fryrose's Profile
Cafe Borgia
I did search after reading your post mark, about Giovanni's. I found that there are a lot of Giovanni's out there. I think that Giovanni's was "old school" and I was expecting more. A good analogy might be going to Teibels and ordering something besides the chiken or perch and expecting a great meal. Not dissing the restaurant, but they do a few things well and alot mediocre. What would you recommend at Giovanni's?
Cafe Borgia
I agree with the name! So far, so good!
I went for lunch and there was not a big crowd so neither of us noticed a noise problem and we are both sensitive to noise.
Giovanni's was the restaurant that I was thinking of when I reported on this. I had always heard how great Giovanni's was and we thought it was terrible. I thought the red sauce was blah, the service was poor and nothing was good in any way. The salads were not that fresh, the dressings poor and the entrees mediocre at best. I can't even remember what we had but it was poor enought that I declined dessert which does not happen often. I live in the Naperville area and Giovanni's would not last a month here.
Cafe Borgia
I had lunch at Cafe Borgia which is located in Munster, IN and felt compelled to let people know that there is a good place for Italian in NW Indiana. The Times, which is the newspaper for the area has no discernment whatsoever in their restaurant reviews and according to them every single restaurant in the area is great.
Cafe Borgia is a Roman restaurant and has small cold plate appetizers as well as hot. We really enjoyed the artichokes Roman style and some whole wheat gnocchi. We had lasagna and pork scallopine limone for entrees and the word that kept popping into my mind was balanced. The lasagna appeared to have homemade noodles which is always a plus in my book.The staff was friendly and if they did not know an answer, asked, and returned quickly. The inside is pleasant and I loved the light fixtures which look like red Chihuly stars-they said they got a lot of comments on the fixtures and that they are from a small Italian company. The location is on Calumet Ave. about 7 minutes south of I 94.
Cafe Borgia
10018 Calumet Ave
Munster, IN
(219) 922-8889
cafeborgia.com
Katy's Dumplings....Westmont
This may be digressing a bit from the original thread but MAPO is the same as the Old Peking Restaurant. They told me they decided to do some remodeling and use a logo to try to appeal to a more diverse crowd. The food has some minor changes from their former menu--it seems a little more pan-Asian.
I ended up at FN on Friday as my coworker brought in Chinese for lunch and I was jonesing for Chinese. I was wondering if anyone tried the fish specials. They had a whole salt and pepper fish and smelt on the menu.
Katy's Dumplings....Westmont
OF-thanks for the info on the menu translation, it will be my next internet stop. And SWSJim, thanks for your list. Perhaps I will stalk after you and hit FN Saturday also.
Need a really expensive restaurant
Thank you all for the info. He has decided on Alinea and Everest for the back up plan. I will check out the wine limit. It would be great fun to drink a wine that cost more than my car! I think I am going to start a restaurant wish list for myself and put in all the links so I can tantalize myself. I am in the west burbs so I am going to put Fahrenheit up for my next stop out this way.
Need a really expensive restaurant
I know that is a weird request but I have a friend who won a contest at work and the prize is dinner for 2 at any restaurant in Chicago, drinks included. We want to go somewhere that we could never afford otherwise. Alinea is what jumps to mind but my friend was not sure if it was a "real meal" or more of an experience. I am not thinking of places that serve lunch because you can usually get an affordable meal and at least try it. If money was no object, where would you go? Also, is there perhaps some great dish that I should be thinking of? Let's have fun spending some one else's money!
Best cottage cheese? I vote for Friendship (no salt added)
Ekammin, do you mean Michigan brand? The small curd comes in a dark blue container and is the only cottage cheese I like. I have found it at some Meijer stores and Kroger stores carry it. I get my fix when I visit mom.
Now I'm Confused: What is a Stromboli and What is a Calzone?
Thank goodness the OP did not ask this question on the Midwest board. In NW Indiana and in central Indiana where I went to college, stromboli was an open faced sandwich on half a hoagie/sub roll. It was covered in pizza sauce and had crumbled sausage in it. Sometimes it had sliced onions on top.
Gourmet or Bon Appetit?
I like to see the Jane and Michael Stern Roadfood column in Gourmet.So that is a plus if it is something of interest.
Chicago Area German Deli and Grocery Store
You are not thinking of the Wurst Kitchen in Aurora, are you. They have some German items, but it is not somewhere I would make a long trip to. Call first because they have odd hours. They do make an excellant brat and a great spicy brat called a Kicker Brat.
Is there a regional dish in CO?
I have to wonder--are the Denver omelets better there!
Geneva, IL rests? [moved from Midwest board]
Niche is excellant. It has a quiet, elegant atmosphere and an excellant seasonal menu. If you want to go on a weekend, call and make reservations. Phone (630 262-1000. They are located at 14 S. Third Street which is right off the main drag. The Herrington Inn has a restaurant which also has a nice atmosphere. However, they are a bit pricier and the quality is not quite at the level of Niche. Perhaps I am prejudiced because I was upsold a bottle of water for 21 dollars which I felt was outrageous.
If you get to town early, there is a lovely bakery close to the main drag called The Cocoa Bean. They have lovely baked pasteries. I find their macaroons and croisants excellant.
What's "the" food where you're from?
An even more specific Indiana specialty is found in Northwest Indiana. The specialty is lake perch which is best pan sauteed and served with drawn butter. The other idiosyncratic food is the relishes served prior to the main course. Usually these are 3 bean salad, coleslaw and cottage cheese. This is less widespread than it was at one time but is still served at old school restaurants.
These pictures are sooooooo delicious
Hmmm. I love the links that I pick up from different threads but I found these pictures just OK. I continue to find it very interesting to see various opinions and I almost decided not to comment because I did not want to discourage people from sharing.
Italian bread search - "ciopa"
I did a search for ciopa-my non-Italian family thought it was spelled chopee. I was referred to D'Amato's bakery and they had no idea what I was talking about. My family used to get ciopa at Torino's bakery on 115th Street in Roseland. I hope that is right-I asked my parents and it was long ago. I hope you find some. If you do, please report back. Now, if we could find rye bread like Slik's bakery used to have...
I can only eat food that are white or clear - help!
Use a straw whenever possible to cut down on tooth contact.
What do Chowhounds do for a living (besides eat of course)?
I love how everyone feels that they are the uninteresting person on this thread, but I have enjoyed every single diverse post and am proud to be a chowhound. I frequent the Chicago area and work in the not-for-profit, Social Services field. I specilaize in working with adults who have Schizophrenia. I certainly try to pass along a love and adventurous food spirit to those I teach.
A memorable food from another land...
Portugal-some kind of grilled blood sausage that was out of this world...and I didn't want to ask any more questions.
Indonesian Rice table-30 foods and couldn't place a lot of them but they were great.
REAL Hungarian goulash for the first time-more like a soup and delicious
What foods do you HAVE to mail order?
I just ordered chili dusted pecans and cinnamon pecans from Stahmans in New Mexico. I am also trying to find Mrs. Maltz's knishes-love the little potato/jalapeno ones. And a moment of silence for my favorite caramels from Annedore's in Kansas City that closed this year:(
German Brotchen in the US
I just found a website on another chow thread from Madison Wisconsin called bavariasausage.com that bakes brotchen. It looks fantastic. Take a look.
I'm sick of being lactose intolerant
I have found that I can tolerate skim milk from a quality dairy that does not use any hormones in the milk. I am in the Chicago area and live near an Oberweis dairy. The skim milk is REAL and does not have that horrible bluish cast a lot of skim milk has. Again, I am hit or miss on what will kick off the intolerance, but I wanted to pass along this anecdoctal evidence that a few people have found helpful.
chocolate cake?
Another thumbs down for Portillo's cake. It was OK; the description of a good box mix cake was dead on. I have been looking for a good chocolate cake as I have an aunt who took the family secret to the grave with her. I am going to throw out BitterSweet. Again, I think it is a place that others find much more appealing than I do, but I am wondering if they do a good chocolate cake? Also, maybe there is a coffee house or other spot that serves a great cake. Is there a really good one on the chocolate buffett at the Penninsula?? Inquiring chocoholics are wondering.
Transporting Ice Cream
If it is from a stand that ships a lot they may have dry ice. I have taken Ted Drewe's frozen custard from St. Louis to Chicago in the summer with stops for outlet shopping. I used a styrofoam cooler and lined it with dry ice on all sides. If you have all the sides covered, resist the urge to open and check it. Also, Ice houses (suppliers) usually have dry ice to and will sell to the public. Good luck.
What foods do you HAVE to mail order?
Jimbo, I just followed your link and called my sister--it is a road trip to Madison in October. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this link. I am at home recuperating and I thought I was losing some weight, but between this and the croissant trail I am following, no such luck.
Feasting on Asphalt #3 Season 2
What is the name of the donut stand and is it good? I hope to get back to Ted Drewes someday
Ordering PB&J at restaurants ...
Although I can say that I have never had a PBJ becuase the combo just does not sound good, my sister has ordered one when she has been in an 'iffy' restaurant and does not want to get food poisoning. She is sensitive and gets ill easily from mishandled food so PBJ is safe for her. More than once we have been out with friends and can smell the fish or whatever else is what we consider bad and wonder how sick they will get. Lo and behold they do not get sick but my sister or I would be worshipping the procelean god.
Gluten Free Diet, how do I alter/change recipes?
If you have a freezer, you might want to consider mail order bread. My mom has eaten gluten free for decades and she buys bread from Irene's health bakery in Ohio. We actually stopped there one time when we were on a trip and they were just the nicest people. Anyway, I suggest them because they have a rye bread that is similar to "real" bread which makes great sandwiches and does not seem like an alternative to bread. They also have great rolls so mom can have a hamburger on a bun with the rest of the family. I also concur with the cookbook idea and testing out preferences. One thing I learned never to do was to taste raw gluten free doughs--YUCK!
Are cheese curds good?
Hopefully the curds will match your childhood memories. The problem with cheese curds is that they must be fresh to impart their full fresh taste and squeakiness. If they are not fresh, they don't squeak. I guess I am a big kid because if I don't get the squeak I feel cheated.
