I'm going to do this in chronological order. I'll only be talking about the restaurants I visited in Chicago and will reserve separate blogs for the cooking class I took and Farm Expo I perused. And to think I was only there from Wednesday evening and left Sunday. I obviously kept myself busy.
Handlebar Bar and Grill
Handlebar specializes in Vegan, Vegetarian and Seafood cuisine - which is really exciting since I've been getting more into this type of fare. Danielle (my bff) and her fiance Mark, come here frequently since they're into good eats at a good price that's good for you. Okay, so maybe Mark isn't so into that, but it's for his own damn good. (Note: he's from Texas, enough said)
Handlebar has a number of great draft beers, which is always nice and their food was really great.
Danielle ordered one of their specials, a Shrimp and Scallop Risotto, which looked fantastic. She loved every bite! I wish I could have tasted it, but risotto in restaurants (unless vegan) are a big no-no for me and my belly.
Doesn't it looks divine? Really jealous she got to eat this. One of these days there will be a cure for my dairy allergy. (Like researchers are really working on this instead of all the real medical issues in the world) A girl can dream, can't she?
Next up is my dish, one of their regular menu items, Blackened Catfish Filet with mashed potatoes and collard greens. It was a hefty meal with lots of flavor. The fish was fantastic. It had this interesting rub on it and cooked perfectly. The mashed potatoes were chunky and delicious. I love me some mash - its one of my most favorite foods. The collard greens were really good too. They're the healthier variation since they don't cook meat in their kitchen, but it still packed so much flavor. I wasn't even hungry when We came here, but I knew after the flight (I had literally just landed), I would need something since airport food SUCKS.
Last, but certainly not least, Mark ordered the Fish Tacos. (What a pervert, just kidding!) I was actually about to order this, but I'm glad I stuck with the catfish.
They looked so fresh and tasty with lots of yummy salsa to spice things up. I love the large slices of avocado, natures butter!
He loved 'em cause there wasn't anything left on his plate when he was threw.
Overall, Handlebar was fantastic. I would come back over and over again if I lived nearby. I definitely recommend checking them out if you're in the area. They have this great backyard/deck area too. Perfect for Spring and Summer with good food and good drink.
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On Thursday, St. Patrick's Day, Danielle and I did some shopping in her area (don't even get me started on how cute the boutiques in her area are - just check out Penelope), and needed a break mid-afternoon.
One of the bars we passed looked promising since they had outdoor seating. The weather was nice and we had Chewie, Danielle's dog, who is amazing by the way. Here's a little pic of the cutest pup in town. So we sat outside, had a few drinks and ordered a couple of appetizers to hold us over till dinner. We were taking a Vegetarian Thai cooking class and didn't want to be too full.
I love me some sliders, so that's exactly what we ordered. The nice thing about Fifty/50 is that you can mix and match what you want. I got their burger slider and their pulled pork slider. They were both REALLY good. There was actually some meat in my burger, it wasn't all bun. Some sliders are really pathetic in bars and restaurants. Horray for good sliders!
We also ordered some waffle fries were rocked our socks!
I love french fries, but there is something extra special about waffle fries that really gets to me. They're crispy on the outside, with a bit of spice, and soft potato on the inside.
Danielle, far healthier than I am, ordered the chicken salad and turkey burger sliders. They looks REALLY good.
Doesn't that chicken salad look succulent?
Overall, the food was really good at Fifty/50 and would try to come back to check out their hot wings, which are apparently the best in Chicago. I say "apparently" because who is judging this competition? Why wasn't I called in for the job?
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On Friday, we decided to do the "touristy" activities that we had been putting off. I was only there for a few days, but I figured I needed to see the downtown area and the lake. So off on the subway we went and to Michigan Avenue we ventured. Of course we stopped dead in our tracks at the Forever 21 that was GIGANTIC. After shopping for a while, it wasn't our fault it was packed with teenyboppers, we needed some refreshments. We super crackypants and tired and pretty much went into the first restaurant we found. Danielle is magical since this restaurant turned out to be incredible.
We pigged out on the freshest, most delectable sushi ever. Perhaps it was because we were starving and caffeine deprived - but I like to think its because it was just that good.
For starters, we enjoyed the New Style Sashimi Appetizer, which had thin sliced tuna, salmon, and yellowtail sashimi dressed with your soy-ginger sauce.
Each piece came with a thin slice of jalapeno pepper, which gave it a little kick. The fish was so fresh and tasty that we ended up ordered an entree of sashimi.
We also ordered edamame and miso soups to start. I didn't bother taking a photo of either of these since the place was dark, my flash was annoying and I'm pretty sure everyone who has eaten in a Japanese restaurant knows what these dishes look like.
The seaweed salad, however, was too pretty and needed to be photographed. It was cool, crunchy and tasted amazing. It's amazing how something so healthy could be so good.
We were still a little hungry after we finished all the appetizers, so we ordered some more sashimi and went with the trio of tuna, salmon and yellowtail since the fish was so fresh.
We has NO idea how many pieces came with this dish and NO clue how much it would cost us. I think the euphoria of being out of Forever 21 and in a nice, comfortable restaurant with good food got to us.
It turned out to have 6 pieces of each type of fish and only cost $30. Seriously a bargain.
We munched away and felt completely rejuvenated after our meal. Enough so, that we ventured to the John Hancock Building's Signature Room for cocktails and a view of the city. Their cocktails were really crappy, but the view was amazing!
But before we left, we ordered some delightful desserts.
The only thing I could safely eat was a light lychee cake with a scoop of pomegranate sorbet and a butter biscuit.
Although not the most flavorful dessert, it was light, tasty and hit the spot. The butter cookie was really good and the cake was like a soft, sweet cupcake with a hint of lychee.
Danielle ordered the green tea creme brulee, which of course was amazing. She's a huge fan of all things creme brulee and I've personally had tastes of the green tea variation, so I knew she'd love it.
It was SO good with the perfect caramelized glaze. She ate it all up and loved every bite. I was so jealous, but what can I do? Eat dairy and then have hives and the poops on my visit. Nope, I'll eat my lychee cake and learn to like it. Which is exactly what I did.
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Saturday was an exciting day since we had our Farm Expo at IUC. Before we went, we grabbed some coffee and snacks to make sure we wouldn't ransack the free samples at the expo.
The mocha was so rich and tasty. Is there anything better than chocolate and espresso?
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For dinner on Saturday, we decided we need to spice things up and went to an Indian fusion restaurant famed for its seasonal Nouvelle Indian cuisine. The place was super cute, but the staff was weird and spacy. But I guess that's part of the experience, since Danielle and Mark explained its what always happens when they eat here.
We started with the Daisy's Fried Calamari served with Carrot Parsley Salad and Harissa Aioli.
It was unbelievably good. Perfectly crispy with tender squid. The aioli was delicious and the carrots were spicy!
Definitely a top notch fried calamari to rival any seafood joint.
Danielle and Mark shared the Beet Salad with Herb Crusted Baked Goat Cheese, Pickled Onions, Greens, Walnuts and Citrus Vinaigrette. I couldn't eat it, but did try a bite of the beets since Danielle was shocked I said I didn't like them.
She made me eat it and I think I liked it. Not sure, might have to try a fresh beet again, but its such an intimidating root vegetable.
I was a lucky girl and ordered their soup special which happened to be vegan! It was a Potato and Leek soup but with a coconut milk base. It was SO creamy and delicious. I was dying over and will try to make something similar myself.
This opens up a world a possibilities for me if I can use coconut milk for dairy-based soups, which I miss so much, like seafood bisque.
Anytime I see flank or skirt steak on a menu, I'm immediately drawn to it. Steak is SO good, but I don't eat it often, nor should a person eat steak often. I reserve it for special occasions and my last night in Chicago is definitely a special occasion. So I ordered the Marinated Flank Steak with Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Asparagus and Korma Sauce.
In all honesty, it wasn't the best meal in the world but it was very good. The mash was great as were the asparagus, my most favorite vegetable (Aren't you so proud of me, Mom?!)
The steak, which I ordered medium rare since flank steak is usually a thin cut of beef, was very rare. It didn't taste like a flank steak at all. It was far too thick for me to consider a true flank steak, but it was a good piece of meat. However, the sauce was what killed this dish for me. It was spicy and almost had a tomato taste to it. It didn't taste at all like the Korma I've had in the past. I understand this is fusion and the chef's take on Korma sauce, but it really didn't rock my socks. I enjoyed this dish, but it was my least favorite for the weekend. Mark actually like this better than his lamb dish. I would have gladly switched except I'm not a huge fan of lamb. Poor little lambs (tear!)
Mark ordered the Mint Creek Farm Lamb Shank with Saffron Cholay, Potatoes and Rice, which looked fantastic.
Isn't that the nicest braised lamb shank you've ever seen? I thought it tasted really good and the cholay (chickpeas) with potatoes was interesting.
There was definitely a lot of rice, which was unnecessary, but it was a hearty meal for any man. Mark got food envy of my steak, but don't you worry - I shared a plenty.
To me, the best dish of the night was Danielle's. She ordered the Seared Salmon with Israeli Cous Cous, Fennel, Tear Drop Tomatoes, Edamame and Almond Cream Sauce. It even looks the prettiest and it was everything a fish dish should be.
It was light, succulent and left you craving more. I would have ordered this except for the almond cream sauce. Alas, I miss out again because of my dumb allergies. It was a filling meal and Danielle was the only person to take home leftovers. I probably would have but I donated my steak to the Fill Mark's Belly Fund.
We didn't bother ordered a dessert, but I did have an espresso, which was total crap. It was way too watery with the longest pull in the world. The food here was interesting and I would gladly go back again to try their other dishes since they were flavorful and affordable. The problem is we heard through the waitstaff that the chef was closing up in two weeks. He is, however, opening a new restaurant somewhere else in Chicago - so stayed tuned for that.
As for the staff, well, let's just say we all hope they don't make it to the next restaurant. They were total space cadets and took forever to do everything. That isn't an issue, its just annoying. At not point should people wait to be seated when half the seating is empty. Also, there was a weird couple behind our table in the corner getting a little too intimate. Poor Mark had the best view in the house, and even saw them eat food out of each others' mouths. It was GROSS! They were making out and he had his hand on her vajayjay the whole time. It was really inappropriate but the staff were too spacy to notice and so nothing was done. I guess there's a free show with every meal!
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My last meal in Chicago was probably my most memorable since it was the most ridiculous brunch I've ever had. You'll see what I mean...
We had to wait FOREVER for a table. Brunch ends at 2pm and we were seated at about 2:30, but had been waiting since 1:30 if not earlier. But we were patient and rewarded with amazing food.
Due to my recent fondness of eggs Benedict, I of course got their special, Smoked Duck Breast Eggs Benedict with Crispy Leeks and home fries.
Needless to say it was incredibly rich and delicious. The smoked duck was so tasty and they gave such a huge portion. In NY, you'd get like two little pieces. I had more than I could handle.
I barely touched the potatoes, which is a shame since they were really good and not too greasy.
Danielle ordered the special omelet with goat cheese and vegetables including artichokes. I can't remember exactly what was in it, but they were fancy veggies. She shared this with Mark since he couldn't decide between sweet and savory.
What he ordered was RIDICULOUS - are you ready for it?
Well here it is...
Those are PANCAKES. Yes, under all that rich sauce are two chocolate pretzel pancakes smothered in white chocolate and caramel sauce. This place has the craziest brunch items ever. You should have seen the french toast! Holy crap they were HUGE and AMAZING.
I realllllllllly wanted to try another variation of their sexy, sweet pancakes and was happy to discover you can order a single pancake.
We all shared this beauty, which is a red velvet pancake with cream cheese sauce... whatever the sauce is, it tasted amazing. I have no idea what those little crumbly things are on top, but they tasted good too.
It was the FLUFFIES pancake in the world. I don't know how they do it, but its magical.
Their portions are too big and wish it was the type of food you could take home for leftovers. They end up throwing SO MUCH OUT. It's really sad. Some ladies up front ordered two dishes for each of them, so their table was entirely fully of food. It was really grotesque actually. No human being should eat a full dish at the Bongo Room, let alone two. And we wonder why there is an obesity problem in our country?
Overall, the Bongo Room was definitely worth the wait. It was SO good with the most unique (and fattening) dishes I've ever seen. I can't wait to go back and take Adam. Until then, I'll be taking the stairs to burn off all the calories from my many amazing meals in Chicago.
Thank you Danielle and Mark for taking me to so many wonderful restaurants. I had a great time and can't wait to do it again.
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