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nmorrell

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  1. nmorrell
    While reviewing the last few pages of this thread before posting, I was reminded why I love this forum and Don Rocks for starting it so much... "...once you get into a pissing contest with the sommelier in a French restaurant, the evening is over." This really says it all! I'm putting together a list of things to do and see and eat in Paris for my brother in law and his new wife who are heading over in March. I'm all set with activities but I'm lost with restaurants. Its been a few years since I've last been Paris and post pandemic I realize many places may not be there anymore. We had a very expensive and rather disappointing experience on our "nice night out" last time which is the only thing sticking in my head and other than the wonderful little neighborhood bistro that I love and am recommending, I'm at a loss. I'm not sure where they are staying yet, I've recommended a sweet little hotel in the 7th behind the Assembly National and a larger but still nice hotel in the 2nd that I also like. I imagine they'd like at least a couple of higher end options to consider for a celebratory dinner but mostly I'd love ideas of more intimate bistro type restaurants that feel neighborhoody and less big city commercial. The only area they've said they particularly want to explore is the Latin Quarter so that's another area of interest. thank you for any recommendations!
  2. nmorrell
    As a follow up, thank you again for the family dinner suggestion, I think that’s the perfect style for this occasion. And it will come as no surprise to anyone that has been to Tail Up Goat that they were extremely accommodating and always go the extra mile to make you feel like you’re part of their family.
  3. nmorrell
    Thanks y’all! Agreed on how amazingly personal and sincerely friendly they are. The family dinner sounds perfect! Thanks for that tip!!
  4. nmorrell
    Agreed!
  5. nmorrell
    Does anyone know if the good folks at Tail Up Goat ever accommodate a party of six? I’ve been many times with 2 and 4 but was surprised I couldn’t make a reservation for 6. I certainly understand wanting to keep the intimate feel if that’s the purpose but had hoped to host a going away dinner for a close friend who is moving and loves TUG (almost) as much as I do. I was going to call today but didn’t want to sound pushy by asking.
  6. nmorrell
    We were there on a Saturday a month or so ago and noticed two things. The first is that there were significantly more professional line standers than I've ever seen there before. Not really a judgment on that just something I noticed. One was even passing out his business cards. Second, most people in line at 4:15/:30 were actually going for the 7:30 seating. I arrived at 4:30 and there were 12 people in front of me and only two wanted the 5:30 seating. I was given the 9:30 seating due to a large number of parties of 4 and in one case 5! And despite the 9:30 time slot we actually sat down closer to 8 which was perfect for us! Its really hit or miss but in general I agree with what Marty said above! And honestly, I'm happy to eat there at any time.
  7. nmorrell
    Thank you, I love the bicycling idea! And that Michelin guide list is outstanding! Thank you. I just pulled up every one of them, nothing near Saumur but plenty to consider for one of our nights in Paris!
  8. nmorrell
    I'm heading to Paris and the Loire Valley this July with a group of five girlfriends for a week and am hoping for a few restaurant recommendations! I can check the Paris thread for ideas, though if you want to share here, I won't mind! We've rented a house in Saumur and we're looking to book a "once in a life time" type dinner for one of the nights. There is a driver available to us so realistically the restaurant could be with in an hours drive of Saumur. Are there vineyards anyone has visited or would recommend we visit?? And of course if anyone has other "must see" suggestions in the Loire Valley I'd be very grateful! Thank you!!
  9. nmorrell
    This mister and I celebrated our anniversary this week at Tail Up Goat. It had been way too long since our last visit but it was like no time had passed. I sincerely try not to unabashedly gush about this restaurant because it makes me feel like a blatant advertisement but I just can't help myself. This continues to be my favorite restaurant in town because, beyond killing it with their creative and delicious menu, the wine list, staff and overall experience is unparalleled by comparison to any other restaurant I've been to, in DC or elsewhere. We ordered and shared... brown rice bread, house-made ricotta, shoot salad and granola Vouvray Sec, Clos de Rougement Sancerre, Les Quarterons carrot ravioli-apricots, ramps greens, and pistachio breadcrumbs pici carbonara, pancetta, chive egg yolk, and black pepper breadcrumbs Gewurztraminer Blend, Miscreant Pinot Gris, Dragone Ramato lamb ribs, oregano, grilled lemon, fig, olive, and fennel onion yogurt We tried two different reds that I'm blanking on and there might have been a tasting of Rosé somewhere in there as well but I know one of the reds was from the Canary Islands. I think I've had a glass of that one at every visit, its obviously outstanding! We really wanted to order the carrot and pineapple cake after the rave reviews but there was no way we could eat another bite, so we ended the night with a glass of medeira and "forced" ourselves to devour the bite of chocolate mouse that arrived at the end of the meal. I would highly recommend everything we ordered, but honestly you simply can't go wrong with anything on this menu. If this is your first time visiting, please start with the salt cod, its a personal favorite but we wanted to try new dishes this time. And you would be remiss if you don't try at least one of the breads/toasts. It continues to surprise me how well these are executed! I think honestly we come back for the wine as much as we do for the food. My best piece of advice is skip ordering a bottle and instead let Bill pick your wines with each course. There are likely wine connoisseurs on this listserv who know all the wines on this list but I am not one of them. Instead, having Bill pour and talk through two of his recommendations for each course further elevated the already outstanding experience we've come to expect.
  10. nmorrell
    I'm delighted for Tail Up Goat and selfishly a little sad for myself. I've been here several times and with each visit I fall more in love with the whole experience. I've never had a hard time booking two weeks out. I think those days are behind us. Again, yay for them! It couldn't happen to better people or a more deserving restaurant. Tried for an early dinner reservations for 5 guests, a little over a month out and they weren't booking yet, totally forgot to check back and then tried at the two week mark and nothing. I'm not upset at all, totally get it. Just want folks to know they should look to book closer to the 4 week mark if they have a specific date in mind.
  11. nmorrell
    That is too funny! Thanks for the update. Good to know for our next visit.
  12. nmorrell
    Just wanted to say thanks to all those that gave us recommendations!! The one thing I can say about the trip is, it won't be the last for my kids. I was thrilled that they loved the City as much as I'd hoped. We ate at the following spots... Sunday Brunch at Isabella's (Next door to the Natural History Museum)- I had the huevos rancheros and my friend had the breakfast burrito (we're both Texans). Food fine and service was ok. Nothing bad but noting outstanding either. Its worth a stop if you're going to the museum but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Note for non-NewYorkers: The city is still under blue laws. Who knew!?!? So we drew out our 11am reservation so that we could enjoy one mimosa at 12:01pm before departing. Sunday dinner at Campagnola (UES). A friend recommended it and it was darling. An old school tiny little Italian spot. They were very accommodating to our kids and the food and wine was great. Nothing groundbreaking or earth shattering but great classic Italian dishes. I might not cross town for dinner here but if you're in the UES, its definitely worth it. Monday Breakfast at Serafina (CPS location). I'd heard from several friends to try this spot. And I wish we'd made the effort to go to the UES location instead of the CPS location but it was literally next door to our hotel so it seemed silly not to try the CPS location. Their four flowers juice was delicious and I'm not really a fan of breakfast juice. The benedicts were outstanding and again they were great with our kids, which was appreciated. Service was a little slow but nothing to really complain about.
  13. nmorrell
    I'm taking my kids to NYC for a quick trip later this month. I think I've got our schedule roughly mapped out, making our meals my next step. I'm looking for any recommendations y'all can offer! I'll be with my 6 and 8 year old boys who are, on the whole well behaved and fairly adventurous eaters for their age but we won't be at Le Bernardin. 1. Sunday Brunch, either near our hotel in the Upper East Side or near One World Trade. I was thinking maybe Balthazar's. I used to love this spot in the late 90s/early '00s but 20 years later, is it still worth a stop or is my nostalgia getting the better of me? 2. Sunday dinner. No real restrictions in location here but I'd like somewhere with great food since its our only dinner. We may go see a show that night so perhaps somewhere near Central Park South? I don't want to eat in Times Square. 3. Monday morning Best NYC Bagels. The kids haven't really had bagels (other than Bodo's in Charlottesville) because we don't really eat them around here so I'd like to introduce them to a really great bagel. I greatly appreciate any recommendations! Many Thanks!!
  14. nmorrell
    Noticed an update on this long awaited opening last month and thought I'd post it here, incase anyone is wondering. Looks like 2019 is the latest target opening date... Jul 22, 2016 - "What's the Deal with Anthony Bourdain's NYC Food Market?" by Whitney Filloon on eater.com
  15. nmorrell
    I took my two kids (8 & 6) to lunch at Hawwi yesterday and had such a delicious meal and wonderful overall experience, I knew immediately that I needed to do a post on this little gem. This was my second time visiting and both times were outstanding! I couldn't love this little family owned restaurant more. From the moment you walk in, you are treated with such warmth and genuine friendliness that you can't help but feel like an extended part of the family. I was glad to see a large group of 10 near the window, maybe an office outing? Other than that there were a couple of groups of two that came in and/or finished while we were there. It definitely wasn't packed but I'm hoping as more and more people give it a try the business will pick up. My kids are pretty great about trying new restaurants with us but I'll be honest, they basically order a version of chicken kabobs and rice with any mango drink on the menu. I appreciated that the owner suggested that instead of two orders of chicken kabobs, we order one kabob and try an order of Kaywat, prime beef cubes in a red pepper sauce with spices, peas, green beans and injera. He even offered to make the sauce a bit more mild. As it turns out I think they would have been fine with the hotter sauce but he even separated the sliced jalapeños when the platter arrived. The boys downed the kabobs first and after hesitantly trying the kaywat, declared it "awesome." At one point my youngest even asked me to take it away from him because he was stuffed but couldn't make himself stop eating. I hear you son, I hear you! Both times I've been here, I order the Kitfo and both times it was outstanding! It comes with a side of greens that are delicious and I appreciated the two sauces and dried spice blend that accompanied the dish as well. My only complaint, is that its simply too much for one person to eat. I hated not finishing it but just couldn't. This is definitely worth a visit, whether you're in the neighborhood or not! And I love that its one more place that I can take my kids and hopefully broaden their palates.
  16. nmorrell
    For our final night out sans kids we dined at Convivial last Thursday evening. I hadn't been to that part of town in ages and was surprised by the development, It looks really well done. We appreciated the ample amount of parking right next door and that they validate your parking. Definitely a bonus. After looking through this thread and talking to other folks who've had an excellent experience, I think I'm going to chalk this night out to poor ordering on our part and give it another try sometime soon. We started with the latke (celery root and dry cured lamb) as recommended by our waitress. The lamb was excellent but the celery root slaw and crostini bottom didn't really add anything. I could have had the lamb as a carpaccio and skipped the other elements. We ordered two cold dishes and two hot dishes, again at the recommendation of our waitress and I appreciated her help here, it was the perfect amount of food. I got the veal tartare and my husband had the cured arctic char. I thought the veal tartar was great. It was the first time I'd had veal in tartare form and I have to say, I loved it. The arctic char was beautifully executed and tasted fine but again, there was more slaw than char and seemed unnecessary. For our hot dishes, my husband had the fried chicken "coq au vin" and I had the grilled white perch, octopus and crab bisque. I had a bite of the fried chicken and really enjoyed it, it was certainly the best over all dish. I thought the perch itself tasted fine, and again, thought the presentation was well done. I love octopus but usually have it grilled so I fully admit that maybe this was less of a mistake and more of a style I don't care for but the octopus was both slimy and rubbery; I didn't enjoy it. The play on crab bisque was fun and I thought went well with the perch. The other highlight of the night was the key lime pie. I'm not really a desserts person and often key lime is too tart for my taste but this was perfectly done. The base was crumbly and delicious and the key lime was just the perfect amount of tart. Its topped with thin slices of kiwi which paired perfectly being naturally sweet and not overly sugary sweet. Considering we almost didn't order dessert at all, this was the best thing we had. The cocktails on their menu were summery classics. Because we were ordering different wines we got a couple of glasses instead of a bottle. Mine was ok, but nothing outstanding. I did appreciate seeing Elizabeth Spencer's Sav. Blanc on the list. It is one of my favorite vineyards and its rare to see it on anyone's wine list. All in all if this were in my neighborhood I'm sure we'd come back sooner. That said, we both felt we should come back after a better study of the menu on this thread. I saw several of the duck egg beignets coming out from the kitchen over the course of our meal and they looked amazing. I was kicking myself for not ordering one. Next time for sure!
  17. nmorrell
    It has been too long since we darkened the door at Little Serow and we rectified that last night. With every visit, its as if we've just popped into a friend's for dinner; a hipper, cooler friend no doubt but a friend nonetheless. In our continuation of dine-out-every-night-while-the-kids-are-at-grandma's we're beginning to feel like stuffed geese. I sincerely have a new respect for food critics that dine out nearly every night. That said it was worth every bite. So many favorites, from the pork rinds and shrimp paste that always make my mouth water with anticipation to the pork ribs that smell almost as good as they taste and the inevitable sopping up of the remaining liquid with the last bits of our sticky rice. I have to say the best of the best for me was a new dish, debuted last night, shredded duck. I should have noted the exact ingredients but I was too busy shoveling as much of it as I could into the cabbage leaves provided. It was the perfect mix of flavor and heat. Its hard to decide which I get more excited about, finding a new dish to savor or enjoying long standing favorite. Either way, they always pair well with their house-made vermouth. If you're not enjoying at least one glass during a visit, you're missing out.
  18. nmorrell
    We headed back to Tail Up Goat last night with some friends who just moved to town. I loved introducing them to what is quickly becoming my favorite restaurant in town. We ordered an absurd amount of food for four people but it was all outstanding. I fear at some point the words "amazing" and "outstanding" will loose their meaning in my posts about Tail Up Goat but we genuinely had an outstanding experience and the food was amazing. We started with the crispy salt cod again and added the grilled rabbit sausage and the snap peas this trip. The crispy cod was just the perfect bite of deliciousness. The snap peas were expertly cooked! A bright green and just the right amount of crispness and subtle flavor. Our friends ordered the rabbit, it wouldn't have been something I would order (mostly because my son was horrified the last time I ordered a rabbit dish as his special stuffed animal friend is a bunny but some things are best left unsaid) but the rabbit was tasty and I'm glad I tried it. We also ordered the seaweed sourdough and the red grit sourdough and all I can say is that I would beg, borrow or steal a loaf of their sourdough if I could. Their bread is stupid good. I would keep coming for that alone. Its a toss up which I liked more, the seaweed or the brown rice bread we ordered on our previous trip. Both are not to be missed! My husband ordered the potato salad and the grilled pork. I didn't try the potato salad and only got a bite of the pork but he said both were great choices. Our friends split the whole stuffed porgy and loved it. This is what I ordered last time and can attest its fantastic. I'd go back to that in a heart beat. I was flip flopping between the half roasted chicken and the carrot ravioli, which we ordered on our last trip and loved. I ended up with the chicken since I hadn't had it before and so that the husband could try it. This could have easily fed two people as an entree but its also great to have left overs! I'm looking forward to tucking into them as soon as I finish this review. We skipped the dessert and all had a glass of madeira instead. I know I raved about the wine list in my last post so I won't spend too much time on it in this one but I will say that its such a treat to know whatever Bill Jensen picks will be spot on. This is probably my favorite wine list in town because of its playfulness. I started out again with a glass of the Greek sparkling wine and I would suggest everyone do so, its a fun start to the meal. I tried a glass of orange wine and then settled into my new favorite, 7 Fuentes. I need some of this in my house! We ended with a Madeira from New York that I'm already blanking on the name but its the last one on the list. Outstanding and you guessed it, amazing!
  19. nmorrell
    We had an outstanding evening at Kinship two weeks ago for my husband's birthday. I'm remiss in only now posting the review and unfortunately my pictures seem to be more than 2MB so I can't get them to post but rest assured everything was delicious! I have to say, I loved the restaurant from the moment we walked in, the gas light entrance and large wide door tucked into instead of out towards the street gave the feeling of stepping into a private supper club. Naturally we started with the Torchon of White Mushroom and this more than lived up to the hype on this thread. It was melt in your mouth extravagance. I could go back to that on every future visit. I should say, even though I'd read through this thread before going and thought I understood the menu concept, I was pleased to have our waiter go through it again, clarifying it for me, at which point I really "got" it. And because this was a surprise dinner for the husband, he hadn't read up on the menu at all so it was very helpful for him as well. We also ordered the Soused Pied de Cochon. I'll admit, neither of us knew what that was but we were immediately sold when our waiter explained it was slow cooked pigs feet. I mean, when is slow roasted pork ever a disappointment? It was fall apart tender and the flavor was just exactly what you want pork to be, salty but not too much so and oh so flavorful. Another must order! We hemmed and hawed about what to get but finally settled on splitting the Kinship Roast Chicken and were very pleased with the choice. It is, as described, more than enough for two. We had plenty to take home and enjoy the next day. I've read that some folks had differing accounts on theirs but ours was crispy and delicious! I would certainly recommend ordering it. I appreciated the tip from an earlier poster about being able to order the parker house rolls (for an up charge) regardless of meal choice and I had planned on doing so as we have oohed and awwhed over those rolls during our occasional visits to the Mandarin over the years but because they came with the chicken, it was a mute point. They were, as always, amazing! We ended the evening with the Salted Caramel Peanut Bar. It was just as delicious as it sounds. I normally only have a bite of dessert when my husband orders one as I'd prefer an after dinner drink but I certainly had my share and possibly more. Again we had a tough time deciding between this or the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Souffle.. next time for sure! They also brought over a little birthday dessert treat that genuinely could have been a menu item on its own! Delicious! Speaking of drinks, we had a delightful conversation through out the night with the sommelier. I'm sure she was quite busy but she lingered at our table chatting and answering all our questions as if we were the only table in the restaurant. I love wine and so I really enjoyed hearing how she came up with their list and which were her favorites. We had an early reservation so we ended up having a glass of white port at the bar (again a lovely conversation with the bartender) after dinner and before I knew it we were being invited downstairs to the kitchen to meet Chef Ziebold. I'm pretty sure this was a mistake as, I mean, who are we but we rolled with it and relished every second of this little VIP adventure. Like every staff person we encountered, you'd have thought we were the only ones dining that night. The kitchen was bustling but not chaotic and by all accounts seemed to be humming along like a well oiled operation. Chef Ziebold seemed relaxed and was so generous with his time talking to us about the restaurant. After a few minutes we politely excused ourselves to let him get back to work. And when we went upstairs our leftovers we're waiting for us at the door. I'm terrible about leaving boxed up food at the table and I appreciated that once they took my plate away, they boxed it up and had it waiting for us before we left. All in all, I have to say this really is a restaurant not to miss! We'll certainly be back again... and again.
  20. nmorrell
    I saw Don's tweet about the book and after reading his review, I ordered a copy of Understanding the Arts. I mean, if I love his food recommendations what are the odds I'll also like his reading recommendations? Probably, pretty good. Before I even started the story, I knew I was going to enjoy the overall book. As a pre-law and poli-sci college student I suffered through several required philosophy courses so the opening paragraph made me chuckle and maybe even feel a little vindicated from my struggle... But on to the story. I won't pretend I'm a deep thinker because I'm certainly not but I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I found that it sped up as the story progressed and by the last third of the story my heart was pounding and I had to consciously slow my reading down so as not to miss anything because I was so eager to see how it ended. I couldn't stop thinking about Zweig's mindset while writing the story and how that may have effected the story and in the same sense how the process of writing the story may have effected him. I enjoyed so many aspects but I particularly appreciated that it all took place on a ship. The setting gave each of the characters the time and separation to really live in that moment separated from their lives. Its certainly a story that sticks with you. In fact, its been several weeks since I read it and I'm tempted to read it again. I imagine its a story that you can pull something new from with each read. As for books online, I agree, its not my first choice but for a lot of books that are no longer in print I appreciate it. I've read several through the free online service, The Gutenberg Project.
  21. nmorrell
    My husband and I were excited to try Tail Up Goat last week, for the first time. We had pretty high expectations given the hype, plus it takes a lot for us to venture up to Adams Morgan from Alexandria on a week night. We had an outstanding experience from start to finish! We arrived a bit early so we grabbed a drink at the bar before sitting down. From the moment I opened the drink menu I knew it was going to be a fun night. I recognized nothing on the list, and the regions most of the wines came from aren't the traditional ones you'd find on a typical wine list. I started with a greek sparkling wine that was nothing like any other sparkling wine I've had. It almost had vermouth like characteristics. Sparkling Debina Blend, "Paleokerisio" We were seated in a great little private nook that felt cozy with out being separated. We had an outstanding view of the kitchen, which we both enjoy, if for no other reason that we could watch which dishes looked best coming out of the kitchen and could order accordingly. Our server was outstanding! She seemed genuinely interested in knowing what we thought about the dishes and drinks we ordered. In fact every interaction we had with the staff, from the hostess to a quick exchange with one of the owners and everyone in between was particularly outstanding. Its clear that they are all very well educated on the details of the menu but frankly, they also seemed to be enjoying themselves so much that it really rubbed off on us. We had a great conversation after our dinner with the sommelier about Madeira and ended up tasting three in the process because we was having so much fun talking about the history. I could go on but I'll get to the food... We started with the crispy salt cod with smoked cauliflower aioli and picked red onions. They warned us that they were hot but we didn't listen. They are perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth but you really need to wait a few minutes before eating. We also tried the brown rice bread with roasted carrots, blood orange and hazelnut picada. I'm torn which I thought was better the bread or the carrots, but rest assured both were outstanding. I still can't decide how the carrots were cooked. They were soft, yet not remotely mushy and still had flavor that really popped. Next up we split the carrot ravioli with ramps and pistachio breadcrumbs and apricots and the whole stuffed porgy. Both were delicious and I would highly recommend. The ramps were perfect and to call them "breadcrumbs" seems unfair because they were so much more. The whole porgy was deboned which always amazes me and every bite was perfectly cooked. I switched to red wine here and it was the most fun, smokey and funky (in a good way) wine I've had. Listan Negro Blend, "7 Fuentes" from the Canary Islands. I would love to find this wine to try again on its own because it really is so fun and different. I was ready to call it quits at this point but my husband thought we should try the almond cake and an after dinner drink. I could barely have more than a bite of the cake but it was delicious with a bit of the mascarpone on top. As I mentioned before we really enjoyed our conversation with the sommelier about how he created the wine list and he stuck around to talk us through the Madeiras. I enjoyed them all but by far my favorite was the Malmsey "New York". We got the last glass from the last bottle, so I hope they've gotten a new shipment in because I'll definitely be ending our next meal with a glass.
  22. nmorrell
    Thank you Tweaked and Choirgirl21! My apologies for the delay in thanking you both! I didn't get the notices for a week and then we were in San Fran and Napa (a post for a later day as I have HUGE thanks to the DR Napa thread for my favorite winery of the trip!) last week so I'm just now home and catching up. Heading to Chicago on Thursday and excited about our dining line up. I will definitely look into Three Dots and a Dash, any bar in an alley is intriguing! The best is in Portland, Maine, still one of my favorite bars *alley or otherwise*. Chicago Line up: Dinners: Publican, Nico Osteria, The Pump Room- Library Bar Brunch: Pomp & Circumstance, Cindy's Roof top, The Windsor Bars: RM Champagne, Vera, Scofflaw, Pub Royale, Bom Bolla I really debated about the Purple Pig. I will probably kick myself for not trying it, luckily we're in Chicago somewhat frequently so I know we'll get there. Thanks again y'all!!
  23. nmorrell
    My husband (jimco) and I were in the area for a kids birthday party yesterday so we (all thanks go to the mister for finding Amoo's in the first place) decided to pop in for a late lunch with the kids. We were seated immediately and had great service from start to finish. Everyone was very friendly and helpful with recommendations. We started with the Tahdigh (crispy rice with a lamb and bean stew on top). It was the first time I've had it and loved the rich flavor of the sauce/stew paired with the crunchy rice. I eat a lot of fish and if my husband didn't require some red meat a few nights a week I'd probably have fish/shellfish every night. With that in mind, I had the Sea Bass "kabob" from Amoo's and it was with out a doubt or exaggeration, the best fish I've tasted in my life. The fish basically melts in your mouth, perfectly cooked and tasted like butter. Sinfully delicious! It is served over a huge amount of rice. I should say I don't always love rice but this was fluffy and quite flavorful. I couldn't believe how much of it I ate. The mister had (I can't remember the name) a combination kabob featuring chicken cooked with jalapeí±o and herbs as well as the kubideh (minced onion flavored meat). I think my dish was better to be honest but as I just finished his left overs at lunch today I can attest that even reheated it was excellent. This isn't our neighborhood but I assure you we will definitely be back, soon. The only problem for me is deciding if I will try something new or go back for more of the sea bass perfection.
  24. nmorrell
    My husband and I ventured out here for a birthday dinner in June and had a wonderful experience. I am kicking myself for not writing this review earlier as I can no longer remember the names of the dishes we ordered. So I'll do my best, that said we were both impressed and would love to go back during the weekend to 1. avoid the drive time traffic and 2. try the tasting menu. The only reservation we could get with in two weeks (I clearly waited too long before booking) was on a Thursday so we fought the drive time beltway traffic for an hour and 15 minutes (from Old Town) before arriving. That said, once we arrived the gorgeous mountain top setting melted away the traffic angst. During the weekend they offer a tasting menu but on Thursdays its only a la cart. Which wasn't a problem since we order all four appetizers on the menu because we couldn't decide. Preztel gourgeres, Kentucky fried chicken mushrooms, Fried Brawn and one other I'm blanking on. The fried chicken mushrooms and the fried brawn were my favorite but all four were creative and delicious. In full disclosure when reading the menu I didn't know what brawn was so we had to ask. It was divine. For dinner, Jim ordered the steak and I had the fish with mushrooms. I hate that this is the best I can do to describe the dishes. And I WISH I could include the pictures I took of the main course but I can't figure out how to attach them to this post. As I recall one of the things I liked most about my dish was how creative it was with both flavor and textures. I should also mention that despite having a pretty large dining room they clearly plan out the seating so that everyone has a great view of the mountainside while not being seated too closely to other tables. All in all I would say its well worth the drive mid-week and would probably be even better on a weekend.
  25. nmorrell
    Heading to Chicago for a girls trip in a few weeks. I love Chicago and its restaurants. I have a pretty great list of options going (some new, some old favorites) but looking for a great Italian recommendation. When in town with my husband we've been to Cafe Spiaggia a few times (never been to the other side of the restaurant) and have loved each meal but because this is a girls trip I'm looking for something with a smidge more atmosphere but with equally delicious house made pastas. Any ideas? Here is the list I'm throwing out the other ladies going... Any where else folks are loving these days? Dinner: Nico Osteria Publican Parachute Juno Sushi Bavette's Frontera Grill Girl and the Goat Brunch: Pomp & Circumstance Cindy's Rooftop (Chicago Athletic Assoc) Thank you for any suggestions.
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