lenchik's Profile
MANGHAL RESTAURANT CLOSED
We loved going their initially, but after awhile their prices were almost as high as Shallots - might as well go to Shallot's then. The quality had also been steadily declining. Can't say I will miss it terribly.
Kosher Food in Downtown Chicago
Isn't Starr Catering former Kirshner's? I have never tried their sandwiches. Well, the French Market does have free validated parking for up to 1 hour, so it's definitely worth a shot.
ANOTHER KOSHER RESTAURANT IN CHICAGO
Lakeview? Wow! Date NIGHT!
I wonder what Chalavi will come up with next - their Chinese wasn't very exciting... Although I have to admit that I am a sucker for their baked macaroni with that cheese crust thing on top.
Kosher Food in Downtown Chicago
Supposedly line was around the corner yesterday. I will wait a week or so to try it out.
Entertaining/Feeding 5 Israelis for 5 days in Chicago - Work Related:)
Yup, so far I have been sticking to Metroklub for lunches and Metrokclub double-wrapped deliveries to their hotel for dinners. Tonight they are going to the Bulls game, so there is a kosher concession stand there (thank G-d). Tomorrow's lunch is MK of course:) and Shallot's for supper. This is stressful:)
So what are you making for Shavout?
We always do blintzes, spinach lasagna, corn on the cob, butternut squash soup or potato bisque soup, tuna croquettes, crepes with red caviar, lots of green salads with feta and also super Russian salads with basic tomato, cucumber, onion with sour cream instead of dressing. Various types of smoked fish are also served - mackerel, salmon, whitefish, trout, herring, etc. And lots and lots of cheeeesecake. Our local girl school usually has a cheesecake fund raiser, so it's calories for a good cause. Or we have this place called Bagel Country - they make the most awesome cheesecakes (at least for Chicago:). I LOVE SHAVUOT!! Really, I could it like this ALL the time, although it may turn into a coronary...
Entertaining/Feeding 5 Israelis for 5 days in Chicago - Work Related:)
Oh my Gosh, yes! We are doing that - our company has season passes to Bulls and White Sox. We are also taking them to Briar Street one evening to see Blue Man Group. Still freaking out about the food:) I want to see if I can arrange something through Spertus.
Entertaining/Feeding 5 Israelis for 5 days in Chicago - Work Related:)
Yes, TLC! Don't know how I forgot them, my sister only worked there for like 4 years:)
Actually, I might have them cater a lunch here - can't imagine that they would charge more then $50 for delivery. Or would they:)
Thanks guys! I will let you all know what came out of all this...
Entertaining/Feeding 5 Israelis for 5 days in Chicago - Work Related:)
I was actually thinking of doing a dinner at my house one evening and catering from Tailgators - they have all sorts of BBQ stuff. Not counting Shallot's which is our only presentable place for supper, I suppose I have to discount Taboun and Manghal since they are "Israeli". Oy vey, this is going to be so very hard...
Thanks guys!
Entertaining/Feeding 5 Israelis for 5 days in Chicago - Work Related:)
Hello Kosher Chowhounders!
As the only kosher keeping person in a 400 employee company, I have been assigned the task of feeding and entertaining 5 Israeli visitors who also keep kosher:).
If anyone has suggestions regarding how I would feed them, they would be most welcome. Our offices are on the south side of the city, close to U.S.Cellular field.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated.
Ideas for Post-Baby Meal Delivery on Pesach
So my normal post baby meals delivery is either a wine chicken with potatoes, or meat balls and pasta, or lasagna for dairy.
Does anyone have additional suggestions for items I can drop off with a family that just had a baby during Chol HaMoed?
Need an Easy Baked Pesach Chicken recipe
Our go to chicken recipe for all occasions (better for dark meat).
Lay chicken pieces on baking dishes. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Lay sliced onion circles on top and pour in sweet red wine (I use Rashi). Bake at 375 for 45 minutes covered and then uncover, raise over temperature to 425 and bake for another about 30 minutes so that the onions are browned on top. Enjoy!
Looking for a non-kugel, make-ahead potato side dish to serve with brisket
Here is my never fail recipe for potatoes (I am so Russian it hurts...) - boil any small potatoes (red, white or fingerling) in jackets. Add some Pesach equivalent of Smart Balance, tons of garlic and fresh dill (both minced). When I am not lazy, I also quickly fry up some sliced white mushrooms with onions (both coursly chopped) and throw that into the cooked potatoes as well.
Enjoy:)
Kosher Caterers in Chicago - what's the latest and greatest
So with the wedding season approaching (Thank G-d it never really stops in our community:), does anyone have experiences and up to date info on catered events throughout the area. Doesn't seem like there have been too many recent threads about this, the last one dates back to like 2009:)
For example, has anyone been to an event catered by Kosher Nostra? I see their ads in the Chicgo Jewish Advertiser.
Of course, I am always on the prowl for interesting venues as well where kosher caterers are welcome.
Any information would be most welcome.
Share your Seder Menu!
I dont't have any definite menus yet, but on Pesach I always make it a point to make Yapsik, which is the slow baked potato kugel with Flanken pieces inside as well as Moussaka (from the Kosher by Design Passover edition). Always a big success:)
kosher in moscow
I was in Moscow for work 2.5 years ago and can attest that both restaurants at 2nd Vysheslavtsev pereulok, 5a, are really great. Be prepared to go through a metal detector and have your belongings inspected by security. The restaurants are inside the synagogue/community center, which is a giant building. The interior is nice and they have wifi i believe.
I didn't do too much shopping at the stores there and stuck mostly to tuna/quaker bars and crackers I brought from home. It's hard to walk around with a list of brands as there weren't really markings on the products like the ones in the U.S. and other countries.
If you need to be there for Shabbos, I was set up with really nice families through http://www.jewishmoscow.com - great people!!
Harmony Passover cheddar
We order cheese from them about once a month - I think they have good prices and I love their customer service, really nice people. I very much like their Mozzarella and Muenster, and recently tried their Asiago, which is also pretty decent. I did not like their Havarti - we bought it only once, in a 5lb block and it seemed off.
Overall, I am quite satisfied with their cheese, our kids like it very much also, and I would much rather buy from them then get something called "cheese food" at our local supermarket:)
It's definitely worth a try! Enjoy!
New Miami Beach info
my parents are in miami this week and visit a new place every day. So far, they really loved Grill Time - they go there every time they are in town and said that this was the best yet, both service and food-wise. The other two places they visited were in Aventura, there is a new'ish morroccan restaurant at the Waterways plaza, which they absolutely loved (I think it's at the same location as Pita Hut) used to be. They also went to Gigi's for lunch and said it was ok, but not as great as they remembered. They just flew in Wednesday night - if you would like, I can update posts once I get more info:)
Enjoy your visit - we LOVE miami:)
Sara's Kosher Deli in Oak Park half off today on Oywhatadeal.com!
Enjoy if you are in the area:
http://oywhatadeal.com/
SO VERY YUMMY!
Kosher Cookie Favors
Thanks - I like Zelda's very much, but they are a bit our of my price range.
Kosher Cookie Favors
Hello,
I need to order cookie favors (or better yet, cookies on a stick:) for a baby shower that I have been put in charge of organizing. I haven't been able to find anything cheaper then $3 per piece in my area and was wondering if maybe I could order something less expensive from another state. Please let me know if anyone has recommendations. I found a really nice looking place from NY online and they do appear to be certified, but I don't know much about the particular certification.
Although 98% of the people attending don't keep kosher, I feel uncomfortable ordering non-kosher items as I don't want people to eat treif on my account.
Thanks!
Chicago caterers
Metroklub is only open Monday-Thursday and only for lunch, not sure what they do for the rest of the week.
I will actually be sampling their catering skills next Saturday night as they are catering an event at my son's school.
Chicago caterers
Shallot's and Spertus are very good. They are also very expensive, so depending on your budget, you may want to evaluate various options. I like food from Taboun, but I don't think they will provide you with anything other then the food itself, i.e. dishes, silverware, serving pieces, etc.
I would speak to your hotel and see which kosher caterer they work with, it may be easier to organize a meal that way. I don't know if you are using a banquet room at the venue or if you are hosting this in your own room, but you will need to figure out where exactly the food will be delivered, how you will keep it warm, etc. If it's in one of the hotel's function rooms, they may not allow you to bring food from a place they don't normally work with due to liability.
Bulldog Bakery Chicago
Has anyone tried their cakes/pastries?
Their website also says that they offer kosher quiches - are those dairy? I would love to try them out, but it's a hassle to drag myself to their location if it's not really worth it.
Kosher Caviar - What's the Best?
I order from Awers Inc. all the time - (www.red-caviar.com), which is the website that AdinaA indicated. We get their red caviar, which is really great (big Russian staple in our house).
I ordered black caviar from there once for my non-Jewish cousin, and I do not believe it bore any sort of a hechsher, whereas all of the red caviar is O-U certified.
Note, that you have to order a minimum of 12 items in order for them to ship anything to you. We usually do a neighborhood order, that way we also save $ on shipping. And of course, since they are sending it out of Washington state, there are no taxes:). I think they have a Facebook page, so if you follow them, they post discount codes from time to time. Good luck!
Lindt Chocolates
In case anyone is interested, Lindt Chocolates (at least some of them) are now kosher - Chof-K supervision. Happy Day!
EJ's pizzeria in Skokie
I like their food, however, the last 2 times we went there (both on a Saturday night), we had just turned around and left because of how disorganized the setup is. The poor people who get stuck sitting close to the counter are constantly pushed and shoved and you have to memorize every single thing you have ordered when you go pay. Also, when you walk in, it smells like something is burning. I get their pizza for carry-out and eat it at home, otherwise it's just too stressful. Oh, and i LOVE their garlic knots:)
Kosher Thanksgiving in Chicago
Thanks for checking for me! I got the invitation yesterday by email, but unfortunately i don't think we can afford $80 per adult with an addition $35 per kid, it adds up to about $500 for our immediate family alone:( I would totally do it, if i didn't have kids to run after during the meal, but spending $500 and not even enjoying myself, I don't think I could do it. Oh well, it was worth a shot.
Kosher Thanksgiving in Chicago
Too bad Shallot's is not doing anything. Thanks everyone!
Meatballs Shabbos Day and other Blech related questions
I know there have been threads about this int he past, but I am not the savviest searcher. Anyone willing to respond/comment would be most welcome.
So my husband has said a big N O to anything that comes from the crock pot for Shabbos day because it tastes already digested and I so totally agree (with the exception of my very awesome Chili, but we are just chili'd out at this point).
I have obtained a blech - the electric plug in type.
No idea how to use it on Shabbos though - do i have to leave everything on it from before Shabbos, and if so, won't it go sour? I was thinking of doing meatballs and rice or potatoes, but don't want everyone to get food poisoning from stuff that's been standing out since 4pm the day before.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
