8 plates, 8 glasses, 8 napkins, 8 chopstick holders, 8 sets black chopsticks, flowers, three votives.
And now a “on the table” close-up on the elegant silver chopstick holders (which are way cooler and less obvious then those fumbly rocks)
Shanghai Terrace, The Peninsula Hotel, 108 E. Superior
Category Archives: great for date
On the table: Shanghai Terrace
Filed under great for date
Mystery corks
These wine corks hang in the window of what Chicago restaurant? Guess for a chance to guest blog.
Filed under great for date
Antique Taco
Mason jars, cloth napkins, vintage drums, even the font of the menu on the wall and other rustic touches set the scene
Even after 6 days on a serious taco binge in Mexico over Memorial Day weekend, I was dying to get to Antique Taco in Wicker Park. I had heard good things, but was honestly expecting a Big Star off-shoot, but discovered a gem of a taco cafe that was more quaint, rustic and seasonal than taqueria roadhouse. Don’t get me wrong, I loooove me some Big Star when I’m in the mood for some cerveza with my pork belly and summer crowds. But Antique Taco offered a different, and equally as delicious experience. Let start with the tacos. One look at the menu and my eyes darted to “garlicky kale,” “pickled escabeche” and “cilantro cream” in the market mushroom, so I knew I had to have it. These ingredients along with local mushrooms were stuffed inside a fresh, soft tortilla, each bite delivering all of my favorite flavors and bursts of lush green and pink. A fresh lemon wedge for the squeezing just added to the beauty of these generously sized dish.
Market mushroom taco
Garlic-soaked or not, I could eat kale everyday, but I need something crispy to balance it out. Our other taco was the crispy fish with smoked cabbage, scallions and sriracha tarter sauce. Light tempura battered whitefish was the perfect canvas for the smoky cabbage and spicy tartar sauce, again all wrapped up in a fresh flour tortilla.
Crispy fish taco
Coming off my Mexico trip, I had to do the tacos, but you won’t miss the tortillas if you get the taco salad served in a cardboard blueberry carton. With a crunchy and colorful array of kale, spicy peanuts, queso fresco, cranberries, corn chips, sesame, pomegranate vinaigrette, it’s almost too pretty to eat.
Antique taco salad
Pork carnitas, a toasted tortilla soup, chili cheese curds and habanero popcorn on the menu mean multiple visits are in order to basically try, well everything, and I didn’t even get to the horchata milkshake or are you kidding me Mexican chocolate and marshmallow pop tart, but the perfect summer quencher (and something we sipped all over Mexico) are the agua frescas made with seasonal pureed fruit, simple syrup and lemon juice…available with or without vodka. OK, I’ll stop, just go.
Antique Taco, 1360 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Watermelon agua fresca
Filed under great for date, I like to eats, new restaurants, quick lunch
Beijing Duck at Sun Wah BBQ
After a short hiatus, I’m back at the blog and bringing you juicy, glistening perfectly roasted duck from Sun Wah. You’re welcome. Sure this delicacy has been written about a million times, but I FINALLY got to the famous Uptown Chinese restaurant just a few weeks ago with two of my favorite fellow diners. Each of our excursions get bloatier than the next, and this one was Bloat 5.0. I usually head to Chinatown for Chinese food or make the occasional run to Friendship in Logan Square, but I knew this experience would top them all. I have a serious weakness for duck on any menu, and especially the glistening Peking ducks hanging in the window of Chinatown restaurants, so I knew we had to get our pre-order on and make sure a full duck with accompanying pickled daikon radish, hoisin sauce and steamed bao were ready for us when we arrived. It didn’t take long for our master carver to begin cutting up the carcass tableside and set up the appropriate accoutrements. The result was juicy, flavorful duck with a perfectly crisped skin I could’ve noshed on all night, sweet hoisin and crunchy, cool radish and pickled daikon all stuffed into steamed bao that were quite reminiscent of the Momofuku Noodle Bar buns I know and love. Sun Wah, 5039 N. Broadway
The duck arrives
The carving begins
Before the bao
Just add hoisin, pickled daikon and garnishes
Filed under great for date, I like to eats
On the table: Nacional 27
Menu, cigar box tops. Nacional 27, 325 W. Huron.
Filed under great for date, on the table
On the table: Balena
4 plates, 4 napkins, 4 forks, 4 knives,4 water glasses, one votive. Balena, 1633 N. Halsted.
Filed under great for date, new restaurants, on the table, Take the 'rents
On the table: Sixteen restaurant
2 dinner plates, 2 napkins, 2 bread plates, 2 butter knives, 2 water glasses, 2 forks, 2 knives, votive, flower, vase. Sixteen restaurant in Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash.
Filed under great for date, on the table, Take the 'rents
Ada Street
I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the name Ada. It was my grandmother’s name and I have never met anyone else who shared it. It’s also the name of a short street in my ‘hood, just off of Grand Avenue, which I recently discovered stops and then picks up again due north, past the expressway, for a couple short blocks just off Elston. It’s a stone’s-throw from the Hideout, and even more hidden than the intimate music venue. And now, it’s the name of a less-than-a-week-old restaurant/lounge that’ll give those post-Hideouters somewhere to eat after a show. Even if you aren’t Hiding-out for the night, it’s worth a visit for the stunningly cool room, and bites by chef Zoë Schor.
Ada Street eats
The sign-less entrance may infuriate some, but I was fascinated by the mysterious façade and narrow doors. I also love that it blends in with the block, save two glowing red lights (which didn’t show up in the ol’ camera)
Ada undercover
This was one of the first bites we tried, lightly fried black-eyed peas with a crispy outer coating and hint of spicy aïoli. I easily could’ve snacked on them all night.
Fried black-eyed peas
The French-inspired small plates include steak tartare with fried capers and a quail egg, Southern fried quail with greens and bacon gravy, polenta fries with chipotle purée and a duck confit served with pasta, a poached egg and Parmigiano. They pretty much had me at poached egg.
Duck confit with pasta and poached egg
A stack of brioche doughnuts didn’t stay around the table for long, rumor has it they’ve added a port wine caramel sauce as an accompaniment since our visit..holy yum.
Brioche doughnuts
Before you hit up the sexy back dining room with army blanket upholstered banquettes, an open kitchen, long bar with cocktails served up by Tim Lacey and a garage door that’ll open to the back patio in the summer, there’s an even sexier from room waiting room with wine and stacks of records hiding in the walls. The dining area isn’t huge, so I anticipate guests without reservations having to in here for a while before they sit, but you and your date most likely won’t mind. Ada Street, 1664 N. Ada Street.
Do front waiting areas get sexier than this?
Filed under great for date, new restaurants
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