Chicago Foodies

Topolobampo for Lunch

The first restaurant reviewed on Chicago Foodies was Frontera Grill. I chose it subconsciously. It was a good place that I'd been to many times. Bayless is the periodic James Beard award winner for cooking, recipe books or television programs... so it was a very logical choice for my subconscious.

However the adjoining restaurant that shares the kitchen is Topolobampo, Bayless's high-end restaurant. It was a place I'd just never thought to visit. Why should I? Frontera has great margaritas, wonderful appetizers, a diverse and hearty list of entrees and a great atmosphere. Why mess with a good thing? Well the occasion came when I had a special lunch to take and why not. Frontera plussed up sounds pretty good.

Trans Fat Ban in Chicago

It seems Chicago is heading back to the front page of the national newspaper. Shortly after imposing a ban on foie gras we're hearing rumbles about a trans fat ban. I've read a couple of stories about it but always come away unsure what exactly the ban would include. Trans fats could be crisco and even animal fats. Would the ban be just synthetic trans fats? Just plant-based trans fatty oils?

Tonelli's

It was a warm summer night when my party of six headed into Northbrook, destined for some big, hot, heavy bowls of pasta.  Though the weather and the fare at Tonelli's seemed a mismatch, we were generally happy with our decision.

Olive Mountain Restaurant

In need of food we picked Olive Mountain over Mount Everest having never been to either. A quickly served appetizer of falafel suggested we made a good choice. Olive Mountain is a few blocks from the Evanston theatres and it is a great way to have a reasonable and what could be a rather quick meal (if need be) before a show. What's best about Olive Mountain is that the food is really good.

Night Flash Taco

Local artist Eulalio Fabie de Sliva seemed to capture my late night taco/burrito jones in a picture. See more of his work at his online gallery.

The Gallery of Regrettable Food

The Gallery of  Regrettable Food is perhaps the funniest food related site around. J. Lileks pairs commentary with really scary food pictures from old cookbooks. I'd love to see what he does with Taste of Home type cookbooks. The Jello entry may hit the tip of that ice berg.

Sabri Nehari– Devon Avenue Favorite

It's usual for some people to order the same thing everytime they go to a restaurant. I ususally try new things, especially when it comes to ethnic foods. However this last time at Sabri I had the perfect meal. Again.

We ordered three things, veggie samosas, nehari and chicken makhani. They are the tastiest things I've eaten from any restaurant offering Indian or Pakistani foods. It may be the tastiest meal in Chicago at the moment. Suffice to say I had a meal that cost 500% more last week and while they're literally half a world apart and figuratively further, I can say that Sabri Nehari offers food that flat out owns Devon avenue. That's high praise.

Candlelite

From the light-up sign one could correctly guess that the Candlelite has been around for a long time. They did close but quickly reopened when a group of regulars bought them back into existence. Obviously people like the place. The crowd included families and a section inside had a reunion going on... Congrats to the Class of '77.

Taste of Chicago 2006

Here's a link to the Trib's MAP OF TASTE.