Best Bite: When it comes to French bistro fare, steak frites is about as classic as it gets, and this version was transportive. The well-seasoned steak was a tender medium-rare, the frites were especially crispy, and the peppery sauce was rich with just enough creaminess. The mini dessert trio was just as well executed, though; and I was certainly relieved to not have to choose between mousse and crème brûlée. See full menu.
Dessert trio with chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, and meyer lemon sorbet
Other notes: The oven-roasted escargots were an indulgent start to the meal, but perhaps even better was dipping pieces of our still-hot baguette into the leftover garlic-herb butter. I couldn’t let those remnants go to waste! The cozy bistro environs were perfect for discussing exciting upcoming travel plans with two girlfriends, especially over a food-friendly Côtes du Rhône red.
Piping hot baguette to start the meal
The details:Mon Ami Gabi, 2300 N. Lincoln Park West, Chicago.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Breakfast sandwich of baked egg on baguette with butterkase and bacon
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: I’ve sampled Floriole’s beautifully crafted pastries at markets and coffee shops all over the city, but didn’t make it into the bakery itself until one rainy fall morning. Creamy baked egg and a smooth layer of butterkase cheese hid beneath a giant X of bacon strips draped over the baguette, making this simple, filling breakfast sandwich one of my favorites this year. And I always appreciate a great fruit cup on the side — this one even had figs! Once I added in a latte and a good book, I officially forgot about the storm outside.
Each day in December, I’m celebrating the rest of the best bites (and sips) that I didn’t get to blog about in 2013, posted in chronological order. Browse all of this year’s Best Bites, or look back at 2012’s Best Bites.
Pequod’s deep-dish pizza with sausage and black olive
Why it’s another 2013 Best Bite: It turns out that Pequod’s is a well-kept pizza secret among locals. It doesn’t pop up on most of the standard deep-dish lists (Giordano’s, Gino’s East, Lou Malnati’s – you know the drill), but was definitely the best version I ate all year. The key is the blackened cheese rim around the crust which gives each slice extra caramelized crunch. Huge chunks of fennel-laced Italian sausage and salty olives made excellent toppings; I’m partial to spinach as well. Take out-of-town guests here and you’ll feel like a true Chicago insider.
11 City French Toast, with challah, strawberries, bananas, and toasted coconut
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: South Loop brunch favorite Eleven City Diner recently opened a second location in Lincoln Park, complete with an old-fashioned soda fountain and other charming touches. With so many promising savory options (bagels and lox! Latkes! Egg dishes galore!), I even surprised myself when I went with the signature french toast instead. But now it’s hard for me imagine ordering anything else because it was just. That. Good. The fresh-baked challah is the star, striking that elusive french-toast balance of a crispy, golden crust outside and a super-soft inside without being the least bit soggy or overly eggy. Fresh strawberries and bananas with a dusting of powdered sugar always make an excellent topping, but it was the extra crunch of the toasted coconut that brought the dish to another magical level. It was too much toast to finish on the spot, but the challah held up well as leftovers.
Roasted beet salad with strawberries, grilled onions, ricotta, black walnut butter, and black garlic
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: This was technically my second visit to Perennial Virant – the first was on opening night a couple years ago, but I’d been looking for an opportunity to go back ever since. It’s on the first floor of Hotel Lincoln, right across the street from where the Green City Market is held every Wednesday and Saturday in Lincoln Park, and so it’s easy to understand the inspiration for the heavily seasonal menu. Of all the dishes we tasted, I was most blown away by the roasted beet salad. I’m not a huge beet person, but I was practically obsessed with the combination of beets and strawberries. Joined by the creamy ricotta, mellow garlic, and balsamic, it hit every note and felt exceedingly fresh. I also loved the crispy rice cake, nicely contrasted by the smoky vinaigrette.
To make the evening extra-special, our meal concluded with a tour of the kitchen (let’s just say it helps to know people!), which was a surprise to my three girlfriends and me. Once we weaved downstairs, through cooking and dishwashing areas, we reached the real highlight of the tour: the wall-to-wall shelves of the pickles and preserves for which Chef Paul Virant is best known. Every kind of produce you could imagine was meticulously jarred and labeled, ready to be judiciously incorporated into dishes in the weeks and months to come.
All kinds of pickles in the pantry
And in the summer, it’s almost impossible to leave the building without hopping an elevator to the roof and emerging in what is probably my favorite rooftop bar in the city, the J. Parker. Between the meal itself and the incredible post-meal view, it was hard to stop oohing and aahing.
Crispy carnaroli rice cake with brunkow cheese curds, pea shoots, smoked spring onion vinaigrette, and pickled summer beansSundae with Hazzard Free Farm oatmeal cookie, rum ice cream, and rum raisin caramelThe Lay Up, with Russian Standard, rhubarb, yellow chartreuse, maraschino, and lemon
Since my job affords me the privilege of working from home one day a week, I’ve made a habit of working from different coffee shops and cafés all over the city – I’m one of those people who’s more focused in that setting, rather than more distracted. My main criteria are good coffee and food options, free WiFi without a time limit (the only exception here is a two-hour timeout at Whole Foods), and reasonably comfortable seating. This list is by no means exhaustive, and in no particular order. I also excluded a few places I love because they’re usually crowded (I’m looking at you, Wormhole and Star Lounge).
Falling into the “hidden gem” category, KnockBox is a tried-and-true favorite, with friendly staff, easy parking, and a great variety of coffee drinks, sandwiches, and snacks (plus I’m a sucker for applesauce being offered as a side).
I had high hopes last summer when I found out that a new coffee shop was opening within walking distance of my apartment, and Gaslight has exceeded expectations, with excellent coffee roasted on-site and a suitably Logan Square-ish aesthetic.
Latte and pain au chocolat in a window seat at Gaslight Coffee Roasters
Let’s be honest: this gargantuan grocery store is one of my favorite places in the city, period, so I’m always content to assemble a hodge-podge of tastes from a few of the kiosks, then settle in with a laptop in the upstairs river-view seating.
I’ve spent many hours at this convenient Logan Square mainstay, sipping either bottomless Metropolis coffee or a delicious Hail Mary (New Wave’s version of “dirty chai”, or a chai latte with espresso) and sometimes splurging on a spinach and feta croissant, if there are any left.
A pleasant discovery in the River North area, I especially appreciate Robust’s relaxed vibe and its impressive selection of local sweets (Brown Sugar Bakery, Dat Donut, Lucia’s Homemade Aljafores, and more).
Iced latte and bagel sandwich on the patio at Robust Coffee Lounge
This bicycle and coffee shop hybrid has proven to be a pleasant, laid-back working environment with lots of natural light; pourover coffee and Glazed and Infused donuts don’t hurt either.
Eva’s Cafe is another gem within its neighborhood, refreshingly spacious with good coffee and lots of interesting seating areas (think wrought-iron furniture and a fireplace).
Globe and other pieces along the counter at Eva’s Cafe
Where are your favorite places to work remotely? I’m always open to new suggestions!
This is part of a series of posts about Chicago Restaurant Week, held February 1–10, 2013.
Lunch at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
Endive and blue cheese salad with almonds and membrillo, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
Best Bite: The generously portioned endive salad was a unique start to our lively meal. Amid the tang of blue cheese and vinaigrette, I especially appreciated the membrillo (sweet quince paste) and marcona almonds. Colorful, too – especially with my pomegranate mimosa as a backdrop. See full menu.
Other notes: Definitely the best value of the week, with soup, bread, cold tapas, warm tapas, and dessert for the $22 lunch price – it was the first time I took home leftovers! Speaking of the soup, it was creamy, comforting mushroom, with a manchego toast that made it feel almost like a Spanish version of french onion soup. Also enjoyed my petite caramelized banana dessert, with lots of crushed pistachios. Cheerful, bustling atmosphere as always.
Mushroom soup with manchego toast, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba
Miso-bronzed black cod with red curry and glazed eggplant, Sunda
Best Bite: So many fun courses at Sunda, but I couldn’t get enough of this miso-bronzed black cod. Don’t let its plain appearance fool you: the buttery fish was ultra-flavorful from the miso and red curry, and the glazed eggplant underneath was a revelation for this eggplant skeptic. It also served as a nice contrast to pork belly sticks in the previous course, and left enough room for me to enjoy my chocolate mousse for dessert. See full menu.
Other notes: Besides the great food, our group of 8 also thoroughly relished Sunda’s exotic cocktails. Of all the varieties, the Grass Tiger (below) was the clear winner for me. I adored the heat of jalapeño-infused gin with cool ginger beer, mint, lemongrass, and more citrus. You can even check out the restaurant’s Vine video of a bartender mixing this delicious drink.
Grass Tiger cocktail with jalapeño-infused gin and ginger beer, Sunda
Best Bite: When I saw all the game meat featured on Frontier’s gastropub-y menu, I knew I’d go straight for the wild boar chop. I loved the flavors of the meat and sauce, and with the sweet potato puree, toasted marshmallow, and crispy kale, it was basically a hunter’s Thanksgiving. See full menu.
Other notes: Duck tacos and antelope meatballs with gnocchi were both tasty starters, and Frontier pulled off its s’more dessert with just the right level of char and melty chocolate. Great beers and cozy fireplace too.
S’more, Frontier
The details:Frontier, 1072 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago.
Pizza with cauliflower, garlic crema, burrata, anchoïade
Why it’s this week’s Best Bite: I’m still daydreaming about an all-around outstanding dinner at Balena last night, in celebration of my roommate’s birthday, and could only narrow it down to these three favorite dishes. First, the pizza. The Neapolitan crust had the right amount of chew, and I loved the combination of garlicky cauliflower, gooey burrata (I admit, I’m a sucker for burrata), zingy preserved lemon, and underlying umami from the anchovy spread. But check out what’s on the plate underneath the pie: house-made Calabrian chili oil. Not only to add a little heat, but also to flavor those last topping-less bites of blistered crust? Game-changer. We made sure to request a to-go cup of chili oil to use on our leftover slices.
And then, there were the composed gelato sundaes. We had two – one of which came compliments of the kitchen with a birthday candle – and swooned over them both. The pistachio sundae was clean and unique, with delicate burnt orange. The rich, salty chocolate sundae, topped with peanut butter crumbles and the pastry chef’s version of “Magic Shell”, was making its menu debut that night; I have a feeling it’s not going anywhere. Each sundae also included a killer nougat candy component.
My new goal is to pair my next visit with a show at the Steppenwolf, right across the street.
Pistachio-orange gelato sundaeChocolate-peanut butter gelato sundae with “magic shell”
Each day in December, I’m celebrating my best bites (and sips) in 2012, posted in chronological order.
Baby octopus gyro
Why it’s a Best Bite: I was eager to try The Peasantry as soon as it opened, as I adored the upscale street food concept and already was impressed by its sister restaurant, Franks ‘n’ Dawgs. While our whole meal was enjoyable, I particularly loved each of the components of this gyro: meaty grilled octopus, luscious roti, and especially the added touch of the grapes. I savored this dish’s uniqueness, and concluded that it successfully evoked the essence of street food.
The details: The Peasantry, 2723 N. Clark St., Chicago.
