Clutch.FM – 2012

CAN Store Page – 2012

Oak Tree Ave Store Page – 2011

Giordano’s

Chicago Style Pizza! Deep Dish or Flat Bread

We arrived at the nearest Giordano’s (they have many restaurants sprinkled around Chicago) at 1:30pm but was told we needed to wait about 40 minutes for a table.  When we finally got a seat, we glanced over the menu, and decided to order their Caesar Salad (again, 2nd day in a row now) and their small combination deep dish pizza.

this caesar was overly dressed, but still pretty good

a small 10in pizza was good enough for our group to snack on

look at how the deep dish is made

The salad came out first, which satisfied us while waiting for the deep dish pizza’s cooking time of around 30 minutes.  There was a lot of dressing but I’m the type that likes lots of dressing on my salad.  Some others might not like it that much though because Caesar dressing itself is pretty tangy in large amounts.  Now came the main reason we were here, their pizza.  I personally liked this pizza over Bella Bacino’s from our first day in Chicago.  The crust was fluffier, but also crispy and buttery at the same time.  I think the important parts of a good deep dish is the foundation and structure which starts with the crust, then the ingredients.  This pizza wasn’t as cheesy as Bella Bacino’s either which was a plus as eating too much of the cheese was a bit sickening.  The other toppings inside were onions, mushrooms, sausage, and bell peppers.  This tied everything together well and created a damn good mouthwatering deep dish pizza.

We walked off the pizza by heading to the nearest Garret’s Popcorn location.  But before we got there, we passed by the famous Chicago theater sign, and as typical tourists, we had to stop and take pictures.

a familiar sign anyone?

Garret’s Popcorn

I had my first Garret’s Popcorn the first time I visited Chicago a few years back, and other times when other friends and family who visited Chicago brought some back.  Of course when we are here for a food tour, we had to stop by and grab this sweet delight.  They have many shops across the city and I strategically selected a store that was hopefully a little further away from the tourist spots in hopes of a shorter line, but we still had to wait about 30 minutes in line for our turn to order (who the heck stands in line for popcorn?).  They offer 5 different types of popcorn, Carmel Corn with nuts (Almond, Cashew, Pecan), regular Carmel Corn, and Cheese Corn.

The different flavors of popcorn they have, from Almond, Cashew, Pecan, Carmel, and Cheese

We ordered their Chicago Style mix which is half cheese and half carmel popcorn and their carmel corn with cashews.  After forking over a few bills (albeit still cheaper than the overpriced movie popcorn), we quickly ran outside and opened our bags of popcorn in front of the growing line of eager customers and munched on the fresh, still warm popcorn.  In my opinion, the carmel corn by itself is too sweet to eat.  Even though I am a carmel lover, it was too candied in taste for me.  To balance the taste out, the Chicago Style mix was perfect.  By putting in one cheese and one carmel popcorn at the same time in your mouth, it made the taste much more enjoyable.  The cheesiness balanced the sweetness of the carmel out and the snack suddenly became much easier on the taste buds.  Does it live up to the 30 minute wait lines?  Some might not think so, but I definitely did and so did the other thousands of reviewers online who praise Garret’s Popcorn.

After resting at the hotel for a couple of hours from a long day of sightseeing, dinner time came.  We had originally planned to eat at the Purple Pig, which serves modern European food but had to change plans when we were told we had to wait two and a half hours for a table.  We needed to go to plan B, Weber Grill, the same company that makes the popular circular grills.  We called but the wait was also more than 40 minutes, so we walked to other places nearby and saw that big groups were waiting outside the restaurant doors.  Chicago’s peak dinner time is no joke and reservations are needed at nearly every place.  Our last resort was a sushi place nearby our hotel which still required a 20 minute wait.

Sushi Taiyo

A little Japanese food was a welcome to our mouths after having eaten American for the past few days.  We planned this stop as a light dinner stop and ordered 4 things off their menu, Tuna Tartar, the Chef’s Roll, Tochigi Maki Roll, and a Scallop Tempura Roll.  Unfortunately I only have a picture of the Tuna Tartar as that was the only thing I remembered to take a picture of (we were too hungry at this point).

Excellent Tuna Tartar

The tuna tartar was excellent.  I was a little worried that the fish wouldn’t be as fresh in Chicago due to no close proximity to the oceans but I was wrong.  The tartar had a lot of flavor and when you add that with the little “chips” they give you, brings a mouthful of awesome.  It was so strong in flavor that I almost forgot that I was eating raw fish at one point.  The sushi rolls we ordered were also pretty good but I think we are spoiled in the Bay Area with better sushi there than here.  What’s different though is that they serve 8 smaller sushi pieces instead of the typical 6 normal sized sushi per roll.  Some of the sushi didn’t have that much flavor to it so a little extra soy sauce and wasabi did the job.

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ

We left the place only half full and we had to forget any other Chicago exclusive restaurants due to the long wait times.  So we trotted our somewhat satiated stomachs over to Gyu-Kaku, another Japanese restaurant.  They have restaurants in other states, so it is not a Chicago exclusive (I’ve had it earlier this year in Honolulu, Hawaii).  Their main specialty here is the grill it yourself Japanese BBQ.  Again, I only captured a couple of pictures of what we ordered because of my forgetfulness.  The portions here are small so we ordered many different things.  We got the Sukiyaki Bibimbap (pictured), brisket meat, flank meat, hanger steak, short ribs, shabu meat, beef tongue (pictured) and a veggie assortment.

Trying beef tongue for the first time. A bit chewy for me.

Sukiyaki Bibimbap. Similar to a clay pot rice.

There were too many items to review, but overall, this place doesn’t disappoint.  The meat platters are served to you raw, and then you have to cook it yourself on the table grill.  This allows you to be your own chef and cook the meats to your liking.  It might be on the pricier side for those who can eat because each steak plate costs about $6-8 and that only gets you 3.5oz of meat.  To fill up, the waiter said typically 2 to 3 plates per person, and you can see how your bill will add up quickly.  I loved Gyu-Kaku the first time I went in Hawaii, and it treated me well my second visit here in Chicago.

Sadly we’ve come to an end to my Culinary tour in Chicago but keep an eye out for more restaurant reviews in the Bay Area soon!

Today, we were still unadjusted to Chicago time and woke up late again, with a start time of 11am.  We’ve all heard on the Travel Channel and Food Network that Chicago served up a mean hot dog, so we were on the hunt to go find one.  Luckily there was a place that was highly rated on Yelp that was only a few blocks down from our hotel, so we ventured toward it with our hungry stomachs.

Outside of the Portillo’s Restaurant

The dessert area

Inside the Portillo’s Restaurant

Portillo’s Hot Dogs

Our group ordered three things off their menu that they were famous for, their Jumbo Hot Dog, the Italian Beef sandwich, and a Chocolate Cake Milkshake.

The Jumbo Hot Dog included a thicker sized hot dog with mustard, relish, freshly chopped onions, sliced red ripe tomatoes, kosher pickle and sport peppers.  You might see that Ketchup is lacking in that description, and that is because a properly made Chicago style hot dog doesn’t include Ketchup ever.  After taking my first bite into the hot dog, that tradition proved itself correct.  From the saltiness of the sausage to the tangyness of the sport peppers to the sweet sliced tomatoes, the busy flavors formed a wonderful unique hot dog taste that was absolutely mouthwatering.

The Mouthwatering Jumbo Hot Dog, Chicago Style

On the other hand, the Italian Beef didn’t have much flavor since it didn’t have that much going on in terms of condiments which included hot peppers and pickled carrots.  The thinly sliced beef with extra gravy sauce provided the bulk of the flavor which was very soft and sweet to taste.  Combine those items in a nice large bun and that gives you the Italian Beef sandwich.

Italian Beef Sandwich

At this point, we figured out the convenience of the public transportation in Chicago (CTA) and stopped taking expensive taxis to get to our far destinations.  We headed over to a nearby Walgreens and purchased a CTA 1-day pass ($5.25) for each person that allowed us to utilize either Train or Bus for 24 hrs with no limits.  With our unlimited pass in hand, we wanted to escape the touristy areas of The Magnificent Mile to places where local Chicagoans frequent.  This brought us to an area known as Wicker Park.  We had a few restaurants we had in mind we wanted to visit here but only one was open during the odd afternoon hour.  Our group clearly ignored the thunderstorm forecast with an 80% chance of rain.  With just a few blocks to walk to Big Star, it started to pour and we took refuge inside some of the local shops and boutiques.  We tried to wait out the rain but decided to take our chances and run the last few Chicago sized blocks to Big Star.  Our group finally made it, drenched from the huge storm, and Big Star welcomed us in with a dry roof, loud music, and seating right at the bar.

Big Star Tacos

The place looks like a garage converted into a makeshift bar and restaurant.

The ambiance of this restaurant was like no other.  The place was packed full of people, even at an awkward time of 2pm.  This meant that the food had to be good for the restaurant to be operating at full capacity at this hour.  Being a typical bar environment, they had the speakers cranked up to 110% playing great classic rock tunes and many people socializing around the tables with their drinks adding to the sound level.  It didn’t bother us though, because it just added to the eating experience that was to come.

We were told by some friends that this place had killer tacos.  They had four different kinds of tacos, a Fish Taco, Al Pastor, Pork Belly, and Vegetarian, so we ordered two each.

Vegetarian taco on the left, pork belly in the middle, Al Pastor on the right

Out of these four, two of them knocked me dead with their flavor, the Al Pastor and the Vegetarian taco.  As a meat lover myself, I tend to stray away from the vegetarian options at restaurants, but this taco was like no other.  It seemed very simple.  Corn tortilla, roasted corn, fresh oregano, chipotle, avocado, and cotija cheese was the perfect formula here.  It was so fulfilling that I had to order one more.  The Al Pastor taco did not disappoint as well.  The pork combined with an unexpected pineapple thrown in made up the awesome taste of this taco.

Another member of the group wanted more and decided to opt for a Sonoran Hot Dog.  Little did he know what he was getting himself into.

Crispy bacon wrapped hot dog with pinto beans, lime mayo, mustard, onions, and hot sauce all wrapped around in a Bolillo roll

You need an extra wide mouth to fit that in

I tried a small bite of the Sonoran hot dog, and immediately knew that hot dogs weren’t Big Star’s specialty.  Although it had a grand presentation and delivery, the taste was too overpowered by the saltiness of the sausage.  He didn’t regret ordering it though, after devouring the monstrous hot dog within minutes.

Carmine’s

As night fell, we headed back to our hotel and after a nice hot tub and pool session, looked up a place to go for dinner.  The last time I visited Chicago a few years back when I was younger, we went to Carmine’s and I still remembered it having great food and family style dining, similar to the Buca Di Beppo chains, so we had to go back for round 2.  We called at 8pm, but didn’t get a reservation until 9pm which was expected as it was a Saturday night during a holiday weekend.  The restaurant was 10 blocks north of our hotel and after a quick 15 minute walk, we were there.  Carmine’s is located in one of the liveliest nightlife neighborhoods of Magnificent Mile.  The street is populated with bars, lounges, and outdoor dining as loud music from these places filled the night sky.  Because it was a Saturday night, everyone was dressed to the nines to dine and celebrate the week end.

We finally got a table upstairs in this large restaurant and stuck with ordering light.  2 appetizers and 1 entree for 4 people to share.  As we were seated, we were served bread with olive oil and vinegar, a typical Italian faire.  We got a Caesar Salad, Calamari, and the chef’s special which was Lobster Stuffed Ravioli in Cream Tomato Sauce.

Caesar Salad

Fried Calamari with Cocktail Sauce

Lobster Stuffed Ravioli

Honestly, the food was pretty good for this high class restaurant, but their service was the worst we’ve experienced ever.  I’m not sure why we weren’t provided service you’d normally expect for a high end restaurant like Carmine’s.  Maybe it was because we were seated in a corner behind a door?  Maybe it was because we didn’t order a drink this time and stuck with tap waters?  Our waiter gave his utmost attention to nearby tables but not to us.  He never said a word to us except for a short “Thank You” when dropping the tab at our table, never recommended anything on their menu, and never told us any specials they had.  To the tables across from us, he spent at least 5 minutes chit-chatting with the other patrons.  Because of this, we quickly finished our food and left highly disappointed due to a high-cost meal and the worst service we received in a while.  Maybe we are spoiled in the Bay Area where waiters and waitresses are mostly friendly.  I definitely had a much better experience at Carmine’s the first time a few years back.

Grand Lux Cafe

To rebound from our terrible dining experience earlier at Carmine’s, we decided to have a late night snack / dessert at Grand Lux Cafe which was located conveniently across the street from our hotel.  From the reviews we had read online, this place had excellent dessert, particularly their Molten Chocolate Cake.  We walked in pretty late around 11pm but we still had to wait 20 minutes before getting a table.  Upon walking in, we noticed that the decor was extremely similar to the styles of The Cheesecake Factory.  A quick Google search on my smartphone told me that this place was owned by them.

Right when we were seated, we were greeted by our waiter, who was very nice and took the time to explain specials on the menu, and other things which made us happy to find that they cared for their customer service.  We immediately ordered their Molten Chocolate Cake since it’s made in house and takes about 20 minutes to bake.  We also got a Strawberry Cheesecake, a Cafe Mocha, and a Spinach and Artichoke dip to snack on while we waited for our sweet tooth delights.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Chips, Salsa and Sour Cream

A nice presentation of their Cafe Mocha

I’ve had better from the appetizer as the dip wasn’t very creamy and rich as I’d expected.  This is a dish our group normally orders when we go out to eat and the dip at Grand Lux Cafe didn’t compare to the other places we had.  Although it was only ok, we still managed to finish the large portion they served us.

By this point, the dessert had come out and the display of the Molten Chocolate Cake was absolutely stunning.

Looks fancy, tastes fancy!

Typical cheesecake

I quickly broke into the chocolate cake and hot chocolate liquid gushed out, spewing everywhere like a broken fire hydrant.  The cake seriously lived up to it’s hype from the online reviews I had read prior.  It is the ultimate hot / cold combination dessert that has ever been invented by mankind.  The piping hot chocolate fudge inside combined with the ice cold vanilla ice cream creates a one of a kind super-rich indulgence.  Some people don’t like chocolate desserts due to it’s sweetness, but I am one of those who love it.  This dessert is easily listed on the top 10 desserts I’ve had in my life.

I can’t comment much on the Strawberry Cheesecake because I ruined my taste buds by eating the sweeter Molten Chocolate Cake first and then trying the less sweet cheesecake.  So I went back to finishing every last drop of chocolate left from the chocolate cake.

Overall, today was a successful eating day, visiting 4 restaurants and sampling the specialties each had to offer.  I can’t wait for what tomorrow has in store!

After waking up close to lunch time due to the 2 hour time difference compared to California, we decided that our first bite should be a good Chicago style deep dish pizza.  We went to Bella Bucino, which is a few blocks away from our hotel. Our group decided to walk there to rattle our stomachs for good pizza to come.

Bella Bacino Pizzeria off Wacker Dr.

Lunch

Bella Bacino is located right by the riverfront area so you can see the river as well as Chicago’s famous city skyline, dubbed the Magnificent Mile.  We opted for outdoor seating during the perfect warm Chicago weather.  Bella Bacino is an Italian style restaurant with great service.  Our waiter had an authentic Italian accent with service that was beyond our expectations.

They first served us Foccacia bread with olive oil and vinegar.  The bread was very nice and flavorful, something you’d expect with Foccacia style bread.  We finished the first basket so quickly, the waiter brought us another batch!

Yummy Foccacia Bread with Olive Oil and Vinegar

For our appetizer and entree, we ordered their Gorgonzola Pear Salad and their Spinach Supreme deep dish pizza with Italian sausage and mushrooms.

Spinach Supreme deep dish with Italian Sausage and Mushrooms

The pear salad lacked dressing but was still pretty strong in flavor from the Gorgonzola cheese. The cheese was probably the most potent cheese I’ve had but added great taste to the salad.  The candied walnuts were also a great addition to the salad.

When the waiter brought out the deep dish pizza 35 minutes later, (it takes 35 minutes to cook because it’s so big!) we were amazed by the size and the presentation of the pizza.  After the waiter served each of us a slice, we all gazed over the amount of pizza you get in a deep dish.  We all took a bite to mask in the taste and flavors all put together in a perfect pie.  The cheese, Italian sausage, mushrooms, spinach, marinara sauce, buttery bread crust, and more cheese comprised of each bite.  After two slices, I was extremely full and filled to my hearts content with pizza.  Overall, the pizza was delicious, but only in moderate amounts.  It’s extra cheesy middle is great for cheese lovers but it might be too overwhelming for those who aren’t used to pizza like that.

We decided not to order dessert but the waiter brought out 4 small chocolate chip cookies baked fresh, complements from the chef.  Overall we had a great experience at Bella Bucino.

Dinner

The meat waiters at Texas De Brazil

After spending most of the day at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, we were exhausted, tired from walking, and hungry.  We filled our growling bellies at Texas De Brazil, a Brazilian Style steakhouse.  For those who aren’t familiar with a Brazilian Style steakhouse, it’s essentially an all you can eat experience where there are many waiters walking around with big skewers of 13 various meats, from filet mignon, top sirlon, flank steak, to lamb shanks and bacon wrapped chicken.  They also give you a card that you can flip over, either Red or Green.  Red meaning, no more, I’m in meat heaven!, or Green, meaning yes, come over and carve all the slices of meat you want on my plate.

Salad Bar

More Salad Bar. They try to trick you to eat more of this so you can eat less of their meats!

Texas De Brazil also has an all you can eat salad bar, but they offer much more than salads.  They had Lobster Bisque for the soup of the day, seared tuna, smoked salmon, sauteed mushrooms, shrimp salad, and many other things you wouldn’t normally expect in a salad bar.  All the items were good but I made sure that I didn’t eat too much of this or else I wouldn’t have room for the meat entrees.  So I opted for a few different choices shown here.

My big appetite demanded for more and more meats!

The time had come and I flipped my card over to the green side.  Green means go!  Right when I flipped the card over, 4 different waiters carrying different types of meat came to my side of the table quickly and asked if I wanted some of the meats.  It felt like I was a piece of bread in the middle of a flock of hungry birds.  I happily answered yes to all of them and chose medium rare (the perfect amount of rediness) for the beef varieties.  I was left with a piece of filet mignon, garlic top sirlon, parmesan pork loin, and a beef rib.  In between different meats, we were given fried banana which was topped with sugar and cinamon.  The flavor I thought it tasted closest to was a churro, but banana instead of flour. The fried banana is supposed to cleanse your palette after every meat so you can taste the difference in each meat flavors.

After what felt like an eternity eating meat after meat, I was in meat overload mode.  The filet mignon was the best I thought due to its tenderness and flavor but a close second was the house special cut, top sirlon. Although I tend to shy away from lamb due to it’s gaminess, my third favorite was the lamb shanks as it didn’t have that gamy flavor.  The rest of the meats were still enjoyable, but on the saltier side for me.  Overall, the four of us engorged in a fabulous meal that put us all in a meat utopia.

The bill came out to about $216 including a glass of Sangria, which is typical for these Churrascarias (Brazilian Steakhouse).

We tried to walk off the food by walking to Navy Pier, but was in no shape to fit in a dessert elsewhere, so we decided to grab a quick drink at Argo Tea Cafe.  I ordered an almond milk tea that was perfect in taste, not too sweet, and had more of a tea taste which was pleasant to get rid of the meat taste that still lingered on our tongues.

Almond Milk Tea

We glanced over the menu and quickly knew what appetizers we wanted.  We ordered the Baked Spinach and Artichoke Dip served with Herb Pita Bread, the Buffalo Chicken Wings, and a side of Tater Tots.

All were very yummy and were wolfed down quickly. The tater tots were the ultimate late night breakfast comfort food while you can never go wrong with the spinach dip and the buffalo wings.

The bill totaled to $36 including a glass of beer.