Chicago Restaurant Review Round-up

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Jessica Howells

G.T Fish and Oyster

Friends, drop your forks, and run to G.T Fish and Oyster. If you are in search of good seafood in the city, look no further. I met my friend and local natural foods chef and wellness consultant Amanda Skrip here to celebrate her appearance on NBC 5. I was a little weary of the menu so I left the ordering up to the pro Amanda. The waiter was very helpful and knowledgeable (which is a breathe of fresh air these days….) The menu is split by cold and hot dishes with an extra section for oysters, if you’re into that kind of thing. Here is the rundown of our meal….

Tuna Poke with mango, cucumber and black sesame (cold)

BBQ EEL wasabi, potato and octopus salad (cold)

Oyster sliders with kimchi and peanuts (hot)

Fish Tacos with chipotle aioli, chicharrón, and garlic (hot)

I was impressed with every single dish. It can get a bit of a pricey but you will not be dissatisfied with the food, service or ambiance, that is for sure. This is a great place to try new things so take the servers suggestions and go for something outside of your box.

Big Star

Garage turned bar mixed with a Mexican fiesta – this place does not lack character. It’s a great joint in the summer with all of the added outdoor seating but this place attracts its patrons because they serve damn good tacos. Expect loud music, beer out of the bottle, tattooed wait staff and a taco feast! Be warned, if you don’t tolerate spice well, even the salsa was eye-watering. They offer $3 whiskey shots, a different kind everyday of the week (if you’re into that sort of thing) and everything else is priced right as well. Here is a peek at what Corey and I ordered….

Corey had the Tacos De Panza crispy - braised pork belly, tomato guajillo sauce, queso fresco, onion, and cilantro

I had one Tostada De Calabaza, which is roasted squash, fresh apples, red onion, cilantro, lime, and crema.

I had one Tacos De Pescado which is beer battered tilapia, chipotle mayo, cabbage, cilantro, and lime

And I had one Tostada De Pollo wood grilled chicken thigh, pipián rojo, onion rings, pumpkin seed, and crema.

Karyn’s on Green

I have been here three times…..in a month. I have only eaten out four times this month and the fourth was a fluke, so I guess you could say that I LOOOOOVE this place! It’s the first all vegan/vegetarian restaurant I’ve been to in Chicago and I’m afraid it set the bar to high now for future vegan restaurant adventures. Even if you are not vegan, the food has so much flavor, you wouldn’t even know it was vegan if I hadn’t just told you. The service can be a bit spotty at times but it’s generally not an issue. They offer a great drink list with fancy specialty cocktails that are sweetened with agave nectar rather than sugar and organic beer. It’s nestled in the near west loop and is typically pretty easy to find a parking spot. I have ordered nearly the whole menu by now but only remembered my camera once. So the first time I went my girlfriend Tory and I ordered….

Tory had the portobello burger (brunch menu)

I had the buffalo "chicken" wrap

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Chicago Restaurant Review 3

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Jessica Howells

Revolution Brewing Company

So I had heard a lot about this place, but I must admit, I am not a beer drinker. Bummer. But what I lack in beer drinking, I make up for two-fold in eating! So I can’t speak for the beer (although Corey, a HUGE fan of beer, really liked it), as far as bar food goes, I’d say this was pretty damn good! We both ordered burgers and rumor has it, they are better than Kuma’s Korner burgers (an epic burger place in Chi that we have yet to check out). So if you are looking for a delish slice of greasy, totally unhealthy, heaven – this is you spot!

Sable Kitchen & Bar

I thought that since this was attached to a hotel and that it is super trendy, the food would be understated but I was sorely mistaken! This quickly jumped to the top of my list for favorite places to eat in Chicago. They specialize in sliders so we ordered a variety of veggie, BLT, lamb, and short rib as well as an order of cheese curds. Each slider was better then the last and were so different. Our waitress was so fun and was very helpful when we had no idea what to order. I will be going back again soon, it was absolutely fantastic!

Yogen Fruz

The frozen yogurt trend has exploded this summer! I have seen more frozen yogurt places popping up all over the city! I tried a self-serve place which was pretty good and I tried Kingoberry which had good reviews on yelp but I didn’t think it was anything special. Yogen Fruz however is my new 4:00pm snack. I have had at least four different flavors and I haven’t had one that was just ok, they have all been awesome! If you are in the loop, you gotta check it out! It is hidden in the Halsted Street Deli on State and Lake. Prepare to drool….

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Chicago Restaurant Reviews 2

Posted on July 14, 2011 by Jessica Howells

Sushi Samba

This trendy hot spot in River North was a surprising gem both for great food and good deals. We took advantage of the Samba Hour (Sun-Thurs 4pm-7pm and 10pm-close and Fri-Sat 4pm-6pm and 11pm-close) which was $5 small plates and $20 pitchers of specialty drinks. We started off with a pitcher of Caipirinha, a traditional Brazilian cocktail infused with lime.

This stuff was amazing and it definitely snuck up on me – I was a little tipsy by the end of dinner hehe

We decided to start with the fried bok choy, local corn tempura, and yellowtail taquitos. The bok choy was simple and perfectly seasoned. The corn was spectacular, something I otherwise would have passed up thinking it was to boring. The crispy texture mixed with the truffle cream sauce was unbelievably delicious. The taquitos were fabulous but it was the red spicy sauce that made the dish. I’m not very tolerant of spicy food but this was different than any spicy sauce I’ve ever had, it had a good bite but didn’t leave me grabbing for my drink in pain seconds later.

We were impressed to say the least so we decided to forge ahead and ordered two more dishes, the Duck Croquettes and the Kobe Goya. The Kobe was my favorite dish. It was like a dumpling in a sweet butternut squash puree and then dipped in a soy sauce, so many different flavors and textures that blended so well together.

We really enjoyed the atmosphere too. It was fun and still comfortable. I’ve been to so many restaurants that had great food but the decor was so over-the-top it wasn’t comfortable. We sat on this couch in the lounge with the doors open and chatted for several hours. It’s definitely somewhere I would go back to for another date or a night with the girls or even after work with coworkers.

Market Bar

We came across this place in the West Loop during the Taste of Randolph Street a few weeks ago. We decided to try it for lunch one Saturday and sat out on the sidewalk. There were a few things I saw that I wanted on the menu but just couldn’t justify the price so I went with a pizza. It turned out to be a great choice and better yet, they offer it in whole-wheat! I ordered the Yoga Master pizza which was loaded with veggies and big enough for two people to share. I would love to go back for dinner sometime, especially because apparently they have a great rooftop deck.

Halsted Street Deli

I forgot to bring a lunch with me today and was worried about finding something healthy for lunch. One of my coworkers said this place had a great vegetarian sandwich called the Baja and it is conveniently located right next to my office on State and Lake. Consequently the lovely ladies at Cheeky Chicago were also talking about the Baja on twitter so I was really looking forward to trying it!

It was not a boring veggie sandwich as some might think. I always thought sandwiches had to have meat in them to even call themselves a sandwich, well this one proves that theory wrong. The roasted red pepper totally made this in my opinion. It filled me up and I still felt good about eating it. Needless to say, this is now my go-to lunch spot!