Chicago Reviews
Fried Chicken @ Little Red Hen
Friday, September 10th, 2010
Fried Chicken Dinner – $8.50 (4 piece with fries, slaw, and roll)
This tiny shop from a small town offers a variety of foods, but there is one outstanding item. Fried Chicken. All the people that I have introduced this fried chicken to, family and friends, are surprised by the simplicity of this common comfort food. The place uses quality chicken and fries them with a simple breading. The outcome is a mildly salty and extra-crispy fried chicken. A simple mildly salty breading may seem inferior to the immense variety of wild flavors out there, but it satisfies the one of the basic human cravings of salt, sugar, and fat. Not to mention the tongue searing juices squeezing out of each bite into the chicken. Carnivore unleash.
653 Vernon Avenue, Glencoe, IL 60022
Phone: (847) 835-4900
Tags: $ expensive, American, chicken, fried
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#6 (Marinated Portobello, Blue Brie, Griddled Scallions, Dijonnaise) @ DMK Burger Bar
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010
Marinated Portobello, Blue Brie, Griddled Scallions, Dijonnaise – $8.00 (additional fried egg, $2.00)
This American delicatessen is one juicy contender using grass-fed beef cooked till slightly pink core, sandwiched between two freshly toasted crunchy buns. Grass-fed beef is suppose to taste different due to the cow’s different diet compared with the typical American feedlot cows feeding on corn mill. But all that goodness from the included ingredients makes it hard to really pick out the beefier taste; however, we can take comfort in the cow’s healthy well-being before the slaughter. As for the innards of this burger, we have diced and sauteed marinated portobello mushrooms, melted blue brie cheese, griddled scallions for the herby taste and texture, and dijonnaise for the slight tang. If that mouthful of flavors isn’t enough for you, a fried egg can be added. Perfectly orchestrated fried egg with still runny yolk will end this burger on a high note.
2954 North Sheffield Avenue, Chicago 60657
Phone: (773) 360-8686
Tags: $ cheap, American, beef, burger, cheeseburger, grass-fed
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Yook Hwe @ Woo Lae Oak
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
Yook Hwe-$14.95 (serves four unless you know you love it, then this may be good for two)
Yook (meat) Hwe (raw and edible) [pronounced: yuqwe] is an authentic Korean appetizer. The sesame marinated beef tartar is served with thin slices of garlic, Asian pear and cucumber, and with the raw egg yolk on top, nothing is cooked in this dish. The way to tackle this ball of thinly shredded meat is to break the yolk and mix all the ingredients really well so that each bite contains some spicy raw garlic, sweet juicy pear, crispy cucumber and of course some beef. I threw in some Kimchi and the flavors blend well. It is very raw, but with the strong flavors of the condiments and the heavy sesame oil base marinade, you cannot really taste the rawness of the beef. Though the sliminess, especially with the egg yolk mixed in, is inevitable. Give it a try, you will be excited by the adventurous textures and flavors if the idea itself isn’t enough. Even my sashimi-intolerant friend enjoyed multiple servings of it and said he will definitely return for more. Koreans know their meat and sauces but make sure you trust the quality and freshness, extra important when things are RAW, but from my experience, this is not something you have to worry about at Woo Lae Oak.
3201 Algonquin Road,
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-3830
(847) 870-9910
Tags: $ expensive, appetizer, beef, Korean, raw
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Uni @ Nozumi
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Uni – $8.00 (2 pieces of Nigiri)
Few Japanese restaurants give you a large partition of sea urchin like Nozumi does. Nozumi gives you whole pieces of Uni that are the freshest in town and a good indication of that is the unique sweetness of sea urchin and the lack of unpleasant sea taste.
100 W Higgins Road, Suite J-30, South Barrington, IL
Phone: (847) 783-5995
Tags: $ expensive, Japanese, nigiri, seafood, uni
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Muzuki Moon @ Nozumi
Friday, September 11th, 2009
Muzuki Moon – $16.00 (lunch)
A tempura spicy tuna roll surrounded by cucumber and avocado mamenori roll, topped with diced crab, scallops, and spicy shrimp, yuzu sauce, chili tobiko, and unagi sauce. This roll is crunchy from the tempura spicy tuna, but held together with the soft soy-based wrap with avocado that gives this dish a spicy and refreshing taste. Not to mention the diced seafood extravaganza on top with crunchy flying fish eggs.
100 W Higgins Road, Suite J-30, South Barrington, IL
Phone: (847) 783-5995
Tags: $ average, Japanese, roll, scallops, seafood, shrimp, tempura, tobiko, Tuna
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Fried Hamburger and Grilled Sanma @ Torishin
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Fried Hamburger and Grilled Sanma – $8.50 (lunch)
This amazingly inexpensive bento box daily special at Torishin is a gem. Although the fried hamburger comes in a fairly small size, it is unique and delicious. Unlike most hamburgers, the patty is made from grounded pork mixed with diced onions and is fried with panko bread crumbs. Also, it is eaten without a bun, but with rice and ponzu sauce, a somewhat sweet and citrus flavored sauce. In the bento box are also a typical salad with ginger dressing and a grilled sanma, mackerel pike. This fish has a lot of small bones, but most of it is soft enough for you to chew and swallow. The fish’s meat is sweet and tender and can be easily removed from the spine and ribs. A+ I forgot to mention the complimentary mayonnaise noodles and steamed string beans, but those aren’t anything spectacular.
1584 South Busse Road, Mount Prospect, IL
Phone: (847) 437-4590
Tags: $ cheap, bento, burger, fish, Japanese, mackerel, pork
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Katsu Curry @ Torishin
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Katsu Curry – $9.50 (lunch)
Torishin offers a delicious curry pork cutlet entree. The Japanese curry has the distinct taste of curry, but less spicy and if done right, sweet. All that curry is then poured onto the pork cutlets that are fried with panko bread crumbs. The rice accommodation is cooked till fluffy and sticky with the addition of red pickles to the side. An amazing alternative to the typical sushi/sashimi options in most Japanese restaurants in the states.
1584 South Busse Road, Mount Prospect, IL
Phone: (847) 437-4590
Tags: $ cheap, curry, Japanese, pork
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RL Burger @ RL (Ralph Lauren) Restaurant
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
RL Burger – $12.00 (lunch)
Addition of Mushrooms/Bacon/Cheese – $2.00
Another one of those juicy seasoned sirloin burgers brought you to by RL Restaurant. The patty comes with a sesame covered toasted challah bun, usual lettuce, and caramelized onions and mushrooms. Like most quality burgers, this one is teaming with bursting flavorful juices that inevitably cause a mess at this quality diner. And seasoned fries.
115 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 475 1100
Tags: $ average, American, beef, burger
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Key Lime Pie @ RL (Ralph Lauren) Restaurant
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Key Lime Pie – $8.00 (lunch)
For those who enjoy the combination of sweet and sour pie, you can add this to your repertoire of dessert must-haves. The Key Lime Pie’s filling is sour topped with whipped cream and a relatively thick gingersnap crust. The crust was done soft enough for your spoon to gently scoop up both crust and filling in every bite.
115 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 475 1100
Tags: $ average, American, dessert, pie
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Egg Custard Tart @ Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe
Monday, August 17th, 2009
Egg Custard Tart (large) – $0.80 (each)
Egg Custard Tart, a common dim sum dish is similar to flan. Most egg custard tart are made with pig fat rolled with flour to create a flakey outer crust to hold the egg custard. At Saint Anna Bakery & Cafe, they use butter and a light cookie dough to form the crust of the Egg Custard Tart. Their tart is especially good because the tarts are filled to the top and sweet with the strong egg custard flavor. They don’t skimp on quantity and quality. The cafe maintains a fairly fresh batch everyday and you can tell when they have been out for too long when the center of the egg custard tart dips in the center.
2158 S Archer Avenue, Chicago, IL (inside Chinatown Plaza)
Phone: (312) 225-3168
Tags: $ cheap, Chinese, custard, dim sum, eggs, pastry
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