Chicago Restaurant Week at Topolobampo

This past week was a favorite week of any foodie in Chicago, Chicago Restaurant Week! Hundreds of restaurants in the city offered special three-course lunch meals for $22 and three-course dinner meals for $44 (tax and gratuity not included, naturally). Choosing a restaurant to go to was harder than every midterm I took this week combined, but ultimately we decided on Topolobampo. I have been eating at Tortas Frontera every time I've visited O'Hare for years, and have enjoyed tortas from Xoco on numerous occasions. Needless to say, I am definitely a fan of Rick Bayless and Topolobampo has long been on my bucket list. Alas, it does not generally fit into a college student's budget... but that's what Chicago Restaurant Week is for! Topolobampo only offered the three-course lunch menu for CRW ($22) which was perfect. We went on a Thursday afternoon at a slightly-off time (2 pm) and were seating immediately even though we were pretty early for our reservation. I was immediately taken in by the atmosphere. The restaurant smells like delicious, authentic Mexican cuisine. The decor is very fun and the entire experience felt like an afternoon mini-vacation. 

Agua de Jamaica ($3.50) agua fresca made with lime juice and Jamaican flowers

To start, I ordered a delicious agua fresca made with lime juice and Jamaican flowers. It was extremely refreshing, but sweet enough that it was best to order just one and sip. 

Looks like a margarita but alas it's just a delicious agua fresca! 

Next, it was time to make decisions on the menu. The appetizer menu included three options: a green salad with toasted walnuts, Sopa Azeteca, and scallops in aguachile. Although I generally love soup, I was feeling a little overheated and ultimated decided to go with the scallops (a dish I don't get the chance to enjoy very often). Caitlin went with the green salad. 

Viking Village scallops, spicy lime & habanero “broth,” salt-cured nopal, bursts of lime, micro cilantro

The scallops were absolutely delicious. I was worried that scallops as an appetizer would be too filling, but the portion size was perfect. The scallops were perfectly tender, and the lime and habenero broth provided a surprising, yet delicious kick. I tried a bite of Caitlin's salad and it was also delightful. The greens were extremely fresh and the walnuts were perfectly toasted. 

Wood-grilled Prime Creekstone ribeye, Oaxacan black mole, chepil tamal, smoky green beans

There were also three options for entrees: fish in a yellow mole, carne asada, and chilaquiles. I am a sucker for chilaquiles and almost went with those, but ultimately decided Rick Bayless' carne asada was not something to pass up. The ribeye was served medium rare and was perfectly pink. It was a perfect cut with just the right amount of fat and flavor. The green beans were nice and crispy, and the tamal was warm and delicious. The real showstopper of this dish, however, was the black mole. It was creamy, nutty, and with a hint of chocolate. It tasted great with the ribeye, the tamal, and when everything was gone I basically licked the rest off my plate. In the midst of heaven with my carne asada, I actually didn't get the chance to try the fish in yellow mole that Caitlin ordered. However, she seemed to enjoy it very much! Our meal was also accompanied by fresh house-made tortillas, which were delicious on their own but absolutely incredible when dipped in the mole sauce. It is very clear that a lot of love and attention to detail goes into the dishes at Topolobampo.

Moist chocolate cake (house-made chocolate from Tabasco), rosita de cacao ice cream, cacao fruit mousse, caramelized cocoa nibs

Despite the first two delicious courses, you best believe I had room for dessert. There are two dessert offerings: crepas con cajeta (crepes with plantains, goat milk caramel, and carmelized plantain ice cream) and the cacao tree (chocolate cake with mouse and cacao ice cream). Naturally, we got one of each. I had the cacao tree and it was the best grande finale to a great meal that I could ever imagine. The chocolate cake was moist and sinful. The ice cream had a hint of rum taste to it and was the perfect complement to the chocolate cake. The cocoa nibs provided the final crunch that the dessert needed....all in all I'm still daydreaming about this dessert. I tried a bite of Caitlin's crepes and they were warm, buttery, and had the perfect hint of caramel.

All in all, my experience at Topolobampo was everything I dreamed for and more. The service was quick, attentive, and ultimately phenomenal. I'm so glad that I was able to cross this restaurant off the bucket list... and during midterms of all weeks! It was much needed. If you're sad because you missed out on CRW at Topolobampo... have no fear! Our waitress let us know that Topo offers a three-course lunch menu for $25 daily. The first course offerings are the same as CRW, with two slightly different desserts. It's nice to know that if I get a hankering for this meal again, I don't have to wait until CRW next year to have it again! Two thumbs up.

An Afternoon at City Harvest Cafe

Anyone who was in Chicago on Saturday knows how insanely beautiful it was outside for a day in mid-January. I took this as a perfect opportunity to go for a long walk and explore my neighborhood. After stopping in Reckless Records and some used bookstores, I decided to stop in City Harvest Cafe (an establishment that has long been on my to-do list) to get some juice. City Harvest is located on Broadway on the North Side in an area full of cute shops, restaurants, and cafes. The cafe itself is very quaint on the inside with benches along the window and a few tables on the side. The music playing was that of any nice coffee shop or cafe and the overall vibe was very calm.

I asked the woman behind the counter what she recommended and she listed off several cold pressed juices that all sounded magnificent. I ultimately decided on the Limoncello because I am a complete lemonhead and love anything with lemon in it. 

Limoncello juice (golden apple, lemon, on the rocks) $6.50

I was so happy with this decision. The Limoncello was ice cold and extremely refreshing. It tasted like a more intense version of lemonade and left a foam on the ice that made the ice cubes taste like lemony candy. The server pointed out that it almost tastes like there's something beyond just lemon and apple in this juice even though there isn't, which I completely agree with! This would be the perfect beverage for a hot summer day. Mmm.

While I was waiting for my Limoncello to be made, the kind woman behind the counter informed me that City Harvest has recently started pressing their own hemp milk. The hemp milk is made with hemp seeds, bourbon vanilla, dates, pink himalayan salt, cinnamon, and alkaline water. She gave me a sample and I have to say this was one of the best things I have tasted in a long time. It tasted like a lighter form of horchata and was just positively divine. My only complaint about City Harvest Cafe, and all juice bars in general, is the prices. $7 for a glass of juice is a little steep and $12 for a small jar of hemp milk is a tad outrageous too. However, I completely understand that these prices are necessary in order for juice bars to continue using the fresh, organic, and delicious ingredients that they use in their juices. High quality offerings means high quality prices! I just want it to be known that if it weren't for the steep prices, I'd be stopping by City Harvest every day. I noticed a sign for fresh goji bowls next to the counter and started drooling... I will definitely be back for one of those soon!

Overall, my afternoon at City Harvest Cafe was extremely pleasant. After I sampled the hemp milk and had my juice, I sat by the window and read Emma (I'm on a bit of a Jane Austen kick right now) and soaked up the warm atmosphere. The staff here is so friendly and I definitely recommend stopping by if you're in the mood for a delicious treat that is just as good for you as it is tasting. 

A Lovely Lunch at Cafecito

Hello everyone! After a short hiatus for winter break, I'm back to food blogging for winter quarter. Tuesdays are my most jam-packed days in the week with two classes and a work shift, and with all the snow, today was the perfect day for a lunchtime pick-me-up. I've been meaning to try out Cafecito after reading about it in an article on The Infatuation.  What I didn't realize is how ridiculously close Cafecito is to DePaul's loop campus! It was a mere two blocks from my class in the CDM today which was great in the chilly weather. 

The cafe is located near Columbia College's campus on Congress Parkway. It is situated right next to a hostel for college students and therefore has a very trendy, college vibe. The menu is extremely extensive and everything looks delicious. The only reason I didn't completely struggle with what to order is because I had already made up my mind that I would have to try what is supposedly Chicago's Best Cuban Sandwich, the Cubano. Cafecito's menu includes Cuban espresso items, traditional espresso items, sandwiches, plates, pastries, and an arrangement of exotic sodas! They even had Inca Kola, which is my all time favorite soda after having discovered it on a service trip to Peru my senior year of high school. 

Caldo Gallego (white bean soup) $3.50 for 8 oz

Because of the chilly temps, I opted to order a soup with my sandwich. I originally planned on getting a black bean soup, but I ultimately opted to try something new and get the Caldo Gallego, a white bean soup. This soup was positively delightful and warming. It is filled with white beans, potato, bits of bacon, onions, and a chicken broth. I'm normally not the biggest fan of bacon bits in anything, but in this case they added a nice savory texture to the soup. It was served with warm bread for dipping, which I swear is my kryptonite. 

Cubano (roasted pork, ham, swiss, pickles, mustard) $5.79

I definitely have no qualms about Cafecito's Cubano being considered the best Cuban sandwich in Chicago. The sandwich is a generous portion and I was able to save half of it for my night class tonight which was definitely a needed pick-me-up. The roasted pork and ham complement each other perfectly and Cafecito has mastered the art of spreading the mustard throughout the sandwich. It was delicious when it was hot and fresh, and it was still delicious a few hours later when I finished it in my night class. The only cuban sandwich I have had that has rivaled this was Le Cubain at Olive et Gourmando in Montreal. The service here was friendly and quick and the overall vibe of the cafe was great. The wifi is free (with a password) and the cafe plays upbeat, fun Cuban music throughout the day. My only complaint is that the music was playing too loud for me to really attempt studying, but if this is an attempt to keep people from camping out on the wifi I can understand that completely. All in all, my experience here was delightful and I look forward to many lunch trips back throughout the quarter, especially since it is so close to my classes. There are so many menu items that I'd like to try, such as their chorizo sandwiches or a PB&J made with Guava jelly. I also cannot complain about the prices, as a generously sized gourmet sandwich and soup were just over $10. If you're in the loop, definitely check out Cafecito!

Date Night at Stella Barra

Earlier this week, my boyfriend and I decided to try out Stella Barra, a Lettuce Entertain You restaurant, for date night. I have been to several LEYE restaurants, including Summerhouse Santa Monica which shares space with Stella Barra, and they have all been delicious. While Summerhouse Santa Monica is very bright and reminiscent of...Santa Monica... (shocker), Stella Barra has a much darker, trendy vibe to it. The atmosphere is very warm and many of the tables are situated around comfy couches. Our waiter was extremely friendly and explained to us that Stella Barra is tapas style, so they generally recommend two pizzas and one appetizer or two appetizers and one pizza per couple.

Bread with extra virgin olive oil, aged balsamic, and roasted garlic ($1.95)

We started with the bread, which is a great deal for $2. It actually comes with four slices, but we ate two by the time I snapped the above photo ;) The bread was very crunchy and delicious. The balsamic olive oil was exquisite, and we ended up using it later for dipping our pizza crust. 

Margherita Pizza, fresh mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil ($13.95)

We opted to order two pizzas and an appetizer. To try as many different things as we could, we opted for one red pizza and one white. The Margherita was a classic pizza with delicious mozzarella and fresh basil. The basil was my favorite part of this pizza as it added a lot of flavor. The sauce was nice and tangy, and the crust was very flaky. 

Fennel Bianco pizza, hand-shaved fennel, burrata, rosemary, torn basil, extra virgin olive oil ($14.95)

For our white pizza, we opted for the Fennel Bianco. I am a sucker for fennel so this was a must-try. While the Margherita was a good, classic pizza, this was both of our favorites. It was much more flavorful than the Margherita and each piece was quite addicting. The crust was slightly fluffier than our Margherita pizza, and the fennel was bursting with flavor. My favorite part of this pizza was the burrata. It was extremely creamy and added flavor to every bite. 

Chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream

For dessert, we decided to indulge in a chocolate chip cookie (heated up in the oven!) with vanilla ice cream. There is a bakery in the vestibule between Summerhouse Santa Monica and Stella Barra that the two restaurants share. It has a wide array of cookies and other baked goods. Some of the particularly yummy looking ones were peanut butter and s'mores, but we opted for the classic chocolate chip. Stella Barra lets you go to the bakery case and pick your cookie, and then they will heat it up and top it with ice cream for you. The cookie was absolutely delightful. The outside crust was crunchy, while the inside was gooey. The ice cream didn't immediately melt and was delicious atop the warm cookie. Our only complaint was the charge for this dessert - the one tiny scoop of ice cream was around $4 in addition to the cookie. Besides that, this was the perfect finale to a delicious meal. 

Each pizza comes with 8 slices, so two pizzas between two people still leaves plenty of leftovers. The slices are light, so you aren't left in the food coma that often comes with classic Chicago pizza. The take-home box includes instructions on how to best reheat the pizza, which (as you can see in the above picture) I greatly enjoyed on Thursday night. I recently took a gander at Stella Barra's brunch menu and it looks to die for. After a wonderful night with delicious food and excellent service, I will most definitely be back. 

New Modern Grill: a classic favorite

One fateful day over the summer, my roommate, our boyfriends, and I were in search of a classic diner to have some breakfast on a Saturday morning. We were walking around our neighborhood and stumbled across New Modern Grill at the corner of Halsted and Belmont in Boystown. It is a small, classic style diner that has a counter, TV, and sells lottery tickets. We have now gone three times to New Modern Grill (basically every time our boyfriends visit now) and have had the same waitress each time (who I believe is one of the restaurant owner's). She is so friendly and remembered us after just one visit. It has gotten to the point where every time our beau's visit, we head to New Modern Grill for a home cooked breakfast from our "mom." They have everything that you could ever want on a classic diner menu, from Denver omelettes to gyro sandwiches. The prices are ridiculously good and the food is even more ridiculously delicious. You can also tell that many of the customers visit on a daily basis and the entire restaurant has a charming "regular" vibe.

November Burger of the Month: The Gyro burger

On this visit, my roommate and I decided to order the November Burger of the Month: a delicious gyro burger. The burger comes with a regular hamburger patty, gyro meat, onions (grilled or raw, I went with grilled because um...duh), lettuce, tomato, tzatiki sauce, and feta. I can honestly say this was one of the most delicious things I have tasted in a very long time. The gyro meat and hamburger meat complemented each other perfectly. The grilled onions were a sweet addition, and the tzatiki sauce and feta added the creamy cheese flavor to finish it off. It was so filling but I finished it all because I just could not stop. They serve crinkle cut fries (my favorite type) that are perfectly crispy on the outside and pillowy on the inside. Fries are an added side dish, but the plates are big enough to feed another table. That, however, did not stop us from each getting our own plate of fries. On other visits to New Modern Grill I have tried the gyro omelet, Denver omelet, reuben, and ribeye steak sandwich. Not a single dish at this restaurant has ever disappointed. It is all delicious and homemade. It truly feels like eating in your momma's kitchen. They rotate burgers, and the October burger of the month was a Caprese burger that I wish I had had the chance to try.

My only complaint about New Modern Grill is its short hours: it's only open from 6 am to 6 pm on most days. However, according to a comment on Yelp, they are open 24 hours on Fridays and Saturdays. If this is true, I know what I'll be doing this weekend. If you are in the mood for a classic, no-frills meal, I highly recommend New Modern Grill. 

Mimosas and Brunch at Angelina Ristorante

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of trying out another neighborhood restaurant (right next to Wrigley BBQ, actually) with a mimosa brunch at Angelina Ristorante! This Italian restaurant is located at the corner of Addison and Broadway on the North Side and offers bottomless champagne and a brunch menu item for the very reasonable price of $21.... which is precisely why my friends Lydia, Julija, and I decided to check it out. We arrived right at 11 AM and were seated immediately. Our waiter was extremely friendly and brought over the champagne as soon as we uttered the words "champagne brunch." You can have the champagne on its own, or at no extra charge you can have orange juice added to make a mimosa or peach juice added to make a bellini. 

Frittata Toscano ($8 on regular brunch menu, $21 with bottomless champagne)

I had the hardest time deciding what to order from this delicious brunch menu (mostly because I could not, for the life of me, decide between sweet or savory) but I eventually landed on the Fritatta Toscano. It is described as an "Italian style baked omelet with red pepper puree and goat cheese, with panchos papas and toast." It was absolutely to-die-for. The omelet was perfectly baked and the veggies were well distributed throughout. The show-stealer of this dish was the goat cheese, which added a deliciously tart and creamy texture to the meal. The panchos papas were perfectly cooked as breakfast potatoes should be, and the toast was a nice addition.

Lydia ordered the Eggs Benedict with ham which I had the pleasure of trying. They were wonderfully executed eggs benny with a perfectly runny poached egg. Julija had the bagels and lox and our waiter was even so kind as to bring her extra salmon when she needed just a little more to construct her bagel. All in all, we had such a nice experience with this brunch. The atmosphere was great, service exceptional, and the champagne was truly, truly bottomless. Having tried the brunch, I would love to try out dinner at this adorable spot. The menu is slightly pricier, but I think it would be the perfect date-night spot. I had even considered stopping here for my pre-marathon carboload session..... but decided to order in instead ;-)

Happy November! -Megan

Bang Bang Pie Shop!

This past Sunday morning, I had the pleasure of FINALLY going to a Logan Square establishment that has been sitting at the top of my "Must-Visit" list for nearly a year: Bang Bang Pie Shop! I was visiting a friend who lives in Logan Square and we decided to go to Bang Bang for some brunch. It was a gorgeous, brisk, and picturesque autumn day in Logan Square and I couldn't wait to check out Bang Bang's back patio that I have seen so many pictures of on Instagram. When we walked up to the tiny restaurant, there was a very long line going out the door. Even though we were both starving, I rarely get to come to Logan Square and knew that I was not going to head back to Lincoln Park without finally trying this famous restaurant. We waited in the line about ten to fifteen minutes and spent every single one of those minutes salivating every time someone opened the door and the fresh, delicious smell of biscuits and pie came wafting out. 

Cornmeal cheddar cookie sample

Lucky for us, one of the kind bakers at Bang Bang decided to walk up and down the line and hand out samples of their cornmeal cheddar cookies. These cookies are unlike anything I have ever had before! First of all, they were completely full sized cookies and I really can't justify calling them samples. It was very generous of the staff at Bang Bang to hand these out in the line. The cookies themselves were quite delicious. The texture was not that of a typical cookie but of a crumbly, cornmeal biscuit. The cheddar was extremely flavorful and it was a great little intro into what would become a delicious breakfast. When we were finally able to walk into the restaurant, I was taken aback by how delightful and fitting the decor was. There isn't really anything more American than pie, and the ambience reflects classic American vibes with checkered tables. The back patio, however, really takes the cake. Like I said, it could not have been a more picturesque fall morning and the patio tied it all together. There are rows of wooden picnic benches that have mason jars filled with napkins. The best part? A ring of chairs surrounding a delightful campfire. It smelled like burning leaves and I never wanted to leave. I'm truly dreading the sooner-than-later arriving days where it is below freezing and we can no longer enjoy al fresco dining. Deciding what to order at Bang Bang was a legitimately stressful experience for me. It seemed sacrilegious to go to a pie restaurant and NOT get pie, but it was peak brunch hours and the biscuits looked like just what I needed. Ultimately, I decided to order the Sausage Biscuit, pumpkin bread (a "dessert" of sorts to make up for my lack of pie) and a cup of coffee. 

Coffee ($2 for a small), sausage biscuit ($5.50), and pumpkin bread ($1.50 for two slices)

The Sausage Biscuit is described as "ginger sage sausage, cheddar cheese, and concord grape jelly." I was worried that a biscuit was not going to be enough to satiate my never-ending brunch hunger, but I was pleasantly surprised. This biscuit is essentially a breakfast burger... but better. The biscuit was warm, soft, and not at all crumbly like some "store-bought" type biscuits that you find at other breakfast restaurants. To be quite honest, I'm generally not the biggest fan of jelly but I actually found myself eating this jelly with my fingers. It was sweet but not too sugary, and the chunks of grape were fresh and delicious. It tasted great spread on the sandwich or just eaten straight from the container on its own ;) The sausage was plentiful and delicious. It was a thick cut of sausage that was slathered in cheddar cheese and paired perfectly with the biscuit. The pumpkin bread was moist, flavorful, and an excellent side to an all-around amazing brunch. I was especially impressed with the prices at Bang Bang. While the sausage biscuit was one of the lesser priced biscuit sandwiches on the menu, $5.50 was still a great deal for the amount of food I received and the quality at which I received it. I was also particularly impressed that I received two slices of pumpkin bread for $1.50. Considering the fact that one slice of pumpkin bread from Starbucks (of about the equivalent size of the combined to slices from Bang Bang) is nearly $4, two slices for $1.50 from an authentic, trendy restaurant in Logan Square is something of a steal. In summary: every penny of the $9 that I spent on this breakfast was worth it, which is extremely crucial as a broke college student.

Huevos ($7.50), orange juice ($3), and coffee ($2.50 for a large)

My companion, Sean, ordered the Huevos biscuit and an orange juice. Sean is a vegetarian, so he opted to get the vegetarian version of the biscuit which substitutes a vegetarian spice mixture for the chorizo. He let me steal a bite and let me say, this was such a treat. I am a big fan of chorizo, but the vegetarian mixture that they use is bursting with flavor and I might opt to order this dish vegetarian on my next visit to Bang Bang. The eggs were perfectly cooked and as soon as you broke into them the yolk ran down the biscuit. Possibly the most surprising treat of the entire meal was the sip of Sean's orange juice that I tried just before we left. I have nothing against orange juice, but rarely do I opt to order it at restaurants. Sean told me that it was the best orange juice he had ever tasted so, naturally, I had to steal a taste. I have no idea what it is about this orange juice that makes it so amazing, but Sean was not exaggerating. This was the most flavorful, tangy, and fresh OJ that I have ever tasted. Next time I visit Bang Bang I will definitely forego the coffee (even though it is fresh roasted and tasty as well) and get the OJ. Actually, who are we kidding? I will probably just do what Sean did and get coffee AND orange juice. I'm a slave to caffeine.

All in all, Bang Bang Pie Shop managed to exceed my ridiculously high expectations. The staff was extremely friendly, the ambience was picturesque, and the food was heavenly. I will definitely be making the trek back to Logan Square in the very near future to try out one of their drool-worthy looking pies. If you have the time, I highly recommend trying out Bang Bang during the fall while the patio is still open. It's such a treat!

Happy Fall!

-Megan