Latest reviews in Illinois, United States of America

Fish - The name says it all by JohnPower

JohnPower — Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:31:07 +0000

Review by JohnPower

Rating: 5.00

Fresh fish as good as we've tasted anywhere. It's housed in an old Charleston house, and the restoration won an architectural award. The service is friendly but unobtrusive. The calamari appetizer is wonderful with the most delicate breading. But the real prize is the fresh fish of the day. It's very simply cooked and extremely fresh. We've heard the desserts are very good, but have never had enough room to manage them.Fresh fish as good as we've tasted anywhere. It's housed in an old Charleston house, and the restoration won an architectural award. The service is friendly but unobtrusive. The calamari appetizer is wonderful with the most delicate breading. But the real prize is the fresh fish of the day. It's very simply cooked and extremely fresh. We've heard the desserts are very good, but have never had enough room to manage them.

Matisse - Good adventure in Orlando and Chicago by paultrip

paultrip — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:05:10 +0000

Review by paultrip

Rating: 5.00

Tags: american, cheap eat, jazz

Orlando is the major city in United States of Florida. This city is also most popular tourist destination because of its fine weather, close closeness to Disney world, and vacation rentals. Orlando might be home to some of the nation's greatest theme parks, but there are lots more that the city has to offer visitors. Like that type of city is good choice of traveling. Last year someone advised me to visit 6 days (01/09/2008). So for visiting purpose I search [url=http://www.internethotels.com/usa/fl/orlando-hotels/]cheap hotels in orlando[/url] on Internet and I got numbers of hotels in Orlando. And I reserve hotel room .I reached that city by airplane at Orlando International Airports. This airport was most attractive and well organized. At outer side of Airport there were most traveling recourses. But I hire taxi and reached to my hotel at noon. Hotel was well furnished and good facilities were available there .I put my luggage in room and get fresh and take lunch. After lunch I went in hotel to get some idea what exactly wonderful attraction not in hotel but also in the city. After that I planned my journey for next day. This day I went to see the Harry P. Leu Gardens, which was very nice and beautiful which offers nearly fifty acres of peaceful grounds for visitors to enjoy "Old Florida" at a leisurely pace. The garden collection of the rose garden, the largest formal rose garden in Florida, is one of the more popular areas and other collection include one of the South's largest cold hardy palm collections, a xerophytes garden, a white garden, a floral clock, a wonderful collection of cold-hardy cycads, an herb and butterfly garden, and a spectacular annual display.
After that I went to World of Orchids, I was excited to go because I grow orchids as a hobby and I thought it would be interesting. The greenhouse garden that they have there is in bad shape with a bunch of overgrown tropical but hardly any orchids. There were some big kopi fish in a pond in there that my wife enjoyed feeding. You could purchase food for them in the small store that was there. There were a few nice orchids in the store that you could purchase and I did purchase a paphiopedilum (slipper orchid) that I didn't have. Next time I went to see the Orlando Museum of Art, which was very nice, which was both a cultural and architectural treasure in central Florida. And my experience begins the moment you enter the galleries where Dale Chihuly's arresting glass Cobalt & Citron Tower draws your eyes twenty feet up to the glass skylight above. It's only the beginning of an adventure in culture, imagination, and creativity as you explore the Museum. After that I went to see the Walt Disney World, which was very famous theme park, which the highly praised gold standard of theme parks with exciting entertainment, dining, shopping, guest service, classic attractions, backstage tours and beloved Disney Characters. After that I went to see the SeaWorld Adventure Park, which was very beautiful park and there are good attraction point in this city. Sew World was more than just a great theme park, it's also a rescue and rehabilitation facility for animals hurt in the wild. A 24-hour on-call rescue team is always available to race to help an animal in need.
Fifth day I went to The Mall at Millennia, which is very nice mall. This is Orlando's most upscale and beautiful mall and there are a lot of beautiful 97 shops, restaurant, and computers and I bought some clothes, gifts, shoes and chocolates goods. In evening I went to the bar and I take drink and enjoy the music with entertainment nightly. But I hire taxi and I came back to cheap hotels for leaving this city and I came back to hotel and I planned my trip for next Chicago city, where I leave my room and move towards by road to Chicago city..

Chicago (07/09/2008)

I am forth day travel I decide to travel to Chicago which approximate 20 hours by car from Orlando. In Orlando I heard about the Chicago city which is also the entertaining place. I reserve the cheap hotels in chicago hotels by the web site. This city is most popular for its destination, nightlife, sightseeing and one of the most attraction cities for tourists. Chicago is a huge city, which skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. After that I went to see the Museum of Science and Industry, which was a very interesting museum dedicated to the science and history of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever of this city by exhibitions, Museum of Science which was very nice with many exhibits. Next day I went to see the Chicago beaches listed below are free and open for swimming from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, 9am - 9:30pm, except where otherwise noted, which take a visit to one of the many Chicago beaches and you will find out that's not a strange question. With beautiful blue water as far as the eye can see, you may think you've gone from Chicago to southern California. After that I went to see the Jackson Park, which was very nice and beautiful park. This park was good facilities of children can enjoy a lot there as there were beautiful arrangements of playing and fun. The forth day travel I got remembers the moments of my journey.
Orlando is the major city in United States of Florida. This city is also most popular tourist destination because of its fine weather, close closeness to Disney world, and vacation rentals. Orlando might be home to some of the nation's greatest theme parks, but there are lots more that the city has to offer visitors. Like that type of city is good choice of traveling. Last year someone advised me to visit 6 days (01/09/2008). So for visiting purpose I search [url=http://www.internethotels.com/usa/fl/orlando-hotels/]cheap hotels in orlando[/url] on Internet and I got numbers of hotels in Orlando. And I reserve hotel room .I reached that city by airplane at Orlando International Airports. This airport was most attractive and well organized. At outer side of Airport there were most traveling recourses. But I hire taxi and reached to my hotel at noon. Hotel was well furnished and good facilities were available there .I put my luggage in room and get fresh and take lunch. After lunch I went in hotel to get some idea what exactly wonderful attraction not in hotel but also in the city. After that I planned my journey for next day. This day I went to see the Harry P. Leu Gardens, which was very nice and beautiful which offers nearly fifty acres of peaceful grounds for visitors to enjoy "Old Florida" at a leisurely pace. The garden collection of the rose garden, the largest formal rose garden in Florida, is one of the more popular areas and other collection include one of the South's largest cold hardy palm collections, a xerophytes garden, a white garden, a floral clock, a wonderful collection of cold-hardy cycads, an herb and butterfly garden, and a spectacular annual display.
After that I went to World of Orchids, I was excited to go because I grow orchids as a hobby and I thought it would be interesting. The greenhouse garden that they have there is in bad shape with a bunch of overgrown tropical but hardly any orchids. There were some big kopi fish in a pond in there that my wife enjoyed feeding. You could purchase food for them in the small store that was there. There were a few nice orchids in the store that you could purchase and I did purchase a paphiopedilum (slipper orchid) that I didn't have. Next time I went to see the Orlando Museum of Art, which was very nice, which was both a cultural and architectural treasure in central Florida. And my experience begins the moment you enter the galleries where Dale Chihuly's arresting glass Cobalt & Citron Tower draws your eyes twenty feet up to the glass skylight above. It's only the beginning of an adventure in culture, imagination, and creativity as you explore the Museum. After that I went to see the Walt Disney World, which was very famous theme park, which the highly praised gold standard of theme parks with exciting entertainment, dining, shopping, guest service, classic attractions, backstage tours and beloved Disney Characters. After that I went to see the SeaWorld Adventure Park, which was very beautiful park and there are good attraction point in this city. Sew World was more than just a great theme park, it's also a rescue and rehabilitation facility for animals hurt in the wild. A 24-hour on-call rescue team is always available to race to help an animal in need.
Fifth day I went to The Mall at Millennia, which is very nice mall. This is Orlando's most upscale and beautiful mall and there are a lot of beautiful 97 shops, restaurant, and computers and I bought some clothes, gifts, shoes and chocolates goods. In evening I went to the bar and I take drink and enjoy the music with entertainment nightly. But I hire taxi and I came back to cheap hotels for leaving this city and I came back to hotel and I planned my trip for next Chicago city, where I leave my room and move towards by road to Chicago city..

Chicago (07/09/2008)

I am forth day travel I decide to travel to Chicago which approximate 20 hours by car from Orlando. In Orlando I heard about the Chicago city which is also the entertaining place. I reserve the cheap hotels in chicago hotels by the web site. This city is most popular for its destination, nightlife, sightseeing and one of the most attraction cities for tourists. Chicago is a huge city, which skyline calls across the waters of Lake Michigan, a first impression that soon reveals world-class museums of art and science, miles of sandy beaches, huge parks and public art, and perhaps the finest downtown collection of modern architecture in the world. After that I went to see the Museum of Science and Industry, which was a very interesting museum dedicated to the science and history of Chicago-area grammar school students know it, the best field trip ever of this city by exhibitions, Museum of Science which was very nice with many exhibits. Next day I went to see the Chicago beaches listed below are free and open for swimming from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, 9am - 9:30pm, except where otherwise noted, which take a visit to one of the many Chicago beaches and you will find out that's not a strange question. With beautiful blue water as far as the eye can see, you may think you've gone from Chicago to southern California. After that I went to see the Jackson Park, which was very nice and beautiful park. This park was good facilities of children can enjoy a lot there as there were beautiful arrangements of playing and fun. The forth day travel I got remembers the moments of my journey.

Arturo's Tacos - Heaven On Earth by torres2015

torres2015 — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:56:13 +0000

Review by torres2015

Rating: 5.00

Phone: (773) 772-4944

Tags: cheap eat, family & home feel, international

This pace has to be one of he top contenders in the city of chicago. Lektrogirl must not know her mexican food that well. They have a very extensive menu which practically take up their whole entire wall and have numerous dishes to satisfy any apetite, any time of the day. Tacos al Pastor are te best, so is the pico de gallo salsa.This pace has to be one of he top contenders in the city of chicago. Lektrogirl must not know her mexican food that well. They have a very extensive menu which practically take up their whole entire wall and have numerous dishes to satisfy any apetite, any time of the day. Tacos al Pastor are te best, so is the pico de gallo salsa.

Irazu - IRAZU by lektrogirl

lektrogirl — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 23:54:15 +0000

Review by lektrogirl

Rating: 4.00

Phone: +1 (773) 252-56

Tags: lively, crowded, cheap eat

Irazu serves Costa Rican food: lots of beans, fried sweet plantains, cornchips, eggs, steak, salad and oatmeal milkshakes. I always drank a coke here but I heard the milkshakes are pretty good. If you want a beer you have to BYO. Irazu is a bit ordinary looking but super cheap and big portions [hey we're in America!] There are tables out front in a concrete "garden" for when it is either a] too rammed inside which it often is or b] a really nice night and you want to sit outside.
This was the first restaurant my future husband took me to in America the first time I went to visit him there. Irazu was a regular eatery of his. One time before a party, Paul and I had a MASSIVE fight where I stormed off down the road and Irazu was the only place I knew where to go. Apparently, shortly after my exit, ambulances screamed past the doors of Camp Gay and Paul thought I got run over being all confused having to walk on the opposite side of the road or something. However I was chewing my way through an exceptional Irazu platter while the ambulances were attending to a shoot out in the McDonalds drive-by down the road. Sounds all a bit ghetto, seriously one of my favourites and locals love it too.

This place place isn't the kind of place you would beg your parents to take you for your birthday or book a table or hooking up with J-Lo nothing like that but the food there is really great and worth a visit if you are in Chicago.Irazu serves Costa Rican food: lots of beans, fried sweet plantains, cornchips, eggs, steak, salad and oatmeal milkshakes. I always drank a coke here but I heard the milkshakes are pretty good. If you want a beer you have to BYO. Irazu is a bit ordinary looking but super cheap and big portions [hey we're in America!] There are tables out front in a concrete "garden" for when it is either a] too rammed inside which it often is or b] a really nice night and you want to sit outside.
This was the first restaurant my future husband took me to in America the first time I went to visit him there. Irazu was a regular eatery of his. One time before a party, Paul and I had a MASSIVE fight where I stormed off down the road and Irazu was the only place I knew where to go. Apparently, shortly after my exit, ambulances screamed past the doors of Camp Gay and Paul thought I got run over being all confused having to walk on the opposite side of the road or something. However I was chewing my way through an exceptional Irazu platter while the ambulances were attending to a shoot out in the McDonalds drive-by down the road. Sounds all a bit ghetto, seriously one of my favourites and locals love it too.

This place place isn't the kind of place you would beg your parents to take you for your birthday or book a table or hooking up with J-Lo nothing like that but the food there is really great and worth a visit if you are in Chicago.

Alinea - Best Restaurant in America? Probably not. by Browners

Browners — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 16:49:52 +0000

Review by Browners

Rating: 4.00

Tags: american, expensive, crowded

Most reviews of Alinea point out very early on that it was acknowledged as being the best restaurant in America in 2006. Most diners at Alinea have never seen anything quite like this before. Most diners don't come here on their own!

So I rocked up to 1723 N. Halstead Street on my own and tried not to look too much of an idiot as I walked up to an unidentified door and pushed on it. Luckily I had got the number right and I walked in to a kaleidoscopic hallway with a medley of fibre optic, futuristic lights. Whislt being drawn in by the tractor beam some doors automatically slid open and I found myself inside the nerve centre of America's most cutting edge restaurant.

Having arrived 15 minutes early because the traffic wasn't as bad as I was expecting I was offereed the option of going away to the bar next door and coming back quarter of an hour later or sitting in a chair in the hallway and watching the action in the open kitchen. Being on my own I made the slightly awkward choice of sitting in the hallway gawping at the intense activity in the kitchen.

15 long minutes past before I was lead to my table, tucked away in the corner of a spacious dining room, next to the servers's cutlery and wine station. The benefit of this was that I always had something to look at whilst twiddling my thumbs between courses. I had decided not to bring a book or camera with me so I had a lot of time to people watch and contemplate.

Having decided to go for the 12 course tasting menu I turned down the attempt to upsell me on the wine matching option and allowed the sommelier to choose a lightly oaked American chardonay for me. He was a fantastic sommelier who kept me company when it seemed like I wanted to talk to somebody!

Rather than give you a blow by blow account of the food, I'm just going to describe the highlights and add some of my thoughts. The menu is just as shown below:

Steelhead Roe:

A lump of coconut and lime cream with a string of steelhead rowe arrived on the end of a vanilla looking like an old fashioned in pot and quil. A refreshing, intriguing start. And a sign of the brilliance that was to follow.

Spring Garlic:

A forkful with 3 jellies: parsley, lemon and chicken and a bowl of garlic soup. First eat the jellies and then let the warm garlic soup glide over you like an unexpected treat. Delicious. Has the flavour and depth of the best roast chicken. Incredibly smooth. And very clever.

Ice Fish:

One of my favourite things on the menu. It is fish and chips but deconstructed. Tiny slithers of fish are served with the component parts of tartare sauce scattered over the long thin plate. When they combine together in your mouth you are unexpectedly transported to the Godlen Hind on Marylebone Lane! Highly unusual. Great success.

Lobster:

Wow. So clever. With a fair amount of American fanfare a large bowl was placed front of me with a slightly smaller bowl inside. The outside bowl had a sprig of mint and spearmint jutting out of it. The inside bowl contained an instensely flavoured lobster and pea broth with a lobster foam. The server elaborately poured some boiling water into the outside bowl which caught hold of the mint sprigs and forced all of their refreshing vapours straight up my nostrils like a big, pleasant, hit of Morocco! Memories came flooding back of long afternoons walking around the Medina and causal breakfasts in our Riad. Then when I tasted the lobster broth I was in Rick Stein heaven! The chunks of lobster were soft and sweet. The liquid itself was deep and smooth. Much finer than a typical lobster broth and depth charged with something called ramps - apparently they are a type of leek that is native to the Chicago area. It was a work of genius. My only criticism was that the peas were hard and chewy. For some reason I felt compelled to tell the sommelier. But only because he asked. I was astonished when appeared back minutes later with the chef's appologies! Only in America. If Ramsay was down there he would have thrown me out there and then!

Wagyu Beef:

I have had wagyu beef before and was deeply disappointed. Not this time. Disappointment simply wasn't an option. Whilst I was waiting for my chicken and garlic soup, a gentleman all in black very earnestly put a bizarre looking frozen thing on my table and explained in great detail that it was a slice of wagyu beef frozen in liquid nitrogen and should be left to defrost at my table. Then when the time was right a scorching hot oblong plate arrived with a cube of potato on that looked as lonely as I must have done! It was wrapped in a very thing slice of black truffle. 2 waiters performed the ritual of folding the now defrosted wagyu beef over the top of the warm truffled potato and hot plate. The marbled meat gently let go of some of its fat and yielded to the warmth to take the chill off. A third waiter, the most senior of the now triumvirate ceremoniosly spooned some vinagerette over the beef and then crowned it with 2 thyme leaves. Wow. What a theatrical experience. A minute later it was all gone and I was sighing with approval. Delicious. The temperature of the raw wagyu beef meant that it simply melted in mouth and the truffle left my mouth feeling like it had just french kissed a whore house - in a good way! The thyme and vinagrette then cleaned away the delicious filth and left me wanting seconds!

Bacon:

Erm. Bit of a weird one. Out came a device looking like it had been used by the CIA as some sort of rendition initiation or as a brace for someone who had broken their neck. From the high wire dangled a slice of crispy bacon topped with an apple and butterscotch glaze designed to bring back memories of the bacon and wafles you had for breakfast - or so the waiter told me when I asked what the idea was. Very cool. Very photogenic. Very tasty. Nice story too.

Persimmon:

Having no idea what persimmon was I soon discovered when I put the myriad component parts in my mouth that this was Hansel and Grettel on a plate. It was a deconstruced ginger bread cake. Very clever. Big round flavours.

Chocolate:

Very hard to describe - but I'll have a go. Raw egg yoke in a sphere that oozes everywhere as soon as your curious spoon gets close. A chocolate shell surrounding a loose creamy centre that was delicious. And then a bunch of smokey salt spots drizzled around the plate. In addition a bit of dried orange peel added an architectural flourish. Fantastically rich feel in the mouth and stunning presentation.

Having bored you to death with my gushings about what I liked I'd better explain why I haven't reviewed each course. Essentially, whilst everything was really interesting to eat and experience, I didn't feel it was all perfect either in its execution or its conception.

Fava Beans was something you had to see to believe. But was bland to taste and I didn't understand the idea.

Hot Potato was a medley of hot and cold potato with what tasted like a mushroom soup. I got the feeling it was being clever for the sake of it and wasn't really going anywhere. Essentially like eating a punctuation mark.

Short ribs were oh so tender and tasty. But the combination of peanut butter and Guinness seems wrong. Maybe my palette is too basic. I took some time trying to work it out and decided it was like in MasterChef when Gregg and John tell the participant that what they've done would be great as two different dishes - but not on the same plate. Beef and peanut = satay beef. Great. Beef and Guinness = a classic. But all together tastes like a badly edited Wikipedia entry. Full of clever stuff. But unreliable and confusing.

Lamb was similarly complex. Again it may have been my stupidity but it was a collection of 4 or 5 dishes in one that baffled rather than delighted. Lamb with mint. Fine. Lamb with mushroom. Fine. Lamb with red wine. Fine. Lamb with red pepper reduction. Fine. Lamb with smoked walnut. Really interesting. All together on one plate? Weird. No wonder the menu listed this as "diverse embellishments"!

Rhubarb appeared in the form of a spherical shot with ginger and basil. It was stunningly refreshing and I am told is a parody of an American ice cream. But the waitress cleared away my glass whilst I was still eating it. Why? Just to be efficient? It's probably an American thing. But I found it incredibly rude.

Don't get me wrong. I loved the experience. It was fascinating and delicious. Having eaten at the Fat Duck and El Bulli I am lucky to be able to place this meal in context. El Bulli is insurparsable. And the Fat Duck probably is too. But this was good. It lacked consistency. Whereas there were themes and riffs running through the experience at the Fat Duck and El Bulli the menu at Alinea doesn't seem to have the same fluidity. Whereas El Bulli constantly surprises and plays the menu at Alinea is more expected in the flavour deparment and relies more on visual techniques. El Bulli pushed my culinary boundaries into places I had never been before. Alinea didn't. It was far safer. At times Alinea over-complicated to the extent that you don't get the idea.

I have been wanting to go to Alinea for around a year now and am delighted to have had the opportunity. It was a very special evening. Being alone gave me the chance to really think about each mouthful which is not really what eating is all about. And as a result, maybe I have been overly critical. The highlights such as the lobster and wagyu beef will stay with me for life and the bits that confused are just me being a snooty food snob.Most reviews of Alinea point out very early on that it was acknowledged as being the best restaurant in America in 2006. Most diners at Alinea have never seen anything quite like this before. Most diners don't come here on their own!

So I rocked up to 1723 N. Halstead Street on my own and tried not to look too much of an idiot as I walked up to an unidentified door and pushed on it. Luckily I had got the number right and I walked in to a kaleidoscopic hallway with a medley of fibre optic, futuristic lights. Whislt being drawn in by the tractor beam some doors automatically slid open and I found myself inside the nerve centre of America's most cutting edge restaurant.

Having arrived 15 minutes early because the traffic wasn't as bad as I was expecting I was offereed the option of going away to the bar next door and coming back quarter of an hour later or sitting in a chair in the hallway and watching the action in the open kitchen. Being on my own I made the slightly awkward choice of sitting in the hallway gawping at the intense activity in the kitchen.

15 long minutes past before I was lead to my table, tucked away in the corner of a spacious dining room, next to the servers's cutlery and wine station. The benefit of this was that I always had something to look at whilst twiddling my thumbs between courses. I had decided not to bring a book or camera with me so I had a lot of time to people watch and contemplate.

Having decided to go for the 12 course tasting menu I turned down the attempt to upsell me on the wine matching option and allowed the sommelier to choose a lightly oaked American chardonay for me. He was a fantastic sommelier who kept me company when it seemed like I wanted to talk to somebody!

Rather than give you a blow by blow account of the food, I'm just going to describe the highlights and add some of my thoughts. The menu is just as shown below:

Steelhead Roe:

A lump of coconut and lime cream with a string of steelhead rowe arrived on the end of a vanilla looking like an old fashioned in pot and quil. A refreshing, intriguing start. And a sign of the brilliance that was to follow.

Spring Garlic:

A forkful with 3 jellies: parsley, lemon and chicken and a bowl of garlic soup. First eat the jellies and then let the warm garlic soup glide over you like an unexpected treat. Delicious. Has the flavour and depth of the best roast chicken. Incredibly smooth. And very clever.

Ice Fish:

One of my favourite things on the menu. It is fish and chips but deconstructed. Tiny slithers of fish are served with the component parts of tartare sauce scattered over the long thin plate. When they combine together in your mouth you are unexpectedly transported to the Godlen Hind on Marylebone Lane! Highly unusual. Great success.

Lobster:

Wow. So clever. With a fair amount of American fanfare a large bowl was placed front of me with a slightly smaller bowl inside. The outside bowl had a sprig of mint and spearmint jutting out of it. The inside bowl contained an instensely flavoured lobster and pea broth with a lobster foam. The server elaborately poured some boiling water into the outside bowl which caught hold of the mint sprigs and forced all of their refreshing vapours straight up my nostrils like a big, pleasant, hit of Morocco! Memories came flooding back of long afternoons walking around the Medina and causal breakfasts in our Riad. Then when I tasted the lobster broth I was in Rick Stein heaven! The chunks of lobster were soft and sweet. The liquid itself was deep and smooth. Much finer than a typical lobster broth and depth charged with something called ramps - apparently they are a type of leek that is native to the Chicago area. It was a work of genius. My only criticism was that the peas were hard and chewy. For some reason I felt compelled to tell the sommelier. But only because he asked. I was astonished when appeared back minutes later with the chef's appologies! Only in America. If Ramsay was down there he would have thrown me out there and then!

Wagyu Beef:

I have had wagyu beef before and was deeply disappointed. Not this time. Disappointment simply wasn't an option. Whilst I was waiting for my chicken and garlic soup, a gentleman all in black very earnestly put a bizarre looking frozen thing on my table and explained in great detail that it was a slice of wagyu beef frozen in liquid nitrogen and should be left to defrost at my table. Then when the time was right a scorching hot oblong plate arrived with a cube of potato on that looked as lonely as I must have done! It was wrapped in a very thing slice of black truffle. 2 waiters performed the ritual of folding the now defrosted wagyu beef over the top of the warm truffled potato and hot plate. The marbled meat gently let go of some of its fat and yielded to the warmth to take the chill off. A third waiter, the most senior of the now triumvirate ceremoniosly spooned some vinagerette over the beef and then crowned it with 2 thyme leaves. Wow. What a theatrical experience. A minute later it was all gone and I was sighing with approval. Delicious. The temperature of the raw wagyu beef meant that it simply melted in mouth and the truffle left my mouth feeling like it had just french kissed a whore house - in a good way! The thyme and vinagrette then cleaned away the delicious filth and left me wanting seconds!

Bacon:

Erm. Bit of a weird one. Out came a device looking like it had been used by the CIA as some sort of rendition initiation or as a brace for someone who had broken their neck. From the high wire dangled a slice of crispy bacon topped with an apple and butterscotch glaze designed to bring back memories of the bacon and wafles you had for breakfast - or so the waiter told me when I asked what the idea was. Very cool. Very photogenic. Very tasty. Nice story too.

Persimmon:

Having no idea what persimmon was I soon discovered when I put the myriad component parts in my mouth that this was Hansel and Grettel on a plate. It was a deconstruced ginger bread cake. Very clever. Big round flavours.

Chocolate:

Very hard to describe - but I'll have a go. Raw egg yoke in a sphere that oozes everywhere as soon as your curious spoon gets close. A chocolate shell surrounding a loose creamy centre that was delicious. And then a bunch of smokey salt spots drizzled around the plate. In addition a bit of dried orange peel added an architectural flourish. Fantastically rich feel in the mouth and stunning presentation.

Having bored you to death with my gushings about what I liked I'd better explain why I haven't reviewed each course. Essentially, whilst everything was really interesting to eat and experience, I didn't feel it was all perfect either in its execution or its conception.

Fava Beans was something you had to see to believe. But was bland to taste and I didn't understand the idea.

Hot Potato was a medley of hot and cold potato with what tasted like a mushroom soup. I got the feeling it was being clever for the sake of it and wasn't really going anywhere. Essentially like eating a punctuation mark.

Short ribs were oh so tender and tasty. But the combination of peanut butter and Guinness seems wrong. Maybe my palette is too basic. I took some time trying to work it out and decided it was like in MasterChef when Gregg and John tell the participant that what they've done would be great as two different dishes - but not on the same plate. Beef and peanut = satay beef. Great. Beef and Guinness = a classic. But all together tastes like a badly edited Wikipedia entry. Full of clever stuff. But unreliable and confusing.

Lamb was similarly complex. Again it may have been my stupidity but it was a collection of 4 or 5 dishes in one that baffled rather than delighted. Lamb with mint. Fine. Lamb with mushroom. Fine. Lamb with red wine. Fine. Lamb with red pepper reduction. Fine. Lamb with smoked walnut. Really interesting. All together on one plate? Weird. No wonder the menu listed this as "diverse embellishments"!

Rhubarb appeared in the form of a spherical shot with ginger and basil. It was stunningly refreshing and I am told is a parody of an American ice cream. But the waitress cleared away my glass whilst I was still eating it. Why? Just to be efficient? It's probably an American thing. But I found it incredibly rude.

Don't get me wrong. I loved the experience. It was fascinating and delicious. Having eaten at the Fat Duck and El Bulli I am lucky to be able to place this meal in context. El Bulli is insurparsable. And the Fat Duck probably is too. But this was good. It lacked consistency. Whereas there were themes and riffs running through the experience at the Fat Duck and El Bulli the menu at Alinea doesn't seem to have the same fluidity. Whereas El Bulli constantly surprises and plays the menu at Alinea is more expected in the flavour deparment and relies more on visual techniques. El Bulli pushed my culinary boundaries into places I had never been before. Alinea didn't. It was far safer. At times Alinea over-complicated to the extent that you don't get the idea.

I have been wanting to go to Alinea for around a year now and am delighted to have had the opportunity. It was a very special evening. Being alone gave me the chance to really think about each mouthful which is not really what eating is all about. And as a result, maybe I have been overly critical. The highlights such as the lobster and wagyu beef will stay with me for life and the bits that confused are just me being a snooty food snob.

Ta-Ze Olives and Olive Oil - Ta-Ze Means Fresh... Literally, it's Turkish by IAgne

IAgne — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:27:10 +0000

Review by IAgne

Rating: 5.00

Phone: 312 527 2576

Website: www.ta-ze.com

Tags: mediterranean

Few should need to hear more than the words "free tasting bar" before they get excited about this quaint mall boutique. But if that doesn't quite do it for you this tasting bar is typically manned by an extremely knowledgeable staff that is more than eager to answer all of your questions. Need to know they difference between extra-virgin and virgin oils? They know it. Need to know which oil would go best with your Aunt Sally's famous salad dressing? They know it. Need to know the winner of the 2009 superbowl? Well, they don't know that, but if they did I'm sure they'd tell you.

Still not convinced? Well then you're a cynic, but irregardless there's even more to love. Aside from a line of wonderful body products all containing high amounts of skin nourishing olive oil, the store is located right below a mall Chinese restaurant and right above a boutique chocolate shop! So even if you don't think olive oil is your thing, I highly recommend stopping by this gourmet food shop before you make your way upstairs to grab a plate of orange chicken. It's well worth the trip!Few should need to hear more than the words "free tasting bar" before they get excited about this quaint mall boutique. But if that doesn't quite do it for you this tasting bar is typically manned by an extremely knowledgeable staff that is more than eager to answer all of your questions. Need to know they difference between extra-virgin and virgin oils? They know it. Need to know which oil would go best with your Aunt Sally's famous salad dressing? They know it. Need to know the winner of the 2009 superbowl? Well, they don't know that, but if they did I'm sure they'd tell you.

Still not convinced? Well then you're a cynic, but irregardless there's even more to love. Aside from a line of wonderful body products all containing high amounts of skin nourishing olive oil, the store is located right below a mall Chinese restaurant and right above a boutique chocolate shop! So even if you don't think olive oil is your thing, I highly recommend stopping by this gourmet food shop before you make your way upstairs to grab a plate of orange chicken. It's well worth the trip!

Big Bowl - Big Bowl by JohnPower

JohnPower — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 22:17:24 +0000

Review by JohnPower

Rating: 3.00

Tags: relaxed, lively, friendly

Reasonably good Asian food at a reasonable price. Unfortunately it has the slick feel of being a member of the 'Lettuce Entertain You' chain of restaurants. If you want good cheap Asian food go to Argyle Street. This place is too full of yuppies, given its Gold Coast location.Reasonably good Asian food at a reasonable price. Unfortunately it has the slick feel of being a member of the 'Lettuce Entertain You' chain of restaurants. If you want good cheap Asian food go to Argyle Street. This place is too full of yuppies, given its Gold Coast location.

Yoshi's Cafe - Yoshi's Cafe by JohnPower

JohnPower — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 21:10:12 +0000

Review by JohnPower

Rating: 5.00

Phone: (773) 248-6160

Website: http://www.yoshiscafe.com/yoshiscafe/

This is the one restaurant in Chicago we always end up going back to. The food is American with an Asian flair (wonderful but expensive Kobe beef). Their homemade green tea ice cream is the best we've tasted. The dishes are always interesting and tasty. The prices are middling expensive but good value for moneyThis is the one restaurant in Chicago we always end up going back to. The food is American with an Asian flair (wonderful but expensive Kobe beef). Their homemade green tea ice cream is the best we've tasted. The dishes are always interesting and tasty. The prices are middling expensive but good value for money

Pick Me Up Cafe - Great ambiance, amazing food, great prices.. right out of a movie by StevenChu

StevenChu — Wed, 25 Jul 2007 15:27:57 +0000

Review by StevenChu

Rating: 5.00

Tags: american, cozy, cultured

I can say nothing but great things about this place. It's that restaurant a young couple would go to in a romantic movie late at night.

It has a quirky, off beat look that makes it very cozy and warm to be in.

Food is great whenever. Can't go wrong with the brunch menu, nor dinner menu. great desserts as well.

You can enjoy specialities like pizza made on pita bread.

Great place to study or enjoy a relaxed night or read a book.

Organic/vegan friendly.

Attractive wait staff.

Open 24 hours. *love*I can say nothing but great things about this place. It's that restaurant a young couple would go to in a romantic movie late at night.

It has a quirky, off beat look that makes it very cozy and warm to be in.

Food is great whenever. Can't go wrong with the brunch menu, nor dinner menu. great desserts as well.

You can enjoy specialities like pizza made on pita bread.

Great place to study or enjoy a relaxed night or read a book.

Organic/vegan friendly.

Attractive wait staff.

Open 24 hours. *love*

Lavazza Cafe - Authentic Italian Cafe in the Loop by lisas

lisas — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 04:12:29 +0000

Review by lisas

Rating: 5.00

Tags: italian, lively, good value

It was really by chance that I got into Lavazza Cafe'! It was cold and needed a coffee to warm me up. I saw a Lavazza sign and thought of going there instead of the easy Starbucks option.

I had a fantastic Cappuccino and also met about 20 people that welcomed me and made me feel at home, even in freezing Chicago. And the owner is very nice as well. I didn't try any of the cakes, but they looked very good, and I saw Nutella as well....highly recommended!!! It was really by chance that I got into Lavazza Cafe'! It was cold and needed a coffee to warm me up. I saw a Lavazza sign and thought of going there instead of the easy Starbucks option.

I had a fantastic Cappuccino and also met about 20 people that welcomed me and made me feel at home, even in freezing Chicago. And the owner is very nice as well. I didn't try any of the cakes, but they looked very good, and I saw Nutella as well....highly recommended!!!

Spuntinos Pizza - My Wednesday Relief! by Jgubbins207

Jgubbins207 — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 04:16:10 +0000

Review by Jgubbins207

Rating: 5.00

Phone: (847) 696-0282

Website: http://www.spuntinopizza.com/

Tags: american, italian, good value

Spuntino's was a find I made about 6 months ago driving around on my lunch break looking for a hot dog. What I found was so much more! This is a wonderful family Italian resturant. They have everything on there menu from subs, to pasta, to the best 1/2 pound Hamburger on the planet! Their fires are to die for! I never leave hungry. There pizza specials are awesome and at great prices. And where else can you get a half pound burger for $2 anywhere in a 50 mile radius. Simply awesome! Don't let the small hot dog stand apperance fool you. Inside is nicely decorated and clean. The staff is friendly and always polite! Try this place today!Spuntino's was a find I made about 6 months ago driving around on my lunch break looking for a hot dog. What I found was so much more! This is a wonderful family Italian resturant. They have everything on there menu from subs, to pasta, to the best 1/2 pound Hamburger on the planet! Their fires are to die for! I never leave hungry. There pizza specials are awesome and at great prices. And where else can you get a half pound burger for $2 anywhere in a 50 mile radius. Simply awesome! Don't let the small hot dog stand apperance fool you. Inside is nicely decorated and clean. The staff is friendly and always polite! Try this place today!