EricMatthew "I was Born Nostalgic" H.'s Profile

Dinner Date: What do you think?
Myself:   ::shrug::
Myself: How's yours?
Dinner date:   ::shrug::

Sunda was a total disappointment, so much so that I'm compelled to write a review for the first time in a year!

Tossing around a few places while walking through the north loop last night, a friend and I decided that Sunda's Asian fusion offerings would hit the spot.

We sat outside and started things off with a sufficient enough brandy cocktail called the "Buddha's Nightcap". It was very close in taste to a Sidecar, but again nothing spectacular. We're lucky that we got to finish them on account of the wobbly table. I had to keep my foot pressed down on one of the legs throughout the meal to keep our drinks in their glasses! To the left of us a couple from out of state who asked us a few questions about the place, which we affirmed was out first visit. (More about them later)

After pondering the menu for some time we decided on two Starters (Devils Basket, Japanese Oxtail Pot stickers) and a Noodle dish (Shrimp Lo Mein) to share. Annoyingly enough the Lo Mein came out first, and was quickly followed by both appetizers. It was a brisk night and our table was on the quant side, thus we felt overwhelmed and most of the food got cold before we could try it, a little pacing would have made a world of difference. First off the Pot stickers really had NO flavor; they were described as having a wasabi cream... never even tasted a hit of it. The presentation was rather sloppy and the filling had NO texture or layering, tasting like conservatively salted pot roast. The Devils Basket was by far the BIGGEST Disappointment of the night. I think Sunda needs to rework the descriptions in their menu because both my friend and I thought something COMPLETEY different was coming out. This dish consisted of a small cauldron filled with luke-warm dried red chilies and three pieces of fried? Soft shell crab. First of all after seeing this presentation our thoughts were, YES finally some spice... Much to our dismay the crab tasted like overly deep fried calamari. The only flavor was the grease. This leads me to believe that the red chilies were tossed in afterward, not really incorporating the two ingredience. Lastly the Shrimp Lo Mein, while the best of the three, only really saved us because of it filling noodle nature, otherwise we could have ordered Pad Thai from any number of places for $8 and have been just as happy!

At this point we are pretty peeved. Considering this was going to be close to a $70 early evening snack. This is when the said neighboring couple asked the waitress for recommendations on other restaurants in the area. Before we knew it they were gone, leaving a sad, half eaten roll on their empty table!  Maybe we should have done the same!

To the Managers credit they DID take the Devils Basket off out bill, after we complained. Overall the esthetic of this place is BEAUTIFUL but the service and most importantly the menu are certainly NOT living up!

I've worked with AT Studio on a number of occasions and have had nothing but positive experiences. Not only do they follow through with beautiful work, but both Amaris and Thomas have a talent for capturing detail, possibly overlooked with a lesser trained eye. In their wedding work for instance, there are always those few shots within a great body of work, that make you think:

"That's what the event felt like"
or
"This really sums up the whole idea!"

They defiantly have an eye and creative vain to produce completely original work. If you let them, they will give you an end result, not even YOU could have dreamt of. Personally I've always thought that people play it a bit too safe with wedding photography. You know what I mean, "Newly Wed" comes into the office with her wedding album... and the photos, while showing off the glowing bride, seem as though it was shot by her Aunt Mildred with her disposable camera. Now from my experience with AT Studio your wedding album ends up looking more like a fashion spread, and the more you let them experiment, the better the image!
Amaris and Thomas have a really approachable and low stress approach to client relationships. As far as photographers go, you're getting the highest quality work without the Photographer Ego.   With a background in various areas of still imagery like Fashion, Architecture, classic photojournalism and HIGH concept art they both bring a lot to the table. Who knows, you'll probably hire them for wedding number two in about 5 years...  Kidding! (about the second wedding part :)

Alright this place is really growing on me!! I'm sitting here right now for the third time, ordered an iced Jasmine tea and a muffin. (tea was really good, muffin, a little to sweet)  The music is UBER AWESOME, catering to my mid 90's pop rock nostalgia! plus Ive been here for like two hours taking advantage of the wi-fi to which they have not said a word!

5 stars because its also about ambiance and presentation, not just  food.

 I finally had dinner at Wakamono last night, and was extremely impressed. Having been a patron of Ping Pong for a couple of years, i went in with high expectations but also an idea of what my experience would be like, loud music, bitchy waiters and Pretentious gay boys (scratch the last one, otherwise i could be viewed as a hypocrite) All asspects i can live with!
 While waiting for the rest of our gang, my friend and i grabbed a drink in the coolest part of the restaurant, the bar. I bit secluded from the rest of the place, it was like sitting in the bedroom of a ruined 1920's geisha. the overly period design of this space, in stark contrast to the, stark yet organic dining area only added to the wonderfully visual experience. I also have to commend, Loren the bartender for whipping up a mean Hendricks and tonic. The cucumber was a great addition.
 Moving on to dinner, we were grateful because one of the gang is a raw fish fanatic, and always orders the BEST assortments, no mater where we go. The rolls and sashimi were extremely fresh, wonderfully displayed and OH SO yummy. As simple as it was, one of my favorites was the Shitake Tempura Maki , topped with a dollop of spicy mayo.
 What really made me love this place was their wasabi tobiko. This is truly one of my all time favorite Japanese dishes. Forget the fish, the rice, the tofu... I want something that makes my eyes water, throat sting and vision blur. Sadly, there are few places in Chicago that have wasabi tobiko that good. I'm always hoping that its SO strong i have to bang my fists on the table, and at Wakamono i actually did! Total brownie points!
  This would be, and probably is a great date, restaurant... because the food is beautiful presented and fresh, the drinks are colorful and strong, and it wount turn your bank account into WaMu. Great Place, i will most defiantly be back!

We had a discussion the other night about this place, our conclusion?

It's a front for the MOB.

I've lived by this place for almost 18 months and on two occasions strolled in around 5:00 to be told they were closing up for the night?  huh....ok?? Ever since then whenever I walk past, no matter the time of day the door is wide open and there is a man behind the register but all of the chairs are stacked up on the tables. Occasionally I'll see a group of men standing in a close huddle. The lights are on but no one is home, unless your in the mood for an arms purchase under the counter. Just make sure you know the password!    there is something very sneaky going on here..... very sneaky indeed!

I walk past this place EVERY day to and from work. on occasion I've wondered what was beyond that discreet brown awning, knowing full well that anyplace with hanging outdoor silver streamers, is a place I should be! :)
I went on a walk with my neighborhood buddy / partner in crime, last night and we got to chatting  about how sad it's been since Gentry's on Halsted closed. Adding insult to injury, its replacement is the new Armpit of the Gay Mile, Scarlet...... This got my wheels turning.... "I think there's a really mellow bar called 3160 Over on Clark??"
To our delight, it was not only mellow but has LIVE musical performers and cabaret. Tue-Fri. Even though its a fairly new establishment, it has the feeling of a bygone era, or at least seniority. It was a bit empty but there was an open mic and a couple of wonderful singers, crooning the standards. (one girl even sang an Edith Piaf number,  mega impressed) It's a little off the main strip of debauchery, but well worth the extra two block detour. The bartender and patrons alike made me feel like I was a regular, even the cute boys! Which was surprising because there are not many places in boys town where people even break their poses to look in your direction, let alone SPEAK to you, heaven forbid!

Through and through... I cant wait to go back on a little busier night, but I think im really going to like bouncing in for that mid week cocktail with my possie. A little gin, some low lighting and a cute boy singing Cole Porter numbers, cant get much better than that!

........im honestly stumped on this place, im going to go to bed and get back to you on this one!?!?!  hope thats ok?

YOUR EFFING KIDDING ME........This guy has a yelp!!     I LOVE it!!

From friends I have heard the stories of these INFAMOUS tamales, and the wonderfully punctual, but allusive messenger known simply as "The Tamale Guy". That was until I saw him first hand....

.... I was at Guthrie's on Wednesday night hoping to join up with the "Geeks Need Love Too" speed dating something or another, but alas one of the people in our group got a little shy, so we ended up just playing charades at the bar...... 6 Stella's later I hear "TAMALES....TAMALES" and there he is, an angel of goodness, sent from heaven (the part of heaven that floats over Mexico) My friend, while in the middle of acting out a "purple thought potato" or a " hippopotamus" im not quite sure, says, "oowwwww tamales" and is gone in a flash. I look over and there are a throng of people grabbing at the Tamales with vigor I've never seen before especially for anything coming out of a cooler. Upon returning to the bar she has Two HUGE baggies of cueso and pello tamales.......plus green and hot salsa, forks and napkins (this guy is prepared)  YUM YUM YUMMIE IN MY DRUNKIE BELLY! they were sooo what I needed after a night of beer guzzling and impromptu charades!!

Thank you Tamale man, or Jesus walking among men....... whoever you are!?!?

Plagued by a angry stomach after not eating lunch, I swung in here after getting off the brown line commute home yesterday. I must have walked past this place about 600 times and never gave it a second glance. Partly because I have an unvocalized love affair with Sultans Market, and the cute Mediterranean boys who  work there..... Any who.... The interior was bright, clean and kitschy. I ordered a Hummus and Falafel sandwich and a cheese and spinach pie  (gotta have those carbs!!) tossed it in my bag and proceeded to eat at home. That way I wouldn't miss Americas Got Talent (shhh, my guilty pleasure) The cheese and spinach pie was great, flaky pastry with wonderfully salty cheese, but moving on the the falafel sandwich I was MARJORY disappointed.... The actually falafel was so dry I thought I was going to choke, plus the over all sandwich was just kind of gross, the lettuce tasted like it had been frozen, the hummus had a funny sour taste and there was nothing remotely authentic tasting about it.
They were quick and cheap, but I'll calk this place up to a drunk or hangover quality establishment. If you want a KILLER falafel sandwich head down to Sultans Market on Clark, just north of Fullerton!

Although most of the exhibits were closed, and will be until 2012, i thoroughly enjoyed myself here, last weekend! Being an architecture nut, i have to say that the juxtaposition of the original structure, the previous addition and the current architecturally relevant addition, were a welcomed surprise. In general the entire grounds of this building are very well taken care of and show a wonderful cross section of early 20th century urban planning and landscape architecture!
 The main (original) building was the only open exhibit space, but the layout was wonderful, not to mention the armor room, wow! I would love to go back once the new modern wings are completed! DID I MENTION THAT ITS FREE..... FREE.... every day all day!  cant beat free art!!
until then 4 stars!