>I'm thinking of One >Sixtyblue or Spruce, these are two restaurants I'd like to try. I'd love to hear feedback from >someone who has been to both, or even just one. I ate at Spruce just a couple days ago and recommend it. The food is inventive and well presented. The ingredients are fairly complex, so the following descriptions are somewhat abbreviated. For appetizers we had tequila cured salmon on a bed of mixed vegetables and marinated calamari with an avocado mousse and poblano cream. For the entrees we had basil tatooed walleye pike (it had a large leaf of basil on top of it) with french green beans, carmelized onions on couscous and tuna and halibut rolled in rice wrappings with a melange of vegetables such as pureed parsinps and sauteed baby beets. For dessert we had a brioche bread pudding with vanilla ice cream and mango and an apricot bavarian cake with fennel and raspberry mincemeat. Our waiter told us he recently had served a woman who wrote a book on bread puddings and proclaimed Spruce's second best she had ever had (a place in New Orleans was 1st). We were very satisfied with our meals. Meals are 3 course pre fixe at $45 and there is a tasting menu also. The ambiance is good with much exposed spruce wood, of course. A review I read didn't think the service was up to snuff, but we thought it was very good.
Chicago, IL
One Sixtyblue or Spruce?
G W. wrote: If you have a moment I would be interested where an enthusiastic and knowledgeable Foodie like yourself takes family and friends when they visit Chicago. I am guessing that other readers of chi.eats would be as well. Curious, Gary Sure. The thing is, we're from San Francisco and Italian and there will be kids. This means no Chinese or Vietnamese food (hard to beat SF) and generally no Italian food, or pseudo Italian food like deep dish pizza, so I don't think it's a typical situation. This enthusiastic foodie generally doesn't eat out much, but I'll do my best. We're going to be flexible on Saturday, but what I'd like to do is go to Nuevo Leon in the Pilsen neighborhood. The food is good and it's a nice way to see one of Chicago's many different neighborhoods. It's a pity that the restaurants in Greek town are so bad, or else that would be an option. At least the bakery is good. Frontera Grill is always another good option for visitors, but I recently had a really, really horrible meal at Topolobampo with my mum and bf, and I'm still a little miffed and avoiding either one now. If Mexican food isn't what they're in the mood for, there are several stand-bys in my neighborhood, N & N Smokehouse or perhaps Mia Francesca (I know, I said no Italian, but they aren't bad) or Matsuya. There is also a nice French/Vietnamese restaurant that I haven't tried (a little expensive for spur of the moment student eats) which seems like it's gonna survive on Clark, it's packed every time I walk by. If they want steak, there is always the Butcher Shop. I went there with my mum a few years ago and was really happy not only with the meat (it was good and my mum is picky about beef!) , but with the environment, which was nice but comfortable and not too stuffy, brash or loud. Cafe Iberico has yummy tapas that nearly rival Esperpento in San Francisco. I'm also keeping Mango in mind, although I've never been there. For greasy spoon breakfasts including an ok corned beef hash, the Original Pancake house is good. For lunch downtown, it seems that the Berghoff (sandwiches only) might be fun for them, although I've never been there. Other downtown lunch options are Flat Sammie's or something close to that across from Water Tower or Heaven on Seven or the cafe at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Near me, I love Cullen's Bar's ruben sandwiches. They make their own corned beef, the sandwich is big and totally bad for you (lotsa dressing, cheese etc). On Sunday, we're going to go to Tomboy in the Andersonville neighborhood. I've heard good things about this restaurant and I like the neighborhood. Monday night will be One Sixtyblue regards, trillium
t M. wrote: I forgot one other stand-by for visiting friends or family...erwin's. Great nuevo (sp?) cuisine with a midwestern accent, martinis to die for. regards, trillium
Someone wrote: wow--what was wrong with it? lisa It had everything to do with fish. I went their with my mum and bf for a birthday dinner. He ordered the tasting meal, I ordered a lamb dish and my mum ordered catch of the day, which was a whole grilled (or panfried, can't remember) striped bass. The tasting meal included a serving of Copper River salmon. To establish good-fish-knowing credentials, I'll say that the bf is a Chinese Singaporean, well versed in the art of fish eating, and my mum and I hail from the Pacific Northwest, home to good fish and salmon in particular. In addition, we're all foodies. The striped bass had that old, bitter taste that fish gets if it's been improperly cleaned or is just way too old. The whole flesh tasted the way really muddy, bitter parts near the belly can taste like. Fine, sh*t happens, especially in a large restaurant. I called our waitress over, and explained about the fish, nicely...I don't have a lot of attitude. She said that a lot of people have trouble with a whole fish (head, tail, etc.) and that she wasn't surprised mum didn't like it. We told her *again* that it wasn't about it being whole, it's that the fish was *bad*. She wouldn't let it die and insisted throughout the whole meal that it was ok that my mum "just didn't care for the dish". She did this without us bringing it up again. This made me angry because it had nothing to do with it, that fish was just *bad* and she kept wanting us to agree with her that it was just a matter of taste. On a more minor note, whatever the salmon was in the tasting meal, it wasn't Copper river. We have done side by side tastes of salmon to see if you could differentiate between a sockeye from other runs and the Copper river. You can. This wasn't salmon from the Copper river, unless there is another(inferior) salmon that also runs the Copper river. This was last month. I feel like I should do something besides just complaining here, but I'm not sure what. We did tip our waitress well, because we're too nice I suppose and I knew it wasn't her fault the fish was bad, but I didn't like the way she handled it at all. I've thought about leaving a voicemail on Bayless's extention, but the pessimist in me thinks it wouldn't do much good. I've never had a bad meal at Frontera Grill, been there twice, but this just made me want to avoid either of them. You did ask <g>. regards, trillium
If you are looking for something a bit different and don't want to spend too much, heres a place I've been to (and its in my nick of the woods too, SE side) which has good food. Its a neighborhood bar and grill called Casino's with a Croation flavor. Their specialty are stuff like Dalmatian Chicken (no not some hybrid of dog/chicken, but a way the chicken is made, from a region called Dalmatia somewhere in Croatia). Their sandwiches are not bad either, a personal favorite is the roasted pork or lamb sandwich...this plus a softdrink, and cup of soup runs about $5.00. Another favorite restaurant is called Siam Marina whose specialty is Thai food. Tammy, the owner, has opened up a quaint place yet they have some of the best food I've eaten. this is located in Calumet City.
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1998 02:31:18 CDT Xref: chi.eats:2878 On Wed, 29 Jul 1998 16:35:04 GMT, [email removed] (t r i l l i u m) wrote: >Sure. The thing is, we're from San Francisco and Italian and there will be >kids. This means no Chinese or Vietnamese food (hard to beat SF) and >generally no Italian food, or pseudo Italian food like deep dish pizza, so I >don't think it's a typical situation. This enthusiastic foodie generally >doesn't eat out much, but I'll do my best. <snip of interesting restaurants> Trillium, I am really glad I asked and thank you for the response. I gleaned some tips for new places from your post. I too have taken out of town visitors to Nuevo Leon and I occasionally go there for lunch when my budget will allow the financial extravagance. I particularly like the menudo and the chilaquiles. I have them add chorizo and chopped up fresh serrano or jalapeno to the chilaquiles for a spicy heart healthy meal. Ok I admit it. I like the original Uno's on Ohio although the only time we ever seem to go there is with out of town visitors who have younger children. My cousin tells me that her kids now refer to all pizza as "Uno's" I have never had a bad meal at either Frontera or Topolobampo, I hope that this was an isolated incident. I am not sure to which Heaven on Seven you are referring. We tried the new Heaven on Seven (Rush St.) a few times and decided that the original in the Garland building has noticeably better food. I think you will enjoy Tomboy the food is good and the crowd is eclectic. Bring earplugs as the music level is on a par with the end of a runway at O'Hare. I have always considered Morton's in Newberry Plaza to be the benchmark with which I compare all other steak houses. It is not stuffy, but it is loud and brash. I have not been to the Butcher Shop, but I plan on giving it a try soon. My wife's favorite Japanese restaurant is Matsuya. I happen to think that Kuni's in Evanston has the best sushi in the area. Yes, better than the highly touted Sai Caf. I have not tried Sea Ranch in Arlington Heights. I have taken out from the Sea Ranch in Wilmette on Lake Street. There is no dining area at this location and I do not know if they have the same owners. I thought it was good, with a strike against them for using surimi instead of real crab in the California maki roll. Mia Francesca has reliably good food, we usually go to the one on Taylor Street for the lower noise level and the additional space between tables. Hummmm what does that mean when you sacrifice logistical convenience for a lower decibel level and space to stretch out. I think I might send away for retirement living brochures. Cullen's for a "big and totally bad for you" ruben sounds like someplace I should put at the top of my must try list. For corned beef you may also wish to try Manny's, they serve huge pastrami and corned beef sandwiches with a potato pancake on the side. Manny's has good matzo ball and kreplach soup, I usually get a combo. Manny's clientele is an interesting cross section of people. We have been to Mango few times, the food is good and the wall sconces in the shape of mangos are interesting and slightly erotic. I have never been to some of the restaurants that you mentioned and I will put them on the top of my list to try soon. Would you please post the name of the French/Vietnamese restaurant that you referenced? I would like to try it. Thanks again for the response and enjoy the visit with your family. I know you will be eating well. By the way, my parents are making their semi-annual pilgrimage to Chicago in August so I better start thinking about where to dine with family as well. Enjoy. Gary
NNTP-Posting-Date: 31 Jul 1998 17:21:26 GMT X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (Win95; I) Xref: chi.eats:2880 I think the French/Vietnamese restaurant is Julie Mai's Bistro on Clark a few blocks south of Foster, t r i l l i u m wrote: > G W. wrote: > > have them add chorizo and chopped up fresh serrano or jalapeno to the > chilaquiles for a spicy heart healthy meal. > > Uh, I'm missing something here, Gary... chorizo and heart healthy in the same > sentence?! But it sounds good. > > My wife's favorite Japanese restaurant is Matsuya. I happen to think > that Kuni's in Evanston has the best sushi in the area. Yes, better > > Actually, I don't usually eat sushi at Matsuya, I like their cooked mackerel > dishes a lot, but let's just say that while the sushi isn't gonna kill you, > it's not the world's best made, it shouldn't fall apart when you pick it up. > Might be partly due to the fact that all the Japanese restaurants along that > strip have sushi chefs speaking Spanish. > > than the highly touted Sai Caf. I have not tried Sea Ranch in > Arlington Heights. I have taken out from the Sea Ranch in Wilmette on > Lake Street. There is no dining area at this location and I do not > > Sea Ranch in Arlington Heights has a little spot to sit down and eat now, and > has some cooked Japanese food in addition to sushi. It's where I go to get my > sashimi fix. > > know if they have the same owners. I thought it was good, with a > strike against them for using surimi instead of real crab in the > California maki roll. > > This place does too, but since I never eat California rolls, it doesn't bother > me. On Saturday and Sunday late afternoons you can get the sashimi take-outs > at a fantastic price, it's what they didn't sell during the day. > > you may also wish to try Manny's, they serve huge pastrami and corned > beef sandwiches with a potato pancake on the side. Manny's has good > > I've made a note of this place, it keeps popping up on this ng. I need to go > check it out. The thing is, these ruben cravings will pop up unannounced, > leading to very little planning time. Cullen's also has pretty decent > Guinness too. It's right next door to the Music Box theater and Mercury > Theater on Southport. > > will put them on the top of my list to try soon. Would you please post > the name of the French/Vietnamese restaurant that you referenced? I > would like to try it. > > I look for it on the way home tonight and post it this weekend. > > regards, > trillium
A suggestion I'd like to make is L'Olive on Sheridan (just sou of Irving Park). It's Morroccan with a French influence. It's BYOB - but there is a liquor store a stone's throw away.. Danny Sniderman
NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 01 Aug 1998 01:26:21 CDT Xref: chi.eats:2893 On Fri, 31 Jul 1998 15:46:55 GMT, [email removed] (t r i l l i u m) wrote: >Uh, I'm missing something here, Gary... chorizo and heart healthy in the same >sentence?! But it sounds good. Please allow me to rephrase......have them add chorizo and chopped up fresh serrano or jalapeno to the chilaquiles for a spicy heart healthy meal. <grin> >This place does too, but since I never eat California rolls, it doesn't bother >me. Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. <grin> > Cullen's also has pretty decent >Guinness too. It's right next door to the Music Box theater and Mercury >Theater on Southport. On that same block is Tango Sur, an Argentinean steak house. The steaks and the chimichurri sauce are good and the prices are very reasonable. I also like the sweetbreads. I usually ask to have them crisped up a bit. My wife thinks the service is excellent, although this may have something to do with her impression that one of the waiters looks like Antonio Banderas. It is BYOB and they have an outdoor dining area. >I look for it on the way home tonight and post it this weekend. Thank You. Enjoy, Gary
Someone wrote: > Someone wrote: > > wow--what was wrong with it? > > lisa > > It had everything to do with fish. I went their with my mum and bf for a > birthday dinner. He ordered the tasting meal, I ordered a lamb dish and my > mum ordered catch of the day, which was a whole grilled (or panfried, can't > remember) striped bass. I read trillium's account of his meal because he reminded me of my *1* sojourn to Topolobampo. I've never actually looked up the translation of Topolobampo, but if it translates into haughty staff, I wouldn't be at all surprised. Our dining experience began when we arrived at the restaurant. The couple we were dining with had made reservations some days earlier for Saturday night at 8:00. The reservations were taken, but we were surprised to learn upon our arrival that reservations for Saturday night had to be confirmed by the patron. This was the first time anyone had mentioned such a thing. The way they talked to us was designed to make us wonder what had been wrong with us for not devining such a requirement. They went on to tell us that before they cancelled our reservation, that they had called our friends. They were not at home at the time of the call. The staff elected not to leave a message on the answering machine that had picked up the call. After some consultation among the staff members, they agreed to do us a favor and squeeze in another table for us. Now, I don't want to sound ungrateful, but this squeezing in another table was not because they had acted summarily in cancelling our reservation, but because we had driven such a long way <both couples live quite far from the loop>, they were going to do us a favor. It took all of us a while to calm down after that experience and focus on the menu. I ordered a goat dish. As I recall the experience, there was nothing else on the menu that I couldn't order somewhere else, but the goat was really interesting because, after all, who serves goat in Chicago? Just before the other dishes were to be served, I was advised that they had run out of goat. Certainly that wasn't the first time I'd ordered something and the restaurant was out of it, but this was the first time it had taken the appetizer and salad courses and the cooking time for everyone else's main course to learn about it. They told me that they could make the dish with lamb, so that's what I settled on. Have you ever tasted lamb? Me too! I love lamb. I make it often for myself. I didn't need a restaurant to eat lamb. I suppose the fact that waitress touted us off a wine for a more expensive wine that wasn't worth what our original selection cost was probably more our fault than hers. To tell the truth, it wasn't THAT much more expensive. Who knows, maybe it would have gone real well with goat. I know the original thread is about Topolobampo, but it seems to me that the Frontera Grill story is worth mentioning here. Apparently, Frontera Grill will take lunch reservations for groups of X or more. I forget the exact number. My wife runs her own business in Chicago. She made lunch reservations. At the time she made the reservations there were as many people going to lunch as was necessary to bet a reservation. As the group was leaving her office, one of the members was called on an emergency, and my wife's group, now x-1 in size, went to lunch. When my wife got to Frontera Grill the hostess accused her of lying about the size of the group, in order to defraud Frontera Grill out of a reservation. I don't actually remember if my wife told the woman to shove it or not, but I do have a distinct memory of how upset she was still when she got home that night. Some of those who have responded to this thread have taken the poor patron to task. I also have to acknowledge that any restauranteur who goes out of his way to offend his patrons, or make them feel like fools, is probably not going to stay in business all that long. That said, what's the point of complaining to the host/maitre d'hotel, when he is the one that you are complaining about? I suppose I could have called Rick Bayless, but why should I have to do that? I don't carry his telephone number around with me. I could make it a point to learn the identity of every restauranteur whose restaurant I choose to visit, but that seems like more work than the simple of act of dining with friends should require. If I did call him, what would he have done. My evening was ruined. He can't give me back that evening. I can choose never to return <or as someone put it, darken their door again>. That's what I decided to do. It seems that Topolobampo has flourished without my presence there and lord knows I have done quite well despite never having returned there. Yes, shit happens. Apparently at Topolobampo, a display of graciousness is the most rare happening of all.
I eat there once for a specially planned event and EVERYTHING was poorly done, including attitudes. The food was from so-so to poor. The crowding of tables was unsavory----thankfully I was a guest and did not have to pay for such food and service. I think it is trendy with Bayless having a wonderful PR service, but you must deliver too! t M. wrote: Someone wrote: ---> --->wow--what was wrong with it? ---> --->lisa ---> --->It had everything to do with fish. I went their with my mum and bf for a --->birthday dinner. He ordered the tasting meal, I ordered a lamb dish and my --->mum ordered catch of the day, which was a whole grilled (or panfried, can't --->remember) striped bass. The tasting meal included a serving of Copper River --->salmon. To establish good-fish-knowing credentials, I'll say that the bf is --->a Chinese Singaporean, well versed in the art of fish eating, and my mum and I --->hail from the Pacific Northwest, home to good fish and salmon in particular. --->In addition, we're all foodies. ---> --->The striped bass had that old, bitter taste that fish gets if it's been --->improperly cleaned or is just way too old. The whole flesh tasted the way --->really muddy, bitter parts near the belly can taste like. Fine, sh*t happens, --->especially in a large restaurant. I called our waitress over, and explained --->about the fish, nicely...I don't have a lot of attitude. She said that a lot --->of people have trouble with a whole fish (head, tail, etc.) and that she wasn't --->surprised mum didn't like it. We told her *again* that it wasn't about it --->being whole, it's that the fish was *bad*. She wouldn't let it die and --->insisted throughout the whole meal that it was ok that my mum "just didn't --->care for the dish". She did this without us bringing it up again. This made --->me angry because it had nothing to do with it, that fish was just *bad* and --->she kept wanting us to agree with her that it was just a matter of taste. ---> --->On a more minor note, whatever the salmon was in the tasting meal, it wasn't --->Copper river. We have done side by side tastes of salmon to see if you could --->differentiate between a sockeye from other runs and the Copper river. You --->can. This wasn't salmon from the Copper river, unless there is --->another(inferior) salmon that also runs the Copper river. ---> --->This was last month. I feel like I should do something besides just --->complaining here, but I'm not sure what. We did tip our waitress well, --->because we're too nice I suppose and I knew it wasn't her fault the fish was --->bad, but I didn't like the way she handled it at all. I've thought about --->leaving a voicemail on Bayless's extention, but the pessimist in me thinks it --->wouldn't do much good. I've never had a bad meal at Frontera Grill, been --->there twice, but this just made me want to avoid either of them. ---> ---> --->You did ask <g>. ---> --->regards, --->trillium
User-Agent: tin/pre-1.4-980730 (UNIX) (AIX/4-3) Xref: alexander.INS.CWRU.Edu chi.eats:4213 I've eaten there only once. On that visit the food struck me as fine, but not particularly memorable or special. For Vietnamese you'd be better off going to Argyle, or to the new Vietnamese place on Clark street in Evanston. The name escapes me at the moment, but others have posted here recently about the Evanston place, which is wonderful. Someone wrote: : On Wed, 05 Aug 1998 17:40:06 GMT, [email removed] (t r i l l i u m) : wrote: :>La Paillotte is the French/Viet Namese restaurant I've been seeing, located on :>Clark, cross street Cornelia. : I have wanted to try La Paillotte since this post. We almost made it : on Tuesday. Point of information, La Paillotte is closed on Tuesdays. : We ended up across the street at Matsuya, which is always good. : La Paillotte looked nice inside, at least from the window, and the : menu seemed reasonably priced and interesting. It has jumped to the : top of our try soon list. : Enjoy, : Gary : La Paillotte : 3470 N Clark St : Chicago, IL 60657 : 773-935-4005
In article , "Kathleen M. Adams" Someone wrote: > I've eaten there only once. On that visit the food struck me as fine, but > not particularly memorable or special. For Vietnamese you'd be better off > going to Argyle, or to the new Vietnamese place on Clark street in > Evanston. The name escapes me at the moment, but others have posted here > recently about the Evanston place, which is wonderful. > Annam Cafe 724 Clark St. Evanston, IL (847)492-0631 I agree that the food at Annam Cafe is absolutely wonderful. In fact, I think I'll be going there for lunch today.