The lamb neck ravioli with cracked green olives, orange, mint, swiss chard and grana padano on NYE at Avec.

Anne Burrell from Food Network was there earlier in the day and made them all, according to the staff. We saw her stop in later.

Damn. They were really amazing.

Sunchoke crostini with salmon roe, breakfast radish, and brown butter at Avec. Stunningly good. One of the best dishes I've had at Avec.

The ash-rubbed lamb saddle with goat cheese spaetzle and pear mustard, and the pumpernickel coffee cake with butterscotch mustard (!) at Telegraph on Wednesday night. Transcendent. Johnny Anderes is at the top of his game. So glad to have this restaurant in my neighborhood.

Two things I've had recently:

1) The asian egg noodles with spicy garlic chili, tofu and chinese eggplant at urban belly. Loved it!
2) The pecan sticky bun at Perennial Virant. It was like crack, I thought I'd go in for one bite and ended up licking the plate.. There was condensed milk in there

NeroW wrote:The ash-rubbed lamb saddle with goat cheese spaetzle and pear mustard, and the pumpernickel coffee cake with butterscotch mustard (!) at Telegraph on Wednesday night. Transcendent. Johnny Anderes is at the top of his game. So glad to have this restaurant in my neighborhood.

Another dish that got its start from the Key Ingredient challenge by the Chicago Reader. I love this feature from Thiel/Mike G.

Lamb chorizo with roasted onions & winter greens at Vera. The caramelized onions plus what tasted like some madeira or port in the sauce lent a perfect bit of sweetness to the savory sausage. The greens and onions were properly tasty, but the sausage itself was revelatory. Just a bit crispy on the outside, chewy where it should be, and the taste, oh man the taste. I could eat that for dinner and turn around and eat it for breakfast with some eggs, then eat it in an Italian roll with some giardinera for lunch.

[Full disclosure: Mark is an old family friend, and I am rooting very hard for Vera to succeed. But I think I would feel the same way about this dish if a stranger cooked it.]

The roasted half chicken from Owen & Engine. It was so simple but so incredibly flavorful and juicy. The gravy/au jus was rich and briny. I was there for the birthday dinner for my brother, who got the steak. While I'm sure the steak was great, after several bites of mine (and of someone else's burger) he was sure he made the wrong choice. I've pretty much sworn off eating chicken if I can help it- but this one may be my exception.

The peanut butter chicken and coconut milk mashed potatoes from the Brown Bag Lunch Truck: really good quality chicken, beautiful dark meat pieces, the peanut butter was somehow more like a marinade than a sauce (I usually don't care for the pasty texture of peanut sauce), clearly noticeable coconut in the creamy, smooth and thick mashed potatoes, all held really well in the truck. This was the other day, and I'm still thinking about it. I can't wait to try his other offerings.

https://twitter.com/brownbagtruck

Batter-fried portabello sandwich at GNR Big & Little.

jesteinf wrote:Sunchoke crostini with salmon roe, breakfast radish, and brown butter at Avec. Stunningly good. One of the best dishes I've had at Avec.

The thinking man's cheesy bread. Pretty awesome, yeah.

Garlic Fries at Edzo's.

Spicy lemongrass chicken, rice cake, egg drop soup at Urban Belly. The rice cake is really a sliced, very chewy, rice noodle.

The chicken satay sandwich at Zenwich on Saturday and the chicken Boti at Khan's BBQ on Sunday

It was a culinary delight this weekend

I've developed a real love for La Madia's Chianti braised shortribs with vegetable risotto. From work, we pick up lunch there often - colleagues getting their salads while I go for the roasted globe artichoke with mustard sauce (I could eat artichokes every day and the sauce is just right) and we also go often for an early Friday night glass of wine since they have a nice list by the glass and good munches (those artichokes again for example). I tend to get hungry and order dinner too after the first glass (the young'ins are better at drinking with no sustenance!) and I have found my favorite in the shortribs which are so succulent with great chianti notes and mesh so nicely with the risotto. Rich and soothing. Last friday in the snow, it was a perfect choice ... sitting in the front lounge with that virtual fireplace and good wine and the perfect comfort food was a great finish to the week.

Pancakes with blueberry preserves, honey marscapone, & maple syrup at 2 Sparrows. Shockingly, it wasn't too sweet, but fair warning they dust them with the dreaded powdered sugar.

Grilled cover steak at Leopold's. I actually ordered the short rib, and thought it was awesome, until I tried the hubby's meal. OMG, I have never tasted a piece of lean meat that actually tastes like minerally crisp fat. I really don't have the words to describe it, because I had never tasted anything like it. Beware when the person across from you doesn't say a word about his meal, it means, its so delicious, they don't want to share! That also included the chanterelle en croute!

For the third time in as many weeks, the burger with cheddar and rasher at Owen & Engine, washed down with a Winter Reading. That burger is on my mind almost as much as sex. And that's a lot.

roasted cauliflower with curry sauce and popcorn ice cream at El Ideas a few weeks ago. Off the charts. Chef Brochu told us how he had been doing the dish with the curry sauce, and one day they opened up the oven containing the cauliflower and it smelled like opening a bag of popcorn. then he started playing with the popcorn ice cream. i'm glad he did - it was amazing. dreaming of it right now.

Falafel on pita at Mizrahi Grill in Highland Park.

I think the falafel at Pita Inn is seasoned better, but I like all of the salad & chips stuffed in it.

Also liked the soft pita.

Charred Baby Octopus crispy pork belly, sunchoke puree, roasted grapes, fennel and almonds at the Bedford. Everything else was so so, but this was amazing, the octopus was crispy, slightly chewy and melty all at the same time. It was like eating filet mignon with the fennel and sunchoke purée adding the perfect counterpoint.      

Lillie's Q - taste of Lillie's Q with pulled pork, tri-tip and ribs.

Walked right in on a thursday night with a table of 5 and seated immediately. Bell's Hopslam on tap and one of the best BBQ meals I've had anywhere. I'd be happy to put this meal up with BBQ anywhere else in the country. All of the meats were impossibly tender and smokey and flavorful. Everything you would want out of BBQ (other than the sides, which arent anything to write home about). Seriously think Lillie's Q kicks the ass out of any other BBQ place in the city.

Eggs Florentine with curry polenta cakes at Bite Cafe. I had a hard time keeping the saliva in my mouth. I think it was a special; I checked their menu online and it's not mentioned. Although what is on the brunch menu is their 'breakfast poutine', which is also soooooo good. Perfect for after-shoveling brunches.

garcho wrote:Eggs Florentine with curry polenta cakes at Bite Cafe. I had a hard time keeping the saliva in my mouth. I think it was a special; I checked their menu online and it's not mentioned. Although what is on the brunch menu is their 'breakfast poutine', which is also soooooo good. Perfect for after-shoveling brunches.

Or their poutine sans eggs after late-night playing in the snow.

happy_stomach wrote:

garcho wrote:Eggs Florentine with curry polenta cakes at Bite Cafe. I had a hard time keeping the saliva in my mouth. I think it was a special; I checked their menu online and it's not mentioned. Although what is on the brunch menu is their 'breakfast poutine', which is also soooooo good. Perfect for after-shoveling brunches.

Or their poutine sans eggs after late-night playing in the snow.

I generally do not like going out for brunch, but I really enjoy the brunch menu at Bite Cafe as well. The pork hash was just as indulgent as the breakfast poutine.

Banana pudding at Honky Tonk BBQ in Pilsen.

Chicken Tamale with green sauce at Aracely's Bakery in LaGrange.

Black Pepper Tofu I made at home last night from the cookbook 'Plenty' by Yotam Ottolenghi.

I read some negative comments about this recipe. But I made it with less red chiles, because the ones I had were pretty spicy, and less black pepper.

I thought it was awesome, and so did my wife. If I was served this at a restaurant I would be back often.

The Kill Bill-- crispy pork cutlet, ham, bacon, pepperjack, fried egg (cooked perfectly!), garlic mayo, red onion, homemade bun. If you ever find yourself in Des Moines, stop by Centro to try this monster of a sandwich! You can't really tell, but the pork cutlet takes up nearly half of the dinner plate!


The Kill Bill


The Kill Bill

Honeybell tangerines I shipped from Schacht Groves in Florida.

How can you resist something so fantastically delicious & good for you?

DKoblesky wrote:Black Pepper Tofu I made at home last night from the cookbook 'Plenty' by Yotam Ottolenghi.

I read some negative comments about this recipe. But I made it with less red chiles, because the ones I had were pretty spicy, and less black pepper.

I thought it was awesome, and so did my wife. If I was served this at a restaurant I would be back often.

I made this from an online recipe. That stuff will sell anyone on tofu, although it's a bit of work. It is delicious & perfect for The Year of the Dragon-- Fire-breathing & All.