The new decade had to begin with a bang. Couldn’t think of a better place to set the tone for a great food year, than with a visit to Old Grounds Social.
Lincoln Park’s funkiest sports bar that still manages to deliver a chef-driven menu and some very fun games so you can stay long after the food.
With three good friends in tow, I had brunch there this month. Let me just start by saying that if you’re looking for a boozy brunch then this place has all bases covered, with creative cocktails, slushy drinks, wine and beer. We of course were still in the mood to continue holiday celebrations and opted for their bottomless mimosas. The best way to ensure the booze is flowing, right?
Someone once told me to always start a meal with dessert and I take that kind of advice very seriously. Their Nutella Toast with pomegranate seeds is a flawless appetizer dessert. It set a sweet tone for the meal about to ensue.
Their Build-Your-Own Omelette section on the menu is my favorite. Why not, when I can choose all the ingredients and then have someone cook it the way I like it?!
The Vegetarian Skillet with mushroom, onions, peppers, mozarella and breakfast potatoes was incredible. The dish just proves how something s simple as eggs can be a true event.
My friends raved about the Breakfast Sandwich and Breakfast Burger they ordered respectively. While the burger is out of question for me, I might order the sandwich next time I’m there. Looked like a sumptuous dish with cheddar, mozarella and avocado with two over easy eggs. My friend seemed to rave about the garlic aioli basted on it too.
I must mention that by this time we had consumed several carafes of the mimosas which was easy to do when you got to switch around the various juice options. Strawberry, pineapple, grapefruit and it kept going. And when we had tried them all, we repeated the selections. Now that’s how you do bottomless drinks!
We also got to sit in their beautiful and sunny, outdoor patio which is enclosed in the winter. And for a long time we had the room to ourselves and took breaks in between brunch playing Jenga and Connect Four. Yeah did I mention they have plenty of games to keep you busy?
This brunch was exactly what Sunday Funday shield look like. We did not want to leave and we stayed a long time, until we realized we had to work the next day. Thank you OG’s for blowing the Sunday scaries away!
The first seafood-focused meal of the decade had to be at King Crab House, one of my favorite establishments in the city. Even after multiple visits, I can’t get enough of this place.
Local culinary legend Cy Sadaka is one of the sweetest people and I cannot praise his talents and vision enough. The staff including Cy is always so welcoming, you feel at home from the minute you step in. And their nautical décor adds much flavor to the already delicious food they serve.
Went there one evening this month with a good friend to try their new Winter Specials, and obviously left after a feast. It’s never been anything less than lavish, dining here.
So many great options on the winter menu from ½ lb. of King or Stone Crab legs, cod tacos, crab mac and cheese.
But before we even got into those, Cy sent out two of his other new favorite appetizers, and it was all uphill from there. First to arrive were the Blue Crab Claws, freshly flown in from Maryland. Personally, I love how easy these are to eat within minimal effort keeping you from the luscious, sweet meat. They were doused in garlic and I was too happy about it.
Then a medium sized patty of fresh crab meat showed up. Love how their crabcakes are truly heavy on the jumbo lump crab meat and sans the breadcrumbs. Less frill and fresher flavor always, I say.
The mussels were unbelievable. The very fresh mollusks were steamed in garlic butter and sautéed with finely chopped green onion. How can something so simple taste so wonderful?!
The Louisiana Style Boil-In-A-Bag was incredible. Seafood boils are genius in a way. ½ pound of succulent King Crab legs with boiled corn and potatoes came steaming in a bag. It also had shrimp. King Crab House nails this ultimate creole dish! We de-shelled, slurped and devoured every last content in the bag.
We weren’t done by any means, as their Crab Mac and Cheese was served next; (the only thing better than regular mac and cheese), which was also recently featured on WGN. What a warm and decadent blend of pasta, cheese and shellfish.
And we continued the decadence with their Housemade Banana Cream Pie, made by Cy’s wife. I usually don’t opt for banana-based desserts, but I’ll take this creamy, pudding pie any day.
A memorable food start to the year, thanks to King Crab House. They are constantly innovating even after 39 years, and in fact, have a special Lent Menu and Anniversary Menu in the works
If you haven’t been to this restaurant, you must change that in 2020!
This month I also attended the launch of Miss Spa’s skincare line. This local beauty company is already well-known for their sheet masks, but have now expanded to skincare products. And lucky for some of us it will be available at your local Walgreens, CVS or Ulta Beauty.
To introduce these products they threw a party at the beautiful Exchange312 space in Wicker Park. There was booze, bites and beats by DJ Tess. And I got to hang out with some of my favorite influencer friends.
Their products are fabulous and authentic and I hope you can try soon.
What motivates me on a cold and rainy day? Food, obviously! But really good food may even get me to drive far for it. And I did just that when I drove all the way to Northbrook to eat at Grill House.
I didn’t know what to expect at this fast casual joint when I was first invited, but was pleasantly stunned at how crowded it was even on a bad weather day. Families were simply flocking in and then scurrying to place their order. Once I looked at the menu, I understood the craze. My mouth watered just as I browsed.
This is not your regular counter food joint. It is gourmet food that you can get fast.
Lucky for my menu tasting visit, I got to order a lot, ate a lot and brought home a lot. Suffice to say, I was all set for the next few days.
Their soup of the day was, Spinach Lentil which was yummy, and full of unexpected flavor. You could taste all the earthy Mediterranean flavors in every slurp, and it felt nutritious to be eating it.
When I learned that their fish is flown in fresh a few times a week, and saw all the pescetarian options they offer, I knew it had to be true. Then, I decided to try all of them!
The Cajun Salmon was my favorite from the fish. Served on warm, grilled pita with tzatziki sauce on the side. The perfectly seasoned fillet of fish.
The Grilled Shrimp Souvlaki Plate came with two marinated skewers of grilled shrimp, garlic bread and wax beans on the side.
If you’re looking for a hearty salad, come here. There are 19 salad options to choose from! The Baby Beet Salad way-exceeded my expectations. A fresh blend of mixed greens goat cheese, walnuts, and Mandarin oranges with homemade balsamic vinaigrette. Have I had a good beet salad before? Sure. Have I had one that was so generous with its ingredients? Probably not. A show-stopping salad indeed!
They’ve even got pasta! And the penne with marinara was pretty good! Filling and flavor packed. Would not have expected real Italian flavor at a casual restaurant, but they nailed it!
My favorite side order were the Saganaki Bites. I absolutely love Saganaki (whether its on fire or not)! The Kasseri cheese came fried and every bite melted the buttery cheese in your mouth.
Oh and a special mention to their Spanakopita. Rich & authentic taste with the crispiest phyllo dough I’ve had. The feta and spinach were perfectly nestled in the pastry!
I loved the Baklava and Rice Pudding for sweets. The pudding had hints of cinnamon and was quite filling.
I’ll drive back to this eatery any day, winter storm or not! They get what it means to serve good food!
I am obsessed with Cajun Seafood and absolutely adore the boil-in-a-bag concept. It is such a fun experience to share with whoever you’re dining with. It’s fun, interactive and most often yummy. But after my fair share of dining at seafood boil places, the bar has been set high.
And The Boiler Shrimp & Crawfish is one such place that has it all. I have been frequenting the eatery for years and can easily say that it is one of my favorites in the Chicagoland area. Plus it helps that the owners are wonderful people who are personally involved in running the restaurant and have painstakingly created the recipes.
I would’ve been a fool to turn down an invite to dine in at the restaurant again. So I went in one Wednesday evening with my bestie, to have the best seafood adventure.
I know from previous experience that the restaurant is packed any day of the week. And the BYOB options give patrons the flexibility to bring what they want to drink. While we didn’t indulge in alcohol, we did enjoy several rounds of their housemade Pear Lemonade, which was the perfect drink to wash down the heat.
I also know better than to order the sides and the bag together and have learned how to pace myself at these places. So we first started with a round of appetizers and sides, beginning with their Soft Shell Crab Basket and moving on to the Garlic Noodles and Fried Calamari.
The crab is any seafood lover’s dream. Lightly salted and battered crab that can be eaten whole without the mess, is my kinda dish. Your arteries will hate you but your mouth will be elated. These came with their seasoned Cajun Fries. Delicious!
The best noodles are usually the simplest ones. Theirs is buttery and garlicky and so darn satisfying.
Similarly, the Corn Fritters were the best sweet n savory snack I have had in a while. Loaded with so much flavor, and most importantly, cheese!
The batter on the Fried Calamari almost had a tempura taste to it. The restaurant also nails this classic Italian antipasto.
We eventually made our way to the Seafood Bag (main reason we were there) and opted for a pound of Snow Crab legs, clams and headless shrimp as our mains. We chose their Trifecta sauce which is their most popular one and combines all three of their Cajun, lemon pepper and garlic sauces. We also asked to include the corn and potatoes and left out the sausage.
There is something so dramatic about dumping the entire bag on the paper-lined table and getting your hands dirty. Savage and satisfying!
The owner then sent out another bag of a pound of the King Crab legs for us to try and he upped our spice level to medium from mild for the sauce.
For dessert we had their Thursday Lobster Tail special which is available for $20! We dove in the minute I finished taking pictures! Now that’s how I like to satisfy my sweet tooth!
This was seriously the ultimate Creole meal and a visit to the lowcountry right here from Chicago. I hope to be back many more times this year, because you just can’t get enough of The Boiler Shrimp & Crawfish.
Bourbon, burgers and a BLAST is what this all-American eatery is all about. And when I say burger, I’m talking about their Black Bean Burger of course (which they do offer along with several other vegetarian options)!
I enjoyed a wonderful meal at this hip and sophisticated Wheeling restaurant this month, which offers the a relaxing vintage atmosphere to enjoy a hearty meal in. Seriously, this place is the perfect winter hibernation.
I’m by no means a bourbon connoisseur, but the restaurant’s carefully selected and high quality bourbons sure do entice you. So, as any good Spears patron would do, my guest and I started with a couple shots Bourbon to get in the spirit. Go big or go home right?
Well, I didn’t go home but I didn’t switch to wine immediately after. Wish I had the palette for bourbon, but at least I tried. And its nice that the restaurant offers a full wine and beer menu too if bourbon is not your poison.
Nothing better than a freshly baked pretzel to jumpstart your appetite and enjoy with drinks. This one came basted with brown sugar bourbon butter and was served with spicy mustard and cheese sauce. The dough was soft, and you could see the shimmer from the butter melting away on a hot, golden pretzel. I could’ve easily consumed five more of these!
We decided to order their Crispy Brussel Sprouts (on their sides menu) as an appetizer, and I’m really proud of that decision. The petals were flash-fried and tossed with balsamic reduction, toasted almonds and green onions. And there’s no contest on how delicious these were.
Their Spicy Shrimp Tacos were an incredible construction of three corn tortilla tacos with marinated rock shrimp, papaya and pineapple salsa and creamy Asian slaw. The spice note was from the Sriracha cream on top, and presented just the perfect bite.
My friend ordered their Angry Burger, which I must say, looked pretty good. The burger patty came topped with roasted jalapeno, a bend of nacho and pepper jack cheeses, and was served on a pretzel roll. After that baked pretzel, I think y friend was convinced of the restaurant being pretzel pros.
The Smash’s Mac was so fun! The mac and cheese was made of elbow noodles with Smash’s signature cheese sauce. Then topped with garlic parmesan panko breadcrumbs, and baked until golden brown. To that, you can add from a choice of a plethora of add-ons, from bacon to pulled pork. We did the roasted jalapeno and added more fresh garlic to our pasta. Now this is how you carb-load!
While we were full, we still made room for their desserts. Their life-sized banana-flavored Cotton Candy was something else, and the Bourbon Butter Cake was too decadent to leave without trying.
All in all, we made sure we got our calories in for the week. It was an extravagant meal, but well-worth the drive and the extra pounds.
If you’re in the mood for an eatery with true American roots, you must give Spears a try!
Portsmith restaurant in River North recently wrapped up its Chef Oyster Series with a grand party at its premises, and it was one wonderful evening.
Ketel One sponsored some amazing cocktails and proceeds from ticket sales of the event went towards the Shedd Aquarium’s conservation efforts for marine life and sustainable seafood.
In fact, only sustainably sourced seafood hors d’oeuvres were passed around throughout the night. The top oysters from the series were featured at various shucking stations and guests ate and drank their way through an evening of pure fun.
Raffle tickets were also available for purchase with fun prizes by participating restaurants. Portsmith’s Executive Chef, Chef Christos Vlahos personally addressed the crowd about the importance of choosing responsibly-sourced seafood and endorsed the mission of the restaurant towards that initiative
One of the many reasons Portsmith is one of my favorite restaurants in the city. This event was one after my own heart, and a cause really special to me.
Coolest thing this month; I got to partner with Spicebokx, an Indian-inspired meal service local to Illinois, that was founded with the goal of providing healthy and nutritious meals to your doorstep. Co-founders Radha and Kajal wanted to not only make Indian food more accessible, but also took the time to refine recipes for years to ensure that ingredients used in their food were top class, and the final product top notch.
So it was a no brainer to collaborate, when they approached me. Being of Indian origin myself, I often crave Indian food but give up on cooking it at home because of the sheer time consumption. Knowing that I can have Indian meals delivered to my home on a weekly basis and customize meal plans based on my schedule is an added bonus.
I personally tried three vegetarian meals; the Dal Makhaani (black lentils) with rice, the Dilli Daal (green lentils) with rice, and the Tofu Tikka Curry with freshly baked rotis (wheat bread).
The meals arrived in a sturdy bag with plenty of ice packs. The driver communicated throughout even giving me a fifteen minutes heads-up. Delivery was seamless which is great starting point in experience with a new service like this. The prices are affordable and most importantly, the food is delicious.
I was amazed at how they’ve managed to preserve the flavor without overdoing with the spice or sodium. And unlike a lot of greasy curries, every bite felt healthy and wholesome.
Chicago, we’ve really lucked out with Spicebokx! Give it a whirl.
I’m feeling lucky with all the amazing Cajun Seafood places I’ve got to try lately. But one that’s stood out is the new Boil Cajun & Seafood in Wicker Park which launched just last October.
Mostly for two reasons; one they offer alcohol at their location so you can enjoy a drink with your meal if you wish to do so and two, they do it all from raw, boiled, fried to even PO’Boys. I like the sheer variety besides just the boil-in-a-bag option.
The ambiance is fun too with a rustic, nautical décor and fish nets adorning the walls. My good friend and I headed there one Tuesday evening this month and we had so much fun, we forgot it wasn’t the weekend.
At places like these, the sides are always phenomenal and we ordered a few that stood out to us as appetizers. Their Hush Puppies are stellar and full of corn flavor.
The Shrimp Spring Rolls were piping hot and generously loaded with shrimp. Full of flavor too.
But the Char-Grilled Oysters were incredible. Hot oysters have never been better! Shucked shells with garlic, parmesan and Cajun seasonings with strong whiffs of garlic, made them irresistible. I knew we should’ve got twelve instead of six. Won’t make that mistake next time.
The Catfish PO’ Boy was divine. Three giant fillets of crispy, fried catfish came piled onto hoagie rolls with spicy coleslaw. The cornmeal breading on the fish was so well done.
We opted for the Make-Your-Own option for our Seafood Boil, although they have ten combo specials if you don’t feel like making decisions. We went all out with the shrimp (no head), clams, scallops, a pound of Snow Crab Legs and one Lobster Tail. We ordered these with the Boil Special Blend Sauce which was a medley of the Old Bay, garlic butter and Cajun sauces. The sauce caught my attention the most. Its easily one of the best I’ve had in a boil.
Don’t get me wrong, it will get your sinuses flowing, but you want that! The corn and potatoes in the bag made the meal even more filling. We made quite a dent and surveyed the damage after, proudly.
And we got to enjoy all of this with a nice bottle of Merlot! Not bad for a Tuesday night!
The Boil Cajun is delicious and comes with the right atmosphere to enjoy a meal like this. I felt transported to Louisiana for a little while, but right back to Chicago when I had to put my coat on.
You must try!