nsxtasy's Profile
Heading to Ft. Wayne/Auburn, IN. What are great local places?
I ate at Joseph Decuis again last night, and it was as superb as ever.
I decided to have three appetizers rather than an appetizer and then entree. I started with a salad of roasted baby beets, served warm, and it was amazing, the best beet salad I have ever had. I then had the sweetbreads appetizer, followed by the crab croquettes; both were excellent. One of my companions had the seared sea scallops and proclaimed those the best he had ever had. For dessert I had the jasmine rice pudding brulee; it was served hot in a round crocklike dish, and this was another "oh my gosh" experience. The service was once again excellent as well.
This was the best dinner I've eaten in a long time, a time during which I've eaten at some of the top restaurants in some of the biggest cities in the country. Joseph Decuis is THAT GOOD. It doesn't get as much hype as some other places do, but at Joseph Decuis, it's not about hype; it's about terrific, delicious, memorable food. If you're visiting Fort Wayne, it's a must, and if you're not, it's worth making a special trip to dine there.
Chicago Food Trip Suggestions Please - Nxstasy you're my only hope, lol
>> If you had to choose, would you keep Naha or Sprout, or would you do Mercat a la Planxa instead?
I've eaten at both Naha and Sprout in the past six months, and Mercat a couple of years ago. Of those three, I'd say Naha has the most delicious food, by far. I felt that Sprout was one of many places around town that are pretty good but really not exceptional in any way; by contrast, Naha was thoroughly outstanding. Although Mercat didn't wow me, it may be worth considering if you want something different from contemporary American (but I don't think I'd do it the same day as Purple Pig, since they both lean heavily towards Mediterranean). So yes, it's worth trying to fit Naha into your itinerary, more so than Sprout. I also think that North Pond, which seems to have disappeared from your itinerary, is every bit as worthy as Naha. HTH!
Bakery in Oakbrook/Glen Ellyn
Toni Patisserie in Hinsdale is excellent. www.tonipatisserie.com
San Diego foodie moving to Bowling Green, Ohio
One other really good place in Toledo hasn't been mentioned yet: Bangkok Kitchen. It's a terrific Thai restaurant, and I mean terrific for anywhere, not just for Toledo. It's on Dussel Drive (technically it's in Maumee) down the street from Mancy's Bluewater Grill. It's in a strip mall and it's not easy to spot as you're driving by; it's next door to, and just east of, a Wendy's.
Lobster/Crab/Shrimp Rolls- low-key...
Another place that has that kind of thing is Fish Bar, in Lakeview on the North Side. www.fishbarchicago.com Disclaimer: I haven't been to Fish Bar. GT Fish, which I recommended above, is in River North (downtown). I've been to GT Fish several times and loved it each time. Their seafood is very fresh, and I love their small plates approach.
Restaurants in Evanston
If you find yourself going to Libertad on the spur of the moment and they're too crowded, there are good alternatives nearby that you might want to check. Yolo is a block and a half north of Libertad and serves very good, creative Mexican cuisine, and it's BYOB; however it's small, so you may or may not find them full. (They do accept reservations over the phone.) www.yolomexicaneatery.com Kabul House is two blocks east of Libertad and serves very good Afghan cuisine. www.kabulhouse.com
SKOKIE EASY and GOOD EATS (the fatter the better)
For lunch, any beef-lover should head to the next town east, where Edzo's rules Evanston with the best burgers anywhere! You have your choice of burgers griddled ("smashed thin & crispy on the griddle") or char-style ("thicker, juicier, tell us how you want it cooked"). They offer three different kinds of artisanal ranch beef as well as their standard beef. And their milkshakes are ohmygod amazing too - the kind made in an old fashioned shake machine, and yes they give you the extra leftover in the can it's made in, all for $4. Ten (yes ten) kinds of fries too. They get busy at lunchtime, but the line moves fast (don't take a table until you've placed your order at the counter). They're not open for dinner, closed Mondays. www.edzos.com
Indianapolis - Birthday Dinner Recommendations
If you're downtown - R Bistro. www.rbistro.com
If you're on the north side or northern suburbs - Oakley's Bistro. www.oakleysbistro.com
I haven't been to Recess yet; they have a fixed tasting menu, also on the north side. www.recessindy.com
Restaurants in Evanston
Check out this topic:
Evanston Restaurants - www.chow.com/topics/818123
Need non-fussy fish or Italian recs near James Hotel for 2-hour window on Saturday night
If I had to choose one, I would lean towards GT Fish. I like their small plates format, and everything is really really creative (including the cocktails too, if that is important to you), whereas the menu and preparations at Shaw's are more traditional. GT Fish is smaller than Shaw's - not tiny, but Shaw's is quite large. The seafood is absolutely fresh at both places, and you really can't go wrong with either one. GT Fish's decor is contemporary/hip, whereas Shaw's is designed for a retro look, to emulate an old-time New England seafood restaurant - yes, somewhat similar to Joe's in that regard (although Joe's is designed to be reminiscent of its original location in Florida). Shaw's and Joe's are both part of the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group, although LEY makes each of their concepts distinct from the others. GT Fish is part of the Boka restaurant group, which is particularly good at providing showplaces for noteworthy chef-partners to shine; Giuseppe Tentori, who owns/runs the eponymous GT Fish, was formerly the executive chef at Boka (the restaurant after which the group was named, or vice versa). My most recent meal at GT Fish, a couple of weeks ago, was with friends visiting from the New Jersey Shore, and they were astonished by the quality of the fresh seafood inland here in Chicago at GT Fish. You probably wouldn't want to do both in a single visit, but Shaw's also has a terrific AYCE Sunday buffet brunch, which may be worth considering for a future visit. HTH.
Need non-fussy fish or Italian recs near James Hotel for 2-hour window on Saturday night
Our two very best seafood restaurants are both a short walk from the James Hotel, and both accept reservations, on Opentable as well as over the phone. GT Fish & Oyster ( www.gtoyster.com ) on Wells, five blocks west of the hotel, offers seafood in a casual "small plates" format and is relatively new. Shaw's Crab House ( www.shawscrabhouse.com ) on Hubbard, four blocks south of the hotel, is a traditional seafood restaurant and a longtime Chicago favorite. I have eaten at each of them twice in the past year, and both are consistently excellent.
Madison WI for Graduation Weekend
I was back in Madison this past weekend for another graduation, and I just wanted to post a brief report. This time I went to three restaurants that I had already been to:
1. AN UPSCALE FINER DINING RESTAURANT FOR DINNER.
We went to Fresco, on the roof of the Museum of Contemporary Art in downtown Madison, and it was absolutely OUTSTANDING. I don't know why they don't get written up more, because it has been wonderful for all of my several visits there. The only downside is that when it's busy, it can be VERY LOUD/NOISY - but if the weather is nice, you can eat outside to avoid that.
2. A MORE MODERATELY PRICED RESTAURANT FOR DINNER.
We went back to Eno Vino, and it was again excellent. Most of the dishes were really great, with one exception (we sent back the churros).
3. SUNDAY BRUNCH.
We went back to Sardine, and ate inside. It was very good and very pleasant. The food is pretty good - not amazing, but decent. And where else do they serve a beer chaser with your bloody mary? :)
Friday Lunch w/Dad - Delicious, not heavy, passable wine list?
>> I see I could get a rez at Topolobampo too... if we took that would we be locked in to a larger/heavier lunch than at Frontera?
No. At lunch, they're similar in style (and price).
As another option, consider GT Fish & Oyster in River North. They serve some of the best seafood anywhere, with creative preparations in a small plates format.
Chicago Food Trip Suggestions Please - Nxstasy you're my only hope, lol
I haven't been to Nellecote yet, sorry. But thanks to you too for the kind words!
South Haven, MI recommendations
Go 15-20 miles up the highway to Everyday People Cafe in Douglas. Note, they don't take reservations and they do get busy, with long waiting times to be seated at prime times on weekends.
Best Sunday Brunch for seafood
I've eaten at Shaw's for their buffet Sunday brunch twice so far this year, once in each location, and it's outstanding. They have terrific breakfast items (thick-cut caramelized bacon, yummmm), terrific seafood items (crabcakes, chilled shrimp and crab), and terrific desserts (creme brulee, pot de creme). I wrote up a detailed report which you can view at www.chow.com/topics/364403#5927944 - the only thing that has changed since then is the price ($48) and they no longer have hot king crab legs, although they still have them cold. This is my favorite brunch buffet.
I have eaten at Reel Club for lunch and dinner and like it a lot, but have not been there for brunch. (I don't even know whether it's a buffet.) It's also worth noting that, since Shaw's and Reel Club are both Lettuce Entertain You restaurants, it's possible they may share ingredient sourcing and/or recipes.
HTH
Chicago Food Trip Suggestions Please - Nxstasy you're my only hope, lol
Your trip sounds great! You are covering a lot of good places - I'm sure you already know that - so I'll add various comments, including responses to your specific questions.
You seem to be concentrating your itinerary on high-end (or higher-end) places offering lengthy tasting menus. Assuming you want to stick with that theme, several additional places might be worth considering. Charlie Trotter's is not closed until August, so it may still be a possibility. You briefly mentioned Everest, and it's still among our best, with great food, and mixed reports on service (excellent in my own experience). A few days ago I ate at Sprout, Dale Levitski's restaurant, and it is very good - not quite up there with Trotter's etc, but good enough to be worth considering. Oh, it's also very casual. One other place that has tasting menus is Bonsoiree, where I ate a couple of weeks ago, and which I thought was just okay - not awful, but not particularly impressive. You only mentioned North Pond for brunch, but they offer a tasting menu at dinner, and it's wonderful for its exquisite setting in the park as well as for the delicious food from newly-awarded James Beard winner Chef Bruce Sherman. One other upscale restaurant which doesn't normally have a tasting menu AFAIK but belongs in the conversation is Naha. Within the past couple of months I've also eaten at TRU (you've got that covered, great choice) and Goosefoot (very good, if you get in - remember too it's BYO). So to answer your question, aside from the waitlisted places, I'd look into reservations at Trotter's, Everest, Sprout, North Pond, and Naha.
Responses to specific questions/comments:
>> Wed 13th - Land at 5 PM, no current reservation - Need a suggestion that can be canceled last minute if Alinea/Goosefoot/EL Ideas come through
>> I'm thinking Purple Pig
The Purple Pig does not accept reservations, and waiting times to be seated for dinner are typically as much as two hours or more. You might want to consider Purple Pig for lunch instead, and make a reservation for dinner that evening at a place that accepts them. If you'd consider something a bit more casual than the tasting menu places mentioned above, I'd recommend one of our small plates places, specifically: GT Fish & Oyster (small plates with an emphasis on seafood, I ate there last night and it was again terrific); Sable (contemporary American small plates and artisanal cocktails); Mercat a la Planxa (tapas).
>> Sat 16th - Lunch suggestion, dinner at Schwa (booked already :)
I think the above suggestion of Perennial Virant for Saturday brunch is an excellent one.
>> Mon 18th - Need breakfast/lunch suggestions (Maybe Bongo Room) - Leaving Chicago at 1845 back to Canada
>> Breakfast/Brunch interest list: Fox + Obel, North Pond, Bongo Room, French Market
Here, you could go with a breakfast-focused place for breakfast/brunch, or a dinner-focused place for lunch. If you want a dinner-like lunch, your previous mentions of Blackbird and Cafe Spiaggia are both worthy, and GT Fish & Oyster (see above) is definitely worth considering as well. If you want a place that's geared towards breakfast/brunch, Fox & Obel wouldn't be at the top of my list (I love their bakery department, but when I eat there for breakfast/brunch I do so out of convenience) and neither would the French Market (a great place for grazing, especially with Vanille Patisserie, but not so much for a sit-down breakfast/brunch). North Pond only does brunch on Sundays, so that's out. Bongo Room has very creative pancakes (as well as egg dishes etc) if that appeals to you. Based on your preferences, my top pick among our breakfast-specialty places would be Jam; imagine if the chefs at an upscale tasting menu type restaurant decided to open a breakfast/brunch place, and that's what Jam is. Great food, sweet and savory, very creative, with an emphasis on breakfast/brunch dishes. It's also just a couple of blocks from the Logan Square station on the CTA Blue Line that goes to O'Hare, so it might work as a stop on the way to the airport. Two other favorite breakfast/brunch places I love are Southport Grocery (mentioned above - bread pudding pancakes!) and M. Henry / M. Henrietta, although both of these places are up on the north side and may not be so convenient for you on your getaway day.
HTH - and thanks for the kind words!
Tips for traveler with a sweet tooth in Chicago?
There isn't much I would recommend right in the Gold Coast itself, but within roughly two miles are five of the very best bakeries for pastry in the entire city:
Floriole Cafe & Bakery, Lincoln Park - www.floriole.com
Vanille Patisserie, Lincoln Park and West Loop/French Market - www.vanillepatisserie.com
Alliance Bakery, Wicker Park - www.alliance-bakery.com
Toni Patisserie, Loop - www.tonipatisserie.com
Fox & Obel, Streeterville/River East - www.fox-obel.com
For more information on each of these and others, see www.chow.com/topics/542316
As noted above, the Lobby, the restaurant in the Peninsula Hotel, does indeed still serve The Chocolate Bar, its all-you-can-eat buffet of 30-40 chocolate desserts, on Friday and Saturday evenings. It's pricey, though, around $35-40. www.peninsula.com/chicago/en/default.aspx#/chicago/en/Dining/The_Lobby
For non-pastry confections, I'd second the recommendations for Garrett's Popcorn ( www.garrettpopcorn.com ) and Vosges Chocolates ( www.vosgeschocolate.com ). Another excellent artisanal chocolatier downtown is Canady le Chocolatier, with locations in the South Loop and the West Loop/French Market ( www.canadylechocolatierchicago.com ). Our very best artisanal chocolatier IMHO requires a trip to near north suburban Evanston, for Belgian Chocolatier Piron ( www.belgchocpiron.com ).
Quick Milwaukee visit - recs needed
You don't mention where you're staying (downtown?) or how you're getting around (car?), which could have an impact on recommendations. Of the places you mention, the only ones I've been to are Hinterland and Crazy Water, both of which would fit your needs to a T. Hinterland is in the Third Ward and is walkable from much of downtown Milwaukee; Crazy Water is further south in Walkers Point and would require a car or cab. I can't help on brunch because when I visit I'm usually in the towns west of Milwaukee and I am guessing that's not where you're staying.
Anniv comming up - any chance of a decent onion loaf in the MKE area?
If the Chicago area is not too far to travel, consider one of the Hackney's locations. www.hackneys.net
Mexican and New Mexican in Madison, Wi
>> I cannot remember the last time I had a good experience at a Food Fight establishment.
Sounds like you haven't been to Fresco. Try it - it's excellent!
Waukesha County, WI - Hounds on the move
That's part of the Barolotta restaurant group, which offers some of the best places in the Milwaukee area, including Lake Park Bistro and Harbor House. www.bartolottas.com
Waukesha County, WI - Hounds on the move
I've only spent a little time in the Brookfield area, not much in the rest of the county, but here's what I can share. Mitchell's Fish Market in Brookfield is very good for seafood. Louise's in Brookfield is very good for California/Italian cuisine. I love Nora B's in Elm Grove for breakfast/lunch. (Strongly AVOID the Original Pancake House in Brookfield; this chain is usually good but this particular location is dreadful.) For bakeries, I wasn't all that impressed with Le Cakery in Elm Grove - it was just okay - and I'd go the few extra miles out of the county for Le Reve in 'tosa, which specializes in French pastries and baked goods. HTH
www.mitchellsfishmarket.com
www.louiseswisconsin.com
www.norabs.com
www.lecakery.com
www.lerevecafe.com
Milwaukee
>> The first is a night game so we want lunch. Anything that someone from Milwaukee would say,"ya gotta go there.".
The quintessential Milwaukee restaurant is Karl Ratzsch's, for German food. They're open for lunch Wednesday through Saturday. www.karlratzsch.com
If it's a Monday or Tuesday, a similar backup choice open for lunch those days is Mader's. www.madersrestaurant.com
Ratzch's opened in 1904, Mader's in 1902.
Best restaurant in the Madison, WI area for woman with walker
Sardine's entrance is up a level from its parking area, and thus is not really a good situation for someone with a walker. It's also a much more casual place than sought here.
The other restaurants mentioned here (L'Etoile, Harvest, Marigold Kitchen) are all on or off the square (that surrounds the state capitol) on ground level, so you can pull up out front and walk right in. Since the OP seems to be looking for a fine dining experience, L'Etoile and Harvest ought to be the top two choices.
Braise-MKE
>> We have not been there yet
Maybe you have, and you just forgot...? Here's why I say that: www.chow.com/topics/828881#7090818
:)
>> I think the chef worked at Sanford for quite a while?
Yes, David Swanson was chef de cuisine at Sanford.
Braise-MKE
Carol Deptolla wrote similar raves about Braise in yesterday's newspaper: www.jsonline.com/entertainment/dining/milwaukees-braise-makes-eating-local-exciting-even-in-winter-ep4kmgm-143842326.html
The restaurant's website is at www.braiselocalfood.com
Madison WI late March weekend
They're really very different kinds of places. If you want an upscale dinner with creative food in a "white tablecloth" setting, go to Harvest. If you've got a group and you prefer local flavor and traditional foods in a casual barlike setting, go to the Old Fashioned. Both are great at what they do; it's just a matter of what you're looking for.
