Everything that came out of the kitchen at RA Sushi in the Viagra Triangle. How are they in business. The rice bowl was inedible, and let's leave the hand rolls alone. I should of known, but we were desperate.

Hot mayo, tuna and cheese is not a good thing.

i'd have to disagree. you said the tuna melt was fried? that sounds bad, but i love a hot, open faced tuna melt with cheese. the mayo in the tuna salad is going to get warm-tastes great to me. one of my childhood faves which i've yet to get tired of. chacon a son gout. justjoan

I know this will irk some fans, but, seriously, the worst thing I’ve eaten lately was the chanterelle and comte 'bastilla' with salsify, fennel, caramelized endive, seckle pear, and saffron citronette from Lula Cafe.

Sound good? Wait. “Bastilla” is a 6" phyllo-pastry round filled with mushrooms and comte which first tasted of butter but then was quickly overwhelmed by way too much cinnamon (!) which entirely overwhelmed any mushroom or cheese taste. Why someone thought cinnamon would taste good with earthy mushrooms and comte is beyond me. The dish was only made worse by the side, which was supposed to be slow-poached fennel & endive but, in reality, was a salad of chunks of mostly raw fennel, endive and raw pears -- Jacques Pepin would have cried, wondering why no one cooks their vegetables anymore. A totally unbalanced and unpleasant dish with sweet the preeminent flavor and cinnamon providing a bitter taste which overwhelmed everything and permeated through your nose. And the pear, fennel and carmelized endive, which you had to crunch down, added nothing but more unpleasant sweetness to a dish which screamed, even pled, for savory. I felt like Colicchio when he wonders if the chef tasted the dish. When Lula was dirt cheap the liberties they took in experimentation were cute, even endearing, but at $18 for my vegetarian mini-pot pie, I expect better execution and conception.

aschie30 wrote:I know this will irk some fans, but, seriously, the worst thing I’ve eaten lately was the chanterelle and comte 'bastilla' with salsify, fennel, caramelized endive, seckle pear, and saffron citronette from Lula Cafe.

Actually cinnamon is a pretty authentic ingredient in Bastilla. The mushrooms, Comte and the other listed ingredients on the other hand....

This is just yet one more example of Lula taking liberties with traditional recipes and missing the mark. Lula - I still don't get it.

gleam wrote:The "Black and Blue Burger" from Brick House Tavern and Tap in DG. Apparently a new concept from the Joe's Crab Shack folks.

The burger was a thin, oblong patty, served on what appeared to be a subway roll, in terms of quality and shape. Bland, no char, with shredded iceberg and watery tomatoes. The sandwich just had no reason to exist. It should have never been made. It wasn't offensively bad, it was just... nothing.

The waitresses and hostesses were very pretty, though. I think that they're putting a lot more thought into hiring than into the menus.

From their website, since I doubt anyone else has ever bothered to photograph this particular piece of food:

I have to add my 2 cents after lunch here yesterday. My female coworker and I were about the only two women in the place who weren't serving. Our whole office went to lunch for the March Madness festivities. Gleam, though you didn't find your burger offensively bad, I found their website just as tasteless as their food. They show beer for example and write: I bet you want to tap this. They show a chair and say : sit on me etc. etc. The only reason I went to the site was to get the number to make reservations (they don't take them for groups under 20) The female wait staff sport many tats and piercings, but not too many smiles.

When it came time to order, one in our group ordered chicken wings with celery and blue cheese. He got the wings, but was told they had no celery. I thought of ordering a Bloody Mary, hold the Bloody...

My mistake was to order a salad which, like Gleam's burger, never should have been made. I bet they very few orders for salad here. The offering included iceberg lettuce dumped from a bag (not cold, not crispy, some greens turning brown). This was topped with a few pre-formed croutons which added no flavor. There was a bit of cheese (also seemed packaged) sprinkled over the mess with a few of the watery tomatoes. The balsamic dressing, tasted cheap and bottled. I think this was the worst salad I have ever attempted to eat in my life. (Well, there was a time when I was in high school when I was served a salad with a caterpillar walking through the middle of it, but at least it was fresh!! Nothing about this salad was tasty.

I agree with Gleam, this place is all show and no substance (if you're looking for food). At the Brickhouse Tavern and Tap, food seems very low on the list of priorities.

The shrimp po'boy at Twisted Spoke. Really overcooked and funky tasting shrimp (obviously frozen) making the sandwich practically inedible. The bread and accompanying tartar sauce were not good either, but the shrimp is what made this dish (and in a bad way). I wasn't expecting anything special, but this was beyond awful.

most shellfish is frozen, unless youre right were they catch them

MBK wrote:most shellfish is frozen, unless youre right were they catch them

...where's the dumbfounded smiley when you need it?

MBK wrote:most shellfish is frozen, unless youre right were they catch them

This is certainly true when it comes to shrimp, but what I meant was that the whole product, shrimp and breading, was probably sold in some massive bag for a very low price and was probably not meant for discerning consumers. I've had previously frozen shrimp countless times so I know it can taste a lot better than this.

Haagen-Dazs Five is a new line of ice creams in which the concept is "only five ingredients"--a "keeping it simple and pure" concept. For instance, the Ginger flavor of the ice cream prominently lists the ingredients on the front of the package as "milk, cream, sugar, eggs, ginger." And so forth with the other varieties. You get the idea. Three flavors of H-D 5 which I've had are good--Ginger, Coffee, and Mint. (The latter two especially good.) However, another flavor I've tried, Brown Sugar ("milk, cream, sugar, eggs, brown sugar") was absolutely vile. Disgusting. It didn't even taste like food. It tasted like chemicals not meant for human consumption. I seriously thought there might be something wrong with it--like, that it was tainted, and that I might get violently ill from eating it. This didn't happen, so I guess it wasn't. Which may be worse--it means it's supposed to taste that way.

Dinner at Habibi. The food wasn't horrible - shawarma on warmish, slightly tough pita - but the great clouds of smoke made what was otherwise OK into something vile. We spent the walk home debating over whether or not to call 311 (I say yes, because I like law and order and smokeless meals. He says no, because vicarious lawbreaking gives him a thrill. Marriage can be hard when one of you is 85 and the other 14).

Suzy Creamcheese wrote: Marriage can be hard when one of you is 85 and the other 14).

Whopper value meal. I haven't eaten one for years, but we were late for soccer and I thought, stupidly, that it would at least be fast. I remember having a fondness for Whoppers in college, and it's hard to say whether they've changed or whether I have, but the flaccid grey striped burger and the french toast sticks they're passing off as fries are something I never want near my mouth again.

creamed spinach at Shaw's. bleech. made with some kind of fake sauce which i am at a loss to describe. a gloopy mess. just nasty.

I went to lunch today at La Cocina on Lake and Randolph and ordered the chile releno taco and it was awful. The chile was fried in almost a pancake like batter and had zero taste and the cheese inside was lacking. Oh and it was luke warm.

Mhays, BK changed their fries I think about ten years ago? You've described them perfectly, they're totally disgusting. they remind me of oven fries that are battered in an attempt to make them crispy, yech. and really, if it's a potato that's been fried and covered in salt, I will eat it and enjoy it. for someone make fries I find disgusting is quite a feat.

Blueberry scone from Cafe Society on 18th and Indiana. Should have been called a scon't, because words scon't begin to describe how awful it was.

I'm with you Sweet Salty and MHays. Burger King fries. Covered with some questionable bad tasting coating. Yecch!

Red Snapper at Davis Street Fishmarket Evanston, a horrible trimmed piece of fish with huge blood line and to make it worse it was overcooked and dry. And a big pile of cold pasty mashed potatoes didn't help things either.

At the Gateway Bar & Grill in lovely Crivitz, WI, had a short stack of pancakes that was so rubbery (yet still oddly fluffy) that I had to saw it with a butter knife to cut pieces off. Served with a side of undercooked scrambled eggs, bacon that was half charred within an inch of its life and half rubbery and barely cooked, and toast that was basically cold bread with some charred grill lines. I suspect they might've had a new guy working the grill, because in past years they had some of the better diner-style breakfast I've encountered.

On the plus side, the bloody mary was excellent and had one of the best pickles I've ever had...crunchy & garlicky. I'm a little annoyed with myself for not asking where they get their pickles, in case it was some place nearby so I could've stocked up.

Dropped my dog off at the vet and had 6 hours to wait, instead of driving back to the northside, we decided to hang out in the Burbank area. Needed some lunch and had The Super Sampler from Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe. Horrible brisket, cold pulled pork and cold ribs. The menu boast "Tender slices of our hickory smoked beef brisket (we smoke our brisket for 12 hours)".... no way. This Texas girl loves brisket, and what they served was a horrible imitation. No smoke ring or smoke flavor, thinly sliced and the color of italian beef meat or Arby's beef. I hate my brisket sliced thin, but I could deal with it if it had some flavor. Good brisket shouldn't have to be drenched in sauce to be edible.

When two BBQ lovers share a plate (had a late breakfast and we wanted to try a few things) and left a half eaten plate on the table, somethings wrong. One of my lunch companions order the brisket sandwich and hated it, said the bun was old. The mac and cheese was okay. Will not go back.

Dundee Pizza & Grill, Northbrook, Illinois, in a strip mall on the sw corner of Dundee and Pfingsten. This place used to be a "Chicago's Best Pizza" - home of buy one get one free mediocre pizza. Well, for a few months now, a new owner has come in, and their menu has expanded to include some "mediterranean" foods. Shawarma, kifta, shis kebab, dill rice, and a few other things. I took one for the team. They have a combo plate, three different meats, dill rice, two sauces and pita. (Same meat listings as pita inn, minus the falafel, and plus dill rice instead of yellow "pilaf." I hoped for ther best, even though DDP&G combo was 8.00 instead of Pita Inn's 3.95)
The owner was there, struck up a conversation (He was Indian, by the way.) I suggested he offer one or two Indian specials every few days or so from one big pot. This area is devoid of anything Indian (and cheap.) We went back and forth inbetween him being so surprised I knew so much about Indian food, and him saying how surprised I was going to be at how good the combo plate I was about to get would be. Took the food back to the ol office. The rice was ok. The meats were predominantly salt. I could taste nothing else. I took one bit of each meat. The second bite of each meat I spit out. The sauces: One was not a tahini sauce, but more of a raita. The only flavor was salt. The hot sauce (which the owner said only Indian and Mexican ppl like because it's so hot! ) was sriracha or sambal olek straight from the jar. I threw about 95% of my 8.00 lunch away, and went to the Dominick's on Dundee and Sanders for a sammich. I'd have LOVED to have that meal taken to a lab and analized for the sodium content. Totally inedible except the rice. I went to Pita Inn for therapy the next day. I'll probably have to go to PI for more therapy today after reliving that experience through writing this. Yuck. I mean YUCK.

MoodyGirl wrote:Dropped my dog off at the vet and had 6 hours to wait, instead of driving back to the northside, we decided to hang out in the Burbank area. Needed some lunch and had The Super Sampler from Chuck's Southern Comforts Cafe. Horrible brisket, cold pulled pork and cold ribs. The menu boast "Tender slices of our hickory smoked beef brisket (we smoke our brisket for 12 hours)".... no way. This Texas girl loves brisket, and what they served was a horrible imitation. No smoke ring or smoke flavor, thinly sliced and the color of italian beef meat or Arby's beef. I hate my brisket sliced thin, but I could deal with it if it had some flavor. Good brisket shouldn't have to be drenched in sauce to be edible.

When two BBQ lovers share a plate (had a late breakfast and we wanted to try a few things) and left a half eaten plate on the table, somethings wrong. One of my lunch companions order the brisket sandwich and hated it, said the bun was old. The mac and cheese was okay. Will not go back.

I'll agree with you on the barbecue at Chuck's -- I know some people who love it, but I've always found it to be pretty mediocre, or worse.

That said, if you went back and tried some of the other menu items -- the chicken fried chicken, etoufee, the chili, or one of the great specials like the cochinita pibil, mexican pot roast, or the chilorio enchiladas -- you might have a different opinion. My feeling is that the barbecue is easily the weakest part of the menu at Chuck's.

Of course, you might go back, try those dishes, and come away with the exact same opinion. Different strokes.

LTH,

Curly's Pulled pork BBQ at Costo, Niles. Sweet little lady handing out samples looked right at me and said "good isn't it?" I nodded, smiled, walked in back of her to the conveniently placed garbage can and deposited the offensive sweet fake hickory flavored mush where it belonged.

On the other hand, a sample of Amy's chicken andouille sausage was good enough to have me consider buying a Costco size package.

Enjoy,
Gary

G Wiv wrote:
On the other hand, a sample of Amy's chicken andouille sausage was good enough to have me consider buying a Costco size package.

Enjoy,
Gary

I bet they would go great on a smoker.................

Habibi wrote:

G Wiv wrote:
On the other hand, a sample of Amy's chicken andouille sausage was good enough to have me consider buying a Costco size package.

Enjoy,
Gary

I bet they would go great on a smoker.................

We are fans of Costco's Amy's chicken andouille and have made it on the grill or as part of jambalaya. You only have to use a third at a time, if I recall correctly, and can keep the rest in the freezer.

Chintaown last night. NO Camera. How I wished I brought it, but we planned on going to LSC, but went strolling, and wound up at Double Li. I like to try new places, so does wife 1.0. I remember reading about the raves here, and also saw the lth display in the window. We were with a family of four non-too-adventurous (2 kids, 2 adult,) so we had to keep it way tame. The Szechuan (y) stuff that we ordered (Dan Dan Noodles, and Szechuan Dumplings) were pretty darn good - although the wife and I thought LSC was better. But, the Ameri-Chinese "General Tso's Chicken was vile. Pure vileness. Check this out - it was clear. The sauce was clear. Imagine the over use of cornstarch in a clear sauce. It was sweet, sticky, gelatinous, and CLEAR. If you grabbed a piece of the chicken, it would produce strings of clear viscous glop. It looked like a scene out of one of the "Alien" movies. Seriously - just GROSS!

How do Chinese food chefs view this as appetizing? Or, is this more of a "Check out what these ppl will eat <snicker, snicker>" kind of thing to them?

Also ordered beef with peapods. The beef was well past it's prime. It had that "purple" flavor to it. I think each of us had one taste, and about 98% of the platter went untouched.

Seebee,

I appreciate that Double Li has that American stuff on the menu, so it would be nice for the kitchen to make a go of it; but really, it's not too hard to fathom how this happens. The places that are most likely to have uncompromising authentic cuisine from the homeland are also the most likely to treat the gringo accommodations as afterthoughts or with disdain. A less sinister and equally likely possibility is that a cook who just got here from Beijing or Guadalajara might not know from sweet n' sour chicken nuggets or nachos del grande. Some of the better Thai places in town have abysmal Ameri-Thai, and for me, American-Chinese doesn't get much worse than what I've had at my beloved Katy's (ordered under similar conditions you described). I'm not saying restaurants should keep gringo stuff on the menu if they can't/won't cook it. Just observing. Maybe we can set up a program where we take these fresh-from-INS chefs to Panda Express and Chi-Chi's so they can see and taste what the "American" side of the menu is supposed to be like.

I hear you, but I think a better way to do it would be for them to taste what they are preparing. Especially after it cools off a bit, and turns into the cornstarch laden goo. Who are the ppl that LIKE stuff like that?

seebee wrote:I think a better way to do it would be for them to taste what they are preparing.

See, it sounds simple enough, but I'm just not sure that can work. If the cook believes, whether through ignorance, misinformation, limited information, or pure bigotry that Americans' systems will violently reject piquance, funkiness, or flavor that someone from the old country would consider mild, isn't the easiest thing to err in favor of clear goo? Maybe that first busload of active seniors from Central Iowa calibrated the cooks' palate for the gringo stuff. You just never know.