foodbeast's Profile
San Pelegrino dine out
The San Pellegrino dine out is happening the 19th to the 23rd and the 26th to the 30th of August.
Check for restaurants at www.usadineout.com
Most restaurants that take part offer a fixed price menu.
The give you a free bottle of water. (Wow)
And they donate some of the money to Share Our Strength
I have been waiting for this since last year when 3 of my favorite Italian restaurants took part and my wife and I were able to visit all three during the special as well as our favorite seafood place. Dinner out twice a week is rare for us as we have 2 kids and we never do it 2 weeks in a row!
The menu is 35 at dinner and 25 at lunch
alinea or moto? help please
Go to alinea as it may soon be changing due to the chefs personal situation. moto is bound to be around for some time
Johnnie's Beef review -- good beef but underwhelmed
now thats chow fries-shakes at one place beef at the other
eat in the parking lot
i bet you bring your own giardeniera
gord- you know how to chow
dessert: hot chocolate or tru?
MK is Mike Kornics restaurant 868 north franklin
At Hot chocolate we had a cookie plate (Small and everything tasted the same) chocolate cale that had a terribal frosting and doughnuts the doughnuts were fresh and hot but the dipping sauce dident come out when they did we asked and a raspberry sauce came 15 min later. when the doughnuts were cold and half gone
i dont remember what else we had but i love to eat and i realy love dessert and i wont go back
from what others have sent in TRU sounds good
dessert: hot chocolate or tru?
My 2 cents. i dident liek hot chocolate. i have been there 3 times (different friends wanted to try it)
I enjoyed the desserts at Tru but for the price was not impressed.
I had only dessert at MK and loved it. we were there late and were treated very well. desserts and coffee were very good
nice list of after dinner drinks by the glass
we ended up spending about $40.00 because of the madera we drank
overall a very excelent experence
Dinner in Evanston
I have just been to tratoria DOC ok service good food but keep to the pizzas and the pastas the entrees seem to be an afterthought
I just went to blind faith after staying away for years (Some bad experiences) I think they have gotten there act together
Favorite dish at Custom House
I had the veal sweetbread appetizer ... truly outstanding
Evanston Places to dine out doors
campignola has a deck in the back ( Enclosed)and very nice food
Va Pensiero has a cool patio off the street
Thoughts on Sam's since the new owners?
i visit the sams in highland park. and i thought the wines and sales staff were jus new and untrained
so i went back downtown and found the same thing
on the other hand the person in highland park who helped me with the large interesting beer selection was great! (I am sorry i dont remember her name)
Pete Miller's Evanston - prices?
I like Pete Millers even more now that it is no smoking.
The steaks are good!! The seafood is only ok in my opinion.
The burgers are real good and I tend to stick to them or the steak sandwich
It is not fine dining and the wine list is pretty nice. Just don’t ask them for help.
Restaurants for Wedding Reception - W/NW burbs
I don’t know if you would like to go this far north but I had my wedding reception at Va Pensiero in Evanston. (I still live close by)
Very fun, I am all about the wine but the food is important too.
They did great on both counts. We were in a separate room. They do have an outside patio but we were married in the winter.
As a side note we went in for our 1st anniversary and they remembered us, sent out sparkling wine and went over the top to make the night special.
lunch near McCormick Place?
just my opinion but i have been to Gioco and Opera in the last month
dont go to opera
Gioco (Same company) is quite good
Aladdin's--great for vegetarians and cheap
I like aladdins but if you have a car and some time head to the Pita Inn on dempster
the warm pita bread is great
Gio in Evanston
Evanston has great food and real good Italian.
We live to the north and eat in Evanston often
I never tried gio and now I defiantly never will
As an aside I Hate Tapas Barcelona and that is a term that I rarely use.
anyone been to Custom House lately?
We had the veal cheeks and they were exceptional as was the sweetbreads with mushrooms.
In my option I would look to the braised dishes and the more interesting preparations.
It seems a shame to have a kitchen of that caliber “grill a steak for you” they are capable of so much more.
On a side note they have a very unusual list of drinks available at the bar.
Has Lettuce Entertain You declined?
Lettuce is a big corporation they move managers around to the different spaces often. They have good managers and they have new hires. (I was a low level employee way back when.) they do try to be great but
I saw the restaurant I worked in go from bad to worse and then it got very good all depending on who was managing.
Small places tend to go downhill and stay there because of ownership.
I will say this for lettuce; if you complain (By sending a letter) they listen and try to do something about it.
Restaurant Supply Stores
Go to a hardware store and buy a cast iron skillet (Or get an old one from your grandmother) best non stick before they invented non stick.
Best thing to cook a steak in doors
If you buy it now it will last until you hand it down to your grand children
Will cost about $15.00
In a pinch you can make a pineapple upside-down cake in it
T.J. Maxx sells great pans cheep but you need to wait until they have what you want. I got an all clad 5 quart there, they only had 3 they only had grey but it was only $15.00 and it is usually a lot more
seeking recs from Naha
The chef is so good I don’t think you can go wrong.
If goose liver is on the menu (In any form) it would be a must have!
Very good risotto
Look to the braised and game dishes
The Hamburger at lunch is wonderful!
New Tramonto/Gand Restaurants in Wheeling
I have been to the Osteria twice
Both times good to very good the first time (Just after it opened) service was very lax
I went back recently and had a nice meal. It is a unique offering in the suburbs.
I did think that the cost was high for what was received. The antipasto that is chosen from a card took forever and was pathetically skimpy. I realize that the cheeses are high quality but less than an ounce is not enough to taste. The pickled lambs tongue was sliced so thin and all three slices could not have been one ounce. The fennel salad by contrast was tasty and a large serving.
The wine list is very nice and very user friendly very much appreciated.
My ordered Prosecco was not more than a 2 ounce pour and at eight dollars again seemed high even considering the cool glassware.
Desserts were indeed a disappointment
All in all I did think it was pretty good and would probably return although not in a hurry.
Down town this would not last. In the suburbs I am curious to see how it goes.
La Petite Amelia In Evanston?
I cannot recommend La Petite
For the price, the service and the food fall far short
Anyone been to Spring Lately?
I know that this is not even what you asked but I was at Custom House and it was outstanding. I ate everything I shouldn’t have (Sweetbreads, braised beef short ribs, crème brulee)
Everything was outstanding and service was quick and efficient.
I also loved the cocktail menu very unique tasty offerings.
Last time I was at Spring was over a year ago good food gruff service.
prairie grass on Skokie Blvd
Has anyone been to prairie grass for brunch? Sarah Stegner is such a wonderful chef.
I have been for dinner and enjoyed it. It is a bit loud sometimes. I am looking to go with my family so kid friendly would be a plus.
dessert tasting
If you are looking to go to a restaurant for “Only dessert” my wife and I had a private dine around in Chicago on our last anniversary trying several restaurants for different courses and cuisines at different places. We ended at MK. Desserts were very good service was great. I could not have asked for anything nicer.
dessert tasting
I second sweets and savories; also I understand the peninsula hotel has a chocolate buffet on Fridays and Saturdays.
I would not recommend hot chocolate I have been there once will not return and if you look to metromix you will see why.
Babbo of Chicago
Babbo is unbelievably good. To say that Chicago has nothing to compare is not to put down Chicago because neither any where else and nothing in New York is as good
I went with an attitude thinking that the food network hype was perhaps just hype.
I was very happy with the well priced wined and delicious food. Many dishes not traditional Italian but nice renditions done a little more upscale and using local ingredients.
Many of the dishes can be found in his cookbooks.
When I visited I was on a 1 week tour of New York and I ate at all of the zagat mentioned upscale Italian places. Babbo was the best
Wine Bar
second the recommendations for the tasting room and Avec
I very much enjoy them both. Avec has in my opinion better food if you are looking to have a meal but it can become very crowded
The tasting room runs some wonderful by the glass options and does half price on Monday or Tuesday (Check with them) and that is a great deal
I went to Eno in the intercontinental hotel on Michigan Ave on Friday
They serve wine cheese and chocolate only
Very good cheese (I love the stuff) kind of expensive
Wines by the glass around $17.00 but some very good options and a great staff full of information
For those who like Red Light...
I went there and loved everything
I especially enjoyed the 2 currys that we had at the table
Very spicy but great
Chocolate bag very good other desserts not as great
Opera
I ate at opera and it was just not good.
I hope that my experience was unusual but somehow I don’t think it was.
I have been a big fan of Paul Wildermoth (SP?) for a long time but this was terrible
Duck nachos with goat cheese?
Tasteless spring rolls
OK service
Cool décor
We will not return
I do not understand why anyone does
