Category Archives: Food

Lost Reef Lounge

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Interior bar
Interior bar
Exterior
Exterior
Eel
Eel
Tuna tartare
Tuna tartare
Shrimp Cocktail
Shrimp Cocktail

**** (4 stars)

This place has excellent ambiance, especially for fish lovers! The saltwater aquariums are beautiful, and some feature living coral, which you don't see often in private tanks. The vibe is different from a Tiki bar, but along the same lines, and there is little or no Tiki influence in the drink menu.

The signature cocktail offerings are terrific. If there is a shortcoming, it is the food. Because it is a "cold kitchen" nothing is cooked, and this creates some limitations. While the sashimi is excellent, it is a bit repetitive, and the charcuterie boards are just okay. Although the concept is sharing plates, many are actually fairly difficult to share. It left us craving a final, heartier course. We ended up going next door, to Cheesies (ironically, the same owners!), for some chicken tenders.

Service is friendly and helpful.

Lost Reef Lounge
964 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657

https://www.yelp.com/biz/lost-reef-lounge-chicago

Dear Margaret

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Charcuterie plate with baguette and housemade butter
Charcuterie plate with baguette and housemade butter
Pomme Dauphin
Pomme Dauphin
Pommes Frites
Pommes Frites
interior
interior
Carrot cake
Carrot cake
Rib eye
Rib eye

**** (4 stars)

This is an interesting restaurant because they are doing something a bit different, with a French Canadian twist. It has received many accolades since opening, and while I wouldn't say it is the most memorable restaurant I've visited lately, it is certainly worth trying.

We started with a charcuterie plate, and then worked our way to their largest plate, a rib eye steak It was a truly wonderful piece of meat.

Perhaps the standout item was the carrot cake, which incorporated the smokey flavor of Lapsang Souchong Tea.

Service was impeccable.

To me, the wine list was a bit iffy, both by the bottle and the glass, with many non-mainstream selections, but nothing that really grabbed me, so we chose to take a high end Burgundy and pay the $40 corkage.

The amaro selection, on the other hand, is superb.

There were clearly many regular customer when we visited, and that says a lot.

Dear Margaret
2965 N Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL 60657

https://www.yelp.com/biz/dear-margaret-chicago

Krusty Burger

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*** (3 stars)

Our tour guide at Universal told us this was the best hamburger you can get in a theme park, and I have to agree. It’s not the best hamburger in Orlando, but it’s definitely a cut above typical theme park food.

I had the Klogger Burger, which included two patties and bacon. It was the kind of burger I like, with lettuce and tomato, and plenty of condiments, and the bun held together well. If I had it again I would skip the cheese sauce, which I’ve never really cared for. I can’t achieve that umami goodness of a slice of melted cheese right on the patty. If this place used real cheese it would be four stars.

My wife had the hot chicken wings, which I liked by she thought were too spicy. The accompanying tater tots were just so-so, not as good as the curly fires that came with my burger.

Service was pretty fast. If it’s a nice day sit outside to avoid the cartoon video, which repeats every few minutes.

Krusty Burger
Exposition Blvd
Orlando, FL 32819

http://www.yelp.com/biz/krusty-burger-orlando