Chicago Restaurant Reviews: Drinks!

 Restaurant reviews continue....when I did my top Seattle restaurant reviews before I moved, I felt confident that I could give a proper overview that most other locals would agree with.  This is not the case for Chicago, despite my best efforts in going out to eat WAY too much.  This review of restaurants in Chicago is not written as one who claims to be an expert, but instead as a person who loves food and is just discovering all this wild city has to offer.  I’ve reviewed restaurants here that I go to again and again and are all part of the reason that I love living in Chicago so very much.  If you don’t see one of your favorites, then maybe I haven’t been…..or maybe I went and didn’t like it   ;)  

Up next:  my favorite places to 'grab a drink':

RMChampagne Room

116 North Green St 

I found RM Champagne when they followed me on Twitter.  Me:  champagne?  I’m in.  And I’ve been going there ever since.  The cheese plates and candy selection bar are novel, but I come here for the unique atmosphere and bubbly.  It is a great place for a date or a drink while you’re waiting to get into another Randolf Street restaurant.  The servers are all looking very dapper, dressed in suspenders and other hipster-chic attire, the service is quick and professional, and the drink menu is very decent.  You’ll have to find the entrance marked by a subtly placed doorman, microphone in ear, walk down an alley and up the stairs.  I would suggest a reservation if you’re going with a big party, but not if you go early or just want to stand at the bar.  One of my favorite things about RM…they always return my Tweets!  And I always Tweet when I’m there.  @RMchampagne

VioletHour

1520 N Damen Ave  

The Violet Hour has “rules” which I enjoy but at times wish were stricter, like when we recently got sat next to three fellow diners who spent the entire evening on their individual phones texting.  Me: “You’re not allowed to be on your phones in here, correct?”  Server:  “You can text, you just can’t talk”.  Change it Violet Hour!  The dark coziness and intimacy of conversation among friends is what makes this place so great.  Plus, the seating can be close given the big communal couches.   I’ve never eaten here; I prefer to pop next door and have tacos at Big Star, but coming in for an early beverage seems to work very well as I don’t like waiting outside in the cold for that long on display.  Unmarked door off the Damen Blue Line stop with an ever-changing mural painted on the outside, you will usually see a line of smartly-dressed young professionals lined up outside.  If you don’t see a line, it’s time to stop by.  Don’t like gin?  Don’t like tequila?  The Violet Hour may change your mind with their plethora of unique cocktails worth taking a risk on.  

Tip:  T.S. Eliot wrote a dark poem called The Waste Land in 1922 referencing the “Violet Hour”:

At the violet hour, when the eyes and back	215
Turn upward from the desk, when the human engine waits
Like a taxi throbbing waiting,
I Tiresias, though blind, throbbing between two lives,
Old man with wrinkled female breasts, can see
At the violet hour, the evening hour that strives	220
Homeward, and brings the sailor home from sea,
The typist home at tea-time, clears her breakfast, lights
Her stove, and lays out food in tins.
Out of the window perilously spread
Her drying combinations touched by the sun’s last rays,	225
On the divan are piled (at night her bed)
Stockings, slippers, camisoles, and stays.

Telegraph 

2601 N. Milwaukee Ave 

 

Basque is hard for me because of the meat-heavy dishes.  To be honest, I’ve never eaten at Telegraph but it is a destination for me to have a glass of wine with a friend at the bar.  There is a wine there that tastes like minerals and it is fantastically fascinating:  côtes-du-rhône brèzeme, France.  The dryness and unique flavor always has me asking for another glass; it literally tastes like you are licking a slab of limestone…in a good way.  Every time I’ve been here, the bartenders are so helpful, offering advice on the menu without being overly chatty.  They play music so good that it makes me stay longer.  Modest Mouse croons as I sip my minerally French-Basque red.  I love this place on a dark, rainy night.

 

Chicago Restaurant Reviews: Pizza!

When I did my top Seattle restaurant reviews before I moved in 2011, I felt confident that I could give a proper overview that most other locals would agree with.  This is not the case for Chicago, despite my best efforts in going out to eat WAY too much.  First, I’ve only been in Chicago two years and I was in Seattle for 10.  Second, I was in the restaurant industry in Seattle and now I work in a medical clinic in Chicago.  Third, Seattle is a fraction of the size of Chicago.  There are neighborhoods I’ve never even been to yet and restaurants undiscovered.  

This review of restaurants in Chicago is not written as one who claims to be an expert, but instead as a person who loves food and is just discovering all this wild city has to offer.   Keep in mind I’m 95% veggie so these reviews are slanted towards my personal dietary preferences.  I’ve reviewed restaurants here that I go to again and again and are all part of the reason that I love living in Chicago so very much.  If you don’t see one of your favorites, then maybe I haven’t been…..or maybe I went and didn’t like it   ;) 

I'll start with the obvious:  pizza.  Many more reviews to come this month!  Stay tuned.....

Pequods

2207 N. Clybourn Ave   

When people ask me what I like best about living in Chicago, I usually answer:  Pequods pizza.  FYI, what I like least about living in Chicago is the traffic but Cest’ la vie.  I am deep dish obsessed and while LouMalnati’s is a second runner up, Pequods is my favorite.  It’s the crust with caramelized cheese around the edge, bubbling over the black pan….we always get spinach and mushroom and sometimes sausage which I pick off but others seem to love.  The owner is almost always at the front desk and his staff of young, blonde girls is almost always helpful and polite.  They are incredibly busy and you will generally wait 45-60 minutes any night of the week.  This is a big Blackhawk’s restaurant which is fun during the season. 

Tip:  you can put in your order ahead of time so you don’t have to wait so long for the pizza to arrive once you’re sat.  Their bar is too busy to wait in, so you can pop next door to the ever-revolving new bar with your buzzer.  As much as I love Pequods, I have had several bad experiences while sitting upstairs.  The best tables are the round ones up in front on the first floor by the windows but then again, you often don’t have much of a choice.  Don’t waste your time with thin crust….deep dish is where it’s at here.  Good flat screens for sports as well – so very Chicago!

 

Pizza Serio  (1708 W. Belmont Ave) is where we go for thin crust.  It is on Belmont/Paulina and is also family-owned.  This is a better place for bigger parties but also gets quite crowded on the weekends.  Make a reservation just in case.  Their basic pizzas are delicious;  I suggest Margarita or Spinach pizza.  Local beers on tap, a good salad selection, and you don’t need dessert because Scooter’s custard is right next door.

 

Pear-berry Ginger Crisp

This is a great spring dessert.  You could use any fruit (pears, apples, plums) and berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries) that are in season at the time.  It is gluten-free (be sure to get gluten-free oats if this is important to you!), dairy-free, and more spicy than sweet.  The natural flavors of whole ingredients really comes through.  Enjoy -

Ingredients

Filling:

2 pounds fresh, ripe pears (peeled, sliced)

1 pound organic strawberries, cut in half

2 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp powdered ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

½ cup organic maple syrup

Topping:

¼ cup organic maple syrup

3 Tbsp almond butter

2 Tbsp un-sweetened applesauce (I used the “mixed berry” kind)

1 tsp real vanilla extract

1.5 cups rolled oats

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line an 8x8 glass baking pan with parchment paper, making sure it covers all sides completely.
3. Place fruit in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.  Place in baking pan.  Drizzle evenly with syrup.
4. Prepare topping:  use a fork to stir together syrup, butter, applesauce, and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. 
5. Sprinkle topping over fruit mixture.  Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Reduce heat to 350 and bake an additional 20 minutes.  Serve warm.