Comment Archives: stories: Food & Drink
Re: “Cocktail Challenge: Shiitake mushrooms”
I saw the recipe and found it somewhat amusing on a personal level. For some of us with epilepsy, both the spice nutmeg and/or grocery store mushrooms can touch off a seizure. It means nothing to most people, but if you see someone drop to the floor while sipping one, you'll know why.
Re: “Waiting for culinary nirvana at Grace”
Hey John Doe, you just called yourself as a foodie. It follows that you know next to nothing about food. You don't have good taste, just a lot of disposable income. It's sort of how cooks that call themselves celebrity chefs can't cook anything worth a damn.
Re: “Waiting for culinary nirvana at Grace”
My wife and I dined at Grace this past weekend and had a wonderful experience. The place is gorgeous and the chairs that we sat in were made for an extended dining period and were most comfortable. My wife said the bathroom was unique and had a seasonal depiction and very clean. I enjoyed watching the chefs work from the kitchen to see what they and how they do it. We ordered both menus and shared and each dish we enjoyed - some more than others but overall the dinners were a 10 and the same for the wine parings. The service was outstanding and I was not interrupted when I was speaking to my wife. The servers waited till I was finished speaking. I dine all over Chicago and in my opinion this is best in the city. I also go to the finest restaurants in country and rate Grace as one of the best. We will be back with our friends and I recommend this place.
Re: “Waiting for culinary nirvana at Grace”
Corby made some great points in that Vanity Fair piece.
Today's chefs must cringe to know that they are all some type of imitation of Charlie Trotter. Remember Grant and Nick's fuck Trotters banter?
When Charlie Trotter's closed did it mark the end of an era?
How much further can the 4 hour meal at ridiculous prices go?
Who will be the next asshole with a ticket system?
I think a big appeal of these restaurants is to make the diners feel like they are rich snobs.
Maybe they can't afford the monthly lease on the Mercedes or BMW anymore, but they can still afford to blow a grand now and then on dinner. I've known guys who drove Ferrari's and Bentley's who didn't have pot to piss in at end of the day.
Re: “Waiting for culinary nirvana at Grace”
"Leftover texture" of the scallop?! You sound like you have the taste buds of a squirrel.
I have yet to eat there, but I know what a chilled scallop tastes like - there's not way they would eff that up. You sound really inexperienced. Decent writer, but you should eat out more.
Re: “Waiting for culinary nirvana at Grace”
My wife and I ate there last week and we had a phenomenol experience. We honestly had own doubts going in, but the food and flavours blew us away. Having eaten at Next, Alinea and Avenues, I fancy myself as having a high taste for great food and good service.
Don't mean to be cutting to your experience, but this sounds like the polar opposite of what we saw. I've never been to a restaurant that has "pillows" for your phone!! It was nice to not feel guilty taking photos all night with it.
I'm sorry, but it sounds like you went in there with a giant chip on your shoulder. Again, I've been to the best restaurants in town many, many times. I'm not just a foodie with little experience and seemingly zero knowledge of what it takes to be successful at this level.
Re: “Cocktail Challenge: Shiitake mushrooms”
Sign of happiness.
In a secret
place you can
find the
atmosphere
that always
returns when
my memory
outshines....
Francesco Sinibaldi
Re: “Reno is more than just a miracle bagel”
It's $CASH$ only kids. Wish they would inform you of that on their website.
Re: “Hubbard Inn: a forgettable feast”
Obviously the critic is a nearby restaurant owner fearing competition, or paid by one to make such a ridiculous statement!... Your statement makes people in Chicago look a bit stupid if they're gathering in large crowds to get in if this was such a lousy place... Don't you think?.....I bet they are smarter than you give them credit for
Good job River North!....Keep on growing and opening more restaurants like this one Knock em down! :)
Re: “Reno is more than just a miracle bagel”
At Reno last night: had the "Beetza" subbing mozarella for the tofu. The crust is terrific (as with another pie I had here a few weeks ago) but the beetza is unfortunately one-note: sweet. It desperately needs some acid/spice/something to enliven it. Marinate the beets with garlic pre baking? Balsamic vinegar? ALso the beets themselves were "flacid" as my dinner companion noted, very unappealing on the crust; thinner crispier shreds would be much better.
Re: “Reno is more than just a miracle bagel”
To be successful Reno truly has to step up their service game. I and others I know have been there a few times and service has almost always been a disaster.
Re: “Cocktail Challenge: falernum”
Looks like Eric got the rose marzipan at the Coffee & Exchange, 3311 N. Broadway. I couldn't find one with millet, but HMart has some inexpensive Korean grain teas: http://www.hmart.com/shopnow/shopnow_newsu…
Re: “Reno is more than just a miracle bagel”
Holy buckets! I just came back from Reno. It is a lovely place, and the everything bagel with artichoke cream cheese is like a morning gift from heaven. The counter seats facing Milwaukee Ave./the square provide excellent people watching too. Go here.
Re: “Cocktail Challenge: falernum”
Where does one go about purchasing those amazing-sounding teas?
Re: “Best of Chicago 2012: Food & Drink”
The Reader should just call it the "Best of Currently Trendy Fluff." The same overexposed crap shows up on every other "best of" list. Perhaps some real Chicagoans can weigh in?
Re: “Exciting fusion at Fat Rice”
I guess the trend that started in the gastro-pubs has seemed to affected every new hip spot that pops up. Elizabeth is serving raccoon.
'salada gordo—a heaping garbage salad'
'a sliced pig ear with shredded papaya'
' chewy house-made chee cheong fun (resembling pig intestines by definition)'
'chicken-fat-fried croutons '
Re: “Got yak phlegm?”
I love reading Key Ingredient, but then again, I'm in the industry which is probably why I'm drawn to it. I get vicarious pleasure from reading how each chef tackled their featured item. It's not an unusual concept which is why I'm bewildered as to how people could be turned off to Key Ingredient. People do it all the time, but with more familiar things: what should you do with a couple of pounds of ripe fruit? You got some halibut from the fishmonger's and you need dinner on the table in under an hour. The holidays are coming up and you want to jazz up your ham. Same thing. Key Ingredient just happens to be slightly more exotic version of that.
Re: “Dongbei rising”
I've been to both Ed's and Homestyle Taste numerous times with a Chinese friend of mine and really enjoy them both. They both have mostly Chinese customers, although Ed's, having been around longer, seems to have more non-Chinese between the two. The last time I was at Homestyle just last weekend, we got there fairly early and I was the only non-Chinese until just before we left - I even garnered stares at first. I really like the dongbei food and pity the chubby white girl who came in just to order chicken fried rice.
I personally don't feel that Northern City is as good as Ed's or Homestyle, although being seated immediately next to the first tank on my first visit (which seemed to need cleaning) may have impacted my judgement some.
Re: “Exciting fusion at Fat Rice”
Well told, and the food sounds worth growing an extra mouth for. Still, one longs for the return of a classical Portuguese restaurant to Chicago. How can a cuisine whose bacalhau alone haunts tastebuds forever---how can such a cuisine be absent from this city? Or does someone know better? ---Arthur Plotnik
Re: “Waiting for culinary nirvana at Grace”
Ate here a week ago. Had a great meal. The build out of the space was great. The food was very solid (though a couple of slight misses), and I agree that the service was immature. Slip ups, not the least to mention the waitress rolling her eyes and saying "are you serious?!?" when I asked her to repeat one of the ingredients, and the sommelier who made several sexual jokes while pouring/describing the wine. Aside from these two people, everything else was top notch.