Great Chowday

I just moved to River West from La Grange. Since moving, I’ve been trying to attack as many places as I can to make up for lost city-time. I’ve been somewhat of a lurker in the past but have decided with such great access to so much food, it is time that I share my experiences with others. Hopefully my future posts will not be so long-winded but I couldn’t help myself.

I took a trip to Bari Saturday, right about noon. I picked up a fresh mozzarella and prosciutto with red peppers 12-incher. I ran next door to D’Amatos and grabbed a loaf of white and a cherry slice. The sandwich was outstanding. It will be my new standard order(I love their Italian but between the salami, mortadella, giardianera, and the oil(with vinegar), it has proven to be a little rough on my stomach). I loved how the three elements came together with perfect balance. The creamy freshness of the mozz against the salty tang of the prosciutto joined together with the sweetness of the pepper to form a true culinary delight.

I faded in and out of a nap while I waited for a buddy to come over. He arrived about 3:00 and we headed to the Peoria Packing Plant(I have seen Cathy2’s wonderful picture post and had to see it in person). What an experience! I’ll have to remember to bundle up next time as my shorts and sandals didn’t quite hold up to the chill in the meat emporium. We next took a trip south to Chinatown. We went to Wok’s n Such and chatted up the owner Ken. He recommended a 14 inch wok with 14 guage steel. I was a little disappointed that his choice was made by Joyce Chen. I was expecting him to have a lesser known product imported from China but the wok was impressive looking nonetheless.

We arrived back at my place just in time to catch D Lee seal another Cubs come from behind victory. We enjoyed a little pre-night-of-drinking appetizer. I took the bread I had secured earlier, sliced it up and served it with a mixture of freshly grated Parmaggiano Reggiano and EVOO with a pinch of kosher salt. It was a great treat and perfect to soak up the libations we were planning to consume…Our next stop was the Matchbox for a bloody and a beer back. It had the perfect spice and great flavor with a nice relish stick to complement.

Next we took a cab to Smith & Wollensky. This was my second trip and I’ve badly wanted to love it both times. I was not happy after my first trip and decided I owed it a return trip. We arrived right about 7:00 and decided to sit at the bar. We ordered some cocktails and asked if it would be possible to take a peak at the meat. The bartender processed our request and told us it could be a little while. As it is their busy time and the National Restaurant Association was in town, we were more than understanding. After a little more than an hour had passed I asked if the bartender could check again to see if we had been forgotten. There was no rush as we were having a good time chatting up other patrons and the bartenders. We finally got to see the meat about 8:45. That seems like a long time but like I said we were enjoying ourselves and did not mind the wait. The viewing confirmed what I was pretty sure was going to happen going in. Bone in ribeye for myself and the porterhouse for my friend with a standard 3-4 ounce swap to try both. I feel that the ribeye is the most volatile of all the standard cuts of meat. If I want to play it safe, I go with a strip but when I’m trying to hit a home run, I love to try the ribeye. The terrific marbling combined with dry-aging can provide an oumame zing that can knock you off your chair. The shame was that the steak was a swing and miss all the way. I was really underwhelmed again by the meat. I was so disappointed. There was no sign of the salty, savory oomph that I expect of dry aged meat. It lacked the depth and extra gear that their meat should possess. As I said, I desperately wanted to like it. I wanted to add S&W to the rotation but it looks like Capital Grille and DB’s Primehouse will remain my go-to’s.

After hitting a couple bars, we cabbed it back to D’Agostino’s where we put down a beer and waited for a carry out pie. We got back and washed down our disappointing steaks with a sausage pie and some cold brews. My friend had heard great things about D'Agostino's. We weren't disappointed nor were we blown away. We capped the night off with a cigar and a viewing of Jaws out on the deck. It was a beautiful day to be a gourmand. I can’t wait to see what the summer brings. Hopefully more days like this are on the way.

Holy long post Batman. What a day for you all.

Couldn't agree more about that sub from Bari and what it does to your stomach. It pretty much detonated a full-on nuclear catastrophe in mine which I haven't seen the likes of since a trip to a Cancun street vendor.

Also, I agree with S&W bone-in ribeye. Was there a couple of weeks ago (in DC nonetheless) and had the same problem. First one they served was overcooked (by a large margin) and at $46 bucks a pop I sent it back. She said "Noproblem, only will take a coupleof minutes". She comes back with another overcooked piece. I couldn't bear to send another back (I was with a work group and didn't want to be "that" guy).

My question for S&W and maybe any other expensive steakhouse, do they let their meat carry-over cook at all?

Ack....sorry my post is one giant paragraph.

That makes for an annoying read. Live and learn, I guess.

Sweet Willi, you can always edit the post if you want, but it is not necessary. Welcome to LTH!

Nice day, but I do believe that your list of activities would have actually killed me.

What, no dessert?? I think you could've wedged in something sweet from Hot Chocolate between the steak and pizza

Next time. Next time!

Did I forget to mention that we stopped by the chocolate buffet at the Peninsula? Just kidding. I may have exploded if I tried. The cherry slice with lunch was sweet enough to get me through the whole day

Sounds a bit like mine and Pete's Big Adventure from a few years ago:

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/114873? ... 0adventure

the wife and i used to live in the neighborhood. i always liked dags as a standard pie/quick deliver, but i am partial to a sweeter sauce...some are not.

you can always try pie-eyed on chicago ave around the corner...pretty good pie and open till 5am

also, keep in mind that dags serves homers ice cream if you need a neighborhood quick dessert

iblock glad to see that someone agrees with me on the sauce at dags. It used to be our go to place, as they sell a santa margarita pinot grigio for $21, which is remarkable. But, we found the sauce just becoming way too sweet, but like you said, some people like that. I am more of a savory eater, it became too overpowering for me. Our takeout place is John's Pizza on Western, man is that good pie. Of course, Coal Fire just being up the road, is a good choice too, but doesn't have that I'm so full feeling a John's pizza has.