Chicago Foodies

Restaurant Week: Topolobampo

With a PBS series, several cookbooks, multiple James Beard awards, and a prolific Twitter account under his belt, Rick Bayless is an undisputed elder statesman of Chicago's culinary scene. Despite my best intentions though, I never made it to either of his flagship restaurants, Frontera Grill or Topolobampo. There was always some new opening to see, another hole-in-the-wall to discover. Then last September, Bayless won Top Chef Masters, the lead time to get a reservation increased exponentially, and I put it off visiting some more.

But, strange things happen when you decide to move out of town. My normally procrastination-friendly mindset has evaporated and I am suddenly scrambling to check off items from an ever-growing bucket list. Should I be trying new restaurants? Revisiting old favorites? Should I be embarrassed that I've never eaten a burger from Kuma's? Is it really worth waiting in line for 4 hours at Great Lakes just to say I've tried the "best pizza in America"? I think I've covered a fair amount of territory already, but there are certainly missing Legos. Where would you go if you had two months left in Chicago? Anyway, the combination of impending deadlines and Restaurant Week was sufficient motivation for me to make a reservation at Topolobampo, 6 weeks in advance. And now that I have finally tried the Mexican maestro's work, I am upset that I didn't haul myself here earlier.

Ricobene's: Breaded Steak Sandwiches

Ricobene's is a long-time Southside institution, with a sign proudly trumpeting its opening in 1946. Though Bridgeport has been playing host to an eclectic melting pot of eateries lately, Ricobene's is no flash in the pan, but a stalwart of old school Chicago dining. Think Manny's, but less Jewish and more Italian.

Framed black and white photos hang on the walls decorated with the classic checkboard motif. A closer inspection of one picture revealed a signature from Mayor Daley. This is, after all, the neighborhood which has served as the home of five of the city's mayors. If political clout isn't enough for you, Ricobene's is also a popular cop hang out. No less than four of Chicago's finest walked through the doors during my last brief visit.

Ria and Balsan at the Elysian Hotel

After months of anticipation, delays and rumors, the Elysian Hotel finally unveils two new restaurants this week. Ria is an upscale dinner-only concept with a focus on seafood, while sister restaurant Balsan is more casual, featuring a raw bar, wood-fired oven pizzas and housemade charcuterie. Both restaurants are on the third floor of the sparkling (literally) new Elysian Hotel, whose elegant European courtyard entrance is worth a detour by itself. Executive Chef Jason McLeod leads the helm for both restaurants, and has ample amounts of luxury hotel experience under his toque from San Diego's Grand Del Mar resort and Four Seasons. He is also wont to walking around with a cast-iron skillet of sizzling sausages. The rich, meaty smell was making heads swivel like a turntable.

So, were the restaurants worth the wait? Are hotels finally shedding their reputation for overpriced, stodgy dining and leading the way with revolutionary new restaurants? I dropped by the media preview on Monday night to check out the action.

Frontera Grill – Profeta de Tierra Ajena

Por Ernesto Adduci

Es notable lo del Chef Rick Bayless: un Americano muy americano, que supera a los mexicanos preparando su propia comida. Considerando la extension y variedad de la comida mexicana, esto es un verdadero logro. Cierto, ganar Top Chef Masters lo ha encumbrado a la fama a nivel nacional, sus libros venden y la gente mira sus programas de tv, pero nada de esto se compara al triunfo de cada una de sus creaciones culinarias.

Hace tiempo queria ir a Frontera Grill, el restaurant que se transformo en su marca bandera, pero no fue hasta hoy que logramos encontrar una mesa en el bar. Probamos tres “Platillos Pequeños”: las empanadas de puerco, los sopes rancheros y del menu de Topolobampo, las mollejas de ternera en mole verde. Pedimos las flautas de pato, pero se habian terminado. El tener una mesa en el bar resulto beneficioso, pues pudimos probar platos de ambos menus, incluidas las deliciosas mollejas de Topolo, el restaurant formal de Bayless.

The BEST 'Happy Hour' in Chicago… Fleming's

Fleming's has been serving their "5 for $6 'Til 7" special this summer and, frankly, it's the best deal in the city. They're offering a selection of 5 Cocktails, 5 Wines and 5 Appetizers for $6 initially, until 7pm but it now is running all night.  If there is a downside to tasty and affordable beef carpaccio, seared tuna, lump crab cakes and top shelf cocktails it's that the dining area is not a rooftop deck. That said, the rooftops seem to be aloof and un-apologetically trendy to a fault.

So I find myself more often than expected enjoying an after work snack of seared tuna with a lovely wasabi/mustard sauce and a nice glass of Mondavi's Solaire Chardonnay. Followed by a Dimond Rita (glorified margarita with Herradura) or a Grey Goose Appletini hold the apple and the jumbo lump crab cakes – all together you're looking at $24. Not bad at all.

Wally & Agador's Gourmet Cafe & Take Away

East Lakeview has plenty of places to grab a hot dog, a submarine sandwich, or a hamburger, but what it lacks is a truly good sandwich place.  Wally & Agador's is a place that seems to fit the void.  Newly opened on Halsted just north of Belmont, it offers such creations as a lobster and scallop sausage sandwich with tarragton mayo and Old Bay, as well as a duck pate sandwich  with chicken liver mousse and brie.    

Best Bet $29 Prix-Fixe – Café Des Architectes

Due to the bad economy there is a surge of prix-fixe menu options at some of Chicago’s best restaurants.  For those that have extra cash to blow on food it is a great time to try some new places.  One such must try is Café Des Architectes in the Sofitel. Both Executive Chef Martial Nouguier and pastry Chef Suzanne Imaz were recently snatched from one sixtyblue to head up Café Des Architectes.  They’ve developed a family friendly menu using local ingredients from Chicago’s Green City Market.  The prix-fixe menu is offered Sunday and Monday night from 5PM to 11PM through April 27th.  The three-course offering is priced at $29.00. Children under 10 for $19.00 and children under five can enjoy a gourmet meal for free. 

Crofton on Wells

I’ve been meaning to go to Crofton on Wells since it opened in 1998 with rave reviews.  Because it wasn’t particularly trendy and had a high price point (entrees range from $28 to $35) I never could convince anyone to go.  When I saw that they were participating in Restaurant Week I knew, 10 years later, that the time had finally come to give it a try and I’m I very glad that I did.

Naha - Restaurant Week

Browsing the Restaurant Week options, the menu for Naha caught my eye for being interesting and well-planned, rather than a cleverly disguised effort to offload the restaurant's highest profit margin courses. House salad and pasta? No thanks. Plus, any restaurant that makes efforts to incorporate local, seasonal ingredients is worth a second look in my mind. Executive chef Carrie Nahabedian has created a regionally-sourced menu with Mediterranean and Californian influences and the results are impressive.

Riccardo Trattoria: As Real As Italian Can Get

My wife and I stumbled upon Riccardo Trattoria when we were checking out the line at Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder next door and decided instead to pursue other options.  We decided to eat there on a whim, and when we were done felt that we needed to return a second time.

All but one of the staff I have seen so far are Italian.  The passion for the food, the homemade pasta, and the attention to detail make this mid-priced restaurant an incredible value for money.  For an appetizer  I ordered the Honeycomb Tripe Florentine, which was braised with tomatoes, what I believe were basil leaves, and Parmesan cheese.  It was outstanding and exceeded expectations, and I would recommend it to those who do not normally care for tripe.   My wife ordered Minestrone Genovese, which was not your typically tomato and lentil soup, but rather a wonderful pesto and rice soup.

Apart Pizza

    After a night of holiday drinking we came home to find nothing in the fridge and a hankering for pizza.  Knowing that our favorite deep dish from Guillivers in Rogers Park would take much longer than our hunger could stand we decided to go in the opposite direction (both in location and pizza style) and order traditional Italian style pizza from Apart Pizza in Andersonville.  Since we had never ordered from there the guy on the phone was very helpful in making recommendations as they have 24 different varieties on the menu to choose from. 

Adesso: BYO Italian in Lakeview

Tonight I bought a bottle of red wine and went over to a restaurant with a curious, funky vibrant inside called Adesso.  With a striking brown floral motif, Adesso grabs your attention as you walk down the west side of Broadway a few blocks north of Belmont. 

Service is peppy, attentive, and not pushy or intrusive (though perhaps not quite as informative)   Since we were in the restaurant on a slow Wednesday we never had to wait for anything either.

Alinea: Another Peek

Alinea has made a name for itself in the Chicago food scene for mixing food and science.   For starters you actually order over the telephone when you make reservations--they offered the twelve-course chef's tasting menu  for $145 or the twenty-six course tour for $225.    Its Lincoln Park address is very discreet, and if it weren't for the valet parking men we would miss the front entrance.  Opening the doors you walk down this long, dark hallway highlighted in red, and once you get to the end a pair of automatic double doors opens in front of you, just as you ask yourself how to get in.  The actual entrance is a bit cramped, in spite of the long hallway, and I found myself dodging people serving food.   The host was able to find my reservation, and he reiterated our request that my wife didn't care for shrimp and olives.

Growing Power: My Favorite Greens

Green City Market is my favorite market in terms of quality and breadth of selection.  Many of the stands provide fresh basil, arugula, mescalin, and other types of greens.   But I have yet to find any stands that provide the freshness of Growing Power's greens.  Their mustard greens are extremely powerful and spicy, their beet greens taste like beets, and their amaranth gives a nice touch.  They also have a great sweet basil, which I mentioned before in my pesto posting.  Apparently they have a greenhouse, which gives them the ability to sell greens year round. 

The best thing about Growing Power's greens is that they require little or no dressing.   I believe that a vinagrette ruins these greens--I recommned nothing more than olive oil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.   The greens alone may not even require that.

Growing Power
Green City Market
Lincoln Park
Wednesday and Saturday

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.

Saucisson Sec – Cook au Vin

Wow. Now I've raved about the lovely landjager sausages from Bobby Nelson and they sure have that handheld bite-ablilty but after several Spotted Cows while watching the Cubs game I remembered I had a nice small saucisson sec from Cook au Vin on Elston.  It's not what I expected. It's definitely a sawing process  – that's one hard salami... but it might be one of the best things I have ever tasted.

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.

Mike Ditka's: River North Comfort Food

Being from Wisconsin and also being loyal to the the state's professional football team, I found it a bit uneasy stepping inside Mike Ditka's restaurant.  However, it was tempting given the rave reviews we have heard about the place.

The Dunkin Donuts Coupon Experience

I confess that I eat at the Drive-Thru. I've actually seen studies that show something like  90% of the people out there eat in their cars. Now I can hope that it's granola and bananas and thermoses of soup but somehow I know that it boils down to the drive-thru and if you talk to these people I would suspect that the holy grail of drive-thru is breakfast. McDonald's has been playing with the all-day breakfast option. Lunch-Time Breakfast Burrito! We'll be getting fatter as a nation.

West Egg

I had discovered West Egg over St. Patrick’s Day when downtown revealed too many bars and not enough restaurants.  It was packed with patrons spilling over in the “waiting room” at the adjacent building. We were seated quite efficiently and proceeded to eagerly pore over the menu.