lemiller610's Profile
What would you pick from these 4 choices? Looking for seafood-centric, romantic, kinda modern, ....
Thanks all - I was secretly hoping you'd say Aldea for sure!!!
What would you pick from these 4 choices? Looking for seafood-centric, romantic, kinda modern, ....
What would you pick?
1. Aldea
2. Aurora
3. Olana
4. Cookshop
Looking for:
1. Somewhat romantic (anniversary dinner) but we're in our late twenties/early thirties so nothing too heavy-duty romantic.
2. Modern in style - for example we looked at Erminia but decided it is just too old-timey for this celebration. We want it to be a little more upbeat and fun rather than candle-lit and quiet.
3. We love seafood. We love duck and duck fat anything. We love fresh vegetables that aren't over-sauced. We don't like big slabs of steak.
4. We're going to Desnuda the night before with friends, so nothing that is ceviche-heavy!
soooo, what would you pick?
Fried shrimp heads?
Itto Sushi, a fantastic sushi place, serves them for sure. And they are verrrry good!
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Itto Sushi
2616 N Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60614
1st-time visit to Chicago Chinatown... must-try recommendations?
There's a TON of good and very affordable Asian food in Uptown area, complete opposite direction of Chinatown proper. Not many Chinese-exclusive, but a lot of Vietnamese, Korean, and a few Chinese & Japanese places.
Visiting Son, Need moderately priced help
Mixteco is a great choice - make sure to make a reservation!
Other choices I can think of are Delecce on Irving/Southport, which is moderately-priced and on a few bus routes. I've had many great meals there.
There's a few Thai places on the Brown line Western stop (Lincoln/Western area), which are all good. Opart Thai probably has the nicest atmosphere.
Vegetarian Chicago
My votes would be Green Zebra for fancy, high-end Vegetarian. Get the chef's dinner with the wine pairing - totally worth it. A fantastic meal.
Agreed with poster about Dharma Garden - fantastic veggie Thai, with a special twist. It's not like they just take out the meat here - they build their dishes around fresh vegetables and great tofu & meat substitutes (not the tasteless mass-produced variety).
Karyn's Cooked is also AMAZING - cozy atmosphere and everything I've had there is great. She has two places - one is all-raw (which I'm not into) but the Cooked one on Wells and Chicago is really, really good.
Would NOT recommend Chicago diner. Just ick.
Other ideas are Handlebar and Earwax... but they are nothing fancy and your 20-somethings have probably already been there.
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Green Zebra
1460 W Chicago, Chicago, IL 60622
Dharma Garden Thai Cuisine
3109 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60618
3 requests... near Broadway & Spring or Hudson & Charlton
hi all,
Looking for two recommendations while I am in town visiting my other office from Chicago. Office is at Broadway & Spring, Hotel is at Hudson and Charlton.
1. Fun bar for good happy hour specials - not too loud (we'll be talking business) but not too stuffy and proper either.
2. Nice place for dinner with co-workers. We work for The Onion, if that tells you anything. We're not fancy, but we do like our good food. There will be 5-6 of us so again someplace not bumpin with loud music as we'll be talking business. As far as food - since there will be a mix of tastes, maybe something new-American, Italian? I just want fresh ingredients. Some are veggies/fish only. Outdoor seating is a plus.
3. A Nice place to grab dinner alone one night. I would love great, fresh, straightforward seafood and a great cocktail.
Ideas? thanks in advance!
What are you a stubborn purist about?
Some have already been hinted at... but here is my hit list:
- Coffee : strong, hot, dark. No sugar, flavoring, milk powder, syrups, etc. blech!
- Sushi: I gotta agree with many posters here - I am a sushi purist - I like fresh fish atop perfectly made sushi rice. No mayo, no avocado, no "spicy tuna", no brown rice.
- Chocolate - please contain the agricultural product that is "cocoa". Chocolate is not sugar and vegetable fat.
- Buttercream - bascially the same as chocolate - buttercream is cream, butter, and a touch of sugar. It is not Crisco, it is not tons of sugar, it does not come out of a jar.
- Lobster - (keep in mind, I was born a Rhode Islander and we take this stuff seriously). Lobster is whole, alive prior to cooking, cooked with steam, and eaten with butter and only butter. I will never eat lobster in pasta, in a Chinese restaurant, or baked and stuffed. I sometimes have a hard time with the mayo in lobster rolls. Purist!
Best Spanish restaurant?
Looking for a mid - high end Spanish restaurant, with fantastic lively energy/atmosphere for a celebration dinner (just 2 of us).
We love fresh flavors of the Mediterranean and are very healthy eaters (ie, big appetites!) so tapas sometimes leaves us feeling strangely "still-hungry-even-after-dropping-$100+.
Was Yelping and found Cafe Iberico and Cafe BaBaReeba... any reco's on these two or other restaurants that might fit this bill?
thanks in advance!
Mado - 3 questions...
Going to Mado tomorrow night for the first time - very excited!
2 questions, though...
1. What is the price range? Their online menu does not have prices listed and I've head it's pretty pricey... anyone know the ranges?
2. Will there be enough selection for a vege-quarium (someone who eats fish but no other fowl/meat)? I've heard that is it very meat-centric.
3. Are the shortbreads really that good???
I will report back on my experience!
Easter Menus!
I am not cooking this year :( but my Italian family Easters usually include a strata or frittata with loads of fresh herbs.... some roasted asparagus (the best time of the year for it!).... Easter bread (those tacky braided egg-breads with the eggs stuck in them - so Italian)... fruit salad... spinach soup (with or without veal - made a lot of lemon)... roasted or scalloped potatoes.... stuffed mushrooms with garlic... and of course the HAM!
Downtown Naperville & Naperville Area Restaurants
Rosebud is changing it's concept in Naperville from Italian to Burgers and Mac-and-Cheese type of 'comfort food'. VERY strange for a restaurant chain that has never done anything but Italian.
(side note, the "word on the street" is that the company treats their employees like !@#^%*($ and has a few marks against them on the Better Business Bureau).
wholesale bread bakeries in Chicago or surrounding?
I recently moved to Chicago and am looking for info on the area wholesale bakeries. You know, like the bakeries that supply to restaurants and cafes and such. Any ideas?
thanks in advance :)
Best place to buy bulk spices?
Where do you go to buy bulk spices and herbs ?
Bonus points if they have bulk nuts, rice, dried beans, etc.
looking to stock up on some basics (peppercorns, chili flakes, salt, oregano, cinnamon), plus some more hard-to-find stuff like sichuan peppercorns, pine nuts, hungarian paprika, pepitas.
I just despise buying the little jars at Trader Joes or Wholefoods.
TIA!
Need GOOD Sushi...
I had some excellent sushi at ITTO SUSHI on Halstead. I am sort-of new to Chicago so I haven't had a chance to try all the good sushi joints, but Itto definitely delivered. Traditional menu items - nothing fusion-y, which is fine by me. We were the only Americans in the place - the rest was a Japanese clientele.
Chicago CH'ers: How does this place rate against other recommendations?
my FIRST of many Chicago dinners... need reco!
good call Lulubelle. I will be hanging my hat in Rogers Park, West Lunt Ave.
Any good ideas in that neck of the woods?
Thanks to all who replied!
my FIRST of many Chicago dinners... need reco!
Hello Hounders,
I was born a Boston Chowhound, became a Seattle Chowhound, and now I am pleased to announce I am moving to Chicago to join the ranks of Chicago CHowhounders!
Here's my question:
I am going to Chicago to sign a lease on an apartment for a short weekend. I am available for one - MY FIRST EVER - dinner in Chicago. I want it to be a home run.
I want it to be energetic, lively (not boring and too snooty), a little glimpse into the underbelly (ie,non-touristy) Chicago, if you will.
So I ask you, where should I go? Keep in mind I will be able to (and am excited about) go to all Chicago has to offer when i DO move, but I want this one night to be very "Chicago-esque".
here are some other criteria:
- middle-of the road price
- in Chicago proper (not suburbs)
- i like all food, particularly unfussy freshness that focuses on ingredients (pref local)
- good "date" atmosphere - a little sexy or romantic, but not overly so.
- good cocktails or at least beer selection.
- nearby bar for an after-dinner drink (dives welcome)
thanks and I look forward to hounding with you guys when I move in a few weeks!
SEA - Looking for best traditional sushi
Maneki, Shun, and Shiros are my favorites in town. Chiso is also a solid choice.
Umi is too much of a scene with verrry inconsistent quality. Wasabi Bistro - forget about it.
I've never been to Nishino but hear it is great, but you can probably get just as good for cheaper elsewhere in the city.
Other CH'ers are right - there will always be the Americanized rolls on menus, but so what - sit at the bar and don't even look at the menu.
Molly Moon ice cream in Wallingford (SEA)
I work at Fran's and can confirm that we no longer make ice cream for any of our locations. A few things, including health dept. regulations and a change in management at Fran's, spurred this decision.
I wish we still had it too!!!
Suggestions for parents' 50th anniversary?
Chez Shea in the Market is nice, and I'm sure they could arrange for something special for you - they have great service.
The Herbfarm is also highly recommended for special occasions. A little ways outside of the city, but worth it.
Cremant (French) apparently has private dining options but I have never been so I can't vouch for it. I have heard great things though. http://www.cremantseattle.com/
Poppy
http://poppyseattle.com/index.html
It says "now taking reservations"... but no specific date.
menu online looks great.
chez gaudy (cap hill) - consensus?
Couldn't find a darn thing on this board about Chez Gaudy in Capitol Hill. What does everyone think?
First date advice; need help
Le Gourmand in Ballard - in my opinion one of the top 3 resturants in Seattle. Romantic, but not overly so. Excellent food. If things go well (wink, wink) you can also have a cocktail in the ajoining Sambar lounge.
SEA: Canlis or other similar
I second Ray's. Lovely setting, service, and food.
Definitely seafood-focused, so you have to be in the mood for seafood.
Gourmet brewpub
I would disagree about Elysian (all 3 locations). They've changed their menu as of late at the Cap Hill location, and nothing is good - very disappointing. I got the fish and chips at the Tangletown location once and they were a soggy mess. So, in short, no - not gourmet by any means, IMO.
My suggestion would be Brouwers - they have about 50 beers on tap and the long list of bottles (you have to ask for it) is like 20 pages long. They really know their beer and can recommend a good one for any taste.
Their food has improved as of late - Moules et Frites is especially good. It's in Fremont.
Best Thai in Seattle
I second Racha. They have very fresh food, great soups too.
Plus, they have a full bar (very hard to find in Thai rest.)
Bulk Candy in Seattle or Portland areas
The Confectionary in University Village, Seattle is a good choice. They will have some unique items. Not sure if they carry name-brand stuff or if they have everything private-labeled.
Central Market does have a great selection but it's geared for the natural/health type. Still good, probably even better than the brand-name stuff, but just wanted to give you the heads up.
