Chicago Foodies

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.

Sai Cafe

Some time ago a friend from Japan was in town to visit.  He was here for several days and one evening my husband suggested the one thing I was dreading - taking him out for sushi.  To me it seemed like the equivalent of visiting Tokyo and going out for burgers.  You know it just isn't going to be as good as it is at home so why not stick to the things you can't get at home.  Anyway, my Japanese friend was really into the idea so we took him to a place we enjoyed... Sai Cafe.

Unfortunately, as I suspected, it didn't go well.  He insisted that it was a Chinese restaurant.  The sushi chefs where Chinese, the owner was Chinese, the name was Chinese, certain things were spelled wrong on the menu and the Saki was from California.  No matter what the food tasted like my friend was not going to like it - he had made up his mind. Subsequently, we decided to attempt a sushi dinner two more times, once at Torajiro in Lakeview and once at Sushi Samba.  Both visits were very much enjoyed.  I had heard from several people that many of the sushi restaurants in Chicago are owned by Chinese chefs that were trained in Japan, like Torajiro, which was news to me.

Indie Cafe pt.2

It's been a long while betweeen visits to Indie Cafe. My experience had been months ago, during their Reader-induced celebrity. It was time to go back.

They're still BYOB and they're still packed. Thursday night we had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. The dining room is small. So I'm guessing their business is still very brisk. That was a good sign and I was in for more good news.

Kizoku Pt.3 - Body Sushi

*Kizoku has closed.

Eddy is from Vegas and he's bored. So what do you do? Bring nyotaimori to Chicago... Hell, it worked in Vegas.

What better way to compete with the foie gras legal hullabaloo than a good old fashioned naked lady.

Nyotaimori is Japanese sushi presentation on the torso of a naked lady (covered with strategically placed items - so not really nude in the "nude" sense of the word). Though it is, as far as Wikipedia says, not a royal custom but one "generally associated with prostitution and the Yakuza... "

Needless to say, it sounds like damn good business. And, since I promised to head back to Kizoku for dinner, I brought my camera...

The $500 body sushi "all you can eat" is served in the lounge. Meals run about an hour and a half. As it's a pretty dark room, I got some shots and went back to the dining room to eat.

It seems like the body-thing is getting them lots of press. People should be glad that the restaurant is actually quite good and will likely gain some loyal customers.

Sunshine Cafe

To many Chicagoans Japanese food means raw fish. I'll admit I can count on my hands the number of times I have eaten Japanese that isn't sushi. I didn't know what to expect with Sunshine Cafe except that it is a small restaurant and based on decor it would be likely considered a takeout place. I have noticed that it is usually very well attended. After a couple of good Japanese experiences recently, Renga-Tei and Katsu, I was excited. Boy was it good.

Pingpong

Pingpong is yet another one of those Asian fusion restaurants that seem to be popping up in every neighborhood. Pingpong however is not new to Lakeview. I remember it opening about four years ago, just before I moved out of the neighborhood.  I didn't get a chance to try it then but I've always heard from people in the area that it is a favorite. 

Renga Tei

I have pestered my wife to go to Renga-Tei by imitating Jodie Foster in Nell and saying it fast... Renga-Taaaay... after our suprise bank-busting trip to Katsu she was worried that we'd have to break into triple digits for dinner again. Fortuantely not.

Renga-Tei is on Touhy just past Wholly Frijoles. Considering the delay for a table at Wholly a 5 minute walk west will land you a spot that not only has a firm grasp on sushi but cooked Japanese options as well.

Kizoku Part Two

*Kizoku has closed.

The first time at Kizoku I stuck to their salmon variations to good effect...

This time I decided against a jaunt down to Chinatown in favor of a quick, albeit more expensive, bite of raw fish. The choice actually was made at the front door. With Chilpancingo five steps away I was thinking hard. The banner's promise of a new lunch menu for Kizoku sealed the deal. It's news. They have a lunch menu.