basilb's Profile
Mona?
It's great. The people working there aren't as cranky and mean as people would have you believe, either. After reading the online commenters, I was prepared for the worst. They were perfectly nice.
The pizza is wonderful. You only have a few options to choose from, but I haven't had a bad one, and the crust is perfect. Just be sure to get there early. The wait times can be unreal.
How were recent experiences with Eve?
I agree with nsxtasy - maybe my expectations were too high from all the raves I'd heard re Takashi - but I had dinner there about a month ago and really wasn't that impressed with the food. The service was great - the chef himself delivered one course to us - and the restaurant is a nice, intimate size. But the food just wasn't amazing. It was all good, but not great.
Sepia, on the other hand, is a standby favorite of mine. Be sure to get their flatbreads to start! Fantastic.
Late night delivery options?
Another option I use for late night is PingPong. Pretty decent Chinese with some healthier options than usual. The wonton soup and harvest chicken are pretty good and you can sub brown rice if you want.
Great delivery options?
Thanks! It has been years since I've thought of them, I will have to put them back on the radar. Klay Oven was a bit of a disappointment the other night. Not that spicy, palak paneer was bland.
Great delivery options?
Thanks - I always forget about grubhub. I already put in an order to Klay Oven - I've had a couple of pretty good meals there before - veg samosas, kachoombar salad (new to me)palak paneer, murg makhani, naan, paratha. We will see how it turns out!
Decent Food at O'Hare Airport
I love the "considering we were in the in airport" qualifications! So true. I have to say though - I somehow have never been to the Berghoff downtown (not really a beef 'n beer girl), but I tried out the Berghoff airport outpost out of desperation this holiday season when stuck in the desolate United terminal for a while - and the hand-carved corned beef sandwich was really pretty good, with no "for the airport" qualifications. I fully enjoyed it. The shiraz wasn't great, but not bad for the airport. :)
Great delivery options?
It is just too snowy and cold out there. My friend and I decided to stay in for dinner tonight (my place, lucky me!), and I am trying to come up with some good but not too pricey delivery options (who me, cook?!). I'm tired of my usual suspects - Simply It (which I do love, just not tonight), Metropolis (healthy - but not tonight), Homemade Pizza Co (yummy - but not tonight) etc.
I am thinking Indian. Anyone have suggestions other than Hema's Kitchen, my usual Indian delivery standby? I live in Lincoln Park, near Sheffield/Armitage. I had some great Indian food at Jaipur (on W Randolph) last week and am craving something similar, but sadly, doesn't look like they deliver.
Best Mexican Restaurants
I tried out Las Palmas recently with some friends and have to say - not that great. My carne asada could have been used as a doorstop. The flavors throughout were almost cloying. The margarita was blah. None of us wanted to complain at the table - it was a birthday dinner, after all - but afterwards I discovered that everyone else disliked their food as much as I did! Too much good Mexican food out there to both with this place again.
How were recent experiences with Eve?
I am surprised to see the bad reviews - I've only been to Eve twice, but both experiences were really great.
Went for dinner about 6 months ago, and was impressed by the food, atmosphere and service. Can't tell you what we had - have eaten out quite a bit since then! But remembered it as a favorite.
Just went back for lunch this week and really loved it. Started with a smoked whitefish cake over a spicy pepper sauce that was really, truly nice - crispy and hearty. Just got a lamb burger, as it was lunch, but was impressed by the quality of the burger - thick, good quality lamb, good feta cheese and a nice twist with avocado slices and chopped dried apricots. It was huge - had to divide it in half for 2 meals - but really tasty. The frites were a little overcooked for my taste, but I didn't really care bc I was enjoying the burger so much! My friend got the mushroom tart with prunes, watercress and a sherry vinaigrette that she said was great. The vegetarian choices were really lacking outside of the salad options, so she just got a side of mac and cheese for lunch, but it looked like she wasn't a bit unhappy about it. The mac and cheese was the creamy style that I am a big fan of.
As for dessert - we ordered the s'more to split and were pretty pleased about it, but instead were brought a complimentary chocolate PB pot de creme due to "technical difficulties" in the kitchen (?). Not sure what that meant exactly, but the pot de creme was very nice - just not quite what we were in the mood for. Great chocolate, though, and the server was very apologetic and polite.
Anyway - I would definitely recommend Eve for a romantic birthday dinner - I think it compares very favorably to your list, in the same category for me at least. I actually recommended it to a friend for a business dinner this week and he raved about it - said that it was perfect.
Pre-Theater dinner for a Birthday.
I don't know if this is what you're looking for exactly, but I love the Russian Tea House for pre-theater dinner. It's completely old-school, the food is good, the crazy vodka menu is fun. I find it romantic, but it certainly isn't the typlical candle-lit dinner kind of place.
Half-price wine in Chicago Restaurants?
Ok, I had a minute and looked it up - Le Bouchon does it on Mondays. Sweets and Savories' webiste is down - hope that's just due to technical difficulties!
Half-price wine in Chicago Restaurants?
John's Place does on Thursdays. I'm pretty sure Sweets and Savories and Le Bouchon have 1/2 price days, too, but don't know what they are offhand.
Need GOOD Sushi...
Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I'm a little curious!
best risotto in chicagoland area?
NoMI always has a seasonal risotto on their menu, and I almost always order it bc they are reliably amazing. For a less fancy risotto, I usually like the ones at Tarantino's on Armitage. They change a lot but lately they've had a nice wild mushroom and asparagus risotto that I like.
Farmerie 58
North Pond and Lula are both fantastic. I haven't tried/heard anything about Farmerie 58.
Another option is Mado, a low-key place with a nice, rustic vibe that opened this past summer in Bucktown (a little north of the Damen blue line). I've had a couple of really good meals there. They serve only local and seasonal ingredients - their menu is written out on a chalkboard each day based on what's available. It was BYOB the last time I was there (mid-November, I think), but may have gotten their liquor license since then.
http://chicago.metromix.com/restaurants/mediterranean/mado-bucktown-wicker-park/386196/content
Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop, Hyde Park
Ah, good to know, thanks. He's such a foodie, I had high hopes for his pick.
chicken and dumplings
So long as we have a southern theme going here on the board - does anyone know where a southern girl can get some decent chicken and dumplings? I haven't been able to find it anywhere.
Or - chicken fried steak (I think Dixie Kitchen might have it - I'm going to check this weekend)? I've tried Stanley's and was sadly disappointed. You know it's not going to be right when the gravy is YELLOW.
Dixie Kitchen & Bait Shop, Hyde Park
I just was sent the link yesterday! Am planning on going there this weekend, probably along with everyone else in Chicago, before the episode airs. Hope it's worth the long drive and probable wait!
Absolute best burger in Chicago?
oh - didn't realize that. That explains the discrepancy.
Absolute best burger in Chicago?
I just had the kobe burger at Park Grill a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised! I expected the place to be a tourist trap bc of the location, like you said, but the burger I had was fantastic. Big, juicy burger with tasty meat, melty gorgonzola and grilled onions on a soft pretzel bun. The sweet potato fries were just ok (my friends enjoyed them, I'm just not a fan), but the burger - fabulous. Maybe you just caught them on an off night?
Lunching in the Loop
I like the udon at Tokyo Lunch Box, and the sushi is ok, too. They have a few locations around the Loop, I think. Also, don't forget about the Kamehachi in the building at Jackson/Franklin, always good sushi. Next door to that is my current favorite lunch spot, Freshii. I am a big fan of the chicken soup and the rice bowls, and I don't feel disgusting after eating it - seems pretty healthy. That being said, I'm going to have to try out Epic Burger - sounds great! And Burrito Buggy too. Yum.
I tried a new place yesterday, Flaco's Tacos down on printer's row. Not exactly in the Loop, but not that far. I was pretty happy with it - had great tamales and a good fish taco. It may have unseated my other favorite in the Loop for tamales - La Cocina (they have a couple of locations, on Jackson and on Wells).
Sopraffina's is ok - I used to go to the one in the AT&T building all the time. The best kept secret is the soup - no line to get it and usually is pretty great. Also, on the second floor of that building is a cafe with lots of pretty decent options - asian stir fry, diner, mexican, deli, soup/salad bar, and a chef's station.
North Pond, Naha, or Michael?
Sepia's my favorite of the options you mentioned. The atmosphere is - well, sepia. Practically everything in the place is sepia-colored, and the decor is like your great-grandparent's living room, but in a nice, retro but not overly so, way. The food is fantastic. It's been a while since I was there, but I can still picture the homemade pasta with beef cheeks that I had, and the wonderful bruschetta. I don't think you could go wrong there.
That being said, I am a big fan of Custom House as well - their short ribs are great - and Otom is good, too (though I expected to like it more than I did, since I adore Moto) - the food is good and the atmosphere is more mod. Haven't been to Graham Elliot but, like you, have heard mixed reviews.
Gold Coast/Near North Restaurants to take out an older client?
I visited Madame Tartine's for lunch this summer and was very disappointed. I'd give it a C. Completely uninspired. We ate outdoors, so i can't tell you about the decor! I've only been that once, however.
Sweets and Savories, Copperblue, Red Light?
The gift cards make sense. As a side note though, I had dinner at Sweets and Savories last night and came away pretty disappointed. It may have been that they were just having an off night - the heating system was on the fritz, per the thermostat behind us it was in the 50s, and everything was served lukewarm - but the quality of the steak was really lacking and my short ribs were a little lackluster. If you do decide to do a specific restaurant's gift certificate, I'd say choose one of your other two options. Red Light is always great, haven't been to Copper Blue buthave heard great things.
Recommendations for this weekend?
Thanks! I'm a big fan of North Pond, too. I always forget about it though, except as a brunch option. I can't believe I haven't been to Sweets & Savories - the menu looks fantastic and it's pretty close to me! I think I might take my friend to Avec Saturday - am guessing we'll need to get there either early or late to avoid a long wait? - bc it sounds like they've had venison on the menu lately, that might do the trick. But, I'm going to head to Sweets & Savories this week for dinner myself! Thanks for the recommendation.
Recommendations for this weekend?
Hi, I have a friend coming into town this weekend and am looking for a good dinner spot for Saturday night. The last time he was here, we had some great Vietnamese up on Argyle St; the time before that, we went to Mado (good, but not great).
He loves places where he can get buffalo, elk, antelope, etc. Does anyone have any suggestions? I am coming up empty-handed. I live in Lincoln Park but am fine with heading out to Lakeview, Bucktown, Wicker Park, downtown.
Recommendations for a couple's cooking class
Those are both great suggestions. Just wanted to add that if you're picking out the class itself as opposed to a gift certificate, you may want to look for a "hands on" class. I've done both at the Chopping Block and thought that the hands-on ones were more fun.
Turkey Breast and Ham
Sunday Dinner catering is making turkeys and sides this year - you just place your order and then pick it up Thanksgiving morning. Not cheap, but their food is amazingly good and is always organic/local/sustainable. They're in Ravenswood, I have no idea if that is near Niles. www.sundaydinnerchicago.com
Thanksgiving in Chicago
I am never in town on Thanksgiving, but I did just get an email from NoMi saying that they are open for dinner that day.
Help me decide...
I liked Otom but didn't didn't think that it was a stand-out. It does have a nice vibe. But, then again, I loved Moto. Got the 20+ course menu and pairings and was blown away by the food itself, didn't find it gimmicky at all. I guess it probably depends a bit on the particular menu for the night.
Anyway, I'd choose one of the others you mentioned over Otom. Never been to Copperblue, but do keep seeing people recommend it. North Pond has great food and atmosphere, and is in a unique setting. You and your girlfriend can take a romantic walk through the park after dinner, though that may be better after brunch than after dinner. MK used to be one of my favorites (loved their artichoke soup), but the last couple of times I've been there I haven't had anything memorable. Naha is a good standby - great food and nice relaxed atmosphere.
Another place I just discovered - De La Costa. Haven't seen anyone really talking about it on here, but I have been thinking about their rum-cured marlin tacos and salmon ceviche with horseradish/apple puree since I had them on Tuesday night. Really wonderful, and I think their drink menu rivals Violet Hour's. More of a hip atmosphere than the others on your list, though not in the same tier, perhaps.
Of the others that were on your original list - I am a big fan of Topolobampo and a huge fan of Spiaggia. If you don't make it there this time around, keep them on the list for later! Cafe Spiaggia is another, less formal option with great food and service, and makes for a fun night out in the Michigan Ave area. I've heard a lot of people have been disappointed with Graham Elliot, though I haven't been myself yet.
