Category Archives: Chicago

Havana

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** (2 stars)

I loved the ambience of this place, which looks and feels exactly like a cafe in old Havana.

Unfortunately, that’s where the love stopped. As someone who lives much of the year in Florida, I’ve had a lot of Cuban food at many different restaurants, and I’ve never encountered anything like what is served here.

First off, the lunch menu has been taken over in part by Tex-Mex items such as quesadillas, not a good sign. Perhaps foolishly, I stuck with something that sounded authentically Cuban, and had the Pollo from the dinner menu, along with a cup of black bean soup.

Good black bean soup is smooth, with plenty of whole beans and crispy bits of onion. This gritty slurry had none of those characteristics.

Traditional Cuban chicken is roasted, with a crisp, garlic coated skin and moist interior, exactly as described on the menu. What showed up, though was a soggy mess covered in a weird salty white gravy that had almost no flavor.

It had more flavor than the “congri,” it was served with, though. That mixture of rice and black beans was dry and utterly flavorless. Fried yucca was similarly flavorless, but had a nice crisp exterior.

The saving grace on the plate were the ripe plantains, which were perfectly caramelized and still hot from the sauce pan. Sadly, one out of five is not enough to get me to ever return.

It’s a shame because the service was efficient, and the place looks great. They just need major adjustments in the kitchen.

Havana
412 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 644-1900
http://www.yelp.com/biz/havana-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

Labriola Ristorante & Cafe

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**** (4 stars)

This is one of the best places for outside dining in the Magnificent Mile area, because the sidewalk cafe is actually a balcony far above Grand Street, so there’s no automobile traffic.

The usual pasta dishes are on offer, but we concentrated on appetizers, and loved everything we tried, particularly the zucchini blossoms, which were very lightly fried and stuffed with a creamy smoked mozzarella that was delicious.

The ricotta appetizer was also excellent, with fresh honey and crusty toasted bread.

Clams and mussels are served in a garlic laced broth that’s not too rich.

We also shared a pizza. The offering changes weekly, so your mileage may vary. We loved the authentic Naples-style crust, but didn’t care for the raspberry and onion based sauce on our particular offering.

There are some nice selections on the wine list, and the service was friendly yet professional.

Labriola Ristorante & Cafe
535 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 955-3100
http://www.yelp.com/biz/labriola-ristorante-and-cafe-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

NYC Bagel Deli

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**** (4 stars)

Here’s a popular place for New York style food, from bagels to pizzas to sandwiches. I was there for an authentic deli sandwich, and I left satisfied.

My choice was hot pastrami on rye with swiss cheese. The tender pastrami was piled high, but not so ridiculously high that it was impossible to eat, like many in NYC are. I liked the addition of cucumber slices and onion to the yellow mustard and mayo.

It came with a giant dill pickle and some rather granular potato salad I didn’t care for; next time I’ll pick a different side item.

The place has only two tables, so arrive early or expect to get your sandwich to go.

NYC Bagel Deli
515 N Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 923-9999
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nyc-bagel-deli-chicago-3

Nia

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**** (4 stars)

This tapas place at the start of Randolph Street’s restaurant row offers a nice assortment of small plates, craft cocktails and interesting wines.

The food emphasizes Greek and Eastern Mediterranean food rather than Spanish tapas. An eight course dinner offers several selections for each course, providing a nice way to sample a whole range of offerings without being stuck with preset choices.

Several interesting wine flights are available, including uncommon varietals from Greece. Service was friendly and efficient.

Nia
803 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 226-3110
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nia-chicago-2

Oysy Sushi

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Exterior

Sashimi: snapper, hamachi, salmon, eel sushi

White Dragon – white tuna, shrimp tempura, yellow tobiko, cucumber, avocado

California Sunset – imitation crab, avocado, mayo and cucumber, seared salmon, topped with a shies leaf and ikura, miso dressing

Emerald – lightly saute‘ed scallop, asparagus, cucumber, green caviar, and spicy sauce

Summer – Tuna, masago, red snapper, cilantro, avocado, green pepper, chili oil, spicy sauce, lime juice

***** (5 stars)

This stylish and spacious restaurant on Grand can get very busy, so the best place to eat during the summer is on the sidewalk. The menu is extensive, with many rolls, some cooked dishes, and all the sashimi and sushi selections you can imagine.

Beer selections are limited, but there are some nice wines and quite a few sakes.

We liked everything we had, so much that we couldn’t pick a favorite. We tried:

An assortment of sashimi: snapper, hamachi, salmon, and eel sushi. The eel was the best I’ve had.

White Dragon roll – white tuna, shrimp tempura, yellow tobiko, cucumber, avocado. A very attractive roll, and the white tuna was excellent.

California Sunset roll – imitation crab, avocado, mayo and cucumber, seared salmon, topped with a shies leaf and ikura, miso dressing. This roll was best eaten disassembled.

Emerald roll – lightly sautéed scallop, asparagus, cucumber, green caviar, and spicy sauce. The asparagus provided a nice crunch.

Summer roll – Tuna, masago, red snapper, cilantro, avocado, green pepper, chili oil, spicy sauce, lime juice. This one probably had the best overall combination of flavors, which united to be more than the individual components.

So far this is the best sushi place I’ve found in downtown Chicago, and I am including the high end names in that comparison.

Service was prompt and friendly.

Oysy Sushi
50 E Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 670-6750
http://www.yelp.com/biz/oysy-sushi-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

M Burger

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**** (4 stars)

When you can’t decide between a hamburger and a grilled cheese sandwich, M Burger’s secret menu comes to your rescue. Ask for a bacon cheeseburger “Roman style” and you’ll get both. Yep, a bacon cheeseburger with two grilled cheese sandwiches as the buns.

If that sounds insane, it is pretty extreme. However I must say that both the burger and the grilled cheese are top notch, and the combination weirdly satisfying.

Fries and shakes here are just run of the mill. Pricing is quite reasonable.

I like this location’s ample outside seating, which is nicely shaded. That’s a good thing, since the dining area inside is about two feet wide!

M Burger
161 E Huron St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 254-8500
http://www.yelp.com/biz/m-burger-chicago