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Archive for Restaurant Reviews: Chicago

Restaurant Review: Sable {Chicago, IL}


By Leslie · Comments (2) · April 28th, 2011

Another culinary highlight on this trip to Chicago was Sable.  It's located in the super swanky Palomar hotel.  This restaurant is very chic and cool.  The vibe is very old Hollywood.  Chef Heather Terhune puts together a beautiful menu consisting of tapas and shared plates.  I had a hard time deciding what to order, but this is what I did:

I started with this curried carrot soup with toasted cashews:

0001rest1The soup was packed full of flavor!  A little spicy for me {I'm a wimp}, but still very delicious.

Next came a dish I had to order as soon as I saw it on the menu, sweet corn creme brulee:

0001rest2It was fabulous and tasted exactly like what you would think it would.  A crispy top with a sweet corn "soufflé" underneath. 
I next ordered the crispy red lentil cake with coconut curry broth, peanuts and zucchini salad.

0001rest3Yum yum yum!  The lentil cake was delish!  

As if I hadn't eaten enough, next came dessert : )

0001rest4We had to order the dark chocolate souffle cake with peanut butter sauce and salted caramel ice cream… need I say more??  

The entire meal was fantastic!  Another restaurant that I highly recommend!

Sable

505 North State Street
Chicago, IL60654

 

Lesliesarnasig

Comments (2)
Categories : adventures, Restaurant Reviews: Chicago

Restaurant Review: XOCO {Chicago, IL}


By Leslie · Comments (2) · April 27th, 2011

I'm eating my way through Chicago, IL {again}!  I adore Top Chef Masters winner Rick Bayless and I love going to his restaurants when I'm in Chicago.  I hadn't been to XOCO yet, so it was a must for this trip.  This is his casual eatery.  One of my favorite things about his cooking how he is able to pack such amazingly complex flavors into vegetarian food.  PS there is always a vegan option on his menus. : )  If you are interested in trying some of Rick Bayless' food, but don't want to break the bank, definitely check out XOCO!  Ok, so here's what I ate:

0001restOf course we started with chips, guacamole and salsa!  The guac was super tasty!  It had little pieces of sundried tomatoes in it instead of fresh and wow what a great idea!  I'm definitely trying this myself next time I make guac.

0002restNext up, I had this absolutely incredible vegetable and black bean caldo.  It seriously was one of the best things I've ever eaten!  It was a warm broth soup with potato-masa dumplings, zucchini, onions, woodland mushrooms, black beans, avocado and is topped with arugula.  Unbelievable!

And of course we saved room for dessert  : )

0003restHere at XOCO, they hardly even need to ask if you would like the churros because it's almost a given that you will order them!  Super yummy way to end an amazing meal!

If you are in Chicago, here is the info:

XOCO

449 North Clark Street (enter on Illinois St.)

Chicago, IL 60654

Phone: 312-334-3688

Lesliesarnasig

Comments (2)
Categories : adventures, Restaurant Reviews: Chicago

Mexican in Chicago


By Leslie · Comments (3) · January 22nd, 2010

Surprisingly it exists in more than one place!  Aside from Rick Bayless' establishments, there is Zocalo.  In one sentence: We LOVED it!  Such a wonderful surprise!  Upscale dining with mid level prices!  Here's what we had:

I started with a margarita flight sampler which I recommend that came with a citrus margarita, house margarita and sangria (which I had to have another glass of! Best sangria I've ever had!)

Zocalo2
We also started with the trio of guacamole!  (love all the trios!) It included a regular, a roasted spicy one and a papaya one!  All were super yummy and they were served with tortilla, taro and plantain chips.
We also started with the trio of guacamole!  (love all the trios!) It included a regular, a roasted spicy one and a papaya one!  All were super yummy and they were served with tortilla, taro and plantain chips. Zocalo1

 For our entrees, Sim got beef enchiladas.  He loved them!

Zocalo3
 I got the vegetarian chile relleno!  It was AWESOME! And comes with vegetarian beans and rice! Love it!

Zocalo6
And if we didn't eat enough, we ordered dessert thinking we'd only have a bite or two.  Well, we ate almost all of it!!!  It was a flourless chocolate cake (that was so warm and gooey!) with dulce de leche ice cream and toasted pumpkin seeds!  Heavenly!!

Zocalo5
So next time you are in Chicago, run to Zocalo!!  It's on the corner of Orleans street and Ontario. 

Comments (3)
Categories : Restaurant Reviews, Restaurant Reviews: Chicago

Taking on Deep Dish in Chicago


By Leslie · Comments (2) · January 21st, 2010

We are here in Chicago for the next week, so here come the restaurant reviews and adventures! 

Night 1: Pizzeria UNO  Now, some people claim this is the original deep dish place, others have their own opinions.  All I know is that we've tried every deep dish pizza in Chicago and I think I like this one the best!

Pizzauno1
Our waitress Marty, greeted us with a gorgeous smile! (She looks like she's worked there her whole life!) Here is Sim's pepperoni pizza: 

Pizzauno3
Here I am with my Spinoccoli pizza:

Pizzauno2
That's a pizza with cheese, spinach, broccoli, garlic and chunky tomato sauce.  Pretty yummy!

What makes UNO my favorite pizza is really it's lightness.  I know that sounds weird since it's deep dish but I can actually eat more than one slice.  And the size is fabulous!  They offer personal sizes which is 

great since my husband and I always having to order two.

Definitely hit up the original location on Ohio and Wabash.  

Comments (2)
Categories : Restaurant Reviews, Restaurant Reviews: Chicago

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