspectors encounter when visiting restaurants, such as parades of cockroaches, mountains of mice droppings, and poorly refrigerated or stored ingredients. An article in today's Tribune dicusses the number of restaurants in Chicago that have been permanently or temporarily shuttered due to health violations in the past year, and how to notice the warning signs of a poorly maintained eatery. Another resource you can use is the city's online database for researching inspection status of restaurants.
— Robyn Nisi /
Though Devon Avenue is known for its Indian and Pakistani restaurants and sari stores, Indian subcontinent isn't the only region represented by this always jam-packed street in West Rogers Park. Further west, you start to see Jewish grocers and Russian bookstores. And among them is the Argo Bakery (2812 W. Devon Ave). With its round, tandoori-like oven proudly squatting in the middle of the totally unassuming bakery, Argo Bakery bakes excellent Georgian-style breads and pastries.
Continue reading this entry »
— Yu Kizawa /
Fun at Fox & Obel's cafe comes in various forms. You might enjoy their Harvest Vegetarian sandwich, a hummus and avocado combo on multigrain with tomato, mushroom, cucumber, spinach and shaved red onion. The most enjoyment I had though was from eating food on the patio cafe that I'd already purchased inside. Juicy fresh cherries from the produce section are bright. The candy-like crunch of "cinnful coco pecans" from the they-serve-you bulk section is especially tasty. At a hefty $14.99 per pound of the nuts, a $4 snackful is all you need. You can watch the buses go by for free.
— Chris Brunn /
Tapas fans are in for a special treat this week: Haro Tapas & Pintxos, 2436 S. Oakley, receives the first shipment of Pimientos de Padrón today, direct from Spain. Says Haro owner Amor Montes do Oca:
"We are always on a search for the best of Spain. Such is the case with the famous (and rare) Pimientos de Padrón. In the city of Santiago de Compostela, people flock to tapas bars to savor these unique peppers that are lightly fried in olive oil, and then sprinkled with sea salt to create a delicious snack or tapa. Following the tradition of the little village of Padrón, the farmers select only the small young peppers, because the larger, more mature peppers are always hot."
So, if you're up for a little Russian Roulette, make a reservation today.
— Andrew Huff /
I took two buses and a train this past Saturday morning to get down to Sweet Maple Cafe (located at 1339 W. Taylor), and the travel was well worth the meal.
Continue reading this entry »
— Robyn Nisi /
In preparation for its last service on June 30, the Lincoln Park restaurant Ambria has started a website to celebrate the end of their 27 years in business (take a look at the extensive foodporn section of the site). To further go out with a bang, Ambria is holding a series of special events and menus on Saturday.
— Robyn Nisi /
Ironically, our first visit to a cute and tiny Lakeview restaurant turned out to be our last. Palmito, the cozy restaurant that serves updated Costa Rican food, is closing by the end of the month.
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— Yu Kizawa /
Andersonville is getting a new coffee shop, The Coffee Studio, and they’ve been keeping a blog about the trials and tribulations of opening one, from the conception, the build-out of a space and choosing just about everything else. If you have ever wondered just how much work goes into opening an independent shop, you should take a peak at this blog. The Coffee Studio plans on opening sometime in July. Stay tuned for more information regarding just when.
The Coffee Studio is located at 5628 N. Clark St.
— Christian Scheuer /
Bar Mon Jun 18 2007
Iggy’s3 will be opening in early July in the former Chicago Rib House space. If you were a fan of the original Iggy's (now Juicy Wine Company) you may be pleasantly surprised as this new incarnation promises to be more like the original River West location. Expect blood red walls, horror movies and artwork featuring sock monkeys (the true face of evil), and a menu that seems to be closely related to the original with favorites like grilled calamari, artichoke-heart fritters, bowtie pasta and, of course, lots of really big martinis.
Iggy's3 is located at 800 N. Dearborn St.
And speaking of former locations, Chaise Lounge is now open as a BYOB in the former Wicker Park locale of Iggy’s. Chaise Lounge comes from the same people who revamped Hunt Club and features a seasonal American menu with a bit of international flair. Newly remodeled with a South Beach-inspired décor (the sock monkeys most likely have made the trip to Iggy’s3), summer nights on the patio and yet to be opened rooftop sound even more appealing. Expect the liquor license to come through in late June.
Chaise Lounge is located at 1840 W. North Ave. 773-342-1840
— Christian Scheuer /
Thursday night a friend and I ate at John's Place, on the corner of Racine and Webster. The restaurant bills itself as serving "Regional American Cuisine" so I guess we shouldn't have been surprised to find the BBQ chicken tacos on the menu. Despite the blasphemous addition of sweet and sticky (and very American) BBQ sauce to what is ostensibly a Mexican dish, we couldn't resist giving them a try... and then of course attempting to replicate them in our own kitchen the following night.
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— Dana Currier /
Using fair amounts of pink, The Breakfast Club on Hubbard closes a long stretch of colorless and sleepy low-rise brick commercial buildings from Damen to Noble. Without pink, this simple two-story white-sided frame building might itself fade away into the block of new walk-up condo buildings from Noble to Ogden. Its gleam comes from pink window awnings, a pink door, a pink canopy covering tables on the side, and a covered passage extending from door to sidewalk that is also all pink except "BREAKFAST CLUB" on its sides in white block letters and a little white trim. It also exhibits perhaps the only installation of sidewalk tables on Hubbard until Mart Anthony's Italian Restaurant across Ogden.
8 a.m. Thursday: Hubbard is a virtually car-free expressway for trickles of bicycling commuters into the Loop, and my sidewalk table was a front row seat to many sorts of people pedaling by. Some went in office attire rolling by on cruisers with baskets or panniers, others in racing bikes with spandex, as well as plenty of hard-helmeted riders with messenger bags on simple street bikes.
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— Chris Brunn /
As someone from Japan, I enjoy watching Japanese food gain popularity in this country. When my partner and I walked down Randolph this evening, I was pleasantly surprised that there were at least four trendy-looking sushi bars within five minutes' walk from each other. Our Friday dinner at one of them, Sushi Wabi, however, was a disappointment.
To be honest, I hadn't expected the food to be excellent. Given the location and the clientele, I'd figured the sushi restaurant would be focused more on atmosphere than the actual food. I was right; with cranky old school chairs, bare ceiling and a DJ, the atmosphere of the restaurant was decidedly hip. And the food was not that great, if slightly experimental.
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— Yu Kizawa /
Unfortunately, when it comes to ambiance, Coffee Chicago in Edgewater is not the first coffeehouse that springs to mind. Its location, on the southwest corner of Broadway and Berwyn across from a Blockbuster and a Payless shoe store, doesn't provide the greatest setting for a leisurely afternoon spent sipping a hot beverage. With a Starbucks on every corner and a host of more interesting cafes close by (Pause, Kopi, Sweet Occasions, and Metropolis Coffee, to name a few), I often walk by Coffee Chicago without giving it a second look. Recently, however, I noticed a sign in the window advertising free wireless internet, and I couldn't help but feel envious of the happy-looking customers sipping their drinks at the outdoor tables. So a friend and I decided to give it a try.
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— Dana Currier /
On Saturday, my family and I went to a dinner at North Pond, a beautiful, Prairie-Style Lincoln Park restaurant with a focus on organic, seasonal and local ingredients. It was my third time there, and my partner and I agreed that it was our best meal at North Pond. It was (of course) mainly thanks to the amazing chef Bruce Sherman and his line of cooks, but there was something else that made us appreciate the food more: we were much more attuned to the season than we'd ever been.
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— Yu Kizawa /
Corundas (triangular tamales) with mole at Maiz
Maiz is tucked into a storefront just south of Humboldt Park (south of the park itself, but in the neighborhood by the same name), a block south of the BYOB tofu-serving diner Flying Saucer and a door down from bakery TipsyCake. The menu's introductory text reminds us that today's Mexican food developed from the combination of two highly developed cuisines, that of the Mesoamericans, and that of the Europeans. Maiz emphasizes the delicious kinds of food you'd find on a street or in a market. And in that style, they make their tortillas by hand.
My first time here, my dining companion and I started with two corundas (triangular tamales) - one topped with cheese and sour cream for her and one topped with just their mole sauce and sesame seeds for me. They were dense and hearty, with the cornmeal texture you'd expect from tamales, and served on a banana leaf. The mole was light with a bit of a bite. According to the menu, corundas are "one of the most popular street foods in parts of [the Mexican states] Michoacán and Guerrero." Meanwhile, she sipped her Jamaica, cold hibiscus flower water. The drink came topped with the kind of foam you get from fresh juicing, pink presumably from the hibiscus. They served it in a large goblet, like they do the mango juice that's also a bit frothy.
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— Chris Brunn /
Adding a bit of culinary class to the underbelly of the Western Blue Line Stop, Vella Café has recently opened as great brunch spot in a somewhat sparse area of the Chicago weekend-daylight-dining scene. Not that Margie’s Candies, Arturo’s and Lazo’s don’t rock in their own gustatory right, but sometimes the morning after requires more than tacos or sundae to get things jumpstarted. Plus, Green Eye is merely steps away and their bartender will call you and all of your friends "lovelies" if you stop by for a hair of the dog before stumbling another few feet to breakfast. Everyone likes being called lovely.
Vella’s panini-centric menu and genesis from sustainable grocer Green City Market's team have been fairly well discussed at this point. So let’s talk about their gruel. Seriously.
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— Andie Thomalla /
Even though the Goose Island Brew Pub on Clybourn does not have an outdoor patio, it's not a bad place to go for lunch on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon. The best deal by far is the beer flight, a selection of 4 5-oz. servings of many of the brewery's beers (some cost extra) for just 6 bucks. My dining partner chose Dead Goat Porter, Smoked Maibock, Summertime Kolsch Bier, and Pennant Race Red Ale. I was a big fan of the Summertime (recently voted a reader's choice beer of the week at Chicagoist). It was light and refreshing, perfect for hot summer days. My dining partner preferred the porter, however, because it was rich without a chalky aftertaste. The Pennant Race Red, which was our least favorite, was overly smoky, while the Smoked Maibock was similar to Fat Tire but not quite as sweet.
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— Dana Currier /
The Nhu Lan Bakery (2612 W. Lawrence) opened just off Lincoln Square this winter. The Vietnamese shop specializes in an inexpensive sandwich called the Bhan Mi—a product of the culinary collision that evolved during France’s fifty-odd year colonization of southeast Asia. Fresh baked demi baguettes are filled with a distinctly Asian mix of pickled vegetables, a touch of tangy fish sauce, and a variety of meats like fried pork, ham and baked chicken. There’s even a vegetarian option, though, it’s reportedly the weakest offering of the bunch. While the subs are fresh, healthy and extremely tasty, ours looked a bit wan, and could have stood some plumping. I’m not talking a Potbelly’s greasy meat explosion, just a bit more of the excellent ingredients; enough so they can compete with the bread, at least.
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— Bryan Delano III /
Though I'm usually an unrepentant meat eater, I have a tremendous respect for Indian vegetarian cookery. Rich, aromatic, complex and spicy, Indian vegetarian food can satisfy me even when I'm in the mood for something meaty. So, when I found Arya Bhavan, an Indian vegetarian buffet place at 2508 W. Devon, I was quite delighted.
The buffet table at Arya is long. And loaded with such familiar dishes as aloo gobi (potato and califlower), chana masala (chickpeas) and veggie samosas. But there are others--dishes whose ingredients I cannot even guess, let alone their names. (It would be nice if they bothered to put up names of the dishes; I love looking up recipes online after I eat out.) When we ate at Arya, there were slightly sour, stewed baby cucumbers; winter-melon-like vegetable in rich, thick sauce; and something that resembled grits, with mustard seeds and other spices. They were all very good, perhaps with the exception of slightly dried-up naan. We had trained ourselves not to return for seconds--not large seconds, at least--as we explored Indian buffets along Devon, but Arya Bhavan successfuly destroyed our restraint that was the precious fruit of our long struggle. And every bit of those seconds was, well, fantastic.
My favorite vegetarian restaurant along Devon still remains to be Mysore Woodland (ah, their avial!), but I'll definitely be going back to Arya Bhavan. I just have to re-train myself not to gorge...
— Yu Kizawa /
As most of you may have noticed, Saturday night was hardly the ideal night for a BBQ here in Chicago. So a friend and I headed to Fireside, a bar/restaurant tucked in among the condos and warehouses on Ravenswood a few blocks north of Bryn Mawr. We started off at a table on the "All Weather" patio but found ourselves getting dripped on, so we moved into the quieter dining room.
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— Dana Currier /
Many have been waiting for Crust since the Chicago Reader exposed how it stood to become the country's fourth certified-organic restaurant last March. Opening night Thursday was teaming with great service that was hip to the vegan thing, a mix of hipster and blown-dry hair patrons, bicycles out front, and some of the best crust around - crispy and chewy at the same time. People sat down on the curb waiting for a table. Crust seems to be growing their own chard in the window behind them, and someone moving out from an apartment above was navigating a red sofa through a maze of Crust's sidewalk tables.
Service was tops, with our server introducing himself, checking in on us often and being fun and courteous - playfully suggesting we keep an eye on the bottles yielding $9 vodka infusions up on the wood shelf behind the bar as he went to check on something for us. The bus staff refilled our water whenever they dropped a few inches. A few mistakes were appropriately handled. An order that came to our table before we placed one did seem to go on to its proper destination. And we were put on the waiting list for an inside table instead of an outside one I'd asked for. But it was all handled quite pleasantly. When the chef wouldn't put cheese on just half of the pizza - it's too small they said - our server seemed sympathetic.
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— Chris Brunn /
Potato and cauliflower sandwich on bread, instead of pita
To get away from the bustle of the Loop's financial district on La Salle, I used to walk south to Printer's Row, to a gritty cafe called Gourmand with vintage sofas, chalkboard menus, local paintings hanging and hiply-dressed employees. Gourmand closed for a bit, then re-opened as Café Mediterra, a clean looking spot with framed lithos on the walls, a bus person wearing a polo shirt tucked into khakis, much more proper service, and no couches. The person who delivered my sandwich to the number card I put on my table also re-filled the water I had taken. There was no self-service bus tray in sight. A few patrons on laptops reminded of the many student-looking laptop users from the old spot. But the ones who used to congregate in Gourmand, a block from Columbia, wore tight jeans, stylish shoes and slept-in hair. The new crowd seems, from my one visit, older and more conservatively dressed in standard-issue black stretch office pants with matching clean-cut knit long sleeve sweaters, suits, button down office casual shirts, relaxed fit blue jeans and even the occasional Coca-Cola T-shirt.
Why did Gourmand go away? Apparently, we didn't buy enough. Two owners behind the counter told me why Gourmand changed. One was a clean-cut fellow identified by the other as the owner of the late Gourmand's sister, Filter. It went something like, people sat around Gourmand for three hours and just ordered a cup of coffee. After asking how that differs from Filter, where people seem to sit around a lot, too, the answer was simply that we buy more at Filter. Ironically, in case you haven't heard, Filter is closing, too.
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— Chris Brunn /
Over the weekend, Centerstage's Misty Tosh raved about Mazza Barbeque, a new spot along Devon Avenue. Her review confirmed my opinion of the restaurant and the food: it's a worthy second choice for diners not able to get into Bhabi's or Hema's, and has the potential to become a destination itself.
I stopped in by myself a few weeks ago (it's not far from my home, and I was bacheloring it for the night), shortly after Mazza opened in a space formerly occupied by a sketchy looking cafe. I was the first customer of the night, as far as I could tell; the waiter seemed almost surprised to see me. He handed me a menu, which promised Indian, Pakistani and Uzbek cuisine. Like Tosh, I'd be hard-pressed to identify the specific Uzbek dishes, but no matter.
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— Andrew Huff /
News Tue May 22 2007
I've been saving up some of the opening announcements and coming-soon sign observations we've seen recently.
• Not sure if it's a sign of gentrification quite yet, but a Starbucks opened up at Howard and Western this weekend. The Dunkin Donuts across the street matched it giant inflatable coffeecup for giant inflatable coffeecup.
• Whole Foods Boystown is close to opening; job fairs for the Halsted and Waveland store start June 13.
• The long-anticipated Crust, America's first certified all-organic restaurant, is scheduled to open this Thursday. Expect a mob scene.
• Sweet Occasions will be opening a new shop at Bryn Mawr and Kenmore in mid-June. The new location will have party rooms in the basement.
• Stella Espresso is slowly coming together at 1259 W. Devon, aiming for a late June opening. Follow its development and the owners' feelings about coffee on their blog.
• Veggie Bite, the South Side vegan fast food joint, plans to open a location near Clark and Diversy later this summer.
• Evanstonians may be interested in Uber Burger, which opened Monday; LTH has the opening moment review.
• Heather Shouse at Time Out has the first review of Cordis Brothers Supper Club. Don't know why we didn't notice this sooner: the Cordis Brothers also own Lincoln Park's Wise Fools Pub.
• Vella Cafe, the eagerly anticipated restaurant from Green City Market and Kitchen Chicago veterans Melissa Yen and Sara Voden, opened last week. Reviews are pretty positive so far.
• Zagat Buzz has an extended list of June openings in the city and suburbs.
— Andrew Huff /
River North's Sushi Samba Rio is not known for its brunch. What comes to mind instead is a trendy lounge/ night club where pretty young things go to see and be seen. Sundays at 11 am, however, the scene is decidedly different. Brunch is served "family style," so a group can choose 4 dishes off a menu of about 12 options. The dishes are brought out in entree portions, but each portion is meant to serve 2 or 3. It's a great way to taste what the kitchen has to offer, but dividing up the dishes can be a bit awkward. Still, the food is a giant step up from what you might find at your local diner. Choices like fillet mignon with fluffy scrambled eggs and shredded potatoes make for a brunch that is much more exciting than two over-easy with a side of bacon. Before noon, the cuisine at Sushi Samba isn't upstaged by the clientèle, so come early and let your taste buds be the judge.
— Dana Currier /
One nice thing about bicycling to work is that you can cycle out for lunch, and venture much farther than you might otherwise be able to in a reasonable lunch hour. I pedaled up State Street from Jackson to a modernized Indian restaurant called Vermillion on Hubbard in a few minutes. I sat in the beautifully warm sun at a sidewalk table, sipping tamarind carbonated water from a red and orange floral patterned patio glass as my pant legs were still tight rolled to keep away from the bicycle chain. I sipped quickly to keep the ginger-like burn from dissipating in my mouth. Red patterns on the table umbrellas matched the glasses, and went with the bright red door and sign.
The pani puri or artichoke pakoras sounded tempting but not filling, so I ordered a modified thali from the dinner menu: three items, plus rice and sauce. Pieces of soft melting purple-skinned eggplant came - spicy with a nice thick burn in plenty of ground spices suspended in oil. The second item, chickpeas with greens, weren't as flavorful as they should have been. But the thick eggplant chili coconut sauce really made up for it. The mango rice refreshed. And then came the modification, the artichoke pakoras - breaded and fried artichoke hearts - as the substitution that made this thali vegan.
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— Chris Brunn /
This weekend, I joined two friends for brunch at Over Easy, my first trip there since it's reopening after last summer's fire. As was expected, at 9:30 a.m. we were told there was a 40 minute wait for a table. Fortunately, our caffeine headaches were assuaged by the delicious, self-serve Julius Meinl coffee station outside Over Easy's door. It's pretty genius to provide patrons with good, free coffee while they wait. It's like sitting at the bar during dinner time while you wait for a table at any other restaurant. Mood-altering beverages equal less cranky customers.
The last time I enjoyed brunch at this place, I ordered the vegan chilequiles, which I had read were out of this world. Expecting bits of tortillas mixed in with srambled tofu and the salty, spicy tang of a sauce of pureed tomatoes, onions and chiles, I was dissapointed by a basically bland and oily scramble of tofu sans the tortillas. It was no match for the Vegan Epiphany I love to order at M. Henry.
So, this time, I embraced my inner omnivore and ordered Sassy Eggs, eggs (any way you like them) over a chorizo-potato hash topped with fresh guacamole and ancho ketchup (I ordered mine on the side, because of my love/hate relationship with any kind of ketchup). While enjoyed the savory flavors of an urban brunch spot's take on sausage and eggs, I wasn't overly impressed. Everything tasted good and fresh, but I wasn't wowed by this dish nearly as much as I was by the Banana Spiked French Toast, and I am not into sweet breakfasts. 
Berries aren't my thing, and I get a toothache even thinking about all the sugar in pancakes coated with fruit compotes, maple syrup and powdered sugar. But this French toast had a bit of a crunch to compliment the smooth flavors of banana and rum caramel drizzled over the top. There was no need for the maple syrup brought out to my husband. It was the first time I ever experienced regret for ordering eggs!
Over all, Over Easy is a good spot for weekend brunch. It's average priced and the food is tasty. I'm really glad they reopened and even happier to see that the neighborhood is, too.
Over Easy is located at 4943 N. Damen Ave.
— Meghan Murphy Gill /
Anteprima opened a few weeks ago in a former nightclub space on Clark St. between Berwyn and Summerdale. It's small and cozy with exposed brick walls and dark wooden tables. On a recent Friday night, when a friend and I arrived shortly before 7, the place was already packed. We managed to snag the last open table in the room. The menu is not long or complicated, and there were at least as many if not more appetizers than entrees. The wine list, on the other hand, is more overwhelming. All the wines are Italian, and many are offered in both full bottles as well as in "quartinos" or small carafes which contain about 2 glasses worth of wine.
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— Dana Currier /
Torta with portobello, avocado, caramelized onions, poblano chili and bead spread
When I walked into Bombon Cafe in the Loop, I was expecting a crowd of large deep booths aside a glass pastry case and a counter with stools looking back to a kitchen. I think it was Chicago Journal that published a photo like this with an article announcing the opening of Bombon's Ashland location some time ago.
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— Chris Brunn /
I was really hoping for an authentic French meal at Edgewater's recently opened Cotes du Rhone Bistro. Unfortunately, I didn't get one. I did, however, get a hefty portion of mussels, which were delicious in their light and brothy cream and shallot sauce, but the sea bass, which I ordered as a main dish, lacked a certain something. Luckily, the flourless chocolate cake more than made up for it. Still, despite the tasty appetizer and dessert, I don't think I'll be back. The decor was dreary and uninspired, the waiter struggled to pronounce almost everything on the menu, and I just can't bring myself to respect a French restaurant that offers a cheese plate as a first course. Quelle horreur!
— Dana Currier /
Opening soon in Clarendon Hills is Maijean, an upscale French-inspired bistro from Chef and owner Nadia Tilkian, formerly of Chicago's Bistro 110, Barrington County Bistro and Zinfandel. With an Art Nouveau-inspired interior and an intelligently crafted menu of country French fare — roasted Cornish hen with pancetta, garlic and red lentils or tartare of ahi tuna in a white balsamic vinaigrette as well as some inspired deserts, warm berry soup with goat-cheese vanilla ice cream — Maijean might be worth the trip to this sleepy suburb.
30 South Prospect Ave. Clarendon Hills 60514 (630)794-8900
— Christian Scheuer /
Filter coffee shop, in the congested heart of Wicker Park/Bucktown is shutting its doors to make way for Bank of America, as reported in Gapers Block. But just down the street, where the sidewalks aren't choked with hipsters and tourists, just beyond Scoop NYC and before the Green Eye Lounge, there's a new spot for caffeine and lounging--though the caffeine here is of the loose-leaf variety. Tea Essence opened a few weeks ago in a big and airy space, helping to lead the way in the coversion of this gritty industrial strip. The owners, Tanya Govert and Heidi Brown, both left behind their former day jobs for their new jobs: helping each person to find his or her own tea. At the front of the shop there's a table with little glass jars of tea, so before ordering a cup, you can inspect the leaves and perhaps even sniff. There are green teas, white teas, black teas, herbal teas and teas blended with fruit or flowers. The teas, once ordered, are steeped in a French press and then served by the cup. In addition to the hot beverage, Tea Essence serves scones and other pastries and soups and sandwiches from Kitchen Chicago. And, as part of their commitment to passing on to the public the benefits of tea, Tanya and Heidi are also hosting meetings for a local tea club, with tastings and visits to other tea shops. This is the perfect place to stop on your way to a show at Gorilla Tango Theater, either for a snack before the show, or for detox tips after taking in the interactive show, "Bye Bye Liver: A Chicago Drinking Game."
— Lori Barrett /
With a flaky, buttery crust and wide variety of filling options, the empanadas at Nandu (2731 W. Fullerton Avenue) are a perfect little meal, especially when paired with their refreshing sangria. Named after an ostrich like bird native to South America, Nandu specializes in Argentinian cuisine, and their empanadas are some of the best in the city. Two or three per person can easily make a meal, and you have a nice selection to choose from, including vegetarian options. Try the maiz or the espinaca if you want to go meat free, both are savory, gooey delights. Meat and seafood options abound as well. Dipped in a bit of tasty chimichurri sauce made with parsley, garlic and olive oil (spicy and not-so-spicy versions are both offered), the empanadas are really a tasty treat. This little restaurant is a homey, friendly place where you can enjoy a culturally rich evening without breaking the bank, with fantastic live music on weekends and a festive atmosphere featuring plenty of original art.
— Mary Smith /
Review Wed Apr 25 2007
While enjoying excellent seats at Wrigley Field on Monday, I was obligated to indulge in some gameday grub. I gleefully put back a few vapid Bud Lites and stuffed my face with a couple of brats that looked and tasted like they arrived to the ballpark in someone’s back pocket. But it’s all about tradition at ball games and if I hadn’t gone for the Bud Lite and hot dogs, it woulda been Old Style and peanuts. So, price aside, I had no complaints… especially since we split well before the Cubs’ inevitable collapse.
It wasn’t until later, at the Hopleaf Bar in Andersonville, that I had the opportunity to right the evening’s previous culinary wrongs. Still being a bit full from the doggies, I kept it light by ordering the famed muscles mussels appetizer and a pint of De Koninck Bolleke ale. The slightly fruity, slightly malty, crisp brew was an excellent foil for the succulent, nautical sweetness of the Hopleaf’s mussels.
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— Bryan Delano III /
It may not be as warm today as it was yesterday, but it's still a fine day for an icy treat. Lucky for you, Soupbox in Lakeview (2943 N. Broadway) is officially reopening its Icebox alter ego today, and is celebrating by offering free scoops of their famous Icyfruit! Stop in before 10pm and get a free cup of lemon, raspberry, strawberry or chocolate ice. [via]
— Andrew Huff /
Veggie Gyros, Fake Cheese Fries, Fake Buffalo on Rye
Usually, I like to advocate for bicycling or CTAing there. But this time, my pal Erin took me on a South Side drive from Wicker Park. Veggie Bite at 3031 West 111th Street near Kedzie was our destination. Vegans like this spot for greasy vegan versions of classic fast food; it's all vegan. "Buffalo on Rye" reminds me of a fish sandwich. It's battered and fried tofu - one side generously given thousand-island-style sauce and the other a tangy ketchup (like French dressing as Erin pointed out). Gyros come filled with a messy combination of white-colored, greasy seitan, lettuce, tomato chunks and a cheesy sauce. The cheese fries have the same sauce. Its pungent taste comes from nutritional yeast, which adds a bit of chalkiness - and lets some people claim it tastes like cheese. This implementation is thick, suggestive of tahini, and tasting of hints of paprika. But it's not stringy or gooey. It tastes good - just don't expect cheese. Nutritional yeast fake cheeses often take a thick liquid form that thickens as they cool. But they're about to cheese what carob is to chocolate: not the same but something I've told myself is good enough (instead of cheese, but not chocolate). Veggie Bite's German chocolate cake was tender and moist, but not rich; and the frosting was more fluff than flavor. Some people can't seem to wait for Veggie Bite's anticipated North Side location to open. I'm excited for them. If the person I overheard working there is to be any indication, they seem quite moved to make food that's respectful of our animal friends. I think that helps us be a little more compassionate. And that's good for everyone.
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— Chris Brunn /
Marigold is an Indian fusion restaurant a few doors down from Green Mill in Uptown. From the street, it stands out as a beacon of swanky interior design shining through the windows. The
