***** (5 stars)
Delightfully flaky croissants in this cozy storefront space. The chocolate and plain croissants are particularly good. Excellent coffee, too. Counter service.
Maison Parisienne
3307 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60657
Maison Parisienne
Ping Pong
**** (4 stars)
Billed as Asian Fusian cuisine, the emphasis here is on Chinese, with some Thai and other dishes, not really so much fused as simply pan-Asian.
There is an interesting cocktail list. I particularly enjoyed the Jameson Ginger.
Service was pleasant, and the atmosphere is fairly upscale.
Ping Pong
3322 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60657
Bittersweet Pastry Shop
***** (5 stars)
This is a lovely pastry shop that also has a few inside tables and makes breakfast and lunch sandwiches. I had the Banh Mi, which includes slow roasted pork, shaved asparagus, pickled carrot, cilantro, cucumber, and Kewpie mayo on a toasted baguette. Although a bit unconventional (the pork was pulled rather than sliced, and the absence of jalapeno was compensated for by an accompanying hot sauce) it was delicious, and hit the right flavor profile. It came with a lovely selection of fresh fruit.
As one might expect, the pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant) was filled with a wonderful "Bittersweet" chocolate!
Bittersweet Pastry Shop
1114 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
Wilde Bar & Restaurant
**** (4 stars)
Nice neighborhood pub with a good sized menu and selection of beers. We enjoyed the artichoke cheddar cheese dip appetizer, and the curried mussels were excellent.
Nashville hot chicken sandwich was a pretty good approximation of the real thing, with some altered ingredients, such as onions and sweet pickles.
The chicken club sandwich was plenty for two to share.
Nice sidewalk seating, or open air seating just inside the front entry.
Wilde Bar & Restaurant
3130 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60657
Pescadero Seafood & Oyster Bar
**** (4 stars)
I always check out the interior pictures on Yelp before I visit a restaurant, because they tend to tell me more about the dining experience than almost anything, including sometimes event the menu. So I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived at Pescadero, because it is really much nicer than the Yelp photos (even my own) suggest. Rather than the Long John Silvers decor of the photos, it really is more restaurant-ish. And despite the concrete floor, they've added acoustic treatments to the ceiling, which really help with sound levels.
The menu offers a variety of cooked fish, from pan-seared to fish and chips, a ceviche that sounded tempting, and a few "from the land" items. And of course there are oysters. There are happy hour specials on the latter, along with tap beer.
But I went a different route and had the Mussels Frites. They were a traditional French preparation in a garlic broth. The serving sizes of both the mussels and the accompanying frites (French fries for you landlubbers) were very generous. The garlic broth for the mussels was simple, but good, and the mussels were tender and tasty. The frites were the right dimensions for traditional Parisian frites, but could have used a couple more minutes in the fryer.
The wines by the glass offer a nice variety. My Albarino was a perfect match.
For dessert I had the special Bananas Foster cheesecake, which had lots banana flavor and a nice graham cracker crust, and an espresso.
Service was friendly, and the restaurant, open only a couple of weeks, seems well managed.
Pescadero Seafood & Oyster Bar
1258 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pescadero-seafood-and-oyster-bar-chicago
Ukai Japanese Restaurant
***** (5 stars)
Excellent sushi in a nice atmosphere. Byob, so you can take a nice Champagne, the perfect sushi match, without running up the tab.
The fish quality is excellent, and the sushi chefs were very fast here.
Rolls are quite large, so bring a healthy appetite and a big mouth!
We liked the hamachi jalapeno appetizer and the Sox roll the best. You can also get certain rolls in half portions. The Cubs roll was a nice way to finish.
Ukai Japanese Restaurant
1059 W Belmont Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
Barcocina – Chicago
**** (4 stars)
Excellent food, boisterous atmosphere. Extensive outside seating would be quieter, if you're sure it won't rain, as they can't reseat you. Table seating is limited to 90 minutes. Half price cocktail and guacamole before 6pm.
Now that the rules are out of the way, the food is quite tasty. Guacamole was better than the Queso Fundido, which didn't have enough chorizo.
Snapper ceviche bites and firecracker shrimp were both great. Cordon Bleu Quesadilla was so unexpected, it ended up being my favorite, even though it wasn't remotely Mexican food: ham, chicken and cheese, with a honey mustard dipping sauce!
Tuna Poke Tacos and Korean Short Rib tacos were also excellent.
Churro Empanadas needed something like ice cream or a spicy sauce to offset the cloying sweetness.
Service was very responsive, and the kitchen and bar are fast.
Barcocina – Chicago
2901 N Sheffield Ave
Chicago, IL 60657
Panino’s Pizzeria
**** (4 stars)
Great Detroit style pizza! Such a wonderful charred, cheesy crust, and so fluffy! Hard to believe it's gluten-free.
Delivered piping hot. Nice job.
Panino’s Pizzeria
3704 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60613
Maison Marcel
***** (5 stars)
This is the real deal! Bread, croissants, and pain au chocolat exactly as you would get them in Paris! Even the slowness of the service is authentic!
Nice inside, but also an excellent sidewalk dining area. Order at the counter, they bring it out.
The French Breakfast is a great way to go, as you get two eggs, any style, plus a bakery assortment of bread, croissant, and pain au chocolat, five in all. Probably enough for two to share if one of them isn't me!
Maison Marcel
3114 N Broadway St
Chicago, IL 60657
Ella Elli
***** (5 stars)
This is one of my favorite Chicago restaurant interior designs. It's spacious, elegant without being stuffy, not too brightly lit, not too noisy, and all around simply comforting and welcoming.
We tried several cocktails, and all were very nicely done. My favorite was the Rosemary Gimlet. It was terrific with the Mushroom Toast.
The food is top notch, with most items designed for sharing. We adored the mustard that came on the cheese plate and even asked for a to-go container of it! It was also fantastic on the scrumptious mushroom toast.
Confit Potatoes and Crispy Brussels sprouts were also both delicious. Spagettone Carbonara was cooked too far past al dente for my taste, and lacked the usual carbonara ingredients behond the speck.
We didn't make it to any meat or fish course, but we did try both the desserts, and loved the ice cream and chocolate sauce in the Profiteroles. The Pink Squirrel and Brandy Alexander were also two good ice cream based dessert beverages.
The wine list is eclectic, and well-chosen to match the food.
Service was very friendly.
Ella Elli
1349 W Cornelia Ave
Chicago, IL 60657