**** (4 stars)
Very succulent pulled pork here, and several types of barbecue sauce, so you can make your own blend of sweet, tangy and spicy.
There’s a large outside dining area with picnic tables, so it’s good for groups.
Pork Shoppe
5721 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 654-1800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/pork-shoppe-chicago-3
**** (4 stars)
This is a chill bar for craft cocktails, but they could up the food quality. The main draw is the “dealer’s choice” selection of cocktails where you pick the spirit, the style and the glass and leave the rest to the mixologists. They are obviously really into it (just look at the extensive list of spirits), and it’s likely you’ll get something you really like.
I instead opted for a couple of the cocktail menu selections. The Continuous Negroni was one of the better Negronis I’ve had, intensely bitter, and quite complex.
The highly touted Weston was an interesting mix of bourbon, coffee essence and tobacco. I found it boring, but maybe it was because I had just had the negroni.
I tried all three of the dips on the menu, which were part of the “pick three” bar snack menu, and cost a very reasonable $8. The smoked whitefish was good, the onion was just okay, and the bean was not that great.
I also had the Reuben sandwich, which was nicely prepared, but contained huge hunks of very fatty “bacon” in quarter inch thick slabs. It wasn’t very good. The accompanying slaw was very bland, but the potato chips were excellent, super thin and very crispy.
In all, this is a great place for craft cocktails, but I’d skip the food entirely.
The Berkshire Room
15 E Ohio St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 894-0945
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-berkshire-room-chicago
**** (4 stars)
I was a big fan of Paris Club, which occupied this space, but I must admit that Il Porcellino is a much better restaurant–and business plan. It was packed the night I visited. But even though it was full, I liked the fact that I could still hear the background music (an odd blend of 20th century pop and cliche Italian restaurant music) and conversation was easy.
The space is unrecognizable and gorgeous. Hundreds of light bulbs hang over the dining room, creating a romantic aura, and the large bar out front and various room dividers are also cleverly lit to show off the bottles and other stuff on the shelves.
Service is extremely polished, with constant attention from the servers, and independent delivery of the food straight from the kitchen via runners.
I was unimpressed by the complimentary risotto ball amuse bouche, but after that everything was excellent.
The garlic loaf is a great way to start. It’s a mini boule, crisped on the outside and sliced into six pie wedges. Grated parmesan is stuffed into the cracks and then, tableside, garlic butter is poured in. It was delicious, and even managed to maintain its crispness throughout dinner.
Fried Brussels sprouts were also good, not too oily and not too buried in cheese.
I’m not too big on pasta, so I opted for the brick chicken specialty. Good move. It was a giant slab of boneless breast meat with a unique, super-crispy crust. But the thing that made the dish was the mixture of cauliflower, garden vegetables and butter on which it sat.
If you’re into hot fudge sundaes you’ll like the semi-fredo, but I wished I’d selected a different dessert.
Drink-wise, I started with a negroni. There are three choices, and I liked the Fernet-based one I picked because it was particularly bitter. The house Chianti I segued into wasn’t particularly good. But I finished with a Nonino, my favorite Amaro.
If I have any complaint about Il Porcelino it’s simply that there are no healthful options on the menu. Everything is either friend, drenched in butter or swimming in carbs. Even the salads look pretty heavy. It’s all delicious, but I couldn’t eat there very often without some lighter choices.
il Porcellino
59 W Hubbard
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 595-0800
http://www.yelp.com/biz/il-porcellino-chicago
**** (4 stars)
This is a review of Saturday brunch. The menu combines lunch items such as a burger with traditional brunch items prepared in non-traditional ways.
The Farmhouse breakfast included delicious scrambled eggs with spinach and cheddar. Contrary to the menu description it was not white cheddar, and the spinach was somewhat over-salted, but the combination–particularly the shallots–was delicious. Accompanying potatoes were nicely crisped even though they were in huge (as in half a potato each) chunks that made them look like cottage fries for Godzilla. The bacon and toast were unremarkable.
French toast, a new menu item, was served in three 3-inch by 3-inch by 3-inch cubes, browned on the outside, and topped with a mixed berry compote. It was tasty but very sweet.
Service was friendly, and the space is light and airy at lunch time. Upstairs and downstairs are nearly identical.
Farmhouse
228 W Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 280-4960
http://www.yelp.com/biz/farmhouse-chicago-3
Vicchysoisse
Beef tartare
Quail
Scallop
Lobster
Veal
Lamb
Strawberries and hazlenut
**** (4 stars)
This is a very fine restaurant that is doing most everything right. The chef’s eight-course tasting menu, which is available on request, is the way to go here. It’s assembled to match your tastes, and is a great way to experience the menu’s highlights.
Each course was beautifully presented. The only truly amazing one was the vichyssoise, but everything else was quite good, and the price was reasonable for the quality.
Service was informative and attentive, and the secondary service staff were particularly efficient at delivering and clearing.
Brindille has one of the better wine lists in town, at a reasonable markup of about twice retail. It’s heavy on quality French wines, and bears a bit of research before your visit to be truly rewarded.
Brindille
534 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 595-1616
http://www.yelp.com/biz/brindille-chicago
**** (4 stars)
It’s hard to categorize Bihan’s because of the incredibly diverse menu, which offers something for nearly every taste, from French and Mediterranean food to Burgers and sandwiches, Italian, and even bar food.
We liked everything we had, but in particular the spinach artichoke dip with lavash was really excellent.
There’s an extensive bar, and all the standard cocktails as well as wine and beer. Service was friendly and attentive.
In addition to all-day dining they server really late (4am).
Bijan’s Bistro
663 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 202-1904
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bijans-bistro-chicago
Upstairs Dining Area
Downstairs Prep Kitchen and Counter
Grilled Sourdough Toast with Cheese and Cauliflower
Green Tomato Gaspacho
Oysters
Cantaloupe and Trout Roe with Dehydrated Cheese and Buttermilk Jalapeno Dressing and Breadcrumbs
Slaw Salad
Shrimp with Crab Etoufee
Salmon and Spinach
Fried Chicken!
Milk Ice Cream with Dehydrated Mint and Frozen Strawberry Ice and Strawberry Gel
***** (5 stars)
This new offering from Grant Achatz far exceeded our expectations, which were already high. The trick to a good experience here is to sit at the downstairs prep kitchen counter, which offers a far quieter experience than upstairs, and a bargain 8-course tasting menu for a mere $85.
Every course was a home run, and there wasn’t a single course that wasn’t better than everything we’ve had this year on sister Restaurant Next’s tasting menus for far more money.
There’s a creative cocktail list, and an extensive menu of wines by the glass, so it’s easy to assemble your own pairing.
Service is friendly and knowledgeable, and it’s fun to watch your meal assembled before your eyes.
Roister
951 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
*** (3 stars)
Expectations are low for airport food but this wasn’t too bad. Refried beans were cold and rice was dry, but Tacos (loaded) were actually pretty good.
Lalo’s Mexican Restaurant Midway
Chicago Midway International Airport (mdw)
5632-5696 S Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60638
http://www.yelp.com/biz/lalos-mexican-restaurant-midway-chicago
***** (5 stars)
This might not be the best barbecue place in Chicago, but it’s certainly the nicest, and I love their approach to food and beverage. They focus on flights of both, and offer variety in surprising ways.
For example, we started with the barbecue flight, a good way to sample brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken. It came with four(!) different barbecue sauces, all of which were good.
Well, we didn’t actually start with that, because when you sit down they give you a generous basket of seasoned house-made potato chips and delicious sweet pickles.
For our main courses we had the chicken and waffles and another flight, this time of eggs benedict. I still don’t really get the combination of chicken and waffles, but both were good–even better when I asked for some barbecue sauce to dunk the chicken in. The eggs benedict was served three ways, each of them huge: with brisket, pulled pork, and pulled chicken. But it was different from the barbecue flight, because each was on a different base: biscuit, fried green tomato, and corn bread. Each also had a different Hollandaise sauce, which my dining companion wisely opted to have on the side. A little bit was all it needed.
There’s a really extensive list of beers, wines, whiskey, bourbon, scotch and a limited list of cocktails. Staying with the flight theme, we tried the Grand Tasting, which consisted of nine(!) whiskeys. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a real learning experience, because they were all so different, and the beverage manager was really knowledgeable about them.
For the record, here are my ratings (on a scale of 10) for the flight:
Auchentoshan Whiskey (American Oak) 6/10
Hibiki Harmony (Japanese) 7/10
Wieser Uuahouua (Pinot Noir barrels, Austrian) 7.5/10
Compass Box Spice Tree (clove cardamom cinnamon) 7/10
Elijah Craig (barrel strength 102 proof) 8/10
Slaughter House by Orin Swift 9/10
Noah’s Mill Bourbon 6.5/10
Willet Pot Still Bourbon 7/10
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked 9/10
I really like the whole approach to food and beverages at Chicago q.
Chicago q
1160 N Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 642-1160
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-q-chicago
*** (3 stars)
This is a very nicely decorated restaurant with about 150 different dishes on the menu. Unfortunately the staff isn’t very good, and the food is just average.
It’s odd browsing through the menu, because it seems to have little organization with multiple sections devoted the similar categories, and very few of the standbys like korma, saag, and so on.
We tried Papdi Chat as an appetizer, and the flavors were good, but it wasn’t enhanced by the sturdy wafers mixed into it.
Mahi Mahi Fish Tikka was good fish, but the seasoning on the fish skin wasn’t my favorite flavor.
Bhuni Gobi was extremely overcooked cauliflower; it resembled something that had been sitting on a buffet for hours.
The best dish was Channa Palak, chick peas in a garlic, onion and spinach sauce. Garlic naan bread was also okay.
The service staff seems to be mostly Russian, and wasn’t strong on communication. They were out of all the juices, and couldn’t produce a beer list.
There aren’t many Indian restaurants in River North, but even so, I wouldn’t bother to return here.
India House Restaurant
59 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 645-9500
http://www.yelp.com/biz/india-house-restaurant-chicago-2