Terri M.'s Profile

This place was a welcome refuge from the heat and crowds during the Wicker Park Fest.  Why I even went to that, I have no idea.  But BF and I have taken to seeking out the cool, quiet and undiscovered gems that are open and close-by during these crazy festivals and we've really enjoyed the opportunity to get away for a short while and discover an inviting space with a great selection of beers.

We sat for probably over an hour.  First at the bar, and then over on the couch in front of a large screen where they had a movie playing (Bob Dylan at a music festival). Between the two of us, we tried three of their draft beers and an imported Belgian-style wheat beer in a bottle.  Most of the pints were either $5 or 6.  We also had the wasabi fries, which were a perfect counterpoint to the cold beers.

The bartender and staff were great and the space was chic and inviting.  We probably would not have tried it if it weren't for the need to seek refuge during the festival, but we were really glad we did.

BF and I stumbled upon Duchamp rather randomly, having escaped the chaos of Wicker Park Fest, and ended up having a nice dinner there.  The other place we considered was the Bristol, but when we heard the loudness of that place from half a block away, we turned around immediately and opted for the calm sanity of Duchamp's patio.

It was a beautiful night and we did not regret going there at all.  Even though we are not huge fans of communal dining, the experience was fine.  We were seated at the end of one of their long patio tables and another couple was not seated next to us until we were nearly done with our meal.

We opted to eat light and so selected three appetizers to nibble on small plates-style, along with a crisp, Austrian white wine.  We had the beet salad, which consisted of several cubes of beets served with mache salad, a couple cubes of feta, some pecans, and a smear of creamy dressing.  We also had the salmon tartar, which were served on three little (potato?) pancakes with capers.  They were very tasty.  And then, our third dish was the assorted cheese plate with fruit bread, which was very good.  there was a manchego, a triple-cream cow's milk cheese, and a really interesting goat cheese.  after that we were still a bit hungry, but not sure f we wanted to order entrees.  We opted for dessert instead and were pleasantly satisfied with the lemon tart that we got.  It was on a delicious crust and the lemon part was smooth and custardy, with the top caramelized like a creme brulee.  Heavenly!

If we're ever back in the neighborhood again and looking for a place for dinner, I would certainly come back.  There were  number of  entree items that sounded appealing to me, the atmosphere and clientele were acceptable (we came partly because the diners seemed like a more mature but still hip crowd rather than the loud, rowdy and overprivileged younger set that tends to inhabit this neighborhood), and the food was thoughtful and good but not pretentious.

The place is empty on a beautiful, warm summer evening (around 6:30 pm).  What's wrong with this picture?  Good thing I was specifically looking to get something from there and actually took a closer look inside because it looked like they were closed.  And the sign in their window said closed even though according to their posted hours, they weren't.  But there were two people behind the counter. So we go in and I mention to them that their sign  hasn't been turned to "open."  They say thanks, but they don't go over to change it right away.  Ok, whatever.

So I try to order and they tell me they have vanilla and cherry, even though I'm pretty sure they meant original and pomegranate, which is what's on their sign.  I ask for clarification and am told that the original is kind of like vanilla.  Huh?  Is it original or is it vanilla?  They offer me a taste.  It tastes like original--plain kefir-- which is what I wanted, so I order a medium with 3 toppings: coconut, almonds, and blackberries.  It was good, and I appreciate that they have toasted coconut, but why did it cost more than $6.00?!  

I'm glad t he place is here, and I like their product, but everything else about my experience here this time was really bizarre.  Seems like they need to get their stuff together.

Hadn't been here since right around the time they first opened.  The two friends I went with then weren't keen on it at the time, so I didn't go back until yesterday.  BF and I were wanting pizza, but having the hardest time choosing the place--old school or wood-fired, cheap eats or gourmet...  None of our usual places seemed appealing or interesting.  We were driving around aimlessly.  We didn't want to drive way north... So it turned out that Crust was just the right choice.  We hadn't been there in a long time, so it was like going to a place we hadn't been before.  It wasn't packed solid like when they first opened.  could have been the time of day or day of the week: a little before 6 on a Wednesday.  We got seated right away with our choice of sidewalk, restaurant, or back patio.  We chose the back patio--who wouldn't, it's very pleasant back there, especially in the summer.  Aside from the plethora of families with small kids (3 groups) that happened to be there a the time)--which wasn't too bad-- it was very pleasant experience.

BF was impressed with their selection of craft beers.  He tried two different IPAs and I tried a whet beer from Montreal that was light and refreshing.  For our appetizers, we started with a Caesar salad and the "tapenade.'  The Caesar salad was crisp and well-made.  It featured a stack of dressed whole Romaine leaves on an oblong dish, topped with a seasoned cracker and shaved parmesean.  The tapenade was good but a bit disappointing.  I though the portion was somewhat meager and heavy on the bread.  It was basically a small dish of baked pepper, onion, garlic, and a couple olives and maybe a teaspoon of goat cheese for $9.  not what I had in mind, but what there was of it, I enjoyed.

We got a couple of veggie pizzas: the Margherita and the cheese and fresh herb.  Both were good--the crust is perfect, as it should be at a place called "Crust."  The only thing we were thinking was that we ordered two pizzas that lacked tomato sauce.  i thought I had avoided that by avoiding the two pizzas on the menu that were white pizzas or specified that they had bechemel sauce.  so that left us to wonder which f their pizzas if any had tomato sauce....

Anyway, despite these shortcomings, we enjoyed our meal there and are likely to come back.  This is one case in which the service and other amenities made up for some slight disappointments with the food, but in the end, we were in a good mood, felt relaxed, and had a good meal, so we were happy.

Since I'm rarely in the Loop during lunchtime, I rarely get to eat here.  It's on the seventh floor of Macy's (formerly Marshall Fields).  I remembered trying it for the first time during Looptopia a couple of years ago, but did not come back until just recently.  Frankly, it's probably one of the best deals around if you want something fresh, fast, but good-quality.

I had the tamale combo plate, which includes a "homemade" tamale, a small salad, and a cup of soup.  You have your choice of two different tamales.  I chose fresh corn with a creamy fresh cheese.  And between the tortilla soup and corn chowder, I chose the corn chowder.  It was a delicious meal for about seven or so dollars.  There's plenty of seating, very little wait time, and a pleasant environment with nary a fast food chain in sight!

I was wondering when someone would figure to sell Korean-style frozen yogurt in Chinatown, so I was thrilled to find it at the brand new Joy Yee Plus in Chinatown Square.  They've just opened recently, but they were packed and with a line out the door today during the Chinatown Summer Festival.  They're still not offering anything but bubble tea, shaved ice, and frozen yogurt, but from their displays, it looks like they'll have noodles and sushi soon.  The space is small and with they layout the way it is, the line seems to have no place to go.  The cash registers are in the front by the door, so if there are more than a few people waiting to order, it becomes crowded by the door.  a better idea might be to adopt what some ice cream places have done where the line forms along the counter from the back of the store to the front so that people have a chance to look at the menu or topping selections while they wait.  Just sayin'.

Anyway, my medium frozen yogurt in the original flavor (they also have green tea) with two toppings ( I got coconut and mango) came to $5.30 including tax.  The texture was creamy with that slightly tangy/slightly sweet flavor that I love.  None of that un-natural, ice-cream wanna-be frozen yogurt for me.  I love that natural stuff,  la Red Mango, Pinkberry, Berry Chill, Starfruit, etc.

Anyway, I'm thrilled to have this new option in Chinatown.  I like it so much more that there's an alternative to bubble tea.  I like the decor of the place.  And I guess the communal seating is a trend that is staying... I'm looking forward to tasting the savory dishes they'll have to offer.

Happened upon this place while driving through Niles one day.  I saw their "Grand Opening" sign and thought the name sounded familiar.  Then it came to me:  Fresh Farms like the one on Devon Ave, near the Patel Brothers.  Oh!  

So I go in and it is like five times larger.  The produce section is enormous and perhaps less messy than their other store, or other produce-heavy grocery places like Pete's Fresh pr Valli's.  Maybe because it's new... I don't know.  But I thoroughly enjoyed my shopping experience here.  If I hadn't been in a rush, I might have been able to explore a bit more and provide more detail, but suffice to say, the place is huge and has a great selection of foods/products from many ethnic groups.  They're especially strong on the Indian the Eastern European foods.  They've got vast deli, meat and fish counter.  The aisles are wide and there's even a seating area/lunch counter, but I did not get to see what was being served/sold there.  It's just too bad I live so far away.  There's always room for another ethnic grocery store.

The convention center itself is great and completely impressive, functional, nice-looking, clean, etc., but I'm here to rate my dining experience during a big conference here recently.  Specifically I'm talking about the food court above the exhibit hall in McCormick Place West, where they have the "American Grill," meat "Cuttery," and "Little Italy" options.  Be prepared to spend over ten dollars for any menu item except for the refrigerated, pre-made sandwiches.  I had a rectangular slice of cheese pizza and an iceberg lettuce salad with high-fructose corm syrup dressing for $11.95!!  That's over $13 with tax!  And it was disgusting!  The most tasteles, soggy, bland, unappetizing slice of pizza you've ever seen, I'm willing to bet.  and all because I didn't have the time or energy to venture out of the exhibit area. I mean, there was no prce difference between the sausage option and the cheese option.  You had your choice of the disgusting "salad"  or a handful of potato chips, or cheese and tomato panini instead of pizza, but everything was $11.95.  DO NOT EAT HERE IF YOU CAN HELP IT!!  JUST DON"T DO IT!  there are other, probably better and cheaper options on the floor below, like Au Bon Pain or Connie's Pizaa, just do not eat in that horrid little food court above the exhibit hall.  You will be sorry!

BF and I ate here the other night and had a very pleasant dinner.  Usually I'm not keen on eating in Wicker Park as some of the dining establishments can be over-hyped and underwhelming but overpriced, but Taxim had good food at a reasonable value and the service and decor were excellent.

We started with two glasses of the Greek Sauvignon Blanc, which was reasonable at $7/glass.  We decided to make a meal of several dishes form the hot and cold appetizers menus and ended up feeling much fuller than we thought we would be.  We basically ordered everything on the top half of th emenu that did not involve meat or eggplant (BF has an allergy).  LOVED everything:
1. baby arugula salad with bits of haloumi cheese: argula was very fresh; dressing had a lemony zing; fried or grilled pieces of cheese very tasty
2. peppers--tender and flavorful, draped with elegant and not overwhelming slices of cheese and a sprinkling of capers.  yummy.
3. lentils stewed in reduced balsamic and sprinkled with fresh feta cheese--one of my favorite dishes--earthy and satisfying.
4. ramp in phyllo pastry (served with a small triangle of feta): beautiful and delicious.  It reminded me of a well-made breakfast pastry, one that I wish I could have every morning.
5. baby okra!! who knew you could have little tiny okra pods the size of your thumbnail?!  They were so delicious!  but by then we were getting really full...
6. house marinated olives. the only ordinary and not-super-impressive item on the menu.  They were ok, but no comparison other olives that we like a lot better.  We're picky about our olives.

by the time all our dishes were eaten (and believe me, we ate everything), we were almost too full to order dessert, but could not resist the Greek yogurt with honey and walnuts.  We don't regret ordering it because it was heavenly!

The other nice thing about the restaurant is that they have a great wine list of mainly Greek wines that can't be found anywhere else.  our waitress was extremely generous with sample pours for us, once she established that we had an interest.  Overall, the service was wonderful and the whole experience quite enjoyable (I also really liked the copper-topped tables and Joseph Aboud dinnerware.  Beautiful).  My only surprise was that there weren't more diners there on a Friday night (maybe we were there early, I don't know.  We ate between 5:30-6:30 on a beautiful summer day.   Anyway, it was good.  We'd recommend it and we'd go there again.

I love the food here--nevermind that as a pescetarian, there are limited items on the menu I can really choose from.  I love the soba with mushrooms and scallops in the Thai basil broth.  The broth is so rich and delicious, it's totally addictive, I am observing a don't ask don't tell policy with regard to whether the broth is made with meat.  I also tasted around the menu a bit the time I came with a large group, and tried some of the other noodle dishes while eating around the meat (well, the pork belly to be specific).  Everything was phenomenal.

In terms of side dishes, I've had the seasonal kimchee, eggplant with garlic, and wrinkled beans.  All good.  I ordered the seasonal kimchee even though some of my Asian friends kind of scoff at the idea of paying $4 for a dish of kimchee, but I liked it, so I got it.  The eggplant dish was a surprise.  I was expecting just eggplant sauteed with garlic, but what we got was a little bowl of tender eggplant chunks mixed with a savory and slightly pungent vinegrette.  It had a nice and balanced sweet and tart kick to it, and was kind of addictive.

Overall, I just love this place.  I only have a few minor criticisms.  Sometimes it's a little crowded for my tastes, but that's probably to be expected.  They're really good and they have a following. Understood.  I wish it weren't such a trek for me to go eat there, otherwise I'd come more often.  The hipster quotient is a little high, but what can ya do... Finally, the last time I came, the hostess/person who was directing the seating was a little bit bitchy, but maybe she was having an off night,  I'm wiling to give her the benefit of the doubt--she had so many people to deal with, I'm sure her job can't be easy.  The important thing is, the food is great.  It's a fun, unpretentious atmosphere with a neighborhoody feel.  The place is BYOB and focused on its food, and does't take itself too seriously.  If only more places could be like this.