Bill "Travel Guy" M.'s Profile

I recently attended a corporate event at Muvico. This was my first time going to one of these "deluxe" movie theaters, and for the most part I was impressed. Before the movie our group ate some mini-burgers, which tasted OK but were nothing spectacular. The popcorn was good, and at a movie theater that is expected. The seating was the most comfortable I have ever experienced for a movie. My seat was comfortably large, with a cupholder in the armrest. Thanks to the wide rows, the people in front and in back of me were not crowding me at all. Three of my friends were very chummy by sitting together in two seats like a sofa, so you can do that with such spacious seats. The screen was plenty large enough and the sound was good too. I'll give Muvico a "Thumbs Up".

The 2012 Yelp event calendar started on a very positive note with the Classic Throwback at Sullivan's Steakhouse. The Yelp ice sculpture that greeted us was a cool way to start off the evening. We enjoyed goodies like beef tenderloin on mini pretzel rolls, cheesesteak egg rolls, and yummy cheesecake bites. The star of the show was actually the special martini with pineapple-infused vodka, which was so amazingly five-star good that it was in great demand throughout the evening.

I had a great time meeting Yelpers old and new, and it was fun to reminisce about some of Yelp's Greatest Hits in the events and parties category over the years. While it is hard to compete with a fireworks boat ride or a massive arts center blowout, tonight's Classic Throwback event was a solid success. Thanks again to Johnny T and the entire Yelp crew!!

A few of us wound up at Shoeless Joe's for lunch after a productive work meeting in the 'burbs. The place is filled mainly with White Sox and Blackhawks bling, and the server gals were decked out in black short shorts. There are lots of screens showing sports programs and highlights. Free parking lot also - who knew you could find a sports bar with decent food by the Best Western?

I went with the redneck burger, and I guess it was a bit messy so you could actually get your neck all red with the BBQ sauce. Actually it was a pretty tasty and hefty burger, generously topped with bacon, grilled onions and cheddar cheese. The cole slaw was very creamy. Our group also had items like the chicken salad (a very good serving size for a small salad), the soup (loaded with a mountain of veggies), and the quesadilla plate.

I have enjoyed Bear Papa's gourmet cream puffs a few times and they are dynamite. While the "original" vanilla custard puffs are certainly very good, my favorite (so far) is the strawberry puff. The filling is sort of a strawberries and cream puree that tastes like a strawberry sundae, so if you like strawberry sundaes you will love this cream puff. The store itself, one of the stars of the Block 37 underground sweet tooth corridor, is small with a few seats and tables (including a couple of tiny kindergarten-type chairs - yeah I sat on one of them). When the store first opened there was always a good line past the door, and occasionally there is still a queue. Watch out for the powdered sugar if you are wearing any nice clothing.

My friend was mourning the closing of the Icosium Kafe in Lincoln Park, which was a favorite hangout of hers for a pot of mint tea. I had been to that former location a few years ago, but I told her that there is another Icosium Kafe on the corner of Clark and Foster, so we made the journey to visit one recent evening. We were very impressed with our experience here. It was a tad cool sitting by the booth near the door, but it's the price we paid for a pleasant booth. We each ordered a savory crepe and a sweet crepe, and this comes with a cup of soup too. I enjoyed my veggie soup with creamy sweet potato and peas, and my friend liked her lamb and couscous soup. With the savory crepes you have the option of adding a meat, so we each added the lamb merguez sausage. The Crepe Marrakech was delicious, with the merguez cut up into chunks and wrapped within the crepe along with caramelized onions, almonds, raisins, spinach, mint, cream cheese, and sun dried tomato. I absolutely loved the caramelized onions. My Crepe Labella dessert was filled with Belgian chocolate, banana, almond and coconut, but was not overly sweet. My friend also enjoyed her all-fruit crepe. We wondered about the availability of ice cream, but the waitress said ice cream has actually been off for about a year though it is still mentioned on the menu, and she was not sure if they will ever have ice cream again. The whipped cream is definitely a poor stand-in for ice cream. All the food was great, but what made my friend smile the most was the pot of Algerian mint tea, with real tea leaves tucked into each of our tea glasses. It was a sweet experience indeed, but not overly so. I have a feeling we will both be back at this Icosium sometime soon.

My friend and I were driving around one evening and stumbled upon Siboney for dinner. My friend ordered a plate of pork chunks as an appetizer for us, and we had plenty left for leftovers. My oxtail stew was good, served with beans and rice (Moros y Cristianos) and cassava (more leftovers). The thing I enjoyed the most was the excellent mango shake (not a bit left over).

I had made a pact with one of my friends to visit the DePaul Art Museum once it opened this fall. Its prime location just east of the Fullerton CTA station tracks made us notice it. There is free admission in this smallish museum, in a new building with red brick exterior. Its current exhibition features some interesting works by Chicago artists that are part of DePaul University's collection. It's definitely not an all-day outing like at the Art Institute, but a visit at DPAM is a good way to spend an artistic hour if you are in the area.

I have recently visited Basil Leaf Cafe twice with my dear friend. I can see why this place is one of her favorite restaurants in the city. I can honestly say that the sweet and creamy butternut squash soup was one of the best soups I have enjoyed in 2011 (I ordered it both times). The hearty prosciutto sandwich is thickly laden with slabs of mozzarella and tomato. My friend liked her appetizer of mussels in tomato broth, which was a massive bowl and enough for a meal. She also enjoyed the linguine, which was likewise a healthy portion. We also tried a couple of the desserts, including tiramisu. The staff is friendly here, and they walk around serving freshly baked rolls to customers throughout their meals.

I've tried Isla Pilipina's offerings at several Yelp events. The food was good at the events, so it has to be great at the restaurant itself, right? Why yes indeed. My friend and I trekked to the humble strip mall location yesterday, and fortunately we snagged a table upon walking in the door. The menu is loaded with Filipino specialties, and I had a hard time narrowing it down to one dish for dinner. We did start off with a plate of Lumpia Shanghai. Although the order was for ten pieces, I think we got about 13 or 14. The surplus was a welcome bonus, because these lumpia were the best I have ever eaten anywhere. As mentioned, these lumpia were good at the events, but served hot and crispy out of the kitchen with a sweet dipping sauce they were amazingly delicious (they might as well rename the restaurant Isla Lumpia). We also ordered BBQ pork skewers as an appetizer. The flavor was good but not great, a bit too fatty and chewy and totally attached to its skewers.

The entrees we chose were impressive, and went well with the white rice. My friend went with the yummy mixed adobo (pork and chicken) served in a hearty sauce. I ordered the Lechon Kawali. They brought out a big plate of pork belly cut into segments not unlike one of those Body Works human cross-sections. The pork chunks were tasty, meaty and not overly chewy, and of course laden with layers of fat and crunchy skin. Ideally this dish would be an appetizer split amongst a group of four or so. Next time I might go for the kare-kare (oxtail stew), and perhaps the monumental halo-halo dessert that was one of my fondest memories of my trip to Manila last year. OK I need to dine again at Isla Pilipina in less than five years. To top it off, the staff was friendly and the food is inexpensive. Just go!

My boss was bored today so he dragged me to South Branch for lunch. South Branch is located at the former location of the underrated Pazzo's. Despite the fact that it's a dead work day in downtown, the place is packed with well-dressed young professionals taking long lunch breaks because it is slow at work this holiday week (same here, except for the "young" part). We waited 20 minutes for a table, and even though the place was packed it never felt like we were crammed next to another group. The window seats along the river look like prime seats. The bar looked like a good place for an after work drink, so I may have to save that for another day.  

Instead of going for the patty meIt, I ordered the Trevi - grilled chicken sandwich with mozzarella and tomato on a fairly blah focaccia roll. I guess my choice was the healthier one, though I might do the patty melt next time. The sweet potato fries were not bad. I did have a bit of lunch envy as my boss had The Dip, a massive prime rib sandwich on Texas toast with a small bowl of au jus dip that he could not use for awhile because the sandwich was so big. He gobbled up the tater tots, and also a bowl of tortilla soup that looked good too. Service seemed rapid here, so even with the wait for a table we spent only about an hour there.