c8w wrote:

RAB wrote:I didn't catch the specific name of it, but I just had a doughnut like pastry filled with canolli cream from Palermo Bakery on Harlem. It was a crispy on the outside, impossibly fluffy on the inside raised doughnut with a terrific, creamy, cheesy filling.

Best thing I've eaten [lately] indeed.

--Rich

Would you (or anyone else) have a better idea of a possible name for this thing now, a week later, BTW?

I have a Groupon to Palermo that needs using in the next day or two... the above sounds quite awesome, and Id like to get a couple-few if I can find a way to identify it (though, failing that, I *do* plan on asking for a "donut filled with cannoli cream"

Any other special recs for Palermo BTW? Iam usually a pretty big fan of fig-cookies in general, so plan on getting some of those; and of course their cannoli etc - anything else considered cant-miss there?

I don't know what the donut is called, but I enjoyed their foccacia topped with anchovies, garlic, and onion. After ten minutes in the oven, it makes a nice lunch. The cookies are good, too.

Ronna

c8w wrote:

RAB wrote:I didn't catch the specific name of it, but I just had a doughnut like pastry filled with canolli cream from Palermo Bakery on Harlem. It was a crispy on the outside, impossibly fluffy on the inside raised doughnut with a terrific, creamy, cheesy filling.

Best thing I've eaten [lately] indeed.

--Rich

Would you (or anyone else) have a better idea of a possible name for this thing now, a week later, BTW?

I have a Groupon to Palermo that needs using in the next day or two... the above sounds quite awesome, and Id like to get a couple-few if I can find a way to identify it (though, failing that, I *do* plan on asking for a "donut filled with cannoli cream"

Zeppole maybe?

Lately, I'm on an ultra-simple jag. Best thing I've eaten lately was a fresh head of cauliflower, cut up, tossed with olive oil, garlic, and sea salt. and roasted in a 425 oven till tender and browned. That's it.
Planned to incorporate it into something else, but just gave in and ate it hot and aromatic out of the oven.
Room temp. the next day, even better.
Thought about squeezing a bit of lemon over it, but then decided that would be just too baroque.

c8w wrote:

RAB wrote:I didn't catch the specific name of it, but I just had a doughnut like pastry filled with canolli cream from Palermo Bakery on Harlem. It was a crispy on the outside, impossibly fluffy on the inside raised doughnut with a terrific, creamy, cheesy filling.

Best thing I've eaten [lately] indeed.

--Rich

Would you (or anyone else) have a better idea of a possible name for this thing now, a week later, BTW?



c8w

I think it might be a zeppolle(sp?) I've had them from d'Amatos and a place in berwyn. Like a crueller with a custard or cannoli filling.

c8w wrote:... the above sounds quite awesome, and Id like to get a couple-few if I can find a way to identify it (though, failing that, I *do* plan on asking for a "donut filled with cannoli cream"

Probably no need to engage in an Italian doughnut taxonomy. I bet it will be easy enough to find. They didn't have that many doughnuts. The one you are looking for has a lightly applied sugar (not powdered sugar) coating. There was no protruding filling like the above-pictured zeppole.

Also, I agree with REB on that anchovy foccacia. You'd better grab one of those too.

Enjoy,
--Rich

Two dishes last night at Avec -- spaghetti squash crostini (with parmesan saffron cream) and squid fideua, or perhaps, more appropriately, squid with fideos (in some sort of tomato sauce -- nontraditional, as this was less like a noodle paella and more like a sauce/stew with some noodles mixed in). The crostini is on the menu, the squid was a special (both as of last night).

The siren song of Avec has always called out to me with greater strength as the weather cools down; I find a lot of their dishes too heavy for summertime eating and they don't always do a great job of modifying the menu for the warm season (other than using seasonal ingredients), but their consistently great food is excellent for fall/winter in particular.

A slice of Buttermilk Pie with cinnamon ice cream at Pearl's New Orleans Kitchen in Elk Rapids ,MIchigan. As the Geico Gekko says "mmmmm tasty".

Butternut Squash Soup with Seeded Sourdough Bread at Delightful Pastries' Old Town location. The soup was the perfect accompaniment for dipping the bread and I loved the bread's toothsome texture, with plenty of flax and other seeds!


Seeded Sourdough Bread / Delightful Pastries by TrackBelle, on Flickr


Butternut Squash Bisque / Delightful Pastries by TrackBelle, on Flickr

The foie gras appetizer at Paul Bocuse's restaurant (escalope de foie gras de canard poêlée au verjus): two sizeable pieces of foie gras perfectly cooked in their liquid to which verjus was added at some perfect point. They had a little bit of color, so maybe were briefly sautéed first? Anyway,it was the best foie gras I have ever eaten, and, like Cleopatra, it made hungry where it most satisfied. I could have eaten that foie gras all night.

The new sandwich that Nate and Katie at Zenwich are working on; their version of an Italian Beef, but with Thai spices. It was great, and I was honored that they gave me a taste before putting it on the menu.

Matt wrote:Two dishes last night at Avec -- spaghetti squash crostini (with parmesan saffron cream) and squid fideua, or perhaps, more appropriately, squid with fideos (in some sort of tomato sauce -- nontraditional, as this was less like a noodle paella and more like a sauce/stew with some noodles mixed in). The crostini is on the menu, the squid was a special (both as of last night).

Tried and enjoyed both of these last night, the squid dish was still on special and also included guanciale which i thought was worth mentioning. Braised octopus with chickpeas was a hit as well and up their with Anteprima's as my favorite octo preps in the city.

Beef pastrami from Pork Shoppe. I almost always order the pulled pork or pork belly pastrami when I go there but the beef pastrami was a huge and entirely pleasant surprise.

From Labriola in Oak Brook, a special time-limited burger:

"The short rib burger on chocolate brioche- a hand pattied Black Angus burger topped with slow roasted short ribs, Black Diamond White cheddar cheese, drizzled with chianti demi glaze and served on their newly introduced chocolate chip dark brioche bun with lettuce, tomato and hand-cut french fries"

My wife really really liked it, and I thought it was really good as well. Only available until the end of the week.

RAB wrote:

c8w wrote:..Also, I agree with REB on that anchovy foccacia. You'd better grab one of those too.

Enjoy,
--Rich

Despite 2 recs, I didnt get the anchovy foccacia... because they were sold out! Still, their normal foccacia was pretty darn good anyway...

(And thanks for all the other recs - some excellent things there. The cannoli was excellent, as was the "lobster-tail" filled with cream. The "deconstructed cannoli" worked very well... cannoli-crackers, and a tub of ricotta on the side. And the pistachio cookies were quite terrific as well).

Next time - the anchovy foccacia, and the arancini (which they were also out of!)

c8w

Beijing duck service at Sun Wah (5039 North Broadway St., Chicago, IL 60640)

LTHers are absolutely correct about this GNR. This was our first time having authentic Beijing duck, and it was stunningly good. Not only was the duck, served with steamed buns, outstanding, but the duck soup with bittermelon and duck fried rice were also tremendous. Strawberry sorbet was also wonderful.

And under $25 per person, with copious leftovers. Awesome.

DMK Burger Bar in Oakbrook, recently opened:

Burger:
Grass Fed Beef
Roasted Hatch Green Chile
Fried Farm Egg
Smoked Bacon
Sonoma Jack
Artisan Bun

Parmesan Fries with Truffle Cream

Mac and Cheese, Gruyere, Smoked Bacon and Charred Balsamic Red Onion

Wasabi Cole Slaw

Everything was great, especially the Wasabi Cole Slaw. I will be back many times.

I also love the size of the burger. Not too big as so many burgers are.

Mr. G.

2 of Sticky Rice's new menu items -- (1) stir fried winter squash with ground pork and scrambled eggs; (2) preserved crab dip with ground pork and coconut milk.

Listen up. LTH's Thai food fans need to sample some of the new stuff on hand at Sticky Rice.

I've long been a fan of Sticky, but I'd be the first to tell you that the kitchen has had its ups and downs, and that for many core items, Sticky's best was always a step behind TAC and Aroy. For me, low prices, fast delivery, a good attitude and incredible diversity and breadth of choices has made Sticky my go-to.

But in the past months, the kitchen at Sticky has stepped up to a new and better level. The technique and flavor is right up there with the very best, and the new menu items are fantastic. The preserved crab dip, served with vegetables a la the nampriks is everything good about northern Thai flavors in one compact serving. The sqash is a revelation: subtle, sweet and savory, the sweetness coming from the squash (acorn, maybe). It struck me as almost Tuscan or Bolognese in the best possible way. Those 2 dishes with an order of Sticky's unmatched kao soy made for one of my best meals in a long while.

Not sure what has happened over at Sticky Rice -- new staff and new ideas from the old country? An inspirational trip home to recalibrate and update the menu? -- but it's working. I wonder if there's any other restaurant anywhere in the US that has such a massive, everything's always available Northern Thai menu these days and the kitchen to pull it off (LA included). Don't be fooled by the English menu descriptions that read as if Sticky just added a few new ingredients as options in old dishes (the squash blurb sounds like that): this is totally unique new stuff.

But in the past months, the kitchen at Sticky has stepped up to a new and better level.

I heartily agree! We've always done delivery, so I don't expect things to be as stellar as they might be in the restaurant. Our order a couple of weeks ago was the best we've gotten. I've got to do a more thorough search of my brain to remember everything we had, but the ox-tail soup and Gang Hung Lay were particularly great.

bean wrote:

But in the past months, the kitchen at Sticky has stepped up to a new and better level.

I heartily agree! We've always done delivery, so I don't expect things to be as stellar as they might be in the restaurant. Our order a couple of weeks ago was the best we've gotten. I've got to do a more thorough search of my brain to remember everything we had, but the ox-tail soup and Gang Hung Lay were particularly great.

After reading the posts above, I guess it was good timing when we decided to try Sticky Rice for the first time in late August (delivery). After seeing some posts here about inconsistency in the kitchen I was somewhat wary, but I ended up thoroughly impressed. We shared Northern Thai Sausage, Kow Soy with Chicken, Pad Prik Khing Moo Krob ("crispy pork & green beans") and Pineapple Fried Rice with chicken. I'm not generally overly adventurous at Thai places -- but with that said, this was the best Thai meal I've ever had.

Still thinking about the french fries I had at Clark Street Dog late Friday night. I'm sure they were standard food service, but they were cooked perfectly to my liking. The dog was servicable as well, but the fries linger in my memory.

Clark Street Dog
3040 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 281-6690

Beef pastrami from Pork Shoppe. I almost always order the pulled pork or pork belly pastrami when I go there but the beef pastrami was a huge and entirely pleasant surprise.

I went on Friday for the first time and had the pork belly pastrami, this was really good and nice and fatty. I was impressed.

Burger con cheddar at Owen and Engine, always a treat.

2Utah2 wrote:Burger con cheddar at Owen and Engine, always a treat.

Same. Was my first time. Lordy is it good... a little ridiculously priced, but good.

Trattoria Roma
I've liked them since they first opened and there was very little competition in the "authentic" trattoria niche. Don't get there that often, but had dinner on Sat. evening. (Amazingly, they do reservations, and gave me one for 7:15 when I called around 6:00.)
Have to say that the overall meal was good, but not great, by their usual standards. Pizza seems to have become a bit Americanized. Instead of a light scattering of great ingredients, there was a foundation slab of cheese, fresh basil, and not much tomato presence on a margherita. Ricotta cheese cake was tasty but a bit dry. Spaghetti with shrimp and scallops was a bit under-seasoned, though everything was very fresh and the portion generous.
BUT...
Cozze a la marinara was divinely good. Each mussel was large and plump and perfectly tender. Each shell wide open. And the "marinara" was a lightly tomatoed broth with just a bit of chili heat, and there was about a quart of it underneath those mussels. I dunked bread from 2 basketsfull in it, and just ate the rest with a spoon before I'd let them take it away. Just insanely good. I can't imagine there's a $9-dish in town that offers more flavor or value.
Service was also very friendly and prompt on a busy Saturday night, though with a slight tendency to "great choice, that's my favorite on the menu!".

Wasabi Sushi in Logan Square, their "ArtMex" roll.



My wife and I went there for the first time, excellent all around, and I would also say the salmon belly nigiri, as it was AMAZINGLY velvety, flavorful and fresh...but it was a daily special and I ate it so quickly there is no picture

The ArtMex roll is spicy tuna tartar, salmon, yellowtail, avocado, cucumber, sesame,cilantro, jalapeno, lime, black tobiko, spicy mayo, chili oil.

Please go and try this place, it's our new favorite Chicago sushi restaurant (Arami is up there too), and we want them to succeed!

Wasabi
2539 N Milwaukee Ave
http://www.wasabichicago.com/

p.s. they deliver!

Combination bourbon butter pecan gelato and apple cider sorbet from Black Dog. Rich and refreshing.

Carole Walter's recipe for Soft & Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from her book "Great Cookies." I usually like a crisp cookie, but I made these per Jonathan's request and was surprised by how much I liked them.


DSCN0896 by MsLynnB, on Flickr


DSCN0895 by MsLynnB, on Flickr

Astonishingly, the current October special beet salad at the Berghoff.

I don't really expect culinary excellence from the Berghoff, just good value before the Chicago Symphony. But their dinner sized beet salad was simply outstanding. Featuring two heirloom beet varieties, two heirloom tomato varieties, fresh blueberries, baby spiniach, rocket and red oak leaf lettuce, this was like a little taste of the Evanston farmer's market. I wish they could serve this all year.

Raul's Taco & Burrito Express in Wauconda has a special menu item--fish taco topped with chipotle mayo & homemade coleslaw, $1.80 a shot. Man, perfect street food! Good stuff--flash-fried tilapia with no greasiness whatsoever, a dollop of cream-colored spicy mayo and what looks like a combination Mexican cole slaw & pico de gallo--slivered red cabbage, diced jalapeno & tomato, radish & cucumber. With a few drips of their homemade salsa verde, I wolfed down three of 'em for under six bucks, a perfect lunch.

Raul's Taco & Burrito Express
112 E. Liberty
Wauconda IL 60084
847.487.1494

http://www.tacoandburritoexpress.com/wauconda.htm