Category Archives: American (New)

Dicks Last Resort

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*** (3 stars)

Dick’s is a fun place with a fun menu and fun staff. The food is typical sports bar, with perhaps a slight Cajun slant. Menu prices a fairly high, especially for dinner.

I had the catfish bucket for lunch, and it was tasty, if a bit pricey for what it was.

Dick’s works hard to create a divey environment inside, and it’s made easier by the fact that the Marina Towers are getting a bit divey themselves. However there is a great view of the river from both inside and the extensive outside riverfront patio.

My server was friendly and helpful, and the kitchen was quick. It’s worth a visit if you’re looking for a place to get a drink and sit by the river.

Dicks Last Resort
315 N Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 836-7870
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dicks-last-resort-chicago-2

The Boarding House

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**** (4 stars)

A fabulous remodel has been done on this gorgeous historic boarding house. Each floor offers a different experience, from the cellar, to the ground floor bar, to the beautiful 3rd floor dining room, and private dining on the other floors.

It’s hard to ignore the dramatic chandeliers fashioned of wine glasses and bottles, which set the tone for an exceptional wine list.

The menu is divided into starters and main courses. We began with a bread service, fluffy pull apart rolls served with two butters, one sweet, one savory. Our first courses were good, if not spectacular: burrata cheese with toasted baguette slices, and octopus with new potatoes.

Entrees were very good. The venison was meaty without being gamey, and was served on a delicious combination of fall vegetables, cranberries, ham and other goodies. Scallops were perfectly cooked, served on a sweet puree with nicely caramelized Brussel sprouts. If I had any complaint it was just that both dishes were a bit on the sweet side.

Service was friendly and efficient, and the room volume was great, even when completely filled, as it deserves to be. A very neat environment for a pleasant meal.

The Boarding House
720 N Wells St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 280-0720
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-boarding-house-chicago

Celeste

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***** (5 stars)

Celeste offers a different concept on each floor. Online reservations get you a table in the cozy cocktail bar on the second floor.

A fifteen page cocktail list offers something for everyone. My server was really into it, and actually created a cocktail to my taste from some new liqueurs they’d just received. There is also a limited but well-thought-out wine list.

The menu is brief, but excellent, with a number of small plates and a few entrees.

The octopus is a specialty, and was tender and flavorful, set off by bits of citrus and served on a creamy puree, topped with cilantro. It was delicious.

But my favorite was the smoked trout salad. The sour citrus wedges combined with the smoky trout and light dressing on the greens to something that was much more than the sum of its parts.

Food service was lightning fast, and the four bartenders did a good job of keeping up with the bustle. The low ceiling keeps noise to a reasonable level.

Celeste is definitely one of the better cocktail and dining experiences on Hubbard.

Celeste
111 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 828-9000
http://www.yelp.com/biz/celeste-chicago

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse

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**** (4 stars)

This BJ’s has the nicest interior decor of any BJ’s I’ve been to. As with all of them it has a very extensive menu, and a full page devoted to a very clearly described array of beers.

We took a large (16 people) group here after playing the Escape game nearby, and our servers did an amazing job of dealing with so many people.

I really liked the queso dip appetizer, which was more about chili than cheese. The appetizer combo was less exciting, and I particularly disliked the egg rolls and the spinach dip.

My entree, the ahi tuna salad, was delicious, with tender, rare slices of ahi arranged around a nicely tossed pile of greens with just the right amount of tangy dressing, and a nice variety of textures.

In short, this is a great place for large groups or small parties, for groups who all want something different to eat, and for beer lovers. One of the better choices on I-Drive, for sure.

BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse
8103 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819
(321) 732-8190
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bjs-restaurant-and-brewhouse-orlando-4

Hub 51

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**** (4 stars)

I really enjoyed the upscale vibe of this place, which came without the usual deafening roar of poor acoustics. The lighting is also great, with spots directed at the tables, where they belong.

We went at lunch time on a Saturday but ended up ordering breakfast. The vegetable hash with poached eggs was very good, but the show stopper was the breakfast nachos. What a great dish! Thin, crisp chips with cheese, scrambled eggs, sauce, some guacamole and a sour cream drizzle, all finished under a broiler. And what a huge mound! This could easily have been lunch for two all by itself.

Good service (lots of people in training, who also seemed good) made for a nice meal.

Hub 51
51 W Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 828-0051
http://www.yelp.com/biz/hub-51-chicago-2

Seven Lions

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**** (4 stars)

This large space has a great upscale vibe, and very friendly and efficient service. We went on an off day for a late lunch, and enjoyed the chill environment and thoughtful food.

Rather than an entree, we grazed our way through most of the vegetable appetizers. The Brussels sprouts lived up to their reputation, and are a don’t miss item. Also excellent was the warm “potato salad”, which was really chunks of crispy roasted potatoes in a mustard seed sauce.

The roasted cauliflower and the glazed carrots were both okay, but not as good as the other items.

Great care went into each preparation, and the entire wait staff was really into making sure we had a great time. Very enjoyable.

Seven Lions
130 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 880-0130
http://www.yelp.com/biz/seven-lions-chicago

LaBinnah Bistro

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**** (4 stars)

This is clearly the best (and only) fine dining restaurant in Hannibal. It’s located in a quaint old house, and decorated in a pleasant amalgam of Victorian and eclectic.

The menu is extremely diverse, and it’s hard to define the cuisine. A few things about the restaurant are unusual. First, nearly every thing comes on bread. We had an artichoke and spinach appetizer served with bread, a sort of pesto appetizer served on bread, a lamb chop (weirdly served on top of bread) and one of four different salmon preparations (weirdly served on bread). I admit the bread does sop up the juices, so it can be tasty, if a bit soggy. But I’ve not seen entrees served this way before. Perhaps it’s a Turkish twist, since there is a Turkish element to some of the dishes.

And speaking of Turkish, the homemade baklava was a superb dessert, lighter than most baklava, and not overly sweet, but perfectly flakey.

Another somewhat odd thing about the restaurant is that you pay at a register counter in the back, which is completely at odds with the elegant atmosphere of the dining area.

Anyway, service was very friendly, and we enjoyed the meal in what is definitely Hannibal’s best restaurant.

LaBinnah Bistro
207 N 5th St
Hannibal, MO 63401
(573) 221-8207
http://www.yelp.com/biz/labinnah-bistro-hannibal

Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe

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***** (5 stars)

This bright and sunny spot is an excellent place for breakfast, with a giant, double-sided menu of everything from sweet to savory.

A standout was the wild berry crepes, fluffy crepes wrapped around mixed fresh berries without any goo weighing them down.

The applewood smoked bacon is also wonderful, thick cut and succulent.

Intelligentsia coffee is served (one of my favorites) and the chai tea lattes are huge.

Service is friendly and quick, making it a great breakfast stop.

Wildberry Pancakes and Cafe
130 E Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 938-9777
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wildberry-pancakes-and-cafe-chicago-2

Siena Tavern

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**** (4 stars)

Despite its name, Siena Tavern doesn’t really come across as either Italian or a tavern. True, there is a list of pizzas, and they serve drinks, but it seems more like  a Hillstone concept to me.

The decor is open and modern, with a few too many hard surfaces to control the noise level when it’s busy (which seems to be most of the time).

We went for Sunday brunch/lunch, and I was pleased to find that while there were some very tasty looking brunch items, there were also lots of non-breakfast choices.

The chopped salad was an interesting conglomeration of vegetables, cheese and meat, and had enough juice from the artichoke hearts and other veggies that it didn’t really need the accompanying honey mustard dressing, so I’m glad I had that on the side.

The “burnt crust” pepperoni pizza wasn’t quite as charred as I would have liked, but it did have a very thin crust and good flavor.

Service was efficient, a necessity given how busy they were.

I’m not sure what would draw me back for a revisit (maybe some of the breakfast items, which looked really delicious and really bad for you) but my visit was fine.

Siena Tavern
51 W Kinzie St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 595-1322
http://www.yelp.com/biz/siena-tavern-chicago

Bandera Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

I love the atmosphere of this place, which is intimate and fairly dark, with spotlights aimed at the tables rather than the diners. The live jazz is just the right volume, giving the place a supper club feel.

The menu is similar to Hillstone’s and Houston’s, which isn’t surprising since it’s affiliated. A couple of our favorite starters from there appear here. The spinach artichoke dip is creamy, and served with sturdy tortilla chips perfect for dipping. Also included are sour cream and a salsa with just a hint of heat. House smoked salmon is very smokey, delicate and flaky, served with crisp toast and a mayo and dill based spread.

Bandera’s Caesar salad isn’t for purists, as it uses kale, and the croutons are made from a fairly sweet corn bread. Ours were heavily over-dressed, but when the waitress noticed we weren’t enjoying them she immediately had them remade with about one fifth the dressing, and they were much better.

A house specialty is the enchilada, which is available with steak or a la carte. It’s a bit unusual in that it’s stuffed with squash, but is quite creamy, cheesy and satisfying.

Much of the menu is given over to burgers and other sandwiches, so the price for dinner and a show can be quite reasonable.

Service was super attentive without being intrusive.

Waits can be long, so reserve ahead, despite the fact that their reservation system doesn’t work as well as opentable.

This is definitely a great place for live jazz in a supper club atmosphere.

Bandera Restaurant
535 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 644-3524
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bandera-restaurant-chicago