Places to eat in Chicago

This was my second taste of the food from Calumet Fisheries, the 1st time I couldn't figure out the fuss but then I saw a post on Yelp that said you just had to try the fried oysters. So I sent the hubby out to get some of those for dinner and he came back with almost $35 of fried seafood, not nearly as much food as I would think from a shack on the Calumet River on the south tip of Chicago.

Favorite Dish: Fried shrimp? OK but there's a much better place just down the street from us in Hammond, IN called Bob's Shrimp which blows this stuff out of the water. Fried oysters? Super fishy tasting, I'm going to get my oyster fix from Dixie Kitchen down in Lansing from now on. Fried scallops? Tasted funny, only ate one. Fried calamari? Let me count the places that have better fried calamari...

I guess their speciality is smoked fish, the glowing reviews on Yelp are all about the smoked fish, smoked salmon, smoked shrimp. But the fried stuff should still be good if they are serving it.

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Gathered here in November, 2009 on a warm 60ish degree day with a few other VTers for a late afternoon lunch. Guest of honor and organizer Chet (Yooperprof) from Marquette, Michigan organized the event, but because of train delays was the last one there arriving about 45 minutes after our scheduled 1:30 p.m. time. The restaurant has two floors (we ate upstairs) and probably at one time was a private home. During the warmer months they have a good size outdoor area to the side and back of the restaurant. Parking is a little bit of a problem, but if you go down the side streets you may find some non paying parking spots.

Favorite Dish: I had the Reubenssen, cornbeef, sauerkraut and jarlsberg cheese on limpa toast with a side order of home made potatoes. Had a black cherry Swedish soda which was made in Spain. (go figure)

I'm always a little stumped when I come home from a restaurant and I find glowing reviews when I found the restaurant positively inadequate. Were we at the same restaurant? Do we just have different expectations? Like my food having any flavor? I would have never tried this place had it not been for the $75 of food for $35 Groupon which is what inspired me to try this restaurant. It's located on a rather deserted stretch of Superior in River North, no problems parking here although you still have to feed the meters. We were eating early so I wasn't surprised that we were among the 1st patrons of the evening but I was a little surprised on a Saturday night that the restaurant was about 3/4 empty when we left at 7pm.

The service was a little snooty at first and the interior of the restaurant is oh so trendy New York wannabe. No return visit is in the cards for me!

Favorite Dish: The complimentary rolls with sweet potato butter and balsamic reduction were bland, bland, bland. Even the butter had no flavor. We started off with the white pizza with Rock Shrimp, Fresh Ricotta, Mozzarella, Lemon Zest and Arugula ($12). It had an interesting flavor but was rather heavy on the cheese and very light on the shrimp. I don't think appetizers are meant to be shared although this one was large enough for the both of us.

My entree was the Hot Pot of Grilled Cobia, Maine Lobster, Shrimp Dumplings and Warm Yuzu Ponzu ($32). Even when I was ordering it I wondered if it was a mistake, it sounded delicious on paper but sometimes you just know that you shouldn't order something. Sure enough, when it was placed in front of me, I was shocked at the small portion size for the price but it might have been OK if it tasted good. But it didn't, it was SO bland, I was desperately searching the room for a salt shaker which naturally a restaurant with this level of pretension wouldn't have. I was really glad that the chef, who had stopped by the table next to ours to see how their meal was, didn't stop by ours because what could I possibly say to him?

My husband had the Prime 16 oz. Rib-Eye with Creamed Spinach Gratin and Truffle Potato Croquettes ($39). That was very flavorful but really in a city where we have some of the best steakhouses in the country I don't see coming back here for that. We passed on dessert, I felt like I had already invested enough in this experience.

Our bill for 1 appetizer, 2 entrees and 2 cocktails was $117 with tax.

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The Weber Grill is just what you would think. A large resteraunt that cooks most of its food on big weber grills and it is fantastic, the kids love it and you can watch them cook your meal. I would reccomend sitting at the counter.

Favorite Dish: I had the ribs, the were so good and smokey, my wife had a salad with beef skewers that was out of this world. Great cheese sauce too.

It's been quite a few years since we've been to Gioco, the Italian restaurant in the south loop owned by the KDK group, Marche, Opera, Red Light are the other restaurants they have listed on their website. The KDK restaurants are all similar in a couple of respects, the decor is eye catching and bold, the prices tend to be a little higher than I would expect from their location and menu. Gioco is no exception. We had a $50 Groupon to use so we headed here early on a Saturday night just when they were opening.

Service was extremely speedy, we were done with dinner in about 45 minutes including an appetizer, drinks and a main course but it was very early on a Saturday night and the restaurant was maybe only a 1/3 full.

Favorite Dish: We started off with fried calamari, it was extremely tender and not too greasy, the portion size was good for two people. I ordered Filetto Con Salsa Al Barolo ($34) two 4 oz Gorgonzola Dolce Crusted Beef Filets, Roasted Cippolini Onions, Sautéed Rapini, & Barolo Sauce. The meat was cooked exactly how I ordered it, the gorgonzola added a nice complimentary flavor to the beef. I didn't care for the rapini, it was bitter to my taste but my husband ate it. David ordered a chicken dish that was marinated in porcini mushrooms which came with rosemary potatoes and that was a disappointment, although the chicken was moist it had little flavor

Open 7 days a week (7am ~ 3pm), all year round, Pauline's serves a great breakfast for Chicago locals. It is located in the middle of a residential area, so locals are the only people who know it exists.

There is a small outdoor patio section that fills up rather quickly if the weather is nice. The tables are small and the seating very cozy (do not go with large groups!). But the quality and quantity of food is great for the price. After all, where else can you get a 5-egg omelet with country potatoes for $7.

They do not take credit cards (but there is an ATM on the corner).
I recommend going on weekdays if you can, the place becomes crowded on the weekends and therefore the service suffers. Weekdays are great.

Favorite Dish: Everything is good! The 5-egg omelet overflow with stuffing. The pancakes are larger than the plates... and the fresh squeezed juice is wonderful.

Dorado is a gourmet Mexican restaurant with a French flair. The owner and head chef is a Mexican man who studied French culinary arts, mainly found in the blend of sauces. An example would be the chili rellenos de mariscos, or the pico salsa with mango.

The restaurant is small, but is elegant with white linens, quality table settings and lighting. Since the restaurant has been written up favorably in the local papers lately, it has been increasingly popular. Therefore a reservation is highly recommended.

Favorite Dish: Everything on the menu is excellent. Last time we dined there, we started with the shrimp quesadillas, then the grilled tilapia on green rice with mango pico salsa. The chili rellenos de mariscos was another favorite. The deserts are savory too, like the chocolate chimichangas and the plantanos in caramel.

The restaurant serves basic soft drinks and beverages, but it is a BYOB restaurant. There is no corkage fee for bringing your own reserves.

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We we're looking for an early dinner around this Andersonville neighborhood in Chicago until we saw this Tapas restaurant in the corner of Carmen and Clark. The outside view looks very inviting so we decided to try it instead of a Japanese Restaurant on the other side. Upon entering you can see right away the wall painting which is pretty much a contemporary Spanish design. The booths look very comfy which also compliments the checkered tile flooring.
We had a very helpful authentic spanish server which recommended us their best hot Tapas on the menu.
We first tried the ensalada de espinacas - spinach salad with pears, walnuts and goat cheese with raspberry dressing . Then we we're plate hopping between chorizo a la plancha - grilled Spanish chorizo with spicy sauce and mushrooms and calamares ala plancha - grilled squid with garlic, lemon, and olive oil. 3 more hot seafood Tapas after that, mussels, shrimps and salmon, then the highly recommended patatas bravas - fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce. For me Pinot noir is good for those delicate flavor seafoods, I had 2 glasses. Good thing we saved space for dessert. We tried the Flan which literally melts in your mouth, the banana with caramel and nuts is also superb.
PRICE is $$$
ATMOSPHERE is cozy and friendly.
SERVICE is great.
FOOD is delicioso.
Bread with olive oil is limitless.
TIP: Make sure to put a lot of quarters on the street parking meter, Chicago police are very sneaky. We got a ticket. Dammit.