Nellcote
In one word – Elegant
Location – 833 W. Randolph (Randolph & Green)
Food – We started with the shaved pumpkin, which is literally that, shaved pieces of pumpkin (with pickled persimmon, mint, gouda and almonds). While it’s fresh tasting, note that the portion is very small (as are most of the portions here). We then had the saffron risotto, which was served with fava beans, bone marrow, pecorino and gold leaf. Good, not great. Not worth ordering again. We ended with the grilled sturgeon with english peas, vegetable fricasse, sorrel and pancetta – this was my favorite item of the night. Nellcote makes their pizzas with flour made in-house, so I felt compelled to also order the tomato sauce pizza (they are about 9″ and could easily serve one person to fullness). Maybe it’s because I ordered the pizza without cheese, but I wasn’t that impressed. Someone else get one with cheese and report back.
Drink – I had the Vodka cocktail which has Grey Goose, orgeat and mint. It’s a good light drink that’s not too sweet.
Service – My eating partner has a gluten allergy, and I was really pleased that our server had a sheet of paper outlining what my eating partner could and could not eat. Other than that she was pleasant and chatty, no complaints.
Scene – I would describe the space as trendy elegant. This old Marche space has been transformed into a sleek spot. There is a bar area that enables patrons to people watch over the entire restaurant and reminds me of some of my old Manhattan haunts.
Occasion – I think this is an ideal place for a girls night or a festive date.
Price – March is my birthday month, so several of my meals have been gifts from my eating partners. But, if I were to guess, I think you could eat here for about $45-50/person.
If you like, try – Tavernita, Girl & the Goat, Avec
Saigon Sisters
In one word – Refreshing
Location – 567 W. Lake (Lake & Jefferson)
Food – I will be honest, I was actually not the biggest fan of Vietnamese food – until now. Saigon Sisters was refreshing and really made me a believer in the cuisine. My boring choice of Red Curry with Chicken ended up being awesomely flavorful. My eating partner (my dad) had the Tasmanian sea trout, which is very similar to salmon. He opts of leaner foods, so this hit the spot. My other eating partner (my mom) had the sea scallops with farro, sunchoke purée, baby beets, pickled scallions and umeboshi. Smiles around for all three choices.
Drink – Because of the sweeter palates of my eating partners, we had a bottle of Vinho Verde. Crisp, refreshing and enjoyable even for me, who is steering away from sweet things of late.
Service – I like it when I feel like I develop a relationship with my server over the course of the meal. I think the server at Saigon Sisters has a degree in winning over customers. By the end of the meal, my father was shaking his hand and thanking him for the meal.
Scene – It is so relaxed and quiet here. Great natural light and very informal feel to the space.
Occasion – I came for a casual (but quality) meal with my parents. This could also be a good date spot or place to catch up with friends.
Price – To be fully transparent, my father paid for the meal. However, I think you could get out of here for less than $35/person.
If you like, try – Red Violet, Bombay Spice
Brunch
In one word – Indulgent
Location – 644 N. Orleans (Orleans & Erie)
Food – True to its name, you can get any and all brunch options at Brunch. I had a hard time making a decision, but ended up getting an appetizer of seared blueberry muffin tops to start (because every brunch requires an appetizer course) and then went on to the Tower of Power. Yes, I fell for the allure of the name and the description (two scrambled eggs with vanilla bean, maple glazed bacon, zucchini with white cheddar and tarragon pesto aioli served with Brunch potatoes). I made it through about a third of the dish. It’s so filling – not sure I would choose it again. Next time, I’m going to follow my heart and get the red velvet pancakes.
Drink – Intelligensia coffee. I was happy.
Service – I asked a lot of questions of our server, and he was super patient with me and made sure all my requests were accommodated.
Scene – Overall, it’s pretty low key in here. My only issue was that the 2 top tables were far too close to each other. I noticed that the girl at the table next to me had to plug one of her ears in order to hear her eating companion speak (because obviously I wasn’t going to make it easier for her by lowering my voice). Spreading out the tables a bit would make a world of difference.
Occasion – Come here for your normal brunch occasion. It’s super casual in here, but since the tables are close, do us a favor and shower first.
Price – $20.72 for my entree, coffee and a small orange juice. That worked for me.
If you like, try – Orange, Yolk
The Counter
In one word – Customized
Location – 666 W Diversey Parkway (Diversey & Clark)
Food – This is a classy diner option in Lincoln Park, where you can customized your burger to your high maintenance needs. Once seated, you fill out a card where you state your chosen protein, cheese and toppings. Making these decisions gave me the same stress I feel when picking out my stirfry at Flat Top Grill. For some reason, whether or not add roasted garlic aioli feels like the decision that could alter the course of my life. However, I got lucky and made a good decision this time – 1/3 lb of turkey with swiss cheese, grilled onions, avocado, tomato and ginger soy glaze. And sweet potato fries. Do yourself a favor and order the sweet potato fries.
Drink – They have normal diner beverages, including floats.
Service – Essentially you need someone to take the sheet of paper that you fill out and deliver it to the kitchen and then come back in a reasonable amount of time with your order. All systems were go, and I found no fault in the service.
Scene – It’s feels like a futuristic diner in here. I appreciated the cleanliness of the establishment, sometimes a characteristic lacking in a diner…Very casual. Come here during the day in your best hoodie.
Occasion – I wouldn’t say this is a destination, but if you find yourself in this area, it’s worth room in your stomach.
Price – $19.12 for a burger, soda and sharing sweet potato fries. Yeah, it was expensive, but I didn’t have buyer’s remorse.
If you like, try – DMK Burger Bar
Doughnut Vault
In one word – Patience
Location – 401 1/2 N. Franklin (Franklin and Kinzie)
Food – I had read so much hype about the Doughnut Vault, I had to try it myself. To obtain a doughnut from the Doughnut Vault, you stand in a long line that weaves from Franklin onto Kinzie for minimum 45 minutes (my wait on a Saturday was 65 minutes). And when you finally are able to enter the vault, which can fit 5 people max, you can order a selection of doughnuts. When I finally got in the special birthday cake doughnut was sold out (mega FAIL), so I tried the chestnut and the chocolate glazed doughnuts. Beware, these doughnuts are giant. I truly believe that a normal sized human being should/can only have half a doughnut (unless feeling sick from overindulging in sugar is your thing). The doughnuts were special. Whether it was worth the wait is debatable, but I think everyone should have the Doughnut Vault at least once.
Drink – You can get Metropolis Coffee here, which tasted great to me after my long uncaffeinated wait.
Service – You really only interact with the cashier for about a minute. But, she was fast, so I was appreciative. It’s cash only, so leave the plastic at home.
Scene – So much of the experience is the wait. When you stand in line for that long, you are forced to become friendly with your neighboring fellow patrons (whether you want to or not). So, it became a very social, community experience. We learned about where our neighbors were from, what they liked and didn’t like about living in the city and which doughnuts they were going to buy. Misanthropes, you’ve been warn.
Occasion – I dragged my friend with me to stand in line for over an hour. She was not pleased. Find a patient person to go with.
Price – $10 for 3 doughnuts and a coffee.
If you like, try – Krispy Kreme?
Lady Gregory’s Irish Bar & Restaurant
In one word – Sociable
Location – 5260 N. Clark (Clark and Berwyn)
Food – I had a bunch of friends getting together, so I thought that Lady Gregory’s would be the ideal venue to catch up over food and drinks. We started with Goat Cheese, Basil, Tomato Flat Bread (ah-maze) and then the sweet potato fries, which frankly weren’t that awesome (go to Hopleaf for their curry fries instead). I wasn’t super hungry after that, so I had Cavolo Nero soup, which had white beans and kale. Loved loved loved it. And, it was a very generous portion. My eating partners had the portobello mushroom sandwich (got good reviews), the Gastro Burger (which is like eating 3 burgers at once) and the macaroni & cheese (which looked like a heart attack on a plate…in a good way).
Drink – This place prides itself on its beer and whiskey selection. The whiskey list alone is an entire book.
Service – Our server was named Laura, and she was fantastic. The group I was with was energetic and sociable, and she indulged us in conversation and quality recommendation.
Scene – Like Branch 27, Lady Gregory’s is modeled after a library. The library vibe wasn’t too strong where we were sitting, but it did feel like a social English pub (which I liked). The place was full despite it being a Wednesday night during the holidays. And, I appreciated that they allowed us to sit despite not all of our party being present when our table was ready.
Occasion – This is a fun place to catch up with friends, no matter the size of your group.
Price – I spent $37 for my soup, my share of appetizers, 2 beers and a generous tip (because Laura was really exceptional).
If you like, try – Wilde (same owner), Duke of Perth
Grahamwich by Graham Elliot
In one word – Gourmet
Location – 615 N. State (State and Ontario)
Food – I am always open to gourmet chefs opening affordable spots for us less-fancy folks (see – Rick Bayless and all his jazz at Macy’s and Xoco). Graham Elliot did the same with this little sandwich spot on State. I opted for the vegetarian option on the menu, the Portobello Gyro, which had these great marinated portobello mushrooms with tomatoes, cucumber, tzatiki and feta cheese. All of it was served on a great pita. It was the most messy sandwich I’ve eaten in a while, but I thought it was totally worth it. My eating partner had the same and came to the same satisfied conclusion. I was full, but not too full after lunch. They also had popcorn and soft serve ice cream, which I plan to indulge in at some point.
Drink – I didn’t try them, but they make their own sodas here and have exotic-sounding flavors like vanilla kola.
Service – There is no table service. You order at a register and the cashier puts your order into a fancy iPad (how modern of them!). It took them about 5 minutes to make our sandwich. Works for me.
Scene – When I came, there were many families of tourists. The eating experience is fast, so they shouldn’t bother you too much. Worst comes to worst, take your food to go.
Occasion – When your parents come to the city and you need a lunch break as you are shopping on Michigan and State, come here.
Price – With tax, my sandwich was $8.88.
If you like, try – Xoco, Hannah’s Bretzel
Meze Tapas Lounge
In one word – Lackluster
Location – 205 N. Peoria (Peoria and Lake)
Food – So I’m going to be frank, I was really not impressed by Meze. The food was just adaquate. Let’s start with the best, which were the bacon wrapped dates. Obvi, you can’t really mess those up (unless they’re cold). And, ours were piping hot, so I was happy. The rest of the meal was just “eh.” We had the Goat Cheese and Tomato Tart, which felt like a Trader Joe’s frozen appetizer to me. Not impressed. Then we had the Grilled Baby Lambchops with Red Pepper Puree. I felt like it was defrosted and then served. Maybe it wasn’t, but it felt like it was and that’s what counts to me. Finally we had the Greek Pomme Frites. They are french fries. How do you mess them up? They were soggy and I didn’t think that the feta cheese enhanced the dish (I can’t believe I just said that).
Drink – I had the Pinot Noir, which I actually liked. I wish I had written the name down so I can get it on my next trip to Trader Joe’s (ha.).
Service – My favorite moment during the meal was when our server asked us if we needed more time to decide what we wanted to order and when we said yes, he responded with “Ok, I’ll come back in 3 minutes.” Even though he was precise at the beginning, it later became impossible to get his attention for the rest of the meal. I had to resort to waving my arms over my head to get his attention (which I’m not above doing).
Scene – When we came it was empty, like really empty. But, I blame that on going during the holidays when most seem to be out of town. If it were to be filled, I would imagine that this would be a place to dress to impress.
Occasion – You could come here with friends or on a date…that is if you were to come here at all (aw snap, GB).
Price – My portion of the meal was $53 with tax and tip. So not worth it.
If you like, try – Cafe Ba-ba-reeba, Cafe Iberico, Emilios, really any other tapas place
Did you do something different with your hair?
Thanks for noticing! Yes, there have been some changes made to the site, including a new layout. Gastronomic Bypass has started a philosophy of Toyota-style continuous improvement as the 5 year anniversary of the site approaches (November 26). You’ll see minor and major changes to the site, so tell me what you think of them. Everything is reversible if you don’t approve.
Thanks!
GB
Prairie Fire
In one word – Suburgatory
Location – 215 N. Clinton (Clinton and Lake)
Food – I use a condescending term inspired by ABC’s definitely-soon-to-be-cancelled show “Suburgatory.” The thing about it though was that food was actually okay. I started with the honey glazed pumpkin, which was enjoyable AND seasonal. Then I went for the Mint Creek Farms Lamb Sausage served with polenta and autumnal vegetables. They make the sausage in-house, so I was intrigued. I was pleased with the dish, though not overly impressed. My eating partner started with the braised lamb, cucumber and mint – served in sort of an egg roll-type concoction. She was into it. Then she had parmesan crusted tilapia served over creamy spinach. I think she had a similar feeling as my reaction to my entree. Just a note – Halibut was on special, but I really couldn’t justify the price point ($40!), so I passed on it. No dessert, we were far too full.
Drink – We each had the Beckman Syrah, which was definitely a winner.
Service - I think our server was out of it. I had to ask for a knife on multiple occasions and overall he just seemed a little behind the ball. I hope there wasn’t trouble at home or something.
Scene – So this is where I got thrown off. I get that the restaurant is next to Ogilvy Station and as a result, many of our friends from the Northern suburbs might be visiting our fair city, BUT why were there children (and like lots of them) at this restaurant at 8:30 pm on a Saturday night? It was so unexpected, and not in a fun way. Don’t get me wrong, my life is very child-appropriate. But, those kids were loud.
Occasion – I’m not sure when I’d come back. Maybe when I feel homesick for my own Western suburban roots?
Price – Far too much for the experience. $66 for food, drink and tax and tip. Not into it.
If you like, try…Wildfire, Weber Grill
