Rialto 525 Collins Street

Most people would probably title this post Vue de monde, even though the Restaurant is a whole other space.  We're not like that...  We will get to Vue de monde as diners one day - and as it turns out, we even have a verbal commitment floating around - but not for awhile.

Up on the top (or thereabouts) of the Rialto, it doesn't really matter what the decor is (and it's kind of odd, to me anyway) because it's all about the view.  Back towards the city, out over the bay, way past the bridge, and much more...  On a slightly hazy day we didn't get the best view you could, but we certainly can't say we had a bad one.

Only here for a quick visit prior to dinner just down the road a bit, but we did have time to check out the bathrooms where someone(s) spent too much time trying to come up with a unique style - they did and they're not evil looking by any stretch of the imagination, but [on the men's side] I'd be more than a little uncomfortable in there doing my thing with someone else doing his.  Also, if you feel the urge, there's a small deck where you can get out in the wind - but no tables...

The cocktail list has enough to choose from, some snacks too if you're so inclined.  Set up with odd couches, stools and the like it's a bit of a maze for your Server to come visit, which might explain why he doesn't come by, but I'm also tending to think that they're used to most people coming up for just the one drink - which was us from the second we decided it was a good place to start the evening - so don't get too involved in hovering.

Our cocktails went a little like this:

• White Wine
• Kronenbourg 
• Little Creatures Pale Ale 
• White Rabbit Dark Ale - actually, not all that dark.

A fine place to start off the evening, especially if you want to look down on the world... But, it was just a stepping stone before heading off to Dinner A Related Article.  I guess we'll stop back prior to dinner when that commitment comes to fruition...

Stay JOLLY!
DMichael & Luise

3705 N Southport

Compared to our last visit A Previous Article this was a lightning quick stop, albeit it a drawn out lightning quick stop.  We had plans to attend our favorite wine pairings event A Related Article at our favorite wine store Our Wine Club Blog, but experience told us we would need a little bit of a 'snack' beforehand to get us through the whole evening.  Lips is right across the road, so it wasn't a hard decision.

No changes to anything around the place that we could see, perhaps none to the daily drink special board either. Although, the outside area was open and occupied.  On busy Southport, it's unlikely we would choose to sit on the street, but clearly there are those who enjoy the non-air-conditioned section.

On a pretty quiet night while we were there, we were allowed to dawdle without pressure from our Server or guilt from ourselves.  We knew we weren't going to be ordering all that much, so tried something different and something familiar.  It turned out to be a gentle visit where we got to chat and just hang out.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Flirtini
• Mirage
  
• Tekka Don (tuna sashimi over sushi rice) - something new in style and presentation. Tasty, but we weren't really sure how to best enjoy it, so probably got giggled at by the Sushi chefs as we muddled our way through - we'll probably stick with a selection of Nigiri in the future.
• Sakekawa Maki (crispy salmon skin) - we've had this before, it's just a fun different dish we like. Crunchy and soft and sweet.

Again, niche filled, taste buds happy.  But this time, tummies prepared just right for what our evening still had in store for us.

Stay JOLLY!
D

2232 W Roscoe

A friend who likes and understands her wine a whole lot better than we do (she actually writes He Sipped / She Sipped formally on the topic with her husband) hosted a tasting at one of her favorite Wine Stores. A store we know we should have visited by now, but it's outside that useful and convenient distance from home.

They have a tasting room out back (technically off to the side) were we spent our time with our hosts and perhaps another 20 people.  Plenty of room for all of us, and in this sort of situation perhaps another 20 or 30 could join in.  Simple decor, a big bar / serving area with a few seats, a couple of sofas and plenty of room to mingle.  Also, really fun chandeliers made magically from wine glasses - an idea we could be talked into 'borrowing' quite easily.  As we understand it, the plan is to open up this Tasting Space as a sort of Wine Bar / Cheese & Charcuterie type of place.

We took a quick peek around the actual Wine Store on the way out and there's some fun stuff out there to keep you amused no matter how you classify your wine skills and / or wine budget.  Our 'tour guide' shared with us that there are actually a couple of Lush stores around now, each tweaked a little to suit their location.  Sadly, none closer to us than this one. 

The store had a designated keep-an-eye-on-the-crowd person and she was not there to give a speech, but she would happily answer questions and offer her opinions on the wines if asked.  We didn't ask a lot of questions, but she certainly didn't mind when we did - she didn't even get mad when we caused a small incident in the region of the open bottles...

If there was an official theme of the tasting, I either missed being told or forgot.  In lieu of anything official that I know of, I'm declaring the theme here's-5-wines-you've-probably-never-tried-before-and-even-if-they're-not-your-favorite-you'll-be-better-off-for-having-given-them-a-go.

Our tasting went pretty much like this:

• A Selection of Wine Tasting appropriate treats. - didn't think to ask for specifics, but there was at least one really yummy sausage and a couple of cheeses I could easily sit down with.
• NV Lattitude 50° N. Sekt Brut Weiss (Germany) -This may have been my favorite, certainly the one I was most inclined to return to once we'd been through the range.  Not overly bubbly, a little acid and a great smoothish dryish finish.
• 2009 3 Wines Sweet Water Ranch (California) - a pretty fruity nose but short finish.  Perhaps honey on the palette?  I could probably sit in the sun on the deck with this one.
• 2009 Domaine Ott 'Les Domaniers de Puits Mouret' (France) - nothing particularly memorable.  Not sorry to have tried it, but no reason for me to return.  Possibly the earthiness (I kind of want to say that I found dirt though) you expect in a Shiraz or Grenache that I found tricked me a bit?
• 2009 Château Cambon (France) - perhaps needed more food than the yummy treats provided.  Not bad alone, just probably better with food due to the tannins.  Don't compare this Beaujolais to the Nuveau you've probably seen on sale somewhere!
• NV Coeur D'Alene Cellars 'Switchback Red (Washington) - I don't hate this for being a NV, but I admit to looking at it a bit differently.  It was well balanced and sort of smokey and spicy at the same time.  I wonder if this would work out with a big plate of BBQ?

If our friend throws another do, there's no reason to think we wouldn't join in but as a wine store we have a closer one we're happy with.  The thought of a fun Wine Bar is appealing and we would definitely make the trek back to check it out at least once.

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

3705 N Southport

It wasn't too long ago we were here A Recent Visit and seeing it worked out so well last time, it seemed the perfect place for a 'snack' before heading across the road to possibly our favorite wine pairing evening A Related Article that we do.

It was a little bit busier than last time and being seated close to a table of 10 or 12 we again noticed how well that people talking is amplified.  It's odd, because it's doesn't cause us to have problems talking to each other, but over rides the music completely.  And it's not really eavesdropping appropriate, more like the crowd noise at a Ball Game.  Not a deal breaker, it's just the way it is.

Being just down the road from the Music Box, our server assumed that's where we were off to when we asked for the check before we'd finished eating.  A fair assumption that is probably right most of the time.  She took care of us, but we had a schedule to keep to and weren't going to try something new.  We knew pretty much what we wanted straight away and therefore didn't really talk to her.

Our snack went a little something like this:

• Glass of French Chardonnay - a little bit of wood comes through, but overall quite soft.
• Glass of German Riesling - a little bit sweeter than expected, but worked ok with our selections.
• Saba Nigiri (mackerel) - we've become a bit addicted to the Mackerel Nigiri no matter where we are.
• Maguro Nigiri (tuna)
• Hawaiian Maki (eel) - with mango, avocado and macadamia nuts, it's different in a very yummy way.
• Tiger Maki (tempura eel) - double crunchy with the tempura and tobiko.

We broke with our Sushi tradition of one, perhaps two dishes at a time, and ordered everything at once, but as it turned out the Nigiri came first and the Maki a little bit later. And although we have every intention to share everything, we ordered without consultation and ended up with two Unagi Maki rolls - oh well, they were both tasty.

We know we'll be back, we just don't know when or for what kind of meal, but it's good to know it suits us for at least 2 types of dining needs.

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