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

915 Davis

Located right under the train (Metra, if you really care) tracks, it's almost disappointing that we didn't have the light fittings shaking everytime a train whizzed by.  But, actually, if you missed the train tracks as you were entering you'd probably never know as we never heard even a peep out of them...  I wonder how that happens?  Although not officially on our To-Do list since seeing it on Check Please a while back it's popped up on our Short List for an evening out more than once - this time it made it to the #1 slot...

It's kind of a long and skinny place, but I guess that's what you get when you live under the train tracks.  It's kind of elegant, it's kind of fun at the same time.  Low lights, white table cloths, precisely arranged tables, pleasant music, interestingly framed flower pieces, servers in matching outfits, collection of a couple of hundred ties, copper pipe light fixtures, copper pipe napkin rings, copper pipe stair rail, copper pipe tie racks.  There's some sort of outside area too, but we declined due to the humidity, and I think you would have to notice the trains going by if you sat out there.

On a pretty quiet evening it's not a fair and complete sample to work with, but it's probable we were the youngest in the place the whole time we were there.  It didn't feel like we were treated differently (as you should expect), and perhaps we were the only ones to notice.  We did manage to increase the average time at the table watching a couple of tables come and go before we'd decided on a Main Dish - not that there's anything wrong with that.

Our Server took care of us, and let us order, eat, and drink in our own way in our own time which we always appreciate.  She was as chatty as we wanted her to be, friendly and available without nagging in the slightest for our next decision.  She didn't even get mad when I told her we were done with the wine list and a whole three minutes later asked for it back again - actually she admitted she was ok with the little bit of busy work this created.  The menu was crystal clear to us, so we had no questions menu-wise, but she did a great job of sharing the couple of specials with us.

They have a great winelist.  It's not crazy big (but lots to choose from, including some half bottles), and it's not caught up in listing a whole bunch of 'super duper' wines that most of us can't afford (but there are a couple...).  It is perhaps the best list ever for someone who's a little scared of working through an extensive list because whoever it is that rounds up the wines has taken the time to group them, not by region, nor grape, nor value, but by style.  That is, the dainty whites are grouped separately to the oomphier whites and separately to the softer reds and separately to the earthy reds and separately to and separately to ...  Very easy to navigate and certainly confidence instilling when needed.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Mango Peach Pinot Grigio - kind of like a belini without the bubbles. A refreshing start (probably to any meal).
• a Cava - I have to admit to more by luck than design, but it paired up nicely with the mussels. Crisp, spritzy, fruity and pretty much opposite to the Sauce.
• Oven Roasted Prince Edward Island Mussels (chorizo broth) - generous on the chorizo, that's for sure.  Definitely needed extra bread for the sauce.
• Rothschild Cabernet Sauvignon - closer to medium body, than full it seemed an ok match with our rich dishes.  A short, dry finish.
• Oven Roasted Quail (oxtail and foie gras sausage, brussels sprouts, potato gnocchi) - some might wonder how they get the bones out and still make it look like a quail.  We were wondering if we should order another.  The Sausage probably the highlight, but everything worked well together.
• Escargot Casserole (pearl onions, bacon, shitake) - not quite what we expected presentation-wise.  Rich and tasty and although it worked great together, each individual flavor could be found.
• a Côtes du Rhône - perhaps better than the bottle with the Duck.
• Tamarind Glazed Grilled Maple Leaf Duck Breast (wild rice, farro and leek risotto, pinot noir reduction) -
• Chocolate Cake with raspberry(?) icecream - everything else had been rich, so why not a rich dessert too...

A nice low key evening that suited our mood, wants and needs just perfectly.  There's more on the menu we'd certainly be happy to try, so we'll put it on our revisit list (whenever that may be...).

Stay JOLLY!
D 

3741 North Southport

We've been a couple of times now, knowing that Cullen's fills our comfort-type food needs on occasion.  On this occasion we needed to eat prior to heading across the road to our Favorite Wine Store for the Malbec Wine Tasting A Wine Club Article evening.

You would certainly have to score it at the Irish Pub end of the scale.  Dark, but not too dark with lots of dark wood making up the bar, booths, tables and floor - I have no idea what flavor so lets say mahogany because it's a fun word but really no sensible idea coming from me.  A menu of treats you can't but associate with our foreign view of what we think the Irish enjoy.  Lots of old (real old, or fake old?) pictures, tickets, brochures, poems and the like adorn the walls - if they're real old, then some or most or all could be Irish in origin.  And of course, Guinness on tap.

It definitely has the feel of a friendly neighborhood place.  We saw a lot of people welcomed back as they came in (some with their very very young families).  I even saw a couple of people walking past wave at the staff.  I suspect the familiar locals and their kids are a bit more scarce once the Cubs start up again?  Cullen's is right next door to the Mercury Theater and although I have no idea what plays there (I probably need to fix that!) they get on well with the overflow of Cullen's taking up the same space as the Mercury's Box Office.  I think they share the bathrooms too.

Our Server had a medium Irish Accent, I guess no chance to forget what kind of bar you're in.  She was nice enough.  Not chatty with us, but certainly with the regulars.  I suspect had we tried a little harder to engage her she would have been chatty with us too.  She checked in on us just the right amount.

A straightforward menu with just about everything you'd expect to see.  A nice list of bottled and draft beers and if you really really want wine you can negotiate with your Server (ok, not negotiate, but ask her what they've got).  If you want a quick meal, this is probably the place to go.  We dilly-dallied as best we could and still finished up way quicker than we had hoped.  Oh well, no need to rush after work next time...

Our meal went a little like this:

• Blue Moon
• Soda
• Baked Artichoke Ramekin, with toasted rye - I don't think Artichoke Dips vary much from place to place but we really like this one with the toasted rye bread.
• Kinsale Fish & Chips, bass ale batter - Fish & Chips, yes.
• Shepherd's Pie - Stink'n hot.  Yummy once it cooled a bit.  Technically not a Shepherd's Pie when made with beef, right?

I guess if we lived in the neighborhood we'd aim a little towards being one of the warmly welcomed regulars but for now it will just be on our short list of places to dine before heading to our Favorite Wine Store for a tasting Some Wine Club Articles.

Stay JOLLY!
D

1412 W Morse

It's a bar! 

We drove by not too long ago with a friend who said we should try it out.  She mentioned that the menu was small, but ok.  Based on that, I wrongly assumed it to be a restaurant.  Oh well...  We could have done worse.

It is just on the edge of our walking to eat / drink range, but if it was raining it wouldn't be and snowing might or might not push it out of range.  But it's in perfect get off the train on the way home range...  We don't mind travelling, but driving is only ever a very last resort (we've been known to drink more than we eat...) and sadly Chuckies (and most of Rogers Park) is in that no-mans land of us getting there and back safely distance.

New to the neighborhood, I guess it's trying to not be of the dive-bar variety that Rogers Park tends to lean towards - there are of course exceptions, but I'm not aware of anything like Chuckies.  But, it also sems to have not quite sorted what it wants to be.  Lots of shiny stuff outside, a big long bar with a couple of TVs (too high, perhaps?) on the wall behind it, chandeliers (yes!) over the tables in the window, a mural I can only describe as odd (but others may 'understand' it better?), pleasant enough music (I think 80s & 90s mostly?) but perhaps too loud and the 'kitchen' in a corner. 

The two Servers / Bar Tenders / Chefs were nice enough and said hello when we came in but it was very quite when we arrived and you'd be really quite upset if they didn't acknowledge you.  It got a little busier as we were finishing up and I think they were still saying hello to everyone.  When they came to visit for the first time they made sure we knew the specials.  They came by just often enough to make sure we had a drink and something to eat.

The menu is made up of half a dozen pizzas, a couple of salads, 10 or 15 martinis, 10 or 15 draught beers, 10 or 15 bottled beers and 4 or 5 frozen drinks.  This would be the final part of the puzzle confirming you're in a bar... and I wonder if they're trying to be a Martini Bar?  You're not getting your pizza from a pizza oven and there's no chef to be seen anywhere.  They may be pre-prepared, but the proscuitto was definitely added after the cooking part.  We would argue we make better pizzas at home (actually better than most places offering up pizza if I may brag), but when you want someone else to be building it for you you could sure do a whole lot worse than Chuckies' offerings.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• 312 (bottles)
• Orange Martini - Orangy
• Mushroom & Proscuitto Pizza - Flavorwise nothing to complain about. Perhaps a little too much cheese?  Definitely not enough crunch in the crust.
• Lemon Drop Martini - Lemony
• Vegetable Pizza - Ditto.  Although, perhaps a little less crunch than the other one...
• Chocolate Martini - Chocolately and always gets extra points for squirting chocolate sauce around the glass.

The staff were nice enough to us, the drinks were fine and the pizza was no where near the worst we've ever had.  We won't go rushing back, but I'm sure we'll stop in after work one night for a cocktail and a snack (not dinner...).  I kind of think it's a love or hate place and there won't be many people like us somewhere in the middle.  It doesn't hurt the neighborhood, so hopefully more of the former than later!

Stay JOLLY!
D

1134 W 18th Street

This evening was more about spending time with friends we don't see often enough than having a bunch of wonderful plates of food placed in front of us.  Turns out you can have both, although I admit this was a second choice after we learned our first choice doesn't take reservations, even for 7s, and may get a bit loud with the live music.

It's an almost unassuming place from outside being basically a store front place that stretches back into a second area.  It's quite bright with interesting art work of a style I don't pretend to understand.  The way the paintings were arranged it gave the impression that the restaurant was letting someone sell their work, but I couldn't see anything suggesting a price or confirming they were for sale.  Regardless, they broke up the long straight and simply painted walls nicely.

Our table was constructed by pushing together two 4-tops. Totally fine as not many places have a table for 7 just hanging around. However, there was a very noticeable difference in heights of the two tables.  We mostly shrugged and sat down, but after a short negotiation amongst ourselves we asked to have it rectified.  They did it happily and quickly (not sure why they wouldn't do it right the first time?) and the slight difference was now no more than you'd expect to see elsewhere (although yes, we'd prefer no difference).  The catch now was that the small difference was easily forgotten about (a mostly good thing) which caused us to lose 2 partially consumed glasses of wine that were placed just perfectly enough over the join in the tables to cause a topple when bumped ever so slightly.  Oh well, it happens and it barely caused a gap in our discussion.  As penalty, we went through a whole bunch of their napkins from other tables to clean up.

Our server was very patient with us as it took us a relatively long time to get an eating plan together, and then a bit longer to actually make the choices.  I would argue that we took about the right amount of time, but I accept it was more than what restaurants would normally expect to be faced with.  She did blast through the Specials, but between the 7 of us we caught everything mentioned (I think!).   Once the order was in the food was perhaps a little bit slower coming (and it didn't quite all come out at once) than we might normally expect, but on this night it just didn't matter.

It is a BYO restaurant and now that I think about it, I don't think they charged a corkage.  Thanks!  But if they did, big deal - we had a fun collection to enjoy.  I suspect our Server had something to say to her Boss and other Servers to which they may or may not have rolled their eyes and then shrugged but our table did something I've never been privy to before.  At a BYO place, one of our group had come pre-armed with a bottle opener and we proceeded to open our own wines.  I'm not really sure why, but if I had have been the Server I think I would have been quite annoyed - if ours was she didn't show it and I'm sorry.

Everything was tasty and the quite generous portions only generated a couple of to-go boxes.  The menu was easy enough to navigate (although a little unwieldy in physical size when 7 of them are present together), but with perhaps too many Specials.  If it had have just been the two of us I'm pretty sure we would have pretty much ignored the Specials due to not being able to take them all in.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• White Wine 1, a Chardonnay perhaps? - dryish and not much of a nose
• White Wine 2, a blend -
• Sangiovise - the 'softest' of our reds, but fruity.  May have worked just as well with our richer main dishes?
• 2003 Vergelegen Merlot A Wine Club Selection - smokey to the nose and palette, perhaps the biggest Merlot I've ever had
• Merlot -  this was the last wine opened, but hindsight suggests to me it may have been a better match with our first course.
• Calamari Fritti - not the best I've ever had, certainly not the worst, but just right for passing around to get us started with the eating part of the evening
• Formaggie Di Capra - surprisingly light on your palette when compared to how thick and gooey and luscious it is in the bowl.
• Green Bean Salad - the description piqued our attention but I think it tasted better than we expected.
• Lobster Ravioli - pretty tasty, generous sized raviolis and a not overly rich cream sauce with peas
• Gnocchi Special - the same sauce as the Ravioli, but it was fine with the soft and fluffy gnocchis.
• Brascole - perhaps the ratio of brascole to cavatelli is a bit out of whack but none of it made it to a to-go box.
• Osso Buco Authentico - the bone marrow was first to go and clearly the favorite part of the dish
• Manacotti - lots and lots of sauce.  It took a bit to cool down enough to eat comfortably, but that fit in with our laid back approach to dining this evening
• Cioppino - the sauce had a bit of zing (according to my wimpy palette) to it, but a generous selection of seafood with perhaps a touch too much spaghetti.
• Meatball Special - a lot going on in a sauce that had just about the right amount of richness.  Potatoes and pasta included probably not needed together.

We had a great time!  We got to chat, we got to laugh, we took our time to order, we got to chat too loudly (I don't think we upset any other diners, but sorry if we did!), we spilled a couple of drinks, we had plenty to eat, we had plenty (with out being too much) wine, we shared our food, we struggled to figure out the math of splitting the check.  We had a great time with our friends!

Stay JOLLY!
DJanet & Dave, Kate, Pete & Kris

The Pier

"The only thing frozen here are our fishermen"

Now that's a motto!  One that you have absolutely no reason to doubt the validity of.  I don't for one second recommend nor condone this sort of behavior, but had I been so inclined and with not too much extra effort, I probably could have peed in the harbor where their fisherman start their daily 'adventures' (not on the fisherman!!) from the deck of the restaurant.  The seafood is fresh! - that's my point.

Although our guide book suggested we should try here, it was on my radar from a couple of websites I bumped into during our planning process.  Fortunately both suggested a table can be hard to come by, especially during the Summer Season.  We made the good decision of making a reservation because we did see a good number of people get turned away - it's a double good thing we arrived in the town at Lunch time and not just before Dinner.

Cafe is a fair description of the place. It's over the office for the ferry with nothing but harbor sounds surrounding.  It's small, maybe 30 seats and it operates more like a 'cafe' at lunch with a welcoming display counter and a lot of quick and easy items available.  For dinner the counter becomes the cold station and an extra table is placed in front of it for dinner - that's where we sat which turned out to be a lot of fun for us.  There are a couple of picnic-type tables outside on the deck, but it doesn't look like they're ever a dinner option just a lunch time unserviced option - I guess we could have asked to confirm.  It's neat and tidy, but very informal - had we put on our going out finest we would have been well over dressed.

We definitely could hear the music - it's a 'boom box' up on the side of the Counter where we were sitting - but it wasn't too loud.  We thought it funny (in the nicest possible way) that we got to hear the same Elton John best of play through 2 times before the boss switched it over to Johnny Cash - we suspect that Johnny also would get a rerun.

There were two Servers, one of which was clearly the boss and maybe even one of the owners (again, we probably should have asked to confirm).  There was also a third person who mostly worked the Cold Station, but did help out on the floor when she had nothing on her plate.  She also turned out to be very entertaining (and patient with us) in the way she answered our questions - I think they were all about the menu...  The whole team worked well together and although a little surprised at our ordering technique at first did a great job of keeping us fed, informed, adequately 'hydrated', entertained and relaxed.  One unusual (and ultimately practical) way of making sure we always had cutlery was to give us a bucket with everything we might need and just topped it up as we progressed through our meal.  Unorthodox? Yes.  Useful?  Also yes!  Appropriate?  Yeah, sure.

The menu is relatively short, but the extensive Specials Boards - yes more than one - make for a very interesting decision making process.  We noted a couple of non-seafood dishes but don't recall one heading past us and certainly not considered among our process (that bordered on difficult) of choosing what to have next.  We probably made a mistake in not finding room for the Mussels which we later found out came from a farm 'just' down the road.

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Chardonnay - I think Italian?  Nothing overly memorable other than a slight acidity that worked out fine with everything we had.
• Shellfish Bisque - rich and creamy and definitely shellfishy.  Great bread for dipping, actually the bread may have come with every course.
• Crab Cakes, lime mayonnaise - crunchy on the outside, soft and craby on the inside.  Lovely sauce, but just fine on their own.
• Smoked Special Plate, hot smoked salmon, cold smoked salmon, smoked mackerel - the mackerel was probably the strongest flavor of the 3.  When given the choice, take a hot smoked salmon!  Both were enjoyable, but the hot smoked more so.  Oh, and don't be tricked into thinking that the hot smoked salmon is a hot dish - nope.
• Scallops, chili sauce - fortunately for me the chili sauce was relatively mild and on the side.  Cooked just right I could argue the sauce wasn't needed.
• Langoustine and Squat Lobster Caesar - We actually asked the very nice Cold Station Lady / Server exactly what the big bowl of tails we could see being used quite often were.  Squat Lobster tails.  She showed us a whole one (kind of like a crawfish) and gave us each a tail to taste.  Really quite sweet.  We had to have a dish!  There were two options, and I half jokingly asked if one of them didn't require us to open the tails.  The Caesar didn't so we chose it...  The langoustines are also sweet, but perhaps a little bit more tender.  Together they made the salad really enjoyable.  We're glad we asked what they were!
• Tobermory - It just seemed right that we order the 2 whiskeys that were made just up the road (although we found out later they are bottled on the Mainland).  This was the lighter of the two.  Very little peat, if any.
• Ledaig^* - We own a bottle of this now!  This one a little rougher, but nice rough.  Definitely stronger on the peat scale.
• Sticky Ginger Pudding, toffee sauce - gingery and sticky.  And our glass of Tobermory Whiskey worked quite well together.

I might have to call this our most enjoyable dining experience of the trip. I can't call it the best food we had (although it would have to be right up there) but we were relaxed, a good bit buzzed by the end, had fun with all the Servers, had fun with ourselves, got in a little fun people watching (a single guy had a quite detailed journal going and two tables of locals (I think one of them was one of the Fishermen) were having a grand old Saturday night out - good for them), got to be smug as people came in after us being told there was no room for them (we hope they were in town long enough to have another try!) and ended up with a fast arriving and chatty (although short) cab ride home - we had a big big hill to walk up otherwise.

It's arguably a good thing they were closed on our second night in town (a Sunday) because we would have been strongly tempted to return and therefore foregoing some other dining experience.

Stay JOLLY!
D

* - Have a go at the Gaelic pronunciation.  We only have the definitive absolutely correct way because we did a tour of the Distillary a couple of days later.  Our Server did say it for us, but it didn't stick so it's a good thing we got to do the tour.  Our guide told us to think of a chicken that was late, therefore latechick - yep, no hint of a 'd' or a 'g' in there...

166 E. Superior

C-House was on our to-do list because of Marcus Samuelson who we've seen on the Next Iron Chef and as winner of Top Chef Masters. The short answer is that it was worth going, and we went knowing it was unlikely he'd be cooking for us (our server admitted he's there only twice a month, now spending time opening up a new place in New York). I think we can say that his menu matches up with what he said and what we saw him cook on these shows.

The Restaurant is part of the Affinia Hotel and it really feels just about the same as every other Hotel Restaurant I've been in.  Not a bad thing, just the way it is.  Relatively bright, nice sized bar right by the door, neat and clean and well maintained, a little bit of lobby noise filtering through.  We arrived very early - so early they weren't even open - due to other plans for the evening having a very rigid schedule so we didn't get the chance to see the place hopping, although when we left I'd have to classify it as a slow night.  The music was nothing memorable, just in the 'safe hotel' range of tunes.  The wine list comes across as well thought out and a good portion (I doubt it's all, but it could be) is on display in a glass cellar right by where we were sitting.  There is a small outside area, but I think we'd always skip it, even it the wind wasn't as cold as it was this night, due to being on the mostly busy Downtown street, Superior.

For a long time, we were our Server's only table, possibly for the whole time we were there.  If he was bored, he didn't show it by being too attentive - he was just right.  He came by almost exactly when we were thinking we could use him again, answered our questions - both of the menu and the chef, offered opinions on the menu (I'm sure he would have done the Specials proud had there been any) and he represented us well in negotiations with the kitchen.  To be fair, negotiations is probably not the right word, but I'm going to leave it.  We asked to 'tweak' something, our Server checked with the Kitchen and came back with an option, we accepted.  Had he come back with an option we didn't like, or no option at all, we would not have complained or muttered to ourselves - we would have just picked something else.

The perfect sized menu makes it very easy to navigate.  It was almost refreshing not to have to listen to (and try to remember) the Specials being spouted.  I think we can say everything we chose was special!

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Goose Island Matilda 
• Kung Fu Girl Riesling - we've seen this before A Related Article and thought it would be great with our first course - we were right.  I also had no objections to anything else I had it with, although the Tuna dishes were the best match by far.
• Yellowfin Tuna Trio - not a lot of differentiation in the 3 styles, just enough to make you think about the differences.
• Yellowtail Tacos^* - you could just eat the Tuna on it's own and be happy, but with the condiments and crunchy taco shell it really turned into something wonderful.
• Confit Suckling Pig - wonderful on its own and really didn't need the yummy coleslaw
• Pan Seared Sea Scallops - cooked just right, with an awesome blueberry mustard sauce
• Goose Island Sophie 
• Pan Seared Halibut - heirloom tomato sauce could almost be a dish on it's own.
• Smoked Duck Breast - poached duck egg probably the star
• C-House Fries - real fries are always better, and with homemade ketchup (a bit smoky somehow?)...
• Mac & Cheese - pork sausage & goat cheese pretty much ensures it's not your mother's mac & cheese

We will have to go back, and probably in the short term just for some dessert that we are a little sad we didn't have time to experience. We've very much got ourselves into slow, leisurely meals where we convert (mostly without the Server caring, but occasionally there's been some eye-rolling) the traditional 3 course meal into 5, 6 or even 7 (although not really eating anything more) so on this night having a very rigid schedule to keep we felt like our meal was rushed - absolutely 100% our doing, not the Restaurants.

Stay JOLLY!
D

* Thanks to our Server and the Chef(s) for this!  The Taco sounded great but was part of a combo plate that didn't grab us as a whole.  The negotiations were polite and successful.  I declared these the best Tacos I've ever had - but bumped them down to a tie for first after being reminded that my wife makes AWESOME Tacos. 

2256 West Irving Park

How did we end up here? Now that's a story...  We had something to celebrate and thought Burgers and Beer for lunch would be the perfect answer.  Our first choice turned out to have an hour wait, which we were probably just ok with seeing we knew to expect nothing else, but the wait was outside on the sunny side of the building in the 85 degree humid Chicago afternoon.  Nope, not today.  Choice 2 turned out to be no longer open for business.  Choice 3 was spur of the moment as we drove by but we got confused in the quick storm and couldn't find it again and ended up behind Chicago Joes as part of a short cut staring at their parking lot.  Seemed kind of fated...

Whether you're looking for the place or not, it's very hard to miss being a big white building on a corner with a big (and I'm sure very bright at night) neon type sign.  They've been around for a long time and have a good history of Chicago 'names' stopping by.  The bar is adorned with very old sports equipment.  I didn't think to ask if they were actually used by people we would care about or just found at random bric-a-brac sales.  Hopefully the former, and it would probably be ok if they said the former when really it isn't...

Brunch was up and running so the host (we're not sure what she was doing that required the wearing of rubber gloves...) was kind enough to offer us a table close to the buffet.  We were hankering a burger by now (remember the how we got here story?) so declined and took a booth in the bar section.  From what we could see, everyone else was there for the buffet and from what we could see of their selections it's a pretty good spread.

Our server was nice enough and answered the couple of questions we had easily enough.  She gave us all the time we wanted to order and just took what we had ready without forgetting to come back and get the rest.  It's hard to know if it's always the case, but everything was in 'relax mode' (which is quite ok for Sunday Brunch) so had we been in for a quick bite we might have been a bit wound up, but we weren't so we were happy to be 'allowed' to really take our time.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• Sam Adams Summer Lager
• Blue Moon
• Fried Calamari - very crispy, simple dipping sauce
• Lemonade
• Mango Cheese Burger - less sweet than expected, but not in a bad way
• Wrigleyvile Cheese Burger (crispy bacon and lots of BBQ sauce) - just messy enough to be yummy and not annoying

We knew we would end here A Related Article so we didn't even look at the Dessert options.

Chicago Joe's served our needs just fine this day and the next time we're confused and hungry and in the neighborhood we'll be back - by choice, not accident.

Stay JOLLY!
D