Lucky #13, or 14, maybe 15?

Last year for our anniversary, C and I went to Napa for a lovely 5-day weekend. Neither of us had been before and being the oenophiles that we are (or think we are) we were so looking forward to it...wanting the romanticized experience of tasting fabulous wines, but with the authenticity of finding new, unknown vintners to bring home with us.

Our first night, we went to the Oxbow Public Market for "locals night" at Hog Island Oyster Company. We were enjoying a dozen oysters, as were many patrons that night, when we noticed our neighbors at the bar received their order with only TEN (gasp) oysters in their dozen. We noticed them counting, whispering, and looking overall perplexed, so we piped in and said "Yes, there are a few missing" and a friendship was born.

Little did we know, but we were sitting next to Tom Bardessano and Kristi Seitz - both winemakers, both unbelievably generous, both wanting to share their wine with us.

After days of double dates and wine tours, tastings and recommendations, we found ourselves quite smitten with the 13 Appellations label (of which Kristi is a partner). My opinion is that it is a true taste of Napa Valley, composed of the 'best of the best' from each sub-appellation in Napa (ex. Rutherford, Yountville, Carneros, Howell Mountain are all sub-appellations). Literally the best juice from each of the best growing regions in Napa? What a fabulous concept! And...a wonderfully complex wine.

We bought several bottles on the spot, followed up by a half case 2 months later. The best part is that the wine continues to impress us, as do the winemakers - since they've begun production there are now 14 appellations, with the addition of Oak Knoll, so we look forward to trying the next bottle of juice (w/ 15?) in the near future!

Puerto Vallarta - March Mexico Trip

Just returned from a week off in Mexico - was a wonderful, relaxing, sun-filled vacation south of the border. C and I packed up on a cold, snowy Chicago morning and headed to a family vacation in Puerta Vallarta. No one in the family (aside from a college spring break trip for Hil) had visited before - so it was a great place to explore and relax for the 6 of us. We spent the week at the Westin, in the Marina district, and ate our way through the breakfast and lunch menus (go for the Muesli, and the Veggie and Fish sandwiches).

After doing some general restaurant searching, we started with a list...and we ate our way through it and then some. Outlined are the highlights:

Super Green Salad, Salmon Zaradorado, & Dessert Delux @ Cafe Des Artistes

Margaritas, Asparagus salad, Grilled Sea Bass, & Beef Carpaccio @ Trio

Chile-rubbed Sea Bass, Tuna Sashimi, Veggie Symphony, & Pomegranate martinis @ La Palapa

Cuatro salsas, Margaritas, Chipotle-Tequila linguini & to-die-for Chile Relleno's @ Los Xitomates

Fish tacos (grilled and fried), the guacamole, and the authenticity @ Sayulita Fish Taco's

After the week, we still weren't sick of guacamole, tortilla chips, or margaritas...but it was nice to come home to a cheesy, "American" pizza on Saturday night (complete with a cuddly pup). Thanks to my parents for organizing and funding an amazing warm-weather-family-trip. Love you! S&C

Art Institute - Free Februarys

I think the title mostly explains this blog post, which is to tell anyone (er, all 9 of you) that doesn't already know about the Art Institute's "Free February" promotion! All month you can simply walk in and stroll the halls filled with such wonders as Untitled and Untitled. I understand that you may not know exactly how to explain your art/work/painting/sculpture, but can't you at least ATTEMPT a name? In contrast, every third painting in Italy is Madonna e bambino.

Irregardless of what you see or how long you go, try to make it to the 3rd floor of the modern wing, it's the European Contemporary rooms that make me happy. Lots of color, bold shapes, random sizes... who can resist a Picasso or a Matisse? Enjoy!

Nella Pizzeria

Went to check out the new Nella Pizzeria in LP this past Friday - we were looking for a low-key place to grab a bite, have a glass of wine, and not spend $1MM. Nella fit the bill.

A-Shan and I immediately ordered a glass of Sangiovese, a Friday night special, and launched into our weekly de-brief. After our patient waiter returned to take our order (for the 4th time) we selected two salads (arugula for me, mixed green for her) and the Fiorentina pizza (mozzarella, spinach and ricotta). The salads were a great size - fresh, perfectly dressed, plus a wedge of lemon for mine that was an added bonus. I would have loved some fresh cracked pepper, but I didn't ask...

Our pizza was a great size for two ladies sharing - thinking that if C and I went, we'd need to get another one and/or an additional appetizer - and we ate the entire thing. The crust was nice and chewy, the sauce was a perfect ratio with the cheese. I "dressed" mine with crushed red pepper flakes and it was divine...a great Friday night meal with a great friend.

The place really filled up after I got there (about 6:45pm) but there were always seats at the bar. Good energy, good food, reasonable prices and walking distance are a winning recipe for me!

A "non" dish for everyone

Several years ago, I joined various colleagues in Boston in completing a 14 day cleanse - this was not the "master" cleanse w/ cayenne pepper, maple syrup madness - but one focusing on clean foods. Clean foods are defined as non-wheat, non-meat, non-caffeinated, non-dairy, non-alcoholic, food-from-the-earth type foods. Needless to say, C quit after 4 days and was miserable* when I did it a second time...I liked the overall premise, but it was REALLY hard to stick to when I went to NYC for a friend's birthday, but I digress.

While in Beaver Creek a week ago, I stole the most recent issue of Bon Appetit and perused the magazine this past weekend. It's a slim issue, but packed with great recipes that I truly see us incorporating into our mealtimes. One such recipe was for quinoa risotto with mushrooms - a very cleanse-friendly food, that I highly recommend. Quinoa is great for cleansing AND vegetarians as it is a great source of protein, high in fiber, and is gluten-free and easy to digest.

Since my brother and his girlfriend often make vegetarian meals, I'm posting this especially for them to try - it's hard to pronounce, but once you have quinoa I think you're a convert:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow or white onion
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1 8 oz pckg crimini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
6 oz of shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3-4 strands of fresh thyme, de-stemmed
1 cup dry white wine (sauvignon blanc/chablis or the like)
Some shredded parmegiano cheese, if preferred

Bring 2 cups of salted water to boil - add the quinoa and cover, simmering over medium-low. Let this cook until there is no water, approx 10-12 minutes.

While quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the onion, cook until translucent and soft, approx 5 minutes. Add the garlic, mixing it into the onions, cook for about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and the thyme, mixing everything together. Cook until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the wine; let the wine cook off and stir occasionally until mixture thickens and liquids are reduced (about 3 minutes).

Add the quinoa to the mushroom mixture, stirring to mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and serve! We both put about a tbsp of shredded parm/asiago blend on ours for added saltiness :)

This should make 4 entree servings, or 6 side servings. We served it with a fennel tomato salad and it was a lovely, earthy, vege-friendly meal! Highly recommended.

*not the entire time, but pretty much against all future cleanses

Pantry Recipe: Spanish Spaghetti with Olives

I'm not like the majority of Americans who can easily cook out of their pantries. We don't buy a lot of dry goods, canned goods, or much of anything good that is stored in the pantry (except chocolate, mmm). Cooking magazines and shows always seem to come up with these "quick and easy" recipes using all sorts of things found in the average pantry - I would have to stock up to make such dishes. Hence my surprise, when I had everything on hand for the following recipe...PLUS (big plus) it is pasta, which I like to incorporate into the weekly menu!

Here are the details, adapted slightly from the original here:

Ingredients:
8 oz thin spaghetti
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups chopped onion (I used sweet yellow)
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed saffron threads
1/2 tsp oregano (optional)
1/2 pound lean ground beef (I used sirloin)
1/2 cup sliced green olives (we bought them from a local olive bar, but jarred will do0
1/4 cup dry sherry
1 heaping tbsp capers
1 2/3 cups marinara sauce (we bought the most basic WF brand)
1/4 cup parsley, divided and to taste

Start by putting your water on to boil.

Heat the olive oil in the pan over medium high heat - adding the onions and cooking for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for 1 minute. Stir in the spices and add the beef to the pan. Brown the beef, approximately 5 minutes, stir to crumble as it browns.

Stir in the marinara sauce, sherry, olives, capers and about 1/2 of the parsley. Let the sauce come to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once your pasta is al dente, strain and add to the sauce mixture. If the pasta is done first, add to the sauce at the very end and let the pasta warm up, approximately 2-3 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley and a touch of cheese (the cheese adds a nice saltiness).

Technically, this is for 4 servings, however ours was more like 3 1/4. My suggestion would be to serve alongside a salad or another vegetable if you need/want to feed four. Calories are minimal for this dish at 445 per serving (based on 4) so I think - eat up!

Armenian Rice Pilaf - by request

After last week's Armenian Saturday Night, I have been talking about pilaf a lot and have had requests for the recipe. So, with no further ado, here we have it:

1 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup thin egg noodles (or broken vermicelli)
1 stick unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, spiced with black pepper and garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste

Using a medium size sauce pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, put your chicken stock/broth on low to heat.

As the butter foams, add the egg noodles, stirring frequently with a fork as they brown. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the rice until all kernels are covered in butter and the two are well mixed. Rice will look translucent at this point.

Put the saucepan back on the burner on low, add chicken stock/broth and cover. Usually takes a good 25 minutes to absorb all the liquid, but I would check it and turn it down if you see rice after 10 minutes.

When the liquid is absorbed, remove from heat and fluff with a fork - voila, it's Armenian night! If you are looking for garnishes, a parsley/onion combo is my favorite, pine nuts and mint are also traditional garnishes in Armenian cuisine. Buon Appetito!

The Publican - Sunday Dinner

For C's birthday this year, (a cold, windy Sunday) we ventured to the west and to The Publican. We've been here several times before and frequent the other establishments in this small restaurant group. The three things you need to know about The Publican are: oysters, pork, and beer. If you said "check, check, check" then you are in good shape!

Our menu was a bit different - Sunday's are low-key, 4-course prix fixe menus, with the option to pair complementary beers. We went with the beer pairing and had a really interesting (and quite delicious) menu:

Oyster & Celery Root soup

- with leeks and grilled sourdough

Grilled Sturgeon

- on top of lentils, Brussels sprouts, and yogurt

Braised Oxtails

- with fingerling potatoes and celery salad

Dessert was an Almond Macaroon with lemon(?) filling, a white chocolate ganache flavored with white pepper and rosemary - sounds strange, but was nice and light and complex!

We were less than impressed with the beer pairings, would have preferred to get our own and drink leisurely (plus, no weird "sweet and sour" beer) but it was a good experience and new for us. They did forget the celebratory reason we were there, but that is a recurring issue for us these past few years. Maybe we like birthday's too much...

Fashion flix, take one

So, given my love of dresses and addiction to Netflix (it's just so EASY), a friend of mine alerted me to this new site, courtesy of the NYT.

I am not one of those people that has 15+ weddings each year, nor do I balk at spending (read: investing) in special occasion dresses. HOWEVER, C and my credit card do. Hence, the interest in this site - obviously there are a thousand things that might go awry (wrong size, late delivery, snow storm, etc) but the idea of "renting" a dress for an event for $50 and looking like $1,000,000 is pretty enticing.

Ladies, I hope you succeed. And, invite me.

Banana bread (finally)

Every time we have a mushy, ripe banana I declare "wait, don't throw it out - I'll make banana bread." I now get knowing glances and raised eyebrows from C since I have yet to make it. It's going on 5 years...This weekend, complete with 3 perfectly mushy, ripe bananas, the bread was finally made. Here's the recipe (modified from the original here)

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

4 very ripe medium bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)

1/2 cup sour cream

¼ cup chopped walnuts

Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 10 inch loaf pan with butter and dust it with flour, tapping out the excess. Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl to aerate. Set aside.

Combine sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl and beat on low until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Add bananas and sour cream and mix until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add dry mixture, and stir until just combined.

Turn batter into the prepared loaf pan, topping with the chopped walnuts along the center of the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean-ish, the top is golden brown, and the bread is pulling away from the sides of the pan, about 50 minutes to 1 hour (to keep it moist/dense, I would pull it at the 50 minute mark)

Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the bread and cool completely on the wire rack before serving. Ecco la colazione!

As you can see, ours is already nearly gone... This is super easy, a definite add to the list and delicious with all sorts of modifications - like chocolate chips, hazelnut spread or toasted pecans. Make it very fall with some cranberries and a cup of cider...I'm going to have my breakfast piece now, thank you very much!

Favorite Things Right Now...

- Bright swimsuits a la Juicy or JCrew - loving yellow this year!

- Cheap maxi dresses, thanks to Old Navy, American Eagle, and Benetton.

- Punky, tailored separates like these or these or this one.

- Fun, geometric prints...I'm such a sucker for a) loud prints and b) dresses.

- White jeans - which will look infinitely better on me once I'm tan, but still loving them now!

Why is it that simply shopping for spring/summer clothes just makes me HAPPIER?

Oak Tree - 900 Michigan

Shopping causes hunger and therefore knowing a good place to eat while shopping is key to any Saturday or Sunday afternoon. Personally, I find the options limited on North Michigan Avenue and I'm sure there are some of you who will disagree with me...let me rephrase. I find the options limited when it's freezing cold outside and you want to sit down for lunch and not wait 3 hours (thanks, Cheesecake Factory, but no thanks).

C thought that we should splurge on lunch last weekend since it was Valentine's Day and steered me towards the 6th floor at 900 N Michigan and to Oak Tree. We were hemming and hawing about whether to sit or not to sit and we finally sat in the dining room. The menu is long, lots of sandwiches and salads and brunch items. I finally settled on two salad options and C decided on a sandwich and we would split some fries.

After bringing back our $3.75 iced teas, the waiter answered a few questions for me about the menu - basically confirming that everything I asked him about was not what I thought it was and that I was basically making up my own salad. Great, bring me the Special then, dude. I ended up ordering a side salad with a scoop of tarragon chicken salad with it. C ordered a grilled veggie and goat cheese sandwich, plus a side of fries. At this juncture, the waiter left our table. I want to make this point because he had the opportunity to say something to us and didn't.

When he brought my salad, I was excited, it was delicious and I ate every bite of it. The chicken salad is not loaded with mayo, it's light and herbal and there's lots of chicken. The salad itself it a mix of baby lettuces and crunch romaine, tomatoes, and carrots. I opted for dijon vinaigrette on the side and barely used it with the chicken salad...so good. C's sandwich was huge - thick Texas-style toast with gobs of creamy chevre, thinly sliced veggies and toasted to perfection. Although overwhelmed at first, he was totally into it and polished it off. Also on the plate (and here's the kicker) was a small pile of crispy French fries...what? Where was this comment when we were ordering? Like "do you want an additional side of fries?" Or even "the sandwich comes with fries" because on the menu it doesn't designate that that is the case...either way, it was odd and we sorta just didn't really understand the guy at all ANYWAY, but the whole fry thing was strange.

So, the food was quite decent and the room has recently been redone - it's light and airy and modern in there, but totally comfortable. It seemed like there might've been a lot of Four Seasons guests and locals, but I would definitely go back for a shopping break again. You gotta patronize these places so that hopefully they keep popping up :)

Email for Recommendations - Wicker Park/Bucktown

So, I guess given my love of restaurants, I am the natural person to ask for advice when trying to select one...I just sometimes am flummoxed by what people are looking for based on their supplied criteria. Case in point, check out this email chain. It's not that weird, but I think some of their requests were contradictory, therefore some of my choices seemed odd. Review:

From: Concerned Diner
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 10:30AM
To: The City Enthusiast
Subject: Wicker Park/Bucktown

So, I have a quick question:
[Needing a] Restaurant recommendation
· Wicker Park/Bucktown
· Neighborhood feel
· Any food type
· Parents are in town
· Price doesn’t matter
· Already mentioned Bristol and Bongo Room

From: The City Enthusiast
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:50PM
To: Concerned Diner
Subject: Re: Wicker Park/Bucktown

Hi there, this is my list - I just talked to A-Shan and added Blue Fin from her reco! Who is this for?

- Feast (New American/comfort)
- Francesca's Al Forno (Italian)
- Mirai (sushi)
- Adobo Grill (Mexican)
- Blue Fin (Japanese)
- Hot Chocolate (New American)
- Piece or Crust (pizza)

- The C.E

Readers, I feel like my list is all over the place. I think that saying Mirai is a neighborhood place doesn't explain the essence (or the expense) of Mirai. That Francesca's and Feast are warm and cozy and neighborhood-ish is fine, but is that where you want to go when "parents are in town" or "price doesn't matter"? I'm off my game this afternoon, perhaps. Perhaps the original email was too vague, yet too specific for my brainstorm...we shall see. I now desperately want to know what they choose!

Any other recommendations for this Concerned Diner?

Bristol Fever

So, The Bristol has floated in and out of my head many times in the sense that it has come up in my life via my friends, my birthday gift, my preferred reading material, eavesdropping and various other ways too numerous to count. The most recent mention was from A-Shan and her failed attempt to go there (which is a rather annoying story and, Mr. The Bristol if you're reading, you should scold your doorman/host).

After a late lunch, late nap, and nice weather, C and I decided to head over there, despite the recent troubles A-Shan had and found ourselves faced with a quoted TWO HOUR wait. This was fine, though in comparison to the wait when I called at 8:30 (20 minutes prior) it was an additional 45 minutes. We were okay to wait, assuming it wouldn't take quite as long as predicted and fancied ourselves upstairs for a drink (or two or three).

Upstairs is like a bar/lounge with seated tables, leather benches, and a high communal table. The menu is written on a neat blackboard wall and the room is dimly lit. It reminds me of going to a friends loft party who doesn't have a lot of furniture, but it still feels comfy and you don't feel crammed in, and can find a place to perch. After chatting up the bartender (do NOT call him anything but) we learned a little bit more about the chef owners and the menu. After securing a few recommendations (and waiting an hour and fifteen minutes) we headed down to our table. We were seated at one of two large communal tables, across from 2 very politically vocal women and their mute friend. The tables are large enough that it isn't awkward, however we were rather mesmerized by the two women directly across from us who were loud and vocal about their political views, the financial situation, and cocktails.

We were now hungry, so we ordered right away, here's our menu:
Monkey Bread (a house specialty)
Heirloom Apple Salad
Braised Goat Ragu over Chitarra pasta
Bristol Cheese Burger with Duck Fat fries

I ordered a pinot noir and C had a tempranillo - both of which were great pairs for the goat and the burger. The monkey bread came first and was fabulous - buttery, soft, easy to pull apart, I absolutely LOVE the dill butter for dipping. I would have dipped my napkin in there to soak the rest up if there was any left...so delicious. Tasted like a buttery dill pickle. Following the bread was the apple salad with fresh fennel, hazelnuts, micro greens, and teeny tiny mushrooms mixed with a creme fraiche dressing. Very refreshing and highly recommended for sharing.

Our next course was the pasta - homemade and cooked perfectly al dente, the chitarra was in a goat ragu, tasted like a mix of lamb and wild boar to me with that game texture...little salty olives added texture and I really enjoyed the contrast. C was not sold on the olives...thought that the green was an odd choice for the subtleties of the dish.

Finally, the burger. The burger was amazing - I am a burger snob, so much so that I rarely order them for fear of disappointment. The bun is brioche with sea salt on top, the burger was well cooked either "pink" or "not pink" (we chose "pink"), the fries are cooked in duck fat and come complete with either house made ketchup or garlic aioli - it's my heaven on that plate. Since we were sharing everything, I had to give Chris 1/2, though I could easily have taken it down myself. Generally, I can't finish a burger but THIS burger I could and would want to. I would like to go back again this weekend to have it. I'm serious.

Overall, I was happy to finally make it there. Happy with our menu choices. Happy that the bill came to $68. Happy that they also serve brunch on Sundays. Overall Bristol=happy.

Mighty Leaf - Chamomile Citrus tea

Recently we picked up a box of the Mighty Leaf Chamomile Citrus tea from Whole Foods. I have had it several times before, but hadn't noticed it in the supermarkets. It is definitely a premium tea, though after doing the math of what "premium tea" meant, I realized that is simply $0.50 per tea bag - just a fun fact.

I think for any tea lovers out there, it's a fabulous chamomile. The subtle citrus flavor is great, it smells delicious while brewing, and is naturally sweet and doesn't need honey or sugar (in my opinion). The packet is also the nicest one I've seen, it's reminiscent of a sachet packet - smooth, silky, looks hand-sewn, AND biodegradable.

Brew some and test it out.

In Defense of Food

A friend of mine lent me a book recently In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan. I have been making my way through it and have enjoyed it and the things I'm learning...nothing totally ground breaking, but just reiterations of these tenets: Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants.

What I really like is the reference to "real food" or "whole foods" - there are so many manufactured and processed and additive-injected foods these days. While I'm not bashing these foods (hello, cheese and chocolate are processed) but I like that reminding people that an orange can do so much for your health, as can spinach or blueberries, or oatmeal.

Reading Pollan is like a smart-alec former biology professor - his personality shines through and it's refreshing when you are reading more dry content (eg. soil mineral deficiencies or colon cleansing). It's good for foodies, health-conscious folks, and anyone interested in learning more about what they eat.

Read it and eat. Available at Borders!

Last meal - Great Bay

As C and I prepare to move across the country next week, the next few days will be spent having farewell dinners with friends. Here are our stories (and a guest post):

My friend Amy and I have been friends now for about 5 years give or take a month. She and I met in the closet. The coat closet. Good story, huh? Anyway, we both worked in the restaurant industry and our paths crossed at the opening of Great Bay in Kenmore Square. This was when the Hotel Commonwealth was still only 1/2 open and more stores and restaurants were a pipe dream. I mean, they DID start the bus station project then and look how far THAT has come?!?!

All joking aside, it was a new terrain for fine dining - how were we going to get foot traffic that wasn't students? Weren't Red Sox fans? Weren't homeless asking for change for the bus? It wasn't easy and it wasn't totally profitable either, but Amy and I made the most of it and were psyched to find each other - whether in the closet or out - and had lots of fun, foodie moments over the years.

It was only fitting that we head to Great Bay for my sendoff and our "last supper" together. We both love the food from The Island, so we started with some halibut tacos (ceviche style) with roasted corn and radishes - delicious. Then we opted for tuna sashimi topped with marinated Thai chilis and a mango, yuzu sauce. Def could have opted for more acid, less mango, but the tuna was fresh and I love the spicy Thai chilis.

My favorite option that we tried was the tuna "maki" - a creative twist on the regular maki rolls with the tuna wrapping a collection of vegetables, sticky rice, and avocado. The ponzu or soy/yuzu dipping sauces was delicious...I could eat another few of those right now, since I'm thinking of it...Anyway, for a few hot options, we split an order of the shrimp and lobster dumplings - one of which squirted it's little life out on my shoulder. Mmm Eau de Shellfish. They were what we wanted though, warm and crispy.

As our last (and perennial) favorite, we split an order of the famous clam chowder. Little bits of turnip and potato, bacon, clam and topped with chervil. My favorite chowder since it's actually more milky, rather than cream-y and it doesn't feel super heavy. I can't stand chowder that is like pudding...that's not soup, it's dessert. With clams. Gross.

What a great meal with great company - look forward to visiting GB again in our future Boston dining...love it!

Clio - not just for anniversaries

So after 6 years of living and eating in Boston, I FINALLY made my way to Clio the other night for some snacks and drinks at the bar. Having eaten at Uni once, but being a huge fan of Toro, I know that Ken Oringer would do it right...I just thought it was "too right", like "special occasion with your parents" right. I was pleasantly surprised to have very creative, yet unpretentious food there with high, but appropriate prices given the caliber of food.

We both started with a drink from their drink list - me a shiso mojito, C a saketini of some sort. His was simple and elegant, mine was salad in a glass, but both were tasty. Brian, C's brother works there and he also gave us samples of some of the other creative libations (don't be afraid of the Hanout drink...it's so good) and showed off the restaurants affinity for all things nitrogen. I mean, if you see "LN2" it means that there is some sort of chemical balancing act happening...I felt like I was on Top Chef.

Anyway, back to food. We both went straight for two of our favorite things - soft shell crab and tuna sashimi. The soft-shell crab was tempura fried served with parslane (quite tender) and a magical sauce that I can't for the life of me remember (good mojito) but we couldn't get enough of it! The crab was so meaty and tender and delicious - the best I've had in a long, long time.

The tuna was also amazing - it was topped with these thinly sliced strips of green onions and seaweed, black and white sesame seeds, and a light garlicky, ginger vinaigrette. There was a piece of a "roll" which was thinly sliced wonton wrappers, deep fried and topped with tuna tartar...we fought over who got to finish that (I had the bigger bite).

The last and most simple dish was a tri-stack of Heirloom tomatoes - black and red Brandywine I think - with green goddess dressing and crispy, fried clams...unbelievably delicious and light. Perfect (and surprise) ending - thank you Alec!

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I never went because I thought that Radius and No. 9 Park were more my "level"...what a strange mentality...it's expensive, but no more than any of the other top restaurants in Boston. Plus, it's cozy and intimate - head there in the fall for a night out at the bar and see what I mean!

Finca el Puig

C and I had a great dinner last night at Dante in Cambridge...the arugula salad was amazing, the maccheroncelli was delicious (and very springy), the steak was prepared well and the fries were crisp. Service was good and accommodating but the best part of the meal was this wine...I LOVED it. I actually told the sommelier that I wanted to marry it - is that weird?

Definitely going to try to purchase this locally (or in Chicago) for my personal stash. Here's the label - enjoy it responsibly.

Chi-town Dish - Custom House

So, at long last, we have found an apartment in Chicago...it was sort of quick and sort of painful, the band-aid of my life right now. Luckily, it's over and I was a big girl and now I have a place to call home.

C and I started the weekend on a rainy Thursday, nearly electrocuted and drenched in the South Loop, but we made it to the Custom House. This delightfully un-trendy eatery boasts luxe booths, leather, low lighting and a menu fit for carnivores. C and I were surprised to find several braised dishes and heavy game selections on the menu, this is July, right? There were only 3 seafood dishes...one of which I had and it was delicious. Before we go there though, let's talk about how fabulous and under-rated octopus is as a dish? Octopus for me is like a little taste of heaven, I have not had any I do not like...this meal was no different as we ordered this wonderful octopus caponata with fresh roasted veggies, pine nuts, golden raisins and tasty grilled octopus. This was a great way to start off the meal, very light and delicious and made me want another 4 plates of it.

For my entree, I went w/ the Wisconsin White Perch with a crusty panko topping served with room temperature gnocchi/bacon/shallots. The smokiness of the bacon and the light, white fish were great. I would order the gnocchi as a side again and the fish made me excited to explore the world of lake trout.

C ordered from the braised meat list and went with our perennial favorite: the short rib. These short ribs were like butter-fall-off-the-bone goodness - served with two horseradish cream-filled beignets. Different. I'll leave it at that. To share we ordered the pea, pea pod, bacon, and turnip salad. It's cold, mixed with creme fraiche for a summer barbeque salad type consistency - absolutely delicious. Loved it a lot. Their other sides consisted of whole grains like quinoa and farro, to fun starches like gratin and whipped Yukon gold potatoes. If there was a vegetarian option of sides, I would have definitely gone for that. It was very tough to pick just one.

We skipped dessert, though there were some interested options. I would recommend the Custom House to anyone looking for superior service, great food, and a quiet but beautiful dining room.