shokuyoku

My Dan-Dan san's Lao Puo

2011-05-04T07:52:00.000-07:00

Lately, a lot of people have been asking me what I make for dinner. They're especially curious because Bobcat's Japanese, I'm from Taiwan, and we live in states. Generally, I research & purchase ingredients that are good for our health and/or are on sale (in-season). For breakfast, it's typically fruit/veggie smoothie with grounded flaxseed and wheat germ, yogurt with honey & grinded nuts, and something a little fulfilling (ie. 1 toast). Sometimes I'll do oatmeal if I have leftover soup from the night before. Lunch for the Bobcat used to be cereal, but he finally got sick of it one day. Now, it's sandwiches/wraps with chips, nuts, dried fruit. For some reason, I never bring my own sandwich. I either bring leftovers, go out and buy something, or just munch on chips. Dinners range from soba, pasta, stir-frys with rice, curry rice, etc. All simple things tossed together, depending on what ingredients we have at home. My goal is to clean out our fridge/pantry as much as possible, I absolutely hate throwing out food that has gone bad or expired. I think this is because my mother is a grocery shopaholic that stores way too much food (which often expires/goes bad).

Tossing things together is simple, but uninspiring, because I tend to use seasonings/flavor combinations I'm familiar with. This does nothing for my cooking skills, and it's pretty boring overall. Cooking is a gesture of love. I want to see excitement and joy as "new" dishes tantalize his tastebuds. Perhaps it's time to actually use my collection of cookbooks, instead of just admiring them.

I recently purchased Gwyneth Paltrow's "My Father's Daughter" cookbook. I completely adore and admire everything she does. Not only is she multi-talented, she seems so down-to-earth, kind, goofy, with such humility during interviews. I pre-ordered her cookbook as soon as I could, not knowing what to expect. I really, really love it. All of her recipes are simple & brief. I love knowing what she makes for her family & friends. And most of all, you can really feel her love for her family, especially her father, through the stories & photos. I am 'my daddy's girl', and I completely love and admire my dad. But I am often annoyed, irritated by him. Through this cookbook, she inspired me to appreciate his presence, and really strive to be more loving instead of frustrated. You really never know when the last day will be, and I'd hate to live in regret.

With all of those random thoughts in mind, I decided to try to go through "My Father's Daughter" recipes. I'm excited to do some browsing tonight, put together a shopping list, and begin this adventure ASAP!

Panes Bread Cafe

2011-04-28T08:09:00.000-07:00

Oh Panes, how I love you. Since the day our friends told us about your delicious, creative sandwiches, using fresh ingredients and house-made bread... we've been a loyal fan. We no longer live down the street, so it has been years since we've been back. Last night, we admittedly intended on checking out the new hotspot, Fish Bar, so we can compare it with our new-found love, "GT Fish & Oysters". On a Wednesday night, we assumed it wouldn't be crowded. Not only was there a line of people around the walls, we were told it'd be a 75 - 80 minutes wait. wow...I think that breaks the record for me. 75 - 80 minutes???

I've been meaning to go back to Panes, so I wasn't too disappointed. But for some reason, the Bobcat was very hesitant. I insisted, so we ordered 2 sandwich "specials" -- Prosciutto, olive, pesto, red peppers, cheese.. and Chicken, tomatoes, basil, feta. We also ordered a side of tomato basil pasta, appetizer of stuffed mushrooms, and lentil soup.

First came the soup & bread. At first, I thought the soup was okay. Then I started to crave it... and I couldn't stop consuming spoonful after spoonful...it was addictingly good. The bread wasn't warm, but it was good. It reminded us of something we had, it felt like when we were kids, possibly in asia...the bread was sweet with a nice chew. I couldn've eaten baskets more, but that probably wouldn't have been a great idea, considering how much food we ordered. At this point, the Bobcat asked, "You know how sometimes, when you go back to somewhere you used to like, you realize it's no longer that good..." Ah-Ha. He wanted to preserve the great memory of 1237, Lakeview area, Panes... he was afraid it's end up sucking..but it didn't. We were pleased.

The side of pasta & stuffed mushrooms both came with a tomato basil sauce. The sauce was fresh, flavorful, divine. I can drink that sauce. The pasta wasn't al dente enough for me, but that can be overlooked. Mushrooms were fresh & juicy.

The prosciutto sandwich sounded like it would be very salty, and it was certainly salty, but not overbearingly. It was an interesting combination of flavors, nestled between crusty, warmly baked fresh bread. Their bread is really something. If white bread isn't so bad for you, I wouldn't brought home a couple.

The only thing I wasn't as big of a fan of was the chicken sandwich. Maybe I was overly stuffed, I'm not sure. But the feta made the chicken feel mushy when it wasn't.. at least I don't think.

All of this costed us a whopping $27 (including $2 dollars & change that I put into their tip jar). Ridiculously cheap. I can't believe those sandwiches are $5.99.

Panes Bread Cafe
3002 N Sheffield Ave (b/w Nelson & Wellington)
773-665-0972
Mon-Sat 10am-10pm
Sun 9am-9pm
Cash Only

Mizu Yakitori

2011-04-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

The Bobcat randomly decided to search through Yelp for Japanese restaurants several weeks ago, and Mizu Yakitori was one of the few he found & wanted to check out. I actually preferred trying Wasabi first (the other place he found), but this was closer to the bar we were supposed to stop by afterwards.

The space was pretty big -- the entrance leads to a room with sushi bar on one side, and tables on the left (completely empty on a Saturday night). The hostess/waitress lead us to another room where 5-6 out of 12 or so tables were filled. When she lead us to the 2-top tables by the windows, I asked if we can be seated in the half-booths (away from the windows) instead. She said they needed to save those tables for groups of 4. It was 8:30pm, I really doubt all of these empty tables would suddently get filled. Plus, I saw groups of 2 guests seated at those tables (which is why I even asked in the first place). But I didn't want to throw a fit.

Our waiter came around (nice guy) to take our orders. Their main dishes are a list of grilled skewers & sushi rolls, but they also had apps & a "specials" menu. In opposite order:

chicken soft bones skewers -- chewy, crunchy, delicious
grilled whole squid - probably a little too much for us by this time, but it was good.

from "specials" - toro (fatty tuna belly) and fatty salmon belly. $6/piece and $10/piece. Kinda pricy, but we really wanted to try the fatty salmon, since I don't think we've ever had it. Both were soft, fatty, creamy, delicious. It was a big slice of fish on top of a small ball of rice (just the way we liked it).
We always get gyutongue (beef tongue) if we see it on the menu. This was a bit more tender, less chewy. Reminds me more of a lean slice of steak than tongue. A little on the saltier side but good.
We ordered duck & japanese negi (green onions/leeks), dark chicken, chicken skin, chicken gizzard. They serve the skewers with 3 dipping sauces (if you want to use it) -- ponzu, tare, mustard. They also offer homemade soy sauce.

As much as I wanted to use the sauce, I was quite satisfied with eating these skewers as is. They've already been seasoned with salt & we like the squeeze of lemon.
"specials" - giant sea scallops in a buttery lemon sauce. We actually liked the little chewier muscles of the clam on the side, rather than the actual scallop, but it was good.
Thought we'd try the alcohol-free Kirin beer (I believe this is the first time I saw it offered at a restaurant in states). It actually tasted pretty good. I like having beer (or in this case, "pretend-beer") with yakitori. For some weird reason, I started to feel like I'm slightly buzzed after I finished this beer, even though I obviously shouldn't...
hirame (flounder) carpaccio was pretty good. Thick slices of sashimi.

Ankimo (monkfish liver) was like a leaner version of foie gras. We liked it served with ponzu soy & radish. I had this several times at different restaurants. I feel like they're either excellent or very meh. This turned out to be on the 'excellent' side of the spectrum.Our waiter was really nice, attentive, informative, diligent. The only thing I was annoyed with was not being able to be seated where we wanted to be... I was FREEZING my ass off. And of course, BARELY any more additional guests walked through those doors after us, so there were plenty of half-booth seats available. I'm not sure why she had to be stingy about it.

We're excited that the Bobcat found this place, and will definitely be back!

Mizu Yakitori Sushi Bar & Sake Lounge
315 West North Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614
312-951-8880

GT Fish & Oysters

2011-04-18T19:41:00.002-07:00

GT Fish & Oysters is the new project by Boka Restaurant Group (Rob Katz, Kevin Boehm, Giuseppe Tentori (CHEF). They also opened Boka, Landmark, Perennial Virant, and last year's hottest restaurant -- Girl & the Goat). Like most of Chicago, we enjoyed G&G, and was excited to find out their newest venture is seafood (esp. raw oysters)! As much as I hate to fight the crowd, I was too ecstatic to wait. As soon as the phone lines opened, I wanted to book a reservation.

The decor is described as a Cape Cod fish house, but fancier. Large boomerang shaped table created by Boka Group's design team, 555 International and a surfboard company; chalk paintings with interesting lines; Japanese buoy-like glass ball hanging, held by a thick black rope, stuffed tarpon, etc. The exterior is supposed to give the restaurant a New England cottage feel. (note: descriptions found on various web sites)

In opposite order...

Cheesecake with huckle berries & graham cracker-like crumbs: We loved the fluffy texture -- something in between tofu & whipped cream. It was the most interesting, delicious cheesecake we've ever had -- closer to european/japanese pastries than american's dense desserts. We liked that the crumbs weren't attached, so you had the option of eating the cheesecake with or without them (difference is sweetness). This is the perfect type of dessert for us. We enjoyed it with tea (decent, pretty in a see-thru pot) & coffee (ok).

Grilled Mahi Taco - achiote, torreados, smoked crema: The fish was tender & perfectly cooked, with a nice flavor, but standing against so much tortilla -- we felt like the flavor was lost. Either the fish & condiments need to be more pungent, or the tortilla needs to be smaller? Either way, this is not an exciting dish that I'd order again.
Sunfish ceviche - chimichurri, jicama, avocado, radish: It was good ceviche, but I'm not sure what all of the rave is about. It's not something I'd be excited to re-order.
Clam Chowder - Nueske's bacon, house-made oyster crackers: now this was amazing -- a lighter, more brothy version of typical clam chowder, filled with clams, and along with crackers, added various textures to the intense seafood flavor. I've never been a huge fan of clam chowder, but the Bobcat apparently is. He said this is the best clam chowder he has ever had, and he'd be excited to order this again.
Lobster Roll - lobster salad, toasted roll, fried onions: I don't think I've ever had lobster roll, but I've always been excited about the idea of it. I'm afraid this might've set my bar too high, because it was incredible. I'm not sure what I loved more -- fresh lobsters slightly enhanced with a light dressing & veggies...or the toasted, buttery, incredible bread... or the combination of the two. The side of fried onions is also delicious, but I thought adding it to the roll took too much away from the lobster. If there's a lobster roll eating contest, I'd love to put down 5 of these in one sitting.
Fresh Oysters offered the day we were there...
We started with 6, but ended with 12. These were incredibly fresh & delicious oysters -- arguably best we've ever had. Better than what we had at Dominican Republic (STRAIGHT from the ocean), in Baltimore (right next to the port), in Maui, etc. INCREDIBLE.

As described on many sites, the service was extremely attentive, informative, friendly. Waiters are teamed with food servers, water pourers, etc. But everyone was informative. The only time we had to wait was the additional order of oysters, and getting our coffee/tea. We should've clarified that we wanted coffee/tea with our dessert. Instead, dessert came first, so it was just sitting there while we waited (possibly losing a lil bit of deliciousness). It ended up being because they had to brew a fresh pot of coffee for us, so it wasn't their fault at all.

Even though this was obviously a hot restaurant that people were waiting for, I didn't feel like they were rushing us at all. They wanted us to enjoy a great dining experience, which we really did.

I'm so glad I snagged another reservation in a few months, because this place deserves regular visits. LOVE!

GT Fish & Oyster
531 N. Wells, Chicago, IL

Cocoro's Tonkotsu Ramen & Gyoza combo

2011-04-18T19:41:00.001-07:00

Japanese ramen & curry are among the Bobcat's top favorite things. Even though Chicago's winters are bitter & long, we surprisingly do not have any ramen-specialty shops (except Mitsuwa). However, we did notice an increase in ramen option at Japanese restaurants. So far, nothing has been spectacular, but anything is better than nothing.

Since the Bobcat's originally from Fukuoka (Kyushu), our favorite is naturally the least healthy/most flavorful of them all -- tonkotsu (pork-bone based). When done well, the milky, sticky, intense flavor coats each chewy strand of noodle, delivering an unforgettable umami flavor.

We were ecstatic when the owner of Cocoro told us about their tonkotsu ramen. The master chef prepares a huge pot of bones & cooks it down on a weekly basis for several days. Each batch produces only 30 bowls, so they're often out of ramen by Saturday night (we've already been rejected once..)
For the Bobcat's birthday, we took last Friday off, and called Cocoro to make sure they had ramen available. They start serving it every Friday, so we had one of the first batch:

This is definitely a lighter version of tonkotsu ramen, flavor isn't nearly as intense. The longer they cook down the broth, the better...so I wonder if a later batch would be different (although we risk not getting served ANY at all). Anyway, it's still a good bowl of soup we'd go back for. The chashu (pork) was very good.. perfect balance of fatty & lean, nice & tender.

Ramen goes with gyoza like sushi with miso soup, or grilled cheese sandwich & tomato soup (even though I've never actually had that). These gyoza felt freshly made, perfectly crisp & juicy:

No matter what, we feel blessed to be able to get tonkotsu ramen in Chicago. Hopefully these izakaya & ramen trends will pick up more & really spread through the Chicagoland area...

Cocoro Restaurant
668 N Wells St., Chicago, IL
312-943-2220
http://www.cocorosushi.com/

Yokohama Japanese Restaurant

2011-04-18T19:38:00.000-07:00

Yokohama is seriously our go-to place in the burbs. They have a pretty extensive menu too...we still manage to try new dishes, even though we've been going for so many years...

saba, my hubby's favorite fish:

Chirashi -- something we never order, but I saw another table order it, and thought it looked delicious (which, it really was):
love the bento container:
I think we like the idea of chirashi, because you can eat as much or as little sushi rice as you want with each piece of sashimi. The only thing is, there's rumors that certain restaurants would serve the "scraps" for chirashi. I don't think Yokohama did, just look at how fresh and beautiful each thick slice is.

Yakitori (shio) -- We strongly prefer "salt" over tare (teriyaki)

One of my most beloved sushi...or even just food in general... uni!!
I've always appreciated the crunchiness & chewiness of octopus. I believe this is lightly tossed witih sesame oil & salt, sprinkled with dried seaweed

the hubby really loved this buttery squid dish:

Yokohama Japanese Restaurant
13 E Burlington Ave.
Westmont, IL 60559
630-810-0022

Lemon Tree Grocer

2011-04-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

We found this local grocer via Groupon, less than 10 minutes away from our home. Friendly staff, clean & modern space, and delicious food with beautifully fresh ingredients.

Their omelette was made perfectly, side of potatoes delicious, and the chicken salad sandwich was surprisingly good. I'm usually not a fan of overly creamy chicken / tuna salads made at stores, especially when they have grapes in them. But this one was right on the money -- perfect balance of creaminess & mustard's tart. The whole wheat bread was soft & fluffy.

I can't wait to go back & try everything else!

Lemon Tree Grocer

5101 Mochel Dr
Downers Grove, IL 60515

(630) 969-9869

lemontreegrocer.com

Labriola Bakery & Cafe

2011-04-12T11:34:00.001-07:00

We had an early appointment in Oak Brook one day, so I used "tastespotting" afterwards, and found Labriola Bakery & Cafe.

It's like Corner Bakery, but bigger and much better. Order, put the number given to you at your table, and the food is brought over to you. They have a pizza oven, gelato selection, dessert cafe, various breads, coffee, lunch/dinner. The place screamed, "GET EXCITED!"

We ordered homemade ricotta gnocchi in creamy tomato sauce (a bit too creamy for me, but pretty good) and eggs benedict. I am not a dessert fan, but I ended up picking up a couple selections to try at home. Everything turned out to be pretty good, and I can't wait to go back!

Labriola Bakery & Cafe

OakBrook Promenade
3021 Butterfield Rd
Oak Brook, IL 60521

(630) 574-2008

www.labriolabakerycafe.com

Volare West

2011-04-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Through iphone's 'tastespotting' app (recent fave), I found Volare, an Italian restaurant in Oak Brook, that seemed promising. Some of the spotted items included "seafood linguine", "raw oysters" -- both of which I wanted, wanted wanted!! They ended up having neither avail. that night, and that wasn't even the worst part of the night.

Our awful experience...

first, the lot was incredibly full. there was even a line for $3 valet (in the suburbs)! We were instructed to park on the side, which made us a little uncomfortable (crossed fingers in hope nobody scraps our car).

We walk in with a 8pm reservation made, but had to wait. While waiting, a couple that came in after us, which one of the managers apparently knew, was greeted and almost brought to a table. The hostess said, "they were here first". 5 minutes later, they were still seated at that table (for 4 ppl), and another young manager came around with 2 chairs in hand, told us "follow me to your table." We were seated in a tight nook, it seemed like they "created" this table for us. He asked whether or not this seat was ok, but I really didn't want to wait any longer for another table.

The busboys/runners came with water & bread immediately, which we appreciated, and hoped that good spirit would continue through the rest of the evening... but no. We waited, and nobody came to take our drink orders nor food orders. To be fair, they were having a busy night. But still... we waited for nearly 20 minutes. I was finally able to make eye contact and wave someone over. He said, "I was just about to check with this waitress whether you are her table or mine, because we had some confusion earlier." okay... He ends up taking our order, which was also awkward. He couldn't list the beers when we asked what was available, they didn't have the oysters, and I had to repeat myself multiple times. When one of our dishes came out, it ended up being wrong (which, he said he pressed the wrong button).

The food was decent. But the experience was so poor, I seriously wanted the food to come out as quickly as possible, so we can just leave. It was the most unpleasant experience I've ever had at a restaurant. We will never ever return.

Volare West

1919 S Meyers Rd
Oak Brook Terrace, IL 60181

(630) 495-0200

www.volarerestaurant.com

Random

2011-03-04T06:31:00.000-08:00

I love tofu, and all asian-vegetarian creations, but I was never a fan of western-made soy products. I still remember the disgust when a friend offered me a taste of her block of soy. ew.

But there has been more products lately, probably because of increased environmental and animal rights awareness. I was inspired when I saw a recent Oprah episode on eating veg.

So I purchased a few items recently. One of my surprising fave was this chorizo. Keep in mind, I'm not a huge fan of chorizo, so I don't know how close this is to the real deal. But I just have to say that the texture & seasoning is pretty delicious. Definitely worth a try!

On a different note, Chinese people are very into eating the right food (& combination of food) to improve your health. This usually involves Chinese herbs, dried items that are good for your body. Since this winter has been so cold, my mom prepared three things that's supposed to bring "heat" to your body, warming it up to battle the winter. I didn't take photos of the other two -- Ma Yo Ji (Seasame Oil Chicken) and Yang Rou Lu (Lamb stew) -- actually, I didn't even get to eat the latter (it's hot pot - style). But I did get to enjoy a very delicious Jiang Mu Ya (ginger duck stew). I don't remember having this... it's a cooked duck stew, but you eat it like a hot pot -- the contents of the existing stew AND you add other things in it. The cabbage soaked up the slightly greasy, intensely flavorful broth. It's one of the best things I had all winter.

Hing Kee

2011-03-04T06:30:00.000-08:00

The BOB and I made it our mission to try out as many restaurants in Chinatown as possible. We chose Hing Kee because of the noodles-pulling guy that can be seen through the big glass window. Smart advertisement.

It wasn't until I browsed online (afterwards) that I realized it's one of those all asian-chinese restaurants (food includes chinese, thai, korean, japanese, etc etc.) I always feel like the lack of focus equates to zero authenticity.

Regardless, I'm happy to see a fresh-noodles making place. My husband got the ramen noodles, I got the knife-shaved chunky noodles. Both the noodles & soup based turned out to be ok. It's worth trying again (and this time, I'll probably tell them to cook it a little less, since I LOVE chewy noodles).

Our waiter also recommended their salt/pepper egg tofu. A bit too heavy for the two of us, but it's decent.

Hing Kee Phohung Restaurant

2140 S Archer Ave
(between Wentworth Ave & 21st St)
Chicago, IL 60616
Neighborhood: Chinatown

(312) 808-9538

www.chinatownhingkee.com

Tao Ran Ju

2011-03-04T06:28:00.000-08:00

There are so many Chinese restaurants in U.S. that without "connection" and/or an eye for finding trustworthy blogs/reviews, one highly risk wasting money and calories on a bad meal.

Tao Ran Ju was first recommended by our friend G, who heard about the place from his dad. Supposedly (it should be true, since it's written in newspapers), the owner hired a chef from

Ding Tai Fung, the restaurant that made "xiao long bao" (soupy dumpling) extremely desirable / popular, and continues to make one of the best "xiao long bao" EVER. During our trip to Taiwan winter of 2010, I had the pleasure of eating there again. It was so good, it's stupid that they don't have a location here. so stupid.

Back to Tao Ran Ju... we were excited to find a few options of various dumplings avail. Results: tasty filling (tho a bit dry at times), soupy, but the skin is not thin nor chewy. It does not compare to the "real" xiao long bao. BUT it will have to do, since Chicago completely lacks in this (and many, many other Chinese & Taiwanese foods).

We also felt like having some soup, so we ordered their seafood vegetable soup. It wasn't bad. I liked their choice of vegetables, good ingredients, and milky broth. But it's not so amazing that I'd go back to order the same dish.

The waitress claims that their grilled meat / hot pot dish is really good. I also heard that their beef rolls are good. This place is definitely worth visiting again.

As a side note, shockingly, their service was really good. Very attentive, nice... unlike typical Chinatown spots. Space is also clean & bright.

Tao Ran Ju

2002 S Wentworth

(between Cullerton St & Archer Ave)

Chicago, IL 60616

(312) 808-1111

Chizakaya Japanese Pub (Harold's Restaurant)

2011-02-25T13:14:00.000-08:00

Restaurant Week @ Chizakaya

$33

1st Course

Chicken meatball with warm egg yolk

Puffed pigs ears

2nd Course

Trio of Skewers

Sweet Sausage, Duck Confit, Shishito Peppers

3rd Course

Kakuni pork belly with egg

Grilled Squid

4th Course

Taro Rice Pudding with coconut

VERDICT: interesting enough for us to return.

Chizakaya

3056 N. Lincoln Ave
(between Southport Ave & Wellington Ave)
Chicago, IL 60657
Neighborhood: Lakeview

(773) 697-4725

www.chizakaya.com

BOKA (Chicago Restaurant Week)

2011-02-25T12:51:00.001-08:00

I don't even remember what I previously read about Boka, but I've always wanted to try it. I thought Restaurant Week is a great way to check it out.

A bit of info from their web site:

Progressive American cuisine

Executive Chef/Partner: Giuseppe Tentori - grew up helping out on his grandmother's farm in a small town outside of Milan. Along with an emphasis on local farmers and seasonal ingredients, innovative pairings have become his trademark.

Pastry Chef: Kady Yon - born in Hong Kong, native of McHenry, Illinois. website: "Deriving inspiration from both nature and art, Yon masterfully crafts desserts based on each ingredient's characteristic and loves the unpredictability one batch of product has from the next."

Both chefs worked at Charlie Trotter's.

Ben Schiller: Mixologist - his signature style: progressive and seasonal twists on classic favorites with house-made ingredients. His mission is to have a more personal relationship with the origins of the products behind his bar.

$33 Menu

I've never seen a Mixologist profile on a restaurant's web site in the past, so I was intrigued, and wanted to try their mixed drinks. Our waiter said they stored Manhattan in a barrel for 1 year (I think?) and recently cracked it open, so we definitely wanted to give this a try:

I thought it was smooth & delicious.

Our waiter recommended this for me, which was also flavorful & delicious (I told him that I don't want something too sweet):

Clean Break - Genever, Pimm's No. 1, Cucumber, Lemon, Orange oil

Foccacia served warm (someone walks around to serve 2 pieces/ person via bread basket - they do come around to ask if you want more)

warm, buttery, delcious.

We ordered 1 fresh oyster each ($3/piece?) It was fresh, but not memorable.

First Course:

Maine Diver Scallop, Broccoli Sauce, Sweet and Sour Onions

Scallop was cooked nicely, but this dish wasn't interesting at all.

Crispy Amish Chicken Thigh, Yukon Gold Potatoe Puree, Pickled Celery Root

We liked both the crispy, moist chicken & potatoe puree.

Second Course:

Whitefish, Prawn Brandade, Grilled Fennel

note (from wiki): Brandade is an emulsion of salt cod and olive oil eaten in winter with bread or potatoes. The word brandada is the Catalan and Occitan word for the past participle of the verbbrandar, meaningto beat in oscillations and having a very strong sexual connotation.

Braised Pork Belly, Fried Oyster, Baby Bok Choy, Green Tea Soba Noodle

Both entrees were just alright. Neither were exceptional, memorable, note worthy.

The best part of this meal was surprisingly the dessert (typically my least favorite part of a meal):

Ginger Kulfi, Marshmallow, Espresso, Tangerine, Chocolate

note (from wiki): Kulfi or Qulfi (Hindi-Urdu: क़ुल्फ़ी or قلفی) is a popular frozen milk-based dessert from India and Pakistan. It has similarities to ice cream (as popularly understood) in appearance and taste, but is denser and creamier.Due to its density, kulfi takes a longer time to melt than Western ice-cream.

guy seated at the table next to us was amazed by how intensely flavorful the kulfi was.. he asked whether or not sugar was added, and it wasn't. really was pretty good.

BOKA

1729 N Halsted St
1729 N. Halsted Street
Chicago, IL 60614-5537
(312) 337-6070

www.bokachicago.com

Cafe Hoang

2011-02-14T20:30:00.000-08:00

There's something about Vietnamese food that has my husband & I completely hooked. Cafe Hoang isn't the best Vietnamese place, but it's so close to our place near Chinatown, we barely bother to drive out to Argyle. It's definitely our go-to place when we can't decide on what to eat.

Since we had pho the night before, we decided to try something different:

#089 Yellow Curry $8.95 choice of BEEF, CHICKEN, SHRIMPS, TOFU, w/ celery, onion, mushroom, baby corn, slice bamboo, basils leaf, coconut milk,carrot and pea w/ spicy Yellow curry paste

Flavorful, delicious with rice. This curry was very enjoyable.

#062 Combo soup Veggie w/ Mix Seafood $9.95

Soothing, but I really don't like fake crab meat I instantly downgrade when I see it as a seafood representation. There's nothing that interesting about the soup either, no depth. I wouldn't order this again.

Cafe Hoang
232 W Cermak Rd
(between Cottage Grove Ave & Indiana Ave)
(312) 674-9610
www.cafehoang.com

Chi Cafe

2011-02-14T20:29:00.001-08:00

I have yet to find a late-night Chinatown destination. We've tried a couple of places, but nothing made us want to go back for more. Chi Cafe is no different, but my mom's friend once recommended it. Plus, a random Chinese blog said to order from their "house specials". So I did.

The hubby didn't want to follow my suggestion, so he went with this:

Baby Clam with black bean sauce $9.95

These clams were huge, and the flavors were pretty darn good. We completely cleared the plate!

From the "house special", I chose:

Chives & Bean Curd with Cuttle Fish Roll $8.95
A little salty, but flavorful, with a nice crunch from the fresh chives. We liked it!

I think the problem was, we always chose from their soup noodles, or soup...because it's soothing to drink soup before going to bed, AND it seemed like it'd be less calories (who knows). But apparently, their other dishes are bigger standouts.

The Chinese blog also recommended their desserts, smoked duck, shredded chicken, etc. (菜单里“大江南北巧手小菜”一列的菜式都颇为可口，茶餐厅小吃与各式甜点也不错。熏鸭，手撕鸡，韭黄虾仁滑蛋，牛腩蒸肠粉，芒果西米露)

We may need to revisit again the next time we're out...

Chi Cafe 旺角小廚

2160-A S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
Neighborhood: Chinatown

(312) 842-9993

www.ChiCafeOnline.com

International Mall

2011-02-14T20:27:00.000-08:00

Like other Taiwanese and/or Chinese kids, I grew up accompanying my mother to Diho market, stopping by International Mall to pick up rental videos, and occasionally stopping by for a chow. I haven't been back in ages... just for dim sum next door 3-4 times / year. But when I recently found out there's a Taiwanese restaurant that serves some street food I miss, I decided to check it out. I enjoyed everything the first time I visited, and really wanted to go back for more. Two weekends ago, we did.. and it just wasn't the same.

Oyster Pancake -- It's nice to fulfill my craving partially, but this was overly greasy. I wonder if I can tell them to be lighter on grease...

Even though there's actually a vietnamese stall next door, I persuaded my poor hubby to try pho at this establishment (convenience). It didn't taste like traditional pho AT ALL. The accompanying veggies looked dry. never again.
Another one of my favorite street food.. 'ba wan' or 'meat ball' (direct translation). I love the chewy texture & flavorful meat w/ bamboo shoot center. This one was just ok... there was something off.
Hubby's pho came with a smoothie, so I ordered papaya. Kinda overly sweet, and just ok.
Sadly, I am desperate for these Taiwanese items that I cannot get anywhere else in Chicago, so I will most likely return to try them again (as well as other items). Hopefully they'll make some improvements before my next visit.

International Mall

665 Pasquinelli Drive
Westmont, IL 60559

Cocoro

2011-02-14T12:26:00.000-08:00

We loved this place! SOO glad we found a restaurant closer to our hood (in the city). They had a free appetizer offer (anything on the menu) if we ordered shabu shabu or sukiyaki. We usually eat shabu shabu at home, because it's so easy to make. But we had a spectacular experience during our visit to Japan last year, so we kind of wanted to relive that moment (even though we knew this restaurant wouldn't be able to deliver the same). For apps, we chose their scallop sashimi (flown from hokkaido), and set of 5 shio yakitori skewers.

They also had hot sake special & $5 drinks special, so we indulged in both.

Scallop Sashimi from Hokkaido Japan $15.50

Japanese style broiled skewered set (5 skewers) - came with 3 chicken thigh, 2 chicken skin. They also have asparagus/bacon skewers and others, but we just left it up to the chef. The chicken thigh was tender & juicy with good salt flavor. Chicken skin was indulgently chewy & crisp.

Shabu-Shabu (selected rib-eye beef and vegetables to be lightly boiled in a pot by yourself, served with salad, rice and dessert) $56 for two people

Our waiter forgot to bring salad, but we weren't too hungry so we didn't ask for it. The sweet owner / lady came by to show us how the shabu shabu should be done (vegetables first because they cook longer). The beef was flavorful, delicious dipped into sesame sauce/ponzu & eaten over rice. Vegetables were all fresh.

I'm not sure whether or not you can choose off of the dessert menu, but I chose the green tea ice cream, and my husband got the homemade chocolates. She ended up bringing more out for us because we said it was delicious. She said the chef melts meiji chocolate & mixes it with other ingredients to achieve a creamy center that wasn't too sweet.

Hot Sake $7/bottle (originally $8)

Lemon Chu Hai $5 (originally $9.75)

Martini $5 (originally $7.50)

Saketini $5 (originally $8.50)

Apple Martini $5 (originally $8.50)

Cocoro

668 North Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60654-3717
(312) 943-2220

cocorosushi.com

Chinese New Year Part 2 (Saturday Night) w/ Sonos

2011-02-07T09:47:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year 2011 (NY Eve Dinner) 2/3/2011

2011-02-07T08:06:00.001-08:00

Chi

Walker Brothers

2011-01-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

I love American breakfast foods, but I've always preferred savory items (eggs benedict being my heavily favored preference). Free side orders of pancakes were often ignored. In fact, I usually request toast instead. But our friends recently told us to pay attention to Walker Brother's pancakes, because they're different, and they're delicious. I also stumbled upon a foodie site that talked about the beauty of their pancakes. I took these as signs to check it out ASAP.

I did a quick search on Yelp, and noticed the one in Wilmette is the Original one that many reviewers claimed is also the Best. We happened to be in Wilmette. This location is on GREEN BAY ROAD (we're Packers fans, a day away from NFC Championship versus the Bears at the time). There couldn't have been more signs that pointed us towards this establishment, on that day.

There were so much food on this menu that I was stressed out for 15 minutes or so. I went from contemplating which pancake from their pancake section... to ordering an omelette & crepe because they were also raved about, AND they came with 2 different types of pancake on the side.

Oven-Baked Omelettes: Three farm-style Grade AA eggs blended until light and fluffy, combined with the freshest fillings to make our omelettes a rare treat. Our cheeses are natural, not processed, and crafted by Wisconsin cheesemakers. All omelettes are served with three buttermilk pancakes, whipped butter and syrup.

Selection: MEDITERRANEAN
Gourmet Feta cheese, fresh spinach, tomatoes, onions, oregano and Kalamata olives

We loved perfectly browned exterior and fluffy, moist center. The ingredients were all fresh. I think the flavor of the feta took too much away from the eggs, so I'd actually want to order a plain egg with lighter ingredients next time (veggie, or maybe just spinach?) But the Bob loved this combination.

Plain ole buttermilk pancakes weren't plain at all. Light, slightly chewy, perfectly flavored & cooked. The 'good' maple syrup & butter matched it well.

SPINACH Crepes
Fresh spinach blended with aged Cheddar cheese & minced onions and topped with hollandaise sauce. Served with three crisp potato pancakes (Jumbo Idaho’s freshly ground and transformed into crisp, lacy treats. Served with applesauce or sour cream)

Crepes were also lightly sweetened, with a perfect texture. The thick amount of melted cheddar & hollandaise may have seemed overly creamy, but it didn't feel heavy. The crisp potato pancakes were a crispier version of hash browns.

Fresh-squeezed OJ & Kona Coffee were both delicious.

We loved this place. Portions are BIG (tho we finished it ALL). 3 people sharing what we ordered would've been perfect.

I really, really want to go back to try their '49er's flapjacks', described as 'chewey-gooey, thin pancakes' and 'dutch baby' - smaller version of German pancake. MMM!!!

Walker Bros Original Pancake House - Wilmette
153 Green Bay Rd. (847) 251-6000

Bonsoiree

2011-01-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

Executive Chef & Owner is Shin Thompson, who is born in Honolulu & raised in U.S. and Japan. Bonsoiree is his "Underground Movement" in Logan Square. On Saturdays, only those subscribed to the mailing list has an invitation to book a table & enjoy their exclusive menu. It only accomodates 26 guests at a time, and is BYOB. Cuisine is Japanese / French.

Winter Menu 2011 8 Courses for $85

1. Rabbit/Gnocchi/Sage/Tomato

Very exciting start to our meal. Very tender rabbit, creamy soft gnocchi, and overall great flavors. I can eat a full plate of this dish.

2. Porcini Mushroom Bisque/Umami/"Bread n' Butter"/Crispy Beets/Asparagus Slaw

The bisque is good, but nothing out of the ordinary. Brad n Butter was definitely interesting.

3. Oil Poached Baby Octopus/Lobster Takoyaki/Kabayaki/Winter Melon/Japanese Pickles

note: Kabayaki 蒲焼 is a dish of seafood (usually unagi (eel)) filleted, boned, dipped in a sweet soy sauce-based sauce before broiling on a grill.

The Bob liked the octopus, but I wasn't a big fan. Neither of us were fans of the takoyaki, but it might be because we really love the traditional takoyaki, and don't like this version (which seems to be very similar, but doesn't match its caliber. I'd be more intrigued if it was a different take on it).

4. Scallop-Crab Motoyaki/Scallion Crisp/Carrot

note: Motoyaki is a style of cooking, involving baked food topped with a mayonnaise-based sauce served in an oyster shell.

The first bite of this was good, then it got overly creamy and heavy. Then again, I've never been a big fan of motoyaki.

5. Barramundi/Buttermilk & Thyme/Blood Orange Polenta/Date and Parsnip Chutney/Chipotle-Shochu drizzle

note: Barramundi is also known as Asian Seabass (Chinese: 尖吻鱸)

Fish was very delicious and silky, really nice, light flavors. We also enjoyed the polenta.

6. Oxtail & Marrow Sauce/Venison Sous Vide/Winter Root Vegetables/Crunchy Soba Spaetzle

note: Venison = deer meat / Sous Vide = French method of using vacuum tight plastic bags to seal food, and place it in a bath water for a long time, aiming to maintain integrity of the ingredient (72 hours is not unusual)

Spaetzle is a type of egg noodle that's of soft texture

Nice flavors - the Bob really liked the oxtail & marrow sauce. Venison was tender, steak-like.. nice contrast from the soft, sauce-deepened oxtail.

7. Cheesecake Bite/Malted Milk/Crystalized Spearmint/Preserved Strawberry

We enjoyed the cheesecake, and thought the crystalized spearmint & preserved strawberry were interesting.

8. Carmelized Brioche/Macademia Butter Macaroon/Rasberry-Red Pepper Jelly/Melted Banana Brulee/Choolate "Chips"

The Bob really, really disliked this dish. Whether eaten separately or altogether, it was just super sweet. And the Red Pepper Jelly was just bizarre (in a not-very-delicious way).

Espresso ending was good ($5)

Overall, good service, clean space, extraordinary presentation, good food. A bit costly, so BYOB is definitely helpful. (P.S. on this occasion, we also got $25 off via Groupon)

Reference: Wikipedia on all "Notes".

Bonsoiree

2728 W. Armitage

773-486-7511

http://www.bonsoireechicago.com/

Kurumaya

2010-10-24T17:25:00.001-07:00

Kurumaya
1201 E Higgins Rd Elk Grove Vlg, IL 60007-1600 - (847) 437-2222

Home Sweet Home

2010-10-24T17:12:00.000-07:00

Delicious, tender, flavorful steak from Allen Brothers:
My mom surprised us with one of my favorite meals -- Taiwanese noodles (chi-ah-mi) with side dishes~

boiled baby octopus & pork belly

Auntie C. made her famous 'shen-jian-bao' (pork stuffed, crisp bottom buns):
boiled oil tofu:
sauce for the noodles:
greens:
make your own bowl of noodles:
finished product:
desserts from cocoa bean:
including the best lemon bars I've ever eaten:

co-worker shared some of her heirloom tomatoes:
wines my bro brought back from Italy:

Yokohama Japanese Restaurant

2010-10-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

Yokohama is our go-to Japanese restaurant in the West suburbs. It's not as good as the restaurants in the Northwest suburbs, but it's decent enough.

cold sake
amuse on the house: japanese mayo-based pasta salad
Ika Uni Ae: sea urchin with sliced raw squid - simple & delicious. I love uni.
Geso Shogaitame - pan fried squid legs with ginger soy sauce - the sauce was very delicious, squid was perfectly cooked. this would be delicious with beer.
kaki fry - crisp, light, deep fried oysters
yakitori shio - tender chicken skewers (salt flavor) - way better than teriyaki sauce.
uni!!

13 West Burlington Avenue
Westmont, IL 60559
(630) 810-0022

Girl & the Goat

2010-10-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

One of THE hottest restaurants in Chicago this year -- Girl & the Goat is opened by Season 4's Top Chef (first female winner) Stephanie Izard. The hub & I happened to eat at her previous Chicago-restaurant Scylla, on the very last day. We loved the food, and wondered why the restaurant would close -- then we saw her on Top Chef. She's possibly one of the most-loved contestants on the show... at least to me & the hub. She's GOOD, creative, talented, inspiring, kind, friendly, confident yet humble. I don't remember anyone complaining about her (and that's rare for a reality competitive show).

I was ecstatic when I stumbled upon her blog, and read about G&G opening. I had no idea how crazily busy & hectic it'd be, and would normally stay away until it quieted down a little (not a fan of gathering stomach strength before I project the loudest speaking voice possible across the table, while feeling like two tables slightly too close next to us are listening to our conversation)... but Stephanie & her intriguing yummies pulled us in...twice.

I read as much as I could before our first visit... in-house butcher so they can use the entire animal in the menu, in-house baker that changes up the bread menu with interesting varieties of both bread & butter/oil, how the name was Drunken Goat (named after Izard (mountain goat) & her drinking habits on the show) until they realized the name was taken so they named it after a painting they received, etc etc...

Perhaps my expectations were set too high, because our first experience wasn't superb. All of the food were cooked perfectly, but we weren't impressed by them. It was enjoyable, but I wouldn't go back for the same dishes. YET I would want to go back to the restaurant. Does that make sense? As a side note, we thought the goat pizza tasted too sweet at the restaurant, but it was incredible as leftovers the next morning... strange.

Maybe it was because the first visit cleared our expectations... we enjoyed our second visit so much more. Again, everything was cooked perfectly. This time, we noticed the beautiful layers of various flavors, consistencies, and loved the mix of delicate and pungent ingredients that worked wonderfully into each bite. Her food seems slightly towards the heavier, creamier, saltier side, yet I didn't feel sick afterwards. I was full, but I wanted more.

stecca - roasted garlic, white anchovy butter | 4

I was excited about picking out bread for both meals, and was especially ecstatic about "anchovy butter". Although both breads were good, they're just too filling (for 2 ppl, anyway). And it's not good enough for me to sacrifice my belly room for the rest of the menu. Note to self: no bread for our next meal at G&G, unless we dine with at least 2 others.

sauteed green beans - fish sauce vinaigrette | 8

Graham Elliot Bowles told Stephanie, "Those green beans make me believe in God!" Phil Vettel, "...the sauteed green beans, tossed in a fish-sauce vinaigrette with hints of sambal and Dijon mustard, will change your life. I'm thinking wistfully of my next serving already." Everyone & their mama loves this famous dish. The hub & I ADORE fish sauce, so ordering it was a no brainer. I appreciated the salty, fishy presence, thinly coated on each crisp green, but the hub said, "they're just beans. it was not life-changing."

kabocha squash ravioli - mushroom raisin ragout, brussels leaves, shroom creme fraiche | 11

Although I prefer saltier fillings than kabocha, I thought the savory ragout, fresh brussels leaves, and barely there creamy sourness of creme fraiche layered very well together. All of the ingredients tasted fresh. The ravioli had a perfectly slight chew to the bite. Warm and hearty dish.

steamed mussels - goat sausage croutons, cilantro, bagna cauda | 13

look at how big these mussels are!

First of all, these were the biggest mussels we've ever had. I really wanted to love this dish, especially since bagna cauda is apparently a (typically) vegetable dip made of garlic, anchovies, olive oil, butter (some of my favorite ingredients, EVER). Overall, it was good. I used the shell to scoop up the sauce, and drank it straight up. But it wasn't as good as I hoped it'd be. I feel like it's lacking something, but I'm not sure what it is. Maybe it's a little bitter?

hiramasa crudo - crisp pork belly, aji aioli, caperberries | 14

Another famous dish of G&G... Phil Vettel, "Izard is at her flavor-layering best with an inventive surf-and-turf of sashimi-style hiramasa (a farm-raised amberjack) and crisp pork belly, contrasting the pristine, clean flavors of the fish with the indulgent richness of the meat, using sliced caper berries, bits of Meyer lemon and squiggles of chile aioli for her tart, sweet and spicy accents." This was probably one of her smaller dishes. First, I put all of the elements into one bite...and felt uncertain. I thought, why overwhelm the delicate freshness of the fish, so I took a bite of just the sashimi. Immediately, I missed the crispy pork. When I took a second bite of all of the elements, it felt perfect. Phil Vettel was right about the indulgent & clean contrast.

goat, pork, and veal sugo - pappardelle, rosemary, cape goose berries | 12

I am a fan of Stephanie's pasta. Again, the pappardelle was fresh, soft, yet has a chewy bite. It slightly soaked the perfect amount of the meaty, delicious sugo (meat sauce) with tender, shredded meats. Another savory, tasty dish. Our waitress said they nicknamed this dish "So Good".

Not that I'm a huge fan of Vettel, he intrigued me when he said, "Izard's desserts are less sugary finales than they are logical extensions of her flavor aesthetic." I'm not a huge fan of sweets, so when I read that, I wanted to give it a shot. Too bad we were way too full (I blame it on the mediocre bread).

*Reservations necessary. This restaurant is so hot, if you type in the word "Girl" on google, the restaurant's name is on the top.

Girl & the Goat

809 W Randolph St. 312-492-6262

Yerbabuena

2010-07-30T10:14:00.001-07:00

We decided to check out Yerbabuena Mexican restaurant before getting our haircuts in the same area. Upon seating, they give you a huge bowl of fresh salsa & chips (fried in-house). delicious.

Hub ordered pork tacos, which was tasty & delicious:

The waiter recommended a mango tilapia. I'm not a huge fan of mango, because it's a "heated" food that may cause pimples if I eat too much of it. However, I decided to go with his recommendation & I'm so glad I did. The fish tasted very fresh, tender, flaky, in a supremely delicious sauce that we ended up gobbling up with the rice. The fresh pico di gallo & guac on the side blended so well with this dish. We loved it!

They had a lot of enticing items on their menu...I think we'll definitely need to go back to try 'em out. YUM!

4732 Main St
Lisle, IL 60532

(630) 852-8040

www.yerbabuenalisle.com

International Mall - Oriental Food House

2010-07-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

I've heard a lot about the International Mall food court, especially the 油條, or fried cruellers over the weekend. But we've never stopped by. My parents haven't even been going...actually, I vaguely remember EVER going there, even when we were kids.

Anyway, Bobcat & I decided to check it out one afternoon. We tried the poorly named "Oriental Food House" -- 988台灣小吃 (translated as Taiwan small eats (this term describes authentic Taiwanese street vendor / food stall--one of the most famous specialties of Taiwan)

Bobcat wanted the beef noodle soup. I requested "spicy", which ended up being too spicy. Flavorful, deep broth. Tender chunks of meat.

I wanted the oyster pancake. Lots of veggies. Pretty good consistency. The only thing I have to complain about is freshness of the oysters...but what can you really expect from a food court in Chicago. I'd go back for this just to kill off a bit of my 'Taiwan small eats' cravings...
They also have糯米腸sweet rice stuffed intestine, 豬腸緬線 pork intestine thin noodles, 肉圓pork/veggie giant dumpling... I can't wait to go back to stuff my face.

665 Pasquinelli Drive

Westmont, IL 60559

Takashi

2010-07-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

We finally made it back to Takashi for his ramen brunch. Everything was deliciously well-made, using fresh ingredients, but the prices are billed accordingly. Bobcat prefers Mitsuwa's ramen, probably because it tastes closer to his beloved tonkotsu ramen.

Pork Belly Snack
Steamed Bun, Hot Mustard

Gyoza

Pork Dumpling, Hot Chili-Soy Vinaigrette

Miso Ramen
Hokkaido Style Ramen Braised Pork, Bean Sprouts, Sweet Corn, Wakame
Shoyu Ramen
Classic Tokyo Style Ramen, Braised Pork, Barbeque Egg, Marinated Bamboo Shoots

Regardless, it's good. If we're feeling slightly extravagant, gourmet, we'll definitely go back. Actually, I'd go back to check out their udon & soba regardless. Out of the two, miso tasted heavier, slightly spicy, which Bobcat preferred. I wanted to check out the 'gua bao', especially since the bun is home made...it tasted good, but I prefer the original Chinese version. Gyoza was tasty, went well with ramen as always.

1952 North Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60647-4565
(773) 772-6170

Pho 888

2010-07-30T09:29:00.000-07:00

Our favorite go-to spot for Vietnamese in Argyle. Last time we went, I noticed 4 Vietnamese ladies who ordered different variations of dry noodles, so I decided to try it too. I ended up not liking the various grounded meat patties. Next time I get dry noodles, I'm sticking to beef or maybe chicken. Or I should just stay with classic pho.

1137 W Argyle St
(at Broadway St)
Chicago, IL 60640
Neighborhood: Uptown

(773) 907-8838

Chi Cafe

2010-07-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

Bobcat has a tendency to beg for food after drinking (I guess many do). We often make our stop at Chinatown, but we haven't found a place that great yet. Most of the time, we just grab simple grub at Chi Cafe. I have yet to find something good here... everything is pretty much ok.

蟹肉鱼肚羹 (Crab Meat with Fish Maw Potage soup)

台南担担面 (Taiwan Noodle Soup)

Super cheap as always.

2160-A S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL 60616
Neighborhood: Chinatown

(312) 842-9993

www.ChiCafeOnline.com

Nobori

2010-07-30T09:10:00.001-07:00

Since we got out early from our dentist appointment in Wilmette, we yelp-apped nearby restaurants, and found Nobori. Bobcat called his mom, and she said it's a decent Japanese-owned place ran by Mexican employees.

The place is small, clean, rather empty around lunchtime on a Saturday. They had lunch specials that came with salad or soup (we got one each). Ramen came with your choice of roll. I also ordered 2 pcs sushi just to see how good or bad it was.

Simple salad with a nice ginger dressing:

Mediocre miso soup:

Sushi actually tasted better than it looked:

Decent ramen...

decent oyster donburi...
Nothing exciting to recommend, we probably won't be back.

1821 Waukegan Rd

Glenview, IL 60025

(847) 729-0422

noborisushi.com

As a side note, we stopped by the ice cream shop next door that advertised super creamy & fatty ice cream from Wisconsin. Tasted like any ole ice cream.

Carbon

2010-07-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where I read about Carbon (maybe seriouseats.com?), but I've always wanted to stop by this joint. I HEART Mexican. Bobcat was worried that this area might be a little shady, but it turned out to be fine. I'm SO GLAD we went. I miss this place already.

It's a tiny, teeny joint with food that's FULL of flavor.

We ordered 1 each of their tacos with no cheese. Fire Grilled Steak, Tequila-Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken Breast, and Tortilla Encrusted Tilapia with shredded cabbage & creamy tequila sauce. They ended up forgetting about the fire-roasted vegetables taco, so we'll have to try that next time. They have 4 types of freshly made salsa. We tried their 'medium' salsa verde, which is made of green tomatillos, cilantro, serrano peppers

$2.50 / $2.75 With Cheese. Fresh Soft Corn Tortilla, Authentic-Style With Traditional Mexican Blend Of Onions And Cilantro, Plus Your Choice Of Fresh House-Made Salsa

All of the tacos were good, but the meaty beef was our favorite. Speaking of favorites, this is by far the BEST chicken tortilla soup we've ever tasted. The first time I ordered chicken tortilla soup was at a cafe in Wisconsin. The waiter highly recommended it, so I trusted him. I was SO GLAD I did. The soup was amazing. From then on, I kept searching for equally delicious chicken tortilla soup, but I never found anything close to what I tasted...until Carbon's. I need to go back just to get this soup... it's ridiculously awesome.
Carbon Chicken Tortilla Soup			3.79

We're not huge fans of corn, but this was pretty good. Very fresh corn, nice creamy sauce. I'm also not so into creamy things, so I probably won't order it again. It was definitely worth a try though.

Elote our signature mexican corn hash		sm 1.75

Margarita		3.00
We washed down everything with a small margarita (decent), dos equis & corona beers. What a great meal!

CARBON

300 W 26th St
(between Calumet Ave & I-90)
Chicago, IL 60616
Neighborhood: Chinatown

Green Zebra

2010-07-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

After a fond experience at Spring, I was curious about Green Zebra & Custom House....especially G.Z. for the vegetarian menu. I wondered what innovative creations chef Shawn McClain would have for vegetables (which I do love...) So when I saw a groupon for G.Z., I got it right away...

unappetizing amuse & unimpressive bread service:

Bobcat didn't want cold soup, so we tried their onion soup. Even though there obviously wouldn't be beef stock based, it was filled with intense, delicious flavor. Meat-like.

Trio of Onion Soup, Vidalia onion, grilled ramps, leeks, sherry 8

I'm not sure if it's because I wasn't very hungry by the time we got there... or because there's only so much you can do with vegetables...the rest of the meal wasn't very impressive. It all tasted decent, but there weren't anything I'd rave about nor go back for. The scallops were especially boring.

Fresh Burrata Cheese, roasted asparagus, romesco, almonds, olives 10.5

Potato & Spring Garlic Dumplings, roasted garlic, aioli, smoked paprika 12

Slow Roasted Shittake Mushrooms, crispy potato, savoy cabbage 12

Creamed Spinach Filled Crepe, oyster mushrooms, confit artichoke, parmesan 14

Maine Sea Scallops, braised wild mushrooms, yukon potatoes, hibiscus 17

The only thing wonderful about this experience is that I'm glad we finally used up our groupon. I highly doubt we'd ever return.

Green Zebra

1460 West Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60642-5587
(312) 243-7100

Random

2010-07-30T08:12:00.001-07:00

Picked this up at Mitsuwa after golf one day... Super thin, tiny bars (much smaller than pictured)...delicious & refreshing. Slightly creamy, but not too much.

We finally decided to take our big ole tree down. It kept growing over our neighbor's roof. It's either chop it down, or risk replacing someone's roof. SAD.

Aftermath:

Chava goodies, delicious as always:

Tanjoubi 2010

2010-07-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

I look forward to my mama's traditional Taiwanese birthday meal every year. Long, thin noodles in braised pigfoot sauce with scallions (representing long life) & braised pigfoot (supergood for youthful skin elasticity).

Everyone at the table traditionally peel cooked eggs for the birthday gal / guy.

Everything else has nothing to do with my birthday, just some simple, delicious, home cooked items. She also ordered 2 dishes from House of Emperor...guess she really wanted to get some oysters for Bobcat. ALL of this was only for 3 people (mom, bobcat, myself). We were stuffed... with LOTS of leftovers.

Pan-fried fish:

Catered - crispy chicken (House of Emperor)

Catered - oysters (House of Emperor) -

Mom's miso soup with salmon head:

I never want to get cake for my birthday, but my dad insisted this year. Mom picked out a pretty good cake from a Korean bakery:

Mom bought golf stuff for me this year. These gifts were from Bob's mom...I just love her pretty way of wrapping gifts:

July 4th fireworks this year:

Random pretty clouds:

Takashi

2010-07-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

Takashi Yagihashi

Takashi was born in Mito, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, a small town about an hour northwest of Tokyo and just a few minutes from the sea, where he developed a taste for fresh seafood at a very young age. He started cooking at age sixteen and continued to work in restaurants while he earned his Interior Design degree from the Tokyo Design School. After a stint helping out with the opening of a Japanese restaurant in Chicago, the young chef embarked on a serious culinary education. He cooked for Yoshi Katsumura at the highly touted French-Japanese Yoshi's Café and Gabino Sotelino's Amria where he worked his way up the line to chef de cuisine and eventually partner.
In 1996, Takashi opened Tribute to rave reviews. The Detroit Free Press gave the restaurant four stars; The New York Times called it "maybe the best restaurant between New York and Chicago and certainly the finest in Detroit." In 2003, he was named the 13th Annual James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Midwest. In 2005, he opened Okada for Steve Wynn in the luxurious Wynn Las Vegas, where he created a contemporary Japanese menu influenced by his French Training. He has since become a member of the Macy's culinary council and he opened Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi at Macy's in Chicago before opening his namesake restaurant in December 2007.

I've been wanting to check out Chef Takashi's cuisine for quite a while now. We recently purchased a groupon, and decided to check it out. The space is clean, nice, elegant. Staff was all very friendly, and the food was clean, fresh, delicious.

Chilled Fresh Homemade Tofu
Oba Leaves, Green Onion, Bonito Flakes, Wakame, Umami-Ginger Soy

We absolutely adore tofu, so when I saw that it's homemade, I had to try it. Tofu had a good structure & nice flavor. We liked the assortment of toppings.

Sashimi of hokkaido scallops and squid with soba & yuzu dressing

I forgot what this dish was actually called, but it's something along the lines of what i listed above. I wasn't super impressed by the soba, but the overall flavor was good.

Chicken in Clay Pot

Amish Chicken, Shimeji Mushrooms, Eggplant, Haricot Vert, Yuzu Juice

Some of the chicken was tender, some of it was a bit too firm. Overall, this dish had a perfectly rich & intense flavor, I especially enjoyed the eggplants. Green beans were perfectly crisp yet slightly braised. Very enjoyable dish.

Seared Main Skate Wing

Medley of Japanese Mushrooms, Risotto of Cauliflower, parmesan foam

As much as I love watching Top Chef & the idea of creating foam from actual ingredients... I am not a fan of foam. It's a very light flavor, no texture whatsoever. I guess it makes it pretty. The cauliflower risotto tasted good, it's pretty close to traditional risotto (rice). Hubby especially LOVED the skatefish... great flavors, crisp yet slightly chewy & tender, matched well with the greens. delicious!

crisp bananas, sticky chocolate cake, raisins confit, graham cracker ice cream

We don't usually try dessert, but we were curious. The hubby quit eating bananas (the only fruit he likes) because it's supposedly bad for asthma patients. Thus, instead of going with a blueberry dessert item I chose, he wanted to try this. I didn't really taste the graham cracker in the ice cream, but the banana had a beautiful caramel crisp on top, which made the bananas extra delicious. The chocolate cake didn't stand out to me. It was overall a decent dessert ending to our early meal.

I love cute utensils:

As a side note, I ordered yuzu wine because I was curious about how it'd taste. I asked the waitress for her opinion and she told me it's not that great. Another waiter actually chimed in and agreed. She gave me a tasting instead... I thought it entered the palate well, but it did have a strange aftertaste. I went with sake instead.

Takashi

1962 N Damen (b/w Homer & Armitage)

Chicago, IL 60647

(773) 772-6170

www.takashichicago.com

Gioco

2010-07-02T08:08:00.000-07:00

Gioco is a KDK group restaurant in Chicago. The first time we went to Gioco, we really enjoyed everything we ordered, pizza being the most memorable. This time, it was still good, but not awesome. The steamed mussels were cooked well, nice marinara sauce. I really wanted to like the handmade spaghetti with braised octopus, but the sauce was a bit sour. I also realized that octopus is not good braised.. you lose that crisp, chewy texture. The garganelli pasta in parmigiano cream was too creamy... flavor was good, but it's too creamy / sweet. I muchly prefer savory. The highlight of our meal was actually the olive oil they poured for the bread. Best EVOO we ever tasted.

cozze alla marinara $12 - steamed mussels, white wine, garlic & tomato

spaghetti con polipo apeziato $18 - handmade spaghetti w/ tomato & red chili braised octopus, fresh basil, evoo, romano cheese

garganelli con prosciutto $17 - speck, fresh peas, mushrooms, parmigiano cream

Gioco

1312 S. Wabash

Chicago, IL 60605

(312) 939-3870

Joy Yee

2010-06-28T10:52:00.000-07:00

Bobcat was very reluctant about going to Joy Yee, but I insisted because I found out they make Hainan Chicken. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that dish, and really wanted to try their version.

We also decided to try their thai-style chicken in lettuce wrap. This tasted ok, but it wasn't thai whatsoever. The portion was huge (should've known, since the price was $10 or so). We didn't even come close to putting a dent on this dish.

My hainan chicken! It wasn't on the menu, but the waiter said they do offer it. I LOVE the juicy chicken dripping flavored rice! I just wish they had that mixed tomato dish on the side that we usually dip the chicken in. Or I at least wish the tomatoes next to this chicken was more ripe.
The hubby decided to try their tom yum noodle dish. This was pretty good, he enjoyed it.
watermelon smoothie w/ tapioca -- Joy Yee makes great smoothies, and I LOVE the chewy tapioca. I tried to be healthier & requested no simple syrup...but it really isn't the same w/out that sugary addition.

Joy Yee Noodle

joyyee.com

1163 East Ogden Avenue
Naperville, IL 60563-8535
(630) 579-6800

Grotto

2010-06-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Grotto was surprisingly delicious (didn't expect much from a strip mall generic looking exterior). fresh ingredients, great flavors. our waiter was nice, but he claimed the gratuity (for the two of us) was automatically calculated by the computer (we used http://restaurant.com coupon). I didn't question it, but honestly, I did not believe it either. I somewhat understand since there seems to be a lot of cheap people that calculate tip via the total AFTER discounts instead of BEFORE. But it also kind of sucks that the waiter assumed that'd be us.. because it isn't. we would've given him more.

Grotto's Famous Chicken Vesuvio with olive oil, white wine, special seasonings $18

Tender chicken, slightly greasy. Not a fan of huge potato wedges.

Pasta Marinara w/ clams - $21.00

This was right up my alley... LOVED the flavorful sauce, fresh clams... awesome.

I don't remember what soup this was, but I remember it being good.

Oysters were very fresh! $1.75/pc.

Grotto Oak Brook

3011 Butterfield Rd
Oak Brook, IL 60523
(630) 571-5700

Bien Trucha (Updated)

2010-06-28T10:28:00.001-07:00

Bien Trucha doubled their space, and turned it into a Chicago-trendy-restaurant-like atmosphere (w/ hip music). It was strange, but thankfully, the food is still delicious & well-made.

Bien Trucha

410 W State St
Geneva, IL 60134

(630) 232-2665

www.bientrucha.com

2010-06-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Bobcat & I slept over at a friend's house in Vernon Hills, and wanted to grab a bite before meeting our family for golf (father's day). I used my Yelp app to find this local joint down the street.

It's a small space. More people seem to carry out than eat in. I was hoping to find enticing bakery items to purchase, but nothing stood out.

We did order some delicious brunch items though.

Their tuna niçoise sandwich was refreshing, nice balance of fresh veggies, olives, tuna. It's canned tuna...but it's good.

This is their creative to-go sandwich that's supposed to have turkey sausage & egg inside. We ended up being too full, so I gave this to Bobcat's brother.

I got their veggie omelette with potatoes. Everything was prepared nicely, but the veggie omelette lacked flavor, which is surprising since it was pretty cheesy. I would've rather skipped the cheese and added a bit of salt.

They had a good selection of tea leaves, and this is how they present it. Creative, cute, I liked it.
Green Prairie Bakery & Cafe

279 Evergreen Drive
Vernon Hills, IL 60061

(847) 918-7005

Cafe Society

2010-06-28T10:00:00.001-07:00

Since Cafe Society is just down the street, we often pick up breakfast grub when we're short on time, or too lazy to venture out. It's not spectacular, but the food is good. HUGE portions. I was surprised they gave me such a huge piece of salmon on the skillet.

Favorite item -- smoothies. All-fruit. YUM.

Cafe Society

1801 S Indiana Ave
(between 18th St & Cullerton St)
Chicago, IL 60616
Neighborhood: Near Southside

(312) 842-4210

shokuyoku

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Labriola Bakery & Cafe

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Random

Hing Kee

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Cafe Hoang

#062 Combo soup Veggie w/ Mix Seafood $9.95

Cafe Hoang232 W Cermak Rd(between Cottage Grove Ave & Indiana Ave)(312) 674-9610www.cafehoang.com

Chi Cafe

International Mall

Cocoro

Chinese New Year Part 2 (Saturday Night) w/ Sonos

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Yokohama Japanese Restaurant

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Yerbabuena

International Mall - Oriental Food House

Takashi

Pho 888

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Nobori

Carbon

Green Zebra

Random

Tanjoubi 2010

Takashi

Gioco

Joy Yee

Joy Yee Noodle

Grotto

Grotto Oak Brook

Bien Trucha (Updated)

Cafe Society

Cafe Hoang
232 W Cermak Rd
(between Cottage Grove Ave & Indiana Ave)
(312) 674-9610
www.cafehoang.com