2100 West Irving Park

We've been here before, but it's not been since we moved out of the general area and never for a Brunch.  It's a bar!  It's a good bar.  It's a busy bar. They like Halloween!

It's a long sort of skinny building split up into 3 sections by virtue of the walls that hold the roof up.  100% bar looking at the front, 100% brunch buffet looking in the middle (probably gets normal tables the second the brunch goes away), 85% kids section in the back (although this delineation is probably only apparent during brunch)...  It's a bar...  Lots of TVs with the games on, a mixture of high tops and normal tables, lots of options to drag tables around for bigger groups, and seeing it's Halloween season some fun decorations around the place that certainly got the kids attention.

It's a buffet, so you don't get much interaction with your Server, but she did come by to keep an eye on our drinks or to put in an order for an omelet or waffle.  She also didn't appear to be concerned with the kids not always being in their designated seats - she must have worked the kids section before...

Our meal went a little like this:

• Milk
• White Trash Mimosa - not exactly sure what the make up was, but you get a pint and it was sort of refreshing.
• Bloody Mary with Beer Chaser - it was consumed, and it comes with a big edible arrangement as a garnish.
• Brunch Buffet - plenty to choose from, including but not limited to...
  • Eggs, Bacon, Sausage 
  • Made to Order Omelets - but don't speak to the Chef, order through your Server...
  • Waffles - chocolate is an option that's hard for the kids to pass up
  • Yogurt / Fruit Bar
  • Biscuits & Gravy - I'm going to go with pretty good gravy - perhaps sausage?
  • French Toast 
  • Carved Turkey & Beef 
  • Sloppy Joes 
  • Dino Fingers - technically, for the kids, but I may have had 1 or 4...
  • Sweet Potato Fries - a pleasant surprise
  • Assorted Salads 
  • Cookies & the Like... 

It's not our neighborhood any more so even though we had a satisfying feed, it's unlikely we'll get back for brunch anytime soon.  But, if the stars align and we need a lazy brunch (or casual dinner) in the general vicinity of O'Donovan's we could give it another go.

Stay JOLLY!
DRon, Diane, Allison, Natalie

3002 West 47th Avenue

Although technically not on our to-do list The List... we did arrive in KC knowing we'd be stopping by.  I think everyone knows that you have to do some Barbecue whilst in town so we spent some time with the TV chefs / food hosts looking for their opinions and more than one rates this as the best BBQ ever - one even put it on his list of 13 places you must eat before you die.

It is a place you'd be exceptionally lucky to find by driving by.  The building certainly won't catch your attention - it's a gas station and not a converted gas station, but a working fill up your tank one.  It's not out of the way, but it's certainly not in a tourist part of town and even if you noticed the sign mentioning BBQ you probably wouldn't put 2 and 2 together.  Oh, and you need to be a little bit creative and / or brave to find a spot in the parking lot.  The smells may get your attention, I guess depending on how the wind is blowing. 

What is most likely to get your attention though, is the line out the door.  We arrived a little before 11:30, and not because we knew the line can be out the door, but because we had an early flight and were hungry.  The place was packed, the line was to the door (perhaps 40 people in line?) and growing.  Normally, lines annoy us but based on a low stress schedule for the day and recomendations from TV and beyond we joined in.  On the plus side everyone in line was happy and patient and mostly followed the rule of not finding a table until you had your food in your hand (the bigger the group, the more likely to cheat...).  And on the double plus side it moves pretty quick.  When we left a little after 1pm there were perhaps 20 people in line outside the door too where it had hovered at least the whole time we were seated.

If you want to be pedantic, it's not really a restaurant.  It's a takeout place with some figure-it-out-yourself seating.  While we were in line, I'd guesstimate 75% of the people ahead of us did carry out (which is kind of odd because they have a call ahead for carry out section and that line was mostly empty) meaning the panic we had relating to not being able to dine in was unnecessary and once we had our trays in hand we went straight to a table, even having a choice of a couple.

In terms of getting your meal, it's cafeteria like.  Get in line, change your mind 5 or 8 times as you move through the line, order with the order taking dude, listen to a whole bunch of holler'n as the order gets disseminated to the people who do each part (ok that part might not happen in a cafeteria), shuffle down to the cashier, select a beverage, confirm that all the holler'n was holler'd correctly, pay (and not a whole lot, really!), muddle through the soda machine and then find a table (which already noted was no drama).  In general, tourists inside, locals back to the office...

The menu is easy enough to navigate, easy enough to understand and certainly has enough options to choose from if you decided to make this a regular haunt.  It looks like there's a daily lunch special (perhaps a dinner special too?) and it seems that the people who looked like the regulars tended to gravitate towards.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Boulevard Wheat - The local brew, not all that wheaty but fine with my lunch.
• Boulevard Pilsner - Another of the many from this brewery.  Probably our favorite of the 2.
• Side of Smoked Chicken Gumbo - It comes in 4 sizes.  We got the smallest (called a side) and if we had have gotten the biggest there's no way we could have had our other stuff.  It's rich, and Gumbo like, and rich, and smokey and meaty.  And good!
• Hog Heaven (Pulled Pork and Sausage Sandwich) - Don't eat this wearing a white shirt.  It's a little messy, but a lot tasty.
• 2 Meat Dinner - a nice way to increase the variety and not so much the waist line
  • Brisket - dry rub only, sauce added at service time.  It looks the way it should with that smoke ring everyone wants to see.  Cut thin, but not too thin, tender and juicy and yummy.
  • Sausage - definitely smoked sausage, but not too rich.  Goes well with the sauce.  Might be fun to eat in a brat sort of way, rather than with a fork and knife?
  • Fries - seasoned heavily with something secret.  Quite rich and almost hard to finish the whole bag when combined with everything else we had.

So, would I put it on my list of 13 places to dine before I die?  Probably not.  I'm certainly glad we got to try it out, but I don't think I'd feel a life unfulfilled without it.  I do get that not all 13 places should be / need to be crazy expensive and crazy particular and crazy snooty and crazy exclusive and crazy hard to get in to so I'm quite happy to agree to say that a BBQ Joint should be on that kind of list.  You can decide on your own which one, but you probably should get Oklahoma Joe's on your short list of BBQ Joints as you work towards that final 1 (perhaps 2) that makes your ultimate 13...

Would we go back?  Sure.  Will we?  Unlikely - that whole being in a different State thing causes a problem.

Stay JOLLY!
D

505 Main Street

The disclaimer is that we went on a GroupOn.  But it's only a small one, because Oceanique was on our to-do list list before the GroupOn presented itself.  The GroupOn probably got us there a bit quicker which is a good thing, but also perhaps sort of kind of a little bit limited our choices.

Kudos to the chef / owner for setting up in 1989 (which he proudly announces at the door) and still going strong today!  Located on Main Street (which really isn't the Main Street of Evanston...) it's easy enough to find thanks to the big valet sign out front, but other than that it's quite low key from the street. 

Actually, inside is quite low key too.  Broken into 3 sections, a bar mostly the first and then 2 dining areas all simply decorated with large prints that may not be French in origin but certainly pass on the French 'Vibe' consistent with a restaurant billing itself as being prepared in French Tradition.  Low, but not too low lighting and music in the background that I'm going to assume has some sort of French link, but I have no idea exactly what it was.  We weren't sat in the window, but they do have a very nice picture window in our section and if you want to watch the passer-bys just about any seat in the section gives that opportunity.  We arrived relatively early coming straight from work, but it was pretty much full by the time we were done.

The name Oceanique certainly suggests a Seafood Restaurant, and by and large that's what they do.  We didn't get to choose from the full menu, but we did take a peek and there certainly are some fun, 'regular' and non-standard seafood we easily could have been happy with, but if you really don't want seafood you'll do just fine.  If you think you know your wines, this might be the place to go.  Lots and lots and lots and lots to choose from, and quite a few vertical selections you could work your way through if you chose to make Oceanique a semi-regular haunt - and have a good few bucks to spend.  We found something we could enjoy relatively easily, but if you don't know your wines you might struggle once you got past the cocktails and wines by the glass (all of which I think you can get by the bottle too).  They have a large bottle format which is fun to look at and always fun to plonk down on the table, but as a couple not a lot of point to.  And if you're really double super keen, they have a Reserve Section, but to me, most of the List reads as a Reserve Section.

We had a Server and a Wine Server.  Both of them were polite and attentive, but not chatty perhaps even a bit nervous.  Both of them listened to questions and when didn't know the answer worked to find the answer (including a google enabled phone...).  We got what we ordered, we got their attention when we needed it, we got served in a nice relaxed and not forgotten way.  But, I feel like they're a little bit inexperienced.  Certainly not ruin our dinner inexperienced, but room for improvement that there's no reason to think won't come fairly quickly.

We like doing chef's tastings and have come to quite happily trust in what the chef sends out.  We were pleasantly surprised (and very excited) that for 2 courses we were able to make selections.  We of course negotiated amongst ourselves and chose something different...  We were also doubly pleasantly surprised that the chef snuck in a mid meal amuse bouche.  And, then we were double doubly pleasantly surprised that although not given a choice for dessert we both got something different.

Our meal went pretty much like this:

• Mojito - everything you'd expect to see and taste.
• Passinofruit Martini - passionfruity and spritzy from the champagne base.
• Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz - I really liked the flavors and nose of this wine.  It was my mistake, but hindsight strongly suggests I probably accepted a less than perfect bottle.
• 5 Course Tasting Menu - you perhaps could argue 9...
  
  • Alaskan Salmon Ceviche, Leek, Peas, Potato Chips, Carrot Essence, Basil Oil - a lot going on.  The essence was kind of fun, but the salmon clearly the star.
  • Venison Pâté, Hucklberries, Poilâne Toast, Blood Orange Salad - the Toast was so good it ran out well before the pâté, but they had yummy table bread to help out.  Almost creamy and not too rich, could easily convert you non-pâté folks out there.
  • Calamari & Shrimp, Daikon, Sake, Ginger, Meyer Lemon - cooked just right, it all played together wonderfully. 
  • Wild Turbot, Cauliflower, Ouzo Sauce, Fiddleheads - an awesome bite.  The only odd thing was that it was very similar to one of the choices offered as Entrée which happened to be one we chose.
  • 4 Berry Sorbet - a fun 'break'.  Refreshing, and could easily satisfy most dessert cravings if just a little bigger...
  • Wild Main Skatefish, Pea Tips, English Peas (not sure what makes them English), Heirloom Carrots, Lemongrass - it's a different fish in terms of texture (I guess that's because we're eating the wing and not the body?), but really really tasty.  Kind of firm, but breaks apart easily enough.  A fresh dish of treats paired up nicely.
  • Chilean Turbot, Fiddleheads, Cauliflower, Ramps, Port-Pinot Noir Essence - a great piece of fish.  A wonderful sauce.  Fiddleheads are something new - they're green and curly, perhaps a fern?.  All together a great dish.  I'll pay a bit more attention in the future when Turbot shows up on a menu...
  • Pear Tart, Ice Cream & Berries - our favorite of the two, a bit gentler to finish up with.
  • Banana M????? (they used a word that didn't stick, but they also didn't really know the meaning of and our Server's phone told us that it means something to do with layers) - interesting.  It's mouuse-y and banana-y and cake-y and rich (but not too rich) and yummy.

We're glad we went.  There's no reason to think we won't go back.  When we get back it's pretty certain we'll stay focused at the Seafood end of their menu!

Stay JOLLY!
D

ps.  The chef asks on his menu that you shouldn't trust a skinny chef.  In general, we would subscribe to this theory, but chefs do continue to take care of yourselves!

50 East Grand Avenue

We had tickets to the Hawks game (not a particularly pleasant game to watch, but a great finish with the result we wanted and if we ducked just right could see the newly raised Stanley Cup banners from our seats) and decided we'd prefer 'real' food over the Stadium treats and didn't want to put our timing trust in a bar.  OysyA Previous Article has always been as zippy as we let them be so off we went.

The first time we've sort of rushed through a Sushi dinner and although we have indicated we kind of want to try the order everything at once approach we often see others do and even with the time restraints we put ourselves under we still split up our ordering (only 3 times though).  Even with a 'bunch' of stuff in front of us, I still felt inclined to work on one item at a time.  I guess that's just me?  I still kind of want to get a big ol' table full some day though.

The decor hasn't changed, the staff haven't changed (and they still don't care how you go about your ordering), the TV playing (what we assume to be real) Japanese programming (this night it looked a version of No Reservations in that the host was visiting out of the way places and being treated extra specially - not being able to read Japanese subtitles I can't confirm or deny if she was as snarky as Tony Bourdain can be) was still doing it's thing. 

To get to the game and not miss the puck drop, we were eating much earlier than we normally do as evidenced by the restaurant that contained more staff than diners for the whole time we were there.  We did sit in the window so got to watch people passing going home, and I think I can safely assume that as they looked back at us they were boggling as to why we were actually eating at 'go-home' time.  That's fine, we had a plan.

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Chardonnay
• Vegetable Tempura - consistently the best Tempura we see.
• Saba Nigiri (mackerel) - still our favorite no matter which 'store' we're in.
• Tai Nigiri (red snapper) - similar texture to the Saba, but a little richer perhaps?
• Grilled Tuna, with avocado and teriyaki sauce - cooked just right, the avocado just the right amount of mushy and firm.
• Saba-Gari Maki (mackerel) - different to the Nigiri, but the same too.
• Sake Maki (salmon) -
• Sake Kawa Maki (crispy salmon skin) - a really enjoyable crunch.
• Caterpillar Maki (eel, tobiko, tempura crunch, cucumber, avocado outside) - we like the fun ones they offer and this one is pretty with just the right amount of funness on the inside and outside.

We now know that Oysy can take care of us just as well when we're in a hurry or not.  We will be back again!

Stay JOLLY!
D

1401 N Wells

For a second we thought we might not be able to get in - not because it was full, but because the hostess and her stand was right up against one of the doors.  A deal breaker?  Absolutely not, but closer to the door than you would normally find your hostess located. 

At first we didn't realize they had a patio area out the back as well as the few tables out the front.  As we were leaving the patio was definitely jamming and probably was all night which would explain why our inside section was mostly empty for most of our dinner.  We generally struggle to relax and enjoy our dinner when outside and it's way up on the hot and humid scale so an empty inside was never going to be a problem this evening.

Even with the few people in our section (the inside is broken up into 3 areas that we know of - the bar with some booths, the 'main' dining room where we were which is sort of behind the bar and what we assume to be the private party area downstairs) we couldn't hear the music enough to make out what their theme was and as more people came in the nature of the room seemed to echo the conversations and make the music completely disappear so if you like to eavesdrop, this could be the place for you.  We didn't feel like a runaway train could come our way, but the room sort of felt a bit like a railway tunnel.  Not necessarily in a bad way, but it was long and thin, exposed brick, lots of dark wall coverings and a coppery ceiling.

When we first sat down it seemed like the ratio of servers to bus boys was all out of whack, but it eventually evened up and our server appeared.  If we were rushing off to a show we would have been very annoyed at her long absences, but we weren't so we were ok with a long slow dinner.  We figured out later that the absences were due to her also working the patio area, which looks like all the servers were doing.  We're not sure the best way to cover all the tables is to have each server with some tables in each section?  She read us the specials, but I bet she had no idea what they really were, so we didn't really consider them an option this night.  She was polite and perky and paid attention when she was around but didn't offer any insights into the dishes other than to ask us our choices when options were available.

Our Meal went a little something like this:

• Sophia's Lemonade - not the lemonade the kids sell on the sidewalk
• Grand Cocktail - a just OK substitute for the Mojito we couldn't have because they were out of mint
• Steamed Mussels - not the best White Wine Sauce we've had, but still worthy of saving bread for dipping
• Ca Moniti Pinot Grigio - a little on the pleasantly acidic side.
• Calamari Fritti
• Tortellaci al Prosciutto - wonderful wonderful Veal Tortellinis, the creamy prosciutto sauce very rich, perhaps too rich.
• Strawberry Gelato

If you're in Old Town and happy for a leisurely Italian Dinner, Orso's probably is the place for you.  Absolutely nothing wrong with what we ate.  Maybe during winter when the patio is closed the Servers can be more available?

Stay JOLLY!
D

50 East Grand Avenue

It was a TV review that first got us through the door.  What the reviewers said wasn't bad, but also not super duper great, but the way the sushi was presented caught our eye and thus sealed the deal - a Dragon Maki roll that looks like, well, a dragon.  It is now one of our staples filling our need mostly for a low stress, relatively inexpensive and close to work location for those Friday nights with no plans and no interest to cook our own dinner.

We must give credit to Oysy for 'teaching' us that ordering one dish at a time is very often the way to best enjoy our dinner.  Our first visit here was also our first foray into a Sushi Restaurant (something we're a little sorry we delayed for so long) so we didn't really know how much we should order, or how much we were going to like it.  Our waiter that night (and every time since) had no problem letting us order one dish at a time - for which we will be eternally grateful to him for.

Our Server was attentive, polite and available, but not readily chatty.  She would answer questions, but not offer much more than the answer - certainly not the end of the world as the menu is not hard to get around and we usually only get stuck on understanding the translations.  The host might want to buy a new watch.  On a night where we had to wait for a table we were told 15-20 minutes which was ok as our feeling was 15 minutes would be the most.  Catch is, we'd barely been told how long the wait was and out table was ready - now not for one second is it bad getting your table quicker than anticipated but I think she should have known 2-3 minutes was the correct answer.

It's a modern style restaurant and you can sit at the Sushi Bar if you're so inclined, but know that you'll still get a Server taking care of you and probably no interaction with one of the chefs.  They have a TV by the far which is fun to watch (mostly because we're not exactly sure what we're watching...) and all the programming probably comes straight out of Japan.  There's music, but it must be fairly generic because I can't recall even the style.

Our Meal went something a little like this:

• A fu-fu drink
• Lemonade
• Unagi Sushi (eel)
• Suzuki Sushi (striped bass)
• Saba Sushi (mackerel) - only a recent find in terms of being brave enough to try and ultimately I'm sorry we weren't braver a bit earlier.
• Dragon Maki (eel, shrimp tempura, masago, avoacado)
• Caterpillar Maki (eel, tobiko, tempura crunch, avocado)
• Shrimp Tempura
• Vegetable Tempura
• Chicago Crazy Maki (tuna, salmon, yellow tail, masago, avocado)
• San Francisco Maki (fried oyster, masago, avocado) - the texture of the crunch oyster with the sauce made this our clear favorite for the evening.

We'll be back!  It suits our needs and wants more than adequately.

Stay JOLLY!
DJay

7135 E. Camelback Rd.

We can't really take anything away from the restaurant for this, but being non-Scottsdale natives we had a hard time finding the front door.  Our driving directions were specific enough to include doing a u-turn, but at the completion of the drive we couldn't see the restaurant.  Ultimately we just parked and headed off in the direction we thought it should be - thanks big sign.

We sort of chose Olive & Ivy due to it's proximity to the Canal, but really, there's not much value in it - nothing evil, just nothing special.  It was a warm enough day so we gladly took the option to sit outside, and it's really nice to have the outside part of the restaurant not be pushed right up against the street.  I suspect that had we not been having a relatively late lunch this option would not always present itself.

The Host was perky and chatty (and possibly too nice to be a Host).  Our Server was polite and able to answer all our questions but didn't really offer anything up that wasn't asked for - not the end of the world by any stretch of the imagination.  The Menu was easy to figure out and had just about the right number of options for a Lunch (although we struggled over which Flatbread to start with).  And a pretty good selection of wines by the glass for quaffing in the sun.

Our meal went something like this:

• Glass of Chasing Venus Pinot Gris - just what I needed for sitting in the sun.
• Red Raspberry Mojito - perhaps a little more appropriate for the sun.
• Asparagus & Wild Mushroom Flatbread - yummy yummy crust.  Probably would have selected another variety given a less full tummy.
• Sweet Potato Cannelloni - we had to get extra bread for the sauce (which probably contributed to the decision not to go with the 2nd Flatbread).
• Cavatelli with House Made Sausage / Mushroom / Broccoli - great sausage, and more bread needed.
• Selection of Gelatos - straight from their 'Market Counter'.

Probably our late(ish) arrival facilitated this, but we were not rushed at all, even ordering one course at a time.  We had a sort of schedule to keep, so we didn't make full use of this allowance.

We were happy we persevered in finding the front door...

Stay JOLLY!
D