Category Archives: Illinois

Chicago Chop House

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Exterior

Cold seafood sampler for one

10 oz Wagyu NY Strip

Creamed spinach

**** (4 stars)

In a city seemingly overflowing with steakhouses, Chicago Chop House has a few unique things to offer.

First off is the ambiance. Located in a 120-year-old townhouse, it’s definitely cozier and more historical than the competition. And if you’re into Chicago history, the walls are covered with more than a thousand old photos, stock certificates and other ephemera, many with labels denoting their significance.

The third floor, called the “skybox,” is the quietest place to sit. It’s divided into small spaces that work well for intimate conversation. The ground floor bar is by far the liveliest space.

The menu offers the fairly unique option of ordering nearly identical steaks handled differently. There is a section of wet-aged meat (usually my preference), dry-aged, and also American Wagyu.

I tried the Wagyu New York Strip, and it was just okay. It was thinner than the other steaks, and wasn’t as tender or fatty as I would expect from Wagyu. Perhaps that was the result of it being cooked closer to medium well than the medium rare I ordered.

Far better was my wife’s dry-aged New York Strip, which was very tender, juicy, and perfectly cooked.

We started with a cold seafood assortment for one, which was actually enough for the two of use to have a bit of tuna and crab, and to split the oyster and shrimp according to our preference. Then we also shared a Ceasar salad, which was more than enough for two.

Sides are also large. We shared creamed spinach, which was a bit more to the cream side than I prefer, but tasty.

There’s a nice wine list, with a few older gems that are reasonably priced for Chicago.

Service was friendly and attentive, and we enjoyed our very relaxing and intimate meal.

Chicago Chop House
60 W Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60654
(888) 592-8471
https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-chop-house-chicago

Bellemore

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Exterior

Interior

Shaved Foie Gras

A Winter Salad

Hawaiian Rolls

Guitara pasta

Snapper

Duck

Lemongrass Semifreddo

Chocolate pudding and amaro daiquiri

***** (5 stars)

I was excited to try this latest offering by Boka, and it did not disappoint. The decor is beautiful, and it has a high energy vibe without being deafening. There is a smaller side room that overlooks the kitchen which is a bit quieter.

We tried the eight-course tasting menu, which is a collection of dishes offered on the regular menu, but in smaller sizes. It’s a perfect way to sample many of the menu highlights, and is very reasonably priced compared to other tasting menus around town.

We enjoyed all of the courses, but the stunner was the salad, of all things. It was an intensely complex combination of almost innumerable tastes and textures that came together with a different experience in almost every bite. Sadly, since it’s called the Winter Salad, it probably will be off menu when you read this.

The other highlight of the meal was the accompanying wine pairing. It was priced freakishly low compared to the extensive wines by the glass, and every single wine was a superb match with its course. I always worry about wine pairings, because so often, even in high-end restaurants they seem like really weird finds from a bored sommelier. Not so here! Although the selections are indeed mostly obscure, that was part of the fun discovery process, and every one was a superbly balanced old world gem. And the final selection, an amaro daiquiri, perfectly matched a complex dessert.

Each of the wine selections was presented by the sommelier, Jamel Freeman, who carefully explained the background of the wine and why it had been selected to accompany that course. His encyclopedic knowledge and engaging manner was a real treat.

The rest of the service is provided by a well-orchestrated tag team of servers, runners and bussers. It’s an impressive organization, but I couldn’t help wishing we’d had a bit more interaction with a dedicated waiter who would play host as well as Jamel did with the wine.

Bellemore is definitely another winner, and I look forward to future visits.

Bellemore
564 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 667-0104
https://www.yelp.com/biz/bellemore-chicago-2

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery

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Interior

Exterior

Nachos (no beans)

Rib eye

Chili

**** (4 stars)

Based upon the name I was expecting sort of a dive bar, but it’s actually quite modern and nice inside. The menu offers a broad range of sports bar food, and I was pleasantly surprised by how good our selections were.

The nachos were actually better than any I’ve gotten in Chicago’s Mexican restaurants. They were spread out in a thin layer over a huge rectangular tray, so they stayed nice and crisp. We ordered them without the black beans, just our preference.

I had the ribeye, and it was a pretty darn good steak for much less than half what it would cost in any of River North’s steakhouses. About half of it needed to be trimmed away, but that’s what makes a ribeye so tender and juicy, and this one certainly was.

Service from our original server was a bit spotty, but the bartender and manager filled in nicely during her unexplained absences.

I was definitely favorably impressed, and will return.

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
One West Grand Ave
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 755-9339
https://www.yelp.com/biz/rock-bottom-restaurant-and-brewery-chicago

Tanoshii Sushi Mike’s

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Escolar and sauteed shiitake mushrooms

Madai, hamachi, otoro

Seared salmon with Italian seasoning and wasabi

Striped bass in ponzu chili oil

Seared tuna with truffle

Fish and chip

Tempura

Exterior

Sushi bar

**** (4 stars)

I keep looking for a world class sushi restaurant in Chicago. It seems a city of this size should have one, but I’ve tried all the likely contenders, and still keep looking. Tanoshii is another in that list. It is good, but not great.

We had the full omakase, which is how I judge all high-end sushi places. At our request it consisted of mostly sashimi. The omakase style places an array of fish on a plate and then adds sauces and seasoning. Here are the courses we had:

Tempura: this was my companion’s favorite course, which says something about the other courses, because she is a sashimi lover, not a tempura lover. We asked for it as our appetizer because of raves here on Yelp, and it was indeed a nice, light tempura preparation, but it will not change your life.

Fish and Chips: essentially a spicy tuna tartare, spread onto a wonton at tableside, it was fine, but better without the wonton.

Maguro Truffle: tuna shaped into a rose and topped with truffle oil. It was good, but I’ve had this dish elsewhere served with crunchy bits which really elevate it above this level.

Striped bass in ponzu chili sauce: this was the first of several sashimi courses that had a certain sameness. As my companion put it, “It’s drowned in oil.” In fact all of the sashimi was quite oily. Oil was even poured onto the rolls. The bass was surprisingly tough.

Seared salmon with Italian seasoning: this was an interesting flavor combination, with a distinct oregano flavor, but again, very oily.

Madai, hamachi, otoro: this was a nigiri course, and was one of the best–simple, flavorful, with excellent quality fish. Since this is what many diners will choose, it is the reason for my four star review.

Escolar wrapped around sauteed shiitake mushrooms: this was the best thing we had. It is an off-menu roll, but you can order it, and you should. It was unctuous and perfectly balanced, and by far the most complex item we sampled. True, it is also oily, but with a purpose, and if it is the only oily thing you have, it is a great choice.

The omakase came to $66 per person, which seems very reasonable to me. I would not have it again because of the oily repetitiveness of it, but I might return to Tanoshii for nigiri and tha mushroom roll.

Tanoshii Sushi Mike’s
720 W Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60661
(312) 207-8894
http://www.yelp.com/biz/tanoshii-sushi-mikes-chicago

Uncle Julio’s Chicago

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Ceviche

Benito’s platter

Juanita’s platter

Exterior

Interior

*** (3 stars)

Uncle Julio’s serves pretty good TexMex for a chain restaurant. The place is large and can get quite noisy, but the front rooms and the side patio are quieter.

I really liked my Patron skinny margarita. It was indistinguishable from a regular margarita with only 120 calories. Deal!

I had the Benito’s combo. The chicken enchilada and pork tamale were excellent, but the chile relleno had absolutely no flavor in the breading, the chile itself or the cheese filling. The beans and rice were good.

Service was prompt and friendly.

Uncle Julio’s Chicago
855 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 266-4222
https://www.yelp.com/biz/uncle-julios-chicago-chicago

Swift & Sons

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Interior

Interior

Big eye tuna crudo

Crispy rock shrimp

Tomahawk

Chocolate trolley

**** (4 stars)

There are a lot of steakhouses in Chicago with great atmosphere, and there are some with great steaks, and there are fewer still with great side dishes. Swift & Sons is one of the rare places that offers all three, along with excellent service and fair prices.

We started with the big eye tuna crudo and the crispy rock shrimp. The crudo was melt in your mouth delicious, but a very small serving. The rock shrimp was a huge portion, as generous as the tuna was stingy. The crispy coating held up to the slightly spicy sauce; an excellent dish.

A Caesar salad split three ways was a nice palate cleanser, but it was just okay, and the croutons were fairly indestructible.

We shared a 38-ounce tomahawk rib eye (the smallest size!) three ways. That’s a lot of steak, but it was so delicious, with its charred crust and tender marbling, that there wasn’t a scrap left.

We also had a side of Lobster Thermador, which was very good, but not a traditional Thermador, more like a half lobster tail with some butter-based sauce.

The creamed spinach was also very good; rather than being minced it used the whole leaves, but was definitely more creamed than sauteed.

A popular dessert option is the chocolate trolley, with an assortment of small bites for $3 each. I opted instead for the very interesting white coffee ice cream, which was indeed white, and very nicely flavored.

Wine selections are extensive, thoughtful, and fairly priced. Our server was extremely familiar with the wine list, so that we didn’t even need the sommelier.

Both server and busser were friendly and attentive.

Swift & Sons
1000 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-9420
http://www.yelp.com/biz/swift-and-sons-chicago

Ditka’s Restaurant

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The fridge burger

Mini burgers

Exterior

Bar

Dining room

**** (4 stars)

Really great clubby ambiance and one of the best burgers in Chicago are the highlights here.

The Fridge burger has every thing I like on a burger: lettuce tomato, mustard, mayo, pickles and cheddar cheese. The patty was huge and perfectly cooked, and the bun held together despite the incredibly juicy content.

The fries looked great, but were unremarkable, and not crisp enough. But you can get several other sides, including slaw or fruit.

The atmosphere is like a mini-steakhouse crossed with a sports theme. But unlike sports bars, the dining room is classic white tablecloths, with no TVs, just lots of sports memorabilia in cases. If you like more of a bar atmosphere, there is a separate space for that, and also a nice outside dining area.

Lunch pricing is extremely reasonable for the area.

Service was friendly and efficient.

Ditka’s Restaurant
100 E Chestnut St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 587-8989
http://www.yelp.com/biz/ditkas-restaurant-chicago

Nando’s PERi-PERi

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1/2 chicken, macho peas, garlic bread

Boneless breast and fries

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

I’m not sure whether to call this a counter serve or a quick serve, because it isn’t exactly either. When you enter you are assigned a table. Then you order at the counter. But they bring the food to the table. It’s not all that quick, but the food is well above fast food quality and nutritional value, so it’s really rather unique.

We had the half chicken and the boneless chicken breast. Both were marinated in the same peri-peri sauce. One was medium, the other was lemon herb. Frankly, there wasn’t a huge difference between the two flavors as served. However there is more sauce at the condiments counter, so we enjoyed adding more of those, and others.

The half chicken was moister than the boneless breast, but the breast was much easier to eat, so I’d get that next time.

For sides we had fries, garlic bread and mashed peas. The fries weren’t super crisp, but the garlic bread and the peas were excellent. The garlic bread is served nice and hot, and should be eaten immediately before it gets tough. Don’t get it if your order is to go.

The peas were by far the most interesting, a bit more textured than traditional mushy peas, and with a great mint flavor.

They have Coke Freestyle machines, so you can make your own interesting blends.

Everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful.

Nando’s PERi-PERi
22 S Wabash Ave
Ste B1
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 589-7432
http://www.yelp.com/biz/nandos-peri-peri-chicago-18

Baptiste & Bottle

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1/2 burger (shared)

Biscuit

Crudo

Bone Marrow

Exterior

Entry

Interior

*** (3 stars)

The emphasis here is on bourbon and whiskey in either cocktails or by the glass. It’s a decent list, but there are plenty of places in town with more cocktail offerings and more extensive spirits lists. The most interesting offering is probably the flight of three versions of the Sazerac.

The food menu is compact, but has a decent variety. We tried a half dozen items, and although there were no home runs, it was all fine. We had the spiced nuts and bacon, Brussels sprouts, biscuit, crudo, bone marrow and the burger. The best items were the fries that came with the burger, which were perfectly crisp on the outside but fluffy inside, and the bone marrow, which was really more about the oxtail than the marrow.

We finished with the Spanish coffee, which was flamed at tableside, but probably not worth the $25 price tag. The rest of the prices seemed reasonable.

Service was adequate, but not what you could call attentive.

Baptiste & Bottle
101 E Erie St
Fl 20
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 667-6793
https://www.yelp.com/biz/baptiste-and-bottle-chicago

Portsmith

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Exterior

Interior

Parker House roll and sourdough

Fancy oysters

Fried oysters

Octopus

Cacio e pepe

Charred shrimp cocktail

Foie gras donut

Chocolate, tobacco and black rice ice creams

**** (4 stars)

It’s always amazing to me when a restaurant that has only been open a few days is running smoothly, because it’s such a huge task to get the food, service, and ambiance right. But that was the case when we visited Portsmith during its first week.

The theme here is fish, and it is carried out in almost every course. Even the sourdough bread has bonito flakes in it. That bread was a bit chewy for my taste, but the flavor was good and the accompanying black garlic butter was delicious.

I preferred the Parker House Roll, which looked more like a pita and tasted like cheese bread.  Its companion old bay butter was also very tasty.

We tried both the fancy and the fried oysters. Fancy oysters include a bit of foie gras, but the primary flavors are yuzu and green apple. They were delicious, but pricey at $5 each. Fried oysters coated in squid ink panko and topped with trout roe looked more interesting, but were just okay.

The crispy octopus was indeed crispy, as it was completely coated in crunchy flakes. The accompanying citrus mayo and jam offset each other very nicely. One of the best octopus preparations in town.

The best thing we had was the Cacio e Pepe, a pasta dish traditionally combining cheese and pepper, but here it was Uni butter and pepper. The fettucini was perfectly cooked, and the sauce was rich and delicious (although it needed additional salt and pepper to bring out the flavor).

Charred shrimp cocktail was fairly conventional. The charring made the shrimp a bit too sturdy, but the cocktail sauce was excellent.

The least successful dish was the Foie gras and donut, which sounded really fun, but wasn’t. It was a generous serving of perfectly seared foie gras, crisp and caramelized on the surface, and runny on the inside. But the other ingredients on the plate didn’t really work. The donut was small, tough, and flavorless, and was no substitute for a more traditional brioche or even pear or apple slice. And the strawberry “jam” was really bits of marinated strawberry, too chunky to provide the needed sweetness in each bite. It was also nearly impossible to combine the disparate ingredients into a composed bite, something essential with foie gras.

The dessert list is very interesting, with each one accompanied by a different ice cream or sorbet. I opted instead for a sampling of those accompaniments. The chocolate sorbet was excellent, and the black rice ice cream exotic and intriguing. Tobacco ice cream was the most exciting idea, but just tasted like vanilla.

There is an interesting wine list, with a small selection of nicely varietal wines by the glass.

Service was almost too attentive. Three waiters, two bus boys and a manager kept clearing away every dish and glass, even when we wanted to hang onto them, and often while someone else was still eating. The restaurant wasn’t very busy yet, so perhaps they just needed something to do, but it became funny after a while. It’s commendable that they want to provide good service, but I think they need to relax just a tad!

About half the tables are round and half are rectangular, and they’re pretty small. This works okay for the rectangular ones, but the round ones don’t work well for sharing plates. They don’t take up any less space, and I think should be jettisoned in favor of the rectangular ones.

One pet peeve is that at the beginning of the meal we were told that “Chef wants you to order everything at once.” That’s simply not acceptable in a sharing plates restaurant. You don’t know everything you’re going to want at the start of the meal, or what order you’ll want it in. I’ve played this game before and ended up with a table full of food that the chef was supposedly going to course out for us. I’d rather do that myself.

Portsmith
660 N State St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 202-6050
http://www.yelp.com/biz/portsmith-chicago-2