Julius Meinl
3601 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-868-1857
Date of Review: December, 2007
This Viennese style café is a Vienna institution and is as European as it gets. Located on busy Southport Avenue, the open spacing and classy décor in this café make it one of the better breakfast and lunch options in all of Chicago. The ambience is purely European and I feel at home here as if I am still living in Amsterdam. They have an impressive pastry case and coffee bar with shiny coffee containers and an assortment of Austrian pastries for sale if you decide to take something away with you.
The real charm is in the pleasant ambience of this cafe (more than a few customers may be studying). The décor is so charming and the Julius Meinl symbol, a child’s head leaning forward with a red hat and top on, is ever present throughout the café including on the coffee cups. With neat lamps and coat hooks on the pseudo booths near the windows, you will find it tough to find a more charming place to enjoy breakfast or lunch. Even the leather bound menus add a touch of class.
Julius Meinl’s large Austrian accented menu is split evenly between breakfast and lunch. Sweeter breakfast options include croissants, pancakes and crepes. More savory options included baked eggs mixed with things like smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill, bacon and Swiss cheese or tomato, basil and goat cheese.
For lunch, the menu includes and impressive array of sandwiches and salads in addition to traditional Austrian style soup (frittaten) and European specialties like goulash. They also offer finger sandwiches and cheese and cured meat plates. On my last visit, I had the chicken salad sandwich. The sandwich consists of roasted chicken, red grapes, dried apricots and toasted walnuts mixed together with a yogurt-tarragon dressing and served on toasted walnut bread. From the wonderful bread to the fantastic way the sweet flavors (grapes and dried apricots) combine with the chicken and mayonnaise alternative (tarragon-yogurt mixture), this sandwich is outstanding. All sandwiches are served with mesclun greens tossed in balsamic vinaigrette.
They have an exclusive coffee, tea and non-alcoholic drink menu and an impressive assortment of wonderful pastries for here or to go. The coffee is some of Chicago’s best and it is served on a small silver tray accompanied by a glass of chilled water (no ice just like in Europe) and a cookie.
The prices at Julius Meinl are decent. A cup of coffee is $2.06 (no refills) and almost every breakfast or lunch option on the menu is between $6 and $9. On my last visit, I had the roasted chicken salad sandwich and 2 cups of coffee and my total bill was $12.03 and that includes tax.
Classical music is played on many Friday and Saturday evenings.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Chicago (Lebanese) - Semiramis
Semiramis
4639 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago IL; Phone 773-279-8900
Date of Review: December, 2007
This quaint, romantic Lebanese restaurant is a great BYOB with healthy portions of innovative Lebanese cuisine at reasonable prices. The entrance features the carry out area of the restaurant which has a relaxing waiting area with cushions that fit the traditional Lebanese décor of the restaurant. In the adjoining room, there are 12 tables, exposed duct work, Lebanese paintings and wall hangings. The music is just loud enough to hear but doesn’t interrupt with whatever you may be doing (talking to your companion or reading). The lights are dim making for an intimate and romantic dining environment.
I have eaten at Semiramis on many occasions (dine in and carry out) and have tried a variety of different dishes. All have been solid, if not excellent.
As a complimentary snack, they offer marinated turnips and olives. Both are full of flavor and are nice to nibble on while you wait for your meal. For appetizers, the creamy hummus goes well with the wheat (and white) warm pita bread that it is accompanied by. Feel free to add a bit of the flavorful and complex spicy sauce (complimentary, but must be requested) to your hummus or other appetizer. The fattoush salad is also a good way to start a meal. This refreshing salad has cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, green peppers, radishes, mint and toasted pita bread, mixed with olive oil and lemon juice.
The hummus and chicken shawarma is a filling entrée that hits the spot. Chicken shawarma is served on top of a bed of hummus and is topped with onions, pickle spears and tomatoes. There is a bit of yogurt sauce on top of the chicken that is a nice twist. The chicken is the real highlight as it isn’t the typical chicken shawarma I am used to. While I do like the typical shawarma meat, Semirami’s version is better as the slices of roasted chicken are fresh, well seasoned and tasty.
On another occasion, I had the whole chicken which is a large chicken wrapped in lavash (thin Lebanese style bread) and is served with rice or salad and garlic sauce. The chicken is very good and the portion is large enough for two. The rice and lentils with caramelized onions is a good vegetarian option. This dish is excellent with lots of flavor and is served with a house salad making for quite a feast.
The service is excellent. I have had the same server each time and she is warm, friendly and passionate about the food. Her passion is obvious in the way she describes the specials. While I haven’t tried the specials, everything she has described to me has really sounded fantastic.
The appetizers range from $3 to $6, sandwiches $5 to $6 and entrees $8 to 14$. On my last visit, I had the chicken shawarma and hummus entrée and my total bill was $11.74 including tax but not tip.
4639 North Kedzie Avenue, Chicago IL; Phone 773-279-8900
Date of Review: December, 2007
This quaint, romantic Lebanese restaurant is a great BYOB with healthy portions of innovative Lebanese cuisine at reasonable prices. The entrance features the carry out area of the restaurant which has a relaxing waiting area with cushions that fit the traditional Lebanese décor of the restaurant. In the adjoining room, there are 12 tables, exposed duct work, Lebanese paintings and wall hangings. The music is just loud enough to hear but doesn’t interrupt with whatever you may be doing (talking to your companion or reading). The lights are dim making for an intimate and romantic dining environment.
I have eaten at Semiramis on many occasions (dine in and carry out) and have tried a variety of different dishes. All have been solid, if not excellent.
As a complimentary snack, they offer marinated turnips and olives. Both are full of flavor and are nice to nibble on while you wait for your meal. For appetizers, the creamy hummus goes well with the wheat (and white) warm pita bread that it is accompanied by. Feel free to add a bit of the flavorful and complex spicy sauce (complimentary, but must be requested) to your hummus or other appetizer. The fattoush salad is also a good way to start a meal. This refreshing salad has cucumbers, tomatoes, green onions, green peppers, radishes, mint and toasted pita bread, mixed with olive oil and lemon juice.
The hummus and chicken shawarma is a filling entrée that hits the spot. Chicken shawarma is served on top of a bed of hummus and is topped with onions, pickle spears and tomatoes. There is a bit of yogurt sauce on top of the chicken that is a nice twist. The chicken is the real highlight as it isn’t the typical chicken shawarma I am used to. While I do like the typical shawarma meat, Semirami’s version is better as the slices of roasted chicken are fresh, well seasoned and tasty.
On another occasion, I had the whole chicken which is a large chicken wrapped in lavash (thin Lebanese style bread) and is served with rice or salad and garlic sauce. The chicken is very good and the portion is large enough for two. The rice and lentils with caramelized onions is a good vegetarian option. This dish is excellent with lots of flavor and is served with a house salad making for quite a feast.
The service is excellent. I have had the same server each time and she is warm, friendly and passionate about the food. Her passion is obvious in the way she describes the specials. While I haven’t tried the specials, everything she has described to me has really sounded fantastic.
The appetizers range from $3 to $6, sandwiches $5 to $6 and entrees $8 to 14$. On my last visit, I had the chicken shawarma and hummus entrée and my total bill was $11.74 including tax but not tip.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Chicago (Thai) - Sticky Rice Thai Restaurant
Sticky Rice Thai Restaurant
4018 North Western Avenue, Chicago IL; Phone 773-588-0133
Date of Review: December, 2007; updated May, 2008
I love Asian food and I love every kind of it. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Thai! I have probably had Thai most frequently over the years and have always held Thai cuisine in high regard – both before my 2 visits to Thailand and even more so afterwards. That said, with a Korean girlfriend, I have almost neglected Thai cuisine over the last few months. Well, after a chance meeting at work with a woman from Bangkok, I was offered a suggestion and found a special place that promises to be a destination for me as long as their doors are open.
This is a small, casual Thai BYOB restaurant offering great food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is almost unrecognizable if you don’t look for it. While they do have a red and yellow sign, the restaurant comes up on you quickly after you turn off of Irving Park onto Western Avenue. The atmosphere is colorful inside and there are about 12 or so tables in the restaurant.
For starters, the Tom Yum soup is outstanding. This is a Thai restaurant run by Thais and the woman taking my order asked if I wanted my soup mild, medium or spicy. She said those terms were by American standards, not Thai ones. I ordered it hot and it was hot. The overall flavor of this chicken, onion and fresh mushroom laden Thai hot and sour soup was outstanding and the portion was good size. The grilled calamari is refreshingly non greasy and is served with a tasty lime and fish based sauce that includes about a hundred tiny chopped pieces of garlic floating in the sauce. The Thai spring rolls were decent, but no better than those I’ve had elsewhere.
For entrees, the steamed sole fish with lime sauce is the best item I have had on the menu. A large sole filet arrives sitting in a bed of sauce on a plate. I never could have imagined how good this dish would turn out to be. The sauce consisted of fresh slices of garlic, hot pepper and spicy Thai lime fish sauce. It was garnished with lime wedges, some carrot and red pepper strands and a bit of lettuce. I ate everything and used every bit of the very sticky rice the dish was accompanied with to soak up every bit of the sauce. Other entrees I have tried include the Num Prik Ong. This spicy, tasty dish consists of ground pork, tomato and onion cooked with red chili paste and is served with carrots, cucumbers and of course sticky rice. The large portion of gigantic prawns cooked in a clay pot with glass noodles and button mushrooms wasn’t quite as tasty as the other dishes I’ve tried but still hit the spot. The Pad Thai is average.
Most of the items on the menu are under $8. On my last visit, the Tom Yum soup was $3.25 and my fish dish was $7.95. I didn’t order a drink and my total bill came to $12.24.
Sticky Rice Restaurant was recommended to me by a woman who spent most of her life in Bangkok. She was very honest with me in telling me that some of the Thai restaurants I have frequented are pretty average. After eating at Sticky Rice, I understand what she means.
Stick Rice features exquisite dishes from Northern Thailand in addition to the already known Pad Thai noodle dishes and the like that are featured on most Thai menus around the city. The name of the restaurant comes from Northern Thailand's consumption of glutinous rice with every meal in substitution of jasmine rice. According to the web site, Northern Thais eat sticky rice with their hands, very much like how bread is dipped in soup. I used mine the same way I use bread at an Italian or French restaurant – I soaked up all that wonderful sauce.
4018 North Western Avenue, Chicago IL; Phone 773-588-0133
Date of Review: December, 2007; updated May, 2008
I love Asian food and I love every kind of it. Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Thai! I have probably had Thai most frequently over the years and have always held Thai cuisine in high regard – both before my 2 visits to Thailand and even more so afterwards. That said, with a Korean girlfriend, I have almost neglected Thai cuisine over the last few months. Well, after a chance meeting at work with a woman from Bangkok, I was offered a suggestion and found a special place that promises to be a destination for me as long as their doors are open.
This is a small, casual Thai BYOB restaurant offering great food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is almost unrecognizable if you don’t look for it. While they do have a red and yellow sign, the restaurant comes up on you quickly after you turn off of Irving Park onto Western Avenue. The atmosphere is colorful inside and there are about 12 or so tables in the restaurant.
For starters, the Tom Yum soup is outstanding. This is a Thai restaurant run by Thais and the woman taking my order asked if I wanted my soup mild, medium or spicy. She said those terms were by American standards, not Thai ones. I ordered it hot and it was hot. The overall flavor of this chicken, onion and fresh mushroom laden Thai hot and sour soup was outstanding and the portion was good size. The grilled calamari is refreshingly non greasy and is served with a tasty lime and fish based sauce that includes about a hundred tiny chopped pieces of garlic floating in the sauce. The Thai spring rolls were decent, but no better than those I’ve had elsewhere.
For entrees, the steamed sole fish with lime sauce is the best item I have had on the menu. A large sole filet arrives sitting in a bed of sauce on a plate. I never could have imagined how good this dish would turn out to be. The sauce consisted of fresh slices of garlic, hot pepper and spicy Thai lime fish sauce. It was garnished with lime wedges, some carrot and red pepper strands and a bit of lettuce. I ate everything and used every bit of the very sticky rice the dish was accompanied with to soak up every bit of the sauce. Other entrees I have tried include the Num Prik Ong. This spicy, tasty dish consists of ground pork, tomato and onion cooked with red chili paste and is served with carrots, cucumbers and of course sticky rice. The large portion of gigantic prawns cooked in a clay pot with glass noodles and button mushrooms wasn’t quite as tasty as the other dishes I’ve tried but still hit the spot. The Pad Thai is average.
Most of the items on the menu are under $8. On my last visit, the Tom Yum soup was $3.25 and my fish dish was $7.95. I didn’t order a drink and my total bill came to $12.24.
Sticky Rice Restaurant was recommended to me by a woman who spent most of her life in Bangkok. She was very honest with me in telling me that some of the Thai restaurants I have frequented are pretty average. After eating at Sticky Rice, I understand what she means.
Stick Rice features exquisite dishes from Northern Thailand in addition to the already known Pad Thai noodle dishes and the like that are featured on most Thai menus around the city. The name of the restaurant comes from Northern Thailand's consumption of glutinous rice with every meal in substitution of jasmine rice. According to the web site, Northern Thais eat sticky rice with their hands, very much like how bread is dipped in soup. I used mine the same way I use bread at an Italian or French restaurant – I soaked up all that wonderful sauce.
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