Lou Mitchell’s
565 W. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-939-3111
Date of Review: August, 2008
When it comes to diner style breakfast, Lou Mitchell’s is on top and no one else is even in the picture. This “typical” American style diner is actually about as atypical as it gets. This is the kind of place that tourists visiting Chicago come to and, quite frankly, I usually try to avoid those places as I find them often overhyped. That is not the case with Lou Mitchell’s. Struggling to find a more emphatic adjective, this place is fucking awesome!
The original downtown location has a neat al fresco dining area on a quiet slice of downtown somewhere between the Financial District and the West Loop. There is typically a bit of a line but feel free to slide into a stool at the counter if you are alone or with 1 other person. By the way, while you wait in line, they offer free homemade donut holes. You can taste the butter in these things and they are damn good. If someone isn’t handing them out from a basket, look for the basket near the area where you wait to get seated and take one yourself.
Everything is homemade here and their coffee is outstanding (they boast it is the best in the world). All pastries are homemade (they emphasize this) and this includes the gigantic cookies and muffins sitting by the counter waiting to leave with a customer eyeing an afternoon snack.
I have only had breakfast at Lou’s at this point but look forward to lunch as their sandwiches and entrees sound great and the home cut fries look excellent. I have focused on the omelets and they are outstanding. All breakfast items are served in a skillet with t he most wonderful potatoes I can remember. They should patent the potato recipe because I have never had better. The potatoes are sliced thinly, tender (not overcooked) and are still glistening with the butter they were cooked in when they arrive in front of you. Throw some hot sauce and ketchup on if you like and enjoy. I have had the spinach, feta, onion and turkey sausage and Greek special omelet (Greek sausage, onion, tomato, green pepper). The omelets are large and outstanding. The ingredients are fresh and the omelets are in front of you piping hot right after they are cooked. They are very generous with the sausage and other ingredients loaded into the omelet and they are cooked perfectly. These things are big too. Don’t plan on eating lunch.
The service is good as the servers know how to systematically work in a very busy atmosphere. They are busy but they make their way around to you and they are all business so be ready to order.
Lou Mitchell’s is on the high end of the price list for breakfast. Omelets are $9.95 but you do get a lot of food with toast and potatoes. On my last visit, I had an omelet (I added spinach for an extra $1) and coffee and my bill was just over $14 including tax but not tip. While pricey, these really are the best omelets I have ever had and the portions are so large that you covered 2 meals. When you look at it that way, I guess it isn’t all that expensive after all.
Lou Mitchell’s is a simple place. It is far from fancy and it lauds itself on basic, home style cooking. They emphasize that everything is cooked in butter and you can certainly taste that they are not lying. They don’t even take credit cards as this is CASH only. They use quality ingredients and truly care about what comes out of their kitchen as you can taste it in every bite.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Chicago (Italian) - Buona Terra
Buona Terra
2535 North California, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-289-3800
Date of Review: August, 2008
It is hard for me to admit that I have lived in Logan Square for the last 6 years and have never set foot in this restaurant. Not even one time. I thought about it and planned on it many times, but somehow it never happened even though I love local, neighborhood establishments. Well, I finally made it (twice in 2 weeks) and found out what I have been missing. Buona Terra is a true find.
Buona Terra is on California Avenue off of Logan Boulevard in one of Logan Square’s restaurant “lanes” if you prefer to define it that way. It is next to Starbucks, Hachi’s Kitchen and Rustik. It is a small restaurant with a decent size al fresco dining area out front and a small bar. The dining area is probably 40-50 inside the restaurant, not counting the patio. The tables are close together making for an intimate dining environment and they have impressive artwork.
The menu descriptions jumped out at me as everything sounded like something I want to try. The complimentary bread takes a while to come out but it is worth the wait as it is warm and crusty and is served with a tasty minced garlic, olive oil and cheese mixture. For appetizers, the good sized portion of grilled baby octopus with a tri color salad in a balsamic sauce is excellent. It has a wonderful grilled flavor in a nice sauce and the endive and radicchio in the salad are a great accompaniment to the grilled octopus. The grilled calamari is also solid and is served with some nicely picked greens and sauce. The mista is a simple mixed salad in a red wine vinegar dressing.
For entrees, the linguine with white clam sauce is amazing. It is served with bits of garlic amid nice linguini with perfectly cooked, chewy clams. The Spaghetti al Gamberetti includes rock shrimp, tomatoes, spinach, olive oil and garlic. There was nothing over the top about this dish but I loved it. It was simple with good ingredients and great taste. The Fettucine Primavera is out of this world. Served with perfectly cooked vegetables and a wonderful spicy marinara sauce, I was blown away by this pasta dish. We also had the grilled, pounded chicken breast with herbs, tomatoes, mozzarella and arugula and the Vitello Monte Carlo which had sautéed veal medallions with prosciutto and fontina cheese in a sherry wine sauce. Both were excellent and the veal dish could compete with veal dishes from any of Chicago’s top Italian restaurants. I have also tried the salmon served with an avocado relish and roasted potatoes and vegetables. Wow! This was a daily special and I was impressed with a large piece of salmon cooked perfectly with a refreshing avocado relish on top. The roasted vegetables were excellent and the potatoes were roasted so firmly you would have thought they were fried. They were almost like a little potato cake.
For desserts, the profiteroles with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce are solid and the sorbet served in a peach (or a lemon, coconut or orange) is fantastic.
I have been impressed with the friendly and helpful servers. On once occasion, our server took the liberty of splitting the salad for us (without asking) and they seem to be on top of things as they always seem to arrive with what we need at precisely the right time.
The prices at Buona Terra are quite reasonable with pastas in the $10-15 range and only 1 entrée over $20. On one visit, we had a bottle of white wine, 2 beers, 1 appetizer, 2 salads and 4 entrees and paid $170 with tax and tip. Overall, the price and quality of the food is fantastic. The $22 3 course price fixe Thursday special is one of the best values in Chicago as the entire menu (including specials) is available for selection. You cannot beat this value.
2535 North California, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-289-3800
Date of Review: August, 2008
It is hard for me to admit that I have lived in Logan Square for the last 6 years and have never set foot in this restaurant. Not even one time. I thought about it and planned on it many times, but somehow it never happened even though I love local, neighborhood establishments. Well, I finally made it (twice in 2 weeks) and found out what I have been missing. Buona Terra is a true find.
Buona Terra is on California Avenue off of Logan Boulevard in one of Logan Square’s restaurant “lanes” if you prefer to define it that way. It is next to Starbucks, Hachi’s Kitchen and Rustik. It is a small restaurant with a decent size al fresco dining area out front and a small bar. The dining area is probably 40-50 inside the restaurant, not counting the patio. The tables are close together making for an intimate dining environment and they have impressive artwork.
The menu descriptions jumped out at me as everything sounded like something I want to try. The complimentary bread takes a while to come out but it is worth the wait as it is warm and crusty and is served with a tasty minced garlic, olive oil and cheese mixture. For appetizers, the good sized portion of grilled baby octopus with a tri color salad in a balsamic sauce is excellent. It has a wonderful grilled flavor in a nice sauce and the endive and radicchio in the salad are a great accompaniment to the grilled octopus. The grilled calamari is also solid and is served with some nicely picked greens and sauce. The mista is a simple mixed salad in a red wine vinegar dressing.
For entrees, the linguine with white clam sauce is amazing. It is served with bits of garlic amid nice linguini with perfectly cooked, chewy clams. The Spaghetti al Gamberetti includes rock shrimp, tomatoes, spinach, olive oil and garlic. There was nothing over the top about this dish but I loved it. It was simple with good ingredients and great taste. The Fettucine Primavera is out of this world. Served with perfectly cooked vegetables and a wonderful spicy marinara sauce, I was blown away by this pasta dish. We also had the grilled, pounded chicken breast with herbs, tomatoes, mozzarella and arugula and the Vitello Monte Carlo which had sautéed veal medallions with prosciutto and fontina cheese in a sherry wine sauce. Both were excellent and the veal dish could compete with veal dishes from any of Chicago’s top Italian restaurants. I have also tried the salmon served with an avocado relish and roasted potatoes and vegetables. Wow! This was a daily special and I was impressed with a large piece of salmon cooked perfectly with a refreshing avocado relish on top. The roasted vegetables were excellent and the potatoes were roasted so firmly you would have thought they were fried. They were almost like a little potato cake.
For desserts, the profiteroles with vanilla gelato and chocolate sauce are solid and the sorbet served in a peach (or a lemon, coconut or orange) is fantastic.
I have been impressed with the friendly and helpful servers. On once occasion, our server took the liberty of splitting the salad for us (without asking) and they seem to be on top of things as they always seem to arrive with what we need at precisely the right time.
The prices at Buona Terra are quite reasonable with pastas in the $10-15 range and only 1 entrée over $20. On one visit, we had a bottle of white wine, 2 beers, 1 appetizer, 2 salads and 4 entrees and paid $170 with tax and tip. Overall, the price and quality of the food is fantastic. The $22 3 course price fixe Thursday special is one of the best values in Chicago as the entire menu (including specials) is available for selection. You cannot beat this value.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Chicago (Greek) - Greek Islands
Greek Islands
200 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-782-9855
Date of Review: July, 2008
In the heart of Greektown, there is no better place to enjoy a meal than at Greek Islands restaurant. Located on the corner of Adams and Halsted, this large restaurant is a perfect place for a dinner for two or a larger dinner party. In addition, they have adequate banquet facilities for rehearsal dinners, large parties and outings of this type.
This large, casual restaurant has the feeling of a Greek tavern. I would imagine you would find something similar in Greece, although the sea instead of the Chicago city skyline would serve as the backdrop. They have a large bar area with a long bar that is great for casual dining or drinks. The bar features quite a few circular tables and some high tops for 2 lining the windows providing a great up close view of the Chicago city skyline and Halsted Street.
The seafood display cases across from the host / hostess desk that you pass as you enter the restaurant speak to the outstanding quality of the seafood at Greek Islands. I have had the grilled octopus and found the charbroiled flavor of the octopus excellent. This dish is a great starter or entrée and it is served cooked in some outstanding olive oil. I mention the olive oil because everything is high quality here and that definitely includes the Greek olive oil served on your table with basic, complimentary Greek bread (from one of the Greek bakeries up the street). The fried calamari is lightly pan friend and served with simple cocktail sauce. It is some of the freshest calamari I have had in a restaurant that does not border the sea or ocean. The fresh flavor reminds me of calamari I had on the Mediterranean in Croatia and Portugal. The home made gyros at Greek Islands are outstanding. You can order a healthy appetizer portion for ($5.95) or have the gyros over an Athenian salad or as an entrée. On my last visit, I chose the Gyros Salad. This dinner size salad features homemade gyro meat served over the Athenian salad which is excellent in its own right if ordered alone ($4.75). What makes the gyro meat home made? I can’t explain the details but the taste for one. The slices of slow roasted, wholesome lean lamb and beef gyros have a rich, succulent flavor that comes from the meat and cooking style. This is not the same type of gyro meat you get at your typical fast food spot. Not even close. The Athenian salad it is served over features beautiful fresh ingredients including imported feta, cucumbers, flavorful kalamata olives, red vine tomatoes, pepperocini’s and red onions in a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing that doesn’t take away from the fresh taste of the vegetables. I was especially impressed with the flavor of the tomatoes as they tasted like they were grown in someone’s backyard. The salad was served with a good size order of tzatziki (also good as an appetizer) which was thick, zesty and creamy.
You can’t go wrong with eating tapas style here either as the garlicky skordalia, imported feta and any of the appetizers are all good. The spanacorizo is a nice side dish that features spinach and rice in tomato sauce.
Greek Islands offers unbelievable value for the quality and quantity of the food. On my last visit, I had the gyros salad (which was more than sufficient as an entrée) and my total bill was $14 including tax and tip. Some of the best values on the menu include the Gyros appetizer at $5.95 and the Grilled Octopus appetizer at $7.75.
200 S. Halsted Street, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-782-9855
Date of Review: July, 2008
In the heart of Greektown, there is no better place to enjoy a meal than at Greek Islands restaurant. Located on the corner of Adams and Halsted, this large restaurant is a perfect place for a dinner for two or a larger dinner party. In addition, they have adequate banquet facilities for rehearsal dinners, large parties and outings of this type.
This large, casual restaurant has the feeling of a Greek tavern. I would imagine you would find something similar in Greece, although the sea instead of the Chicago city skyline would serve as the backdrop. They have a large bar area with a long bar that is great for casual dining or drinks. The bar features quite a few circular tables and some high tops for 2 lining the windows providing a great up close view of the Chicago city skyline and Halsted Street.
The seafood display cases across from the host / hostess desk that you pass as you enter the restaurant speak to the outstanding quality of the seafood at Greek Islands. I have had the grilled octopus and found the charbroiled flavor of the octopus excellent. This dish is a great starter or entrée and it is served cooked in some outstanding olive oil. I mention the olive oil because everything is high quality here and that definitely includes the Greek olive oil served on your table with basic, complimentary Greek bread (from one of the Greek bakeries up the street). The fried calamari is lightly pan friend and served with simple cocktail sauce. It is some of the freshest calamari I have had in a restaurant that does not border the sea or ocean. The fresh flavor reminds me of calamari I had on the Mediterranean in Croatia and Portugal. The home made gyros at Greek Islands are outstanding. You can order a healthy appetizer portion for ($5.95) or have the gyros over an Athenian salad or as an entrée. On my last visit, I chose the Gyros Salad. This dinner size salad features homemade gyro meat served over the Athenian salad which is excellent in its own right if ordered alone ($4.75). What makes the gyro meat home made? I can’t explain the details but the taste for one. The slices of slow roasted, wholesome lean lamb and beef gyros have a rich, succulent flavor that comes from the meat and cooking style. This is not the same type of gyro meat you get at your typical fast food spot. Not even close. The Athenian salad it is served over features beautiful fresh ingredients including imported feta, cucumbers, flavorful kalamata olives, red vine tomatoes, pepperocini’s and red onions in a simple olive oil and vinegar dressing that doesn’t take away from the fresh taste of the vegetables. I was especially impressed with the flavor of the tomatoes as they tasted like they were grown in someone’s backyard. The salad was served with a good size order of tzatziki (also good as an appetizer) which was thick, zesty and creamy.
You can’t go wrong with eating tapas style here either as the garlicky skordalia, imported feta and any of the appetizers are all good. The spanacorizo is a nice side dish that features spinach and rice in tomato sauce.
Greek Islands offers unbelievable value for the quality and quantity of the food. On my last visit, I had the gyros salad (which was more than sufficient as an entrée) and my total bill was $14 including tax and tip. Some of the best values on the menu include the Gyros appetizer at $5.95 and the Grilled Octopus appetizer at $7.75.
Chicago (Seafood) - Half Shell
Half Shell
676 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-549-1773
Date of Review: July, 2008
In the heart of Lakeview right on busy Diversey Parkway, Half Shell is a little gem that serves excellent, reasonably priced seafood. This tiny restaurant has a basement entrance and the entire restaurant is located in the basement. It is like a little dungeon inside and it has the feeling of an Irish bar where you slip inside and walk out after many beers not knowing what hit you. In this cavernous basement though, they churn our large quantities of impressive seafood. To be honest, after walking into the place, you would never think they could serve up seafood of the quality that they do.
There is a dining area for maybe 30-40 inside the restaurant (including the bar) and they have a nice patio out front that nearly doubles the size of the restaurant during the summer. On our visit, we sat out front and enjoyed the weather.
While the menu does offer a few non-seafood items, you are not coming to Half Shell to eat anything but seafood. For appetizers, we had the half-shell sashimi, steamed mussels and sauce and crab cakes. The crab cakes were 2 large typical fried crab cake patties. I found them to be decent, but nothing out of the ordinary. The mussels were a generous portion but again nothing special. The garlic butter sauce the mussels were served with didn’t add much to the dish. The sashimi plate was excellent. It featured 7 thin slices of fresh and tasty salmon, 2 raw oysters and 2 pieces of shrimp cocktail. This was great value with a decent amount of fresh seafood.
For entrees, Mike and Ivy had the steamed King Crab legs. Served atop a generous portion of basic French fries and with a cup of coleslaw, these were the hit of the meal. The crab legs were huge and the meat was tasty and, importantly, very easy to get out of the shell. There wasn’t too much work involved which is always a concern for me with crab legs. The garlic butter sauce went well with the sweet crab meat and you cannot beat the value (26$) for the quality of the crab. It seemed everyone in the restaurant ordered the crab legs except for me. I had the deep fried scallops which were served atop fries with coleslaw. The scallops were large, tender and lightly fried. The portion of scallops was large and they were tasty.
Half Shell offers excellent value for the quality and quantity of food the offer. At $26.40 for jumbo King crab legs, you cannot beat the price. Our total bill including tax and tip came out to $180 and that included 3 appetizers, 3 entrees, 5 beers and 3 glasses of wine.
676 W. Diversey Parkway, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-549-1773
Date of Review: July, 2008
In the heart of Lakeview right on busy Diversey Parkway, Half Shell is a little gem that serves excellent, reasonably priced seafood. This tiny restaurant has a basement entrance and the entire restaurant is located in the basement. It is like a little dungeon inside and it has the feeling of an Irish bar where you slip inside and walk out after many beers not knowing what hit you. In this cavernous basement though, they churn our large quantities of impressive seafood. To be honest, after walking into the place, you would never think they could serve up seafood of the quality that they do.
There is a dining area for maybe 30-40 inside the restaurant (including the bar) and they have a nice patio out front that nearly doubles the size of the restaurant during the summer. On our visit, we sat out front and enjoyed the weather.
While the menu does offer a few non-seafood items, you are not coming to Half Shell to eat anything but seafood. For appetizers, we had the half-shell sashimi, steamed mussels and sauce and crab cakes. The crab cakes were 2 large typical fried crab cake patties. I found them to be decent, but nothing out of the ordinary. The mussels were a generous portion but again nothing special. The garlic butter sauce the mussels were served with didn’t add much to the dish. The sashimi plate was excellent. It featured 7 thin slices of fresh and tasty salmon, 2 raw oysters and 2 pieces of shrimp cocktail. This was great value with a decent amount of fresh seafood.
For entrees, Mike and Ivy had the steamed King Crab legs. Served atop a generous portion of basic French fries and with a cup of coleslaw, these were the hit of the meal. The crab legs were huge and the meat was tasty and, importantly, very easy to get out of the shell. There wasn’t too much work involved which is always a concern for me with crab legs. The garlic butter sauce went well with the sweet crab meat and you cannot beat the value (26$) for the quality of the crab. It seemed everyone in the restaurant ordered the crab legs except for me. I had the deep fried scallops which were served atop fries with coleslaw. The scallops were large, tender and lightly fried. The portion of scallops was large and they were tasty.
Half Shell offers excellent value for the quality and quantity of food the offer. At $26.40 for jumbo King crab legs, you cannot beat the price. Our total bill including tax and tip came out to $180 and that included 3 appetizers, 3 entrees, 5 beers and 3 glasses of wine.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Chicago (American) - Cafe Fresco
Café Fresco
1202 W. Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-733-6378
Date of Review: June, 2008
I am not sure how well known this relatively simple neighborhood storefront restaurant is to most, but it is well known to me and my friends and has one of the best outdoor dining areas in Chicago. Café Fresco is conveniently located on a busy section of Grand Avenue close to downtown. It is surrounded by one of the best small Italian grocers in the city (Bari foods) and one of the better Italian bakeries I have been to (Damato’s).
Café Fresco has a small and basic interior with a few high and low top tables in bar like interior. They have a downstairs area where larger parties and events can take place but the real gem of this restaurant is the patio area. You walk through the restaurant, past the kitchen into what seems like another world. Café Fresco looks like it used to be a small home and this was the backyard. There are wild grape plants and lots of trees and ivy covering the walls and garage door. When I sit in Café Fresco’s backyard, I feel like I am in an oasis of sorts.
Café Fresco has a menu that is half “high-end” bar food (e.g. excellent sandwiches) and half Italian. I have eaten here probably 20 times and have come to favor a few things. For appetizers, the artichoke fritters are great. I do not like artichokes usually but when they are peeled off like onion peels, lightly fried and served with a spicy remoulade dipping sauce, they are very good. The bruschetta is also an excellent way to start your meal.
They have a great burger that is served with fries. The burger is good size and is topped with onions and tomatoes on a sesame seed bun with a large portion of basic, but decent french fries. The chili ancho chicken sandwich and fresco club are also good bets. The fresco club is loaded will all sorts of Italian lunch meats and cheeses on a nice focaccia bun. The Steak Au Poive sandwich is also a winner. They do offer specials and on my last visit I had the Italian veggie sandwich. The sandwich was huge and had sautéed eggplant, squash, zucchini and onion topped with melted mozzarella and tomato sauce on an Italian roll. The sandwich was good, but not great.
There are some excellent pasta dishes with my favorite being the rigatoni. There are huge rings of thick rigatoni noodles with goat cheese, spicy red sauce and Italian sausage mixed in throughout the dish. When the dish arrived, I thought it was just one big ring of pasta because the noodles were so big. This is my favorite pasta dish on the menu. The gemelli pasta was the pasta special on my last visit and it consisted of gemelli pasta with grilled chicken, spinach and asparagus in a tomato sauce. The combination of ingredients went well together with the tasty sauce and the portion was large. Their entrees are also solid and they usually have a fish special that features tilapia or salmon.
The prices at Café Fresco are about average. Sandwiches are in the $8 to $10 range and most pasta dishes are anywhere in the $11 to $13 range. The specials and fish dishes can get up to $15 to $17. They do have a full bar. On my last visit, we had the Italian veggie sandwich, gemelli pasta and 2 lemonades (free refills) and the total price was $28.90 plus tax and tip.
This is a pleasant place to enjoy a casual meal. You could really salt away an evening in their fantastic garden area over some solid food and quite a few drinks. I know I have on many occasions.
1202 W. Grand Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-733-6378
Date of Review: June, 2008
I am not sure how well known this relatively simple neighborhood storefront restaurant is to most, but it is well known to me and my friends and has one of the best outdoor dining areas in Chicago. Café Fresco is conveniently located on a busy section of Grand Avenue close to downtown. It is surrounded by one of the best small Italian grocers in the city (Bari foods) and one of the better Italian bakeries I have been to (Damato’s).
Café Fresco has a small and basic interior with a few high and low top tables in bar like interior. They have a downstairs area where larger parties and events can take place but the real gem of this restaurant is the patio area. You walk through the restaurant, past the kitchen into what seems like another world. Café Fresco looks like it used to be a small home and this was the backyard. There are wild grape plants and lots of trees and ivy covering the walls and garage door. When I sit in Café Fresco’s backyard, I feel like I am in an oasis of sorts.
Café Fresco has a menu that is half “high-end” bar food (e.g. excellent sandwiches) and half Italian. I have eaten here probably 20 times and have come to favor a few things. For appetizers, the artichoke fritters are great. I do not like artichokes usually but when they are peeled off like onion peels, lightly fried and served with a spicy remoulade dipping sauce, they are very good. The bruschetta is also an excellent way to start your meal.
They have a great burger that is served with fries. The burger is good size and is topped with onions and tomatoes on a sesame seed bun with a large portion of basic, but decent french fries. The chili ancho chicken sandwich and fresco club are also good bets. The fresco club is loaded will all sorts of Italian lunch meats and cheeses on a nice focaccia bun. The Steak Au Poive sandwich is also a winner. They do offer specials and on my last visit I had the Italian veggie sandwich. The sandwich was huge and had sautéed eggplant, squash, zucchini and onion topped with melted mozzarella and tomato sauce on an Italian roll. The sandwich was good, but not great.
There are some excellent pasta dishes with my favorite being the rigatoni. There are huge rings of thick rigatoni noodles with goat cheese, spicy red sauce and Italian sausage mixed in throughout the dish. When the dish arrived, I thought it was just one big ring of pasta because the noodles were so big. This is my favorite pasta dish on the menu. The gemelli pasta was the pasta special on my last visit and it consisted of gemelli pasta with grilled chicken, spinach and asparagus in a tomato sauce. The combination of ingredients went well together with the tasty sauce and the portion was large. Their entrees are also solid and they usually have a fish special that features tilapia or salmon.
The prices at Café Fresco are about average. Sandwiches are in the $8 to $10 range and most pasta dishes are anywhere in the $11 to $13 range. The specials and fish dishes can get up to $15 to $17. They do have a full bar. On my last visit, we had the Italian veggie sandwich, gemelli pasta and 2 lemonades (free refills) and the total price was $28.90 plus tax and tip.
This is a pleasant place to enjoy a casual meal. You could really salt away an evening in their fantastic garden area over some solid food and quite a few drinks. I know I have on many occasions.
Monday, June 02, 2008
Chicago (Mexican) - El Cid 2
El Cid 2
2645 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-395-0505
Date of Review: June, 2008
This is a staple Logan Square spot that has undergone some changes recently. They recently added a chic upstairs lounge that has brought in a bit more of the new Logan Square “yuppie” crowd. They have also dressed up the menu, though it remains to be seen as to how this goes over. What El Cid does offer is good, solid authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is located on Kedzie Boulevard across the street from the Logan Square Blue Line stop. There is another El Cid restaurant on 2115 N. Milwaukee Avenue about a mile away. One thing no one may know by looking at the restaurant is that they have a large, splendid garden off the back of the restaurant that makes you feel like you are dining in someone’s backyard.
I have had many a Burrito De Arracera (Grilled Skirt Steak Burrito) at 1 AM or 2 AM as I walked back to my apartment from where the cabbie dropped me after a night out at the bars. That happens when you live 1/10th of a mile from a decent Mexican restaurant. However, El Cid is much more than a late night place to soak up liquor. The burritos are very good though at any time of the day as the chicken and steak are both fresh and tasty.
Some good breakfast options on the menu are the Huevos Rancheros and Huevos a la Mexicana. For lunch and dinner, El Cid is known for their fish tacos. Personally, I think they are good but a little lacking in flavor. I think there are better options on the menu like the tortas, burritos or a platter of enchiladas. A couple of good appetizers include the guacamole (portion is huge), the Coctel De Camaron (Shrimp Cocktail) or the Coctel "vuelve a La Vida " (Oyster, Octopus, and Shrimp Cocktail). The seafood is tasty and the cocktail sauce is a perfect accompaniment to the seafood. El Cid offers complimentary chips with 2 different types of salsa. There is the green tomatillo salsa which is good and the pico de gallo which is excellent. This pico de gallo is the best salsa I can remember having. It has just the right combination of sweetness and fresh tomato, onion and jalapeno. It is out of this world as I have swung by El Cid to pick up a container to bring home on many occasions.
The prices at El Cid are about average. They used to be very reasonable but with the addition of the new lounge, they have rightfully raised their prices. An order of guacamole is $6.95 while an order of shrimp cocktail is $9.95. The fish tacos dinner (3 fish tacos with rice and beans) is a good bargain at $9.95 as is the grilled skirt steak burrito (not served with anything) at $5.75. The margaritas are big and expensive and draft beers are $3 a piece.
El Cid has solid Mexican food at reasonable prices in a nice environment. It is the kind of place you would frequent regularly if it was in your neighborhood.
The upstairs lounge is a great place for private (e.g. birthday) party for 25-40 people.
2645 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-395-0505
Date of Review: June, 2008
This is a staple Logan Square spot that has undergone some changes recently. They recently added a chic upstairs lounge that has brought in a bit more of the new Logan Square “yuppie” crowd. They have also dressed up the menu, though it remains to be seen as to how this goes over. What El Cid does offer is good, solid authentic Mexican food at reasonable prices. The restaurant is located on Kedzie Boulevard across the street from the Logan Square Blue Line stop. There is another El Cid restaurant on 2115 N. Milwaukee Avenue about a mile away. One thing no one may know by looking at the restaurant is that they have a large, splendid garden off the back of the restaurant that makes you feel like you are dining in someone’s backyard.
I have had many a Burrito De Arracera (Grilled Skirt Steak Burrito) at 1 AM or 2 AM as I walked back to my apartment from where the cabbie dropped me after a night out at the bars. That happens when you live 1/10th of a mile from a decent Mexican restaurant. However, El Cid is much more than a late night place to soak up liquor. The burritos are very good though at any time of the day as the chicken and steak are both fresh and tasty.
Some good breakfast options on the menu are the Huevos Rancheros and Huevos a la Mexicana. For lunch and dinner, El Cid is known for their fish tacos. Personally, I think they are good but a little lacking in flavor. I think there are better options on the menu like the tortas, burritos or a platter of enchiladas. A couple of good appetizers include the guacamole (portion is huge), the Coctel De Camaron (Shrimp Cocktail) or the Coctel "vuelve a La Vida " (Oyster, Octopus, and Shrimp Cocktail). The seafood is tasty and the cocktail sauce is a perfect accompaniment to the seafood. El Cid offers complimentary chips with 2 different types of salsa. There is the green tomatillo salsa which is good and the pico de gallo which is excellent. This pico de gallo is the best salsa I can remember having. It has just the right combination of sweetness and fresh tomato, onion and jalapeno. It is out of this world as I have swung by El Cid to pick up a container to bring home on many occasions.
The prices at El Cid are about average. They used to be very reasonable but with the addition of the new lounge, they have rightfully raised their prices. An order of guacamole is $6.95 while an order of shrimp cocktail is $9.95. The fish tacos dinner (3 fish tacos with rice and beans) is a good bargain at $9.95 as is the grilled skirt steak burrito (not served with anything) at $5.75. The margaritas are big and expensive and draft beers are $3 a piece.
El Cid has solid Mexican food at reasonable prices in a nice environment. It is the kind of place you would frequent regularly if it was in your neighborhood.
The upstairs lounge is a great place for private (e.g. birthday) party for 25-40 people.
Chicago (Peruvian) - Taste of Peru
Taste of Peru
6545 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-381-4540
Date of Review: June, 2008
Located in Rogers Park far North, Taste of Peru is one of a few of Chicago’s Peruvian restaurants. This discreet storefront BYOB (5$ corkage) restaurant is located in a strip mall on Clark Street. It is a simple place with basic tables and seating for 60-70. The décor is focused entirely Peru except for some photographs in the back of famous people (who the owner either admires or have visited the restaurant) and some articles from local magazines and papers praising some of the restaurants dishes. The rest of the restaurant décor features travel articles on Peru, Peruvian artifacts, Peruvian pipe music playing overhead and pictures of Peru.
During our visit, we had the papa rellena ($7) as an appetizer. This mashed potato is filled with all sorts of nice bits and pieces including beef, olives, raisins and red peppers and is then fried. It almost looks like a baked potato until you break into it with your fork. It is full of interesting flavors and is even better with a bit of the onion salad in a ceviche style lime dressing and some of their spicy, avocado colored spicy sauce. The flavor of the sauce comes from what I think is cilantro and jalapeno and it has a kick. For entrees, we had the Arroz con Mariscos (seafood paella) and the Seco de Cordero (stewed lamb). The seafood paella features tasty golden yellow saffron flavored rice loaded with crab legs, clams, mussels, shrimp and squid. The portion is large and seafood is plentiful and tasty. The only part of this dish I didn’t like was the crab legs. Oddly, the crab meat was salty and dry. The Seco de Cordero features lamb stewed with red wine, pumpkin, beer, chile ancho and red peppers. The lamb was tasty and tender and was definitely the highlight of the dish. You could taste the flavor of the beer in the lamb and its juices throughout the dish. The rice and beans served with the dish were bland to say the least. While I could taste the beer/lamb juices in the rice because the lamb was sitting on top of the rice, I couldn’t pick up much else in terms of seasonings in the rice. The beans had literally no flavor but I found myself enjoying the rice with the lamb much more after I turned to the spicy green sauce. A funny thing my guest highlighted is that the dishes look exactly like the pictures on the large menu. This was particularly applicable to the Arroz con Mariscos.
The server was a friendly Peruvian man who seemed genuinely interested as to whether we enjoyed our meal and he offered good suggestions.
Taste of Peru offers good value. Our appetizer was $7 and the paella was $16.95. The lamb dish was $12. We did not have any drinks and didn’t bring wine and our total bill came to $38.15 plus tip.
6545 N. Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-381-4540
Date of Review: June, 2008
Located in Rogers Park far North, Taste of Peru is one of a few of Chicago’s Peruvian restaurants. This discreet storefront BYOB (5$ corkage) restaurant is located in a strip mall on Clark Street. It is a simple place with basic tables and seating for 60-70. The décor is focused entirely Peru except for some photographs in the back of famous people (who the owner either admires or have visited the restaurant) and some articles from local magazines and papers praising some of the restaurants dishes. The rest of the restaurant décor features travel articles on Peru, Peruvian artifacts, Peruvian pipe music playing overhead and pictures of Peru.
During our visit, we had the papa rellena ($7) as an appetizer. This mashed potato is filled with all sorts of nice bits and pieces including beef, olives, raisins and red peppers and is then fried. It almost looks like a baked potato until you break into it with your fork. It is full of interesting flavors and is even better with a bit of the onion salad in a ceviche style lime dressing and some of their spicy, avocado colored spicy sauce. The flavor of the sauce comes from what I think is cilantro and jalapeno and it has a kick. For entrees, we had the Arroz con Mariscos (seafood paella) and the Seco de Cordero (stewed lamb). The seafood paella features tasty golden yellow saffron flavored rice loaded with crab legs, clams, mussels, shrimp and squid. The portion is large and seafood is plentiful and tasty. The only part of this dish I didn’t like was the crab legs. Oddly, the crab meat was salty and dry. The Seco de Cordero features lamb stewed with red wine, pumpkin, beer, chile ancho and red peppers. The lamb was tasty and tender and was definitely the highlight of the dish. You could taste the flavor of the beer in the lamb and its juices throughout the dish. The rice and beans served with the dish were bland to say the least. While I could taste the beer/lamb juices in the rice because the lamb was sitting on top of the rice, I couldn’t pick up much else in terms of seasonings in the rice. The beans had literally no flavor but I found myself enjoying the rice with the lamb much more after I turned to the spicy green sauce. A funny thing my guest highlighted is that the dishes look exactly like the pictures on the large menu. This was particularly applicable to the Arroz con Mariscos.
The server was a friendly Peruvian man who seemed genuinely interested as to whether we enjoyed our meal and he offered good suggestions.
Taste of Peru offers good value. Our appetizer was $7 and the paella was $16.95. The lamb dish was $12. We did not have any drinks and didn’t bring wine and our total bill came to $38.15 plus tip.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Chicago (Mexican) - Fonda del Mar
Fonda del Mar
3749 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-868-1857
Date of Review: May, 2008
This quaint Mexican fish house restaurant offers excellent Mexican seafood dishes in a colorful atmosphere. Nestled on Fullerton Ave. past Central Park deep in the heart of Logan Square, many people would never venture into this particular area of Chicago if it weren’t for this restaurant. This unassuming restaurant would be easy to pass by.
The restaurant has great pictures of Puerto Escondido, a Mexican surfing town, and has colorful paintings and décor that make you feel like you are eating at a restaurant on the coast in Mexico. The use of brick and bright colors throughout the restaurant and the exquisite attention to detail make dining in this small (15-20 tables) restaurant an intimate and invigorating experience.
Fonda del Mar’s menu is just large enough to provide enough options but not too large to overwhelm. While they offer roasted chicken and lamb chops with authentic mole in addition to pork and steak dishes, fish and shellfish dominate the menu.
For appetizers, we tried the chips and salsa (not complimentary – 2$ per order), mango salad and fresh masa sweet corn tamales. The chips were firm, crispy and had a rich corn flavor. They were served with a mild green tomatillo salsa and a red salsa that had a kick to it. The salad was unimpressive as this bare bones mixture had only some mango with lettuce and a bit of cheese. The guava dressing did not have a lot of flavor. The sweet corn tamales were an order of 2 good size tamales drizzled with a poblano cream sauce and chihuahua cheese. The sweet corn was music to my taste buds and the sauce gave a nice contrast to the flavor of the sweet corn.
For entrees, three of us went for fish dishes and my father opted for the pork. The whole tilapia I ordered was mind bogglingly large and full of garlic flavor. It must have been a 1.5 to 2 lb fish and it was marinated in garlic and roasted with garlic, avocado, black beans, tomato, green onion and cilantro. I usually don’t have a tough time finishing a fish entrée but this fish was so large that I didn’t even look at the side of rice it was served with and found myself forcing my dining guests to help me try and finish this wonderfully flavored fish. The flavorful and filling arroz a la tumbada had an assortment of shellfish and white rice served in a casserole dish in a tomato sauce prepared using a traditional molcajete (mortar and pestle). The cochinita pibil is braised pork in achiote, sour orange and assorted spices. This dish had a unique flavor and was served with black beans and a very spicy habanero sauce that I would advise one to be careful with. The salmon en chileatole was the last dish we had and it was outstanding like all the others. This complex dish featured marinated roasted salmon filet served in a tomatillo-serrano infused broth with sweet corn, sliced poblanos and epazote (a herb native to Central America, South American and Southern Mexico that has a distinct flavor and is even used for medicinal purposes).
We had 2 bottles of Portuguese Vinho Verde wine (young white wine with a bit of fizz to it) that I was pleasantly surprised to find on the small, but diverse wine menu that features wines from 10 different countries which span 4 continents.
Fonda del Mar is a good value for the quality of the food and the portion. All entrees (except 1) are in the $15-20 range. My tilapia was $15 and the portion was really almost enough for 2 people. The other portion sizes weren’t as large but were still good size. Our total bill with tax and tip was $158 for 2 baskets of chips, a salad, 1 appetizer, 4 entrees and 2 bottles of wine. That is pretty good value when you are dining in a gourmet restaurant.
3749 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-868-1857
Date of Review: May, 2008
This quaint Mexican fish house restaurant offers excellent Mexican seafood dishes in a colorful atmosphere. Nestled on Fullerton Ave. past Central Park deep in the heart of Logan Square, many people would never venture into this particular area of Chicago if it weren’t for this restaurant. This unassuming restaurant would be easy to pass by.
The restaurant has great pictures of Puerto Escondido, a Mexican surfing town, and has colorful paintings and décor that make you feel like you are eating at a restaurant on the coast in Mexico. The use of brick and bright colors throughout the restaurant and the exquisite attention to detail make dining in this small (15-20 tables) restaurant an intimate and invigorating experience.
Fonda del Mar’s menu is just large enough to provide enough options but not too large to overwhelm. While they offer roasted chicken and lamb chops with authentic mole in addition to pork and steak dishes, fish and shellfish dominate the menu.
For appetizers, we tried the chips and salsa (not complimentary – 2$ per order), mango salad and fresh masa sweet corn tamales. The chips were firm, crispy and had a rich corn flavor. They were served with a mild green tomatillo salsa and a red salsa that had a kick to it. The salad was unimpressive as this bare bones mixture had only some mango with lettuce and a bit of cheese. The guava dressing did not have a lot of flavor. The sweet corn tamales were an order of 2 good size tamales drizzled with a poblano cream sauce and chihuahua cheese. The sweet corn was music to my taste buds and the sauce gave a nice contrast to the flavor of the sweet corn.
For entrees, three of us went for fish dishes and my father opted for the pork. The whole tilapia I ordered was mind bogglingly large and full of garlic flavor. It must have been a 1.5 to 2 lb fish and it was marinated in garlic and roasted with garlic, avocado, black beans, tomato, green onion and cilantro. I usually don’t have a tough time finishing a fish entrée but this fish was so large that I didn’t even look at the side of rice it was served with and found myself forcing my dining guests to help me try and finish this wonderfully flavored fish. The flavorful and filling arroz a la tumbada had an assortment of shellfish and white rice served in a casserole dish in a tomato sauce prepared using a traditional molcajete (mortar and pestle). The cochinita pibil is braised pork in achiote, sour orange and assorted spices. This dish had a unique flavor and was served with black beans and a very spicy habanero sauce that I would advise one to be careful with. The salmon en chileatole was the last dish we had and it was outstanding like all the others. This complex dish featured marinated roasted salmon filet served in a tomatillo-serrano infused broth with sweet corn, sliced poblanos and epazote (a herb native to Central America, South American and Southern Mexico that has a distinct flavor and is even used for medicinal purposes).
We had 2 bottles of Portuguese Vinho Verde wine (young white wine with a bit of fizz to it) that I was pleasantly surprised to find on the small, but diverse wine menu that features wines from 10 different countries which span 4 continents.
Fonda del Mar is a good value for the quality of the food and the portion. All entrees (except 1) are in the $15-20 range. My tilapia was $15 and the portion was really almost enough for 2 people. The other portion sizes weren’t as large but were still good size. Our total bill with tax and tip was $158 for 2 baskets of chips, a salad, 1 appetizer, 4 entrees and 2 bottles of wine. That is pretty good value when you are dining in a gourmet restaurant.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Chicago (Eclectic) - Lula Cafe
Lula Café
2537 North Kedzie Boulevard, Chicago, IL; 773-489-9554
Date of Review: May, 2008
Lula is a chic spot located right at the junction where the Kedzie and Logan Boulevards meet in burgeoning Logan Square. They have a neat outdoor dining area and draw a crowd of hipsters and dining aficionado’s alike. The entrance to the restaurant features a tiny bar with a small, casual but modern dining area in the adjoining room of about 15 or so tables. Lula features a standard café menu in addition to a daily changing dinner menu. They are known for their organic focus as they use locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Lula is a great spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Some of my favorite brunch items include the Moroccan couscous and the breakfast burrito. They also have excellent coffee. The breakfast burrito is simple with avocado, onion, pepper, potato, eggs, and cheddar, (with sour cream and salsa) but the taste is far from simple. Given the basic ingredients, I almost had to wonder whether they sprinkled msg on top. The flavors were that savory. It is served with potatoes and the hot sauce they offer as a condiment is out of this world. I couldn’t put it down. The Moroccan chickpea sweet potato tagine includes arugula, saigon cinnamon, and couscous. It is a nice combination of flavors and is nice option for brunch or dinner as this dish (and anything on the café menu) is served all day. The roast turkey sandwich on multigrain bread with avocado, chile aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion, and sprouts is excellent as is the large grilled chicken torta sandwich with sweet tamarind mustard.
As for the daily changing menu, I found the cheeses, nuts and honeycomb on the artisan cheese plate appetizer to be a bit too exclusive (and small) for me given its $10 price tag. I thought the focus was on style over substance in relation to this dish. However, the special appetizer - duck filled ravioli in a brown butter sauce – features a large circular ravioli that was succulent. It was outstanding as is the complimentary bread they offer before your meal.
For dinner, anything on the café menu is available in addition to 5-6 changing entrees including things like Atlantic Cod, 24 Hour Lamb Shoulder and a top notch vegetarian selection. On my last visit, I had the excellent locally raised organic wood roasted chicken (from the café menu). Again, a simple dish that was fantastic. Served with sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes, this is a definite winner.
For desserts, we had the banana cream pie. I could do without a bit of the whipped topping but the crust and filling is out of this world. The bananas are fresh and tasty and the crust is decadently good.
At Lula, you can eat for cheap or spend a fair bit of money. On our last visit, our party of 4 had 3 appetizers, 6 glasses of wine, 2 beers, 4 entrées and 2 desserts. That is a big haul and it costs $200 including tax and tip.
Lula is a gourmet restaurant in every sense of the word and it deserves all the accolades it receives. Many of the dishes are simple but the attention to detail by the chef and the fresh ingredients make for incredibly flavorful and innovative menu options.
2537 North Kedzie Boulevard, Chicago, IL; 773-489-9554
Date of Review: May, 2008
Lula is a chic spot located right at the junction where the Kedzie and Logan Boulevards meet in burgeoning Logan Square. They have a neat outdoor dining area and draw a crowd of hipsters and dining aficionado’s alike. The entrance to the restaurant features a tiny bar with a small, casual but modern dining area in the adjoining room of about 15 or so tables. Lula features a standard café menu in addition to a daily changing dinner menu. They are known for their organic focus as they use locally grown fruits and vegetables.
Lula is a great spot for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Some of my favorite brunch items include the Moroccan couscous and the breakfast burrito. They also have excellent coffee. The breakfast burrito is simple with avocado, onion, pepper, potato, eggs, and cheddar, (with sour cream and salsa) but the taste is far from simple. Given the basic ingredients, I almost had to wonder whether they sprinkled msg on top. The flavors were that savory. It is served with potatoes and the hot sauce they offer as a condiment is out of this world. I couldn’t put it down. The Moroccan chickpea sweet potato tagine includes arugula, saigon cinnamon, and couscous. It is a nice combination of flavors and is nice option for brunch or dinner as this dish (and anything on the café menu) is served all day. The roast turkey sandwich on multigrain bread with avocado, chile aioli, lettuce, tomato, onion, and sprouts is excellent as is the large grilled chicken torta sandwich with sweet tamarind mustard.
As for the daily changing menu, I found the cheeses, nuts and honeycomb on the artisan cheese plate appetizer to be a bit too exclusive (and small) for me given its $10 price tag. I thought the focus was on style over substance in relation to this dish. However, the special appetizer - duck filled ravioli in a brown butter sauce – features a large circular ravioli that was succulent. It was outstanding as is the complimentary bread they offer before your meal.
For dinner, anything on the café menu is available in addition to 5-6 changing entrees including things like Atlantic Cod, 24 Hour Lamb Shoulder and a top notch vegetarian selection. On my last visit, I had the excellent locally raised organic wood roasted chicken (from the café menu). Again, a simple dish that was fantastic. Served with sautéed spinach and roasted potatoes, this is a definite winner.
For desserts, we had the banana cream pie. I could do without a bit of the whipped topping but the crust and filling is out of this world. The bananas are fresh and tasty and the crust is decadently good.
At Lula, you can eat for cheap or spend a fair bit of money. On our last visit, our party of 4 had 3 appetizers, 6 glasses of wine, 2 beers, 4 entrées and 2 desserts. That is a big haul and it costs $200 including tax and tip.
Lula is a gourmet restaurant in every sense of the word and it deserves all the accolades it receives. Many of the dishes are simple but the attention to detail by the chef and the fresh ingredients make for incredibly flavorful and innovative menu options.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Chicago (Italian) - Venice Cafe
Venice Cafe
Sears Tower, Lower Level One, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Il
500 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Il
Date of Review: May, 2008
Venice Café is one of the best spots in the Loop for a quick sit down or carry out lunch. They have 2 locations. One is in the Sears Tower and the other on Monroe Street near Union Station. The Monroe Street location has a decent size dining area with a few tables outside offering some al fresco dining. The Sears Tower location has a larger dining area with no outside seating as the restaurant is located in the lower level of Sears Tower.
The food at both locations is very good. They have a full range of Italian options for lunch including pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches. I have eaten here on many occasions and everything is solid. You can’t go wrong with the special calzone and a medium salad (served with a large herbed garlic roll) is enough of a portion for a lunch. Their vegetable salad is a fresh combination of assorted vegetables in a nice sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing. The Cajun chicken pasta salad isn’t as healthy, with its creamy cajun dressing, but it is awful good. If you order a large salad, you can split the huge bowl and sample 2 of their salads. All of the portions are large and the sandwiches are no exception. The char broiled chicken sandwich is served on an Italian roll with tasty, garlicky marinara sauce on top. The smoked turkey sandwich is piled high between an Italian roll with romaine lettuce, roasted red peppers and onions. The pasta dishes are a dinner size portion at a lunch size price. Whether you opt for their special of the day, the tortellini or some penne with one of the 5 sauces offered, they are all good.
Venice Café offers large portion of good Italian food at great prices. On my last visit, I had the chicken sandwich (sandwiches come with a decent size side salad) for $6.51. You could easily feel full after having a medium salad (comes with garlic roll) for a little over $4 including tax. They have a tortellini special everyday that costs $6.50 and the daily Chef’s special runs at $6.95 for something like cavatappi in homemade plum tomato sauce with ricotta cheese and sliced Italian sausage. Yum!
Breakfast is served at the Monroe location only from 7 AM – 10:30 AM. Both locations close at 3 PM.
Sears Tower, Lower Level One, 233 S. Wacker Drive, Chicago, Il
500 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Il
Date of Review: May, 2008
Venice Café is one of the best spots in the Loop for a quick sit down or carry out lunch. They have 2 locations. One is in the Sears Tower and the other on Monroe Street near Union Station. The Monroe Street location has a decent size dining area with a few tables outside offering some al fresco dining. The Sears Tower location has a larger dining area with no outside seating as the restaurant is located in the lower level of Sears Tower.
The food at both locations is very good. They have a full range of Italian options for lunch including pizza, pasta, salads and sandwiches. I have eaten here on many occasions and everything is solid. You can’t go wrong with the special calzone and a medium salad (served with a large herbed garlic roll) is enough of a portion for a lunch. Their vegetable salad is a fresh combination of assorted vegetables in a nice sun-dried tomato vinaigrette dressing. The Cajun chicken pasta salad isn’t as healthy, with its creamy cajun dressing, but it is awful good. If you order a large salad, you can split the huge bowl and sample 2 of their salads. All of the portions are large and the sandwiches are no exception. The char broiled chicken sandwich is served on an Italian roll with tasty, garlicky marinara sauce on top. The smoked turkey sandwich is piled high between an Italian roll with romaine lettuce, roasted red peppers and onions. The pasta dishes are a dinner size portion at a lunch size price. Whether you opt for their special of the day, the tortellini or some penne with one of the 5 sauces offered, they are all good.
Venice Café offers large portion of good Italian food at great prices. On my last visit, I had the chicken sandwich (sandwiches come with a decent size side salad) for $6.51. You could easily feel full after having a medium salad (comes with garlic roll) for a little over $4 including tax. They have a tortellini special everyday that costs $6.50 and the daily Chef’s special runs at $6.95 for something like cavatappi in homemade plum tomato sauce with ricotta cheese and sliced Italian sausage. Yum!
Breakfast is served at the Monroe location only from 7 AM – 10:30 AM. Both locations close at 3 PM.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Chicago (Italian) - Rosal's
Rosal’s
1154 West Taylor Street, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-243-2357
Date of Review: May, 2008
Rosal’s is on a nice stretch of Taylor that has homes interspersed with restaurants and other businesses and this helps to give the restaurant a neighborhood feel. Rosal’s is a no frills spot and doesn’t have the imposing feel of the larger restaurants in the area (Tuscany, Rosebud) but offers a homey, simplistic alternative. This is the kind of place where they occasionally play Dean Martin or the theme from the move the Godfather as you enjoy your meal. It is the kind of place you take someone special. It is old school and you feel it as soon as you walk through the door and look to the right and see the 10-12 tables amid 2 walls covered with pictures of the owner’s childhood friends. You will feel it even more when you make your first trip to the bathroom walking across the uneven wooden floor and get to peak into the kitchen to see their wonderful home cooked food being prepared.
As is customary at many Italian restaurants, a basket of warm crusty bread is placed on your table with a little plate of olive oil and fresh parmesan. For some, this is more than enough of an appetizer as the pasta dishes are fairly large. Speaking of appetizers, the massive portion of bruschetta is outstanding and features a heaping file of fresh tomato “relish” piled on top of that same wonderful bread. The portion is so large I saw one woman eating it as her dinner. For a lighter option, the special salad is $4.95 per person and features quartered tomatoes, olives, peppers and onions served over assorted lettuce in a nice, slightly sweet Italian dressing. There are bits and pieces of pepperoni and cheese in the salad, but they are few and far in between.
Since I almost always focus on the pasta here (the other dishes are also good), I will focus on the dishes that I have particularly enjoyed. The Broccoli & Shrimp Olio e Aglio consists of Gulf shrimp, shells & broccoli tossed with fresh peeled garlic and extra virgin olive oil. This dish had just the right mix of each ingredient and the home made shell pasta was perfect. The Scallops & Sweet Roasted Red Peppers features 6 gigantic bay scallops and roasted red peppers over pasta in a sauce of garlic & extra virgin olive oil. The scallops were sweet and tender and the roasted red peppers were plentiful as they were threaded through the perfectly cooked home made linguini. The only area of concern I had regarding the dish is that there was a bit too much olive oil in the sauce for my taste. Usually, I would be taking an extra piece of bread and sopping up the left over sauce on the bottom of my dish. However, on this evening, I looked down at my plate and decided I had enough. The Rigatoni Diablo features wonderful flavored sautéed shrimp (but only 3) with a generous portion of juicy chicken amid fresh rigatoni in a spicy, chopped tomato plum sauce. The portion was large (their portions are large but not obnoxiously large like at Maggiano’s) but I finished everything on my plate. My girlfriend's favorite Italian dish is seafood pasta as she tries some variation of this dish religiously (despite my objections) at every Italian restaurant we visit. Naturally, she chose the Linguine Ai Frutti di Mare which features sautéed Shrimp, Scallops, Mussels & Clams in marinara. She found the fresh tomato sauce to be a touch creamier than what she is used to having, but really enjoyed the thickness and richness of the sauce which was a nice compliment to the seafood. The only thing that was a bit disappointing to her was the pasta noodles. She found the home-made linguini to be a touch soggy, (not al dente) although I found it to be to my liking. Ivy claims that, “with linguini cooked al dente, this would have been the best seafood pasta I have ever had in Chicago.”
The price of the entrees is about what you would expect. On one occasion, we had two $18 pastas entrees, 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine and the total bill was $75 including tax and tip. On another occasion, we had the special salad for 3, 3 pasta entrees and 3 glasses of wine for $99 not including tip.
On the last Tuesday of each month, Rosal’s has an 11 course Big Night meal for $65. This meal features some of the dishes prepared in the movie Big Night and is a tribute to that film which shows 2 Italian brothers in the run up to opening their own restaurant.
The pictures on the wall in the dining room are of the owner’s childhood friends and of other important events in their lives. There is a beautiful picture of the Dolomite region of Italy (which my family hails from) hanging in the bathroom.
1154 West Taylor Street, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-243-2357
Date of Review: May, 2008
Rosal’s is on a nice stretch of Taylor that has homes interspersed with restaurants and other businesses and this helps to give the restaurant a neighborhood feel. Rosal’s is a no frills spot and doesn’t have the imposing feel of the larger restaurants in the area (Tuscany, Rosebud) but offers a homey, simplistic alternative. This is the kind of place where they occasionally play Dean Martin or the theme from the move the Godfather as you enjoy your meal. It is the kind of place you take someone special. It is old school and you feel it as soon as you walk through the door and look to the right and see the 10-12 tables amid 2 walls covered with pictures of the owner’s childhood friends. You will feel it even more when you make your first trip to the bathroom walking across the uneven wooden floor and get to peak into the kitchen to see their wonderful home cooked food being prepared.
As is customary at many Italian restaurants, a basket of warm crusty bread is placed on your table with a little plate of olive oil and fresh parmesan. For some, this is more than enough of an appetizer as the pasta dishes are fairly large. Speaking of appetizers, the massive portion of bruschetta is outstanding and features a heaping file of fresh tomato “relish” piled on top of that same wonderful bread. The portion is so large I saw one woman eating it as her dinner. For a lighter option, the special salad is $4.95 per person and features quartered tomatoes, olives, peppers and onions served over assorted lettuce in a nice, slightly sweet Italian dressing. There are bits and pieces of pepperoni and cheese in the salad, but they are few and far in between.
Since I almost always focus on the pasta here (the other dishes are also good), I will focus on the dishes that I have particularly enjoyed. The Broccoli & Shrimp Olio e Aglio consists of Gulf shrimp, shells & broccoli tossed with fresh peeled garlic and extra virgin olive oil. This dish had just the right mix of each ingredient and the home made shell pasta was perfect. The Scallops & Sweet Roasted Red Peppers features 6 gigantic bay scallops and roasted red peppers over pasta in a sauce of garlic & extra virgin olive oil. The scallops were sweet and tender and the roasted red peppers were plentiful as they were threaded through the perfectly cooked home made linguini. The only area of concern I had regarding the dish is that there was a bit too much olive oil in the sauce for my taste. Usually, I would be taking an extra piece of bread and sopping up the left over sauce on the bottom of my dish. However, on this evening, I looked down at my plate and decided I had enough. The Rigatoni Diablo features wonderful flavored sautéed shrimp (but only 3) with a generous portion of juicy chicken amid fresh rigatoni in a spicy, chopped tomato plum sauce. The portion was large (their portions are large but not obnoxiously large like at Maggiano’s) but I finished everything on my plate. My girlfriend's favorite Italian dish is seafood pasta as she tries some variation of this dish religiously (despite my objections) at every Italian restaurant we visit. Naturally, she chose the Linguine Ai Frutti di Mare which features sautéed Shrimp, Scallops, Mussels & Clams in marinara. She found the fresh tomato sauce to be a touch creamier than what she is used to having, but really enjoyed the thickness and richness of the sauce which was a nice compliment to the seafood. The only thing that was a bit disappointing to her was the pasta noodles. She found the home-made linguini to be a touch soggy, (not al dente) although I found it to be to my liking. Ivy claims that, “with linguini cooked al dente, this would have been the best seafood pasta I have ever had in Chicago.”
The price of the entrees is about what you would expect. On one occasion, we had two $18 pastas entrees, 2 beers and 2 glasses of wine and the total bill was $75 including tax and tip. On another occasion, we had the special salad for 3, 3 pasta entrees and 3 glasses of wine for $99 not including tip.
On the last Tuesday of each month, Rosal’s has an 11 course Big Night meal for $65. This meal features some of the dishes prepared in the movie Big Night and is a tribute to that film which shows 2 Italian brothers in the run up to opening their own restaurant.
The pictures on the wall in the dining room are of the owner’s childhood friends and of other important events in their lives. There is a beautiful picture of the Dolomite region of Italy (which my family hails from) hanging in the bathroom.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Chicago (European Style Cafe) - Julius Meinl
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Chicago (Pizza) - Pequod's
Pequod’s
2207 N. Clybourn, Chicago IL; Phone 773-327-1512
Date of Review: October, 2007
This place screams “classic pizza parlor”. They used to have a hard rock atmosphere with a décor reminiscent of a 1970’s Three’s Company episode, but they have updated things resulting in a much more cozy and amenable place to enjoy a meal for those that don’t want to hear Metallica playing in the background. It was a good change but it doesn’t change the classic pizza parlor atmosphere that still rings through. They also have a party room upstairs that will hold nearly 40 people.
This place is pure pizza. Sure, they have some sandwiches, appetizers and salads on the menu but so does every pizza place. Whether you go thin or opt for the thicker pan style pizza, both are outstanding. There is no Chicago style pizza.
For appetizers, they have all the standbys including garlic bread, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks and fried mushrooms. I have tried a few and they are all about what you would expect. I do recommend the Pequod’s salad for some roughage before you bury your digestive system with cheese, white bread, sauce and whatever else you decide to toss into the mix.
That brings us to the primary reason that anyone visits Pequod’s and that is for the pizza. The thicker pan style pizza is baked in cast iron pans that look like they have been around for a while and it makes things taste all the better. I usually opt for a pizza loaded with mushrooms, onions, fresh tomatoes and either sausage or pepperoni. The key to the pan pizza is the cheese that emerges from the pan and melts into the crust, caramelizing the edges and offering a wonderfully unique contrast to the cheese, sauce and other chosen toppings. Some people prefer the crispy pepperoni which gets a bit toasty in the oven but the sausage is some of the best you will find on a pizza in Chicago.
The thin crust pizza isn’t crispy thin, but chewy thin and is also very impressive. The thin crust pizza is served cut in squares as opposed to triangle slices (which the pan is cut into) and a few pieces of thin seem to take you a long way.
Pequod’s prices are on the high end of average. It certainly isn’t cheap but you get what you pay for. A 16 inch (large) thin crust with cheese is $13.95 and it is an additional $2.90 per topping. The large pan goes for $16.95 and it is an additional $2.50 per topping.
This is the best traditional American pizza spot in Chicago. I really believe that. You can have the novelty Chicago style pizza all you want. Most people I know would rather talk about Chicago style pizza than actually subject themselves to eating it anyway. Just put a Pequod’s pan (preferably) or thin style pizza in front of me as this is as good as it gets when it comes to pizza.
This is that neighborhood kind of place that gets passed on from one generation to the next if you are lucky enough to know it exists. Well, now you are that lucky.
2207 N. Clybourn, Chicago IL; Phone 773-327-1512
Date of Review: October, 2007
This place screams “classic pizza parlor”. They used to have a hard rock atmosphere with a décor reminiscent of a 1970’s Three’s Company episode, but they have updated things resulting in a much more cozy and amenable place to enjoy a meal for those that don’t want to hear Metallica playing in the background. It was a good change but it doesn’t change the classic pizza parlor atmosphere that still rings through. They also have a party room upstairs that will hold nearly 40 people.
This place is pure pizza. Sure, they have some sandwiches, appetizers and salads on the menu but so does every pizza place. Whether you go thin or opt for the thicker pan style pizza, both are outstanding. There is no Chicago style pizza.
For appetizers, they have all the standbys including garlic bread, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks and fried mushrooms. I have tried a few and they are all about what you would expect. I do recommend the Pequod’s salad for some roughage before you bury your digestive system with cheese, white bread, sauce and whatever else you decide to toss into the mix.
That brings us to the primary reason that anyone visits Pequod’s and that is for the pizza. The thicker pan style pizza is baked in cast iron pans that look like they have been around for a while and it makes things taste all the better. I usually opt for a pizza loaded with mushrooms, onions, fresh tomatoes and either sausage or pepperoni. The key to the pan pizza is the cheese that emerges from the pan and melts into the crust, caramelizing the edges and offering a wonderfully unique contrast to the cheese, sauce and other chosen toppings. Some people prefer the crispy pepperoni which gets a bit toasty in the oven but the sausage is some of the best you will find on a pizza in Chicago.
The thin crust pizza isn’t crispy thin, but chewy thin and is also very impressive. The thin crust pizza is served cut in squares as opposed to triangle slices (which the pan is cut into) and a few pieces of thin seem to take you a long way.
Pequod’s prices are on the high end of average. It certainly isn’t cheap but you get what you pay for. A 16 inch (large) thin crust with cheese is $13.95 and it is an additional $2.90 per topping. The large pan goes for $16.95 and it is an additional $2.50 per topping.
This is the best traditional American pizza spot in Chicago. I really believe that. You can have the novelty Chicago style pizza all you want. Most people I know would rather talk about Chicago style pizza than actually subject themselves to eating it anyway. Just put a Pequod’s pan (preferably) or thin style pizza in front of me as this is as good as it gets when it comes to pizza.
This is that neighborhood kind of place that gets passed on from one generation to the next if you are lucky enough to know it exists. Well, now you are that lucky.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Chicago (Pan-Asian) - Joy Yee's Noodles
Joy Yee’s Noodles
521 Davis Street, Evanston IL; Phone 847-733-1900
Date of Review: September, 2007
There are currently 4 different Joy Yee’s locations in the Chicagoland area. They have locations in Naperville, Chinatown and University Village near the UIC campus. My review focuses on the Joy Yee’s located in Evanston since I frequent this spot most often. That said, this review is applicable to any Joy Yee’s restaurant.
All of the locations have a similar setup and menu with a small restaurant with many tables close together. They can easily push the tables together to accommodate a large party or separate them for a party for two. This is a very casual family friendly place and is a great place for large parties. The servers are attentive and expect that your food will arrive quickly. The servers work the whole restaurant so the person serving you may be a different person than the one who seated you or took your order.
Instead of attempting to describe every dish I have tried, I will give a recap of a few that are fresh in my mind. Their menu is huge with soups, noodle soups, and one pot rice and noodle dishes featuring seafood, chicken, beef and pork. This Pan Asian restaurant features dishes from a variety of Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Japan and China.
For appetizers, the chicken lettuce wraps (also available with pork or beef) are excellent. A healthy size platter that could easily serve as an appetizer for 4 of flavored chicken with onions and vegetables and quite a few lettuce leaves arrives on your table. We made wrap after tasty wrap and never even finished the appetizer because our entrees arrived and forced our attention to drift in another direction. Another good bet for an appetizer is the Japanese seaweed salad. It is a refreshing and tasty way to start a meal.
For entrees, the Korean Kimchi spicy scallop is served in an earthenware pot. It is full of large scallops, kimchi (marinated spicy cabbage), onions and other vegetables in a spicy Korean hot paste based sauce that has a hint of sweetness to it. The portion was too large for me to finish but the dish had just the right amount of spice for me and was loaded with flavor. It was served with a cup of rice that you can dump right into the pot. The Malaysian style seafood baked rice is an assortment of shrimp, scallops, squid and fish cooked together in sweet and spicy sauce with rice and is served in a bamboo pot. Heading back to Korea, the Korean BBQ short ribs are flavorful as the sweet sesame oil and scallion infused marinade makes for one scrumptious bite after another.
Joy Yee’s has a great variety of fresh fruit freezes with or without tapioca pearls floating at the bottom of your drink. The juice bar located at the back of the restaurant has an array of fresh fruits from mango to papaya to strawberry or banana. You can also get a red bean freeze or have one with a fruit that is common to some part of Asia like jackfruit, lychee or dragon fruit.
Joy Yee’s offers decent food great value with only a few items over $10 or $11. You can get many seafood dishes for under $12. On my last visit, we had 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and nothing to drink. Our total bill was $42 with tax and tip. The portions are large and you are likely to walk out with a take home bag.
521 Davis Street, Evanston IL; Phone 847-733-1900
Date of Review: September, 2007
There are currently 4 different Joy Yee’s locations in the Chicagoland area. They have locations in Naperville, Chinatown and University Village near the UIC campus. My review focuses on the Joy Yee’s located in Evanston since I frequent this spot most often. That said, this review is applicable to any Joy Yee’s restaurant.
All of the locations have a similar setup and menu with a small restaurant with many tables close together. They can easily push the tables together to accommodate a large party or separate them for a party for two. This is a very casual family friendly place and is a great place for large parties. The servers are attentive and expect that your food will arrive quickly. The servers work the whole restaurant so the person serving you may be a different person than the one who seated you or took your order.
Instead of attempting to describe every dish I have tried, I will give a recap of a few that are fresh in my mind. Their menu is huge with soups, noodle soups, and one pot rice and noodle dishes featuring seafood, chicken, beef and pork. This Pan Asian restaurant features dishes from a variety of Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Japan and China.
For appetizers, the chicken lettuce wraps (also available with pork or beef) are excellent. A healthy size platter that could easily serve as an appetizer for 4 of flavored chicken with onions and vegetables and quite a few lettuce leaves arrives on your table. We made wrap after tasty wrap and never even finished the appetizer because our entrees arrived and forced our attention to drift in another direction. Another good bet for an appetizer is the Japanese seaweed salad. It is a refreshing and tasty way to start a meal.
For entrees, the Korean Kimchi spicy scallop is served in an earthenware pot. It is full of large scallops, kimchi (marinated spicy cabbage), onions and other vegetables in a spicy Korean hot paste based sauce that has a hint of sweetness to it. The portion was too large for me to finish but the dish had just the right amount of spice for me and was loaded with flavor. It was served with a cup of rice that you can dump right into the pot. The Malaysian style seafood baked rice is an assortment of shrimp, scallops, squid and fish cooked together in sweet and spicy sauce with rice and is served in a bamboo pot. Heading back to Korea, the Korean BBQ short ribs are flavorful as the sweet sesame oil and scallion infused marinade makes for one scrumptious bite after another.
Joy Yee’s has a great variety of fresh fruit freezes with or without tapioca pearls floating at the bottom of your drink. The juice bar located at the back of the restaurant has an array of fresh fruits from mango to papaya to strawberry or banana. You can also get a red bean freeze or have one with a fruit that is common to some part of Asia like jackfruit, lychee or dragon fruit.
Joy Yee’s offers decent food great value with only a few items over $10 or $11. You can get many seafood dishes for under $12. On my last visit, we had 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and nothing to drink. Our total bill was $42 with tax and tip. The portions are large and you are likely to walk out with a take home bag.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Chicago (Southern) - Smoque
Smoque
3800 N Pulaski Rd Chicago, IL 60641; Phone 773-545-7427
Date of Review: August, 2007
Is Smoque a sit down BYOB restaurant or a carry out place? When you walk into the restaurant and step behind the line of hungry customers waiting to put in their order, you may wonder. As you wait, you will be taken in by the incredible aroma that permeates the restaurant. At this point, you know you have arrived in a true barbeque spot and have no choice but to wait for your number to come up. Smoque has a significant carry out business and does not offer table service although there is enough seating in the restaurant for over 50 people. You wait in line, put in your order and pick up your tray of food. I went on a Saturday night and it took 10 minutes to get to the front of the line to order and another 10 minutes after ordering for my number to be called. All the while, I sipped on a beer. While you are waiting in line, someone will take down your name and the number of people in your party so that they can make sure you have a table to sit at.
Smoque has the best barbeque ribs I have had to date. That may change in the future but the St. Louis ribs at Smoque are the best I have ever had.
On my visit, I ordered the half and half combo, one half sandwich of pulled pork and one half sandwich of beef brisket. It is served with slaw and 1 side dish. I chose the French fries because the little bags of fresh cut fries I saw being served up looked too good to pass on. The slaw is tangy and the fries have great taste and aren’t too greasy. The brisket and pulled pork both have a wonderful smoky flavor. The pulled pork is shredded and has a nice combination of the crispy and incredibly tender pieces of the pork shoulder roast mixed together. The brisket -- I got mine sliced as opposed to chopped -- is tender and has a nice flavor from the Memphis style dry rub that is used on it prior to cooking. The smoky flavor of the meat is a deep flavor that lingers in your mouth after each bite. It is served with 2 small plastic containers of barbeque sauce. The thicker North Carolina vinegar and tomato based sauce is for the ribs and the thinner sweet and tangy sauce is intended to be used on the sliced and chopped meats. At the end of my meal, I used the brioche like buns from the sandwiches to sop up every last bit of the homemade sauces. For an extra $4 dollars, I complimented my entrée with a ¼ slab of St. Louis ribs. The meat on the ribs was cooked perfectly. It isn’t falling off of the bone but is tender enough where it sticks to the bone but pulls off in perfect segments and detaches completely when you take a bite. I appreciated the meatiness and smoky flavor of the meat much more because I was able to bite in and really chew the rib meat. I didn’t even bother using the sauce because the smoky meat was so flavorful and the rub they used had such a perfect flavor. The ribs were glazed with just the right amount of barbeque sauce so as to not take away from the flavors of the meat and the rub.
Smoque is a very good value for the quality of the food. My total bill was $13 for the half and half sandwich combo and a ¼ slab of St. Louis ribs. A brisket platter served with slaw and 2 sides is $9.45 while a pulled pork platter is 1$ cheaper. For $3, you can add a portion of pulled pork or brisket to any entrée or salad. For $4, you can add a ¼ slab of St. Louis ribs. A brisket sandwich is $7.95 with slaw and 1 side and a pulled pork sandwich is $7.45. A slab of ribs with slaw and 2 sides runs at $18.45 for the St. Louis ribs and $19.45 for the baby back ribs.
Smoque produces as much meat as they can but do not be surprised if they run out of something. You need to be flexible with what you order because you may have your heart set on brisket but end up with pulled pork. One of the employees told me that they always sell out the brisket and they sometimes need to grill burgers and sausages on the side of the restaurant to feed the employees because there is nothing else other than side dishes left to give them.
3800 N Pulaski Rd Chicago, IL 60641; Phone 773-545-7427
Date of Review: August, 2007
Is Smoque a sit down BYOB restaurant or a carry out place? When you walk into the restaurant and step behind the line of hungry customers waiting to put in their order, you may wonder. As you wait, you will be taken in by the incredible aroma that permeates the restaurant. At this point, you know you have arrived in a true barbeque spot and have no choice but to wait for your number to come up. Smoque has a significant carry out business and does not offer table service although there is enough seating in the restaurant for over 50 people. You wait in line, put in your order and pick up your tray of food. I went on a Saturday night and it took 10 minutes to get to the front of the line to order and another 10 minutes after ordering for my number to be called. All the while, I sipped on a beer. While you are waiting in line, someone will take down your name and the number of people in your party so that they can make sure you have a table to sit at.
Smoque has the best barbeque ribs I have had to date. That may change in the future but the St. Louis ribs at Smoque are the best I have ever had.
On my visit, I ordered the half and half combo, one half sandwich of pulled pork and one half sandwich of beef brisket. It is served with slaw and 1 side dish. I chose the French fries because the little bags of fresh cut fries I saw being served up looked too good to pass on. The slaw is tangy and the fries have great taste and aren’t too greasy. The brisket and pulled pork both have a wonderful smoky flavor. The pulled pork is shredded and has a nice combination of the crispy and incredibly tender pieces of the pork shoulder roast mixed together. The brisket -- I got mine sliced as opposed to chopped -- is tender and has a nice flavor from the Memphis style dry rub that is used on it prior to cooking. The smoky flavor of the meat is a deep flavor that lingers in your mouth after each bite. It is served with 2 small plastic containers of barbeque sauce. The thicker North Carolina vinegar and tomato based sauce is for the ribs and the thinner sweet and tangy sauce is intended to be used on the sliced and chopped meats. At the end of my meal, I used the brioche like buns from the sandwiches to sop up every last bit of the homemade sauces. For an extra $4 dollars, I complimented my entrée with a ¼ slab of St. Louis ribs. The meat on the ribs was cooked perfectly. It isn’t falling off of the bone but is tender enough where it sticks to the bone but pulls off in perfect segments and detaches completely when you take a bite. I appreciated the meatiness and smoky flavor of the meat much more because I was able to bite in and really chew the rib meat. I didn’t even bother using the sauce because the smoky meat was so flavorful and the rub they used had such a perfect flavor. The ribs were glazed with just the right amount of barbeque sauce so as to not take away from the flavors of the meat and the rub.
Smoque is a very good value for the quality of the food. My total bill was $13 for the half and half sandwich combo and a ¼ slab of St. Louis ribs. A brisket platter served with slaw and 2 sides is $9.45 while a pulled pork platter is 1$ cheaper. For $3, you can add a portion of pulled pork or brisket to any entrée or salad. For $4, you can add a ¼ slab of St. Louis ribs. A brisket sandwich is $7.95 with slaw and 1 side and a pulled pork sandwich is $7.45. A slab of ribs with slaw and 2 sides runs at $18.45 for the St. Louis ribs and $19.45 for the baby back ribs.
Smoque produces as much meat as they can but do not be surprised if they run out of something. You need to be flexible with what you order because you may have your heart set on brisket but end up with pulled pork. One of the employees told me that they always sell out the brisket and they sometimes need to grill burgers and sausages on the side of the restaurant to feed the employees because there is nothing else other than side dishes left to give them.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Chicago (Argentine) - Tango Sur
Tango Sur
3763 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-477-5466
Date of Review: June, 2007; updated May, 2008
Tango Sur is an Argentine steak house and is one of Chicago’s romantic gems. It has a great al fresco dining section out front on busy Southport Avenue. In addition, it has a dark and intimate interior with low lighting and lots of tables. It is easy to find a table for two in the corner for a romantic evening but the BYOB policy also makes this a great place for a birthday dinner. The restaurant is small but it has a lot of tables, always a lot of people and a lot of energy. There is a great waiting area in the back near the bathroom that is like a separate room where guests can pop open a bottle of beer from their 6 pack or have a glass of wine as they wait.
The empanadas are the crown jewel of the appetizers. They have four variations including spinach and cheese, ham and cheese, chicken and ground beef. The pie crust like shell on the empanada is excellent. The empanadas are served with gorgeous chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is made from chopped parsley, dried oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and paprika with olive oil. Another appetizer that is very good is an eggplant dish called berenjena. This dish reminds me of vegetarian lasagna as it features oven baked eggplant layered with spinach, provolone, parmesan and ricotta, served with tomato cream sauce.
For entrees, I have had the Vacio on numerous occasions. The Vacio is described on the menu as flap meat. The first time I came to Tango Sur, I tried the Vacio because it was recommended despite the fact that I didn’t know what flap meat was. Well… Flap meat is a cut similar to skirt or flank in that it comes from the less tender regions of the animal. It is often cheaper than more popular cuts but has a wonderful meaty flavor and fine texture when prepared carefully. The serving of Vacio at Tango Sur is huge. There is no bone in it and it is very flavorful and tender. It is served with chimichurri sauce. Dribbling some of this wonderful garlicky sauce over the steak is a must. I have also tried the double portion of solid filet mignon and the Argentine grill for two. The Para Dos (Argentine grill) is a huge helping of assorted meats served on a table top grill. It features short ribs, flap meat (or Vacio), pork sausage, beef sweetbread and black sausage. This is a great way to sample a bunch of different menu items. The short ribs are extremely flavorful and the vacio is always good. The pork sausage is OK and I am not a big fan of beef sweetbread or black sausage. They didn’t taste bad to me but a couple bites were more than enough for me. If you are connoisseur of these meats, you may feel differently.
All steaks are served with a simple salad that arrives about 10 minutes before your entrée. The salad has lettuce, tomato and a few rings of white onion and is served with old school vinegar and oil bottles for dressing.
The waiters help to make Tango Sur feel even more authentic as they all look as if they are from Argentina and I believe they are. The servers are predominantly male, friendly and very casual.
The prices at Tango Sure are reasonable. On my last visit, my party of 3 had three empanadas, the chef’s special eggplant appetizer, a filet and the argentine grill for 2 for a total of $91. That included tax and tip. There are very few places in Chicago where you can have a good steak for that price. Steaks range from $14
to $21. Read the fine print as there are some steaks that are $35 plus but these are intended to be shared by two people. In addition, don’t be fooled into thinking the only steaks on the menu are the ones listed under the Chef’s Specials page which seems to dominate the menu. Most of these steaks are more elaborate and expensive variations of the steaks listed under the Parilla section of the menu. The steaks on the Parilla section are not served with a potato while the Chef’s Specials are.
3763 N. Southport Avenue, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 773-477-5466
Date of Review: June, 2007; updated May, 2008
Tango Sur is an Argentine steak house and is one of Chicago’s romantic gems. It has a great al fresco dining section out front on busy Southport Avenue. In addition, it has a dark and intimate interior with low lighting and lots of tables. It is easy to find a table for two in the corner for a romantic evening but the BYOB policy also makes this a great place for a birthday dinner. The restaurant is small but it has a lot of tables, always a lot of people and a lot of energy. There is a great waiting area in the back near the bathroom that is like a separate room where guests can pop open a bottle of beer from their 6 pack or have a glass of wine as they wait.
The empanadas are the crown jewel of the appetizers. They have four variations including spinach and cheese, ham and cheese, chicken and ground beef. The pie crust like shell on the empanada is excellent. The empanadas are served with gorgeous chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is made from chopped parsley, dried oregano, garlic, salt, pepper, onion, and paprika with olive oil. Another appetizer that is very good is an eggplant dish called berenjena. This dish reminds me of vegetarian lasagna as it features oven baked eggplant layered with spinach, provolone, parmesan and ricotta, served with tomato cream sauce.
For entrees, I have had the Vacio on numerous occasions. The Vacio is described on the menu as flap meat. The first time I came to Tango Sur, I tried the Vacio because it was recommended despite the fact that I didn’t know what flap meat was. Well… Flap meat is a cut similar to skirt or flank in that it comes from the less tender regions of the animal. It is often cheaper than more popular cuts but has a wonderful meaty flavor and fine texture when prepared carefully. The serving of Vacio at Tango Sur is huge. There is no bone in it and it is very flavorful and tender. It is served with chimichurri sauce. Dribbling some of this wonderful garlicky sauce over the steak is a must. I have also tried the double portion of solid filet mignon and the Argentine grill for two. The Para Dos (Argentine grill) is a huge helping of assorted meats served on a table top grill. It features short ribs, flap meat (or Vacio), pork sausage, beef sweetbread and black sausage. This is a great way to sample a bunch of different menu items. The short ribs are extremely flavorful and the vacio is always good. The pork sausage is OK and I am not a big fan of beef sweetbread or black sausage. They didn’t taste bad to me but a couple bites were more than enough for me. If you are connoisseur of these meats, you may feel differently.
All steaks are served with a simple salad that arrives about 10 minutes before your entrée. The salad has lettuce, tomato and a few rings of white onion and is served with old school vinegar and oil bottles for dressing.
The waiters help to make Tango Sur feel even more authentic as they all look as if they are from Argentina and I believe they are. The servers are predominantly male, friendly and very casual.
The prices at Tango Sure are reasonable. On my last visit, my party of 3 had three empanadas, the chef’s special eggplant appetizer, a filet and the argentine grill for 2 for a total of $91. That included tax and tip. There are very few places in Chicago where you can have a good steak for that price. Steaks range from $14
to $21. Read the fine print as there are some steaks that are $35 plus but these are intended to be shared by two people. In addition, don’t be fooled into thinking the only steaks on the menu are the ones listed under the Chef’s Specials page which seems to dominate the menu. Most of these steaks are more elaborate and expensive variations of the steaks listed under the Parilla section of the menu. The steaks on the Parilla section are not served with a potato while the Chef’s Specials are.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Chicago (Greek) - Artopolis
Artopolis
306 S. Halsted, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-559-9000
Date of Review: June, 2007
Artopolis is one of the more casual dining spots in the heart of Greektown. This place is a bit different from every other place around as it offers some traditional Greek dishes but also offers tastes from around the Mediterranean and pizzas cooked in a wood burning oven. Artopolis has a very enviable location as it is close to the Hasted Blue Line station located in the middle of Halsted Street across from Nine Muses. There are 3 floors in the restaurant and lots of open windows to look onto this always busy and active slice of Halsted Street. The restaurant has an open layout with a bakery visible and display cases of pastries for sale. The décor reminds me of the Mediterranean.
Artopolis has a wide ranging menu that includes traditional Greek dishes, pizzas and sandwiches. The solid Greek Salad is void of lettuce and focuses solely on the tomatoes, kalamata olives, peppers and feta that are topped with an oregano and red wine vinaigrette. It is served with a plentiful basket of bread. The Mediterranean Fest includes a plate with hummus, fava, baba-ghanoush, tzatziki, and olives. Unfortunately, the same bread served with the salad is used for the dips. The bread is fine but pita bread is much nicer with Middle Eastern spreads like these. The hummus and baba-ghanoush were average compared to the variations of these dishes I have had at Middle Eastern restaurants in Chicago. That said, the tzatziki was solid and I respect the effort to stretch the menu beyond the borders of Greece.
On another occasion, I had the Spinach and Feta Spanakopita as a starter – can also be ordered as an entrée. This dish is excellent and consists of fresh leaf spinach, leak, spring onion, dill and feta cheese in a flakey phyllo dough.
There are a host of excellent sandwiches on the menu including varieties of vegetarian, chicken and lamb sandwiches. Two sandwiches I have tried which I really enjoyed include the Briammi Kefte and Mediterraneo. The Briammi Kefte is oven-baked lamb and beef kefte, briammi (vegetable ratatouille), and crumbled feta on rosemary bread. The Mediterraneo has sliced roasted leg of lamb, Dijon mustard mayonnaise, tomato, green leaf and mint on rosemary bread.
The pizzas at Artopolis are excellent. The pizza crust is what is most impressive as it is crispy and flavorful. The pizza is pan style and has a plentiful amount of toppings that make it very filling. On my last visit, we ordered the Inferno pizza which has roasted chicken, smoked gouda, mozzarella, green and florina peppers, caramelized onions, and spicy tomato sauce. It is a sizeable portion as this one pizza priced at $12.75 had 8 reasonable size slices and could easily serve as a dinner for 2 moderately hungry people.
The prices at Artopolis are reasonable. On my last visit, we had a Greek Salad, appetizer plate, a pizza and a half bottle of wine for $53 including tax and tip. Pizzas range from $10 to $13 and sandwiches are in the $7 to $10 range.
306 S. Halsted, Chicago, Illinois; Phone 312-559-9000
Date of Review: June, 2007
Artopolis is one of the more casual dining spots in the heart of Greektown. This place is a bit different from every other place around as it offers some traditional Greek dishes but also offers tastes from around the Mediterranean and pizzas cooked in a wood burning oven. Artopolis has a very enviable location as it is close to the Hasted Blue Line station located in the middle of Halsted Street across from Nine Muses. There are 3 floors in the restaurant and lots of open windows to look onto this always busy and active slice of Halsted Street. The restaurant has an open layout with a bakery visible and display cases of pastries for sale. The décor reminds me of the Mediterranean.
Artopolis has a wide ranging menu that includes traditional Greek dishes, pizzas and sandwiches. The solid Greek Salad is void of lettuce and focuses solely on the tomatoes, kalamata olives, peppers and feta that are topped with an oregano and red wine vinaigrette. It is served with a plentiful basket of bread. The Mediterranean Fest includes a plate with hummus, fava, baba-ghanoush, tzatziki, and olives. Unfortunately, the same bread served with the salad is used for the dips. The bread is fine but pita bread is much nicer with Middle Eastern spreads like these. The hummus and baba-ghanoush were average compared to the variations of these dishes I have had at Middle Eastern restaurants in Chicago. That said, the tzatziki was solid and I respect the effort to stretch the menu beyond the borders of Greece.
On another occasion, I had the Spinach and Feta Spanakopita as a starter – can also be ordered as an entrée. This dish is excellent and consists of fresh leaf spinach, leak, spring onion, dill and feta cheese in a flakey phyllo dough.
There are a host of excellent sandwiches on the menu including varieties of vegetarian, chicken and lamb sandwiches. Two sandwiches I have tried which I really enjoyed include the Briammi Kefte and Mediterraneo. The Briammi Kefte is oven-baked lamb and beef kefte, briammi (vegetable ratatouille), and crumbled feta on rosemary bread. The Mediterraneo has sliced roasted leg of lamb, Dijon mustard mayonnaise, tomato, green leaf and mint on rosemary bread.
The pizzas at Artopolis are excellent. The pizza crust is what is most impressive as it is crispy and flavorful. The pizza is pan style and has a plentiful amount of toppings that make it very filling. On my last visit, we ordered the Inferno pizza which has roasted chicken, smoked gouda, mozzarella, green and florina peppers, caramelized onions, and spicy tomato sauce. It is a sizeable portion as this one pizza priced at $12.75 had 8 reasonable size slices and could easily serve as a dinner for 2 moderately hungry people.
The prices at Artopolis are reasonable. On my last visit, we had a Greek Salad, appetizer plate, a pizza and a half bottle of wine for $53 including tax and tip. Pizzas range from $10 to $13 and sandwiches are in the $7 to $10 range.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Chicago (French) - La Sardine
La Sardine
111 N. Carpenter Street, Chicago, IL; Phone 312-421-2800
Date of Review: May, 2007
La Sardine is strategically located to make for a quaint location despite the fact that the restaurant is across the street from Oprah’s HARPO studio and a stones throw away from the Randolph dining corridor. As you enter the restaurant, you see a large wine cabinet on your right and a large bar in front of you. The bar is a perfect place for a pre dinner drink or as a dining spot for a party of one or two. The bar area is much larger than the one at Le Bouchon (their sister restaurant) and provides an adequate amount of space for patrons to enjoy a glass of wine as they wait for their table.
The atmosphere is warm with a completely open and visible kitchen and tables placed close, but not to close, together on the other side of a border that separates the bar from the restaurant. The décor is warm with nice hues of red, exposed brick and eye catching beams painted with murals of fish, flowers and people enjoying food and drink. This restaurant seats 80-100 people.
La Sardine has a menu that is similar to the menu at Le Bouchon with a few variations. The menu is loaded with a nice mix of staple French dishes including lamb shank, duck breast, roast chicken, steak and frites, and rabbit. They always have 2-3 fish specials.
On my visit, my companion and I both chose the $25 price fixe menu option that is offered on Tuesdays. He had the escargot and was very pleased with his choice. I had the braised oxtail. The only word I can use to describe this dish is heavenly. The hearty, roast like oxtail was bursting with flavor. The potato gnocchi it is served with is melt in your mouth velvety and the red wine sauce was so scrumptious that I used 2 pieces of bread to absorb every last bit of sauce left in the dish.
Other entrees you can’t go wrong with include the lamb shank, duck and any of the fish specials. Monroe and I each chose one of the fish specials for our entrees. I had the salmon and Monroe had the whitefish and we were both satisfied with our choices. My salmon was cooked perfect as it was tender with a bit of flakiness. It was seasoned with a light wine and butter sauce over sautéed spinach and rice that was cooked al dente and had great flavor with an assortment of vegetables in the rice.
For dessert, we had the always excellent crème brulee and the assortment of sorbet. The sorbet assortment featured 3 small scoops of cinnamon apple, raspberry and lemon sorbet. I was a bit full and therefore opted for the mediocre sorbet which wasn’t the best option on the dessert menu.
They have a great wine list that features wines from every region of France. Bottles start at $35 and increase from there. As I waited for my guest, I had a glass of Sancerre that was pricey (9.25) but very good and refreshing. Over dinner, we had a $40 bottle of Vouvray that was refreshing and fruity.
The prices at La Sardine are about average with appetizers, salads and desserts ranging from $5 to $8 and entrees ranging from $15 to $20. On my last visit, we both had the price fixe menu ($25 per person) and a $40 bottle of Vouvray. Our total tab was $120 and that included tax and tip.
Specials include a 3 course price fixe lunch menu everyday for $22. In addition, they have ½ price bottles of wine on Mondays and offer there $25 three course price fixe menu on Tuesdays.
111 N. Carpenter Street, Chicago, IL; Phone 312-421-2800
Date of Review: May, 2007
La Sardine is strategically located to make for a quaint location despite the fact that the restaurant is across the street from Oprah’s HARPO studio and a stones throw away from the Randolph dining corridor. As you enter the restaurant, you see a large wine cabinet on your right and a large bar in front of you. The bar is a perfect place for a pre dinner drink or as a dining spot for a party of one or two. The bar area is much larger than the one at Le Bouchon (their sister restaurant) and provides an adequate amount of space for patrons to enjoy a glass of wine as they wait for their table.
The atmosphere is warm with a completely open and visible kitchen and tables placed close, but not to close, together on the other side of a border that separates the bar from the restaurant. The décor is warm with nice hues of red, exposed brick and eye catching beams painted with murals of fish, flowers and people enjoying food and drink. This restaurant seats 80-100 people.
La Sardine has a menu that is similar to the menu at Le Bouchon with a few variations. The menu is loaded with a nice mix of staple French dishes including lamb shank, duck breast, roast chicken, steak and frites, and rabbit. They always have 2-3 fish specials.
On my visit, my companion and I both chose the $25 price fixe menu option that is offered on Tuesdays. He had the escargot and was very pleased with his choice. I had the braised oxtail. The only word I can use to describe this dish is heavenly. The hearty, roast like oxtail was bursting with flavor. The potato gnocchi it is served with is melt in your mouth velvety and the red wine sauce was so scrumptious that I used 2 pieces of bread to absorb every last bit of sauce left in the dish.
Other entrees you can’t go wrong with include the lamb shank, duck and any of the fish specials. Monroe and I each chose one of the fish specials for our entrees. I had the salmon and Monroe had the whitefish and we were both satisfied with our choices. My salmon was cooked perfect as it was tender with a bit of flakiness. It was seasoned with a light wine and butter sauce over sautéed spinach and rice that was cooked al dente and had great flavor with an assortment of vegetables in the rice.
For dessert, we had the always excellent crème brulee and the assortment of sorbet. The sorbet assortment featured 3 small scoops of cinnamon apple, raspberry and lemon sorbet. I was a bit full and therefore opted for the mediocre sorbet which wasn’t the best option on the dessert menu.
They have a great wine list that features wines from every region of France. Bottles start at $35 and increase from there. As I waited for my guest, I had a glass of Sancerre that was pricey (9.25) but very good and refreshing. Over dinner, we had a $40 bottle of Vouvray that was refreshing and fruity.
The prices at La Sardine are about average with appetizers, salads and desserts ranging from $5 to $8 and entrees ranging from $15 to $20. On my last visit, we both had the price fixe menu ($25 per person) and a $40 bottle of Vouvray. Our total tab was $120 and that included tax and tip.
Specials include a 3 course price fixe lunch menu everyday for $22. In addition, they have ½ price bottles of wine on Mondays and offer there $25 three course price fixe menu on Tuesdays.
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