Excellent. Thanks for the recs. I'll post what I find out next week.

Thanks for the recommendations in Shanghai.
I will be traveling to SH for 7 days and will be looking for places to dine.
Any recommendations for dining in Pudong?

I wanted to see if I have missed one that deserves a visit.
We definitely enjoy the vegetarian and spice theme that Udupi and Woodlands has to offer.

We've dined at
Jaipur
Marigold
Woodlands Mysore
Udupi Palace

Lou's

I'm going to hold off on thought of traveling to Toronto until spring. It's too cold in Chicago now, so the thought of heading north is scary.
Though, I'm thinking if it's in Canada it should be in the states.

Substitutes are readily available but this sauce it very subtle and unique. I believe it is sweet potato based.

I need to get to Toronto, but I'm not heading there for the next few months. It's cold enough in Chicago, so Toronto is out until spring. Though, if the stuff is in Canada, I'm thinking there has to be some source here in the states. I could be wrong.

I can get my hands on plenty of substitutes but this one is so mild and unique. From what I remember, it's a sweet potato based sauce.

Piero's for thin Lou's for deep. just sayin'

It appears that this great sauce isn't exported to the US.

Does anyone know what the ingredients are for this great sauce , or does anyone know of a source to get this stuff to the states?

Kasia's Deli has a good selection of Ukrainian/Polish foodstuffs. Chicago and Western.

El Veneno??
I believe they opened up on Ashland, south of Division, across the street from El Barco about a year ago. Not a big place.
Sounds very similar, with the habenero salsa and free ceviche. Good stuff and its BYO

sounds pretty good.

whats the consistency?
Looks like all the ingredients are in the title. perhaps some additional acid to cut it....

Thanks for the replies.

No beef, chicken or pork in any form is acceptable for the sake of her enjoying the meal. I'll stay away from the details.
But we both are fans of some well prepared fish.

Thanks again

Looking for some help to introduce the girlfriend to Chinatown.
I've been a few times but it usually involves me eating pork, either fried or stuffed in a bun, no matter what I order.
This shouldn't be a problem but it is. The girlfriend doesn't dig on swine or anything that walks for that matter.

Let me know which establishment(s) offers some options for vegetarians.

OH and if you have some recs for good vegetarian-friendly places on Argyle Ave I'd appreciate those too.

Much appreciation.

JMFLD

Dirk's service is great and is closer
Sea Ranch has a better selection - uni ikura and all the good weird stuff you want when eating sushi - and definitely turns out a lot of product. Priced well too. I'm more familiar with the Sea Ranch just east of 94 on the south side of Lake Avenue in Wilmette. They also have a sister grocery store across the parking lot supplying a good selection of Japaneses foodstuffs.

I'm a huge fan of Woodman's for their huge selection of produce - including mushrooms in bulk.....If you really are looking for some fresh local stuff and you're heading west on Hwy 50 toward Lake Geneva, there is a great store about 10 miles west of 94 called the Mushroom Hut?? - on the se corner of county rd P and 50.
I've driven past this place for 20 years and finally went in. They grow their own shrooms and offer tons of local cheese, pickles honey and the sorts. Definitely worth it if you're into fresh food and supporting the "local" cause. FYI Woodmans is employee owned - this is a good thing.

Lunchbox knows his stuff. Midori is where it's at!! One of the original places in the city and though it is strongly Korean influences and the sushi chef is Latino the place rocks - Good cuts, tatami room, decent service and cheap booze. Great place on the North Side far away from those overpriced, over-the-top fusion sushi joints popping up everywhere.

Hachi's was good. Great Toro, decent nigiri, okay sake selection, service fizzled toward the end.....What I really missed was the sushi bar!!
I know they're tight on room there in Logan Square but the absence of a sushi bar doesn't make sense - though the decor is beautiful.

Well, I broke down and ordered some from the website - thanks for the contact.
Anaheims or not - Be sure to let us know if you ever drive past a market roasting their own.......Thats what I'm trying to find.

JM

Has anyone seen anyone turning a huge flaming barrel of chiles around town?? Where can I find bags of freshly roasted chilies? Extra points for anyone that knows where to get roasted Hatch chiles.

Much love for your help.

JM

Kelly, Is Wicker Park the only neighborhood you've lived in? I'll agree with you that it's a hip place, filled with great restaurants and bars today but you and 90% of your neighbors probably didn't live there 15 years ago.

That's besides the point. Since there is a Wicker Park thing going here and I've been into tequila for too many days on end, I recommend Salud, just south of North Ave on Milwaukee.

FYI Eric - Wicker Park is easy to get to. Blue Line towards OHare, Damen Stop. You're in the thick of it. And pardon my shot at Kelly - she's right, Wicker Park is a damn good time.

This is a new Geno Bahena(sp?) restaurant. They say he's a mole master around town. The food is much alike to Tepatulco, another G.B. restaurant in Lincoln Park, dishes consist of a protein of choice over a daily rotating selection of mole/sauce. This location is BYOB, until a permit allows otherwise.

I entered this new establishment, north of Fullerton on Milwaukee Ave, with an open mind and a bottle of Malbec. It nice and open, bright - maybe too bright for some, and complimented with regional Oaxacan art. We were quickly seated amongst the diners filling twenty out of the forty or so tables. Aside from a group slamming crappy tequila, the atmosphere among the patrons was quiet, though it was a chilly Tuesday night.

We started off with a flavorful minced marlin seviche ($7.50) served on fried tortillas with roasted salsa verde. The mixture was quite lime-y but smoothed out with the addition of green olives. The salsa was pretty damn good though*- overall a plus, nothing too extraordinary. -* a side of salsa verde costs $3 , which I reluctantly turned down. b/c I was ready to start drinking it out of the bowl I would've had to order three sides of it.

We followed the appetizer with the daily mole ($20), Amarillo. The plating was what I expected - lots of mole, a fan of protein and a mound of rice. Our mole was accompanied by a duck breast. The rice and the duck were cooked perfectly. The mole was very aromatic and savory but I would have enjoyed it a little more spicy.
We also ordered Nopales (cactus paddles) con Mariscos ($21) in a creamy chipotle sauce. I am a man that loves his sauce and this stuff, along with a mound of perfectly cooked shrimp, squid, marlin and scallops, was phenomenal. It was plate licking good. (at the request of my dining partner, I opted out of licking the plate)

There were several great looking meals - ostrich, rack of lamb, Pato Adobado, stuffed chiles.... - that we hope to hear about on any future posts. Overall, I was a satisfied diner.
The service was excellent. In fact, we were in awe of one of the food runners that served a scorching hot plate to us out of his bare hand. I hope he's okay; I couldn't hold my hand over the thing! FYI - The corkage fee is $6.

It worth a visit, especially if you're in the neighborhood.