- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Crying Onion
Categories: Event Planning & Services Personal Chefs Event Planning & Services Caterers Personal Chefs, Caterers [Edit]
4052 N Campbell Ave(between Cuyler Ave & Belle Plaine Ave)
Chicago, IL 60618
Neighborhood: North Center
(312) 380-5165
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
Rent-A-Chef Inc
Get 24% off your purchase at Rent-A-Chef Inc
11 reviews for Crying Onion
11 reviews in English
-
Review from Andrea R.
4/16/2012
I've always said if I won the lotto I'd hire 2 people immediately:
1) a hair stylist to come to my home to blow-dry and style my crazy curls daily
2) a personal chef
While I did win $7 in the lotto a few weeks ago (or most like lost $3) it's not quite enough to cover either of those splurges. However, it turns out that you don't need to win the lotto to hire a personal chef. You just need to know Andrew from Crying Onion.
I'm absolutely hopeless in the kitchen...so hopeless that I've even managed to mess up a frozen pizza just by sticking it in the oven. My husband and I used to eat out and order in most nights, but that became more difficult after having our daughter. For awhile we tried Meez Meals*, which is basically healthy cooking for dummies. I was a huge fan for 6 months, but between work and motherhood found myself not having time for the very little time it takes to cook the meal and clean it up. And so I searched the millions of reviews on Yelp for some sort of cooking service that would be affordable and healthy....
I came across Crying Onion's reviews during my research. I got hungry just reading the reviews, but noticed Andrew's business was more for dinner parties and catering. I was about to give up and resort to eating cereal for the rest of my life when I checked out Crying Onion's website and noticed they offer vacuum sealed ready-to-heat meals.
I very eagerly reached out to Andrew within minutes to get more information:
* How the process works: He has a long list of entrees that covers all the food groups, but is open to other ideas as well.
* The cost: Depends on the meal, but I've found most of my meals come to $11-12 for 1 meal (order for 2 to keep the costs down). The portions are pretty big so I usually end up eating the leftovers for lunch the next day. Andrew also requires an order of $225 for delivery, which takes up most of the room in my freezer, but not a huge deal since I don't make it to the grocery store too often.
* The timing: Andrew needs about a week to prepare everything and then drops it all off ready to stick in the freezer.
I've gotten 2 deliveries from Andrew (both enough for about 3 weeks) and I'm a huge fan. It now takes me no more than 3 minutes to "whip up" one of his meals and there's absolutely no clean-up involved.
Most importantly the meals are very tasty! I haven't "cried" (pun intended) over a Crying Onion meal yet, but absolute favorites include the butternut squash pasta, kale and soba noodles, and mushroom pizza. I also travel frequently for work so my husband (who's even more pathetic in the kitchen than I am) is happy to have a meal that he can easily defrost and heat up in 3 minutes.
Now if only Andrew styled hair...I'd be one happy girl.
* http://www.yelp.com/bi...Listed in: Delivery restaurants in…
-
Review from George A.
Chicago, IL
4/30/2012
Drew, Jack, and the whole gang are genuine people with a lot of talent. Support these guys.
-
Review from Brett M.
Chicago, IL
9/25/2011
For my birthday dinner, I wanted to have a chef cook in our home for 10 of my closest foodie friends. I wanted a regionally-themed menu--one course for each of the three states my dearest friends hailed from--and Andrew worked to create a reasonably priced amazing menu based solely on regional cuisine and the memories of favorite dishes that I shared with him. The first course, an homage to New Jersey, were mini handmade bagels served two ways: with quail's egg, bacon and cheese on one and the most delicious lox and cream cheese on the other. He followed this with a tomato sorbet and mozzarella amuse bouche that no one will ever forget. The sorbet was so flavorful it was like an explosion of the very best part of every tomato you've ever enjoyed.
The second course, the homage to Maryland, was of course a crab cake and it was about 99% lump and claw meat with 1% seasoning and bread crumbs... exactly how it should be! Everyone gobbled theirs down so fast we must've set a record.
The third course was "Chicago Porkapolooza", which featured braised pork belly, cast iron pork tenderloin, and the best smoked spare rib anyone had ever had.
He finished the evening for us with a delectable apple tart with cinnamon ice cream.
Andrew was flexible, fun, creative, and took amazing care of my guests. He made this one of the best birthdays I'll ever had. And at about $45 per guest, you couldn't beat that price at any comparable restaurant. Highly recommend. -
Review from James W.
Los Angeles, CA
5/24/2011
Andrew was the private chef for one of my close friend's birthday dinner. There were 5 of us, including Andrew.
Not only was the food delicious, but Andrew was extremely intelligent, funny, and respectful. He cooked and served at the pace we set. He took care of the dishes, told us interesting stories about New Orleans (that we asked for- he didn't just ramble), and he even brought recipes for the dishes we ate.
I absolutely recommend Mr. Spear. He was outstanding and I can't wait to hire to him for a special occasion in the future! -
Review from Meghan P.
Chicago, IL
9/2/2009
Intimate or large, I have seen what this chef can do and he and his staff of close colleagues and friends can turn out something that is truly amazing.
Drew's personal touch to cooking brings that down home feel to your party or event. Yet, he is refined in his skills to make something restaurant quality in your home.
His cooking is refined and yet down to earth for the less adventurous. His service can be as minimal as making a meal for a special occasion completely unique or throwin' down the party flavors with a wide variety of choice appetizers.
Whether he's hired for a 7 course meal or light munchies for your super bowl party he turns out a mean service and the staff he brings is always friendly and engaged in making your event great. -
Review from marc R.
Chicago, IL
6/14/2011
Chef Andrew was fantastic. It was my girlfriend's birthday and Andrew provided dinner/cooking class for the 4 of us. He was on time, personable, and fit right in with the laid back environment.
As far as the food, it was very good. He provided a bunch of menu options beforehand, and was flexible in accommodating my choices. He helped make the evening as easy as possible for us by serving all the food and collecting the dishes, in addition to providing recipe cards for each dish.
I would definitely recommend chef for someone else interested in a dinner party or a cooking class. The price was better than most other classes that I found and the quality was excellent. A good time had by all. -
Review from Laurie H.
Chicago, IL
9/17/2009
Crying Onion catered an event at a recording studio party that I went to in May and it was one of the best catered events I've ever been too.
The food is exceptional. Drew takes dishes that you already know and love and takes them to another level.
I've had the pleasure of trying some of his other dishes since the party, and every time I walk away more impressed.
Two of my favorites were his puffy chicken tacos and butternut squash ravioli with a butternut squash marinara. PHENOMENAL! He makes everything from traditional Southern and Cajun, Sushi, Mexican, Italian, you name it. There's nothing he can't cook.
I would highly recommend him for any event, big or small. -
Review from Alia K.
Chicago, IL
7/30/2011
Andrew from the Crying Onion cooked an aphrodisiac menu as one of the events for a bachelorette party I attended. Besides making amazing food and handling a bunch of tipsy girls chattering non-stop around him, he is absolutely adorable and very nice. Fried goat cheese and beef with a fig sauce were two of my personal favorites. I'd definitely recommend Andrew if you're looking to host a party.
-
Review from Greg K.
Chicago, IL
10/16/2009
A truly excellent personal chef experience. We came across Andrew Spear and Crying Onion via a friend's recommendation and we couldn't have been happier with the decision. I'm a picky eater and Andrew took the time to customize each of our six courses to my liking, which if you ask my grandmother, is a very hard thing to do. On top of this our chef was patient, calm under pressure, and happily involved some amateur chef's at my party in a couple of awesome knife-work demo's. All in all he made for a great experience which we are looking forward to doing again.
-
Review from Jen D.
Chicago, IL
4/11/2010
Drew was incredible! He was the chef at a dinner we attended at a friends house and it was amazing! My husband, a very picky eater, ate and ate and ate and loved every bite! I would highly recommend Drew for any event. The food was fantastic, timing was fabulous, and service was flawless! Loved it!
-
Review from Natalie D.
Chicago, IL
9/21/2009
I have had a few experiences with Crying Onion and all of them have exceeded my expectations. Drew is a great chef and his support staff is always friendly and engaged while maintaining an expected level of professionalism. I have been to several parties he has catered and sampled several delicious dishes he has prepared. Duck confit Quesadillas, cheesecake lollipops, Steaks cooked to perfection, lobster bisque, a variety of hand rolled raviolis in savory sauces, oysters, sushi, lasagna, mussels, poboys, bbq pork sandwiches, the list goes on. I've never had anything I didn't like. So I decided to hire Crying Onion to cater an industry party that I threw at work. It was pretty simple and casual. I didn't need anything too fancy, but Drew pulled out all the stops. Everything that he presented to the guests was great. Everyone kept coming up to me and asking me who made the food - that it was wonderful. My boss even asked me to get 3 of his recipes from him (and said nothing about you know, the bar, the guest list, the decorations, or anything else I set up). His food was the hit of the party. I will hire him again. The only reason I didn't give him 5 stars is because everyone else did and I think he should maybe expand his dessert selection somewhat (even though every dessert he's made has been good). That's it! Hire Crying Onion!
