Todd "the Bod" B.'s Profile

It takes no more than a week after my latest business trip to Oxford for the Kebab Kid Jonez to settle in. The Kebab Naan is near the top of the genre. Service is great... food is better... the place could be nicer... but then it'd be a wagon: and with food this great, who cares about the atmosphere?

Kabob Kafe (the former name) was already one of my favorite places anywhere in the Chicago area. Now, under new ownership - the food has gotten even better and the menu has grown in a very huge way.

The owner is a former executive chef and has a fresh take even on my previous dishes of choice.

The only negative - and not a big enough one for me to knock of a star - is that until the kitchen staff gets sorted out and more organized - this will be a place that you don't go if you're in a hurry.

If you've got the time... DO NOT SKIP this place.

Also - if you had previously tried this gem - make it a point to give it another shot - I think it'll bring a nice surprise.

I'm not a fortuneteller... but I can say... "watch out Katy - you're going to have more new business than you can handle."

This is the kind of Chinese food I wake up craving in the middle of the night... up there with the Original Three Happiness in Chinatown for me (although sadly enough - Katy's closes pretty early.)

The spicy dry-fried noodle dish is amazing. Dumplings... astonishing.

And about the waitress - it's always the same lady - she does warm up eventually:) We've gotten a smile once or twice.

My "second office" is in Oxford, UK - a nice, little college town wonderfully over-endowed with kabob shops and midnight kabob wagons. There are not too many better meals at 4 or 5 in the morning for apres-booty-shaking energy needs.

The first taste of a chicken kabob "sandwich" - really more of a kabob wrapped in Indian naan bread - brought flashbacks of many a lurvely evening wandering the streets of Oxford with good friends and good good in hand.

Don't go for the atmosphere - but DO go for the goods - and remember to bring CASH.

The owner is an extremely pleasant guy as well and it always feels like we have the run of the place.

Let's just say that had I stepped out of Mon Ami Gabi, into a gaudy amusement park with a cheesy French-themed "land," I'd have uttered nary a word of surprise.

Give me a break with the over-crusted and way-too-greasy skate, "French" bread that seemed remarkably similar to the loaf I just bought at Dominick's last week, and the ever-ridiculous "French" Onion Soup.

Come on - seriously - this place is about as French as Freedom Fries.

Can't I put a 4.5 up there? Very nice, consistent Thai dishes served up by a friendly and attentive staff.

My wife's favorite cuisine is Thai, which we've eaten in many restaurants and the many places we've called home. Bambu Thai holds the top spot among her all time favorites.

We've tried several other Thai places within a few miles of Bambu - but it's the place we usually end up when we don't want to take any chances - knowing the food will be great.

Our favorites are: Pad Woon Sen, Shrimp Rolls, Drunken Noodles, Bamee Noodle with Wonton (our latest love).

Now - about that 4.5... what keep is from being a 5? Location and atmosphere. But to be fair, is the best Thai food ever served in a really nice building?

Good sushi across the board - nothing super exotic - but a nice treatment of the standards and very fresh.

Even though it's been reviewed several times, I've got to chime in on this one. Even if primarily to bump the previous review off the main page. If I have to guess - the poor girl's digestive problems were not at all related to the food here.

I've eaten at Sushi Nest a couple of times, but my teenagers love it enough to use their own hard-earned cash to eat there on a regular basis.

If you do happen to be looking for something "craveable," try the hand grenade (warm shrimp roll - some crunchies - some mayo - who know what else.) It's not truly a sushi dish - but it IS something I have cravings for at random times of the night.

I have to admit procrastinating on this one months ago. My first visit to Chow began with a very nice, and generous sample of South African wine. That day we also went home with a great loaf of bread and some cookies. The conversation in the car was something like, "wow, I'm so Glad we have a place like that here... I'm glad we moved to Elmhurst... we should go there all the time so they'll stay open."

We all know how the rest of the story goes. Anyway, I've been traveling way too much since moving to Elmhurst and in the chaos - just forgot about the place. Today I wanted a good, hearty sandwich (and not the massively-large roast beef from Arby's).

My wife and I stopped by Chow today on the way to downtown Chicago.  I had an excellent "Italian" on a baguette: capaccola, fresh mozzarella, basil, tomatoes, ham and salami. It was very tasty. Tasha had a sliced pork loin sandwich which was wonderful as well.

In addition to being a great sandwich shop, Chow offers a frequently-changing menu of prepared gourmet meals for dinner on the go, a host of fun sauces, dips and salads, a small selection of well-chosen wines and wonderful cheeses from around the world.

This is a great concept, hitting the spot for Elmhurst's metra commuters.

Although I realize Glendale Heights is more than a bit out of the way for the average city-dwelling Yelp-er, I'm still surprised Tay Do hasn't been included until now. OK, to be fair - it's apparently only been in business for 2 or 3 months.

Tonight, the Pho jones was on so I had to oblige by visiting this new Vietnamese restaurant in the far west suburbs. Hidden in the corner of a dingy little shopping center, right next to the cruddiest Dollar General ever (and that's cruddy) - Tay Do was surprising large, open and bright once we walked through the door. A large plasma TV and a nice sound system pumped out the sights and sounds of "Ice Age 2" the animated feature. So the atmosphere may not be the most authentic or cozy, but it gets the job done: besides, the bathrooms are sufficiently grimy to assure die-hard fans of legit Vietnamese fare that this is no yuppified Stir Fry Cafe or some such nightmare.

Tonight's meal was pretty simple, consisting of two steaming bowls of Pho tai, wonderfully prepared with all the right spices and veggie fixin's on the side, a nice seafood pancake, and fresh pork "spring" rolls (the unfried variety of course).

The iced coffee was nice and strong (so much that my wife had to add water - and that's NEVER happened in the 17 years we've been married) she's notorious for drinking the strongest coffee around.

Wait staff was very attentive and helpful in choosing dishes and drinks, even adding some helpful advice on the finer points of preparing the triple-jelly coconut fruit smoothie ordered by my son.

We'll definitely be back - probably on a regular basis - as this Pho problem I have doesn't ever really seem to go away.

If you live anywhere near Tay Do and love Vietnamese or even if you've never had Vietnamese and want to give it a go;  this is  a place you can be sure is authentic but still provides a safety net (the helpful staff).

Why did I drive past this place every day for two months before stopping by? In my defense, it was mostly due to the fact that most of the signage and the advertised specials in the windows looked more like a cheap BBQ or American food place than the killer Mexican taquera that lies within. Even labeling it a great taquera doesn't really do it justice. Not only does Rosticeria los Fernandez serve up all the classics - tacos al carbon, tacos al pastor, carnitas, lengua and carne asada; enchiladas, burritos, rice, beans and all the trimmings - they make this crazy roasted chicken which is serve cut into quarters and quickly steamed together with huge, fresh, tasty green onions. This is one of the most tender, moist and flavorful roasted chickens I've ever had. The chicken makes an excellent quick meal to take home instead of your typical fast food fare and can be ordered as a complete family with rice, beans, tortillas and more.
 
 Prices are great - maybe even under priced considering the quality if I dare say so. The owner and staff are always nice and they do a great job getting things put together just the way you ordered it.

 With this place on one corner and the 24 hr. Dunkin Donuts / Baskin Robbins on the other, less then a mile from my house, I'll be a very lucky boy if I don't end up weighing 50 more pounds by next summer.