Votive. Watershed, 601 N. State (under Pops).
Category Archives: great for date
On the table: Watershed
Filed under great for date, new restaurants, on the table
Hiramasa crudo at Girl & the Goat
I love the detail of the sign, right down to the font
The bad part about trying to snag a table at Girl & the Goat these days without a res on a Saturday night is that, well, it’s impossible. BUT, with patience and appropriately affixed bar-stool eagle eyes you can, maaaybe, get a seat at the bar. That’s what happened to me my first time at the white-hot restaurant, and with an awesomely attentive bar staff (even when they are slammed!) and full menu, the experience was still amazing. From the housemade breads and butters (uh, coffee butter?) to the braised short ribs with edamame and fudgesicle dessert, everything we tried was truly ridiculous. But…I have to admit that I can’t stop thinking about the hiramasa crudo. A suggestion from our bartender, the combo of juicy crisp pork belly with aji aïoli and hiramasa crudo (yellowtail) lingers in my taste memory and is pretty much the first thing I utter when people ask me what they should order. I love not only the combo of crispy, juicy, warm pork belly, creamy aji aïoli cool crudo too delicious for words, but it’s just different, and new, and a refreshing menu item I haven’t seen or tried elseware. A lot of the dishes at the restaurant display ingredient combination brilliance: Smoked goat, black kale and ricotta on pizza, pig face, a sunny-side egg and cilantro, whipped fat back and bourbon, scallops and marcona almond butter..I could go on.. This restaurant is perpetually packed for a reason, with reservations on Open Table booked through October I hear (really?). So I will just have to keep the memory of the crudo in my mind until my next visit when I fall in love with another dish. Girl & the Goat, 809 W. Randolph, 312.942.6262
Hiramasa crudo
Filed under great for date, new restaurants
Crocks at Kith & Kin
I still dream about the buttermilk fried chicken thighs with green garlic and the bibb lettuce salad I had at Kith & Kin a while back, but my new obsession with the homey Lincoln Park restaurant are the crocks. How can you go wrong with a starter that involves of lots of crunchy, thin crostini and a layer of hardened clarified butter? The chicken liver paté crock was just that, a delicious whipped paté hiding under a hard layer of clarified butter, with cornichons, and Dijon mustard on the side. There’s a pimento cheese spread, eggplant purée with almond raisin relish, Duroc pork creton and foie gras with peach butter, and all hover around $9 with enough spread-fulls to satisfy 2-3. All of Chef David Carrier’s crockcoctions are delish, but I prefer the paté with cornichons (crisp, tiny tart pickles I could eat pretty much by the handful, I think). Just save room for buttermilk-fried chicken. Oh! And I owe you all a report of my unreal meal at Moto..watch for it.. Kith & Kin, 1119 W. Webster Ave.
Chicken liver crock at Kith & Kin
Filed under great for date, I like to eats
5 things I love about Nana…
1). Fresh yellow watermelon punch with sparkling water and blueberries..refreshing, not-too-sweet and would even be better with a splash of bubbly.
Watermelon punch
2). Delicious Mexican-inspired brunch dishes that are fresh, not-too-heavy and full of fresh, seasonal ingredients.
Huevos rancheros with crispy tortillas
3). The Benedicts…especially the Nanadict served on a pupusa corn flatbread with homemade chorizo.
Nanadict
4). Hearty waffles, like the corn oat with Greek yogurt and fresh raspberries. Other interesting options? Banana-hemp cakes and other whole wheat cake concoctions that change out.
Corn-wheat waffle with Greek yogurt
5). The bright, cheery room and Bridgeport bakery/antique exploration opportunities in the neighborhood…Nana, 3267 S. Halsted, 312.929.2486
Filed under cheap, tasty brunch, great for date, new restaurants
Urban Burger Bar
Urban Burger Bar chalkboard sign
Tuna sashimi burger
The For-getta-bod-it...in daylight
Tempura mushrooms..damn this came out dark, but trust me they are still good
Malted milk ball shake
Filed under great for date, I like to eats, new restaurants, quick lunch
Sprinkles Cupcakes…finally
I blogged about the storefront, but the cupcakes behind the sweet façade are here after what seems like a five-plus-year wait. A super-fun opening party allowed us to try an array of flavors..my favorites? Red velvet (of course), Key lime (only available until Sept. 6), ginger lemon and peanut butter chip…must-try-soons? Summer cherry (you only have until Aug 1!), pumpkin, carrot..hell…pretty much the whole luscious lot. Enjoy a few tasty pics and head over their to support the “trend,” that, um, yeah, I’m not sick of. Sprinkles, 50 E. Walton, 312.573.1600
Sprinkles cupcakes for the tasting
Daily changing, seasonal selections abound
Oh, delish.
Attempt your own at home!
Filed under great for date, new restaurants, red velvet cupcake report
Trump Terrace
Besides mouth-watering sesame-crusted tuna sliders, Diver scallop ceviche and bison kebobs, The Terrace at Trump Tower also has amazing views (duh). But I mean, like reach out and practically touch the Wrigley Clock Tower and other downtown landmarks views. Weather permitting, it’s open until 11PM, so now that the rain’s (maybe) stopped for the week, there’s no excuse not to beeline it on over this weekend. The Terrace at Trump Tower, 401 N. Wabash, 312.588.8000
View from Trump Terrace on the 16th Floor
You can look out, or, well, up, of course…
Trump Tower from the Terrace
Filed under great for date
Cookie Bar
Sign at Cookie Bar
The second I discovered the ice cream cookie sandwich at DMK Burger a few months back, I knew I had to investigate the origins of the perfectly chewy, delicious cookies that flanked the ice cream. OK, it’s an ice cream sandwich, can you really mess it up? Well, no, but the cookies still made the dessert, and when I heard they were the stars of the show at the brand new Cookie Bar in Lincoln Park, I had to head over. Before I found the place, I was expecting a tiny, bite-sized spot (like More cupcakes, noted my dining companion, or Hoosier Mama Pie), a little space for a relatively small snack. But Cookie Bar is surprisingly spacious. It’s not good or bad, just unexpected, and it doesn’t look like the space is fully being utilized (yet?). I was also a little thrown that the only disco ball-paraphernalia in the room is painted on the wall in the logo, rather than dazzling dizzily above as the funky Web site might have you believe. But no matter! We have come for cookies, and daily-changing fresh baked, dairy-free and gluten-free cookies there are.
Chipotle chocolate chip, Lisa Marie, crispy chocolate chip and potato chip chocolate chip cookies
I knew I’d love the chipotle chocolate chip just by the sound and dark red powder sprinkled on top of a moist, chewy and flat chocolate chip cookie, and did. An awesome combo that works for an ancho chili fudge pie, Mexican hot chocolate or any other chocolate-chili duo. The Lisa Marie Presley was also delish, a thicker, peanut butter cookie with chocolate chips, caramelized banana chips, peanut butter cups and more peanut butter. The crispy chocolate chip and potato chip chocolate chip (I wanted to see big chunks of potato chips in this, but only noticed crumbs) didn’t wow us as much, but this is the kind of place you go back and try varieties until you find your favorite; they’ve got oatmeal-chili-mango-macadamia, milk chocolate chip and ginger, black sesame, green tea, and holy hell, a balsamic caramel we didn’t even see on our visit.
Mint chocolate chip
We didn’t have room to swing these, but the gluten-free mint-chocolate also looked divine, and the dairy-free cookies on tap are made with coconut oil. Other bonuses..the hilarious non-bacon bakery statement on the Web site, almond, soy or rice milk options for Alterra coffee, totally nice owners, Callebaut chocolate in the cookies, and plenty of room for hightop seating by the wall of windows, OK, I take it back, some extra room is a good thing. Cookie Bar, 2475 N. Lincoln Ave. 773.348.0300
Filed under Best bite, great for date, new restaurants
ELIZABITES 