Lucy "Goosebucket" G.'s Profile

I'd like to mention that even though I've moved from New Oreleans and have had my fair share of sushi all around the US, Sushi Brothers is still my favorite sushi place ever.  I miss you, Sushi Brothers. I have yet to find a place in Chicago that will make me as happy as you do.

I gave it three stars...not because it isn't great, but mostly because it's pretty pricey for a lunch.

You can build you own bowl, wrap, or salad here. I love this option because you can pick and choose which veggies, proteins, sauces, etc. that you want and it's made with all fresh ingredients just for you. I've had the vegan wrap, a quinoa bowl, a rice bowl, and salad from here. All very good.

It's PACKED during lunch hours, so either get there early or wait until after 1:00 if you want to avoid the line.

You pay per ingredient, except most of the veggies. For instance- adding grilled tofu to the salad is $2. Adding avocado $1. Adding cheese $0.50. Now, I suppose if you just get a basic veggie salad, I guess it's affordable for lunch time, but I like a bit a protein in my salad so I got the diced egg and grilled tofu.

Without purchasing a beverage or anything else, my salad was just over $11 today. It was delicious, really, but way more than I wanted to spend on lunch. However, I coudln't feel TOO guilty because it was full of good-for-me veggies and lean protein.

I guess I'll build my own salads from home from now on to save on expenses, but in a pinch, if you've got a few extra dollars and want someone to make a great salad for you, go to Freshii.

My boss knows just about every great restaurant in city of Chicago. When I asked where would be a good place to take my friend for brunch, she said Lou Mitchell's. She was right, it's a fantastic place for brunch!

When my friend and I went, we waited in line around 10:30 on a Sunday, (even with the snow and gross weather, the place was packed), a basket of freshly powdered donut holes were brought to us. The donut holes melt in your mouth.

Once inside, we were greeted with an adorable old waitress and a cute retro looking dinner. We were immediately served hot, fresh coffee (so good!) and then my friend and I took our time perusing through the extensive menu.

After debating, we opted to split two entrees that we couldn't decide on: the malted pecan belgian waffle and the veggie omelette covered in onion sauce. We were very intrigued by this onion sauce. They obligingly split the omelette between two fry pans.

The waffle was pretty good, served with REAL maple syrup. I have had better waffles, but I still ate it like it was the best thing ever. But I love waffles, so I would even down an eggo without thinking twice.

The omelette was HUGE and served with finely sliced fried potatoes. The omelette was fluffy hot and the veggies and onion sauce were spot on. We practically licked our plates clean.

We were so full, we passed on the soft serve ice cream, which is offered free at the end of the meal. We did grab our boxes of Milk Duds, though!

If you're looking for a charming, delicious breakfast that's not too far from the downtown Loop- defintely go to Lou Mitchell's. Make sure to grab a donut hole!

BTW, it's cash only!

I love that when you walk in, it smells like toasted bread. The next delightful thing is the live acoustic music playing during my lunch break- especially today since it happened to be a really cute dude with a guitar. Always a plus, eye candy for dessert....

Service was quick- you're met with an employee that takes your order on an iPad when you walk in the door. I got the Veggie, which was great toasted with cheddar, provolone, swiss (3 CHEESES! YAY! Big fan of cheese!) mushrooms, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo on wheat bread. Really great flavor, very substantial.

Couldn't help myself and got the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, which was moist and warm and totally awesome.

Great for quick lunch breaks. I happen to love a good sandwich and Potbelly's did it for me. Also, the sandwich, cookie, and diet coke only ran me about $7- score!

*Edit: 2 hours later and my stomach is really upset. Not blaming Potbelly totally- I probably shouldn't have gotten mayo. Or the cookie.

Have you ever seen "My Big Fat Greek Wedding?" Walking into this diner, I felt like I was on the set. This Greek owned restaurant is precious. It's literally half a block from me, so I have been here a few times and enjoyed it- both for it's proximity, it's charm, and it's good food.

First of all, you will never leave hungry. They give you so much food at an affordable price. They offer your typical American diner foods, but then they'll have a few menu items or specials that reflect the Greek patronage, the spinach pie, mousaka, or greek omelette for instance.

So far my favorite is the Eggs Florentine, which includes two halves of an English muffin, topped with wilted spinach, two poached eggs, and drenched in the rich hollandaise sauce, a side of hash browns, more than you can eat, and a little bit of the fresh fruit of the day (it could be a couple slices of orange or half a banana.) This easily became 2 meals.

Coffee is good, service is perky, and the place is never empty. It's small though, so don't bring a huge group of people. This neighborhood diner will see my hungry face again soon.

I went bananas for Bananas Foster Cafe.

I pass by this british themed cafe every single day. I finally got the chance to eat breakfast there over the weekend. Everything was wonderful. The service was fantastic, never an empty or cold coffee cup. I love that they were playing the best hits of broadway show tunes over the speakers.

My only annoyance is that I didn't order the banana stuffed french toast for myself! I got the Norwegian waffle, lightly spiced with cardamom, which was amazing with it's fresh berry topping and chantilly creme. My mom got what the waiter joked as"The Whole Kitchen Sink" omelette, which was like.... six different cheeses and another six different veggies. It came with a side of Bubbles and Squeak, which is basically a potato pancake with peas, carrots, and brussel sprouts. It was my first experience with Bubble and Squeak and I loved it. Now, let me tell you more about the aforementioned banana stuffed french toast that my brother ordered...

The bananas are braised in like a rum sauce or something (much like their namesake) and then stuffed inside the thick cut french toast, which is topped with toasted pecans and drizzled with real maple syrup. It's indescribably good. In fact, I am getting drooly just thinking about it. That will be what I order the next time I go-- two bites was not enough!

They also have a brunch buffet on the weekends, but you better bring your appetite for that.

It's nearing dinner time and now all I want is that banana french toast. Next time, I'm also trying the bananas foster dessert- I hear it is to die for.

I've had good Italian food my entire life. Of course I would, my grandfather was from Sicily and all the good family recipes have been passed down to my mom, who is my favorite chef in the world. Also, I grew up in St. Louis, and have eaten meals on The Hill (the Italian community), so yes, I know good Italian food.

However...

Nothing could possibly top the food we had at Caro Mio off Wilson Ave. This BYOB place is small, fitting maybe 30 people maximum in the restaurant. Due to it's small size, it was pretty loud, a little cramped, and our waiter sometimes seemed to forget we were sitting in the corner. HOWEVER, after a long wait for our food, it was completely and utterly worth it.

It is hands down the best Italian food I've had ever.

The dish I ordered, the pappardelle with mushrooms and wine based cream sauce, was the winner of the table. (We all shared, family style) So flavorful and rich that I could only manage a quarter of the huge portion before I was full, and even after everyone at the table had their fill of mine, there was enough left over for another meal.The second place winner was the evening's special, gnocchi stuffed with cheese and topped with a mild creamy tomato sauce and parmesan cheese. Third place was the Eggplant Parmigiano, which was good, but very garlicky. Last place was the spicy veal, which I obviously cannot attest to how it tasted- I would never eat veal.

As a closer, we all shared the house-made tiramisu. Which was topped with scoops of vanilla bean gelato. It disappeared in seconds. At which point we all lapsed into food comas, holding our full stomachs, groaning at the deliciousness and richness of the meal we just gorged on.

This place is more pricey, about $20 a plate, but they do serve complimentary bread with olive oil and chopped garlic, and it's BYOB, so bring as much wine/beer/alcohol as you want, and they give you a tub filled with ice to keep it cold.

Despite the somewhat slow service, I would definitely recommend this place to anyone. I also like the local art displayed on the walls for sale. Best meal I've had in a long time.

Every morning, I walk into work and it smells like a bakery. What a wonderful thing to smell first thing in the morning- fresh baked bread! There's a Jersey Mike's Subs that opened next door to where I work. Such a good smell day after day enticed me to leave my usual homemade lunch and go out for lunch at Jersey Mike's today.

Well, I just spent $7 on the sloppiest, flavorless veggie wrap ever. It was basically a tortilla with iceberg lettuce, cheese, tomatoes, and grilled onions and peppers, over-drenched in a "ranch" sauce. It fell apart the moment I opened the paper wrapping. Eating it was a challenge. I probably should have put it in a bowl with a spoon because I made a fool of myself trying to eat it and keep it all together, as the ranch sauce ran down my hands and fingers. And like I said, not a lot of flavor, but then, there's a not a whole lot in the sandwich either. It was more iceberg lettuce than anything else.

It was crowded, so I'm guessing other people had a better lunch than me. But as a vegetarian, I would not recommend this place to other vegetarians. It just wasn't worth $7. It wasn't good.

That being said, I do enjoy the fresh baked bread smells in the morning. So I guess that's the one thing I like about Jersey Mike's Subs.

In a whirlwind of moving from Atlanta, crashing on my brother's couch for 3 weeks while interviewing for jobs like crazy, when I was finally hired, I had to find my own place-- and fast. I had tried Apartment People twice. I found that their properties were not as nice and liveable as I had hoped. Also, they didn't seem to care about me as a customer and rushed me in and out of apartment viewings as if they had somewhere more important to be. There was no follow-up as had been promised. I was disappointed and starting to panic when I realized I had less than 2 days to find an apartment.

Enter Rent Smart Chicago.

I had been eyeing one of the ads on their website and Craigslist for a while. Many of the apartments on their site looked great, this one in particular. The apartment looked really nice-- but would it look that nice in person? Pictures sometimes lie, as I'd discovered with Apartment People. I called, hoping I could see this place before business hours were over. I got ahold of Peter Xantheas, one of the leasing agents at Rent Smart, who dropped everything he was doing to meet me 30 minutes later at the place I'd been eyeing.

The property was perfect. Clean, bright, and bigger than I thought it would be. It was my dream apartment. Peter was friendly and honest and let me take my time looking around. He answered all my questions, and I had tons being a first time Chicago renter. He gave me all the paperwork necessary to apply for the apartment, his card and personal cell phone number. I got started immediately, and so did he- even though it was the weekend and he probably should have been out celebrating the holiday. He kept me updated regularly on the application process. Within a couple days, the apartment was mine. He went over each item on the lease thoroughly- and then as an added bonus, listed some of the best restaurants nearby that I'd enjoy as a newbie to the neighborhood. He also helped me figure out the best way for me to get to work from my new apartment, since the CTA was a new concept to me.

My experience with Rent Smart Chicago and leasing agent Peter Xantheas was great, and I'd recommend them to any of my friends. I'm still pleased as punch with my new apartment, which now I've been living in for 3 weeks. I am really glad they made finding an apartment so easy. Great customer service!

I haven't had Thai food in a while. I think it's because I felt so underwhelmed by any Thai food I'd had in Atlanta.

Tonight's dinner at Noodles In the Pot blew my freakin' mind.

First off, it's BYOB. 'Nuff said. That makes any restaurant worth going to.

I started with the spring rolls appetizer: delicious little nuggets of joy. Two spring rolls, stuffed with cucumber, carrots, avocado, cream cheese and topped with a tamarind sauce. Cut into bite-sized nuggets. So much flavor happening.

Then the Pad See Yew (spelling?) with Tofu. I don't know how they got the tofu to have a nice smokey, charred flavor, but it was amazing. And the wide noodles were WIDE. Charred broccoli and egg. And sweet soy sauce. Ah, I wish I was more eloquent in describing this meal, but all I can say is that it is truly the best Thai I've ever had, and by golly, I've had a lot of Thai food in my day.

Service was so fast, portions were big, and the prices reasonable.

If only there were an apartment for me to rent right above it so I could eat it daily.