My Recent Chicago 'Culinary/Cocktail' based trip...

[Tooch4321]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

If you can endure the calling (and calling and calling and calling), it is IMO the best restaurant for the money in Chicago.

+1,000,000 on schwa and it's within walking distance from my condo! love the publican, i had a chance of working with Paul Kahan last weekend and we talked about BBQ and he even emailed the recipe for the chicken they do at the publican.

 

[burningbright]

Originally Posted by Tooch4321

+1,000,000 on schwa and it's within walking distance from my condo! love the publican, i had a chance of working with Paul Kahan last weekend and we talked about BBQ and he even emailed the recipe for the chicken they do at the publican.

...and you will now disclose this recipe, yes? I love eating at the Publican for many reasons (their Farm Chicken is one of them), but I was really impressed that their produce is actually pulled from the Sheriff's Garden, a gardening program used to teach horticulture skills to inmates. A great rehabilitation program that I hope will get these guys some legitimate jobs once they've finished their time. Always glad to see local businesses supporting the community in that way.

Seriously though, if you wouldn't mind pming me that recipe....

p.s. Murph, glad you got to eat at Lao's. Their chefs can make virtually any Mandarin (and most Cantonese) dish you can think of. Great staff too.

 

[SirSuturesALot]

+1, PM me with the recipe pleasee

 

[ld111134]

Schwa is on my list (it's around the corner from our place in Wicker Park), then Alinea. I still need to go to Everest and Les Nomades too.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by robin

I'm surprised by the presentation of some of the Alinea dishes... I would probably need to have a good stiff drink before having to sit through all of that.
But it's terrific, really really entertaining as well as delicious.

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by ld111134

Schwa is on my list (it's around the corner from our place in Wicker Park), then Alinea. I still need to go to Everest and Les Nomades too.
Schwa IMO is a relaxed version of Alinea, and great in its own way. I went to both Everest and Les Nomades for the first time when I was in Chicago last Christmas. I loved them both, and was surprised that I hadn't been before then. You'll like all three and when you make it to Alinea it will knock your socks off. Enjoy!

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by RPMcMurphy

My wife and I went to Chicago right before Christmas last year and despite it being a blizzard and cold, we absolutely LOVED it.​

Thanks for the pics and reviews. Glad you had a great time. This is what I call a great trip.​

 

[ld111134]

Originally Posted by JayJay

Schwa IMO is a relaxed version of Alinea, and great in its own way. I went to both Everest and Les Nomades for the first when I was in Chicago last Christmas. I loved them both, and was surprised that I hadn't been before then. You'll like all three and when you make it to Alinea it will knock your socks off. Enjoy!

I met Everest's Chef Jean Joho at Brasserie JO when we had our sartorial meet-up there last October. He's very personable and funny.

Chicago Ron and I went to L2O a while back and we were blown away...we're trying to coordinate a visit to Schwa.

I took my wife to Charlie Trotter's for her birthday and we were underwealmed - the room is small, quiet and the service is very formal (fair enough) but the food didn't sweep us off our feet.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by iammatt

WT

. We are still going, right?

I'm invited right?

 

[dhc905]

If any of you fellow chicago folks want to get dinner at any of the following of my personal favorite restaurants, pm me and I'm down:

- Avec
- Osteria Via stato (although I've been meaning to try that other italian place on clark that kwili raves about)
- May Street Market
- Irazu (costa rican place on milwaukee, may be misspelled)
- and of course, Rock and Roll McDonalds!

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by dhc905

If any of you fellow chicago folks want to get dinner at any of the following of my personal favorite restaurants, pm me and I'm down:

- Avec
- Osteria Via stato (although I've been meaning to try that other italian place on clark that kwili raves about)
- May Street Market
- Irazu (costa rican place on milwaukee, may be misspelled)
- and of course, Rock and Roll McDonalds!

Riccardo Trattoria! I went there with 3 SF'ers about a year ago and then went back with my parents. Really, really good.

Is May Street Market good? I live less than a block from it and have always wondered about it.

 

[Tooch4321]

Avec is closed at least until the next week and for everyone who wants to know about the chicken. The secret is SALT, no brines, no marinades, no special rubs, just SALT I kid you not! He salt rubs each piece of chicken at least 6 hours prior to cooking and then cooks it on their wood fire grill...

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by ld111134

I took my wife to Charlie Trotter's for her birthday and we were underwealmed - the room is small, quiet and the service is very formal (fair enough) but the food didn't sweep us off our feet.
I was not impressed the last time I was there which I believe was last fall. It was good and all, but nothing special.

 

[dhc905]

That's it, Riccardo...

May Street is pretty good - I recommend going Sun-Wednesday because it's BYOB - and having gone to countless relatively expensive but not super pricey places in Chicago I think it's one of the best (to give you an idea, I'd put Eve, Sable, Cafe Babareeba, Hub51, most of the gastropubs, and most Indian and Italian places [dinner], in the same category). Service and food were both above average against said comp set, but nothing that will blow your mind the way Avec can.

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

Riccardo Trattoria! I went there with 3 SF'ers about a year ago and then went back with my parents. Really, really good.

Is May Street Market good? I live less than a block from it and have always wondered about it.

 

[ld111134]

Originally Posted by dhc905

That's it, Riccardo...

May Street is pretty good - I recommend going Sun-Wednesday because it's BYOB - and having gone to countless relatively expensive but not super pricey places in Chicago I think it's one of the best (to give you an idea, I'd put Eve, Sable, Cafe Babareeba, Hub51, most of the gastropubs, and most Indian and Italian places [dinner], in the same category). Service and food were both above average against said comp set, but nothing that will blow your mind the way Avec can.

We're going to Taratino's on Armitage tomorrow before Steppenwolf. We wanted to go to Riccardo's (for the second time) but they only had a 5:00 p.m. reservation on OpenTable, and that's too early.

Count me in on any SF dinner gathering. I live in Wicker Park but haven't been to Irazu.