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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hyugui (beef tongue)

We all know all-you-can-eat buffets don’t provide the highest quality food. It is the nature of a buffet and its business model. BBQ Hut offers the regular Korean menu, but also offer a $22.95 barbecue buffet if you decide to go with it. If you decided to go with the buffet, it is mandatory that all members of your table also choose the barbecue buffet. The buffet offers a somewhat wide range of meats from beef tongue to chicken gizzards. The one great buffet item from BBQ Hut that stands out is their Hyugui or beef tongue. The restaurant gives you thin, palm-sized cuts of the beef tongue that still maintains its large cut after shrinkage from the grill. What is great about the cut is that you can have a mouthful of chewy beef tongue where as at other Korean restaurants they give you small slices. Beef tongue by itself may not be the most appealing so there is a dipping sauce made out of sesame oil, diced black sesame, and salt. The shining aspect of this particular meal at this particular restaurant is the price. An order of beef tongue at other restaurants is comparable to a single dinner order and they give you minimal slices. At BBQ Hut, you can sit there for hours delighting in several and maybe exotic meats.

1147 N Roselle Road, Hoffman Estates, IL
Phone: (847) 882-9292

Sake (Salmon) Toro

An order of four piece Sake Toro which is basically the belly part of the salmon fish. The Toro (belly) is the fattier part of the meat that makes it so much more soft. The rice is under the salmon is in small quantity as it should be and the salmon sashimi is appropriately partitioned, not the most generous giving, but still satisfied.

NOTE: Not listed on the menu. Order the Sake sushi or sashimi, but specified to the waiter/waitress that you want the toro or belly.

825 South Waukegan Road, Lake Forest, IL
Phone: (847) 234-9950

Barbecue Pork Over Rice – $6.05

One of the most common dishes of Cantonese cuisine, Barbecue Pork Over Rice. At Wonton Gourmet, this dish is close to perfection with the honey barbeque lightly infused with the pork. The pork itself is not over-cooked to the point it becomes dry like many Chicagoland Chinese restaurants. Lastly, the sweetened soy sauce is poured over the rice, but not drenched so that the sweet soy sauce doesn’t overwhelms the pork and rice flavors. A common Chinese preference with this dish is an added fried egg with soy sauce over the whole entree (not pictured).

1405 South Elmhurst Road, Des Plaines, IL
Phone: (847) 427-1183

Crepes Suzette – $10.00

A thin and chewy crepe with sweet tangerine hot sauce, powdered sugar, and whip cream. The sauce is a made from liqueur, caramelized sugar, and some orange derivative, typically orange juice.  The final steps of preparation for this dessert is done in front of you where the sweet liquid concoction is lit on fire while the sauce is slowly poured onto your Crepes Suzette.

115 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 475 1100

Crème Brûlée – $6.00

The dessert is made with bourbon-Madagascar vanilla with a few raspberries and blackberries. The custard has an extremely rich vanilla taste and it is still very airy. The caramelized crust is thin enough for you to break the crust into small pieces for every bite.

115 E Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 475 1100

Dutch Baby – $7.75

The smaller version of the German Pancake. For those who have a smaller appetite.

153 Green Bay Road, Wilmette, IL
Phone: (847) 251-6000

German Pancake – $10.25

This over-sized pancake from Walker Bros. takes about 20 minutes to prepare, but it is worth the wait. The delicate and thin pancake is dense on the bottom with quality egg and batter mixture and extremely crispy and fluffy on the side of the ‘wall.’ The massive pancake has some powdered sugar on it so it doesn’t necessarily need syrup and it comes with a side of lemons if you so choose to use it. This oven-baked masterpiece is a must try for pancake enthusiasts. The smaller companion is called the Dutch Baby.

620 Central Avenue, Highland Park, IL
Phone: (847) 432-0660

Lyonnaise Potatoes

Sliced potatoes that are slightly fried and mixed with sauteeed onions. It is a great hearty compliment to your steak, if you choose to order one. Not much more can be said.

933 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook, IL
Phone: (847) 498-6889

Bread Pudding With Whiskey Sauce – $9.00

The breading pudding is quite dense with large chucks breaking off as multiple parties fork at it. That being said, this final compliment to your meal is large enough to share. There is a sweet whiskey sauce on the pudding, but the alcohol is not very prominent. However, you will be drunk with sweetness in your mouth.

933 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook, IL
Phone: (847) 498-6889

Cowboy Rib Eye – $43.00

This large piece of rib eye is bone-in making it well over 20 ounces. Rib eye is a cut known for its more flavorful delivery. The Cowboy Rib Eye at Ruth’s Chris is served on a 500 degree faranheit plate with salt, pepper, butter, and parsley, so the steak is still basically sizzling in front of you. I got burnt, but it was a burnt of satisfaction. The steak was quite tendered with lot of juice cooked at medium rare. Ruth Chris tries to sell you their wine through their carefully placed steak and wine pairing in the menu. Instead I paired my steak with a side of Lyonnaise potatoes. Mouth half full with steak and another half full with cooked potatoes. Munch Munch.

933 Skokie Boulevard, Northbrook, IL
Phone: (847) 498-6889