easknh's Profile
Best fish tacos in Chicago area?
Looking for recommendations of best fish tacos in the Chicago area. Please include descriptions of type of fish and how it is prepared. Thanks for the help.
Indian food in northern suburbs
Depending on where you are north, it is worth making the extra effort to go down to Devon for Indian food. We love Tiffin, which is the most upscale restaurant but worth it. We have eaten at most of the restaurants mentioned and none of them are as good as Tiffin.
Tizi Melloul
From a non-employee -
We have never sat in the Crescent Room but the food at Tizi Melloul is always excellent and the service is great and accommodating. We bring out of towners here a lot and have never had a bad experience.
Where to find Dutch Processed Cocoa in Chicago?
Traders Joe's does carry a Dutch processed cocoa (or at least they have in the past). I can't remember the name but it does come in a red box with (relying on my apparently not perfect memory here) two children dressed in Dutch costume on the front. I don't think it is that much more expensive. For what it is worth (and I am sure that there are some that will say I am being heretical here), I have substituted regular cocoa powder when i have been in a pinch with a recipe I know and I don't think it makes that much difference.
Three other ideas:
1. you could order from King Arthur's Flour (probably more expensive than Whole Foods);
2. you could try Treasure Island; or
3. you could try the Spice House but that means going to Old Town.
Hope this helps.
Restaurant recommendations east of Michigan Avenue?
I need to find a restaurant for a pre-theater dinner before a performance at Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier. Don't want to be too far away and waste too much time trying to get to the pier and miss the curtain but also want a good dinner. Anyone have any ideas?
Ethical kosher meat in Maine?
I just heard today about a glatt company out of Denver called Golden West Cattle. www.goldenwestglatt.com They sell premium Angus beef only with standards similar to Arcadia. They ship frozen via UPS so it should be good for you.
Kosher Duck
All of these places will be selling Empire frozen ducks. The problem is that they have been frozen for who knows how long. Hungarian Kosher Supermarket on Oakton sells organic frozen kosher chicken, but I don't think I have ever seen duck there. If you really care about quality, you need to order from Aaron's Kosher Meats in NY. You can get whole ducks, breasts, or leg quarters. It is expensive but the taste is a huge difference.
Parve rice pudding
Rice pudding with coconut milk is definitely Indian. I have also used soy milk with good success. Also makes great bread pudding.
Suggestions - daughter and daddy wknd
Two great breakfast places in the West Loop - Lou Mitchell's and Ina's. The first is a Chicago institution.
Is she an American Girl fan? If she is (and from her age she could be), you need to take her to the American Girl store. They serve lunch and tea and there are special seats for the dolls. You definitely need to reserve in advance. If you will be here on Friday/Monday in time for lunch, you should go to the Berghoff Cafe in the loop. A smaller version of a Chicago classic (now closed) with great German food (try the sauerbraten), but only open on weekdays.
For dinner close to Michigan Ave., I would recommend Bistro 110, a nice bistro-y french place with delicious roasted garlic for the bread and all the French classics. Good for an aspiring foodie. Greektown is also a good choice not too far away. I like Santorini; the food is a notch better than the others. Red Light on West Randolph is also good. Pan-Asian food under the direction of Jackie Shen, one of Chicago's greats.
Hope this helps.
Pa'ami in Chicago
Mizrahi Grill is in Highland Park, not Northbrook. It is not fancy (you order at the counter) but it is CLEAN (so many kosher places are not)! The shwarma is very good and they have the most delicious pita I have ever eaten, at least in the States.
Kosher chorizo?
I think that the important thing in looking for a kosher substitute for an ingredient is not whether it has the right ingredients but whether it adds the correct flavor to a dish. I don't spend a lot of time worrying about whether it is "chorizo" if it has not pork. Trader Joe's makes a good vegan chorizo. I don't have one in the house and so am not sure if it has a hechsher or not but for those of us who are are willing to buy based on ingredients, it is a good alternative. It comes in an inedible tube, so has to be used crumbled, not sliced. And it does leave that oily sludge referred to elsewhere.
