Richard M.
About
I am a huge foodie and love trying new places. I have appeared on check please before and try to stay current with Chicago's food scene.
Recent Reviews
Run to Nico Osteria!
Restaurant: Nico Osteria
Nico Osteria in the Gold coast is golden! This was my first time here and they hit it out of the park! The service was good, the place looks amazing but the true star here was the food. Ever dish from the crudo, lobster spaghetti, smoke whitefish traiangolini to even the brussel sprouts were simply delicious. They call themselves a Italian Seafood restaurant but the Nico Ribeye was as good as any big name Chicago steakhouse can deliver.
My only complaint was that the booth style tables along the windows are cramped. We had to request a different table to fit our group better. We watched several other customers sit at the booths than ask to be seated at a table were they could sit comfortably. I hope they can fix this problem soon but in the meant time I would recommend requesting a table on your reservation. I also love the seat at the bar that overlooks the open kitchen but was told they are sometimes reserved and sometimes first come first serve. I feel they should just make them first come first serve and avoid any potential confusion.
I look forward to our next visit and I am still thinking about the lobster spaghetti!
Service
Decor
Dishes
Bigeye Tuna crudo, Sue Buxton's scallop crudo, Lobster spaghetti, smoke whitefish traiangolini and the Nico Ribeye
Peru in Chicago!
Restaurant: Tanta Chicago
Tanta is such a welcome addition to the Chicago dining scene. The atmosphere is fun and lively with a great sleek vibe most places would kill for. The service was perfect from start to finish with our waiter describing the roots of Peruvian food. Seafood is the way to go here with some of the best cebiches I ever had. Drinks are fantastic and especially enjoyed the El loco Choclo which I have subsequently named.
Service
Decor
Dishes
Any of the cebiches, the Pobre- skirt steak, quail egg, chalaca, ponzu, Causitas, pulpo and the Pescado frito
Sleek and Steak!
Restaurant: Bavette's Bar and Boeuf
I know I am late to the party but I just dinned at Bavette's for the first time. This place is sleek and has one of those vibes you can not pay to recreate. The laid back cool speak-easy feel is a warm welcome on a cold Chicago day.
The food and service match the atmosphere. I had their version of steak de jonghe which was lighter than the old school staple but packed with all the flavor. Next we went healthy with a salad...bacon roasted tomato salad! Ok, maybe not healthy but pretty amazing. Last was the 24ox prime bone in dry aged ribeye...perfect! Packed with dry aged flavor and cooked to perfection.
Bavette's more than holds it's own in a city where people love a good slab of meat.
Service
Decor
Sleek,speak
Dishes
Shrimp De jonghe, roasted bacon tomato salad and dry aged steaks.
Fat Rice is Phat!
Restaurant: Fat Rice
I love it when a place lives up to all the hype and Fat Rice did. I was blown away with this cozy and hip Logan Square spot. This place should be on everyone's list.
They describe the menu as Euro Asian comfort food. The food is bold and flavorful with the perfect mix of old and new. Expect a wait at this hot spot and I would surely request a seat at the counter which gives you a front row seat to the open kitchen. The service was fantastic and very knowledgeable of the menu.
I had the chicharones snack, the granmother recipe bacalhau spread, the fat noodle with XO saud (not sure what this sauce is but dam it is good!) and the piri-piri chicken.
I can't wait to go back and try their signature dish Arroz gordo (Fat Rcie), they make this dish for 2 or 4 people to share.
Service
Knowledgeable,friendly
Decor
Casual,Hip
Dishes
Chicharone, Bacalhau slated cod spread, Fat noodle with XO sauce and the Piri-piri chicken.
Fine Dinning BYOB
Restaurant: Goosefoot
Goosefoot is located in a nondescript building in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago. The atmosphere is simple and straight forward. This is a fine dinning restaurant that also happens to be BYOB. They offered a nine course tasting which was very good. The corn soup course and preserved garlic served in an egg dish were my favorites. I thought all the courses were solid but none were mind blowing. The service was exceptional and your made to feel like a regular.
NOTE:
They recently raised their prices from $90 to $135 which is quite a bump up. The byob makes this more palatable.
Service
Exceptional
Decor
Dishes
Corn Soup, shrimp/preserved garlic/rosemary and roquefort cheese/goji berry/hazelnut/pear/port.
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