Chicago Foodies

Slow and Steady Wins the Race at Takashi's Slurping Turtle

For quite some time, the Slurping Turtle opening has been dangling in front of our faces. We came so close to those steaming bowls of housemade ramen weeks and even months ago. So when Takashi Yagihashi finally opened the doors to his new noodle hotspot, I couldn't wait long before stopping in to try it out. 

After hearing wonderful things about Takashi's namesake restaurant in Bucktown, I set the bar pretty high. When you arrive at Slurping Turtle, you'll realize why the construction took so long. One long communal table flanks the center of the restaurant, while small booths circle the outer rim.

Charlie Trotters' Vet Opens Yakitori Spot Yusho Tomorrow

Will Chicago finally get a stand-out yakitori restaurant? Long-time Charlie Trotters' chef-de-cuisine Matthias Merges hopes his new street food-inspired restaurant, Yusho, will draw the masses to the outskirts of Logan Square in search of grilled meats.

After fourteen years at Trotters', Merges left to open his own neighborhood restaurant that focuses on grilled poultry (yakitori), vegetables (yasai), and meats and seafood (kushiyaki). Yusho's shareable menus, neon-and-brick interior, and late-night hours are certainly a departure from Trotter's, but one that could finally up the standard for Japanese grills in Chicago.

Much-Anticipated Bar Toma and Slurping Turtle Open Downtown

Love it or hate it, you're going to be spending some time shopping downtown this month. In the consumer playground between Pearson and Hubbard, diners generally had to choose between two categories of restaurants: the generic tourist traps (here's looking at you, Pizzeria Uno!) and sceney lounges like Paris Club and Hub 51. Thankfully, homeotown heroes Tony Mantuano and Takashi Yagihashi bring two new casual restaurants to the area this week, just in time to save your holiday season sanity.

Lure – "Modern Izakaya"

I love the izakaya format. It's basically a Japanese-pub. You can expect cheap beer, sake and small bites of food, grilled and otherwise. My favorite example is in midtown Manhattan basically in the basement next to the Hawaiian Tropic restaurant (!). It's Sake Bar Hagi and I ALWAYS leave there stuffed and tipsy. It's a truly wonderful thing.

I was walking through the Chinatown mall and saw that Lure was opening soon and sure enough I caught wind of their soft launch and went with a friend. It was only a day after they started taking customers and with one exception they are kicking butt. That said it's not the izakaya I pictured... It's more the nightclub-izakaya vs pub-izakaya. Nothing simple about it.

The decor is glowing, color-changing neon lights that overshadow nearly everything. It's a more-is-more philosophy. When they include Geisha-clad waitstaff (after 10pm) and give discounts for costumed diners, it's sure to be sheer madness... and certainly bears no resemblance to an izakaya.

Beautiful Soba at Ginza

Yep. This was my lunch today.

If winning a Bib Gourmond is determined by the personal money spent by Michelin inspectors, then Ginza gets my version.

I spend more money there than any other restaurant, eating lunch at least twice a week. And more often than not it's on soup.

I have at least a dozen pictures of bowls of ramen, udon and soba on my phone. Today's buckwheat soba was especially pretty with the glowing tempura flake.

The iphone takes some snazzy pix. I might be able to leave the fancy camera and Leica lenses at home more often than I already do.

Ginza
19 East Ohio
Chicago, IL
(312) 222-0600

Kawaii Japanese Outlet

Chicago has well-developed neighborhoods for Chinese, Southeast Asian and Korean goods, but if you are yearning for Japanese items, your best bet is to scour the dusty back shelves of general Asian shops or take a trip to Mitsuwa in Arlington Heights. Thus, I was tickled to stumble upon a new kid on the block, Kawaii Japanese Outlet, which just opened about six weeks ago. Located in the middle of University Village on Halsted, Kawaii's warm, brightly lit storefront will transport you to the land of the rising sun, with the beats of J-pop playing on the speakers.

The offerings here include assorted sundries that you never knew you needed, like Hello Kitty tote bags, laundry baskets, a vast array of fake eyelashes and other efficiency gadgets that are the cornerstone of Japanese products. There are wall hangings, office supplies, and beauty supplies, all with a Japanese bent. Needless to say, everything in sight is kawaii, or cute to the max.

What does this have to do with you, foodies? Well, in addition to the other neat items, they have a decent selection of cooking utensils and dry goods. You can pick up all the basics here, like sushi mats, rice paddles, knives and ladles. With the Japanese love for compact storage and packaging, you will not be surprised to find a large assortment of heavy-duty tupperware and other specialized food containers. There is also a well-thought-out section of snack and dry goods, where you can get dashi powder, instant miso soup base, soba noodles, and Hello Panda shortbread biscuits. Mochi ice cream is available in a handful of flavors.

Pairing Wine with Sushi

The staff of Chicago Foodies was generously invited to a sushi and wine pairing at Usagi Ya (meaning "rabbit house"), located on 1178 N. Milwaukee on the intersection with Division and Ashland.   The purpose of this was to try different types of wines with sushi and go beyond the usual pairings of saki, beer, and light white or sparkling wines.   Today many sushi places have red wine on their lists, which perhaps appeal more to people who have hang-ups about drinking whites.  I would typically bring or order a sparkling or white wine, but my hypothesis nonetheless deserved to be challenged.

Our pairings were conducted by the congenial and engaging Juan Guardia, from the importer Eric Solomon Selections/European Cellars. They wanted to introduce people to the range of wines normally paired with sushi.  The first pairing was a prosecco with escolar, a white tuna with banana wasabi puree and basil oil sauce.   The prosecco was perhaps a bit dry; the group unanimously felt that a slightly sweeter sparkler would balance the dish perfectly and complement the wasabi in the puree.

Tam Popo / Tampopo Sushi – The Secret is Out

When I moved north, I started looking around for another go-to sushi spot. On Lincoln is Tampopo and for the past year it's been my most consistently delicious sushi spot and a great value. I did several searches on the site to make sure I hadn't mention it. I could have sworn I did but alas.

It just so happens I was at the bar having dinner at 5:30 and was talking to Danny, the owner. It turns out they're being featured on 'Check Please' this evening. He's excited and nervous. I was surprised to hear that he's worried about potential negative comments from the diners! Usually I would expect owners to be apprehensive about their potential traffic screwing up their buying and restaurant operations. Especially since the freshness and value of his fish is so painfully obvious.

Ramen at Ginza, the Perfect Food for the Cold, Rain and Snow...

Ramen deserves a dissertation. Most people are only familiar with the msg-laden shrinkwrapped brick sold to poor college students and eaten with a bizarre sense of pride. I won't go into detail at this moment (but I sure will soon) but that point of comparison is exactly like dismissing Italian pasta because you have only tried Ravioli-O's.

This time of year a huge bowl of ramen, with sheets of nori and wakame (both wonderful seaweeds... don't flinch like that) half an egg, fishcake... yes the Japanese stole gefilte and made it better, beads of glistening fat. It's awesome.

Ginza, so far, is above and beyond anything else I've had in Chicago... Won't somebody let me know where else to go!

(Yeah Ginza again... where the curry rice is also good. And again for Udon)

Ginza (in the Tokyo Hotel)
19 E. Ohio St.

Rama Thai Kitchen – The Edible Art of Sushi

I recently returned on a trip from La Jolla, California where I satisfied my craving for the freshest sushi I could get my chopsticks on. Rappungi Sushi Bar, centrally located in the heart of downtown La Jolla, was the place of choice.

 

Reminiscent of the days years ago that I spent working in the great food city of San Francisco and being spoiled by the delights of this new-to-me cuisine, my earthy Midwestern food roots were instantly replaced by tiny raw-fish I could shove into my mouth in one bite. Who would’ve thought?

 

Rise Sushi and Sake Lounge

I’ve been to Rise Sushi and Sake Lounge on Southport a couple of times with large groups of people.  Last time was no exception as there were 8 of us in our party.  There were some things that Rise did well.  The menu is extensive, which was appreciated by several in our group that were not interested in sushi. Specialty entrées, noodle dishes and small plates proved to be more than enough for the non-sushi lovers to choose from.

Bob San: Neighborhood Sushi

It used to be when you walked into Bob San on Division the sing-song greeting “irasshaimase” would bounce off the celery walls and land on the cement floor at your feet. A pioneer since 2000 on a strip of Division that now boasts a yoga boutique, a chocolatier and a parade of restaurants and bars, Bob San didn’t draw a crowd, initially.

Ginza for Udon

Ginza is around the corner from my office and I've mentioned it here before (and here) and I know udon is kind of pedestrian but recovering from an illness sucks, especially the first day back to the office. What better way to temper the unbearable congestedness of being than with a steaming bowl of soup. Especially when you get the red pepper powder container to liven up the proposition. I went with the tempura udon. It's a nice bowl where they toss in tempura shrimp, potato and eggplant, right into the soup. It does get soggy but I've gotten used to it. I do ask for a side plate and take them out ASAP. That breading comes off completely otherwise. It hit the spot and I did start to hanker for some salmon, so I left before I could rack up that bill.

The additional fact that you automatically get a cup of green tea in lieu of water is another reason for the infirm to enjoy.

Sushi Para II

My first warning probably should have been the "all-you-can-eat sushi" for only $16.99. However, my hole-in-the-wall-lovin' self worked up an appetite as we descended to a basement in Lincoln Park, revealing a small space adorned with wooden furniture and a sushi bar wedged in the corner.

I deliberated over the menu and like all my prior "all-you-can-eat" experiences, secretly vowed NOT to roll out of the door in discomfort by the end of the meal. Their menu had a decent variety of appetizers, nigiri sushi and their special rolls. My friends jumped on the appetizers as I carefully made my choices of the special rolls.

First Look: Sushi-X on Diversey

My wife, as an interior designer, was fortunate enough to get an invitation to get a sneak preview of Sushi-X. I admit I have not been to Sushi-X's original location, on Chicago and Milwaukee in East Ukrainian Village.  One of the first thoughts I had was that this is a bold move for them:  there are quite a few sushi places around Lincoln Park and Lakeview, anywhere from more "old school" styles with bright lighting and lots of bamboo to trendy, hip places.  Sushi-X aims for the trendy and hip segment of the sushi market, with its dark colors, dark lighting, Japanese anime, and techno.  Maybe this is good timing as there have been more of the "trendy" places opening around Lakeview, and surprisingly, a few signs around Lincoln Park as well.

Ginza Fish at the Tokyo Hotel

The menu has been changed but in font and paper-stock only. You can still get a great Curry Rice and Gomae. They were cutting up this tuna while I was there having lunch and I took this picture. This is just a tiny part of the beautiful fish he was carving up.

Here's a link to the previous trip there.

Ginza Fish
19 E. Ohio St.

Alice and Friends

Alice and Friends is a vegetarian restaurant on the north side in Edgewater. I've been there several times and have never had a bad meal. I'll go as far as saying that it's not only my go-to veggie spot, it may be my favorite restaurant in Edgewater. It's also almost entirely vegan.

The un-meat selection consists of beef, duck, chicken alternatives and my dinner companion questioned how it was possible for someone who doesn't eat meat to make food that tastes like meat. How can the chefs be vegetarians? Who knows but the bottom line is that the different pseudo-meats are disturbingly close to the genuine article.

Trader Joe's Sushi

Yeah. I know. It's a grocery store. I've had grocery store sushi before and it's not that good. I've also tried to swallow a hard boiled egg without chewing. That's really a bad idea. It basically get's caught in your throat where your muscles that aren't supposed to be used for food mash it into a paste that can barely go down. If you're wondering why I'm describing this egg-situation I can only refer you to the headline... yes. It's that bad.

OYSY– What Happened?

I went through a phase where I was eating lunch at OYSY often. Then I had a bad super-white-tuna lunch special that really didn't sit well. I figured it was an unlucky meal but hadn't gone back since.

Roughly 6 months later I was wandering around looking for lunch and figured I'd try it again. I was part in the mood for sushi and part wondering whether I'd been just unlucky that once and since I hadn't mentioned that meal here I figured this time, I'd mention my lunch.

Ginza Restaurant - Terrific!

Everyone complains that there's no good ethnic food downtown. RIght on Ohio, just off of Michigan, amidst Uno's, new concept restaurants and chains-chains-chains there are a couple gems. Every now and then I come across a place that surprises me. I went to Ginza for lunch Monday and loved it but I loved it so much that I had to go back. I mean, chicken katsu and gomae... with miso and green tea... under $10? I'll give it another shot to see if it was really that good.

It is. Shame on me for posting ad nauseum about Oysy. I've been doing a disservice by my ignorance of Ginza Fish.