Monday, October 15, 2012

25 Degrees of Goodness....in September


My scepticism and mild frustration over the incredibly loud bar's atmosphere was quickly dissolved after I took my first sip of the "spiced cucumber collins" which had gin, lime, pepper, cucumber and mint. Another diner had the "red head in bed" with Citron, lemon juice, strawberries and sparkling wine....they were DELICIOUS!! The drinks were some of the best concocted outside of The Violet Hour and minus the stuffiness.

"Spiced Cucumber Collins" and the "Red Head in Bed'
 
We started with the "spiced tuna on crispy eggplant" which although looked suspicious, was delightfully paired well together. It was an appetizer I would order every time. The chili-honey chicken wings were a solid 9 and are not the kind you need to dip in a white sauce of any kind.
 
 
Chili-Honey Chicken Wings
 
 
The burgers were the kind that make you come back the following day. With options to create your own or choose from their suggestions, there is something for everyone, although I would not bring your kids....until they are 21 :)
 
 

 

 
 

Friday, September 7, 2012

Tastes of Tocco

August dinner club diners enjoyed the freshest of Italian delights that were simple yet refined. The owner informed us all that his recipes came straight from Italy.....which was corroborated by someone in our group.

My favorite special of the night was the fennel salad that had a nice balance of crunch from the fennel mixed with tender arugula and the perfect amount of dressing. The Napoleon style pizzas were a crowd-pleaser as we passed them around and marveled in the simplicity of just a few ingredients. My favorite entree was the papparelle bisanzio with homemade pasta, basil, and fresh black pepper.
  papparelle bisanzio



Another diner favorite was the tortelli with ricotta, spinach and a truffle cream sauce. It literally melted in your mouth.
tortelli
 Other items pictured are the eggplant, seafood pasta and my yummy cafe au lait.





                                                   
Give it a try....http://www.toccochicago.com/
 

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

July's Dinner Club at Roka Akor

Roka Akor kept me guessing from start to finish. Upon entering the restaurant, I was greeted by a clean, sleek, and simple modern decor. I then found myself a little disappointed by the rectangular table which made our group dinner feel somewhat cold and non-group-like. The service attempted to be spot-on, had a few slip-ups, but managed to redeem itself every time. Oh, and by the way, the food was dynamite, light, flavorful and different.....but not too different!

My meal started with the tuna tataki salad with apple mustard dressing. It was out-of-this world! The buttery thinly sliced tuna melted in my mouth as it was paired with the perfect amount of sweet, salty, and tart dressing.


The meal continued with sushi and the Black Cod. Both were done very nicely.I would order all of these items again.





The meal was one to remember!

Monday, July 16, 2012

RoseAngelis....doing it right for 20 years!

The dinner club spot for June was the good ole Lincoln Park neighborhood gem, RoseAngelis. Aside from the sparse parking and weak air conditioner, this place is obviously doing things right to be celebrating their 20th anniversary. They take simple ingredients and turn them into, well.......anything but simple. 

One thing for certain is the bread pudding is beyond words can describe. Cake-like and buttery, yet savory and sweet, this concoction of goodness is bathing in a silky caramel sauce. Yes, the entrees were good, but the main event for me was the bread pudding, duh! Pictured below is the ginormous eggplant parmesan and my b/f/f....bread pudding. Hope you try it and feel the same way! Starving!



Sunday, June 17, 2012

Mouth-Watering Dinner Club in May

Watermelon margarita? Yes please. Las Palmas in Bucktown/Wicker Park has been around for a while and is clearly still doing something right. This place is not the best mexican restaurant you'll ever eat at, but it sits consistently at a solid B+. The summer drink menu has a nice variety of refreshing cocktails and the dinner menu had a fair representation of "something for everyone." My favorite dish of the night was the scallops which were cooked to perfection and bathed in a delicate honey ginger habanero sauce and paired with a coconut tomato risotto (pictured below). We were a little confused by the "airline chicken" since nothing about that sounded interesting. Aside from that, Chowhound Chick's May Dinner Club was another solid success.
Scallops at Las Palmas

Friday, May 11, 2012

Chocolate Chip Cookie Contestant

http://freshii.com/

Yes, I go there for the healthiest food you can find on the planet and then I buy a cookie the size of my head. It's like dining at Sweet Tomatoes-you have intentions of eating healthily and then you devour mac n' cheese, cookies, muffins, pizza, and frozen yogurt. Oh well, it's worth it. So far, Starbucks was leading my commercially sold best chocolate chip cookie.....until now. Don't mess around with the M&M, oatmeal raisin, or other flavors since they just don't compare. The basic chocolate chip has the perfect amount of chewiness, butter, and most importantly chocolate! As you can see it is the perfect distraction to add to my 3:00 coffee break :)

Awesome Aromas in April

April's dinner club was hosted at Cumin in Bucktown/Wicker Park area which classifies itself as a modern Nepalese and Indian restaurant. They fail to mention in the name that IT RULES! I had heard good things prior to going, but I was blown away by the whole experience from top to bottom.

As I looked around trying to peer onto other diner's plates in order to see what looked good, I realized there was a full house.......not bad for a Monday night....and everything looked good. An extensive drink menu and surprisingly good service added to the memorable meal we devoured. The only problem.....I have no idea what we ate. Being in a group of 8 diners provided us an opportunity to sample a variety of dishes, from both the Nepalese and Indian side of the menu. The common denominator in all the items was the aromatic spices and undeniable savoriness  (not sure of that is a word, but I'm using it). Enough-go check it out for yourself. This places gets it done.


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

No Madness in March After Dining at (K)new

Logan Square's latest gem was discovered last month when the dinner club dined at (k)new. Much like Think, which was the preceding restaurant around the corner, (k)new is an upscale BYOB. The menu consists of specials that were offered at Think and it is very impressive. Not only creative and different, it stays true to the simple things that work so well together. One of my favorite dishes we ordered was the Portabella mushroom layered with walnut pesto, tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella and shaved parmesan. It was like a twist on a Caprese that was fresh and flavorful.


I ordered the
Cavatappi pasta with lobster, shrimp, teardrop tomato, fresh tarragon, mint, basil, garlic, marscapone cheese and extra virgin olive oil. Mint and Basil together....um, yes please!!! This was so good. Only thing that was surprising was that the dish was served with penne instead of cavatappi. I'm over it :)


 The most interesting part of the meal was the dessert. I never thought I would eat broccoli gelato and/or paprika gelato. The paprika one had a kick at the end and it worked really nicely with the warm chocolate molten cake. 

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Don't Pass up De Pasada

Everyone talks about Taylor Street and the best.....dot, dot, dot, but I have a hands-down all around best chicken taco in Chicago. For $1.99, you'll get two corn tortillas with a generous portion of flavorful pulled white meat chicken topped with cilantro, onions, and salsa verde. The salsa is hot and spicy and extremely addictive. I order 4 myself and leave nothing to spare. If you've got a better chicken taco, I'd like to know about it. Who's hungry?




Hot Sauce Buffet.....LOVE!

As I drove around Des Plaines, IL with my co-worker/friend, we decided to grab lunch. Since he was not interested in doing one of my all-time favorites, Pita Inn, we opted for what I expected to be boring, bland and basic. YAWN. To my surprise, Firehouse Subs delivered a memorable experience that I would definitely go back for.

As you can see below, the sandwich looks decent, but that's not why we're here. The hot sauce buffet has approximately 50 (yes 5-0!!) different varieties with a numbering system on each bottle to notify the consumer the level of heat. Everything about this place was cool. The fountain soda machine was very chic and up-to-date, the firehouse decor, although a little gimmicky, it worked, and the sandwiches were very good! Best of all, you will never run out of options to top your sandwich. This is my kind of condiment!





http://www.firehousesubs.com/

Friday, March 16, 2012

Holy Hot Stuff!

Sri Siam Thai in Morton Grove, Illinois is my newest favorite spot in the Northern Suburbs. Maybe it's the crazy amount of spice that haunts me, yet keeps me coming back for more. My favorite dish is pictured below and it's literally called, "Stir-Fried Hell." Oh, and they happen to put an asterisk next to the name on the menu in case you didn't realize it was going to be hot. This is my newest restaurant that I would like to feature on Check Please! Maybe some day soon. Enjoy!





http://www.srisiamrestaurant.com/

Friday, February 10, 2012

February Dinner Club at Hot Chocolate

Contrary to popular belief, Hot Chocolate in Bucktown is not just for dessert or brunch. The dinner menu is creative and delicious. The waiter was kind, patient, and genuinely interested in pleasing each of us. I shared the Cesar salad with kale (which I loved the unique addition of kale although it's not pictured) along with the vegetable risotto. Everything was very well done.


For dessert, we had a BANANA BRIOCHE BREAD PUDDING . . . which was warm on the inside with a nice contrast of cold ice cream on the outside. It was light and delicate with the perfect amount of sweetness. Who's Hungry?

Michael Jordan's Steakhouse---Mishap

If you're a seasoned reader, you know that my blog got jump-started by the not-so welcoming service at Michael Jordan's Steakhouse (if not, read my first post). Since I am down for second chances (and I was dying to try the food), I went back months later as "Table for four."


I understand that new restaurants need time to work out their growing pains, but this place needed something more like surgery. I so wanted it to be good! The atmosphere started off super chic and classy; however, I was confused when we got to our table (sans the table cloth). The waitstaff were dressed in something comparable to an Applebee's, and frankly I was confused. The prices mimicked top-notch steakhouse while the atmosphere was trying to be casual. The food was good and the service was just okay. Frankly, I am not impressed and for a $50 steak, my money is better spent at many other Chicago restaurants.

Center cut filet with a smoked sea salt garnish. The sea salt was definitely a nice touch....but like I said, expensive.




 Mascarpone cheesecake....not impressed! Fred's at barney's does this so well and this was not even close to being worth the calories. The presentation was the best part.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

January's Dinner Club-Serious "Sushi X"

Don't ever take a first date to Sushi X since the rolls are MEGA and true three-biters. Bring her on the 3rd date and she will love you for life. This places RULES!

I'm not dining at "the X" for the everyday sushi staples; I'm going there for the Red Dragon roll with tempura shrimp, mayo, roe, sriracha, jalapeno, topped with spicy tuna and scallions, the White Tiger with tuna, hamachi, salmon, asparagus, avocado, cilantro, cucumber, jalapeno, scallions, tempura flakes, roe, lime-juice, with wasabi mayo and sriracha, the all-veggie Buddha roll, and others. You know a veggie roll must be darn good if it's being ordered by a bunch of carnivores.

An ever-changing menu keeps things current and interesting.  BYOB is always a nice touch too. Generous portions encourage group dining and friendly staff simply make this place work! 
Pictured here  (from left to right) is the Red Dragon, Honey, Godzilla, Maui Waui, and Budda.