Eat With Gusto wrote:

Al Ehrhardt wrote:

Eat With Gusto wrote:Already booked Cafe Marie Jeanne

Agree with everyone regarding CMJ, it's in my 'hood and I love it.

If you are going for dinner, and up for a drink afterwards, walk across the street to the California Clipper. A great old bar that has been nicely preserved with good cocktails. Owned by Brandon Sodikoff who owns several good spots in town. I especially like the evenings when there is live jazz, they attract excellent jazz musicians. If you are into jazz, I highly recommend the Green Mill (my favorite spot in Chicago), Constellation, Elastic Arts, Winter's, or the Whistler usually has jazz on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Rootstock wine bar is on the opposite corner as CMJ, and great choice for wine.

The cafe is so so nice! I don’t want to leave. Going on a jazz hunt though.

Edit: the Whistler! Score. Big thanks for the list

Pro tip: If you want to see the nicest cafe beauty wise in the entire US, go to 3 Arts Club Cafe and have a look around at 1300 N Dearborn Pkwy. Rather stunning place. Even my friends from Europe visiting "needed a minute" LOL.

marothisu wrote:

Eat With Gusto wrote:

Al Ehrhardt wrote:

Eat With Gusto wrote:Already booked Cafe Marie Jeanne

Agree with everyone regarding CMJ, it's in my 'hood and I love it.

If you are going for dinner, and up for a drink afterwards, walk across the street to the California Clipper. A great old bar that has been nicely preserved with good cocktails. Owned by Brandon Sodikoff who owns several good spots in town. I especially like the evenings when there is live jazz, they attract excellent jazz musicians. If you are into jazz, I highly recommend the Green Mill (my favorite spot in Chicago), Constellation, Elastic Arts, Winter's, or the Whistler usually has jazz on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Rootstock wine bar is on the opposite corner as CMJ, and great choice for wine.

The cafe is so so nice! I don’t want to leave. Going on a jazz hunt though.

Edit: the Whistler! Score. Big thanks for the list

Pro tip: If you want to see the nicest cafe beauty wise in the entire US, go to 3 Arts Club Cafe and have a look around at 1300 N Dearborn Pkwy. Rather stunning place. Even my friends from Europe visiting "needed a minute" LOL.

Thanks! 3/4 miles due north

Eat With Gusto wrote:

Al Ehrhardt wrote:

Eat With Gusto wrote:Already booked Cafe Marie Jeanne

Agree with everyone regarding CMJ, it's in my 'hood and I love it.

If you are going for dinner, and up for a drink afterwards, walk across the street to the California Clipper. A great old bar that has been nicely preserved with good cocktails. Owned by Brandon Sodikoff who owns several good spots in town. I especially like the evenings when there is live jazz, they attract excellent jazz musicians. If you are into jazz, I highly recommend the Green Mill (my favorite spot in Chicago), Constellation, Elastic Arts, Winter's, or the Whistler usually has jazz on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Rootstock wine bar is on the opposite corner as CMJ, and great choice for wine.

The cafe is so so nice! I don’t want to leave. Going on a jazz hunt though.

Edit: the Whistler! Score. Big thanks for the list

Glad to hear you had a good time. Nice to see visitors get out to local favorites.

Purple Pig lunch was good. Lovely terrine of pheasant and Garganelli with duck ragu.

Here again for happy hour (work is in the building )

Eat With Gusto wrote:Garganelli with duck ragu.

Sounds like the Smurfs finally got him. Good riddance, I say.

Girl and the Goat was great fun! You didn’t tell me how crazy the crumpets are!

Walked into Au Chev 3 times just for fun, line wasn’t very big.

Lone wolf and the backdoor were fun too.

Lou Malnati’s was righteous for lunch today. So happy i tried

”righteous“
Is that a California thing or are you a time traveler from the ‘70s

Definition of righteous

m-w.com wrote:1: acting in accord with divine or moral law : free from guilt or sin
2a: morally right or justifiable
a righteous decision
b: arising from an outraged sense of justice or morality
righteous indignation
3 slang : GENUINE, EXCELLENT

Sounds to me like all three definitions fit...

scottsol wrote:”righteous“
Is that a California thing or are you a time traveler from the ‘70s

Just keeping you entertained. I am old though

the Publican is so good on a snowy night

Publican and Avec are must-visits. Check out Publican Quality Meats for lunch, if you have time.

cilantro wrote:Publican and Avec are must-visits. Check out Publican Quality Meats for lunch, if you have time.

My only remaining lunch is tomorrow and I’m being told not to miss My Place

Eat With Gusto wrote:My only remaining lunch is tomorrow and I’m being told not to miss My Place

Never heard of it.... Maybe others can speak to its relative merits.

cilantro wrote:

Eat With Gusto wrote:My only remaining lunch is tomorrow and I’m being told not to miss My Place

Never heard of it.... Maybe others can speak to its relative merits.

Look at the dishes
https://goo.gl/maps/KthSGyVvDmurQ2Sj9

cilantro wrote:Never heard of it.... Maybe others can speak to its relative merits.

I've never heard of it either. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not, but I can assure you that a place that people here never heard of doesn't belong in the "don't miss" category.

Apparently it's in Chinatown, so I'm guessing it's Chinese. We have some very good Chinese food; that being said, if I were coming from SoCal, it's not what I would seek out on a first visit here.

If I needed to choose a Saturday lunch/brunch on a crappy weather day, and I were staying in River North, I would avoid going too far from where I'm staying. Aside from the two places you mentioned already visiting (Malnati's and Purple Pig), I'd be thinking about brunch at Frontera Grill, or maybe tapas at Cafe Iberico. Or, if you enjoy seafood, the brunch at Shaw's Crab House is AMAZING. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet including Chicago's very best crab cakes, roast tenderloin, Alaskan king crab legs, Chicago's very best creme brulee, and so much more. At $69, it's not inexpensive, but it can fill you up for the rest of the day.

nsxtasy wrote:

cilantro wrote:Never heard of it.... Maybe others can speak to its relative merits.

I've never heard of it either. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not, but I can assure you that a place that people here never heard of doesn't belong in the "don't miss" category.

Apparently it's in Chinatown, so I'm guessing it's Chinese. We have some very good Chinese food; that being said, if I were coming from SoCal, it's not what I would seek out on a first visit here.

If I needed to choose a Saturday lunch/brunch on a crappy weather day, and I were staying in River North, I would avoid going too far from where I'm staying. Aside from the two places you mentioned already visiting (Malnati's and Purple Pig), I'd be thinking about brunch at Frontera Grill, or maybe tapas at Cafe Iberico. Or, if you enjoy seafood, the brunch at Shaw's Crab House is AMAZING. It's an all-you-can-eat buffet including Chicago's very best crab cakes, roast tenderloin, Alaskan king crab legs, Chicago's very best creme brulee, and so much more.

I’ll actually be up around something called St Ben’s to watch a footy match in the morning and then records shop so I better find food up there instead. Have so many bookmarks! Band of Bohemia is right there

I had some wines tonight at Ramone’s next to Frontera tonight. Lovely

Eat With Gusto wrote:Band of Bohemia is right there

Band of Bohemia is great, and they're open for brunch as well as dinner on Saturdays and Sundays. Enjoy!

nsxtasy wrote:I've never heard of it either. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not, but I can assure you that a place that people here never heard of doesn't belong in the "don't miss" category.

This forum is amazing and informative but this statement is absolutely insane.

The merits of this place aside, to assume that a restaurant that hasn't been discussed here cannot be fantastic is so myopic.

WhyBeeSea wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:I've never heard of it either. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not, but I can assure you that a place that people here never heard of doesn't belong in the "don't miss" category.

This forum is amazing and informative but this statement is absolutely insane.

The merits of this place aside, to assume that a restaurant that hasn't been discussed here cannot be fantastic is so myopic.

totes

Pretty sure I've been to My Place before. So so. Better Chinese food in Chinatown than this.

I posted before about an actual do not miss Chinese place on the other page. Qing Xiang Yuan Dumpling. Best Dongbei style jiaozi in the US. Take my wife's word for it, who is originally from there as well as when her parents last were in the US and had it. Make sure to get steamed dumplings. LA has good Chinese food and this is one of the few places in Chicago that can hold a candle to great Chinese food in LA.

marothisu wrote:Pretty sure I've been to My Place before. So so. Better Chinese food in Chinatown than this.

I posted before about an actual do not miss Chinese place on the other page. Qing Xiang Yuan Dumpling. Best Dongbei style jiaozi in the US. Take my wife's word for it, who is originally from there as well as when her parents last were in the US and had it. Make sure to get steamed dumplings. LA has good Chinese food and this is one of the few places in Chicago that can hold a candle to great Chinese food in LA.

It was recommended to me by a Chinese person from Chicago that lives in LA. There are some really interesting things there I’ve never seen so I perked up. I’m sure there is better here but I direct your attention to their Portuguese Curry Pork Chop Rice.

WhyBeeSea wrote:

nsxtasy wrote:I've never heard of it either. Maybe it's good, maybe it's not, but I can assure you that a place that people here never heard of doesn't belong in the "don't miss" category.

This forum is amazing and informative but this statement is absolutely insane.

The merits of this place aside, to assume that a restaurant that hasn't been discussed here cannot be fantastic is so myopic.

What's absolutely insane is what you're doing - claiming I said something I never said, and then arguing against it. Shame on you for that.

I'm sure there are places that nobody here knows about that are very good, and yes, maybe even "fantastic". But that doesn't at all mean they are "do not miss" on a first-time visit to Chicago. Not at all. If someone thinks a place is very good, others here can try it out and see if it's a one-time one-person opinion, or better than that - and, with others chiming in, maybe even become a board favorite, at least by a few people here. A place doesn't become a "do not miss" destination until it is vetted in this way. And, as it turns out, one poster here has actually been there and says it is "so so", supporting my original contention.

Eat With Gusto wrote:I’m sure there is better here but I direct your attention to their Portuguese Curry Pork Chop Rice.

If you're interested in a mash-up of Portuguese and Chinese food, I suggest going to Fat Rice, a Macanese restaurant (cuisine from Macao) that was already recommended above and legitimately belongs in the "do not miss" discussion.

Guys, not in front of company.

For what it’s worth (not much), Yelp claims My Place is closed. I’d call ahead before heading out.

cilantro wrote:Guys, not in front of company.

For what it’s worth (not much), Yelp claims My Place is closed. I’d call ahead before heading out.

Thanks. I’ve eaten so well here that I should just finally try a beef hot and sweet and call it a day. Or maybe the polish spot

The ham, the polenta and the pork belly at Publican are all still on my mind.

cilantro wrote:Guys, not in front of company.

For what it’s worth (not much), Yelp claims My Place is closed. I’d call ahead before heading out.

Website down, phone disconnected.

Doesn’t sound good.

Panther in the Den wrote:

cilantro wrote:Guys, not in front of company.

For what it’s worth (not much), Yelp claims My Place is closed. I’d call ahead before heading out.

Website down, phone disconnected.

Doesn’t sound good.

They are opening a place in South Loop FWIW.

marothisu wrote:Qing Xiang Yuan Dumpling. Best Dongbei style jiaozi in the US..

You and your wife win. But I feel like I’m about to win also. See? I’m moldable

Oh ok, these are basically Russian pelemeni but with much better filling options. Having mentioned they to the manager he brought over 2 Russians for me to converse with lol. Lovely place, thank you

nsxtasy wrote:I'm sure there are places that nobody here knows about that are very good, and yes, maybe even "fantastic". But that doesn't at all mean they are "do not miss" on a first-time visit to Chicago. Not at all. If someone thinks a place is very good, others here can try it out and see if it's a one-time one-person opinion, or better than that - and, with others chiming in, maybe even become a board favorite, at least by a few people here. A place doesn't become a "do not miss" destination until it is vetted in this way.

I think it's really bold to view this forum as such a perfectly efficient market of opinions and ideas that the true quality of a place, which is all that really matters for a place to be described as "do not miss", is priced into the reputation among various member comments. I assume when writing, one is only providing their own personal opinion, unless they state otherwise.

Eat With Gusto wrote:

marothisu wrote:Qing Xiang Yuan Dumpling. Best Dongbei style jiaozi in the US..

You and your wife win. But I feel like I’m about to win also. See? I’m moldable

Oh ok, these are basically Russian pelemeni but with much better filling options. Having mentioned they to the manager he brought over 2 Russians for me to converse with lol. Lovely place, thank you

LOL great. Glad you enjoy it. The owners are husband and wife and they started as just the 2 of them in the basement food court of the same building (great food there too....). They got a lot of press for these dumplings and were able to take the space they are in now from a Thai restaurant. No remodeling but the press continued and they got enough money to remodel the entire place. Everything in there is imported from China.

My wife, her parents, and I have made small friendship with the owners. Although I dont live in Chicago anymore, they still recognize us when we pass through a few times per year. My wife and her parents grew up where the owners are from.

Great thing is that they just opened up a fast concept for the same dumplings in downtown. They have investors lined up from China ready to pull the trigger on taking it to LA, SF, DC, etc if all goes well.

My wife and I live in NYC which has great chinese food (Flushing, Brooklyn, etc). My wife has never lived in Chicago but maintains these are the best dumplings she's had anywhere in the US whether in LA, SF, NYC, or beyond. Weve suggested to a few CA friends who will say "no thanks. We have good Chinese food in CA." A little arm twisting and they're shocked such good dumplings exist in Chicago. They are what my wife grew up on and if she thinks they are legit then I pass on the good word LOL

I'm typing this to you from a flight to China LOL. Going to be in the region where this restaurant is from for a week. Only been there for a day once before. Cant wait to see how QXYD compares for myself!