svicious's Profile
Are condiments (ketchup, mustard, mayo, aioli, etc.) necessary for burgers?
Plain doesn't work for me, but sometimes you can get away with just one condiment and often times you are better off than the kitchen sink. Just a little butter and salt is good enough if the meat is top quality, but then again I've never met a burger that wasn't improved by onions...and well if you have onions cheese is nice and then bacon has a nice contrast to the cheese and then tomato or avocado goes well with bacon and well...next thing you are back to the kitchen sink. This is one of those things where this is no right answer for each bite, let alone burger to burger.
What is the Best Condiment You Ever Had?
The green chimichurri sauce at Tango Sur restaurant in Chicago. Whether on empanadas, steaks, potatoes or anything else, it's in a class by itself for me.
Seeking restaurant recommendation for anniversary dinner in or near 7th arr.
OP here. Ended up at Fontaine de Mars as it was walkable from the hotel and we wanted something nearby. It was a good fit for us and we had a very nice meal for about 200 Euros, including a decent bottle of St Emilion Grand Cru. My steak was good but not great; everything else was excellent including the best service of all ten days in France. The ironic thing is I wore my jacket and didn't end up needing it there as it was not a particularly dressy place but nothing wrong with being among the best dressed folks in a place I guess.
We scouted Le Violon which is only a block or so away but the tables were so close to together it looked a little too much like a NYC subway car and felt decidely un-romantic. Though I must say the menu looked more intriguing to me than Fontaine de Mars' did.
Thanks all for your ideas!
Seeking restaurant recommendation for anniversary dinner in or near 7th arr.
I had a look at the Tour d'argent website and most assuredly it is over the budget for how we'd typically order. It does seem quite the place for ambiance and a romantic setting though. After looking into those other places some more I agree Violon seems better than any of them as well, and is definitely a leading contender, along with Paul Chene, which seems more traditional which is fine as well.
Seeking restaurant recommendation for anniversary dinner in or near 7th arr.
Thanks for your thoughts, I do appreciate it. Unfortunately, romantic is really kind of a must given that it is an anniversary dinner so while Le Violon d'Ingres is intriguing on some levels the several sources that have mentioned it is simply not romantic, including this thread, make me hesitate to go with it. Also, the dinner is to be on a Thursday, therefore Bistrot d'Hier et Aujourd'hui doesn't work.
Any thoughts on Le Violon d'Ingres vs. some of these others that have been recommended?
Les Bouquinistes
La Petite Cour
Les Ombres
Kan Zaman - Lebanese in River North
Yes, I go there a lot for lunch as well. Always a good choice, especially the vegetarian lunch combo and combo kabob lunch. It is not fancy or innovative, but a very solid pick and they are always professional and hospitable. The only slightly negative experience I had there was one of the few times I dined there duirng the evening a bachelorette party of 20 some people effectively took over the place in a very loud manner. (being one of the few BYOB options in the area it seems it may appeal to similar such groups during the evenings.)
Seeking restaurant recommendation for anniversary dinner in or near 7th arr.
Let me preface this post by saying my apologies for not coming to the table with a few possibilities of my own, but it's getting late and there's so much to research and past time to start packing!
Kind of overwhelmed by all of the choices available and would like to hear of any choices that stand out to those more experienced with Parisian dining. Seeking a traditional or modern French/French fusion restaurant suitable for a romantic anniversary dinner, preferably in the 7th arrondissement or within a short cab or metro ride thereof.
We do not speak French and so an establishment that is at least somewhat accomodating to Anglophones is a must, and tables that are not on top of each other are preferred. Total cost with wine under 300 Euros is a must, preferably somewhat less. Cuisine and service should be the appeal, not how chic or trendy the place is. A place where a jacket and tie are neither required nor expected would be excellent, but I don't want to unnecessarily limit our options just because I don't want to lug a jacket around for 12 days to only use it once.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Big and Littles?
I just had lunch there today, carryout. The fish sandwich was quite good and tasty, not sure what kind of fish they use though. The beet and pineapple salad was fine, nothing special but a bit different from the commonplace with a lot of black pepper flavor to it. Prices seem fair.
This is definitely a place best for carryout or a quick bit, there are maybe 6 seats along one wall with a counter. Service was fast and friendly and the fish and chips looked really good so I'll be back to check it out.
Seeking recommendations and info for San Juan dinner
All, thanks for the recommendations. Pikayo keeps coming up and is a definite possibility, although my wife is leaning toward Rosario's. If anyone has been to both I'd love to hear a comparison. Again, thanks to those who replied.
Seeking recommendations and info for San Juan dinner
My wife's birthday will soon be spent in San Juan and we would like to find a nice place for it. I have read a LOT of conflicting information on where to go, here and elsewhere, as well as many dissenting points of view. I think I am suffering from "analysis paralysis" and am honestly at a loss so I will describe what we are ideally seeking and see if it rings a bell with anyone.
We prefer a romatntic spot without tables on top of each other and not over-the-top noisy. No bonus points for overly trendy; classy and unique are more desirable. An outdoor dining option would be a plus. Food should be local or have a definite local influence. Pricing is less important than value; I don't mind paying a lot for top-notch food and service but I don't have a lot of tolerance for feeling "ripped off" or dropping a couple hundred bucks and going home hungry. Location should be in OSJ or Condado. Good wine list or memorable local drinks are a big plus.
Also, not familar with dinner scene in San Juan dress in San Juan, any tips on typical dinner dress at the nicer places would be helpful. Thank you.
Montreal style smoked meat sandwiches
Hopleaf http://www.hopleaf.com/home.html in Andersonville has an "Organic Montreal style brisket" sandwich on the menu. I've had it and it wasn't bad (somewhat fatty but this is par for brisket I think) but having never tasted the original thing I have no idea how it would compare.
As others indicated, Manny's and Jake's in Milwaukee are also good for similar type food.
Beer spots in Chicago
My favorite spots, all mentioned by others already:
--Map Room in the Bucktown neighborhood (on Armitage about two blocks West of Damen), best overall selection. No food but decent restaurant options in neighborhood.
--Sheffield's in Lakeview, (On Sheffield around Roscoe) has a pleasant beer garden. Recently started serving BBQ but haven't tried it yet.
--Hopleaf in Andersonville (near Foster and Clark), good selection of Belgians and decent food.
--Clark St Alehouse in River North (700 block of North Clark just South of Chicago ave), good selection of Microbrews, so so beer garden. No food served but many options nearby.
Milwaukee -- Report (way, way longer than necessary)
Well I for one don't plan on going back to the Speed Queen neighborhood anytime soon. Like several posters above I had gone that way on occasion for many years thinking why miss out on a local gem and never had any problems. A brick thrown at my car in broad daylight has made me seriously reconsider a bit. I would not say I'm never going back but anyone who makes light of the fact the neighborhood this establishment is in (or Jake's for that matter) isn't very desirable and doesn't take that fact seriously does so at their own peril.
Good ethnic BYOB restaurants on North Side, Rogers Park, Edgewater, etc.?
I can second Andalous, Thai Pastry and Dorado as all worth checking out. Dorado is the most upscale of these. In particular Thai Pastry stands out from so many just so-so Thai places in Chicago. My personal BYOB fave is Tango Sur, an Argentinian place on Southport-steak is the specialty. Empanadas are good as is the chimichurri sauce. Lines can be quite long at times and I don't believe they take reservations (not sure on that point).
a week in milwaukee- HELP!!
Here are some recommendations:
--Old Town Serbian Gourmet House for Burek and/or cevapcici-this is a reasonable, if not super close, cab ride from downtown
--Karl Raatzsch's for German
--Coquette Cafe for French
--Conejito's or especially Acapulco for 3 AM chow after umpteen local beers for the past six to nine hours-the mix of regret and appreciation doesn't get any sweeter
--Kopp's Frozen Custard and burgers any old time
--Coerper's Five o'clock for old school beef by the half ton
--Real Chili for a lunch but you don't want to have a business meeting afterwards
--Elsa's for killer burgers, especially the Las Brisas
--I have not been there for quite some time but Brown Bottle used to have a good fish fry (Fridays and possibly Wednesdays-check) in a very historic setting
--For local color check out Lakefront Brewery just North of downtown
You can do very well in Milwaukee, just don't expect to lose weight or down spring water with all of your meals...
Indian Garden
India House, Gaylord and Klay Oven are all decent downtown Indian alternatives. I rank them in this order but really any is fine depending on the most convenient location if you are in the mood for Indian. They are all in the River North neighborhood. I've only been to each for the lunch buffets so I can't comment on the "from the menu" experience.
India House is quite large and seems to aspire to be a cut above the other two with its elaborate buffet. Gaylord and Klay Oven are smaller with slightly fewer buffet options. In my experience, service at Klay Oven can be brusque, it's friendliest at India House with Gaylord somewhere in between. All are straightforward Indian, nothing cutting edge but standards mostly done well.
Red Wine Recs
I second the vote for the Heitz cabernet-I had that exact bottle at that exact price just a week ago and it was worth every penny!
Is it reasonable to expect good wine for $6 a glass? [moved from Manhattan board]
As a restauranteur or bar owner, you should be able to offer quality, highly drinkable wine anywhere in the country for six dollars a glass. Not great wine mind you, but certainly inoffensive to all but the snobbiest of palettes.
The real problem is that there is an (inexplicable and crass) attitude in this country that it is "OK" to jack up wine prices to a ridiculous extent. Hence, that six dollar glass is coming from, say, a six or seven dollar bottle, and at that price level good wine is simply difficult to come by. The typical price to quality ratio in the US vs. much of Europe (at least those regions with domestic wine production) is appalling.
Decent wine is not for drinkers to be gouged on for special occasions or those on expense accounts (an all too frequent US restauranteur attitude), rather it should be priced so as not to be a luxury good but an attainable part of everyday life. This is as it is viewed, fortunately, in much of Europe, and as it should be.
Best of Chicago for Visiting Hound?
For pizza, I would recommend Pizzeria Uno or Due, as ever-crowded and touristy as they are. They are related and only a block apart, not real close to Navy Pier but walkable or a short cab ride. It's pan style (thick, but not too thick) pizza. If you want stuffed (the really thick stuff) then try Gino's. However, be warned that Gino's is pretty lacking in ambience and even more shamelessly touristy than Uno's/Due's. Giordano's isn't bad in a pinch either, but has a more generic "chain" feel to it than the others.
I am not aware of any Italian beef places in the Navy pier neighborhood although I am sure some form of it is available on the pier itself. If you have some time, Mr Beef is a classic Chicago Italian beef place but I am not sure if it's open for dinner and in any event is a ways from Navy Pier in the River North neighborhood. Al's Italian beef is also good. These are both lunch counter type places; essentially fast food.
Not Frontera/Frontera
Pedro, if you ordered a scotch for top dollar and got served just a half shot would you be like "oh that's great"? Or would you feel like you were being played for a chump? I would hope the latter. A ripoff is a ripoff is a ripoff.
Argentine in Manhattan?
Thank you all for your replies. Unfortunately, Azul was nowhere near we were staying and with the horrible rain over the past weekend from Ernesto we weren't feeling like a big expedition. Chimichurri Grill turned out to be just blocks from the hotel on 9th Ave in the mid 40s, I believe. It is an unassuming little place; very pleasant. Wait staff was professional and subdued. Empanadas were quite tasty to start with. Steaks (ribeye and "flattened" filet) were decent but not outstanding, I was expecting just a bit more quality for the money. The wine list was a bit limited but typical for a smaller place and had a few interesting options. Chimichurri sauce was nowhere near the best of those I've sampled. A side of creamed chard was quite good, as was desert of dulce du leche crepes (did I spell that right?!). To sum up, an attractive place in a lot of ways but lacking something in the two areas most key to Argentine-the beef and the chimichurri sauce.
Not Frontera/Frontera
Just an update; went to Frontera last month and the service (ate at a bar area table) was horrendous. I was embarassed having an out of town guest with me and it being my recommendation. My steak was cold and the margaritas, while very tasty, are laughably small for the money.
I had been there 3 or 4 times before and always generally pleased, certainly the service had always been top-notch and frequently the food was outstanding. But this past time has put me off from it for a long time.
wildfire
I've been to the River North location twice and have always found it to be peculiarly generic (more so than other Lettuce Entertain You Places), like a bit of the suburbs that found its way into the city. Prices are a touch more reasonable than the top-tier steakhouses but the portions and quality reflect this.
Anyone eaten at the Vietnamese Restaurant in Edison Park?
I ate there one time and I found it quite good, although a bit pricey for what it was. Service was very good but as we were one of only two occupied tables I would certainly hope so.
Argentine in Manhattan?
Zagat lists something like ten Argentine restaurants in Manhattan. Anyone have some experience to recommend one above the others? Don't mind paying for good food and quality wine but no interest in paying for trendiness and don't want to go anywhere a jacket would be the norm.
