Category Archives: ..and more

My first dining experience at BYOB restaurant, Treat, in Logan Square was also officially my last. The laid-back restaurant shut its doors this past weekend after five successful years of serving up a Indian-inspired, global menu of dishes like chicken tikka masala, panko-crusted crabcakes, scallops and fall-off-the-bone Mint Creek Farm lamb chop to the neighborhood. I loved it.. I mean, where had it been all my life? More specifically the last five years when I never knew it was there. Alas, I did get to enjoy one of their last nights of dinner service with friends, when I was also introduced to another hidden local gem, Co-Op Hot Sauce. Seated next to me at the group table was the founder and hot-sauce “doctor” Mike Bancroft, who plunked down a bottle of original sauce when he sat down. While I have marveled at famous hot sauce collections before, I’ve never been a keep-the-fridge-stocked-with-Tabasco type, but I had to give the original, locally made, smoky formula a try, especially when a platter of golden, glistening fried calamari came to the table just waiting for a dousing. Turns out Co-Op was already used in a number of Treat recipes, but it was the smoky, dense and not too-spicy dipping sauce the calamari craved. Besides the original, Co-Op offers habañero spicy green or red jalapeño and other boldly flavored rubs and sauces made with ingredients grown in kid-run gardens on the West Side. And with proceeds going to help youth arts and community service initiatives in and around Humboldt Park, there’s no reason not to pick a bottle or three online, or watch for Co-Op at Whole Foods and Farmer’s Markets this summer.

My very first post on elizabites was about Saint’s Alp Tea House in Chinatown. It was a year and a half ago, middle of summer, but I still had a desire to hang out in the bright orange bubble tea shop and restaurant for hot almond milk or taro bubble tea drinks served in jumbo ceramic mugs. This ridiculously freezing weekend had me hiding out there again, to enjoy a steaming mug of almond milk tea, and this time, a few pretty-decent appetizers from the never-ending menu, like glistening grilled yakitori (chicken) on skewers, and crispy spring rolls with a chili sauce on the side. I also noticed they just started serving sizzling hot pot soups for a table to share—yet another way to warm up during the impending deep freeze. Other highlights: free wi-fi, spacious booths, late hours; Low-points: spotty service, popular spot for loud groups and younger crowds, and an ongoing need for a second location. Saint’s Alp Tea House, 2131 S. Archer.