I made a trip to Chicago recently, which means more Chicago restaurant reviews! (Of course, I could've also solved this by finally writing about the Chicago restaurants I've been to and haven't talked about. But I'm moving on.)
Alex wanted to make sure he ate a classic Chicago hot dog before he left the city, which is why we made the journey to Hot Doug's. We had done some research and concluded that this was one of the more beloved hot dog places in the city. It's really far from Hyde Park, though, so we'd been reluctant to go all the way there. A month ago or so, we went to Bridgeport, which was much closer to another hot dog place we'd read about. But the hot dogs, while yummy, didn't really have all the Chicago hot dog toppings.
So we went to Hot Doug's, which is on 3324 N. California, or a bus, two trains, and a long walk away from Hyde Park. Chicago, more than any other city I've ever lived in (except possibly Cape Town), has made me want to own a car. When we got there, there was a long line out the door, putting our hot dog even further away from us than before. Then, it turned out that Hot Doug's closes at 4. 4 came around, and we were still online. We were concerned that the journey was destined for tragedy, but, fortunately, it turns out that by "closes at 4," it means, "be online at 4 and you won't get turned away." (People really did get turned away.)
The hot dog choices were myriad. There was the classic Chicago hot dog, for which you could choose among many toppings, as well as how it was cooked--char-grilled, steamed, fried, or fried then grilled (or something making an equal amount of sense). There were also lots of other kinds of sausages, as well as daily specials, which were crazy-sounding sausages with crazy-sounding toppings, like "Roasted Red Pepper and Garlic Chicken Sausage with Grainy Dijon Mustard, Ratatouille and Havarti-Dill Cheese." Those sausages were tempting, but at around $7, they were twice as much as the non-specials, so we skipped it.
Alex got a Chicago-style sausage with mustard, raw onion, relish (neon green, in true Chicago fashion), a big dill pickle wedge, sport peppers, and tomatoes. There may be other toppings I'm forgetting. He got his sausage steamed, and it came on the classic poppy-seed bun. It was interesting. I think it was good. It tasted like a salad on top, and it was a fun combination of flavors. But I don't think it's something would get all the time.
I got the "Marty Allen" (all the sausages were named after relatively minor celebrities, except for the hot and really hot ones, which were named after Keira Knightley and Salma Hayek, respectively). It was a beef, pork, and garlic sausage, which I got grilled with mustard and sauerkraut. I got a different kind of bun and different kind of mustard from Alex (mine was dijon, his was normal), which I liked; it showed that the restaurant was really thinking about it. The sausage was actually really good, and I enjoyed the sauerkraut and mustard, too, but I wonder if the whole thing might've been better with grilled onions instead.
Hot Doug's definitely lends itself to repeat visits. Some restaurants you might go to and feel confident you've gotten a really good sense of what they have to offer. But others, you really want to try everything on the menu. Hot Doug's is like that, but you have to try all the various combinations and permutations of everything on the menu, too. There were two men standing on line in front of us. They were both there by themselves, clearly regulars. At first, I was puzzled by why you would wait 45 minutes by yourself for a hot dog. But after eating there, I think I understand.
Oh! Also! We had duck fat fries. Oh my. They're only offered on Fridays and Saturdays. This makes it imperative that you go there on a Friday or a Saturday. They were so good. They were shoestring fries, which I tend to like less, but they were crispy on the outside, but almost juicy on the inside, as the fat drips into the fry. If they had been cooked a little bit less long, I might consider them the best fries I've ever had.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
Brunch at Domku
This is not a post about dinner. It's about brunch, which might be a meal I enjoy more than dinner, and something I should definitely consider writing about more. Domku, a Scandinavian restaurant in Petworth, inspired me.
The place looks more like a coffee shop than a restaurant, but with a really pleasant atmosphere. Emma and I lounged on a couch and put our food on a coffee table. There were multiple, pastel-colored couches, leaning up against brick walls decorated with colorful plates and murals. With its high ceiling and yellow-colored walls, brunch there felt like brunch should: full of daylight.
The food was pretty spectacular. I had a salmon hash, which has a different name in whatever Scandinavian language the menu uses, but I don't remember it. The hash had cooked salmon and potatoes, different herbs and spices, and a sunny-side-up egg on top. Everything was really well-fried and fulfilled my requirements that brunch be as greasy as possible.
Emma had more of a desserty dish, which, I think, if you're not gonna get grease, is the way to go. It was cardamom-spiced waffles, with a flavored cream (sadly, I don't remember the flavor, but it was delicious) and lingonberries on top. It was amazing. Seriously, putting cardamom in waffles was a pretty genius idea. The lingonberries perfectly complemented it too. This is another dish in Petworth worth craving.
I'm excited to go back there for dinner!
The place looks more like a coffee shop than a restaurant, but with a really pleasant atmosphere. Emma and I lounged on a couch and put our food on a coffee table. There were multiple, pastel-colored couches, leaning up against brick walls decorated with colorful plates and murals. With its high ceiling and yellow-colored walls, brunch there felt like brunch should: full of daylight.
The food was pretty spectacular. I had a salmon hash, which has a different name in whatever Scandinavian language the menu uses, but I don't remember it. The hash had cooked salmon and potatoes, different herbs and spices, and a sunny-side-up egg on top. Everything was really well-fried and fulfilled my requirements that brunch be as greasy as possible.
Emma had more of a desserty dish, which, I think, if you're not gonna get grease, is the way to go. It was cardamom-spiced waffles, with a flavored cream (sadly, I don't remember the flavor, but it was delicious) and lingonberries on top. It was amazing. Seriously, putting cardamom in waffles was a pretty genius idea. The lingonberries perfectly complemented it too. This is another dish in Petworth worth craving.
I'm excited to go back there for dinner!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Temperance Hall
I hear my loyal fans are clamoring for more updates, so I thought I would take this opportunity to rave about the grilled cheese sandwiches at Temperance Hall.
Temperance Hall is the only bar in my new neighborhood, Petworth. It's very much a yuppie bar, meant to cater to the gentrifiers, like me. Many argue that, despite this, Temperance Hall has successfully integrated itself into the neighborhood, and has a more mixed clientele than any bar in DC. I'm not ready to pass judgment on whether or not that's true, yet.
But I am ready to talk about the grilled cheese sandwiches. They're amazing. Let's start with the bread. The grilled cheese I've had in the past has either been on normal white bread or (and this is surprisingly good) on rye bread. At Temperance Hall, it's on semolina bread with seeds on the outside, which adds a really delicious sourness to the sandwich. The cheese itself is really high quality cheddar mixed with jack. The sandwich also has tomatoes, which, for me at least, isn't always a good addition, but in this case, they perfectly cut the grease, and are really well-grilled themselves. On top of all that, the sandwich has mustard. I don't know what it is about that that makes it so good, but it's just this amazing tang that really brings the sandwich to the next level. It's fantastic.
The menu also has a delicious $1 starter of spiced peanuts, but the rest of the appetizers seem kind of pricey. Emma had a veggie burger last time, which was good, but maybe a little bit pricey. I have yet to work my way through the rest of the menu (I keep getting stuck at the grilled cheese), but there seems to be a good variety of reasonably-priced vegetarian and meat entrees.
Temperance Hall is also very proud of its drinks. Its draft beer is good, but a little pricey--$6 seems like a lot, even though the beer is fancy. They have cheaper bottles, like $4 Yuengling. They also make classic cocktails, including sidecars and sazeracs. I didn't try either, because I went for the French 75 to be different. I wasn't that impressed, though--it tasted pretty watered down. Rachel has told me that the sidecar is really good, though. Maybe I'll try that next time.
Temperance Hall is only a couple blocks away from me, which makes it really easy for there to be a next time. Having an amazing grilled cheese sandwich that close is definitely one of the best things about my move.
Temperance Hall is the only bar in my new neighborhood, Petworth. It's very much a yuppie bar, meant to cater to the gentrifiers, like me. Many argue that, despite this, Temperance Hall has successfully integrated itself into the neighborhood, and has a more mixed clientele than any bar in DC. I'm not ready to pass judgment on whether or not that's true, yet.
But I am ready to talk about the grilled cheese sandwiches. They're amazing. Let's start with the bread. The grilled cheese I've had in the past has either been on normal white bread or (and this is surprisingly good) on rye bread. At Temperance Hall, it's on semolina bread with seeds on the outside, which adds a really delicious sourness to the sandwich. The cheese itself is really high quality cheddar mixed with jack. The sandwich also has tomatoes, which, for me at least, isn't always a good addition, but in this case, they perfectly cut the grease, and are really well-grilled themselves. On top of all that, the sandwich has mustard. I don't know what it is about that that makes it so good, but it's just this amazing tang that really brings the sandwich to the next level. It's fantastic.
The menu also has a delicious $1 starter of spiced peanuts, but the rest of the appetizers seem kind of pricey. Emma had a veggie burger last time, which was good, but maybe a little bit pricey. I have yet to work my way through the rest of the menu (I keep getting stuck at the grilled cheese), but there seems to be a good variety of reasonably-priced vegetarian and meat entrees.
Temperance Hall is also very proud of its drinks. Its draft beer is good, but a little pricey--$6 seems like a lot, even though the beer is fancy. They have cheaper bottles, like $4 Yuengling. They also make classic cocktails, including sidecars and sazeracs. I didn't try either, because I went for the French 75 to be different. I wasn't that impressed, though--it tasted pretty watered down. Rachel has told me that the sidecar is really good, though. Maybe I'll try that next time.
Temperance Hall is only a couple blocks away from me, which makes it really easy for there to be a next time. Having an amazing grilled cheese sandwich that close is definitely one of the best things about my move.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Goose Island Brewpub
Last night, Alex and I ate dinner (kind of) at one of Goose Island's two brewpubs. We ate at the one on 1800 N. Clybourn. Mostly, we drank beer, as that was kind of the point in going.
Goose Island is a Chicago microbrewery. They bottle some of their beers--I'm a pretty big fan of their 312, which they describe as "urban wheat ale"--while others they only serve at their brewpubs. We'd been told by none other than Richard Berg that what they serve at the brewpubs is much better than what they bottle, so we pretty much had to go.
I started off with their India Pale Ale, continuing a trend I began in Portland of drinking I.P.A.s at brewpubs. I liked theirs a lot, but my beer vocabulary hasn't really expanded enough to say why, other than that it was fruity yet spicy and not too bitter. Alex got the Red ale, which turned out to be a dollar off. Sweet.
Continuing the discount trend, we ordered nachos. From 4-6 pm, Goose Island has half-price appetizers, and I guess we got the nachos in right under the wire, because on the bill, they were half the price. We wanted the nachos because they came with a beer-cheese sauce. I couldn't really taste the beer, but it was a delicious cheese sauce. It was a little richer and not as salty--just generally less junk-foody--than most.
Then we had a beer flight! Goose Island, being creative, allows you to order 4 5-oz. beers for $6. They come in these cute little glasses with instructions on the side about how to taste beer. The beers are placed on a place mat, with circles for where the glasses go, with their names written in underneath, and then lots more instructions on how to taste and describe beers. Apparently, you can sort beers into seasons, as well as into wheat, spicy, and some other categories I don't remember. (I'm never going to be a serious beer drinker at this rate.) We drank a winter wheat ale, a hefeweizen, something with the words midwest and bitter in it, and a porter of some sort. They were all good, but I think I liked the wheat ales the best.
After that, we were so full of beer and nachos that we didn't get any more food, which is why I say we kind of ate dinner there. But nachos hardly count, even though they were yummy. Hopefully this is a legitimate blog post anyway.
Goose Island is a Chicago microbrewery. They bottle some of their beers--I'm a pretty big fan of their 312, which they describe as "urban wheat ale"--while others they only serve at their brewpubs. We'd been told by none other than Richard Berg that what they serve at the brewpubs is much better than what they bottle, so we pretty much had to go.
I started off with their India Pale Ale, continuing a trend I began in Portland of drinking I.P.A.s at brewpubs. I liked theirs a lot, but my beer vocabulary hasn't really expanded enough to say why, other than that it was fruity yet spicy and not too bitter. Alex got the Red ale, which turned out to be a dollar off. Sweet.
Continuing the discount trend, we ordered nachos. From 4-6 pm, Goose Island has half-price appetizers, and I guess we got the nachos in right under the wire, because on the bill, they were half the price. We wanted the nachos because they came with a beer-cheese sauce. I couldn't really taste the beer, but it was a delicious cheese sauce. It was a little richer and not as salty--just generally less junk-foody--than most.
Then we had a beer flight! Goose Island, being creative, allows you to order 4 5-oz. beers for $6. They come in these cute little glasses with instructions on the side about how to taste beer. The beers are placed on a place mat, with circles for where the glasses go, with their names written in underneath, and then lots more instructions on how to taste and describe beers. Apparently, you can sort beers into seasons, as well as into wheat, spicy, and some other categories I don't remember. (I'm never going to be a serious beer drinker at this rate.) We drank a winter wheat ale, a hefeweizen, something with the words midwest and bitter in it, and a porter of some sort. They were all good, but I think I liked the wheat ales the best.
After that, we were so full of beer and nachos that we didn't get any more food, which is why I say we kind of ate dinner there. But nachos hardly count, even though they were yummy. Hopefully this is a legitimate blog post anyway.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
La Condesa
Last night, Alex, Sasha, and I ate at La Condesa at 1001 N. Ashland. (Interesting note: Every review of La Condesa I found--TOC, Metromix, Trib--all gave only this address for the restaurant. But once we got there, we saw that it was a chain, with several locations on the west and southwest sides. 1001 N. Ashland is in a rapidly gentrifying area, while these other places remain largely working-class Latino neighborhoods. Hmm.)
Anyway, we went there because it was on TOC's list of the Top 5 margaritas in the city. The other places on the list either didn't serve food or served rather expensive food (or rather expensive margaritas), so we went to this one. And the margarita was really good. It definitely used fresh lime juice and had a good balance of flavors, though it was probably on the sweeter, less alcoholy side. We ordered a pitcher because it seemed more cost-efficient, and we certainly got a pitcher. In fact, we got three full glasses plus a beer-sized pitcher. The pitcher had a decent amount of ice in it, which probably saved us from really feeling the effects.
The food was really good too. I ate chicken flautas, which came with rice and beans and sour cream and guacamole. I really like the deep-fried goodness of flautas, but I wasn't really a fan of their chicken filling. It was kind of stringy. I think that always happens to me when I order chicken at Mexican food places, though, so I should learn to just not do it. Everything else, though, was excellent. The guacamole was relatively smooth and not too full of cilantro, just the way I like it.
Alex had cheese enchiladas. I had a moment of panic when I first looked through the menu and couldn't find anything vegetarian, and the seafood options were pricey. But then I spotted the enchiladas and felt much better about life. They had several varieties of sauces for the enchiladas. Alex got the Suiza sauce. We don't know what that means, but it was good. The enchiladas were loaded with cheese and cream and more cheese--I think several different kinds of cheese. Yummy.
Sasha had beef tacos. She said they were really good, but I didn't try them. Sasha and I both really wanted ceviche, so we split an appetizer of their shrimp version (Alex had some too). It was pretty good; I especially liked the addition of avocado to the fish and tomatoes. I think I prefer non-shrimp ceviche, though. I think it pickles better and has a better texture.
The chips and salsa they gave us at the beginning were pretty delicious too. I'm not a big salsa person, since it's usually too spicy for me, but I really liked this one. It had nice big pieces of tomatoes and onions, good for piling on a chip.
I think the margaritas were the best part though. They were really good.
Anyway, we went there because it was on TOC's list of the Top 5 margaritas in the city. The other places on the list either didn't serve food or served rather expensive food (or rather expensive margaritas), so we went to this one. And the margarita was really good. It definitely used fresh lime juice and had a good balance of flavors, though it was probably on the sweeter, less alcoholy side. We ordered a pitcher because it seemed more cost-efficient, and we certainly got a pitcher. In fact, we got three full glasses plus a beer-sized pitcher. The pitcher had a decent amount of ice in it, which probably saved us from really feeling the effects.
The food was really good too. I ate chicken flautas, which came with rice and beans and sour cream and guacamole. I really like the deep-fried goodness of flautas, but I wasn't really a fan of their chicken filling. It was kind of stringy. I think that always happens to me when I order chicken at Mexican food places, though, so I should learn to just not do it. Everything else, though, was excellent. The guacamole was relatively smooth and not too full of cilantro, just the way I like it.
Alex had cheese enchiladas. I had a moment of panic when I first looked through the menu and couldn't find anything vegetarian, and the seafood options were pricey. But then I spotted the enchiladas and felt much better about life. They had several varieties of sauces for the enchiladas. Alex got the Suiza sauce. We don't know what that means, but it was good. The enchiladas were loaded with cheese and cream and more cheese--I think several different kinds of cheese. Yummy.
Sasha had beef tacos. She said they were really good, but I didn't try them. Sasha and I both really wanted ceviche, so we split an appetizer of their shrimp version (Alex had some too). It was pretty good; I especially liked the addition of avocado to the fish and tomatoes. I think I prefer non-shrimp ceviche, though. I think it pickles better and has a better texture.
The chips and salsa they gave us at the beginning were pretty delicious too. I'm not a big salsa person, since it's usually too spicy for me, but I really liked this one. It had nice big pieces of tomatoes and onions, good for piling on a chip.
I think the margaritas were the best part though. They were really good.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Ghareeb Nawaz
Last night, Alex and I ate at Ghareeb Nawaz at 2032 W. Devon Ave. It was a post-Indian-grocery-shopping excursion. I think we picked it because we were looking at a very short TimeOut Chicago list, and this seemed the most attractive. There's definitely a more extensive TOC list here that we should be sure to check out some restaurants on.
Still, it was incredibly delicious and incredibly cheap. I had the vegetarian thali, for $3.50. It came with rice, paratha (which didn't taste too different from when I made it for dinner with Josh Scodel, yay), and raita, which I think are three of my favorite foods. And then there was a sampler of four dishes. I'm going to have to guess what they were. There was definitely daal, which was really good, but still not quite what Lutful's mother makes. There was chana masala, I think--there was definitely a spicy and delicious chickpea dish. There was a spicy eggplant and tomato dish, which was also good, and there was a last thing too, which I'm forgetting entirely.
I don't remember what Alex had, but I do remember that it was $2 and he got naan for another 50 cents. It had the word spicy in the title, and was like a spicy lentil soup. It was really good with the naan. It came with raita as well (yay again). (Alex, if you remember any of these things, can you comment? This is why I actually have to write things that happened last night!) It was a good thing Alex was there, generally, because the portions were large, especially my thali. He ended up eating his dish plus like half of mine. As I said, the prices were really really good.
The restaurant itself was pretty spare. You ordered at a counter and ate at cafeteria-style booths. The walls were decorated with pictures of the hajj, so it's probably a fair bet that the owners were Pakistani.
The one other fantastic thing about last night's dinner was how excellent our timing was with the rain. It rained while we were in the restaurant and while we were on the El, but it barely rained on us!
Still, it was incredibly delicious and incredibly cheap. I had the vegetarian thali, for $3.50. It came with rice, paratha (which didn't taste too different from when I made it for dinner with Josh Scodel, yay), and raita, which I think are three of my favorite foods. And then there was a sampler of four dishes. I'm going to have to guess what they were. There was definitely daal, which was really good, but still not quite what Lutful's mother makes. There was chana masala, I think--there was definitely a spicy and delicious chickpea dish. There was a spicy eggplant and tomato dish, which was also good, and there was a last thing too, which I'm forgetting entirely.
I don't remember what Alex had, but I do remember that it was $2 and he got naan for another 50 cents. It had the word spicy in the title, and was like a spicy lentil soup. It was really good with the naan. It came with raita as well (yay again). (Alex, if you remember any of these things, can you comment? This is why I actually have to write things that happened last night!) It was a good thing Alex was there, generally, because the portions were large, especially my thali. He ended up eating his dish plus like half of mine. As I said, the prices were really really good.
The restaurant itself was pretty spare. You ordered at a counter and ate at cafeteria-style booths. The walls were decorated with pictures of the hajj, so it's probably a fair bet that the owners were Pakistani.
The one other fantastic thing about last night's dinner was how excellent our timing was with the rain. It rained while we were in the restaurant and while we were on the El, but it barely rained on us!
Heartland Cafe and Paleteria La Monarca
Last night, Alex and I ate at Heartland Cafe. (That's a total lie, obviously, since I just said that last night we had Indian food. But we're going to go with it.)
Heartland Cafe, on Thursday nights, has $2.50 pints of Rogue beer. So we had a couple of pints each of Dead Guy. Actually, Alex had a couple of pints, but I could never get the waitress' attention to get my second. It's probably for the best. Alex and I like Dead Guy, but the big fan of it is my dad. We brought some back for him from Portland, and he told me that he thought it was really, really excellent. My dad can be a harsh critic, too.
I had a philly cheese steak-like sandwich that was made with portobello mushrooms instead of steak. It was really good. I have to say, every vegetarian philly cheese steak variation I've ever had (like those awesome vegetarian philly cheese steaks at the USAS conference) is far better than its meaty counterpart. But it's entirely possible I've never had an actually good cheese steak. Maybe in good ones, the meat would be less stringy and gross. I got sweet potato fries on the side, which were good, but I've had better. They didn't quite match the flavorfulness and crispyness of the Zen Palate ones.
Alex had a spicy bean burger and cornbread stuffing. His burger was quite good, though much of it fell off the bun, which was a little unfortunate. I've gotten really interested in variations on veggie burgers. (Another post, maybe?) The stuffing was good, too, though maybe a little dry. I'm not sure about that, though. I think it was dry if you're calling it stuffing, but it was definitely yummy if you're calling it something else.
What was really nice about Heartland Cafe was its outdoor patio. It was on a really leafy street right by the Morse El stop. It was a great place to sit and watch the neighborhood go by. Also, the Heartland Cafe is known for its support of progressive causes. In the bathroom, there were signs up for a "prostration for peace" protest on the Rogers Park beach. We had missed it, though. I think that's okay. The bookstore seemed to have lots of interesting books, newspapers, and magazines, but I wasn't really in the mood to check them out.
Paleteria La Monarca is at 6955 N. Clark, and was in the Time Out Chicago list of food to check out on Clark St. in Rogers Park. It's a Mexican bakery, but not really your typical one, as they also sell ice cream. I got rice pudding instead, which may or may not be arroz con leche in Spanish. It was okay, but I think I really should've gone with churros or funnel cake. Alex got ice cream. I don't think I tried it, but I think he enjoyed it.
Heartland Cafe, on Thursday nights, has $2.50 pints of Rogue beer. So we had a couple of pints each of Dead Guy. Actually, Alex had a couple of pints, but I could never get the waitress' attention to get my second. It's probably for the best. Alex and I like Dead Guy, but the big fan of it is my dad. We brought some back for him from Portland, and he told me that he thought it was really, really excellent. My dad can be a harsh critic, too.
I had a philly cheese steak-like sandwich that was made with portobello mushrooms instead of steak. It was really good. I have to say, every vegetarian philly cheese steak variation I've ever had (like those awesome vegetarian philly cheese steaks at the USAS conference) is far better than its meaty counterpart. But it's entirely possible I've never had an actually good cheese steak. Maybe in good ones, the meat would be less stringy and gross. I got sweet potato fries on the side, which were good, but I've had better. They didn't quite match the flavorfulness and crispyness of the Zen Palate ones.
Alex had a spicy bean burger and cornbread stuffing. His burger was quite good, though much of it fell off the bun, which was a little unfortunate. I've gotten really interested in variations on veggie burgers. (Another post, maybe?) The stuffing was good, too, though maybe a little dry. I'm not sure about that, though. I think it was dry if you're calling it stuffing, but it was definitely yummy if you're calling it something else.
What was really nice about Heartland Cafe was its outdoor patio. It was on a really leafy street right by the Morse El stop. It was a great place to sit and watch the neighborhood go by. Also, the Heartland Cafe is known for its support of progressive causes. In the bathroom, there were signs up for a "prostration for peace" protest on the Rogers Park beach. We had missed it, though. I think that's okay. The bookstore seemed to have lots of interesting books, newspapers, and magazines, but I wasn't really in the mood to check them out.
Paleteria La Monarca is at 6955 N. Clark, and was in the Time Out Chicago list of food to check out on Clark St. in Rogers Park. It's a Mexican bakery, but not really your typical one, as they also sell ice cream. I got rice pudding instead, which may or may not be arroz con leche in Spanish. It was okay, but I think I really should've gone with churros or funnel cake. Alex got ice cream. I don't think I tried it, but I think he enjoyed it.
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