Portillo’s Hot Dogs & Barnelli’s Salad Bowl

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*** (3 stars)

I’ll start by confessing I’m not a huge fan of Chicago-style hot dogs or Italian beef sandwiches. It’s not that I don’t like them, it’s just that I don’t see what all the fuss is about.

That said, there’s a lot to like about Portillo’s. Foremost, it’s not a hot dog stand or a dumpy diner, it’s a stylish, themed, village-like food court with several counters: one for their specialties, a separate operation for Italian food, and a hamburger counter. The interior ambiance is great.

The main attractions are hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, so that’s what I tried.

The Chicago dog was pretty much like all the others I’ve had: very soft roll with poppy seeds, very tender dog, green relish, large pickle, and a couple of sport peppers. Nothing really distinguished it, except that the sport peppers were a bit tamer than some I’ve had, making it easier to taste the rest.

The Italian beef was less interesting. The very tender shaved beef had little flavor, and the very soft, soggy roll didn’t thrill me. I’m not sure what would have fixed this, but no condiments were available. I wouldn’t order it again.

The vanilla shake was good, a bit frothy compared to some.

Overall Portillo’s was fine, but I see no compelling reason to return.

Portillo’s Hot Dogs & Barnelli’s Salad Bowl
100 W Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 587-8910
http://www.yelp.com/biz/portillos-hot-dogs-and-barnellis-salad-bowl-chicago

Copper Fox

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**** (4 stars)

This space that occupies one section of the ground floor of a hotel doesn’t look much like a  gastropub, but the food definitely qualifies.

The standout item was the #16 Biscuits, probably the best biscuits I’ve ever had. They were crunchy on the outside, warm and flaky on the inside, with a slight herbal scent. The honey butter was a perfect accompaniment.

Smoked gouda mac and cheese was also very good, with slightly crisped edges due to the bubbling hot skillet it was served in.

The seven layer chicken salad was a nice combination of romaine, corn, black beans, shredded chicken and ranch dressing. Less interesting was the hamburger, which was fairly ordinary, and served with thick cut, skin on, somewhat limp fires.

Service was friendly. There is an adjoining bar making some interesting cocktails, including several complex variants of the Moscow Mule.

Copper Fox
155 East Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 255-8505
http://www.yelp.com/biz/copper-fox-chicago

Benny’s Chop House

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Oysters Rockefeller

Bar

Seafood Salad

Gnocchi

**** (4 stars)

There are so many steak houses in River North that it’s hard to find distinguishing characteristics. Some of the things I liked about Benny’s were:

1. It’s not a chain.
2. Very extensive (if pricey) winelist.
3. “Lyon” salad is an unusual offering for a steakhouse. It’s basically a French bistro-style salade Lyonaisse.
4. Meat is all prime.
5. Meat is available wet or dry aged. I actually prefer wet aged meat as I’m not a fan of the gamey aroma dry aged meat can develop.

One thing I didn’t like was the audio bleed between the live piano player in the bar and the background music in the restaurant. Both were excellent, but not at the same time!

Benny’s Chop House
444 N Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 626-2444
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bennys-chop-house-chicago

3 Greens Market

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IMG_1757

***** (5 stars)

Perhaps the 3 in the title of this place if for the three expansive salad bars. They certainly look good. I say “look” because I haven’t actually tried them. On my next visit I need to do that. But this visit was all about a hamburger.

Ever since Au Cheval’s burger was named the best in the country by several sources I’ve been attempting to try it. Unfortunately, every time I’ve gone there it’s either had ridiculous wait times or been unexpectedly closed (mid-afternoon they only serve drinks and snacks). In fact, it’s been a lot like my failed attempts to try Hot Dougs, but that’s another story.

Anyway, when I saw that they’d spun off a smaller operation called Small Cheval, I resolved to try the burger that way, but somehow never managed to get there.

So when I saw that 3 Greens Market was serving a Small Cheval burger, I spotted my chance to at last try the famous burger. Of course, it’s a burger twice-removed from its source, but still… It was a mighty good hamburger.

I like my burgers pretty much loaded. But some people just like mustard and ketchup. What’s interesting about this burger is that those are the two ingredients that aren’t included. So some people probably wouldn’t like it, but I did.

Here, the emphasis is on the two perfectly cooked beef patties, the very melted cheese, and the garlic aioli. Secondary flavors come from the pickle slices and chopped onion. I added bacon which, in retrospect, was unneeded. The bun is sturdy enough to hold the whole thing together, an impressive achievement considering how much is going on.

Of course, when someone declares a thing “the best” they’re setting it up for comparison and naysaying, and in fact I’ve had burgers I liked better, including one here in Chicago at Good Stuff Eatery. But this is a very good burger, and I wouldn’t argue with someone who says it’s their favorite.

The accompanying fries were skinny, very crisp, but didn’t have a lot of flavor.

3 Greens has Coke Freestyle machines, which are always fun to experiment with.

Counter service is friendly and efficient.

Next time: the salad bars. Maybe.

3 Greens Market
354 West Hubbard Street
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 888-9195
http://www.yelp.com/biz/3-greens-market-chicago-3

SideDoor

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**** (4 stars)

I grew up in Los Angeles in the 1960s, so I have fond memories of the original Lawry’s and CC Browns Ice Cream Parlor. But I’m rarely in the mood for a complete prime rib dinner, so I was interested in trying the Side Door, since it is essentially the bar for Lawry’s Chicago.

Side Door bills themselves as a gastropub, but to me that implies more eclectic and gourmet food than you’ll find here. This is basically bar food, with an emphasis on hamburgers, sandwiches, and some large salads.

Of course, the most popular item–and the one I tried–is the prime rib sandwich. It was served on the kind of roll you’d get with a French Dip, and with the same au jus, so it was essentially a Prime Rib French Dip, and a good one at that. The prime rib was perfectly medium rare, very tender, and expertly trimmed.

Since the sandwich contains 7 ounces of prime rib it seems a far better deal than their meat plates, which cost the same but contain a mere 4 ounces of meat.

I also tried the curried cauliflower which was good, if a bit dry.

There’s a substantial selection of beers with an emphasis on stouts–a list after my own heart!

The space is divided into two rooms, one a bit too brightly lit, where the meat is prepared, and the other with the typical bar TVs.

Service was extremely gracious and attentive.

SideDoor
100 E Ontario St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 787-6768
http://www.yelp.com/biz/sidedoor-chicago

Friends Sushi

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**** (4 stars)

This stylish sushi restaurant offers some very inventive rolls and attentive service.

We started with the salmon carpaccio: thin slices of salmon served over greens in a soy dressing. It was very good, although I thought the dressing could have used a touch more rice wine vinegar for sweetness.

Then we shared three rolls. Each was unique, and they went together well.

“Sweet & Spicy” combined eel, cucumber, and salmon, but the piquant kick of the dollop of red sauce was what made it interesting.

In the “Jimmai” the hamachi, cilantro and seabass were really complemented by the smokiness of the grilled asparagus.

Our favorite roll was the very unusual “Ticky Tacky” where the predominant flavors came not from the king crab or tender thin octopus topping, but rather the mint leaf and wasabi mayo. That one packed quite a delicious kick.

There are many additional specialty rolls on the menu that we’ll need to check out next time.

Friends Sushi
710 N Rush St
Chicago, IL 60611
(312) 787-8998
http://www.yelp.com/biz/friends-sushi-chicago

Da Lobsta

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***** (5 stars)

The staff at this counter server restaurant is really engaged with their guests, and concerned that everyone have a great meal. That makes the place quite special.

The lobster bisque was as good as any I’ve every had, a nice combination of fresh lobster flavors in a creamy base.

My lobster grilled cheese was good, but I might have a lobster roll next time. The bread was perfectly grilled, but the cheese was quite mild and I’m not sure the lobster added that much. However the sriracha mayo that came with it had a marvelous herbal flavor and the combination was excellent.

Those two items plus a fountain drink came to $27, so this is not cheap fast food. But they don’t scrimp on the lobster, and I would definitely go back.

Da Lobsta
416 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 955-0894
http://www.yelp.com/biz/da-lobsta-chicago-3

Mercadito

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*** (3 stars)

Excellent margaritas are the highlight at this very noisy Mexican hot spot.

The guacamole sampler lets you try several different types. We liked the regular and mango varieties, but our favorite was the ramp version, which was some of the best guac I’ve had.

Tacos are only available in orders of four identical tacos, which seems like a stupid restriction. We tried the snapper, which had a weird sauce, and the pastor, which didn’t taste like authentic pastor seasoning, so we were sorry we had four of each of them.

The real problem here is that even when not full, the absence of any acoustic treatment makes conversation impossible. The best bet is to have a margarita and some guacamole in the sidewalk eating area.

Mercadito
108 W Kinzie St
Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 329-9555
http://www.yelp.com/biz/mercadito-chicago

Berghoff Restaurant

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**** (4 stars)

Great ambiance and great root beer have been bringing people back here for a very long time. In fact, the history goes back to the 1893 world’s exhibition (where the Berghoffs had to set up shop outside the fairgrounds, but did very well, thank you). The decor is amazing, particularly the murals and photos of the world’s fair. The German food is quite good, and there are also unusual items such as chili con carne made using a recipe from 1893. Look for Chicago’s first post-prohibition liquor license, Number 1, in one of the glass cabinets in the bar.

Berghoff Restaurant
17 W Adams St
Chicago, IL 60603
(312) 427-3170
http://www.yelp.com/biz/berghoff-restaurant-chicago-3