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 W Roscoe

This is not the first a wonderful collection of articles rodeo we've been to when considering the thoughtful gift our Dear Friends hooked us up with a little while ago now. We've politely suggested they are evil geniuses a previous article for sending us to wonderful places that are not always easy to get into and that we'd probably not have attempted with out the gentle 'push' we received.  We're almost through them all, with the last now penciled in to the calendar. 

This one was a little bit of a challenge to get to because mostly we don't really do brunch.  It's not that we don't like pancakes or waffles, and omelets as big as your head and giant mugs of coffee and fresh squeezed juice, it's just that we mostly can't get it together enough to get our pants on in a sensible amount of time and make a trek off somewhere, planned or spontaneous for what is usually only a 30 or 40 minute event with the ever possible threat of having a 30 or 40 minute wait to get in.  We have a perfectly good coffee maker, waffle iron, griddle and carton of juice quite handy to our sofa and remote...

But, having just said that, we're glad we got our pants on and ourselves out the door for what turned out to be a zero minute (although my date wasn't allowed to sit until I had arrived from parking (which for the record was very very easy this morning)) wait for a table and a tasty way to get our construction filled day started.

It's the kind of place I think a lot of people might skip due to it's menu and philosophies.  Please don't!  If you arrived a little bit sleepy and we didn't tell you they are vegetarian and very spiritual (in a way I don't know how to classify correctly) you may not even notice. Nothing is forced upon you (although the music is not of my typical listening pleasure), no one looks down their nose at you and the menu has interpretations of all your old favorites, and then some.  Nice relaxing colors, pleasant prints and some pictures relating to their spirituality make it a nice place to get ready for the day, but probably make you feel just as ok if you're the last of the lunch crowd.

Our Server was polite and available, but not very chatty and no verbal specials to share.  I kind of think being chatty is not their thing because I don't think I saw any of the Servers (and they have a lot of them - and kitchen staff - in relation to the number of available seats) chit chatting the morning away.  That's fine, we don't have to become best friends with all our Servers.  All the diners were very chatty and plenty of opportunity for eavesdropping if you're so inclined.

The menu is of a good size for a brunch if you only look at the breakfast side and almost hard to choose from because it all sounds (and what we saw go by looks) great.  No bacon, or sausage to be found - or is there?  And if you come in after 11, the lunch menu kicks in where you can get Burgers, Wraps, Salads and more.

Our meal went a little like this:

• Coffee
• Mango Juice
• Apple-Pecan Waffle - syrup is optional, the right amount of goodies on top and a great waffle.
  
  • Soy Sausage - if we didn't tell you it wasn't real sausage, you'd never know.
• Egg and Sausage Bagel Sandwich - cream cheese and egg and 'sausage' all played together on the bagel just fine.

I don't think we would have found this on our own, so we're double grateful to our friends for finding it for us.  Next time we can get everything together enough to get out for Brunch, Victory's Banner will be on the short list.

Stay JOLLY!
D

10 W Hubbard

Ok, so right of the bat I have to confess that had we not taken a chance on a Groupon we probably never would have made it to Vermilion.  It was on our Radar because of the Next Iron Chef, but not on our ToDo list - I don't really enjoy hot spicy food so it always takes something else to get me through the door of a place that's all about the spice.  The offer to try some of the dishes from when the chef was on Iron Chef and The Next Iron Chef was enough...  We were only mildly optimistic that she'd actually be in cooking for us so we weren't disappointed to learn she was in New York keeping an eye on her newest venture.

Fairly unassuming from the outside, it's really only the red vermilion door that gets your attention, even though there is a red vermilion sign swinging just over the door.  Up a couple of steps there's very open bar and lounge area with the host stand almost tucked out of the way.  For a restaurant bar / lounge it's a quite generous space, but we didn't notice one person in the space the whole time we were there - it didn't seem to be a crazy busy night but we could see it being a nice place to wait for your table if you had to.

Lots of red vermilion around the place, but not everything.  Lots of big black and white prints and a lot of large deep brown pieces of wooden furniture in sensible places.  The space is set up to create some semi-private spaces, I suppose subject to demand - I say semi-private because it's just curtains.

The host and seater (was he the Manager?) didn't have much to say to us (and we didn't have much to say to them), but our Server was talkative (and we talked back).  She was around when we needed her.  She was smart enough to not give us menus knowing what we'd already signed up for (although we did ask for one about half way through out of curiosity), she was smart enough to talk about the food sensibly, concisely and simply.  She was fun enough to be quite happy providing us the new-customer-just-sat-down spiel (after we'd had 2, maybe 3 courses) which if you weren't already committed to a menu is about the most useful spiel you could get.  She was also smart enough that when we caught her making a small mistake in describing a dish she let us have some fun with it.  And, even though I ordered the wine and technically (in a wine snobbery way) should be the taster, she let encouraged us both taste it.

The menu is quite extensive, and the spiel goes along way to getting you the introduction you really need.  It's Indian / Latin fusion, a mix that you probably won't come across too often.  It seems to work out just fine.  Apart from our Iron Chef Tasting there are a couple of other tasting menus put together which probably would have been hard for us to forgo it we weren't already committed.  We kind of panicked when our first pair arrived a minute or so before our cocktail.  Our first thought was we'd be kind of forced through as quick as possible and that's not really how we like to eat - we really like to sit back and enjoy the place, the food, the wine and each other and would almost certainly push the average time for a seating up quite a bit - but not so much when the place is bursting at the seams.  However, everything slowed down to our perfect pace and our panic was unnecessary.

Our meal went a little something like this:*

• Coriander Pear Martini
• Lime Ginger Margarita
• 2008 Ricardo Santos Malbec - It was suggested this would play nice with some of the 'warmer' dishes.  It did.  But it also played ok with the not so warm ones too.  Very deep purple color, perhaps chocolate on the nose and gentle on the tannins.  I'm not really sure what 'feature' makes it work with the 'warmer' dishes, but I'll have to ask our wine dude next time we see him.
• Iron Chef & Off Menu Tasting - a 10 item menu served as 5 pairs rather than 10 courses which we have not seen before and really was quite ok with this approach
  
  • Spanish Olive Boquerones, jicama, cilantro, lime slaw - not as salty as an anchovy and crunchy from the jicama
  • Naan Tandoor Sandwich, chicken, mint, cucumber - a rich 'sauce', but the mint comes through too
  • Duck Vindaloo Arepa, Venezuelan corn cake, curry leaf, mango - the corn cake was my favorite
  • Artichoke Pakoras, Spanish Indian fritter, eggplant, coconut sauce - wonderful texture, gentle sauce
  • Pickled Chorizo Skewer, goat cheese, cherry peppers - quite tart, not very chorizoy
  • Ginger Turkey Roulade, garam masala rub, tamarind olive tartar - garama masala could be my new favorite spice I don't quite understand - yet
  • Lobster Portuguese, eggplant chip - not sure what makes it Portuguese, but the most unique lobster I've ever had
  • NY Strip Red Chimichurri, fenugreek potato - not what I thought Chimichurri was, but that's my problem, not the dishes.  Cooked spot on medium-rare.
  • Quinoa Kheer, Peruvian milk reduction - surprisingly good, not like any quinoa I've ever had before.
  • Chocolate Coffee Doughnut Frittata, chocolate mole - a doughnut in shape, not in tradition.  The mole was rich and moorish.
• Coconut Chili Mussels**  - definitely mussels, definitely coconut, definitely chili, definitely different.  Not my all time favorite mussels, but hindsight says I'd be bummed had we skipped them.
• Chocolate Martini

I think the Turkey was my favorite dish, then Quinoa, then Pakoras.  Everything else was probably a close 4th.  The eggplant chip was easily my favorite component - we're going to see if we can figure out how to make our own.

I enjoyed the experience.  I'm glad we went.  My palette didn't completely hate me, but it politely asked that we not do that again.  There were flavors out there that would be a shame to miss out on just because I've been known to cough and cry for hours after eating something too hot for me.  My wife, whose palette is a lot more hardy in this regard would probably go back tomorrow if she could find someone as charming as me to dine with.

Stay JOLLY!
D

* I'm not going to cry about the heat during this part, but in general one of each pair had enough 'warmth' to have me making sure my water glass was full!  Nothing was evil hot (and probably not even medium hot to more hearty palettes) and fortunately the hotest dish had the heat in the sauce which I could mostly work around.

** Curiosity had us exploring the 'normal' menu about half way through.  The mussels (remember, we like mussels?) jumped out as a style we'd not seen before (and probably won't again) so we decided to add in a course and have them served prior to our dessert pair.

1475 W Balmoral Ave

A Holiday get together that rounded up a smaller but familiar crowd A Previous Article.  It's not quite a tradition (arguably well on the way), but we really do enjoy spending an evening over dinner and wine with these friends - apparently we'll be dining in Iowa next time...

Just off Clark Street I think it might be a hard place to find by accident.  One of our group again showed how good she is at finding hidden gems - and one we almost never would have found on our own.  Thanks!  It's technically not hidden, but it is just a simple double-store front size with no flashing lights, just a simple sign over the windows.  Looking at their website there is evidence of an outside area, but on this wintry evening none at all, which would do a good job of attracting some attention.

Inside it's not brightly lit, but more than enough to read the menu and check out what's on your plates.  It kind of looked like more of a bar type arrangement in the half with the front door but more restauranty in the other half where we sat.  If it had music playing it must have been quite low because I have no recollection of it at all - I don't think that matters at all as we had more than enough of great friends a useful Server to keep our attention focused.  Actually, I'm not really sure what the decor was either.  Oh well...  I'm going to go with ok based on the logic that if something was really odd or really bad it would have grabbed my attention.

Our Server did a great job!  He knew the menu, he offered suggestions, he was happy to 'chat' with the chef to answer our questions, he was available, he gave us flutes for our bubbly wine, he was a nice guy who came across as enjoying doing his job.  Thanks Nice Guy Server!  He also had no problems with us ording a Main Course as a group starter, contemplating life for a bit, ordering a couple of appetizers to share again, and then a Main Course each. 

The menu is easy enough to navigate with dishes we can only assume to be Dutch in nature and is kind of fun.  And, if you like mussels you just can't go wrong.  There are dishes where the name meant nothing to any of us, but the descriptions get you pointed in the right direction and our Server filled in any other gaps.  I don't recall if we were given any Specials.  If they did, sorry.  If they didn't, we didn't need any.  They advertise as BYO friendly with only a small corkage charge and we made use of this. 

Our meal went a little like this:

• Chandon California Brut - it's Chandon.  A good honest sparkling, dry without being too dry.  Even though the mussels were in beer, it worked out fine.
• Mussels Amsterdam, Beer, Anise, Fennel, Garlic - definitely get the Anise coming through.  The beer makes a nice change to the broth.
• Something Red - technically we'd started with this one before getting to the restaurant.  Played really well with the the Headcheese.
• Bogle Red - richer than the first, but not big in wine terms.  A definite nice food wine, almost certainly no matter what you chose.
• Housemade Pate & Headcheese - if you don't already know what headcheese is, you probably don't want to ask.  I was a little surprised we got group consensus on this dish, but we all gave it a try and at least 2 of us were pleasantly surprised how tasty the headcheese actually is and won't just skim over it next time it appears on a menu.  The pate was creamy and not as rich as we have come to expect, but tasty indeed.
• Endive and Mixed Greens, Walnut, Apple, Gouda, Mustard Seed Vinaigrette - an eclectic mix of goodies that actually worked well together.
• Something Else Red - we just needed a couple of glasses more than we brought.  We may have chosen a Merlot, or big Pinot Noir?  Nothing to complain about.
• Grilled Lamb Burger - definitely not your Burger Joint Burger!  Lots going on in and around the burger.  Perhaps sounds a lighter dish than it really is.
• Mussels Normande, Cider, Apple, Garlic - again, fun to have a non-white wine sauce.  A little tart, but not unpleasantly
• Duck & Roast Pork Cassoulet - very tasty, very hearty, a definite dessert buster.  And, funny in a good way, our next Daring Kitchen challenge A Daring Kitchen Article (available Jan 14).

We had fun with great friends and were taken great care of.  We'll go back on a date probably sooner rather than later and line up all the mussels (there were 3 other varieties we didn't get to) and hopefully have room to try a Dutch dessert (they have them, right?).  We then might go back again so that we can try out some of the dishes with names we probably would have to order by pointing at rather than saying which look like they could be fun too.

Stay JOLLY!
DKate, Pete & Kris