6545 North Clark

As promised A Previous Visit, we're back.  This time we rounded up 'the gang', partly to just hang with them, but also partly to get more of the great food on the table that is offered here.  We've still got more we want to try...

Our IowaSuburban participants prepared themselves not only for the trek to the Big City, but for the meal with a good bit of reading material (prior to and during the drive) regarding the restaurant, and Peru.  We applaud their efforts.  Actually, we stand and applaud!  Their research came up with a drink option we never ever would have thought to try and figure out on our own.  And... they sped up the ordering process by having a 'combo*' all picked out ready to be consumed.

We arrived pretty much on time and really didn't mind having to wait a bit as they got our table ready.  It didn't take long at all, but the nature of the place is they don't have a waiting area.  Some of us decided waiting outside was ok but one of the Servers said we could sit at one of the empty smaller tables while we waited.  Caesar came by to say hi, but he wasn't there all the time due to a very obvious reason when you see him - we wish him the best!

In the back of my mind I'd told my self I'd look a bit closer at the pictures, awards and other fun stuff adorning the back wall.  And, to peek in through the kitchen pass, perhaps to say hi and thanks to the chef(s).  Sorry, neither happened this time, but I really will try and do both next time.

The serving team appeared to be the same as last time, but we think that the youngest daughter was also on the floor (the eldest, I guess, is the boss Server now?) this time.  They were very relaxed with us, let us order in our own time (we took a while to decide - we might have been hungry for quite awhile without the Combo preselected - but mostly that's because we were still catching up) in our own way.  They figured out our intent for drinks and took care of that with ease.  And best of all, when we were the last table in the place they kept telling us we didn't have to hurry out - we still did a bit in an attempt to return some of the niceness they had shown us for the past 3 hours, but we'd had more than enough food & drink by then.

I don't think the dishes on the menu have changed since our last visit (but there's a lot there so it wouldn't be hard to sneak some changes by me) but it's certainly been given an upgrade in presentation.  Perhaps a little bigger, but shinier, with pictures of most dishes, stories of the family and stories and pictures of Peru.  I promise to read the stories next time we go back as it seemed rude to ignore the rest of the gang this evening.  We basically ordered in two rounds with the intent of sharing everything.  To be fair, I'm not sure if they planned it, or if it's just the way it worked out, but each round came out staggered giving us plenty of time to do the sharing without feeling pressured to scoop and pass.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Pisco Sour - this is where our traveling party excelled with their dedicated pre-planning.  They figured out the restaurant sells Virgin Pisco Sour mix by the pitcher and that we were able to bring in our own bottle of Pisco - the correct one, of course.  With a quick lesson from our Server, approval from the boss (although he said our Pisco was actually too good to be used in the mix and should be sipped like a fine brandy) and a little bit of trepidation we all had a try, declared it Margarita like (but not the same) and before we knew it the pitcher was empty.
• Black Chook Sparkling Shiraz 
• White Wine 
• *Papa Rellena  - as good as we remember it from last time, and therefore still better than the ones we made for ourselves A Daring Kitchen Article not too long ago.
• *Anticuchos de Carne y Pollo, Peruvian shish-kebob marinated with Peruvian spices (one chicken, one beef) - nicely cooked, nicely seasoned.
• Tamales (corn with chicken) - we recently made our own A Daring Kitchen Article for the first time.  We're pleased with how much better than ours these were, but we're also sad we've still got to practice more...
• Tiradito de Corvina, fresh corvina marinated in Peruvian spices and aji amarillo - we had this last time and we campaigned strongly for a repeat.  Everyone enjoyed it.
• White Wine 
• Red Wine 
• Chicharron de Calamar, fried squid, garnish of lime and sweet onions - great calamari all on their own, but kind of fun with the lime onions in the same bite.
• *Lomo Saltado, sautéed rib eye beef, tomatoes, onions, french fries, served with white rice - we got funny looks when we were able to explain that the fries are in the dish, not a side to it.  All together, it works out really well.
• Bistec a lo Pobre – Estilo “Llita”, grilled rib eye steak, fried plantains, 2 over easy fried eggs, beans and white rice - perhaps the simplest dish on the table, but equally as tasty with everything cooked just right, and kind of brunchy if you take a bite of the plantain and egg together with your steak.
• Arroz con Mariscos y Langosta, a super mixed seafood dish, with lobster, green rice & Peruvian spices, cooked in beer - It says super, right there on the menu, and they're right.  you either need to be really really hungry or come with a team to get through this.  Before we even got to the eating part there were many oohs and aahs from our table, and nearly as many from the table next to us who may have already ordered it for their next visit. The range of seafood is too long to list, but be prepared to do some shell removal.
• *Alfajor, two crummy cookies with manjar blanco (Peruvian caramel) - good thing these were part of the combo because we would have skipped desert and therefore missed out on this fun treat.  Really not all the sweet and not all that crummy either, but I'm not sure one person could eat both cookies as my 1/7 share really was enough to finish up the meal.

We had a wonderful evening with our friends!  Ultimately, we could have had fun anywhere, but we probably had a little more fun here because of how welcoming and relaxed Taste of Peru is and how happy everyone was with everything that made it's way onto our forks.

I think all our friends will be back again, and we would happily join them, but I suspect that being in walking distance to us, we'll be back to visit with Caesar and his family on our own a bit quicker because there's still a good list of dishes we'd like to have a go at.

Stay JOLLY!
DPete & Kris, Janet & Dave, Kate

453 Centre Rd

So, this is not quite what we expected when we told Dad that we'd be with him for Christmas Day, that we'd like to take him out for dinner (because all the cooking that needed to be done was done the day before at the family gathering), and that he should make a reservation at a place close to home that he likes.  It, of course, doesn't matter because this was one more meal A Collection of Articles on our trip where the location was the least part of the getting together equation.  Admittedly, a lot of places he might have chosen were closed for the evening (or even the day) but we were not even vaguely thinking Chinese.  For the record, no harm done!

From the street it's not much, but only if you turned off the million or so blue lights that are ultimately sort of pretty.  Inside the host and the bar are right by a big tropical fish tank with a good selection of brightly colored fish & coral type things hanging out.  But, at the back of the room, by the kitchen, there's 6 or 8 more 'functional' tanks - but only one was occupied this night.  It's just one big room, with various sized tables spread throughout.  There's some quite large murals covering up most of the walls in the theme you'd expect of a Chinese Restaurant, quite brightly lit and I think the music was just the radio turned down so you can tell it's there, but not really what it is.

Can the Service team be too attentive?  When we arrived the place was pretty empty so there was some hovering going on, but not nagging.  As the place filled up (which kind of surprised us, seeing it was Christmas Day and the place was borderline deserted when we arrived at about 6:30), the hovering stopped, but the checking-in increased.  They certainly didn't press us to order, and I think as with most Chinese restaurants they are ok with you ordering things to share, although perhaps expecting all the sharing dishes to be ordered at the same time, the first time.  We never had more than two things going at once, but they didn't come out together, so I'm guessing that if you ordered a table full things dishes would come out as they were ready - which is absolutely totally fine when the plan is for sharing.

We've been here before, to do a Yum Cha lunch, but we really didn't need an all you can eat type meal tonight.  We chose (from a pretty extensive menu) a couple of small plates, 2 at a time, relaxed a bit and picked a big plate, relaxed a bit more and picked one more big plate.

Our meal went a little like this:

• 2010 Grandstand Pinot Noir (WA) - we had the urge for red, but didn't want to overpower what we thought we'd be ordering.  This worked out well.  Gentle, little bit of acid, probably from tannins being this could still be fun in a good few years.
• Cascade Light 
• Sesame Prawn Toast - crunchy, seeds going everywhere - the perfect start.
• Dim Sim - steamed up just right, definitely better with a little (just a little) soy.
• Chinese Sausage - no idea what's on the inside, but it's dark in color, and really quite rich.
• Satay Chicken - yep, it was peanuty.  Nice tender chicken.
• Steamed Pork Ribs, Black Bean Sauce - put down the chopsticks, get your fingers to work.   A little bit of work to get all the goodness, surprisingly good with or without the sauce.
• BBQ Honey Pork - probably want to pick the chopsticks up again...  Sticky and gooey in just the right way.
• Fruit Plate - a gift from the kitchen (for everyone, it seems) to finish everything up.  Thanks.

We'd go back without hesitation, but we'd probably prefer when our bellies were capable of making use of the Yum Cha experience.  It's a neighbor hood place and if we were living where Dad does, we could see this becoming a regular haunt.

Stay JOLLY!
DDad

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

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

1863 N Clybourn

Nothing has changed since we were last here A Previous Article not all that long ago, well outwardly, that's for sure.  The menu board probably has, but we don't know it well enough to be sure.  But, having said that, it seems that there's some sort of monthly contest between two 'guest providers' which has to have changed because we came back in a different month...

As promised, we'd try a little bit harder to get back here and seeing we were in pretty much the same situation (activity wise we'd just been doing some competitive running - well ok, not that competitive, but someone was keeping time...) as last time and as it wouldn't take much of a detour off we headed.  Catch is, we got there 15 minutes before they opened.  No drama there, as it's certainly worth a 15 minute wait in the comfort of your car even while wearing your post run outfit.

We thought the ordering part might go much quicker the 2nd time there, but we were wrong - there's a lot to take in and it all sounds so good.  Perhaps the 3rd time will go quicker...  This time we went with mostly new stuff.  We chose Sammy Sosa (great pic taken about the same day he quit on the Cubs...) to keep us company from their table 'number' board.

Our meal went a pretty much like this:

• Soda
• Truffle Mac 'n' Cheese (parmesan béchamel sauce, white truffle oil, brioche bread crumbs & thyme) - Yummy!
• Triple Truffle Fries (yukon gold waffle cut fries, truffle oil, truffle butter, truffle salt) - still the same great fries that may be the best I've ever had.
• Tur-Doggin (turkey & date sausage, crispy duck confit, herb garlic aioli, pickled onion relish & pickled carrots) - if you just got the dog on a bun with nothing else you'd be very pleased. Jam all the rest in there and you're double triple pleased.
• The Southerner (pork loin & caramelized onions sausage, corn bread, cherry bourbon BBQ sauce & scallions) - great sausage, fun with the corn bread, rich but not too rich sauce. Combined an awesome dog.
• Truffle Mac 'n' Cheese (parmesan béchamel sauce, white truffle oil, brioche bread crumbs & thyme) - So good, we had some more for dessert!

A great lunch!  We'll be back!  There's still more to try, including a flight of dogs and platter of corn dawgs.

Stay JOLLY!
D

4091 N Broadway

I've told you about Michael's a few times now and how it used to be our local and we're sad it can't be anymore.  Now, it serves us well when we want to go see a Hawks game after work as arriving there straight from the train gets us in early enough to get a table by the big screen and first pick at the board games if we're planning on playing.

We thought seeing the Season Opener was a good thing, so off we headed.  Catch is, the Baseball Playoffs got the big screen.  We still got to see the game on a bunch of TVs but it's not quite the same and kinda sad when they lose.  Oh well...

It was only medium busy inside, with just about all the tables occupied once the Cardinals game started.  But with a moderately surprisingly warm Friday evening, their outside sections were jamming from the time we arrived until (we're sure) long after we left.  Good for them, of course!

There's a couple of new faces behind the bar and on the floor, but they took equally good care of us as did the couple of familiar faces that came by to say hello.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Great Lakes Elliot Ness - a bit of bitterness to it, that's certainly not bad, just not my preference.
• 312 
• Cheese Fries 
• Onion Rings 
• Build Our Own Thin Crust Pizza - it's a bar pizza, so heavy on the cheese, but it's a pretty good cheese.  A lot easier to eat as it cools down.  We chose artichike, onion, sausage and garlic to put on top.  There was none left...

We're bummed we didn't get the best view of the game (and double bummed they lost), but we're extra happy there's still a couple of staff that remember us and treat us just like we pop in every week and that the food and drink is better than average Sports Bar fare.  We'll be back during the Hawks season at least a couple more times - and a few more after that when they make the Playoffs.

Stay JOLLY!
D 

3726 North Southport Avenue

We started across the road A Related Article for a snack...

We've done a few of these tastings Previous Articles now (a couple even before I started writing about them) and certainly expect to do some more.  This was a moderately tough one as there's so much subjectivity just in the wine, but add in at least the same amount in cheese and there's lots of room for disagreement and / or confused palettes.

Again, this is technically not a date nor a dinner and still not even a restaurant.  But definitely fun, educational and certainly worth sharing since it's already written down somewhere close by!  We've done this before, and we'll do it again (and again, and again...).  Low stress, fun and great value for money!

Click to Visit the Other Blog and see what really went down.

Stay JOLLY!
D

1508 W. Jarvis

We've been before A Previous Article, with our previous visit perhaps being too long ago at almost a year to the day.  This visit was eerilly familiar to the previous one - a Saturday evening when we couldn't be bothered cooking or making a reservation and hopping on the bus to get to; warm, but not hot, but just a little too humid to enjoy the patio area out front; very quiet customer wise (probably the same reason as last year, but this time we heard the bar tender (manager?  owner?) talking to some of her regulars saying they weren't all that surprised to be so quiet seeing there were 6 or 10 neigborhood festivals on this weekend); if you discount the drinks, we ordered exactly the same menu as last time if you count Gelato & Sorbet as a fair match-up.  Eerie, right?

We so wanted this to be our neighborhood place, but it just doesn't quite work out and through no fault of theirs.  It's not out of our walk to distance (as long as it's not 100° or 30° or raining or snowing) but it's perhaps just over the edge of our walk home safely after a few cocktails distance.  We would love to get here more often, we really would.  We assume it was two locals we saw being taken care of and we're a bit jealous - phone rings, happy chatting, 2 place settings appear at the bar, wait a few minutes, drinks appear, wait a few more minutes, locals arrive, happy chatting, wait a few more minutes, food arrives.  Yeah, jealous we don't have that kind of place.

Our Server may have been a little bored this night, but she took care of us and settled into our not-sure-how-much-we're-going-to-order mode almost straight away.  She left us alone until we were ready and seemed happy when we wanted to chat a bit.

Our meal went a little something like this:

• Pomegranate Cosmopolitan - no doubt there's pomegranate going on.
• Hirter Privat Pils (Austrian) - I think what you'd expect of an Austrian Pils - not too heavy, not too light, not too hoppy.  Actually went really really well with the Pizza.
• Vegetale Pizza - we are sure you'll like it, we're double sure you'll look twice at the presentation.
• Sautee di Cozze (mussels) - we really like that they came with garlic toast for the sauce, but it's not enough so make sure you save some of that bread you get when you sit down.
• Potato Gnocchi with Mushroom Ragut - not too heavy and just the right amount of ragout.
• Sorbet - it wouldn't have been hard to talk us into a second helping...

We'll be back, for sure.  Not sure when, but hopevully before this time next year when the weather, festivals, mood and menu line up on a Saturday evening...  But we can't promise we won't end up ordering the same again, either.

Stay JOLLY!
D

1658 W. Belmont

Ahh, frozen custardy goodness!  Really!  Really!  Really!  "YOUR MOM & POP CUSTARD SHOP" - right off the website and it's absolutely 100% true!

Our celebratory event started not that far away A Related Article, and we were always going to end at Scooters*.  Should anyone's post 10K (or beyond!) race meal not include some form of Frozen Custard from Scooters?  We think not!

Although we've been in quite a few times since for a treat or two, it was this time last year A Previous Visit when we were celebrating the success of this same event and post event belly filling.  I really feel like I want to say exactly the same thing, but I'll try not to.

We're still a little bummed that they didn't open up closer to us but only a little.  It's not hard to get to.  It's certainly not hard to find, especially during the rush when the seats outside are jammed and there's a line at the express window.  There are seats inside too, and if you sit still just a little bit too long you'll almost certainly have one of the owners come and visit - and that's a good thing.

Our dessert went exactly like this:

• Frozen Chocolate Custard Pie - with Chocolate Chunks and Chocolate Brownies and Chocolate Frosting (and a pretty message for our celebration - thanks!). Yes, it was all about the chocolate!  A challenge to stop at just 2 pieces each. 

We often take home some of their packed goodness (and getting the leftover pie home was a challenge on a day where hot and really sweaty was the norm - but we made it and managed to make it last for 2 more desserts), but it never lasts long (that's a good thing!), and have become big fans of the Pies for special events - get your order in early for your Thanksgiving Pumpkin Custard Pie!

Stay JOLLY!
D

* The disclaimer is that we do know the owners, for longer than they've known that they can make the best frozen custard treats in Chicago.  But, if Scooters was in walking distance and if someone we didn't know owned it was putting out the same great stuff, we'd be there often, and probably a little bit too often.

3819 N Broadway

It seems like only yesterday A Previous Visit we here having a Grand time with Grand friends over a Grand meal. But, technically, it's been 8 days...  We've often said we want to return to a place, but we recognize that we sort of favor new experiences just a little more and as such our To-Do list tends to take precedence over our Re-Do list. 

We did really enjoy what Hearty had to offer and one of our group said she had been for Brunch and that it was great.  We've said before we don't really do Brunch A Previous Article (because we struggle to get ourselves together in a timely fashion on weekend sleep in days!) but when a special occasion or event presents we do partake.  My datewife had just run a marathon10k (in crazy stink'n heat, btw) so we were up, I was hungry and she was really hungry & really craving an adult breakfast beverage.  Hearty, here we come.

It's a different feeling for Brunch, that's for sure.  Different staff as far as I can tell took care of us, but all seemed more rushed and perhaps a little discombobulated dealing with the steady stream coming in on spec, the few (like us) with a reservation, keeping track of the ones waiting outside for a table or those who got to wait at the bar and even a couple who it seemed were happy to eat at the bar.  Not bad!  Just different.  Just Brunch-like.

Our Server wasn't especially chatty and was clearly hopping this morning, but he did take care of us, he was polite, and listening and responding as you would expect.  We didn't suffer at all, we didn't feel rushed at all considering how busy they were and our orders came out as requested.

Really wanted to order a couple of dishes to try more of the menu (those comforting favorites are here for brunch too! - actually a couple of the lighter dishes from the dinner menu show up) but I knew we had somewhere else A Related Article to be after we were done here.  The Brunch menu clearly comes from the clever chef(s?) who came up with the Dinner Menu.  Creative, comforting, familiar, but special, and definitely tasty.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Tang Cube Mimosa - just a fun bubbly way to get the day started (well, we'd started a few hours before...).  You are given the authority to make it as strong as you like - I started tentatively, but ended up going all the way.
• Bloody Flight (bloody mary, bloody bull, bloody caesar) - all different, all good, all with fun garnishes (including, but not limited to, cheese and sausage).  The bull was the favorite, but all were consumed to the last drop.
• OJ
• Toad in the Hole Eggs Benedict (rock shrimp cake, sourdough, basil hollandaise) - tricky as it's not what I was trained to think of Toad in the Hole as by my parents, but ultimately a great Eggs Benedict.  The shrimp cake was great, the sauce a perfect match, and although I would have prefered a slightly runnier yolk it all came to an end a bit too quick.
• Bacon Blueberry Pancakes (bourbon maple syrup) - best Blueberry Pancakes ever, and probably would have been even without the liberal use of bacon through out each one.  Mostly consumed without syrup, but nice to have a nice syrup.
  
  • Side of Bacon - ok, probably didn't need more bacon, but she'd just run that marathon we were talking about earlier.

Glad we went back!  Would not hesitate to go back for Brunch (or Dinner) if someone invited us to a meal.

Stay JOLLY!
D 

3726 North Southport Avenue

You know what, I'm just going to copy what I said last time A Previous Article (well I'm not going to copy the tasting notes article, so make sure you click through) because it's all as equally true, accurate and fitting as this time last year! 

We started across the road A Related Article for a snack...

Again, technically still not a date nor a dinner and still not even a restaurant.  But fun all the same and certainly worth sharing since it's already written down somewhere close by!  We've done this before, and we'll do it again (and again, and again...).  Low stress, fun and great value for money!

Click to Visit the Other Blog

Stay JOLLY!
D

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

339 N Dearborn

And so we come to the end of an adventure... A Collection of Articles  This was the last of the collection of gifts that our Dear Friends hooked us up with. Every one has been a delight, a couple a challenge, and one we never would have found on our own. Thanks guys!

Our last Visit A Previous Article was with friends, but this time it was just the two of us. I got there first so decided we'd try and sit in the wine bar sort of section. After noticing the Cheese Bar last time, I noted I'd probably like to try sitting at it but when push came to shove I didn't think sitting at the Cheese Bar would really be all that fun as there's not really all that much to see as the cheese dude (I know, he probably has a real title...) does his thing.  Certainly a little less formal, but other than that I'm not sure there's any real difference between the Wine Bar section and the Restaurant section in terms of what they offer you.  Yes, they sort of steer you towards wine flights, cheese flights and lighter dishes, but I was able to look at and order from the Full Wine List and we could have ordered anything off the full menu.  I guess it might feel a lot more casual if you were in a booth with a bunch of your buddies, even with the full spread offered?

Otherwise, everything is the same.  Our Server knows the wines and cheeses.  He let us order when and how we wanted and offered opinions when asked.  Other Servers help when appropriate.  The wine list is extensive (what else could you expect from a place called Bin 36?), the cheese list too - both supported with useful descriptions if you don't want to talk to your Server.  There are flights of wine and cheese to give you a great way to sample a few different things, particularly if you don't know your way around the lists all that much.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Bubbles Flight - I admit to being more enthused about wines with bubbles lately so it didn't take long to settle in on this. I liked the range, I liked the bubbles, I was happy.
  • NV Brut Gruner Veltliner (Austria)
  • NV Brut Chenin Blanc (Peru)
  • NV Brut Cava, 1+1=3 (Spain) - I think my favorite.  Definitely fruity, but not too much.
  • NV Brut Cava Rose, Varichon Et Clerc (Spain) - a bit different, and not just because of the color.
• Off the Beaten Path Flight - the overall feeling is that they come in at the mellow end of scale, but none should be avoided in the future.
  
  • 2010 Moshofilero / Roditit, "Notios" (Greece) - the most memorable.  Grab a deck chair and enjoy it outside in the sun.  And perfect to take some cheese with you...
  • 2009 Gruner Veltliner (Austria) 
  • 2009 Favorita (Italy) 
  • 2010 Viognier, Vina Tabali "Reserve" (Chile) 
• The Grand Platter
  
  • Biellese Finochietta (fennel salumi)
  • Housemade Smoked Duck “ham” - quite rich, definitely gamey, absolutely yummy.  Easily could have had more.
  • La Quercia Prosciutto (Iowa) - the best Proscuitto ever?  Probably not, but mighty fine.
  • 10 Year Hook's Cheddar (Wisconsin) - Smokey and rich and moorish.
  • Manchego (Spain, Sheep) - when we don't know what kind of cheese we feel like, there's always room for some Manchego.  Definitely our go to staple.  We did know we wanted it this night!
  • Chevre Noir (Canada, Goat) -
• 2009 Tinta Roriz -
• Steamed Mussels, White Wine, Taragon, Creme Fraiche - We've eaten a lot of mussels the last couple of years.  We're pretty certain this was our favorite sauce ever.
• Housemade Lamb Sausage - comes with a simple salad, but the sausage is clearly the star.
• Cheese Board - it's fun just picking what catches your eye...
  • Humbolt Fog - a slight misreading of the menu meant a not-normally-enjoyed blue came our way.  Actually was pretty good, but probably because it was way towards the less stinky end of the stinky cheese scale.
  • L’Amuse Gouda 
  • Pecorino Sardo - it has that dryness that just says "find me a glass of red", right?
  • Manchego - ok, so we like the Manchego enough to get it twice...

It's tough.  We like Bin 36.  But, we like a lot of other places too that ultimately serve our same needs / wants.  We'll be back, just not sure when...

Stay JOLLY!
D

7000 North Glenwood

Just recently a Previous Article we declared we don't really do Breakfast / Brunch but after having just run a race in which "everyone was a winner" (our eveil genius friends a Bunch of Articles continue to be geniuses and taught us that!) it's very easy to park nearby and have someone else bring me my breakfast.  For the record, we did change our shirts so we weren't too evil looking and smelling!

We arrived before the Brunch Crowd so it wasn't all that busy (and not all that crazy really, when we left) and we got to sit wherever we wanted - we chose the almost outside section mostly because the all the way outside section was mostly full and if we had have sat inside it would have just been us for most of the time.

Our guy was ok, but we think he may have gotten our check a little bit 'lost' - surprisingly for so early they were out of Turkey Sausage so after he came and got our alternate choices we kind of feel that our check didn't quite get back into the que in the right place.  As with just about every visit to the Heartland, we weren't in any hurry.  We were, however, hungry after just running a marathon5k - it's all relative, right..  Not the end of the world and one could argue a little bit more time to develop room for the pancakes...  As we had a little bit of extra time to chat and people watch (a little bit more people watching that usual due to the Rogers Park Farmers Market kicking off for the season just across the road) and generally let the gaze wander we actually saw a little bit of co-operation amongst the staff of which I normally don't notice any - they poured coffee to any table, not just their own, when they had the pot in their hand.  I acknowledge that their system seems to work, but... Baby steps?

Our meal went a little like this:

• Mango Yogurt Smoothie - could have eaten it with a spoon, probably could have eaten it out of a cone. Just what I neededcraved, somehow.
• Coffee
• Breakfast Sandwich, egg, veggie sausage, cheese, side of grits - just the right amount of food, just the right amount of yum
• Blueberry Pancakes - tasty and healthy (wholewheat) but I don't think the Heartland should provide Pancakes as big as your head - they're just not that kind of place in my opinion and it seems silly to leave almost a whole one on the plate.
  
  • Veggie Sausage

Requirements met!  Back again when the need / situation suits.

Stay JOLLY!
D

7000 North Glenwood

We were hungry, couldn't be bothered cooking, couldn't be bothered searching GrubHub and had just got off the train at the North end of the Morse stop. Yep, the Heartland Cafe was the answer!

It's actually been quite awhile since our last visit A Previous Article and technically that was only a half visit.  It's not the Heartland's fault, it's ours!  A change (we'd like to argue is an improvement) in our after work lifestyle means we are much much much less likely to be departing the Red Line at Morse.  It's good to know the Heartland is there when we need her!

Nothing changed inside, apart from the art work which always changes as they feature another couple of artists - once again I totally did not understand / get what was up, but that's ok because I'm sure lots of other diners do.  Perhaps their live music has changed?  Normally (and admittedly our sample size for normally isn't all that big) when we stop in for dinner after work on a Friday we see someone(s) fussing around the stage getting ready for the show.  No fussing this night.

They still allocate tables the same way, and it still seems to be a fend for yourself logic as a Server but it must be working if they keep doing it, right.  We've never been in a hurry at the Heartland so ultimately it doesn't really matter to us how the Servers do their thing.  Our Server took care of us just fine and seeing we weren't in a particular chatty mood it was a perfect match in that she didn't seem to be either.

The menu has changed.  More in presentation than content with a number of items we've had (or considered having) before still visible, but there are perhaps less selections overall - can someone confirm?  They've also added in suggested wine / beer pairings for each dish, but by the time we realized this we already had a bottle opened up.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Round Hill Chardonnay - it's advertised as Oak Free which it clearly was. Went down more like a Pinot Gris or gentle Sauvignon Blanc. No complaints.
• Nachos - Chili is an option, but we stay meatless.  We prefer our home made version, but these do just what we need of them and really went well with the wine.
• Turkey Burger - lots of options to add on, so Turkey Bacon joined the party.  Juicy and big and all gone.
  • Mashed Potato and Mushroom Gravy - grab up 2 or 3 sides of this and you could just about have a great meal!
• BLT - Turkey Baconand everything else as you'd expect from a BLT.
  • Sweet Potato Fries - not crispy, but tasty.
• Mocha Martini 
• Kahlua & Milk 
• Flourless Chocolate Cake - Did our cocktails compliment it or vice versa?

We'll be back, some how, some time!

Stay JOLLY!
D