It started with a college football game that my husband wanted to go to and I decided to tag along since I had never been to Chicago before. We were lucky enough to have babysitters so we could get away for a few days without the girls and so the research began. I wanted to make the most of our trip and didn't want to waste anytime...lol and of course, like every other trip, it was planned around where I wanted to eat.
As soon as we landed, before we even checked into our hotel, we were on our way to our first destiantion. We were starving since it was just after lunch time and Au Cheval ( http://www.auchevalchicago.com ) was on my list so it was perfect timing to grab a quick bite to eat. It is a gastro-pub with a great cozy atmosphere. We got there just after 1:30pm so there were no line ups and we were seated rigth away. We had an early dinner reservation at Girl and the Goat so I didn't want to over eat for this meal so we decided on their double cheeseburger to share and a side salad.
A gentleman dining next to us,who appears to be a regular, asked if we got it with the bacon and when we told him no, he quickly called the waitress over and made sure that the side of bacon was brought. And boy, were we glad that he did because honestly, it brought the burger to a whole another level....by itself it was delicious already...the patty was perfectly cooked medium and was juicy and the patty:bun ratio was just spot on.
But when the bacon was brought out, it was like the heavens opened above and the angels were singing...it was thickly sliced and glazed with some delicious sweetness and sprinkled with fresh cracked pepper. AH-MAZE-ZING!! It was one of the best burger I have had. To this day, I still think about this tasty meal. So far first impression of Chicago was fabulous!
So since we only had a few days, I was lucky enough to get us a reservation for us at Girl and the Goat ( http://www.girlandthegoat.com ) by emailing them a month in advance. I have been a big fan of Top Chef so when I heard about Stephanie Izard's (season 10's winner) restaurant I knew I had to try. We were not disappointed. When we arrived to check in , we were told that they had reserved the best table in the house for us right next to the line where the chef herself will be working ( since they knew I was a fan) and we would be right in the mix of things. As a home chef, it was awesome to watch how everything was prepared.
Everything on the menu looks delicious so it was very hard to decide on what we wanted to order but alas, we decided to try a few small dishes to share. We started with the Fried naked cowboy oysters topped with egg salad and capers. Each spoonful was a delicate balance of the crispy fried oysters, creamy egg yolk and the tangy capers. It was a good start.Next, since we were at "Girl and the Goat" it was only fitting to try one of her goat dishes...even though I am not a big fan of goat, the goat Empanadas peaked my interest. It was served with fresh tzatziki sauce, marinated feta and this yummy corn salsa. I was pleasantly surprised. The goat meat on the inside was very tender and perfectly seasoned.
We wanted to try a couple of their vegetable dishes since they among the popular dishes there so we got the pan fried shishito peppers and the cauliflower. The peppers were prepared with a creamy miso dressing, sesame and parmesan cheese, it was a little on the heavier side and not that much flavor so it was not was my favorite of the night but the cauliflower was awesome! This is not your typical boring roasted cauliflower....Because we had front and center view of the chefs preparing this dish, I was able to take notes! It is first panfried on high heat with this amazing compound butter mixture until the cauliflower is carmelized then it is finnished off with housemade pickled peppers, parmesan, pine nuts and fresh chopped mint. I have since tried recreating this dish at home and it is delicious!
As we were waiting for our next course, a little surprise arrived at our table compliments of the chef. It was a little tasting bowl of their escargot ravioli....something that I would never think to order but the way it was served, OMG, sooo good. It came in this fragrant tamarind-miso sauce with bits of bacon and topped generously with the crispy onions. I would definitely get a full order of this next time we are back.
Our last dish was a pasta dish....we were so stuffed at this point but it looked so good not to eat. It was their housemade pappardelle in a sugo meat sauce with rosemary and cape gooseberries. Who would of thought to put gooseberries with this dish?!? but it worked! It added a nice sweet and tanginess to lighten up such a rich dish.
You would think after all that food we would not have room for dessert right??? WRONG! We couldn't decide between two desserts and ordered the Peach buckle but our server ended up surprising us with both desserts. We were spoiled....by the end of our meal, I needed a cart to wheel me out fo the restaurant!
On to our next stop....
A friend of mine told me about Alinea by Grant Achatz and since it was only a month away, there was no luck in getting a table in such a short period of time. But we were lucky enough to land a reservation at his sister restaurant/lounge the Aviary ( the www.aviary.com). Of course at this point our stomaches are distended to the max but they are known for their drinks and cocktails. With our bellies full, we were ready to get our drink on. The drink menu was fabulous....everything we ordered was delicious but each drink came served with it's own dramatic presentation. So hard to describe all the many funky concoctions that they serve up there but it is a must-go for cocktail lovers.
I won't go into details of all the meals we had for the rest of our trip since this blog would turn into a novel...but I will give you a list of our favorite spots:
Intelligentsia for coffee (they actually serve their coffee here in Edmonton at Credo's)http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/
Blackbird -good spot for lunch http://blackbirdrestaurant.com/
Riccardo Trattoria for delicious traditional Italian food http://www.riccardotrattoria.com/index.php/
Wild Berry Cafe for breakfast/brunch...best eggs beni I've had!! http://www.wildberrycafe.com/
Slurping Turtle for bowl of hot steaming ramen http://www.slurpingturtle.com/
Avec nice tapas and wine bar with good eats http://avecrestaurant.com/
Other places that we ran out of time to try but will be on our list for the next visit:
Alinea https://www.alinearestaurant.com/website/browser
Hot Doug's for Chicago dogs http://www.hotdougs.com/
Takashi http://www.takashichicago.com/index.php
Hopefully this list will give you a few ideas on where to dine next time you are Chicago town!
I won't go into details of all the meals we had for the rest of our trip since this blog would turn into a novel...but I will give you a list of our favorite spots:
Intelligentsia for coffee (they actually serve their coffee here in Edmonton at Credo's)http://www.intelligentsiacoffee.com/
Blackbird -good spot for lunch http://blackbirdrestaurant.com/
Riccardo Trattoria for delicious traditional Italian food http://www.riccardotrattoria.com/index.php/
Wild Berry Cafe for breakfast/brunch...best eggs beni I've had!! http://www.wildberrycafe.com/
Slurping Turtle for bowl of hot steaming ramen http://www.slurpingturtle.com/
Avec nice tapas and wine bar with good eats http://avecrestaurant.com/
Other places that we ran out of time to try but will be on our list for the next visit:
Alinea https://www.alinearestaurant.com/website/browser
Hot Doug's for Chicago dogs http://www.hotdougs.com/
Takashi http://www.takashichicago.com/index.php
Hopefully this list will give you a few ideas on where to dine next time you are Chicago town!
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