Category Archives: Illinois

Bijan’s Bistro

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**** (4 stars)

It’s hard to categorize Bihan’s because of the incredibly diverse menu, which offers something for nearly every taste, from French and Mediterranean food to Burgers and sandwiches, Italian, and even bar food.

We liked everything we had, but in particular the spinach artichoke dip with lavash was really excellent.

There’s an extensive bar, and all the standard cocktails as well as wine and beer. Service was friendly and attentive.

In addition to all-day dining they server really late (4am).

Bijan’s Bistro
663 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 202-1904
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bijans-bistro-chicago

Roister

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Upstairs Dining Area

Downstairs Prep Kitchen and Counter

Grilled Sourdough Toast with Cheese and Cauliflower

Green Tomato Gaspacho

Oysters

Cantaloupe and Trout Roe with Dehydrated Cheese and Buttermilk Jalapeno Dressing and Breadcrumbs

Slaw Salad

Shrimp with Crab Etoufee

Salmon and Spinach

Fried Chicken!

Milk Ice Cream with Dehydrated Mint and Frozen Strawberry Ice and Strawberry Gel

***** (5 stars)

This new offering from Grant Achatz far exceeded our expectations, which were already high. The trick to a good experience here is to sit at the downstairs prep kitchen counter, which offers a far quieter experience than upstairs, and a bargain 8-course tasting menu for a mere $85.

Every course was a home run, and there wasn’t a single course that wasn’t better than everything we’ve had this year on sister Restaurant Next’s tasting menus for far more money.

There’s a creative cocktail list, and an extensive menu of wines by the glass, so it’s easy to assemble your own pairing.

Service is friendly and knowledgeable, and it’s fun to watch your meal assembled before your eyes.

Roister
951 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607

http://www.yelp.com/biz/roister-chicago-2

Chicago q

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***** (5 stars)

This might not be the best barbecue place in Chicago, but it’s certainly the nicest, and I love their approach to food and beverage. They focus on flights of both, and offer variety in surprising ways.

For example, we started with the barbecue flight, a good way to sample brisket, pulled pork and pulled chicken. It came with four(!) different barbecue sauces, all of which were good.

Well, we didn’t actually start with that, because when you sit down they give you a generous basket of seasoned house-made potato chips and delicious sweet pickles.

For our main courses we had the chicken and waffles and another flight, this time of eggs benedict. I still don’t really get the combination of chicken and waffles, but both were good–even better when I asked for some barbecue sauce to dunk the chicken in. The eggs benedict was served three ways, each of them huge: with brisket, pulled pork, and pulled chicken. But it was different from the barbecue flight, because each was on a different base: biscuit, fried green tomato, and corn bread. Each also had a different Hollandaise sauce, which my dining companion wisely opted to have on the side. A little bit was all it needed.

There’s a really extensive list of beers, wines, whiskey, bourbon, scotch and a limited list of cocktails. Staying with the flight theme, we tried the Grand Tasting, which consisted of nine(!) whiskeys. It wasn’t cheap, but it was a real learning experience, because they were all so different, and the beverage manager was really knowledgeable about them.

For the record, here are my ratings (on a scale of 10) for the flight:

Auchentoshan Whiskey (American Oak) 6/10
Hibiki Harmony (Japanese) 7/10
Wieser Uuahouua (Pinot Noir barrels, Austrian) 7.5/10

Compass Box Spice Tree (clove cardamom cinnamon) 7/10
Elijah Craig (barrel strength 102 proof) 8/10
Slaughter House by Orin Swift 9/10

Noah’s Mill Bourbon 6.5/10
Willet Pot Still Bourbon 7/10
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked 9/10

I really like the whole approach to food and beverages at Chicago q.

Chicago q
1160 N Dearborn St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 642-1160
http://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-q-chicago

India House Restaurant

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*** (3 stars)

This is a very nicely decorated restaurant with about 150 different dishes on the menu. Unfortunately the staff isn’t very good, and the food is just average.

It’s odd browsing through the menu, because it seems to have little organization with multiple sections devoted the similar categories, and very few of the standbys like korma, saag, and so on.

We tried Papdi Chat as an appetizer, and the flavors were good, but it wasn’t enhanced by the sturdy wafers mixed into it.

Mahi Mahi Fish Tikka was good fish, but the seasoning on the fish skin wasn’t my favorite flavor.

Bhuni Gobi was extremely overcooked cauliflower; it resembled something that had been sitting on a buffet for hours.

The best dish was Channa Palak, chick peas in a garlic, onion and spinach sauce. Garlic naan bread was also okay.

The service staff seems to be mostly Russian, and wasn’t strong on communication. They were out of all the juices, and couldn’t produce a beer list.

There aren’t many Indian restaurants in River North, but even so, I wouldn’t bother to return here.

India House Restaurant
59 W Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 645-9500
http://www.yelp.com/biz/india-house-restaurant-chicago-2

Duck Duck Goat

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*** (3 stars)

I’m a huge fan of The Girl and the Goat, so I was really looking forward to Stephanie Izzard’s take on Chinese cuisine.

The place is absolutely gorgeous, with every room decorated in a uniquely elaborate way. Unfortunately the decor was pretty much the only noteworthy thing about the meal. We tried four items from the dim sum list, plus a noodle dish and an entree, and none of them were different or better than what you’d get at any high-quality Chinese restaurant.

The dim sum was all fine, the best item being the ribs.

The slap noodles were the worst thing we had, very heavy wide noodles that were quite durable despite seeming overcooked. The accompanying mixture of vegetables and sauce was better than the noodles, but we both barely tasted this dish.

The special fish dish was a whole snapper, which was very good. If having the head and tail on a fish doesn’t put you off, I recommend this.

Cocktails were excellent. There is a limited selection of wines by the glass or bottle.

Service was pleasant, and the dishes, although all ordered at once, came out in an orderly fashion.

There was absolutely nothing wrong with this experience, but at $200 including tip for two, it was probably about double what comparably good Chinese food might cost elsewhere. In short, a decent experience, but not one I’d repeat.

Duck Duck Goat
857 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 902-3825
http://www.yelp.com/biz/duck-duck-goat-chicago

Dough Bros: Pizzeria & Sub Shop

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**** (4 stars)

This place makes great New York style pizza and sells it by the slice for the great price of $4 for any type. It’s heated to order, and comes out piping hot. Because there are very few seats, you’ll be tempted to get it to go, but don’t. The crust is a perfect combination of thin, soft, slightly chewy, yet crisp on the bottom, and it won’t still be that way when you get home.

If you like spicy food, try the Roland. It has Thai basil, lemon grass, and sausage, and is covered in a sriracha drizzle. Wow!

Dough Bros: Pizzeria & Sub Shop
400 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 600-9078
http://www.yelp.com/biz/dough-bros-pizzeria-and-sub-shop-chicago

Seoul Taco

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***** (5 stars)

If there’s any cheaper way to have a tasty meal in River North, I haven’t found it.

The Tacos make up in spiciness what they lack in size. The tortillas are cooked to order, so everything is hot and fresh.

The other entrees are larger, but I thought the taco was just right. And I added (for just two bucks) the kimchi fried rice, which is almost a meal in itself.  

For less than $5 I left stuffed.

Seoul Taco
738 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 265-1607
http://www.yelp.com/biz/seoul-taco-chicago-2

25 Degrees

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**** (4 stars)

This is a burger joint with cloth napkins and cocktails. The interior is nice but can get quite loud, so try for a table on the sidewalk.

The burgers are huge, with two giant patties and all the fixings. I opted for a Number Six, because it is essentially my standard loaded burger. Everything was tasty, but the extremely juicy patties quickly overwhelmed the soft bun, and I ended up with two handfuls of mush. Tasty mush, but still…

There’s a nice assortment of drinks, plus spiked sodas and shakes.

Service was friendly.

25 Degrees
736 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 943-9700
http://www.yelp.com/biz/25-degrees-chicago

Café Iberico

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**** (4 stars)

This bustling tapas restaurant serves classic Spanish tapas in a rather brightly lit and loud dining room. Ironically enough, the bar is much quieter and more pleasant. In addition to the extensive list of rather large tapas items on the menu, there are smaller tasting size plates displayed in the cases that line the top of the bar. There’s also a fairly extensive list of wines and fino by the glass or bottle. Service is efficient but busy.

Café Iberico
737 N Lasalle Blvd
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 573-1510
http://www.yelp.com/biz/caf%C3%A9-iberico-chicago-3