Category Archives: I like to eats

July 12, 2010 · 12:05 am

Not known for: Skillet Cookie at Brownstone Tavern

Besides their great outdoor street-side patio, pretty decent ribs, smoked mac and cheese, three types of house-seasoned fries and pulled pork miniwiches on the menu, I recently discovered Brownstone Tavern’s skillet cookie. It takes two spoons to conquer an over-sized chocolate chip cookie freshly baked in a cast iron skillet and topped with French vanilla bean ice cream, caramel and chocolate, especially when melted together. 3937 N. Lincoln, 773.528.3700.

A cookie baked in a skillet...for reals

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Filed under I like to eats, not known for

May 12, 2010 · 12:05 am

Brunch at Prairie Fire

Did you think I’d go to Prairie Fire for the first time and only do a mystery spot on the place? Especially when a bacon waffle is on the menu? Yeah, yeah, bacon waffles, we’ve seen them, but really, can you resist one? Luckily the brunch menu offers relatively heathy items like eggs benedict, local mushroom and goat cheese (I said, relatively) omelets served with potatoes or juicy red tomato slices (I love that this is a side option) and other egg dishes, so you can easily throw in a bacon waffle for the table. Slather it with maple syrup and you’ll be happy you did…the pork doesn’t seem off-balance or over-whelm the fluffy sweet cake. You almost can’t detect it for a few bites, but you soon discover that chef Sarah Stegner’s version of the ironic waffle-du-jour is perfection.

Simple, perfect, bacon-laden goodness

But just when you’ve gotten over that sweet dish, the lemon ricotta pancakes catch your eye. A light-as-air thin stack arrives, bearing specks of lemon rind and fluffy ricotta mixed into the batter. The only thing this dish maaybe needs is a side of blackberries or something colorful, a little tart and sweet, but really, they are just fine stacked up on their own.

Lemon ricotta pancakes at Prairie Fire

Now that decided on sweets to share, the aforementioned local omelette is basic, but delicious. For something heartier and with a kick, order the chiliquiles with sour cream, guac and two eggs.

Omelette with goat cheese and mushrooms

Chiliquiles, and the object of order envy when my companion got this

With a fresh but hearty brunch menu, I can’t wait to get back to Prairie Fire for lunch or dinner, especially on a Tuesday evening when their guest bartender series has guest bartenders shaking things up with mixologist Daniel Sviland behind the bar. 215 N. Clinton Street

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Filed under cheap, tasty brunch, I like to eats, new restaurants

April 21, 2010 · 12:05 am

Terragusto

Chef Theo Gilbert in the tiny kitchen of the new Terragusto

Like Mia Francesca and Manny’s Deli, Terragusto always felt like one of those staple restaurants around town that everyone and their proverbial mother had been to, but, well, me. A close friend raved about it for months, and finally got a small group together to check it out. It’s the kind of Italian food I love, fresh, daily homemade pasta, bright flavors, fresh, sustainable seafood and meats, quaint, simple room (without cheesy murals or wicker-wrapped chianti bottles stashed in every open corner), and plenty of food for a good price. We ordered the chef’s tasting (available at the new Terragusto location), a prix-fixe selection ($48) where a parade of antipasti, salads, starters, entrées, desserts and coffee are sent your way at the chef’s whim. You share everything with your tablemates, from the trout salad and white bean purée smeared crunchy crostinis, to the spinach custard flan, Rushing Waters Trout and Wagyu beef. But the highlight of our momentous meal was by far the cuttlefish ink pasta dotted with fat, buttery shrimp. Cuttlefish is more sustainable than squid, and when its ink is used to make the silky pasta ribbons, a briney, delicious treat ensues. The shrimp add bursts of color and sweet-salty touches to the perfect pasta dish.

Cuttlefish ink pasta with shrimp

Rushing Waters trout with potatoes

Besides the inky delight, I also loved our antipasti course, a melange of watery buffalo mozzarella slices, pickled veggies, egg salad, bright beet salad and cheese filled pastries.

Antipasti platter

Dinner continued with dessert, the best being a dark chocolate mousse with caramel and berry pannacotta. We left happily full, nothing compared to those stumbling out of Geja’s, nestled just below the restaurant. I’ll be back to give the chef’s tasting another go, and now to get to Manny’s and Mia.. 340 W. Armitage Ave. and 1851 W. Addison.

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Filed under Best bite, great for date, I like to eats

March 19, 2010 · 12:05 am

The new cupcake?

I still love cupcakes. I really do. Red velvet ones, mostly (see category). But lately I have seeing and indulging in another classic sweet showing up where the cupcakes of the last few years left off, macaroons. A French Pastry school event a few weeks ago had The Peninsula showing of their chocolate bar favorites, like flavored marshmallows (coffee, chocolate), fizzy raspberry suckers (made with baking soda for the fizz!), and a slew of colorful French macaroons in flavors like peanut butter and jelly, lemon and lime. I also discovered the deliciousness that is passionfruit and chocolate macaroons from Bittersweet Bakery, and am on the hunt for more. A red velvet perhaps? Suggestions welcome in the comments!

Peninsula macaroons, almost too pretty to eat

Fizzy raspberry suckers

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March 15, 2010 · 12:05 am

Jiminy Chips

Holy crap, has anyone had these? I recently discovered Jiminy Chips when a coworker brought them into the office. The Chicago-based company offers homemade flavors like chocolate-marshmallow, sweet potato and, oy, BUTTER! While being melt-your-mouth delicious, yet still crunchy, these local chips rival my previous favorite—the homemade ones served up at Milk & Honey Cafe. I admit that I don’t frequent Navy Pier all too often, or I probably would’ve discovered them at their store there, but for now, I’ll head to Stanley’s Fruit Market, where they are also sold. In a word, yum.

Butter-flavored Jiminy Chips

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March 3, 2010 · 12:05 am

Kimchee-fried rice and Korean karaoke

Kimchee fried rice with a fried egg

I knew a night celebrating a friend’s birthday at Court Hill Karaoke (꾸띠 노래방) at 6248 N. California would involve multiple shochu shots, beer and some serious embarrassment, but I had no idea I would experience the divinity that is kimchee-fried rice. We ordered up a batch of it along with some fried chicken and dumplings, and when the hot pot arrived to our private karaoke room, it had me at fried egg. I love kimchee with cabbage and the strong, pungent flavor prevailed throughout the rice, onions, garlic, green onions, and, well, yes, OK, spam. I would’ve never detected it, but a friend who was familiar with the dish let me know about the addition of imitation meat (sometimes bacon or tofu). I have to admit the rice was a bit on the greasy side, and the diced spam didn’t help its image, but the kimchee flavor saved the day and we devoured it all before we got embarrassedly back on the mic. A few more fun non-food pics from the evening…

I don't know what this says or what this mug is resting on

There may be spam on the menu, but there is no MSG

..you know the rest.

Herb garden at Quince

As what seems like the 10th snowstorm of the year blankets the city, I’d thought I add a bit of green to the blog today with this shot of the basement herb garden at Quince at the Homestead. Chef Andy Motto grows his own microherbs like baby mizuna, micro purple rutabega and komatsuna to place atop and around his seasonal, elegant dishes like skatewing roll and lobster with quinoa (I’ve gushed about this combo before), roasted duck with cannelloni, spinach and celery root purée and octopus with heirloom tomato compote. Come summer, he hopes to transfer the mini garden to the rooftop of the Homestead. And speaking of green, I’ll be traveling to Temecula, Calif. for work this week to learn about all things citrus. Be back blogging in a few! 1625 Hinman Ave., Evanston, 847.570.8400

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Filed under great for date, I like to eats, random spottings

February 10, 2010 · 12:05 am

Belly Shack

Belly Shack on Western

Oh, how I miss Vella Cafe. The bright and sunny robin’s egg-blue brunch/lunch spot made a mean Vietnamese iced coffee, frittata, awesome amaranth pancakes and a tasty tofu banh mi sandwich. But the new spot that’s taken its somewhat odd space near the Milwaukee L stop on Western also makes me very happy. At least it did on my first visit there last weekend. I lurrve Urban Belly, and knew that another Bill Kim-approved spot would serve up tasty, well-priced food and Belly Shack certainly does. I heard the place was going to offer Latin American and Pan-Asian sandwiches, not the easiest fusion to envision actually working. But then you see the menu and easily imagine eating all of it. It’s on the small side, but refreshingly well-edited with 5 “sammichs” (like an Asian meatball and rice noodle and mint pita, Korean BBQ kogi and lemongrass chicken with peanut and toasted coconut), sides, soups and of course-soft serve to hit any craving. For sides, we dug into nasal-clearing seasonal kimchi, brussels sprouts and chorizo (they were good but they were no Momofuku brussels sprouts) and a cold somen noodle salad with crunchy tortilla chips and plump olive oil poached shrimp.

Somen noodle salad

I saw blackened tilapia and curry tartar sauce and had to have this open-faced sandwich that comes on soft chewy bread from a local Iraqi bakery. The sweet caramel-glazed fish portion could’ve been larger to match up to the size of hearty bread, but the combo still worked, with a mess of watercress and spicy curry sauce on top.

Tilapia sandwich

In my future, I can see many many trips to Belly Shack this summer for the soft serve alone as they get bigger machines, and hopefully more flavors! It’s a brilliant offering, one I took advantage of this fall at Momofuku Noodle Bar in NYC. Mint brownie soft serve tasted like the ultimate Shamrock Shake—meaning one with huge fudgy chunks of mint brownies mixed in.

Brownie soft serve

We tried the bacon chocolate chip and the huckleberry lime, but the Vietnamese cinnamon caramel was by far the best flavor of the bunch.

Vietnamese caramel soft serve

Sweet, spicy, addicting, it was a suggestion from our communal dining partners, who were also kind enough to offer us a sample of the house-brewed beer (a damn jug of it) they had BYOB’d. Their brew was a red ale (unnamed) and tasted to us like a darker, richer Leinenkugal’s Red. (I can’t recall the brewer’s name, but I won’t forget his beer blog name) Finally a communal seating situation that involves table sharing of home-brewed beer! The dark rich ale held up to the parade of flavors on our palate and happily filled us up. And as nice as it would be to hang at a communal table shared by home-brewers at Belly Shack again, I’ll be happy just to try the rest of the menu including the highly-acclaimed tostones with chimichurri sauce, the roasted squash and the belly hot dog with kimchi salsa and egg noodles. Communal beer or not, I’ll be back to belly up. Belly Shack, 1912 N. Western, 773.252.1414