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1 hour ago, Ericandblueboy said:

I think the dinners are Publican, Roister, Frontera, and Coco Pazzo (unless I switch to Spiaggia Cafe).

The only booked brunch is Ba ba Reeba ( so we can hit the zoo).  We will hit some food halls, including Revival.

There's so much to see and eat in Chicago!

Publican would probably be better with children (it's big and loud), but I preferred Band of Bohemia (see above, and I strongly recommend an al fresco North Pond brunch if the weather is nice).

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I'm in the Second City now for a quick weekend which includes a matinee of Hamilton. Both Revival Food Hall and French Market food hall are delightful. Great spaces, lots of choices. Check hours because I don't think either opens on Sunday. Revival isn't open on Saturdays, either. 

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On 5/12/2018 at 8:53 AM, dcandohio said:

I'm in the Second City now for a quick weekend which includes a matinee of Hamilton. Both Revival Food Hall and French Market food hall are delightful. Great spaces, lots of choices. Check hours because I don't think either opens on Sunday. Revival isn't open on Saturdays, either. 

Second the Revival Food Hall rec. Really enjoyed my trip there. Cool space, lots of options. Settled on Buldong Hot Chicken and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Also enjoyed the Cherry Circle Room in the CAA building/ hotel for dinner. Solid food and an interesting, well-chosen and fairly priced wine list. Chicago's one of those places I don't get to often, but always thoroughly enjoy.

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On 5/11/2018 at 10:50 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

I think the dinners are Publican, Roister, Frontera, and Coco Pazzo (unless I switch to Spiaggia Cafe).

The only booked brunch is Ba ba Reeba ( so we can hit the zoo).  We will hit some food halls, including Revival.

There's so much to see and eat in Chicago!

If you need to decompress a bit, check out Pequod's for deep dish. You'll need an uber/taxi. We loved it.

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Frontera Grill - good good, but not exciting.  And very rushed service.  I ordered the apps and then went to wash my hands.  The apps were at the table when I got back.  The place was packed for late Saturday afternoon (5:45 reservation).

Sunday morning we had brunch at Cafe Ba Ba Reeba, because they open early (9) and they're close to the Zoo.  The brunch menu worked for us, some sweets for the kids and lots of savory for me.

Sunday dinner was at Publican.  I was expecting Au Pied de Cochon of the midwest but the Publican wasn't that.   I tried the ham chop in "hay" which was featured in one of Zimmern's shows but it just tasted like ham.  I find their dishes overly complex - too many ingredients and too many flavors that don't mesh well.

Monday morning we Ubered to Chinatown for dim sum.  Minghin Cuisine has several locations with one near our hotel but the one in Chinatown opens early (8).  Unfortunately the dishes were uneven.  Both shrimp dumplings had a hint of fishiness.  Excellent siu mai - 5 to an order (unusual).  

Checked out both Forum 55 and Revival Food Hall.  Revival definitely had more interesting food (and served booze)  but I wasn't hungry after dim sum so the kids got a slice of "Detroit" style pizza from Union Squared.  It's actually a decent Sicilian pie.

Monday evening was Roister.  Their chicken liver parfait with hush puppies was fantastic.  Their pasta with clams (little neck and razor) was a bit too acidic.  The chicken 3 ways (salad, fried, and grilled) was very moist but I just didn't think it  was anything to swoon over.  I've yet to swoon over a chicken though.  

Tuesday evening was Coco Pazzo.  This is an excellent Italian joint - the kind of joint you'd find in Italy.  It's not at all interesting (but we just wanted the classics done right), but well executed with top notch service.  All the pasta were al dente as they should be.

Wednesday morning we stumbled upon Grandee Cuisine.  This place must be related to Minghin because they use  almost identical dim sum menus and they also serve 5 siu mais per order.  They were open at 9:30 and nothing else was....

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On 5/12/2018 at 12:20 AM, DonRocks said:

Publican would probably be better with children (it's big and loud), but I preferred Band of Bohemia (see above, and I strongly recommend an al fresco North Pond brunch if the weather is nice).

I had an excellent dinner at Band of Bohemia last week. The service was impeccable and they were graceful in accommodating vegetarians (especially for a place featuring a foie gras dessert).  In fact, their off-menu tofu was phenomenal.  But the beer...wow.  They turn their beers toward unexpected directions, but in different ways.  The Jasmine Rice beer was on a completely different plane--it showcased crispness and devotion to quality ingredients one expects from the best Czech beers while the jasmine rice offered a dry, subtle, progressive approach toward a new direction.  Their "India" Pale Ale earns its moniker not from the popular style, but by taking a pale ale and playing with typical Indian spices like cardamom, coriander, etc.  Where the Jasmine Rice is subtle, the India Pale Ale is in-your-face, and yet they both succeed mightily. 

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I took everything I learned from this thread and then ignored it when we went to Chicago.  We did a quick trip to see Wait Wait Don't Tell Me and to see Hamilton.  (Both Mr. BLB and BL-6th grader were ungrateful about the Hamilton tickets because they didn't think they needed to see it again.  Heathens...) 

We stayed at the Palmer House and I really loved the location.  We did one over priced breakfast in their dining room.  Definitely not worth it.  The bar was hopping every night and I had a lovely cocktail there the first night while trying to get work done while waiting for the others to fall asleep.

The best meal was at the Little Goat Diner.  We ubered over, over the protests of BL-6th grader, who then proceeded to love everything we ate.  Fat Elvis Waffles, Pork Belly Fries, Smoked Corned Beef Hash, sausage, bacon and blueberry pancakes.  We didn't come close to eating it all.  The cookies we ordered to go were lovely too. I should have bought more.

The Sienna Tavern was a nice lunch spot with good salmon and a charming carbonnara that is mixed in a jar in front of you.

The Grill Room across from the CIBC Theater had excellent steaks.  It wasn't cheap but it was a very good meal.

Our one failure was that no one was hungry before Wait Wait and we didn't get out of there until almost 11 pm.  Mr. BLB and BL-6th grader went to Vapiano's while I headed to the hotel for a burger at Potter's Bar.  

We really enjoyed Chicago (we did the Hancock Tower and the Art Institute) and would happily return for more exploring and more food at the Little Goat Diner.

 

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Was in Chicago recently for the evening. A new standout for mew was Cruz Blanca, a newish Rick Bayless place with great tacos (shocker), and I really enjoyed the tlayudas, basically a large taco pizza(?). They also have a brewery in-house that put out some really good beer; I had the Freetown and Barleybomba, a Double IPA and a Barleywine.

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We were back for 2 days last week while I had a work conference.  Mr. BLB and BL-6th grader explored Revival Food Hall.  BL-6th grader tried the Poke and loved it.  I went the next morning and got breakfast from the Hot Chocolate Bakery.  We did not try 55Forum.  It just didn't look as appealing.

I still really like Little Goat Diner.  The Grill Room was less successful this time but the leftovers made an excellent breakfast one morning. 

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On 3/8/2017 at 3:59 PM, ad.mich said:

On the subject of Smoque, in the loop a new food hall called Revival opened a few months back and it's a godsend for us loop worker bees. That being said, it's one of the best loop options for lunch, period.  It's also a great chance for people staying downtown to try branches of some beloved northside spots all in one spot.  Smoque is there (and smoking on site at the same level of quality) along with institutions like Hot Chocolate, Antique Taco, and Danke (offshoot of Table, Donkey and Stick). Trend chasers will find Budlong doing Nashville hot (but even if you aren't into that it's got a strong argument for the best fried chicken in town right now), poke, and ramen... and there several other spots on top of that.  

It's basically like if Union Market had plopped itself on K street. 

On 5/11/2018 at 10:06 PM, ad.mich said:

For lunch I'd think about Revival Food Hall (it has an absolute murderer's row of food options, branches of some of my favorite spots in Chicago all executing well) or Tempesta, which makes some of the best salumi in the city and then stuffs their own sandwiches full with it. I haven't had a bad thing there yet.   

On 5/11/2018 at 10:50 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

We will hit some food halls, including Revival.

There's so much to see and eat in Chicago!

On 5/15/2018 at 8:46 PM, Keithstg said:

Second the Revival Food Hall rec. Really enjoyed my trip there. Cool space, lots of options. Settled on Buldong Hot Chicken and thoroughly enjoyed it.

On 5/12/2018 at 8:53 AM, dcandohio said:

I'm in the Second City now for a quick weekend which includes a matinee of Hamilton. Both Revival Food Hall and French Market food hall are delightful. Great spaces, lots of choices. Check hours because I don't think either opens on Sunday. Revival isn't open on Saturdays, either. 

On 7/4/2018 at 9:21 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Checked out both Forum 55 and Revival Food Hall.  Revival definitely had more interesting food (and served booze)  but I wasn't hungry after dim sum so the kids got a slice of "Detroit" style pizza from Union Squared.  It's actually a decent Sicilian pie.

2 hours ago, bookluvingbabe said:

We were back for 2 days last week while I had a work conference.  Mr. BLB and BL-6th grader explored Revival Food Hall.  BL-6th grader tried the Poke and loved it.  I went the next morning and got breakfast from the Hot Chocolate Bakery.  We did not try 55Forum.  It just didn't look as appealing.

[Sorry - this is the origin of what will be the Revival Food Hall thread - don't have time to finish it right now :(]

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Piling on the love for Revival Food Hall!  Alot of variety and near the Art Institute if you are visiting

Here's a picture from there of my Budlong chicken sandwich.  Unfortunately got more of the packaging than the chicken in the photo.. but thankfully I remember the taste.  On a brioche bun, it was light and flavorful.  A big sandwich, but did not fall apart or get soggy, it retained structural integrity.  An architectural marvel.  Spiciness that grew and bloomed while eating - my head was sweating a little and i didnt mind.

IMG_0267.JPG

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On 12/11/2018 at 10:00 PM, DonRocks said:

"The Party Is Over" by John Kessler on chicagomag.com

Oh Don. This is not a great article. Plenty of others have torn into it but I can't let this just fester at the bottom of the Chicago page like the fart it is.

From the opening premise that winning Beard Awards and gaining Michelin Stars are a proper barometer for judging the current state of a city's food scene (which I'd think any Washingtonian would challenge) this piece is loaded with questionable and contradictory takes. Chicago needs more locally resourced restaurants but we also need... better mid-level priced sushi? He seems to have issues with the fact that we don't have a one stop shop street of international restaurants similar to Buford Hwy or Wilson Blvd? That's more an indictment of how this city grew up and evolved (and by that I mean thoroughly, completely, ruthlessly segregated), but it doesn't mean the food isn't out there if you want to look for it. The claim that there' aren't second generation Americans pushing forward their native cuisines (because these are apparently the only people allowed to do so?) is proper BS. Restaurants like Mi Tocaya, Haisous, SKY, A Place by Damao, Passerotto, Parachute, and Bayan Ko are/have been doing that for a while now (and many have racked up national attention while doing so). If Devon Ave isn't pushing things forward for Indian food (a fair statement even if the quality is still there), a 20 minute drive to Schaumburg can blow his damn mind. The food he describes is definitely happening here, leading me and others to think there's a questionable subtext here of what the author seems to think these sorts of restaurants have to look like to make an impact.

Lost in this bullshit are a few valid points: our street food scene is crippled by regulations and the represents a real missed opportunity. A good banh mi is hard to find (and pho, which he doesn't even go into, is even harder). The West Loop is fading in relevancy, but whether that's really a bad thing or not is debatable. New restaurants are now opening elsewhere. Our media is loathe to criticize, which might have inspired this piece in the first place. A lot of his critiques seem to come from the perspective of his time in Atlanta, which has embraced "New South Cooking" fully and completely. No one will confuse for Chicago for Atlanta, or vice versa. Chicago restaurants don't typically name every farmer or heirloom veg variety on their menus as is more common in Atlanta, but that doesn't necessarily mean everything is coming from Sysco. It's a regional difference. I would humbly suggest that he should be taking his points of initial frustration as an opportunity to dig deeper, because the answers to most of his questions are out there if he really wants to look.

If this is what a town looks like when the party's over, I'm pretty pumped for when the next one starts.

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3 hours ago, ad.mich said:

Oh Don. This is not a great article.

I'm not saying I agree with it (honestly, I didn't even read it, except for a couple of paragraphs); I just thought it was a pretty comprehensive opinion piece, and that people might be interested in what it says (right or wrong) - I was last in Chicago in 2017, and dined extremely well there.

On 6/20/2017 at 11:16 PM, DonRocks said:

PS - To all those who gave Graffiato a free pass when it first opened (not me) : Do you feel unqualified to be restaurant writers yet? If you don't by now, I guess you never will.

I just found that upthread (not directed at anyone; just ironic).

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Its still sinking in that I live in Chicago now. This is the initiation of a running log of places we've tried since I accepted this job offer. Food budget has gone up  given the significantly lower cost of living in comparison to DC and Manhattan where we have spent the past fifteen years. I can count on one hand the number of times I visited Chicago prior to this move, so we are more or less starting at ground zero here. Note for Chicago visitors - my colleagues have informed me of a very Midwest challenge when figuring out where to eat in Chicago. Any place that crowd sources reviews will be totally unhelpful as there is a strong cultural inhibition against giving anything but a 4 or 5 star review. Same is true of your Uber drivers. Caveat emptor.

Topolobompo - I love going to high end restaurants by myself. I ordered the classic, slightly shorter tasting menu. Everything was impeccably prepared and beautifully plated with warm, homemade tortillas accompanying several courses. The flavors are so complex and there is a lot to experience on each plate. I liked the meal. I didn't love the meal. 

The Loyalist - This was our introduction to where the cool kids go on a Saturday night. We both had burgers that were properly prepared with buns that held up and garnish that complemented the beef. But my salad came overwhelmed in buttermilk dressing, a bummer because otherwise it was likely to have been a great salad. I tried the $30 aged negroni made with 30 year old Campari. It was mellower and less bitter than typical. Not sure I'd bother with it again though. 

Next - Silk and Spice menu runs January through April. Some critics have been underwhelmed by it in comparison to other menus. We thought it was pretty delicious but  have no basis for comparison to past menus. Some aspects of the meal were a bit odd and purely for show - like the buddha's hand hanging above the table filled with a custard. But the dishes worked and we were impressed by several dishes including the curry dessert, crab salad and lamb with tandoori bread baked tabletop. 

Publican - Chicago food in winter is notably hearty.  In particular meats and fish really shine. Vegetables were less special, but I'd be curious to see if summer brings fresher prep. Ice cream and sorbet were very meh, but the s'more was delicious. I find the seating there weird and uncomfortable. Also its freezing if you sit too close to the door and very noisy.

Little Goat Diner - If you want to go on a weekend, make a reservation a few days out. I had a caesar salad with fried chicken that was pretty excellent. The salad mix is more than just romaine with some herbs and radishes giving it complexity and the dressing is perhaps tahini based? Fried chicken was perfect. Its a solid "fake healthy" salad.

Girl and the Goat - I walked in on a Saturday night and grabbed a seat at the bar. Service was really friendly and attentive on a night when the place was packed and the kitchen was slammed. I really appreciated that they pointed out dishes that could be ordered in half portions. Goat empanada was fried and filled with a super savory goat ragout. The scallop was cooked to the proper temperature but could have had a harder sear. The side of green beans was excellent - some of the best veg I've had since getting to the frozen midwest.

Sushi-San Omakase - This was an act of desperation and a mistake I will not repeat. After a chaotic week, I wanted to drown my stress  in solitude over sushi and booze. It was on an Eater list for best sushi in Chicago, which I am learning is a very low bar. The booze was good. I have nominal tolerance for this stupid trend of ungapatchke sushi. The sushi was overwrought and there was too much butane torching for my taste as well. But the neta could have been excused if the shari wasn't so totally fucking awful - zero acidity, mushy, dense, heavy and sticky. This may be the biggest trade-off of leaving NYC - accessibility of acceptable sushi at the last minute. 

Ramen Takeya - Good lunch choice near work. Decent bowl of ramen but broth needed to be hotter.

Blue Door Kitchen - I met a friend there for brunch with zero expectations. The shaved brussel sprout salad was delicious. Eggs Benedict was properly prepared with a sufficiently runny egg. I walked away pleasantly surprised. 

Limitless Coffee - Good local mini-chain. I was pleased with my properly made if not a little large cappuccino. 

Sawada Coffee- Japanese-style coffee shop. But for some reason, the espresso drinks with milk have a sweet taste but they didn't add sugar. Perhaps its the milk they use. 

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On 2/20/2019 at 7:57 AM, lekkerwijn said:

Topolobompo - I love going to high end restaurants by myself. I ordered the classic, slightly shorter tasting menu. Everything was impeccably prepared and beautifully plated with warm, homemade tortillas accompanying several courses. The flavors are so complex and there is a lot to experience on each plate. I liked the meal. I didn't love the meal. 

Next - Silk and Spice menu runs January through April. Some critics have been underwhelmed by it in comparison to other menus. We thought it was pretty delicious but  have no basis for comparison to past menus. Some aspects of the meal were a bit odd and purely for show - like the buddha's hand hanging above the table filled with a custard. But the dishes worked and we were impressed by several dishes including the curry dessert, crab salad and lamb with tandoori bread baked tabletop. 

Publican - Chicago food in winter is notably hearty.  In particular meats and fish really shine. Vegetables were less special, but I'd be curious to see if summer brings fresher prep. Ice cream and sorbet were very meh, but the s'more was delicious. I find the seating there weird and uncomfortable. Also its freezing if you sit too close to the door and very noisy.

lekkerwijn's post is an important document. I've been to the above three restaurants, and I pretty much agree with everything she writes; the only caveat I'll add is that lekkerwijn has *very* high standards, so when she says "I liked the meal. I didn't love the meal" at Topolobompo, perhaps you should give more weight to, "Everything was impeccably prepared and beautifully plated." This place beats the pants off of any Mexican restaurant in DC.

lekkerwijn, if you're reading, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the German gastropub, Band of Bohemia. See also washingtony's post about it.

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On 2/20/2019 at 7:49 AM, DonRocks said:

lekkerwijn, if you're reading, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the German gastropub, Band of Bohemia. See also washingtony's post about it.

lekkerwijn, if you're reading, you may want to proceed with caution. The executive chef at BoB left at the start of the year, they have not replaced him yet, and the current menu looks as uninspiring as you'd expect given those circumstances 

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20 minutes ago, ad.mich said:

lekkerwijn, if you're reading, you may want to proceed with caution. The executive chef at BoB left at the start of the year, they have not replaced him yet, and the current menu looks as uninspiring as you'd expect given those circumstances 

😑

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February-March 2019 Update

Athena Restaurant -  We now live on the border of Greektown and recently tried this classic. Portions are humongous. Food is hearty but unexceptional.

BomboBar - They sell over-the-top doughnuts and hot chocolate. They often have long lines. Hot chocolate was good. Dough was unremarkable but the custard filling in a syringe was very tasty. We went on a cold night and later in the evening. I'd try it again earlier in the day when things are fresher.

Cellar Door Provisions - Described by Bon Appetit recently as the most perfect little restaurant in Chicago. We agree because it is just our type - intimate and local, seasonal and produce driven food with just the right amount of sprouting and fermentation.  Its a welcome diversion from huge, hearty, meat and potatoes that seems to dominate Chicago in winter. Very small but well curated wine list or you can go next door to Chicago's best natural wine store, Diversey Wine, chose a bottle for $10 corkage. This is our new favorite place in Chicago. 

Mako - The newest omakase spot in the city. We were there on the first weekend of service and we are sushi snobs. Those are important caveats to our feedback. They serve an omakase that includes courses from the kitchen. Those dishes  were the best part of the meal. The neta is high quality and we liked the flow and combinations. I appreciate the limited use of butane. The shari was minimally seasoned (FWIW I prefer a more vinegar forward style), properly al dente and nicely packed. However, because the room was chilly and pieces were batched prepped behind the sushi counter, the rice dropped in temperature too much before serving. This made the al dente texture less appealing. Pieces served a la minute were better but still could have been warmer. Bottom line is most wouldn't notice or care. I'm looking forward to trying it again when they have their sea legs.

Monteverde - Its super tough to get a table, but I managed to snag a 7:30 pm last minute table on a weeknight. We had a lovely meal. Order the salad! It brightly acidic with a mix of bitter, crunchy and textural veggies. Scallops with lentils and pork belly were both smokey and perfectly cooked. Pasta dishes are fantastic, portions are small but they're rich and toothsome. We loved the cacio pepe. We cannot wait to go back! Will book early and often to make this our neighborhood Italian. 

Groundswell Coffee Roasters - I'm working my way through the various West Loop third wave coffee. Of the mix, so far my least favorite. Espresso was a bit bitter. But will try a couple more times to make sure it wasn't a barista issue.

 

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On 4/5/2019 at 12:16 AM, lekkerwijn said:

February-March 2019 Update

Cellar Door Provisions - Described by Bon Appetit recently as the most perfect little restaurant in Chicago. We agree because it is just our type - intimate and local, seasonal and produce driven food with just the right amount of sprouting and fermentation.  Its a welcome diversion from huge, hearty, meat and potatoes that seems to dominate Chicago in winter. Very small but well curated wine list or you can go next door to Chicago's best natural wine store, Diversey Wine, chose a bottle for $10 corkage. This is our new favorite place in Chicago. 

I was just at Cellar Door on Saturday morning--and I agree.  (Don't miss the great bread, even if "only" as part of a tartine.)

Mi Tocaya Antojeria was wonderful, too.

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I was in Chicago this weekend and want to thank the commenters on this thread.

My wife and I had the chance to meet up with some out of town friends for a weekend in the Second City. I hadn't been there in several years and have forgotten how nice the city and its inhabitants are.

We arrived Thursday morning and went for a snack at Bonci in the West Loop area west of, well, the Loop. If you're not familiar, it's a pizzeria that got its start in Rome and now has two locations in Chicago with plans to expand elsewhere in the U.S. The pizza there are sold al taglio (by the piece). Bonci has a tremendous variety of pizza topping options. The dough is airy and the toppings delicious. My wife and I split small slices of the cacio e pepe, the potato and mozzarella, and the potato and 'nduja sausage. Very enjoyable "snack".

After our snack, we followed @treznor's recommendation for Cruz Blanca. I had three beers (by the half glass) and two tacos. I chose the pork belly al pastor taco and the lamb taco. Both were delicious. The lamb had an Arabic seasoning, making it more like a small gyro than a taco, but still very good. The al pastor was excellent. The red lager and hazy IPAs were good, but not special. The coconut and chocolate stout, however, was very, very good.

We had late (for us) dinner reservations at The Girl & the Goat. Our reservation was for 8:15pm, but it was almost 8:45pm before the restaurant sat our party. The wait felt longer than its 30 minutes, because the bar area was packed and the entire place was loud, very loud. At the server's recommendation, we ordered 9 "small plates" for the four of us to split. This seemed like a good idea when the server described the restaurant and the food. This was not a great idea, however.

The server also suggested ordering everything up front, and the restaurant would deliver the plates.

Most of the dishes presented were only big enough for two people to share. The server sent us "two goat empanadas complements of the server" immediately after we split the two goat empanadas that we ordered. Weird, but the empanadas were good enough to split again. The vegetables (sauteed green beans, roasted shishito peppers, and grilled broccoli) were good, but we wanted more broccoli for four diners. The scallop dish was two scallops. These were not big scallops, so splitting each felt really tacky and barely provided an opportunity to taste the food.

We had lamb skewers that were unremarkable, as were the crispy beef short ribs. The confit goat belly was over-the-top rich. It was a tasty dish, with lobster, crab, and a lot of butter, but this was one dish we were glad to split. The pork shank was good.

Upon reflection, it would have been better to order two orders of fewer dishes, especially the scallops, lamb skewers, and broccoli. If you're only with one person, the dishes are a great size. Splitting with four, however, is tough.

Service was good once we sat down. There were good wine options. And their house beer was tasty. The overall atmosphere, however, is dark and loud. Too loud, maybe?

After dinner we went to Jeni's across the street for ice cream.

On Friday, we enjoyed an architectural boat tour from Ogden Slip (I can't remember the name, but our concierge recommended it). Then we went to Small Cheval on Wells in the Old Town neighborhood. Seating was mostly outside, but the weather was decent. During the winter or rains, this would probably not be a good location. Ordered the house-style cheeseburger with two patties, cheese, onions, and a Dijon mayonnaise sauce. Also ordered the fries. I have not been to Au Cheval to compare, but Small Cheval served an excellent burger. Service was friendly and reasonably fast. The patties are neither pub-style thick patties nor smash burger thin patties. Instead, the patties are similar to a fast food patty, but juicy and well seasoned. The rolls were fresh and very good. The toppings added to, and did not detract from, the burger. The fries were also good: fresh, crispy, and thin. It someone told me this was an homage to McDonalds, I would believe it. But so, so, so much better.

For Friday's dinner, we ate at Band of Bohemia.  I saw @ad.mich's comment, but could not resist the "first Michelin Starred Brewpub". We skipped the tasting menu, which at $75 seemed reasonably priced. Instead, to start, we shared the eggplant naan, salt cured carrot, walleye crudo, and chilled Spanish octopus. The eggplant naan was a fried eggplant with peppers in naan. It was very good. The salt cured carrot is hard to describe, but was excellent in an interesting way. The carrot had a caramelized miso glaze and was covered in cashews, on the plate as an accompaniment there were little orange slices, lentils, and several other components. The net effect of which, to me, tasted like Fruity Pebbles (but in a good, interesting way). Totally unique starter. The octopus was good. After cooking the octopus, they sliced it and served it like carpaccio in very thin slices around the plate. The Walleye Crudo, however, was the overwhelming favorite. The fish was seasoned well and held up against the gochujang and sesame. Very good.

For my entree, I had a duck leg roulade. It was excellent, but I did have entree envy when I saw my wife's butter poached halibut.

The brewery makes excellent, delicate, but balanced beers. I had three of the five (I think?) available that evening. The Jasmine Rice is a very lightly flavored beer with minimal hops. The Nobel Raven Ale had a more pronounced maltiness, but was still an easy drinking beer that didn't overwhelm the food. Finally, I had their pale ale called Plaid Camel. As expected this had more hops, but was still balanced with a stronger malt base than either of the other beers.

My wife shared a few bites of her beautiful, Instaworthy baked Alaska dessert with me. It was very good. The ice cream was supposedly sea buckthorn flavored, but tasted similar to oranges to me. Our friend ordered the flourless chocolate cake, which she enjoyed, but the piece -- though beautiful -- was tiny.

After the serenity of Band of Bohemia, we had reservations at Three Dots and a Dash. This is a Tiki bar in River North operated by the Lettuce Entertain You restaurant group. This place is wild! The crowd was mostly younger folks gathering in larger groups to order drinks and post Instagram photos. Our cocktails were very good, but potent -- especially after a few beers. We stayed for about an hour. The service was O.K., and the ambiance very campy. One table celebrated some big event with a three foot long pirate ship punch bowl while we were there. Two "pirates" came out with the ship to music and a faux thunderstorm. Very fun! Order carefully, and sip slowly, however, as this is in the basement and you will need to walk up stairs at the end of the night.

Departing the Tiki bar, we saw a donut shop, Firecakes. In the morning, we returned, and I had a very good churro donut.

The Hotel Chicago was a decent hotel (part of the Marrriott Autograph Collection), with an excellent location in River North on the block with Marina City (the famous corncob parking garage buildings), for what it's worth.

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On 6/26/2022 at 5:50 PM, Ericandblueboy said:

Taking the kids back to Chicago to see their cousin, who now lives in Chicago after graduating from U. of Washington in St. Louis.  Any thoughts on restaurants that don't require us to dress up?  

Taxim in Wicker Park- we went during the Beard Award weekend before Covid and had a stunning time- real deal regional Greek, unlike anything I’ve had on this side of the Atlantic 

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Had a few days in Chicago, and a few meals. Breakfast from Do-Rite Donuts in the WIllis Tower was only a donut and a coffee, but what a donut--a valrhona chocolate cake donut that was perfect; I ate it as a I walked to my meeting, and was seriously tempted to turn around and get another of their donuts. 

We had a group dinner at Beatnik. My expectations weren't very high--it was a group dinner, after all--but we ordered a la carte from the menu versus a set deal. Dishes were very good. The lamb shoulder was delightful, a huge platter with pita and gyro-style toppings to pair with the lamb. The dips were all interesting and worthwhile--particularly the beet dip. Shrimp with couscous was fine, and the short rib was very popular. We sat in a lower level of the restaurant, which looked out over the river, and had a very nice evening.

Several from our group wanted to try deep dish pizza, so we ended up at Giordano's on Jackson. It was what it was...

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