124 Victoria Street

We had no official say in where we dined this day other than to agree that whatever was chosen we'd have no reservations joining in.  It's a good thing, because had we been in charge of dining location African Taste would never have been on the list.  Now, that's not because we don't like / do African, but because this is a tiny neighborhood storefront place that unless you walked right by the front door would struggle to realize it exists.  Not the same, but sort of the same in that sense as a place right by our house A Previous Article which we missed out on for far too long by not opening our eyes properly.  Our friends are clearly more clever (and have wider eyes?) than us.

A husband and wife team.  It's the wife who greets you from behind her small dessert / coffee counter and then does everything else needed out the front, with the husband in the kitchen doing his thing (I would not be surprised to learn he was the only person back there) and popping out with a dish in his hand every now and again.  All smiles, clearly happy that you've chosen to come dine with them (and double happy that our friends were returning again) this is probably the closest I've felt to eating in someone's home while at a restaurant. 

It's a simple space with a couple of small tables outside (probably perfect for coffee, but not so much for dining) with neat and tidy tables and chairs set up to give options for different sized parties.  For lunch it was quite brightly lit due to the picture windows taking up all of the front and (I guess) depending on which way the wind blows a pleasant spicy aroma keeping us company.

Our Server (and everything else) was patient with us figuring out what we wanted and very helpful in explaining what we could expect from different dishes. We made good use of the explaining as everything was new to the two of us.  She (or they?) is perhaps a little defensive on how spicy hot to make things, which in general is for my palette a good thing.  Anything that has a bit of heat she confirmed how hot we would like it which I really appreciate, but the one dish that was asked for to be quite hot was described as hot, but not that hot.  She also allowed us to take our time deciding on, consuming and then resting for our dessert / coffee course.

It's not a big menu, but there's plenty to choose from if you're new to the cuisine.  It seems most wine comes in BYO? - the Wine List was described to us and we actually got the last bottle of something.  Absolutely no drama with this approach!

Our meal went a little like this:

• Amiri Sauvignon Blanc - this is a sit in the sun type wine, which was just fine as we were sitting in the big open front window with the front door open beside us.
• Katega (an African bread, heavily seasoned with customary herbs, garlic and clarified butter) - really heavy on the spice crust the first bite is a bit confusing but it's ultimately really enjoyable.
• Crambpd Cauliflower (crumbed with herbs, egg and flour) - a fun appetizer, crisp and soft at the same time.  Not hard to see why it's listed as one of the most popular items.
• Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc - perhaps a little more nose than the other, but equally enjoyable with this meal.
• Traditional North African Seafood (prawns, fish, mint, coriander, chilli, saffron rice) - a bit paella like, but not paella.
• Tibes (lamb, onion, garlic, chilli, coriander) - a great lamb dish, mild flavors, but interesting flavors with a couple of spices in there too.
• Doro Tibes (chicken instead) - something different to the lamb, probably the spices changed a little?
• Injera (it's a bread that is offered with each main course or rice is the alternative) - soft and chewy it's a great vehicle for getting your meal to your mouth - no forks needed if you go with this option, and it makes your meal last a bit longer as you (well, certainly me) continually drop things back to your plate...
• Coffee - short, long, whatever you feel like
• Baklava - sweet enough that one per person is going to be too much, but not that evil too sweet you often get in cafés.

The final scheduled it-doesn't-matter-where-we-eat-as-long-as-it's-with-you A Collection of Articles event!  Each one special in its own way, this one was no less special, but certainly the most pleasantly surprisingly enjoyable.

If you're looking for a store front restaurant, run by a very friendly husband and wife team, perhaps only a few more than 20 seats, a wine list that is so short it's dictated to you, a menu that is focused in what it offers but diverse compared to what you're probably used to and the knowledge that it all tastes great.  Then this is probably is the place for you.

Stay JOLLY!
DHelen & Terry

1330 West Morse

There's a story to Act One, and we don't know it all, if much.  We know that it used to be the Restaurant (not sure if it had it's own name?) as part of the Morse Theatre.  The theatre was great for awhile (built about the same time as the Cubs last won the World Series), closed for a time, opened up again relatively recently, we believe the owners squabbled (but could be very wrong!) and closed down again.  The theatre now is open again as the Mayne Stage and seems to be doing ok.

We put off going to Act One longer than was probably fair based on a very ordinary dinner we had when it was part of the Morse Theatre.  Admittedly, GroupOn helped get us back and we're glad they did and I'm not exactly sure as to why we classified it very ordinary any more - sorry new people!  As far as we can tell the interior is the same (can't comment on the theatre part as we still have not seen a show in the place regardless of name, but there might be a new and / or improved bar area by the theatre doors which are open for you to explore.  It's pretty much a room of booths with a couple of normal tables in the window and some high tops in the bar area.  Lots of exposed, shiny wood - including the quite fancy bar.

We came in straight from work, but there were already people dining (almost certainly going to the show that night) and the place just kept filling up, both at the Bar and in the Restaurant which is technically the same space but with an obvious delineation.  About half an hour before the show, it started to thin out, but certainly didn't empty.  I'm pretty sure we upped the average time spent at a table as we watched people come in after us and were long gone by the time we were done...

Our Server took care of us and I suspect all the Staff are geared towards hurrying people through so they're not late for the show.  She didn't actually ask us, but figured out we were not doing the show based on our relaxed ordering technique.  There was only one Special so we didn't chat much.  She did come and check in on each course (we had 4) and was around enough so that we could place our next order when we felt that urge.

We like the menu.  It has a nice and uncomplicated range of things that we like in concept and that we can share.  We thought we might return to the Lobster Bisque, but the Ribs put that idea to rest.  Some fun beers on tap, a pretty good looking list of bottled beers and a short wine list that comes with notes to help you select if you're a bit stuck.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Magic Hat #9
• Rogue Dead Guy Ale
• Drunken Mussels - Really quite traditional, but yummy.  Great toasty bread for sauce dipping.
• Crispy Calamari - Not super crispy, but certainly not soggy.
• Bacon Mac - Bacony and cheesy and bacony.
• DogfishHead 90 min. IPA
• Baby Back Ribs - Generous!  Falling off the bone good and what meaty bones they were.  We rarely take treats home, but these made a great weekend snack.
• Chocolate Martini - always so much better when there's sauce stuck to the inside of the glass.
  

It's good to have neighborhood places that you can rely on.  It's a little bit out side our walk to in the snow range so we'll most likely be back as a spur of the evening thought some Friday after work - unless we get to a Show where we'd be a little silly not to have our Dinner at Act One first.

Stay JOLLY!
D

197 High street

Our aim while in Scotland was to experience as much of the local food culture as we could and keep away from fast food (and especially those of American design) as much as possible.  Looking for our first meal on the Royal Mile - a very heavily tourist focused area - it would have been easy to stray.  The Albanach helped us achieve that goal, but it also wasn't really the Scottish Pub type place we were aiming for in that it was quiet modern inside while trying to grab the older type feel - our opinion only.

It wasn't all that busy and we easily found a small table in the main part of the bar.  It seemed there was more of a restaurant type area in the back but we didn't venture down that far.  Quite light and the music all came straight out of the 80s.  It was a fairly quiet lunch crowd, but maybe the place 'hops' a bit more for dinner?  The bar provided a range of local Lagers and Ales, some imported Lagers (that we would not touch while on this vacation!) and a good bunch of Single Malts.

Being not quite on Scotland time we weren't looking for a big meal and the menu had enough options to help us out on that front and to see us through to our dinner.  Order at the bar, struggle just a little bit with accents, take a minute to figure out which beers are local and the food appeared quite quickly.

Our meal went something along the lines of:

• Tennent's Lager - a gentle way to start trying the local brews
• Vegetable Soup - thick and rich and tasty
• Ham & Cheese Sandwich - off the bone, with a really yummy Ale Chutney and a Cheddar from Mull

We really didn't want to be tourists but we were hungry, the Albanach was open and serving lunch with options that suited our need and ultimately met our needs wonderfully.

Stay JOLLY!
D

4400 North Clark Street

It's been way too long between visits, but we get to blame to some degree the unfortunate relocation of Anna Maria Pasteria a few years back.  When we first discovered the charms of this quiet neighborhood restaurant while it was on Broadway, we were very much within a stone's throw.  The bus ride we now have has meant that we've delayed this return visit causing us to miss out on what always made the short walk, even in the snow, so worth it.

I guess we also had fears as to how well the Restaurant would survive the move.  Turns out, we didn't need to fear anything.  It's exactly the same.  Same feel with the decor (probably a lot of the items made the move successfully, maybe the same artist did the murals?), same Anna or Maria (if we ever knew which was which we don't remember now) greeting you warmly at the door, same menu style (almost certainly with some of the same dishes we enjoyed previously), probably the same play list of unobtrusive Italian Opera type tunes - all of which are pleasant to listen to if you stop and actually pay attention, and even our Server came with the move.

Our Server was not overly talkative (and we don't remember him being anymore so when over on Broadway) but he appears to know the menu and wine list inside and out making recomendations and answering all questions without stumbling - which is a good thing, because it really is a quite extensive menu with something for absolutely everyone.  He didn't pester us to take our orders, but was close by when we were ready.  Food came real quick, we would argue a little too quick, but it was a quiet Saturday evening probably due to it being the Easter Weekend with the chef (Maria or Anna - the one not hosting, of course) having some energy that needed to be used up.  It's hard to have a complaint when the only one would be the food came too quick...

Our meal went something along the lines of:

• Toasty Bread - very mourish, so don't get carried away.
• Pinot Noir - at the gentler end of the Pinot Noir scale, but worked well with all the dishes we chose.
• Fire Grilled Baby Squid - cooked just right, with a nice touch of the smoke from the grill and a dash of lemon.
• Mussels Sauted in White Wine & Garlic - just had to finish up the broth like a bowl of soup.
• Capellini Carrettiera - make sure you save some bread to mop up the sauce.
• Farfalle Aarrabiata - just spicy enough, and also in need to bread for the sauce.
• Chocolate Gelato - mmmmm...

We certainly won't be taking so long to get back and enjoy the always pleasant evening at Anna Maria Pasteria!

Stay JOLLY!
DKate