ChicagoJen's Profile
Best Knoxville restaurants? Italian and TN Regional best
Will be in Knoxville this weekend for a triathlon so looking for good, fresh Italian for pre race night meal and then just plain good, regional (BBQ?) favorite food the other... thoughts? Never been to Knoxville so any help is appreciated!!! Thanks!
Anyone eaten @ Riva, Naperville yet?
My husband and I have been there several times. The food is always good, but I agree with Chicago Wine Geek re: the prices - definitely overpriced for the location, etc.
Restaurants in Racine, WI?
My husband and I will be in Racine tomorrow night and Saturday and wanted to know what restaurants are recommended for dinner/lunch. Looking for good food (non-chain places) at reasonable prices. We've been to Chancery and the like...
Any recs are appreciated!
Frontera Best Restaurant in America?
While I also am a fan of Rick Bayless and unlike Chef June have never had a bad meal or experience there, I also think the "best restaurant" title is a bit much. My husband and I recently traveling to San Fran and ate at Boulevard which was also nominated and I would definitely put Boulevard over Frontera/Topolobampo.
Mon Ami Gabi
I haven't been to the Chicago location in a while, but I would certainly recommend it based on my previous experiences there - it has a very nice decor, and we've always been pleased with the food, etc.
However, having said that - since you already have experience with Mon Ami Gabi and if a steak place is what you are looking for, there are TONS of really great steak places in the city you might take the opportunity to try. Chicago Chop House is one of my favorites and I have seen lots of recommendations for Lawrys and Gene and Georgettis.
Frontera/Tompolobampo: 2nd Time Not a Charm
I would recommend Salpicon - VERY good mexican cuisine. Personally, I've always had good food and service at Topo and Frontera...
Report: SF, Napa, Dry Creek Trip
Thanks to all SF Hounds that provided input several weeks ago into the trip my husband & I took this last weekend to the SF and Napa areas. We spent one day in SF and then the rest of the weekend in Napa and also the Dry Creek Passport event.
SF Report:
We had lunch at Hog Island Oyster Company and felt the food was okay (a bit overpriced) - had the oyster sampler and Cowgirl Creamery grilled cheese sandwich -- and the service a bit snooty.
Dinner at Boulevard was AMAZING! It was truly one of the more memorable (if not the most memorable) culinary experiences we've had. We were able to sit at the "bar" area that overlooks the kitchen and actually watch the chefs prepare the dishes and talk to them about the recipes and preparations. The appetizers - I had the scallops and my husband the tuna tar tar -- were excellent and the entrees -- guinea hen with two preparations and lamb with three preparations -- were truly amazing. The sommelier provided an excellent wine recommendation (Bucklin Zin), the service was good and overall atmosphere/experience just exemplary. We will definitely make it a destination whenever we return to SF.
Napa:
We celebrated my husband's birthday at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and, as I indicated in an earlier post today on that venue, we were quite disappointed and felt the food was very over seasoned and the service mediocre. Perhaps coming off Boulevard dinner the night before our expectations were too high, but I was very underwhelmed by the whole experience.
Ad Hoc the next evening was very, very nice - the food exellently prepared and the service very good. An added bonus was sitting at a table just diagonal from where Thomas Keller was dining!
The last night of our trip, we ate at Redd and felt the food was excellent and on par with Ad Hoc, but the service a bit on the snooty side.
In terms of wineries, our goal was to go off the beaten path as much as possible and experience different/unique places and I think we were able to accomplish that. The grounds at Artesa were amazing and the small lot production wines at Hess quite good. HdV was a great place for small production wines and we were able to have the tasting conducted by the assistant wine maker. Del Dotto was memorable for the quality (and volume) of wine served during the cave tour and barrel tasting. The drive up to and grounds tour of Kuletto was definitely one of the highlights of the trip and I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in good wines, a great winery backstory and truly spectacular views of the valley.
We spent Sunday in the Dry Creek Valley at the Passport event and thoroughly enjoyed it. We were far more familiar with the Napa Valley area and appreciated the more laid back atmosphere and smaller production wineries of the area as well as the quality of wines - favorites were Bella, A Rafanelli, Rued, & Gopfrich. Next trip out to wine country, we plan to stay in Healdsburg or Geyserville and concentrate our time on learning more about the Sonoma area.
Thanks again for the help & recommendations from all the SF Hounds!
Report: Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena
My husband and I just got back from Napa and were also quite disappointed in Cindy's. The food we felt was very over seasoned. The rabbit tostada was overpowered by the black beans, the "famous" oysters were really nothing special (IMHO), the quail was overpowered by the seasoning/pepper (I could not get the pepper after taste out of my mouth for about 20 mins) and the duck was over powered by the citrus glaze. Service was also quite mediocre.The pot de creme dessert was quite lovely though. I would recommend spending those dollares elsewhere. Redd & Ad Hoc were both much preferred over Cindys.
Favorite spot in Oakbrook area?
I'd have to second the Braxtons and Pappadeux recommendations - both are good.
SF Hound with One Dinner in Chicago
In the realm of non-Italian, non-steak places that are reasonably priced, I'd have to recommend Salpicon (excellent Mexican - on par or better than the Bayless establishments) and Le Colonial (incredible vietnamese).
Is there Chow in Chicago's Western Suburbs?
I would definitely NOT recommend Hugo's Frog Bar in Naperville - food is disappointing and overpriced. Catch 35 in Naperville is consistently good for seafood and I would recommend Riva off 88 as well. I concur with the earlier poster to avoid Sullivan's. Rizzo's in downtown Naperville has good food at decent prices.
SF & Napa Restaurants, Dry Creek Passport Event
Thanks for the suggestions! We are starting at Bella as that is where we were able to get tickets and they are holding them for us. I'll check the associate site before we head out to see if they have an updated map with themes... We are staying in Napa and figured we'd work our way down the valley towards our hotel so we are poised for a shorter drive back. Hopefully most other will be moving in the opposite direction so we can avoid the bigger crowds as much as possible -- perhaps a pipe dream, but always good to have one.. Thanks again!
SF & Napa Restaurants, Dry Creek Passport Event
Thanks - I've got a call in for a reservation to Ad Hoc - I'd been debating it since there is only one menu, but have heard so many good things and would just love to experience at least one of Thomas Keller's restaurants. I hope I can get in! Thanks!
L.A. FOODIES COMING TO CHICAGO what is current creative best places
I concur with the thoughts on Frontera/Topolobampo - I have been to both many times and have never been disappointed. Salpicon is another favorite - my husband and I have always had great food and good service there. Adobo Grill is good for margaritas and guacamole, but we've always been disappointed with the quality of their entrees.
SF & Napa Restaurants, Dry Creek Passport Event
Thank you for all the suggestions! ZuZu defintely sounds like a worthwhile place to try as does Uva which seems to be walking distance from our hotel...
Melanie: the folks that you know that have gone to the DC Passport event - what have they liked/not liked about it? Any recommendations on must visit wineries there? We had no idea the event was going on during the time of our visit, but stumbled across it and thought it sounded interesting and managed to get tickets for Sunday...
SF & Napa Restaurants, Dry Creek Passport Event
Hi! My husband and I are visiting from Chicago next month - one night in SF and then on to Napa for two days and the Dry Creek Passport event on Sunday.
Questions:
* Opinion on Hog Island Oyster Co -- worth going to or tourist trap? Other recommendations for good, waterfront lunch spot at a good price?
* Boulevard - we have reservations - is it worth it or are there other better places to spend the $$ at
* Mustards Grill - same question as above
* Other recommendations for good food in Napa area, not touristy and good value
* Recommendations for best Dry Creek wineries to visit at the Sunday Passport event (side question: is the event worth the hype?)
* Best kept Napa boutique winery secrets -- this will be our 4th trip to Napa, so we have done all the majors and started to explore the smaller places. Our favorites are Dutch Henry, Robert Sinskey, Ehlers, Honig -- any other recommendations for good wineries with down to earth attitude (no snobby tasting rooms please!) and unique approaches
Thanks for any feedback!
