Category Archives: Chicago

The Aviary

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**** (4 stars)

I went on Nomad cookbook release night, so things were a bit different. The space is fairly open, so it can get pretty noisy, and there are a few pinch points which makes it a bit problematic for a party event.

The food being served was from the Nomad cookbook, and most of it, by necessity, was pretty simple.

The cocktails were great. I’m not sure whose recipes were at work, because I couldn’t find them in the Nomad cocktail book, but I loved the use of bitter ingredients in several of them. The Yaya Colada was a standout.

The Aviary
955 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-0868
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-aviary-chicago-2

Taco Joint

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*** (3 stars)

Taco Joint offers small but inexpensive tacos was tasty fillings. Standouts are the Pastor and the Barbacoa. Unlike authentic Mexican tacos there aren’t two tortillas, and there aren’t much in the way of extra ingredients such as cilantro or raw onions.

The guacamole sampler is a good way to try two or three different types of guacamole. They’re severed with both corn and plantain chips. The plantain chips work best with the mango guacamole, but I preferred the conventional and “red” sauce covered guacs with the corn chips.

There’s an extensive tequila list, and they’re served in very small sampling glasses, so you can try several. The standard margarita, which is served on the rocks with salt, is also very good.

Sidewalk dining is available. Service was friendly.

Taco Joint
158 W Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 337-8226
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taco-joint-chicago-3

Celeste

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***** (5 stars)

Celeste offers a different concept on each floor. Online reservations get you a table in the cozy cocktail bar on the second floor.

A fifteen page cocktail list offers something for everyone. My server was really into it, and actually created a cocktail to my taste from some new liqueurs they’d just received. There is also a limited but well-thought-out wine list.

The menu is brief, but excellent, with a number of small plates and a few entrees.

The octopus is a specialty, and was tender and flavorful, set off by bits of citrus and served on a creamy puree, topped with cilantro. It was delicious.

But my favorite was the smoked trout salad. The sour citrus wedges combined with the smoky trout and light dressing on the greens to something that was much more than the sum of its parts.

Food service was lightning fast, and the four bartenders did a good job of keeping up with the bustle. The low ceiling keeps noise to a reasonable level.

Celeste is definitely one of the better cocktail and dining experiences on Hubbard.

Celeste
111 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 828-9000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/celeste-chicago

437 Rush Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

This Italian steakhouse offers great service and excellent food in an environment that differentiates it from the other steakhouses in town. It’s lighter and more open (less “clubby”) than the dark wood red leather booth places.

We had the Prix Fixe menu, which included our choice in each of four courses. Many of the starters and second courses had an Italian slant, but I wouldn’t really describe it as traditional Italian cuisine. Steakhouse staples such as shrimp cocktail were also offered.

Both the filet mignon entree and the ahi tuna entree were really excellent: tender, perfectly cooked, and full of flavor. We finished with an excellent tira misu.

There is a nice wine list with some reasonably priced selections.

437 Rush Restaurant
437 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 222-0101
http://www.yelp.com/biz/437-rush-restaurant-chicago

Next: Terroir

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***** (5 stars)

Terroir is a very ambitious menu, and the most expensive so far, because of the wine quality.

In this case the wines were chosen first, and the food designed to match. I didn’t find a lot of great matches during this meal, but I did enjoy the wines, which were much higher end than usual. Standouts were the Krug Champagne Grand Cuvee (served twice, in two different glasses) and the Sauternes and Madeira, but they were really all good.

Another interesting bit of wine service was the chenin blanc tasting, with three different appellations served side by side.

Our favorite food course, surprisingly, was the snail roe with smoldering eucalyptus leaves—not a course for the timid, but absolutely delicious.

17 courses, 16 wines.

As always a convivial staff enthusiastically shared information and their love of what they’re doing. A great dining experience.

Next
953 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-0858
http://www.yelp.com/biz/next-chicago-2

Qdoba Mexican Grill

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*** (3 stars)

I happened to visit both Qdoba and Chipotle during the same week, and was struck by how nearly identical they are.

Both offer counter assembly of burritos or bowls with rice, beans, sauce, protein, guacamole, lettuce and a couple of other ingredients. And both result in fairly homogenous, bland tasting imitations of a mediocre Tex-Mex burrito. There are minor differences in the other offerings and drinks, but not really anything of note.

The major appeal seems to be the weight of the food you can get for well under ten dollars. This aspect probably explains why most are located near college campuses.

It’s not the worst Tex-Mex food you’l ever have, but unless you’re looking for a good deal by the pound, the appeal is really lost on me.

Qdoba Mexican Grill
58 E Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 629-1190
http://www.yelp.com/biz/qdoba-mexican-grill-chicago-3

Bistro Voltaire

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**** (4 stars)

There are quite a few restaurants in and around River North that claim to be authentic French Bistros, but most of them really aren’t. This one is pretty much the real deal.

The intimate space is busy yet not loud, and the menu offers authentic bistro dishes such as Bouillabaisse and Salad Lyonnaise. We particularly liked the Rack of Lamb, which was served in a red wine sauce with a touch of sweetness to it. Food pricing is very reasonable.

A small to medium selection of fairly obscure French wines offers a few excellent selections if you look for the good years. Wine pricing is fairly reasonable.

Service was friendly, a bit overwhelmed on a busy Saturday, but they coped nicely.

Bistro Voltaire
226 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 265-0911
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bistro-voltaire-chicago

Cafe Selmarie

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**** (4 stars)

Cafe Selmarie is an interesting amalgam of pastry shop, coffee shop, and restaurant.

When you enter it looks like it’s just a pastry shop with a few small tables for enjoying your purchase or sipping a cup of coffee. But proceed to the rear, and there is a fair-sized restaurant.

The menu offers American, French, Italian, and (at least the night we visited) German food, plus other eclectic international cuisines.

We shared the Brussels sprout salad, which was good, a special leek and bacon flatbread that was phenomenal (gooey topping, crisp crust), and a special German sausage plate that was also tasty.

For dessert we selected a couple of pastries from the case out front. There’s a small wine list with many selections available by the glass.

Service was friendly and professional.

The place is kid friendly, and there were quite a few families dining the Friday night we went. An adjacent open area provides outside dining when the weather is nice, and place for the kids to run around.

If you’ve not been to Lincoln Square, it’s definitely a cute neighborhood to check out.

Cafe Selmarie
4729 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 989-5595
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-selmarie-chicago

Hub 51

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**** (4 stars)

I really enjoyed the upscale vibe of this place, which came without the usual deafening roar of poor acoustics. The lighting is also great, with spots directed at the tables, where they belong.

We went at lunch time on a Saturday but ended up ordering breakfast. The vegetable hash with poached eggs was very good, but the show stopper was the breakfast nachos. What a great dish! Thin, crisp chips with cheese, scrambled eggs, sauce, some guacamole and a sour cream drizzle, all finished under a broiler. And what a huge mound! This could easily have been lunch for two all by itself.

Good service (lots of people in training, who also seemed good) made for a nice meal.

Hub 51
51 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 828-0051
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hub-51-chicago-2

Shanghai Terrace at The Peninsula Chicago

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***** (5 stars)

The combination of restful setting, superb food and faultless service make this Chicago’s best Chinese restaurant, and one of its top restaurants overall. It’s particularly delightful when it’s warm enough to eat on the terrace, a surprisingly serene environment considering it’s just a half dozen or so floors above Michigan Avenue.

We put ourselves in our waiter’s hands, and he assembled a delightful multi-course meal for us.

We began with an assortment of six pieces of dim sum, individually plated for each of us. This item is not listed on the menu (nor is any form of dim sum sampler) so it is worth asking about. Although I am not a huge dim sum fan, this was clearly the best I have ever had; each was light and flavorful, and even the crab rangoon managed to be delicate and appealing.

Next we shared a split serving of hot and sour soup, also the best I’ve had, with less vinegar and more broth flavor. Plenty of tender lobster chunks made it special.

Peking duck is available in a full or half portion, and the half is perfect for sharing as an appetizer. It’s served with the traditional cucumber, scallions, pancakes and sauces, but the duck was so perfect we ate most of it by itself. Crispy skin and no layer of fat at all made it among the best duck dishes I’ve had. Next time I might try the five spice duck to compare it.

For entrees we shared scallops in black truffle sauce, and a spicy shrimp dish. Both were good, and were different from anything else we’d had, but I felt the preceding courses were better.

Perhaps the highlight of the meal was an amazing red rice dish that I didn’t see on the menu. It was vegetarian, and included various nuts, broccoli and other tidbits, and had a rich, mouth-filling flavor that was remarkable. I would definitely ask for this again.

Finally we finished with a fruit and sorbet plate. Our waiter added a bit of coconut sorbet, which turned out to be the highlight.

A well-conceived wine list offers many selections designed to accompany the food, including a small half bottle section. Wine prices are erratic, with some barely above retail, and others sky high, so careful browsing is required, but will be rewarded.

This was a great meal, and I’m sure we will return often to this surprising oasis in the midst of the city.

Shanghai Terrace at The Peninsula Chicago
108 E Superior St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 573-6695
http://www.yelp.com/biz/shanghai-terrace-at-the-peninsula-chicago-chicago