brian c.'s Profile

Judging by the number of positive reviews on here, the secret is out.  We got a solid wood desk for only $130 ,a steal when you consider that the particle board crap at Ikea and Target cost the same amount.  We got an amazing show piece for only $500ish.  It's a big rosewood TV cabinet with some real craftsmanship involved.  I'm convinced it would cost over $1500 elsewhere.  We also got a matching little stand for $98.  There were a lot of nice pieces offered in that store for good discounts.  I just wish they had a lot of couches.  For tables and shelves and other wood items, this place is second to none.

I can't say enough about the Italian beef sandwich.  I have been eating it for 13 years now.  I know that people will argue that Mr. Beef's is better, and they might very well be right, but if I'm in the Loop, that option is not readily available.  The fries are awesome, too, just as so many on here have already said.  Honestly, I don't understand these low ratings people are giving this place.

Also keep in mind that this is a trader hangout and the busiest time is usually between 11 and 12 o'clock.

This place is definitely going to make it.  I'll get to the food in a bit, but what really stands out here are the staff and ambiance.  It's not a huge space (that means that when this place becomes big, good luck getting in), so it's pretty easy for the staff to not be spread to thin among the tables in the place.  The waiter was friendly, and the hostess often stopped by to check on us.  The chef came out later and talked to us for a bit.  The decor was tastefully done.  

Oh yeah, the food, right.  The salsas were excellent.  My favorite of the three was the dark salsa.  We were told that it featured the Morita chile.  I also really liked the tomatillo salsa.  The house salad had a lemon vinaigrette, and it had jicama and roasted corn.  My entree was the pork tenderloin with the dark mole (damn, I can't remember the name of it).  It had a little chocolate in there, along with the chiles.  I sure wish I lived close enough to walk there, because I would have brought a bottle of mencia to drink with that meal.  For dessert we had the sopapilla, which featured a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream.  All in all, a very solid meal.  I expect that this place will be a tough reservation in the very near future.

I think this place has a lot of potential.  If you live in Lincoln Square, it's great to have this place nearby.  Sometimes one just doens't want to get in the car and deal with the hassle of going out to Devon.  This place will stand in well when you don't want to make that trip.

That said, there are some kinks to be worked out in this place.  As another reviewer said, it is freezing in there.  I know the kitchen can get hot, but there still needs to be warmth in the dining area.  Our samosas were not thoroughly cooked.  To their credit, we were not charged for them, nor were we charged for our mango lassis.  And they cooked the samosas thoroughly after that.  They were very good, and were not greasy at all.

About those mango lassis.  It was a most generous serving, to say the least, and it was delicious.  I had the paprika chicken, because I figured that had to be the plate to have at a place that has paprika in its name.  Very tasty, and a huge serving it was.  If I was less hungry, there would have been leftovers.

It is BYOB, as has been mentioned.  As much as I love to have wine with dinner, I just can't do it with Indian food, because I need that lassi to handle the spice.  If I brought a wine in, I'd probably try a riesling, though.  

Basically, they have the food part down.  They need to hire more staff so the place can run more smoothly.  I really hope they can get this issue squared away.  I felt so bad for that kid who worked the front, because he worked his ass off and he had to handle everything himself.  He waited the tables, handled all the takeout business, and cashed everyone out.  If they can get the operations part down, this place will definitely make it, and I'll add another star.

We went this Saturday for my 40th birthday celebration.  I felt like we were on the set of Iron Chef.  The plates were that out there.  

My appetizer was the scallops crusted with quinoa.  It kind of had the texture of sesame chicken.  This was a homerun dish.  My wife had the Thai butternut soup.  That dish had a presentation like no other.  They brought the bowl out with the mussels and the lobster and the other ingredients in the bowl, then poured the soup on it, and added the foam.  Food porn at its finest.  

My main course was the venison.  I loved the way it was prepared, and all the different flavor options that came with the dish.  My wife loved her halibut.

Given what each of us ordered, I had no idea what wine would be compatible with both dishes.  Chad, the sommelier, came over and helped us pick a wine that worked.  It was a Sicilian red that featured the nerello moscalese grape.  Given that I always want to try a new grape, it was a perfect choice.  It went great with both of our meals.  I had to tease him about all the Nacionals offered on the port list.  ('Has anybody really ordered one of these bottles?' I asked him.)  We had a nice discussion about the uniqueness of the Nacional vines.  

We ordered the dessert collection.  This was probably the part of the meal that my wife was most looking forward to, as Gale Gand is her idol.  We each had three desserts brought to us, along with a few other things thrown in, like Gale's infamous root beer float.  I had a late harvest Malbec to go with the dessert (another Chad recommendation), and it really shined with one of the berry dishes.  We would definitely come back here just to have dessert, if nothing else (because it ain't cheap to do the whole production).  I don't think there is another dessert experience like this anywhere, period.

It's funny, because these dishes all look so small, and you wonder how you can possibly be stuffed by the end of the meal, but it really adds up in the end.  At the end, I could barely get out of my chair.  We really liked the service there.  There was none of the snooty treatment that one might fear at such an upscale establishment.  If you're planning a special occasion, this is a great place to do it.

I grew up eating at this place, going back to the days when it was on the corner of 16th and Bethany in the spot where TexAz is today.  I would say that this place is very dependable.  The food is solid, and it's a steal.  I had a machaca burro enchilada style with an iced tea, and it set me back about $10.  It is a real Phoenix institution.

I was shown this place back in the early 90s, and just ate here again for the first time in like twelve years.  Every single time, I've gotten the meatball and cheese sub.  Since I've moved to Chicago, I still have yet to find a place that made one like that.  

The prices can't be beaten.  The old signed picture of Ronald and Nancy Reagan addressed to Raffaele himself is still on the wall, though the ink has worn considerably since I first saw it.  The ambiance is so everyman, and that really is how it should be, yet the place is a secret that every customer is in on.  It is all about the food.   The sandwich is still pretty much the same, but I think the bread was better back then.  It used to be a well baked bread, and if you grabbed the sandwich with both hands, a meatball would always fall out of it.  So I think the bread might be a bit different from then, but otherwise everything else is the same.  I was seriously stuffed after eating that sandwich, just like before.  I can't give an opinion on the pizza, because I've always had to have that sandwich, no matter what.

I've been visiting this place for about as long as I've been going up to the Milwaukee area to visit my grandparents.  I know that people will always argue that Kopp's is better, but the character of this place really adds a lot to the experience.  If Richie and Fonzie ever went out for custard, this is where they would have gone, without a doubt.

I had the Kobe flank steak with a vinaigrette sauce, and paired it with an Oregon pinot noir.  Outstanding meal.  And I loved the potato side that came with the dish, potatoes Anna.  Sourdough bread and Caesar's salad were also good.  Outdoor seating is very underrated there, also.  Just be sure to cover yourself up.

Absolutely first rate service at this place.  Ribeye was solid, though not one that I am going to talk about for the next six months, and the sides were very good.  The malbec didn't go with the meal as well as I had hoped it would, but I forgot how hard that can be to pair with food.  I didn't realize the sides would be as salty as they were.  That meal needed something like a pinot noir.   My wife had the sea scallops and she absolutely loved them.  The staff recommended the monkey bread for dessert, and they sure were right on that one.  I paired it with a glass of madeira, and that was a homerun.  I got that one right, anyway.

I would give this place 4 1/2 stars if it let me.  I can't give it five, though.  It is a great dining experience.  Next time, I am going to splurge on that Kobe skirt steak.