Category Archives: Chicago

Benny’s Chop House

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**** (4 stars)

There are so many steak houses in River North that it’s hard to find distinguishing characteristics. Some of the things I liked about Benny’s were:

1. It’s not a chain.
2. Very extensive (if pricey) winelist.
3. “Lyon” salad is an unusual offering for a steakhouse. It’s basically a French bistro-style salade Lyonaisse.
4. Meat is all prime.
5. Meat is available wet or dry aged. I actually prefer wet aged meat as I’m not a fan of the gamey aroma dry aged meat can develop.

One thing I didn’t like was the audio bleed between the live piano player in the bar and the background music in the restaurant. Both were excellent, but not at the same time!

Benny’s Chop House
444 N Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 626-2444
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bennys-chop-house-chicago

SideDoor

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**** (4 stars)

I grew up in Los Angeles in the 1960s, so I have fond memories of the original Lawry’s and CC Browns Ice Cream Parlor. But I’m rarely in the mood for a complete prime rib dinner, so I was interested in trying the Side Door, since it is essentially the bar for Lawry’s Chicago.

Side Door bills themselves as a gastropub, but to me that implies more eclectic and gourmet food than you’ll find here. This is basically bar food, with an emphasis on hamburgers, sandwiches, and some large salads.

Of course, the most popular item–and the one I tried–is the prime rib sandwich. It was served on the kind of roll you’d get with a French Dip, and with the same au jus, so it was essentially a Prime Rib French Dip, and a good one at that. The prime rib was perfectly medium rare, very tender, and expertly trimmed.

Since the sandwich contains 7 ounces of prime rib it seems a far better deal than their meat plates, which cost the same but contain a mere 4 ounces of meat.

I also tried the curried cauliflower which was good, if a bit dry.

There’s a substantial selection of beers with an emphasis on stouts–a list after my own heart!

The space is divided into two rooms, one a bit too brightly lit, where the meat is prepared, and the other with the typical bar TVs.

Service was extremely gracious and attentive.

SideDoor
100 E Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 787-6768
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sidedoor-chicago

3 Greens Market

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***** (5 stars)

Perhaps the 3 in the title of this place if for the three expansive salad bars. They certainly look good. I say “look” because I haven’t actually tried them. On my next visit I need to do that. But this visit was all about a hamburger.

Ever since Au Cheval’s burger was named the best in the country by several sources I’ve been attempting to try it. Unfortunately, every time I’ve gone there it’s either had ridiculous wait times or been unexpectedly closed (mid-afternoon they only serve drinks and snacks). In fact, it’s been a lot like my failed attempts to try Hot Dougs, but that’s another story.

Anyway, when I saw that they’d spun off a smaller operation called Small Cheval, I resolved to try the burger that way, but somehow never managed to get there.

So when I saw that 3 Greens Market was serving a Small Cheval burger, I spotted my chance to at last try the famous burger. Of course, it’s a burger twice-removed from its source, but still… It was a mighty good hamburger.

I like my burgers pretty much loaded. But some people just like mustard and ketchup. What’s interesting about this burger is that those are the two ingredients that aren’t included. So some people probably wouldn’t like it, but I did.

Here, the emphasis is on the two perfectly cooked beef patties, the very melted cheese, and the garlic aioli. Secondary flavors come from the pickle slices and chopped onion. I added bacon which, in retrospect, was unneeded. The bun is sturdy enough to hold the whole thing together, an impressive achievement considering how much is going on.

Of course, when someone declares a thing “the best” they’re setting it up for comparison and naysaying, and in fact I’ve had burgers I liked better, including one here in Chicago at Good Stuff Eatery. But this is a very good burger, and I wouldn’t argue with someone who says it’s their favorite.

The accompanying fries were skinny, very crisp, but didn’t have a lot of flavor.

3 Greens has Coke Freestyle machines, which are always fun to experiment with.

Counter service is friendly and efficient.

Next time: the salad bars. Maybe.

3 Greens Market
354 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 888-9195
http://www.yelp.com/biz/3-greens-market-chicago-3

Friends Sushi

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**** (4 stars)

This stylish sushi restaurant offers some very inventive rolls and attentive service.

We started with the salmon carpaccio: thin slices of salmon served over greens in a soy dressing. It was very good, although I thought the dressing could have used a touch more rice wine vinegar for sweetness.

Then we shared three rolls. Each was unique, and they went together well.

“Sweet & Spicy” combined eel, cucumber, and salmon, but the piquant kick of the dollop of red sauce was what made it interesting.

In the “Jimmai” the hamachi, cilantro and seabass were really complemented by the smokiness of the grilled asparagus.

Our favorite roll was the very unusual “Ticky Tacky” where the predominant flavors came not from the king crab or tender thin octopus topping, but rather the mint leaf and wasabi mayo. That one packed quite a delicious kick.

There are many additional specialty rolls on the menu that we’ll need to check out next time.

Friends Sushi
710 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 787-8998
http://www.yelp.com/biz/friends-sushi-chicago

Da Lobsta

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***** (5 stars)

The staff at this counter server restaurant is really engaged with their guests, and concerned that everyone have a great meal. That makes the place quite special.

The lobster bisque was as good as any I’ve every had, a nice combination of fresh lobster flavors in a creamy base.

My lobster grilled cheese was good, but I might have a lobster roll next time. The bread was perfectly grilled, but the cheese was quite mild and I’m not sure the lobster added that much. However the sriracha mayo that came with it had a marvelous herbal flavor and the combination was excellent.

Those two items plus a fountain drink came to $27, so this is not cheap fast food. But they don’t scrimp on the lobster, and I would definitely go back.

Da Lobsta
416 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 955-0894
http://www.yelp.com/biz/da-lobsta-chicago-3

Mercadito

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*** (3 stars)

Excellent margaritas are the highlight at this very noisy Mexican hot spot.

The guacamole sampler lets you try several different types. We liked the regular and mango varieties, but our favorite was the ramp version, which was some of the best guac I’ve had.

Tacos are only available in orders of four identical tacos, which seems like a stupid restriction. We tried the snapper, which had a weird sauce, and the pastor, which didn’t taste like authentic pastor seasoning, so we were sorry we had four of each of them.

The real problem here is that even when not full, the absence of any acoustic treatment makes conversation impossible. The best bet is to have a margarita and some guacamole in the sidewalk eating area.

Mercadito
108 W Kinzie St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 329-9555
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mercadito-chicago

Beacon Tavern

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***** (5 stars)

It’s hard to believe this restaurant had only been open a week or two when we visited, as it was running like a well-practiced operation indeed. In fact, the exterior of the building was not even finished! But certainy the staff training was.

The remodeled space is beautiful, with a boisterous bar area near the entry, and a more sedate dining area on the other side of the wall.

The short but very interesting menu focuses on small plates, mainly seafood, although heartier dishes such as fish and chips and even a burger are available.

We began with two crudos, one hamachi, the other fluke. Both combined sauces and other ingredients with exemplary slices of raw fish, but the fluke was the better of the two, because of the trout roe accompaniment and surprising combination of fruity flavors. The crudos are not cheap, and the serving size lives up to its “small plate” billing.

We also tried the king salmon entree, and while it was a delicious piece of salmon, the orange foam dotting the accompanying zucchini balls was the real standout, and would make a great vegetarian dish.

Ironically, the largest serving we had was the clam dish listed under small plates. A generous helping of clams was topped with a fried egg and bits of what were, essentially, lardons, plus some thin slices of peppers. The combination of the ingredients was surprising and superb. It was the best thing we tried.

The wine selections are limited, but there is an extensive list of interesting cocktails and spirits, tending towards bitter drinks like negronis and amaros, which suit my palate well, and go nicely with the various seafood offerings.

Our server, Layla, was extremely knowledgeable and engaging, and made our meal a delight. In all, a very auspicious start.

Beacon Tavern
405 N Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 955-4226
http://www.yelp.com/biz/beacon-tavern-chicago

Tastebud Tours- Chicago Food Tours

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***** (5 stars)

What a wonderful afternoon I had on Tastebud Tour’s 1893 World’s Fair Tour! We met at the private Cliff Dwellers Club, which offers a spectacular view of The Art Center and surrounding park.

I was greeted by the owner of the company, Lynn, who introduced our group of seven to “Bertha Honore Palmer.” Well, Bertha has actually been dead for about a hundred years, so the part was played–magnificently–by Tiffany, an actress and 1893 World’s Fair expert. For the next three hours she remained completely in character as she shared stories about Bertha’s life and accomplishments, and brought the fair to life through the innovations it introduced.

These innovations included a lot of food! You definitely need to begin this tour hungry. We started with a relaxing hour long lunch (that newfangled food, the hamburger, was featured) as we learned about the organization of the fair. We finished off four delicious pies and then made our way to many more stops on an approximately 1.5 mile walk that included hot dogs, popcorn, brownies and more.

We even visited Bertha’s house, which is now the Palmer Hilton. The tour ended at the famous Bergdorf, where we admired the murals of the exposition, sampled their chili con carne and root beer, and said our goodbyes.  What a great tour!

Tastebud Tours- Chicago Food Tours
1345 N Greeview Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(219) 929-6648
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tastebud-food-tours-chicago

Cliff Dwellers Club

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***** (5 stars)

In a city of spectacular views, this is among the most spectacular, not so much because of its height, but because of the perfect placement, centered on Michigan avenue overlooking The Art Institue. The historical feel of the interior has been preserved during a move from an earlier location. We had a pleasant lunch here at the start of an historic tour.

Cliff Dwellers Club
200 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 922-8080
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cliff-dwellers-club-chicago