1475 W Balmoral Ave

Party of the First Part: "Hey, what do you feel like for dinner?"

Party of the Second Part: "I dunno...  What do you feel like?"

PFP: "Ummm... Ahhh... Ummmm.  How about mussels?"

PSP: "Oh great idea, but where?"

PFP: "How about Vincent?  Maybe we can eat all 5 styles?"

PSP: "OK!"

So, off we went to see if we could eat all 5 styles of Mussels - and lets get it out of the way right now, can't be done. Nope, can't be done by an average everyday couple. 

The reason we know there are 5 styles is because we were there about this time last year A Previous Article.  We were rounded up by a good group of friends, had a lot of fun, a great meal, and were taken great care of and therefore had no reason to expect anything different being just the two of us - apart from the part about us not needing a menu.

We arrived without a reservation and were told we could 'squeeze' in if we promised to be done by a certain time which we agreed to seeing they were up front about it and we figured the hardest part of our evening would be figuring out which mussels to start with.  The time turned out to be fluid in that we were able to stay a bit longer without any nagging or harassment (and we couldn't see any obvious group of people loitering with a scowl on their face) which took us to about the length of stay we normally would have expected to be there.  Win win!

Our Server was a bit busy to start but once the rest of his team arrived he settled down into a good flow for us.  He could be very chatty if you allowed him when he wasn't running from table to table he did a good job of describing the specials - which we listened to just in case but really were committed to a bunch of mussels -  and from what we could politely(!) overhear he was good at questions too

It's BYO and they do open your bottle(s) up and provide ice buckets if you want - I rarely do as I don't expect the wine to be around long enough to get too warm (and often you get a pleasant surprise from it as it changes temperature)...  I was prepared to open our bottle and when the Owner (I'm pretty certain the Host is the Owner) or Host or whoever he is offered we told him that we arrived by bus and it would not be unreasonable for it to have been a bit agitated by the experience.  Before we had finished joking about the reparations required if there was some significant spillage the cork was launched quite rapidly into the ceiling getting the attention of just about everyone in the place.  It came down equally as quick and if you discount the votive candle that is no more, no harm was done in that somehow not a drop left the bottle before the pouring stage.  Worth the laugh...

The menu is easy enough to navigate with lots of things with a strong Dutch influence - some are almost certainly Dutch and nothing else.  We're not exactly sure, but the menu seemed a bit shorter this time around?  But it didn't matter, we had mussels on the brain.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Kentucky Bourbon Special Cocktail (it had more in it) - it all worked nicely together, I'd have it again.  The cinnamon swizzle stick was a nice touch - I actually kept the glass to enjoy the now cinnamon ice as it melted
• Gin & Rosemary Cocktail (it had a clever name, garnished with a rose petal) - enjoyed and consumed quite quickly.  Big sprig of Rosemary as a swizzle stick.
• Chandon California Brut - it's Chandon, dry but not too much; fruity but not too much.  And as it turns out, the same bottle we enjoyed last time we were here.
• Tarragon Mussels - we like our mussels, but we really get a kick out of the broth and dipping something into it once the mussels have gone away.  This was probably our favorite of the 3 varieties we got through (but not by much) and you definitely know the tarragon is there.
  
  • Frites - great!  Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.  They come with a dipping mayonnaise of some sort which in most cases would be wonderful, but you're far better off for dipping (or drowning) them in the Mussel Sauce.
• Mushroom Mussels - not sure which brand of mushroom, but it's a pleasant change to get a whole something in the broth, but we still did some serious dipping.
  
  • Frites - same as above, and if you're thinking I'll just have a couple this time you'll be thinking wrongly...
• Amsterdam Mussels (cooked in beer) - a favorite from last time and works out really really well with the Frites.
  
  • Frites - still can't resist...

Dinner was great.  Exactly what we felt the urge for, taken care of as expected and the wax that was spilled didn't spill on us.  We'll be back!

Stay JOLLY!
D

2045 N. Damen Ave

We did it again.  We went to a show that was in an itty bitty venue, was a lot of fun, great value and we leave still not understanding why we don't do it more often.  We'll keep trying, perhaps it will become a habit one day...  And, just like last time A Previous Article, we really needed to eat something before the show.  So looking for something close to the Temple of Boobs - yes you read that right - took us through our To-Do List the List... and a pretty easy choice of Coast.

We parked by the Show so had a couple of blocks to walk to the restaurant, which was totally fine on a cool, but not cold evening.  When we got to Coast we were [pleasantly] surprised how busy it was due to the half dozen or so places we had walked by that were actually empty or very close to empty - hopefully they pick up as the night wears on!  Although not brightly lit, the place was easy enough to find with the big elegant sign over the place.

Once in the door there's a quite large waiting area with the host stand just a little further on.  They must be busy more often than not because this is the biggest waiting area we've seen in a long long time, one that was well used this night and we assume each night.  They were taking walk-ins who were being told a 30 minute wait, but we had a reservation.  It didn't get us right to the front of the line, but we were a little early and did sit pretty much at the time we had reserved so the reservation system seems to work.  Once out of the waiting area there's two restaurant areas of perhaps 60 seats each, the first has the sushi bar with 6 sushi chefs keeping very busy every time we looked over, and the second lit a little less brightly and set up with a banquette on each long wall probably allowing easier dealing with big groups, as compared to the 'normal' 2s and 4s in the first.

Once seated (we were in the 2nd section), we straight away noticed how loud it was.  Just people talking to their friends noise, not kitchen, busser or music noises.  I don't think it bothered us other than to recognize that it was there, as we still were able to chat amongst ourselves and with our Server without any troubles.  We're kind of curious as to what caused this and if it's the norm here because it sure didn't look like a loud place from outside and we didn't notice it while waiting.  Oh well...

It's BYO (Remember? A Previous Article  I don't subscribe to BYOB as the description.) so with our bottle on the table the first thing our Server did was to provide some glasses and get it open.  She went pretty quickly through the couple of Specials and one did catch our attention but at ordering time we had to get her to repeat so we could confirm what we heard the first time.  She was around when we wanted, certainly not nagging us to order out next treats, and answered our couple of simple questions, but didn't offer anything else up.

I don't think we're embarrassed to admit that we started eating at Sushi places due to a TV Review A Previous Article.  What caught our attention was the Dragon and Caterpillar Maki and the like, that, well, look like Dragons and Caterpillars.  We've since learned that there are lots of less dramatic looking but equally tasty delights to be had.  However, we do take a good look at the 'Special' Maki section and more often than not select a couple because they look fun and more often than not mix non-traditional maki things together.  For all the yummy stuff we ate this evening, the Special Maki didn't really grab us - not a deal breaker, because we still enjoyed everything that came our way this evening.

Our meal went a little like this:

• 2010 ranga ranga Sauvignon Blanc A Century Project Participant - crisp, a little bit of acidity.  We were confident in bringing this with us in that it would work out with Sushi.  We were right.
• Hamachi Crudo with Jalapeno - I personally could skip the jalapeno part, but once pushed to the side I found the Hamachi a nice gently refreshing way to get started
• Sesame Crusted Scallop with Balsamic Vinaigrette - cooked just right with a crust of Sesame that made a fun crunch.  An interesting match of the rich Balsamic and delicate Scallops.
• Exotic Tempura (taro, lotus root, shiso leaf, squash, asparagus, shitake) - it's probable we've had all this fun stuff as tempura before and not known what was inside.  The leaf is fun, the lotus root oddly pretty to look at, everything in a nicely browned light and almost fluffy tempura.
• Nigiri
  • Hirame (flounder) - we now know it's an option...
  • Saba (mackerel) 
  • Suzuki (sea bass) 
• Maki
  • Salmon Skin - a kind of maki we'll one day have a go at making ourselves, but tonight we enjoyed Coast's
  • Spider (soft shell crab, avocado, cucumber, black tobiko) - a little awkward to eat, but tasty to the last bite
  • Sunrise (ginger seared tuna, mint, mango) - looks pretty, the mint really stands out, not a bad way to finish up.

We enjoyed our meal and it fit in perfectly with our dining needs and wants for an evening with a Show.  We have no reason not to go back, but due to location we'd probably need a friend to invite us to get us to make the trek.

Stay JOLLY!
D

6545 N Clark

We found this place awhile ago thanks to the wonders of modern cable television, but it took us a little too long to actually get up and head over.  We're now glad that we finally did, but sad that we took so long - oops. 

It's another of our pesky neighborhood places that we're never going to get into the car to go to and falls perfectly in that walk over (and back) on a nice evening distance, but throw in the possibility of too hot, too cold, too wet, too white or too something else and we're not going to go for that walk.  What Taste of Peru has in it's favor, is that there's a bus we can hop pretty much door to door and it would have to be shut-down-Lake-Shore-Drive bad out there to be a fair reason not to go - that's some excellent pre-planning from when Cesar (yes, everyone gets to know him!) opened up shop about 10 years ago.

It's not a big place, just a storefront in an itty bitty strip mall type arrangement.  We had certainly seen it and discounted it as a potential dining venue (barely giving it any thought) many times prior to cable television stepping in because it doesn't look like much at all.  Oops!  Sorry!  Seriously, don't judge this book by it's cover!  Inside i'ts maybe 50 seats, but less people because almost all the tables are setup for 4 and end up with 2.  It's full, but we didn't feel cramped.  Simple tables, simple chairs, simple decor.  Lots of pictures / posters of Peru and Lima, and a few art type pieces that may or may not have been born of Peru but certainly help you get into the Taste of Peru.  There's also a wall of achievements / awards / exciting things that happened which was interesting to have a quick look at.

We certainly felt welcomed.  We turned up without a reservation and Cesar seemed almost embarassed to tell us the wait would be about 15 minutes.  We're not big waiters but 15-20 is ok.  Most of the waiting is done outside due to the overall smallness of the place, so we'll be making a reservation for when we go back in the height of winter.  The Servers aren't particualrly socialable, but answered all our questions and weren't far away when we needed them.  They work by committee and at least one is a daughter of Cesar.  If you like your Server to be socialble, you won't miss out though as Cesar visits everyone and doesn't mind being the center of attention as he puts on a little display or talks about some Peruivian history.  He's fun, but probably intrusive if you were looking for a 'true' date.

The menu is not hard to navigate, but even with the English descriptions you may need a little extra explanation from your Server to make sure you understand what you're really going to get.  You also get Cesar's story if you've got some time for some light reading.  No wine list as it's 100% BYO and there's no charge for doing so.  But, if you bring a bottle of wine, make sure you know how to open it because they provide the glasses and opener, not the opening.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Argentinian Malbec - didn't really know what to turn up with, saw the Malbec section in the store and was able to hunt down a South American from the small sampling provided.  Not a lot to it, pleasant enough and no reason not to get it again for this sort of meal.
• Ceviche de Corvina - a nice tang to the dressing, the fish is a great texture.  A great way to start!
• Papa Rellena - earlier this year we had a go at making these ourselves A Daring Kitchen Episode.  It's not hard to admit that ours weren't as good as these ones.  Soft and creamy mashed potato holds it altogether, lots of fun things on the inside including beef, olives, egg and more.  We'll have this again.
• Lomo Saltado - under the 'Traditional Peruvian' section of the menu, it's a combination (and I mean combination) of beef, fries, onion and tomato.
• Arroz con Mariscos (Seafood Paella) - a great mix of seafood, a great almost creamy rice, an interesting tang to it all.

That was a lot of food in just four dishes!  That was a lot of really good food!

Another place we're better off for having visited.  We're a little embarassed that it took a national TV show to find something so good in our neighborhood, but we'll get over it by going back and hanging with a guy (and his family) who absolutely positively loves what he does and is proud of it, but loves sharing it more with people like us.

Do yourself a favor and hop the #22!

Stay JOLLY!
D

3705 N Southport

We've been before A Previous Visit, a couple of times Another Previous Visit now.  This visit had some new 'experiences' but it really does fit our can't-be-bothered-with-cooking-at-home-or-going-out-for-anything-too-complicated niche when we're in the region of our our favorite wine store Our Wine Club Blog.

Our first new experience was that I performed as if I was drunk long before we opened our bottle of wine - I locked the keys in the car and then struggled in the slushy snow to find the super-secret back up.  Actually, the snow might be the only new part...

Our first new experience of the Restaurant was that the place was packed and the few tables that weren't occupied had reserved signs prominently displayed.  My hands really needed a wash after the above mentioned experience so I left my wife to negotiate for a spot.  Actually no drama and she was mostly sat down by the time I returned.  I thought it a bonus, but odd, that they sat us at a four-top on an obviously busy night - more on that later...

Second, there was no doubt that we were the oldest people in the place.  Not a bad thing because we're not yet really old, and probably just a side effect of the Southport part of Wrigleyville we were in.  One table of all girls was clearly on their way to something 'bigger and better'.

Third, we had to move tables.  We were asked very nicely to move to a two-top, and thanked by the staff and the people who got our table, and it was only one table to the side (which was actually vacant, but reserved when we arrived).  In the grand scheme of things, it was irrelevant, and kind of fun we get to tell the story...

Again, the talking noise is loud, can't quite here the music (which we think was themed solo girls) but we can still chat to each other and our Server. 

For how busy it was, we didn't suffer at all.  Our Server was still around when we needed her, our food arrived more or less when you would expect it to and we only had to move tables once (kidding!, no big deal!).  We tried a couple of past favorites and a couple of new things with a bottle of $2 corkage charge wine from our 'cellar'.  All was well with our night out.

Our meal went a little like this:

• 2008 Rivetti Massimo "Aurelia" - Langhe A Wine Club Selection - a short but sharp acidic taste, but this didn't 'attack' any of our dishes in a bad way.
• Tempura - so much better than our own efforts A Daring Kitchen Article (available Feb 14) and something to aim for next time we try
• Dumplings, chicken - yummy!  Are they the best dumpling ever?  Pretty close!  Sauce was a bit 'hot' for me, but they really didn't need any dipping.
• Hawaiian Maki (eel, mango, macadamia nuts) - fun and crunchy
• Spider Maki (soft shell crab) - different fun and different crunchy
• Tiger Maki (tempura eel) - perhaps less fun, but just as tasty.  Double different crunchy
• Lips Nigiri (8 pieces, chef's surprise.  We got Sake, Maguro, Tako, Unagi, Hamachi, Kajki Maguro, Amaebi, Tobiko) - a couple we might not have ordered by ourselves, but happy to have given them a try.  Hamachi might be my favorite, Unagi 2nd, then it's a tie...
• Ice Cream Thing - due to the table moving thing (and I swear, it was no big deal!) they comped us a dessert.  Ice cream wrapped up somehow.  Yummy, and sorry we've never seen it before.

From a low key planned evening, we managed to entertain ourselves and be entertained from points of view we didn't leave the house expecting.  We also learned of a desert that was perfect after a 'pile' of Sushi.  Again, when our niche needs filling, we'll be back.

Stay JOLLY!
D

2556 W. Fullerton Ave

Not sure what the ()'s are in the name for.  No harm done not (k)nowing...  But there has to be a story, right?  We should have asked!

From the outside very unassuming.  I don't think you would just bump into (k)new if you weren't heading that way.  That's probably not really a bad thing if the kitchen and staff work better when they know what to expect but I don't know if it was planned or just worked out that way.  And considering our normal every day dining habits are mostly spontaneous just enough to let us make a reservation we wouldn't be out just hoping to bump into something like (k)new regardless of how un-unassuming the outside is. 

Inside, unassuming probably isn't the right word but it's at the simple and nice & tidy end of the scale.  Not a lot of artwork, kind of in the fashion most of us have at home - not a lot of space to put up our favorite (or treasured) pieces so they get hung as best we can come up with but not quite giving each piece it's best.  I'm not trying to suggest it's jumbled and crowded, but more an eclectic collection which is probably meaningful to the chef. Perhaps a little bit darker than romantic really needs with a constant supply of the jazz you might find on the mostly generic jazz channel of your cable - apologies if I've classified this incorrectly.

There is an odd (not in a bad way odd, just different) walkway by the kitchen that doesn't go anywhere - not even a back door.  It does have windows into the kitchen if you like to take a peek at the chef (and the 'real' chef was there when I peeked) while he's doing his thing and on the opposite wall lots of pictures of the chef with 'important' people and a few autographed 'important' people pictures.  It probably is the best place for the pictures, but it is still an odd little walkway.

A BYO restaurant - I don't care how many times I see it, hear it or am corrected, I will NEVER EVER call it BYOB because there's absolutely no reason to emphasize what you are allowed to bring and it even rolls off the tongue awkwardly.  Anyhoo...  A BYO Restaurant with a bar?  As you enter, if you ignored the host stand you would walk straight into a 'bar'.  No bar activities at all, just a coffee machine and space that I would think could be used a little bit better.  Perhaps it was there when they arrived and they're saving it 'just-in-case'?  They do charge a very reasonable corkage charge, but call it a recycle fee.  I can't think why anyone would ever complain at a $5 corkage charge for 2 bottles, but the 'recycle fee' caused us to question it.

We accused our Server of being a bit snooty after our first chat (not directly to her, that would be rude!) but withdrew that thought quite quickly.  Sorry, we judged a bit quickly again!  Perhaps she thought the same of us when we didn't want her offered wine-cooler (I think too many people drink their whites too cold and I quite enjoy 'watching' the changes in the wine as it warms up a little) and we rejected her time saving ordering system.  She did take great care of us, offered suggestions, (k)new the specials well, was available, joked a little, took a joke back well (she pretty much fell for her own joke 22 seconds after she hit us with it), let us order and eat in our own way and found us a Cab in record time.  She won't be joining us at the family Christmas Dinner, but I think we're all friends now. 

The menu is fun and easily enough to navigate.  We'd prefer more in the appetizer section, but we found plenty to choose from, actually grabbing up both appetizer specials.  The menu is perhaps the heaviest in red meat we've seen for quite a while which certainly isn't a problem, but we really had to negotiate amongst ourselves over lamb, venison, buffalo, duck, pork (ok pork isn't technically red meat, but it was in the red meat discussion) and the other goodies - the other goodies really didn't stand much of a chance this night.  They slipped us (well, everybody as a far as we can tell) an unannounced amuse bouche which probably should not be the feature of your dinner, but it should be fun, or new, or daring or all 3 - definitely 3 out of 4. 

Something we've not seen before (and never considered - almost shame on us) was that our Server made sure we knew of the Cheese Platter right from the start suggesting we might like to start with that.  We almost did!  Now that we have this in our heads I suspect we may even ask for it some time soon.  I think it's a great idea and we're not sure if it's our clever Server's idea, or the Restaurant's but it's definitely a clever idea.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• 2009 Planeta "La Segreta" Blanco A Wine Club Selection - at the acidic end of the scale, but also quite fruity.  May have worked best with the rabbit.
• Amuse Bouche, Escargot - no shells to deal with, so just a fun start giving us something to talk about.
• Rabbit Bisque - perhaps my favorite of the night.  Advertised as rich and hearty it certainly was, but also very very tasty.  Watch out for bones, though.  We suggest that it be moved to the menu full time rather than just appearing as the Soup Special of the evening from time to time.
• Scallops, grilled Pineapple- topped with bacon and undered with a sauce that needed more bread.
• Potato Nest, with Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Crème Fraîche - simple dish, great mix of textures.
• 2008 Mud House Pinot Noir A Wine Club Selection - smoky / toasty, we can't concur on which.  We did agree on the dark berry type flavors we found.  Great with our red meat choices but probably just as great with just about anything.
• Duck Breast, Mushroom Risotto - the Risotto may have been the best part, but perfectly cooked Duck is hard to go past.
• Rack of Venison - presented more like chops, but cooked just right with a wonderful fig jus and mashed sweet potato
• Gelato Flight, Balsamic, Pomegranate, Goat Cheese - yep, us too!  First thought was that it didn't sound right, but we're very glad we gave it a whirl.  The Cheese one was an interesting texture, but the other two just tasted great and sweet (yes the Balsamic one was sweet) and we could easily have eaten more.

We liked the place.  Our dinner was served the way we like and we enjoyed all the dishes we chose.  It's not the most convenient location for us to get to - especially since we only drive to dinner as a very very very last resort, preferring the CTA and perhaps a cab home - but there's no reason we wouldn't make the effort to get back one day.

Stay JOLLY!
D

3705 N Southport

We recently attended a fun Wine Pairing event at our favorite Wine Store, Que Syrah A Previous Article.  A fun evening of matching up Sushi with a great range of what most would think of as non-Sushi wines.  Lips provided the treats and we just had to add it to our to-do list.

With only a small Sushi Bar next to the Bar the space is quite compact and as we learned as more people arrived, very good at amplifying people talking.  In keeping with the name one wall is covered with large pictures of lips and it kind of looks pretty good - corny was my first thought, but that goes away.  Although hard to hear as the people noise took over, the music was a mostly fun collection of songs you know from all over the place remixed for the dance crowd type people.  Not unpleasant, just unexpected.  They do have an outside area that even once they got it opened up after the storm we probably would not use being right on Southport which is always busy with traffic and often trucks whizzing by.  It did prove popular and we wonder what happened to the people out there when the second storm of the evening hit about an hour after we left...

We weren't at all disappointed with the selection of Sushi, but were a little surprised to see the eclectic range of entree options.  Including, but not limited to, Rib Eye, New Zealand Lamb, Pad Thai, Daeji Bulgogi, Cashew Chicken.  I'm sure that in their own right all these dishes would be great, but not what I'm looking for when I'm heading off to a Sushi restaurant.

Our server took care of us but other than telling us the specials didn't have much to offer.  We're ok working through a Sushi Menu now, but had we not been I'm pretty sure she would have been able to help us out based on what we saw of her with other tables.  And once she settled into our very relaxed ordering pattern we all got along splendidly.  We note that every time we 'do' Sushi tables around us order just about the same amount of food as us, but all at one time - we're not sure why that seems to be the way to do it, but we do know we're very rarely aiming to be in and out in under an hour for which all these tables easily do.  We will continue to 'do' Sushi our way...

Our meal went a little something like this:

• Sake Mojito
• Fuzzy Something - pomegranate champagne cocktail
• Saba Nigiri (mackrel) - we had to start with it after only recently learning how good it is.  It still is good!
• Hamachi Nigiri (yellowtail)
• Forlorn Hope A Wine Club Selection
• Tempura (shrimp and vegetable) - the dipping sauce was served warm which I think I appreciate.
• Asparagus Maki
• Sweet Potato Maki - tempura sweet potato gives it a nice crunch.
• Red Samurai Maki (eel & salmon)
• A California Cabernet Sauvignon - really quite fruity.
• Spider Maki (soft shell crab)
• Sakekawa Maki (fried salmon skin) - I don't think the skin provides any flavor, leaving that up to the eel sauce, but the crunch texture is just wonderful

A pleasant evening with Sushi treats just as we expected.  I'm sure we'll be back, especially with the $1 corkage deal allowing us to dig into our rapidly over crowding 'cellar'.

Stay JOLLY!
D