The cards have always been a point of conversation whenever we've used them with friends. I really enjoyed the 2009 deck & I didn't put a dent in the cards.

Recently a friend called me & asked where we should go for a birthday dinner. I gave her some names from my deck of cards and we landed at Sweets & Savories. It was a wonderful meal.

In 2009, I used 17 a la cards (a $170 value), so I had long ago recouped the $30 ante on the deck. The great thing about A La Card is that it challenges you to hit up as many restaurants as possible in the deck. Some are places that I know I already like, and some (especially in the 2009 deck) I wouldn’t necessarily go to, but could be nudged by a $10 discount. Here’s where I went, and my thoughts on them:

Big Jones – My first and only visit was with an a la card. I was looking forward to the visit because I really liked Big Jones’ pork belly contribution to the 2009 Green City Market BBQ. My one meal there was okay; not bad. Food was reasonably priced. It’s in the 2010 deck, but I probably won’t be rushing back.

Crust – My thoughts on my Crust visit are here. Crust is not part of the 2010 deck, so this is a non-issue.

David Burke’s Primehouse – Normally, I'm a David Burke’s fan – but for the dry-aged steak and burger. Really, those two items are the only items I like on Burke’s menu. So, for some reason, a la card in hand, I decided to try the American Dim Sum Brunch, where they stuffed you silly with a variety of items – starting with a pancake and ending with steak, IIRC. The only things I recall liking during the Dim Sum Brunch were the pancake (I kid you not; it was a perfectly executed pancake with real maple syrup) and the corned beef eggs benedict. The other items were either cold, executed poorly, or lacking flavor. Anyway, when I use the Burke’s a la card in 2010, it will be for either the burger or the steak, although $10 off won’t make a dent in the price of a Burke’s steak.

Eve – My one and only visit to Eve – lunch – was with my a la card. Eve is one of those restaurants that touts a local, seasonal mantra. They also tout their creative takes on “burgers,” such as a lamb “burger,” or a bulgogi “burger.” We had both of those burgers, which were fine, executed about as well as any high end burger these days, but our starters – an oyster dish and a middle-of-the-growing season salad, were about as bad as anything I’ve eaten this year. The oyster dish was plated oddly, included strange accompaniments (which I can’t quite recall), and the salad greens did not taste particularly fresh, the leaves were wet and it was not well dressed. I’ll probably give Eve another try, though, in 2010.

Hot Chocolate –Hot Chocolate was a mid-year a la card visit, probably about 6 or 7 restaurants into the pack. I went late summer specifically for the burger, which was anointed by Chicago Magazine as second best in 2009. It was a well-executed burger. If Kuma's burgers are manly, tough concoctions for the strong of heart, the Hot Chocolate burger, by contrast, is a feminine, dainty burger. At about 1/3 lb., it’s a little smaller than the typical burger these days, but the Heartland beef is excellent quality, hand-formed, and the fresh (probably housemade), sesame bun is a cute take on the McDonald’s standard. Also in a very feminine way, the burger is dressed with restraint – just enough of a well-chosen Carr Valley aged cheddar lent the burger silent strength, and two moderate sized rashers of bacon make the statement that this is not diet food, but also not an exercise in manly gluttony. This was my third or fourth visit to Hot Chocolate. It probably won’t be one of the first five a la cards I use in 2010, but I’ll probably go back there, especially for dessert.

Jerry’s - Oddly, one of the first a la cards I used in 2009. I must have been in the mood for a beer and a sandwich. Although it was my first visit to the fancy, Division St. digs, I had been to Jerry’s more casual place on Madison. I’ve never been terribly impressed by Jerry’s sandwiches – middling quality fillings + boring combinations + indifferent assemblage = an okay, but generally unsatisfying, meal. Which is too bad, because the space at Jerry’s on Division is comfortable and inviting and the beer list is way more interesting than the sandwich menu. If only they’d execute a soul-satisfying sandwich . . . where’s Dagwood? Anyway, not part of the 2010 deck, so it’s a non-issue.

Lula Cafe – My experience with Lula during my a la card visit was nothing to write home about. I had been to Lula before this a la card visit and, it was just as unimpressive as prior visits. I probably won’t be rushing to use this 2010 a la card, if at all.

Mado – One of the best a la cards in the pack. In fact, when I bought the 2010 deck early, another 2009 deck was thrown in gratis, so I actually used two Mado a la cards in 2009. Mado’s in the 2010 deck, and I’m happy for that. Will probably be one of the first 2010 a la cards I use.

Mana Food Bar – A sleeper; this a la card was used late December for my first visit there. For a la card use, I like Mana Food Bar. Like Manny’s and Smoque below, this was one of the “deal” a la cards. We split an appetizer and three small portions of pasta, all of which generously fed two people for $16 food cost (including the a la card $10 discount). As for the food, it’s fine, but not great (don’t get me started on the presence of asparagus on the menu in December), and I think the chef overcompensates by aggressively seasoning the vegetarian food. The food is, however, homey and comforting in its own way, the prices are extremely reasonable, and the atmosphere cozy. I’ll be happy to return to Mana with the 2010 a la card.

Manny’s Deli – Eating in a cafeteria is not normally something I’d do for dinner, so I wasn’t in a rush to use the Manny’s a la card. (After a day of working under florescent lights, I don’t desire later eating dinner under them.) Late fall, however, I found an excuse to hit Manny’s for Saturday lunch, which was quite fine. In order to make the $25 minimum to trigger the a la card discount, I had lunch with a friend, and we ordered a pastrami sandwich (to split), two bowls of chicken soup with kreplach and two cookies (the cookies edging us over the minimum). A damn satisfying lunch for about $16 (including the discount). Good deal. I’ll be using the Manny’s a la card for lunch in 2010.

May Street Market – I like MSM, and this was the first a la card I used. It’s not in the 2010 deck, unfortunately.

Mexique – This was the second a la card I used, and Mexique got double a la card use when I acquired the second 2009 pack. I think Mexique is a very underrated restaurant. I’ve always had good meals there and the lunches are especially good. The chef, Carlos Gaytan, is talented and very hands-on in his kitchen – he’s always there, actually cooking! There are very few restaurants in the city where the executive chef is actually cooking your lunch. It’s in the 2010 deck, thankfully.

Naha – This was another restaurant that got the double a la card treatment. I really like Naha for lunch – it has a varied, appealing menu, such as interesting salads, burgers, sandwiches, pastas, and light entrees. I also really enjoy Naha’s wood-grilled burger, repeatedly touted as one of the best burgers in the city, deservedly so, IMO. NAHA also happily returns to the 2010 deck.

Piccolo Sogno – This is in the 2010 deck, but I have mixed feelings about this place. My one and only visit was mid-Fall (relatively late for my a la card travails). We tried a variety of items, including a slightly expensive pizza; marked up because it had black truffle on it. Whe we ate it, we did not taste any black truffle, but more than that, there was no character to the pizza at all. Pasta dishes featured housemade pasta, but a run-of-the-mill squash ravioli had an unpleasant sourness to the filling. Aside from the misfire with the ravioli, mostly everything else we tried was bland. I’ll probably give it another go, but it won’t be one of the first 5, or even 10, places I go to out of the 2010 deck.

Smoque – It’s in the 2010 deck and I probably won’t be rushing back there. I’ve fought the crowds at Smoque before the visit in which I used the alacard, and it’s admirable that Smoque has crowd control almost down to a science (I say almost because it’s apparently okay to have one person hold a place in line while six of that person’s friends show up at the last minute when the “placeholder” is one person from the register.) For me, though, Smoque is all about the sides. Almost every side I’ve had here –fries, beans, chili, and peach cobbler (I guess that’s dessert) – is great. The meat – eh, not so much. Pulled pork is bland and low on the smoke flavor. The brisket is likewise low on smoke flavor, and has a soft, mushy texture reminiscent of nursing home food. The Texas-style sausage, with its crunchy exterior, moist interior, and smoky, kielbasa flavor, was the standout of the meats. The a la card deal on food at Smoque for two people was like Manny’s – 2 people’s lunch just edged over the $25 minimum, which made it an excellent deal. Way too much food for less than $10/person. Given the disappointment with the meat at Smoque (that is only worsened by my stellar experience at Honey 1 yesterday), I’ll gladly fold my Smoque a la card and pay for an undiscounted meal at Honey 1 any day. (I note that the 2010 deck includes another BBQ place, Honky Tonk. I'll have to try them and see how it compares.)

Spacca Napoli – I used this one early, especially for a visit from an out-of-town friend. (By out-of-town, I mean Aurora.) As a former city dweller, she was a huge fan of Spacca Napoli, and as I had not been there in over a year, I thought it would be a nice homecoming for the both of us. Unfortunately, the flaccid, bland crusts (which were not crispy even on the collars!) did not live up to our memories. It was nice to have the $10 a la card discount, but we still were in for $40 pp (including wine), so it really didn’t seem like much of a deal. It’s in the 2010 deck, but I probably won’t be rushing to use it, sadly.

The Bristol – Like Mado and Naha, this a la card was used twice. I like The Bristol, and even though it has lagged a bit lately in the creativity department, the kitchen still produces thoughtful, well-executed meals. I find that if I hit The Bristol at 5 and sit at the bar, the service is great – chatty and attentive. I’ll be using the 2010 Bristol a la card early on in the year, no doubt.

Looking forward to in 2010:

Unlike the 2009 deck, that included several places that I thought were fine, but was not exactly dying to try, the 2010 has a lot of places I’m looking forward to trying for the first time, such as Taxim, Kith and Kin (the current replacement for the Table alacard, as it has not opened yet), Gemini Bistro, Rustico Grill, Ceres’ Table and Fianco, as well as places I’d like to go back to, such as Blue 13, Nightwood, Cemitas Puebla, Birchwood Kitchen, The Gage, Le Colonial, Vie, and of course, last year’s a la card mainstays, Mado, The Bristol and Mexique.

aschie30 wrote:In 2009, I used 17 a la cards (a $170 value), so I had long ago recouped the $30 ante on the deck. The great thing about A La Card is that it challenges you to hit up as many restaurants as possible in the deck. Some are places that I know I already like, and some (especially in the 2009 deck) I wouldn’t necessarily go to, but could be nudged by a $10 discount.

You just reminded me that I have 3 days to use 43 cards. I didn't get my deck until late but broke even in August. Some places I would not have tried but I looked for matches between GNR's & a la card & stumbled on a winner with Sweets & Savories & Rob has me loving beets at Mado (my 1st visit was unremarkable). I think I better order my new deck now.

A la Card worked out great for my wife and me. The only problem we had was accidentally leaving the deck at home a few times when we could have used it.

Darren72 wrote:A la Card worked out great for my wife and me. The only problem we had was accidentally leaving the deck at home a few times when we could have used it.

I keep mine in the car or in my purse. It's not too burdensome.

Hey there! It's Natasha from A la Card.

Announcing A la Card Chicago's Half-Off Spring Sale!

50% Off. Today only. Online only. Expires 3.24.10.

promo code: SPRING2010

more info: http://alacardchicago.com/Spring2010.html

Cheers!

Fantastic! We enjoyed using A La Cards last year. I just placed my order.

a la card chicago wrote:Hey there! It's Natasha from A la Card.

Announcing A la Card Chicago's Half-Off Spring Sale!

50% Off. Today only. Online only. Expires 3.24.10.

promo code: SPRING2010

more info: http://alacardchicago.com/Spring2010.html

Cheers!

Done.

Happy New Year, LTHers!!

TODAY ONLY: 20% off "A la Card Chicago" restaurant decks -- Valentine's Day Promo -- Give Good Eats!

http://alacardchicago.com/ValentinesDay2011.html promo code: VAL2011 | valid online only | expires Feb 4



2011 A la Card restaurants (those in blue are new to the 2011 deck):

Arami, Balsan, Big Jones, Birchwood Kitchen, Bistro Campagne, Blokes & Birds, Blue 13, Boka, Bonsoirée, The Bristol, The Butcher & Larder, C-House Restaurant, Cemitas Puebla, Ceres' Table, Chizakaya, Crust Eat Real, David Burke's Primehouse, Deleece, Floriole, The Gage, Gemini Bistro, HB Home Bistro, Hot Chocolate, Hot Doug's, Inovasi, Juicy, Karyn's, Katsu, Kith & Kin, Le Colonial, Longman & Eagle, Lula Cafe, Mana Food Bar, Mexique, MK, Naha, Nightwood, One Sixtyblue, Piccolo Sogno, The Portage, Ruxbin, Salpicón, Smoque BBQ, Socca, Sola, Spacca Napoli, Takashi, Taxim, Tiny Lounge, Uncommon Ground, Vie, and Vincent

Bidding farewell to Winter, and welcoming Spring with a killer deal -- TODAY ONLY: 50% off
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a la card chicago wrote:Bidding farewell to Winter, and welcoming Spring with a killer deal -- TODAY ONLY: 50% off
http://alacardchicago.com/SpringOffer2011.html

Done. Thanks for the reminder.

It's that time of year again....

Bidding farewell to Winter, and welcoming Spring with a killer deal -- TODAY ONLY: 50% off
http://alacardchicago.com/Spring2012.html

Picked one up, thanks for the reminder!