Category Archives: American (Traditional)

Shake Shack

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*** (3 stars)

This is a perfectly fine spot for fast food, but after all the hype that preceded it I must admit I was expecting more.

The space is light and airy, and the ordering process is super-efficient. The speed of preparation is surprisingly slow, though, and I went on a not particularly busy day.

The French fries are excellent–very crisp on the crinkly outside, tender in the center. The coffee shake is also great, and worthy of naming the place after.

The weak element turned out to be the burger. I had the SmokeShack, a completely average cheeseburger except for the addition of fairly flavorless bacon and some pickled red peppers. The meat patty was unremarkable, but the bun was the real weakness, a large mushy hunk of bread that quickly turned soggy.

The price of these three items was a bit shocking, coming in at just over $16. And they aren’t even particularly large. I’m somewhat insensitive to restaurant pricing, but even to me that seems a lot for what was on my tray.

I would go back to Shake Shack if I was in the area and wanted a shake, but I’d probably eat lunch someplace else first.

Shake Shack
8359 International Dr
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 205-0362
http://www.yelp.com/biz/shake-shack-orlando-3

Urbain 40 American Brasserie and Lounge

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***** (5 stars)

The interior of this restaurant is quite stunning, an amalgam of classic French bistro and modern supper club. There’s really nothing else like it in Orlando.

The menu offers a selection of mostly traditional French bistro food, with a few more modern items such as flatbreads.

We started with French onion soup and a watercress salad. The onion soup was good, but not spectacular, however the salad was excellent, with just the right zing to the vinaigrette, offset by crispy apple slices and some crunchy candied pecans. It was my favorite item of the meal.

We had two “hors d’oeuvres”–which were really appetizers–instead of entrees. In keeping with the theme of misnaming things, the “crepe” was actually a torte comprised of many layers of crepe interleaved with vegetables. It was good, but not a crepe. We also had the mussels. Two preparations were on offer, one pan roasted, the other steamed. We opted for the former, and received a HUGE pan full of mussels. They were perfectly cooked and quite tasty, although the shells were coated in salt, which made eating them without ODing on salt a challenge.

For dessert we tried the trio, and nice sampling. The highlights were the “cheesecake pops” which were also misnamed, as they contained ice cream and were chocolate coated, so essentially ice cream bars on sticks.  These were excellent, and much better than the accompanying truffles and jelly filled macarons.

Service was very attentive–almost to a fault. The staff is clearly still trying to find their way (there was a lot of fiddling with lighting levels) but is very well-intentioned, and will get there.

A reasonable selection of wines is available by glass or bottle, and there is also an emphasis on 40’s cocktails, really the only way that the 40s theming plays into the experience.

Two excellent private dining rooms are available, and the lounge is even a more pleasant space for dinner than the restaurant proper.

I’m hoping that Urban does well, as Orlando could really benefit from such a beautiful restaurant.

Urbain 40 American Brasserie and Lounge
8000 Via Dellagio Way
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 872-2640
http://www.yelp.com/biz/urbain-40-american-brasserie-and-lounge-orlando

Graffiti Junktion

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**** (4 stars)

This is the third Graffiti Junktion location I’ve been to, and it is nicer than Thornton or College Park. There’s a large outside dining area that is well covered and gets a breeze.

The menu is the same as other locations, The attraction, of course, is the burgers, which are a reasonable size and available with lots of toppings. I like the Lone Star burger, which comes with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and a tasty barbecue sauce.

I’d say the burgers are as good or better than most of the gourmet burger places in town such as Burger 21 and Burger Fi, but not as good as at Dubsdread. The burgers and fries are both definitely better than Five Guys.

Service is friendly, and prices are reasonable for a non-counter-service restaurant.

Graffiti Junktion
7625 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL 32819
(407) 270-8846
http://www.yelp.com/biz/graffiti-junktion-orlando-5

Philly’s Best Cheesesteaks

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**** (4 stars)

This place surprised me in a number of ways. I’m not a huge cheesesteak fan, but I went with a group, and was pleasantly surprised to see a fair variety on the menu. I ended up ordering a cheesesteak that included bacon, and quite liked the flavor. A half sandwich came as a lunch special with fries and a drink for a very reasonable price.

I also liked the outside seating area, which is spacious and well-sheltered from the elements.

But the biggest surprise was the friendly enthusiasm of the staff, who delivered the sandwiches, refilled drinks and made us feel appreciated. I’ll definitely return to sample some of their other offerings.

Philly’s Best Cheesesteaks
2295 S Hiawassee Rd
Orlando, FL 32835
(407) 488-3960
http://www.yelp.com/biz/phillys-best-cheesesteaks-orlando

Cafe Selmarie

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**** (4 stars)

Cafe Selmarie is an interesting amalgam of pastry shop, coffee shop, and restaurant.

When you enter it looks like it’s just a pastry shop with a few small tables for enjoying your purchase or sipping a cup of coffee. But proceed to the rear, and there is a fair-sized restaurant.

The menu offers American, French, Italian, and (at least the night we visited) German food, plus other eclectic international cuisines.

We shared the Brussels sprout salad, which was good, a special leek and bacon flatbread that was phenomenal (gooey topping, crisp crust), and a special German sausage plate that was also tasty.

For dessert we selected a couple of pastries from the case out front. There’s a small wine list with many selections available by the glass.

Service was friendly and professional.

The place is kid friendly, and there were quite a few families dining the Friday night we went. An adjacent open area provides outside dining when the weather is nice, and place for the kids to run around.

If you’ve not been to Lincoln Square, it’s definitely a cute neighborhood to check out.

Cafe Selmarie
4729 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 989-5595
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-selmarie-chicago

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

Good Stuff Eatery

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***** (5 stars)

Definitely a candidate for best burger in Chicago, and almost certainly the best fast food burger in Chicago–although it’s not lightning fast, since each burger is cooked to order.

This burger is all about crunch. The thick patty is perfectly cooked to a delicate medium, but the outside of the patty has a definite crust that seals in the juices and provides a satisfying crunch with each byte. Add crisp bacon, onion and lettuce, and the texture is great. I also loved the almost cucumber-like pickle slices and the mayo-based sauce. In fact the only shortcoming was the bun. It was a tasty egg roll, but hadn’t been grilled and was a bit too soft to stand up to the crunchy contents.

Fries also had a nice crisp exterior.

Service was friendly, and the place is bright and airy.

It takes a while to cook the perfect burger, so sit back and sip your drink while you wait.

Good Stuff Eatery
22 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 854-3027
http://www.yelp.com/biz/good-stuff-eatery-chicago

Tortoise Club

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The “Red” Room

**** (4 stars)This may look like any of the hundred other steakhouses in River North, but the food here is a cut above (no pun intended) and it’s not all about steak.

The bar can be pretty loud after work, and the patio gets crowded on nice summer days, but even when full the dining room has some reasonably un-boisterous corners.

We started with the excellent smoked salmon, a generous serving with bagels and condiments, and the hamachi crudo, which was topped with peppers with just the right amount of spice.

For entrees we also enjoyed the rich and tasty Oak Aged Bourbon Barrel Meatloaf, which came with some very creamy celery root mashed potatoes. The Lake Superior Whitefish had a really nice crust and a pleasantly citrus-tinged beurre blanc.

The Not Your Father’s Root Beer float was the perfect dessert.

Wine markup seems a bit steep, although there was a nicely priced Scotch flight the week we visited.

Tortoise Club
350 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 755-1700
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tortoise-club-chicago-3

Manny’s

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**** (4 stars)

This is an excellent choice for a quick sandwich at Midway. Even if you’re flying out of terminal B, it’s only a short walk down terminal A.

Manny’s is essentially a fully equipped delicatessen, so the sandwich you’ll get here will be far above normal airport quality. Each is prepared to order, so allow few extra minutes, but it’s worth it.

There is more seating available back at the juncture of terminal A with terminal B, a place the visitors to the nearby food court rarely find.

Manny’s
Chicago Midway International Airport
Concorse A, 5700 S Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60638
(773) 948-6300
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mannys-chicago-2

Blue Frog’s Local 22

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***** (5 stars)

This place bills themselves as serving “the best burger in Chicago” and they may be right. I certainly can’t remember having a better burger than their “Back O’ Da Yards” burger. Funny thing is, it didn’t contain beef. The ground pork patty had been cooked medium well, with a great crust on the surface, yet moist in the center. Two crispy onion rings and a generous serving of bacon rounded out the cooked ingredients. The bun was perfectly grilled, and the smoked gouda added a nice creaminess. A great burger.

I was also impressed with the mixed green salad I chose as a side. The greens were fresh, as were the accompanying, cucumber, onion and shredded carrots, and the blue cheese dressing, served on the side, was excellent.

There is a nice selection of draft beers. I really enjoyed the smoky stout I chose.

There are plenty of items on the menu other than burgers, although they’re obviously a specialty. There are also plenty of TVs for sports fans, but i was pleased that the audio at lunch time when I visited ran more to Black Sabbath than sportscasts.

I’m glad this place is so close to my home base, as I will be a frequent visitor.

Blue Frog’s Local 22
22 E Hubbard St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 527-1200
http://www.yelp.com/biz/blue-frogs-local-22-chicago-3