Let’s Talk Food

I thought since the restaurant show was in town, I would tell you about some of my favorite foods around town. I am not a picky eater and will try almost everything once. There are so many amazing foods in this city and I am continually surprised by the taste and creativity throughout the entire city.

I am going to get the appetizers out first, just like the restaurants. For outstanding nachos, Hub 51 has the best I have had. Try the crab or the chicken, you won’t be disappointed. No one does Calamari like the Capital Grill with a mixture of lightly breaded calamari and banana peppers sautéed in garlic butter. EPIC has an amazing gnocchi appetizer that is indescribable. RL does a buttery lobster bisque perfect for an afternoon lunch. No place like Shaw’s for oysters. I will talk about Macaroni and Cheese in a bit, but Sweetwater has a fried Mac N Cheese appetizer that is incredibly good.

Let’s take a look at some of the side dishes that I have enjoyed. I am a huge Macaroni and Cheese fan, if you couldn’t tell from the last paragraph and there are several places that do it amazingly. Rosebud Steakhouse across the street, Chicago Q, Wilde’s (it is actually a whole meal) are a few of my favorites. David Burke’s deconstructs the baked potato by mixing gnocchi and all of the wonderful toppings. Any of the potato or vegetable choice at Joe’s Stone Crab is great additions to a steak or seafood meal.

I have enjoyed the pleasure of many main courses throughout the area and there are a few that I thoroughly enjoy. It is hard to narrow down the steaks in town, but I love the filet at Benny’s Chop House and the 55 day aged steak at David Burke’s. For prime rib, you can’t beat the Saloon Steakhouse for quality and price. I dream about the crab cakes at Hugo’s Frog Bar and Ria not only prefers a beautiful halibut, but the presentation is art. The brisket at Q is “melt in your mouth” delicious. I absolutely love the tortellini at Carmine’s and any pasta Piccolo Sogno. I am torn between Oysy and Kamehachi for sushi. Lou Malnati’s is my choice for deep dish pizza, but a little place in Andersonville called Antica Pizzeria makes a mean thin crust wood fired pizza.

Surpisingly, I am not going to touch on dessert, because there are just too many to name (but try the espresso ice cream cake covered in home-made peanut brittle at Q)

Again, there is so much food in Chicago, it was hard to narrow down just a few favorites. I love to hear guests give me what they find is their favorite, so stop by and let us help you make a reservation and then come back and tell us of your food escapades.

Enjoy!

Jeff