Since summer has decided to grace Chicago with its presence on this beautiful October day, I got to thinking about summer. And how I should have started this blog then.
Summer is my time for adventure. Two summers ago, right after graduation, I took a job that let me travel the country - go to places that I had never even heard of - meet people from all walks of life. It was awesome.
This past summer, that was my food adventure. I made a pledge to myself that I would not eat dinner at a restaurant that I had eaten at before. (I wanted to do this for all meals, but it would have been a little bit aggressive with only a 30 minute lunch break from work). I have lived in Chicago for all 23 years of my life (minus the 4 months I was traveling the country) and have not even come CLOSE to exploring all the absolutely fantastic restaurants this wonderful city has to offer. I'm all about loyalty (an unfortunate trait when it comes to being a Cubs fan...) and will always love my childhood favorites (Shoutout to Annie's - Welcome back!) but like I said, summertime = adventure time.
People used to tell me I was a picky eater and it would drive me up the wall. It was SO embarrassing when we would be out to eat, and my Mom would say to the waiter before we even put in our drink orders that I wouldn't eat this... didn't like that. But when it comes down to it... I was picky. I NEVER tried anything adventurous, always played it safe. What did you say was in that? What part of the pig is that? Gross. No thanks. And shock of the century - my favorite food was... pasta. I was over it. I didn't want to hear it anymore. So I started trying things. Another shock of the century - IT WAS AWESOME. I am now at a point in my life where I will try juuuuust about anything.
So that's where the new restaurants came in. I was ready to go on an adventure. An edible adventure. I made a list, I checked it twice. I was on a mission. I went out to eat a lot. I brought the parents. I brought friends. I won't go into grueling (or drooling) detail about all of the restaurants, but I'll give you a few highlights.
Mercadito: Fan-freakin-tastic. Great place for a big group because its tapas. And everything is delicious. The decor is very vibrant and makes you want to party. Also, the drinks are on fire. Literally! They have a drink that comes out with a half peel of a lime flipped inside out that is filled with alcohol and set on fire. My recommendation: Carnitas de Puerco Tacos. Peanuts in a taco? Brilliant.
Table Fifty-Two: Oh.My.Goodness. Let me tell you, after visiting this restaurant, I would have been TWICE the size of Oprah if I had Art Smith as my personal chef. First of all, they start you out with a deviled egg AND goat cheese biscuits. That alone would have gotten this restaurant a great review in my book. But it doesn't stop there. Fried green tomatoes - Chef's specialty - are cooked to perfection. He does not mess around with his tomatoes - they are juicy and delicious and then fried to perfection. The tomato itself is soft and juicy and most importantly - not too hot. The shell is nice and crispy and holds the tomato in place - perfectly fried. Thank you Mr. Smith for bringing real Southern, home cooking to Chicago. And for making me feel at home while eating it! Recommendations: Fried Green Tomatoes, Grilled Romaine Salad. And be sure to ask the waiter for the Chardonnay that has a buttery flavor to it. It actually does. And it is divine. ***Warning - this place is NOT cheap, but totally worth every penny.
And the one that takes the cake...
Girl and the Goat: I know. I am late to jump on this bandwagon. But that bandwagon is packed. Want to jump on it? Well, you'll have to wait. Next reservation is not until the end of November. And it's at 10:00pm. Luckily for all of you non goat lovers (yet), they do reserve plenty of tables for walk-ups, but again, you'll have to wait. If you go during prime dinner hours, you'll probably have to wait a while (upwards of an hour) but it is worth it. Stephanie Izard (Chef/Owner) put it best in an interview with the Trib the other day - she just wants to make everyone happy - and she does. Her philosophy is to hit all of your tastebuds at once to basically create an explosion of flavor. I have never had food that so brilliantly combines a diverse range of flavors. She is an absolute genius at combining the sweet with the spicy with the salty and the tart. I am not joking, you will get all of these flavors in one bite - in just about every dish. My recommendations: Fried Soft Shell Crab with Sweet Corn and Chipotle Aioli, Goat Cheese Chorizo Pizza. Also, Stephanie Izard just released her cookbook - in my opinion a must buy.
This is just a taste of all the fabulous dishes I tried and restaurants I visited. A few other noteworthy restaurants I visited were: The Publican (thanks for introducing me to fresh figs), Q, Coco Pazzo and Bistronomic.
And now that summer's officially over, I will make my triumphant return to Hub51 and their ever so delicious Carrot Cake!
Off to the Chicago Film Festival!
Happy weekend, happy eating!
Aly
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