Chicago Foodies

Viceroy of India

I won't lie. I had a buy-one-get-one-free coupon. Viceroy is across the street from Sabri Nehari. It's tough not to go to Sabri Nehari. Viceroy actually has two parts, a takeout buffet side and a sit down, white tablecloth dining room. It was a good thing that we had the coupon too. The prices start at $8.95 an entree for the vegeterian dishes all the way to $17.95 for specialties.

If you've read more than a couple of the Indian restaurant posts you won't be surprised that we ordered chicken tikka masala. My wife uses it as a measuring stick the same way she orders panang chicken at Thai places. In addition to the tikka we got an order of Rogan Josh. The surprise is that my wife ate all the Rogan Josh and took home the tikka. I was shocked. The tikka was really good on top of it all. The chicken had a distinct tandoori flavor which I thought added lots to a dish that I've always liked.

2006 "Check, Please!" Benefit

Almost everyone in Chicago either watches, has heard of, or has dined at one of the many restaurants featured on the PBS program “Check, Please!”  As a fan of the show, I jumped at the chance to attend the annual “Check, Please!” fundraising benefit at the WTTW studios.  The benefit featured 30 different low to mid-end restaurants located in the city and surrounding suburbs, as well as local entertainment, raffle prizes (like a spot on the show) and silent auction.  The event was great and I thought a real treat that it was held at the studio so that you could wine and dine within the sound stages where “Check, Please!” and other PBS shows are filmed.

The evening started off in the VIP lounge where 10 restaurants tempted guests with signature cocktails and Jazz vocals by Kurt Elling.  Some of the more unique concoctions worth mentioning all fall within the martini category and include an organic lemon and ginger infused martini by uncommon ground, the “Spring Fling” Absolute Kurant, lemon-grass green tea and cranberry juice martini by the Kit Kat Lounge and Supper Club.  And then my favorite, presented by The Dining Room at Kendall College, an Asian inspired martini with cucumber puree and Yuzu syrup and soy Vodka with an Edemame and pickled ginger garnish. 

GQ: Chicago is the Best Restaurant City in America

I guess if GQ says it than it's so. The focus of the press release was Moto, Alinea and Avenues. Three chefs from Trotter's and three restaurants I have yet to try.

The irony is that I've been saying Chicago is the best restaurant city all along for another reason. I can't think of another city that has such diversity and authenticity of ethnic restaurants. Almost more importantly, I can't think of any other city where there is nothing better to do than eat. New York has art and theatre, L.A. has the movies, Boston has colleges, New Orleans has the French Quarter and while that definitely includes restaurants it's very specific restaurants. Closer to home, Milwuakee has bars, Indianapolis has the raceway but what does Chicago have? I'd say restaurants. You could start to name them. Start with A - Alinea and Avenues sure, but there are 26 letters in the alphabet.

Coke Blak Sucks

Now I know there are people who like the way diet sodas taste. I am not one of those people. I think they taste artificial. They do not taste sweet to me. I always assumed that the vocabulary word saccharine was an apt description of the substitute of the same name. Nor do I think that diet sodas taste any better than they did when TAB was using sacchrine.

Coke Blak tastes worse for the same reasons. It tastes more artificial than any diet soda I can remember trying. Sooooooooo bad.

*NOTE- Coke Blak is NOT a diet soda. It just tastes like one.

**Saccharine: Sickeningly sweet or cloyingly sweet

Is it Wrong to Talk About Top Chef?

Top Chef is definately better than "Idol" and you could easily make correlations between finalists to some extent but I sensed and shared a reaction to the booting of Dave last night. It seemed that he won one of the three contests and came close the other times. Tiffany came in dead last in all three if you are considering the eaters reactions. Dave forgot a dish in the final round.

Taste of Check, Please! Tonight... Friday May 19th

Check, Please is holding it's annual fundraiser. All proceeds go to the program. I'm not sure if that means tickets are a write-off or not but the event should be great and public television deserves the support.

Taste of Check, Please! celebrates its 3rd annual event on Friday, May 19, 2006. Join Master Sommelier Alpana Singh and 30 diverse restaurants all in one location. Come sample new restaurants, enjoy great music performed by Grammy nominee Angel Melendez y Su Orquestra and Tracy Ross from the Kit Kat Lounge, win prizes, and much more!

•VIP tickets are sold out but there are event tickets $175/$150 still available at WTTW.com

Restaurants included and directions:

Lunch at The Fish Guy Market

My first visit to the Fish Guy Market on Elston was part of my langostino quest. I had started at Fulton and headed north. It was a bit after noon and I was tempted by fillets being grilled for other customers. For something like 8 bucks you can pick your fish and get it grilled on a roll with a wonderful herbed mayo.

Fish & Chips in the UK

So a big thing in the UK is fish and chips... that means breaded and fried cod, haddock or plaice or if you're branching out fish could include salmon, skate, halibut... chips means fries. They come with lemon, malt vinegar and you can order pickled items or mushy peas.

We had good, OK and downright ugly fish and chips in and around London. In Covent Garden is a good spot, Rock and Sole Plaice. It held up as the best of the lot. The fish, haddock, was crisply fried, the skin flavorful and the fillet thoroughly boneless. The dill tartar sauce was creamy and went well with both the fish and the traditional wedge-cut chips. The mushy peas were bland and the beer was Turkish if I recall... go figure. It's one of the few legit take-away fish and chip spots and the best of the lot, not to mention that Covent Garden seemed to be the most conducive neighborhood to wandering around.