Best thing I have had lately are two things.... the guacamole and the carne asada quesadilla at El Pollo Vagabundo on Grand Avenue in Northlake IL.

The guacamole easily may be the best I ever had in a restaurant. This is a hole in the wall dive take out chargrilled chicken place...but the owner and his wife put their heart into their restaurant.. I actually see the wife mashing the avocados herself.. And their flour tortillas are fresh. There is a woman who makes them by hand each day.

Don't know why this quesadilla was good... it just was.

best guacamole ever... chunky with tomatoes and cilantro and onions....

King Oyster Mushrooms on Fried Bread at Publican

charcoal grilled lamb burger, cooked medium rare, served with feta cheese & aioli on roll from Obed & Isaac's in Springfield IL. (mentioned in Springfield IL thread here: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4338 )

Ordered a Bloody Mary yesterday at Farmhouse in Evanston. It came with the usual assortment of doodads on top. Including a small strip of what appeared to be heavily smoked bacon. It was smoked and dried...brisket and it was out of this world. "Juicier" than jerky but not by too much, absolutely packed with flavor.

The petite chocolate brownie at Le Pain de Quotetidian (sp) in the French Market in Olgivie train station. OMG such rich chocolate taste.

Warm salmon collar/head fresh from the smoker at Calumet Fisheries yesterday. Smokily aromatic, warm gelatinous, fatty salmon essence that was not only the best thing I have eaten lately, but one of the best things I have eaten, period.

bw77 wrote:Warm salmon collar/head fresh from the smoker at Calumet Fisheries yesterday. Smokily aromatic, warm gelatinous, fatty salmon essence that was not only the best thing I have eaten lately, but one of the best things I have eaten, period.

A huge +1 to that! Best served with a couple cans of Tecate on the lake whilst fending off pigeons. The cheeks within are among my favorite bites of all time, and the eye goop is the gift that keeps on giving- go ahead bw77, smell your fingers- that smoke lasts for days!

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Sweetbread wrote:

bw77 wrote:Warm salmon collar/head fresh from the smoker at Calumet Fisheries yesterday. Smokily aromatic, warm gelatinous, fatty salmon essence that was not only the best thing I have eaten lately, but one of the best things I have eaten, period.

A huge +1 to that! Best served with a couple cans of Tecate on the lake whilst fending off pigeons. The cheeks within are among my favorite bites of all time, and the eye goop is the gift that keeps on giving- go ahead bw77, smell your fingers- that smoke lasts for days!

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I have to confess that I've never tried the eyes. I still have the remains in the fridge, so l'll give it a go.

Okay, the eyeball itself was not that great, but the "goop" behind the eye was fantastic. Thanks for the tip, I'd been missing out on that bit.

Polish with Mustard, Grilled Onions & Giardiniera at Poochie's



(I've been gone for a while and a Chicago dog/polish was calling my name)

stevez wrote:Polish with Mustard, Grilled Onions & Giardiniera at Poochie's



(I've been gone for a while and a Chicago dog/polish was calling my name)

LOVE THAT PLACE. Mom has been taking me there since I was very young.

Fried chicken, lima beans, and collard greens from 6978 Soul Food, located at 6978 West North Avenue in Chicago.

Crispy, lightly seasoned chicken, really savory lima beans and greens. This was my first time there and i was pleasantly surprised. Nice staff , good prices (12.95 for my two piece chicken meal, with 3 sides, bread, dessert and drink), and pleasant atmosphere.

I went to Chicago Q for the first time this week. I ordered a rack of their "Champion" Baby back ribs and they were some of the best I've ever had.

The crispy tripe tacos at El Taco Sabroso on 83rd and Pulaski. Crispy, chewy yet tender and a bit smokey on nicely griddled tortillas-fantastic. I've had the asada, lengua and tripas tacos there all have been very good.

El Taco Sabroso
8346 S Pulaski
773-735-4900

The fabulous, lightly smoked Goose breast served at last night's Barn & Co. Pitmaster dinner! The Goose Pastrami was also delicious but it was the succulent, perfectly seasoned, but otherwise naked slices of Goose breast which I can't stop thinking about. GWiv and team knocked the entire meal out of the park. Hoping someone will post pics--pretty gorgeous stuff!

boudreaulicious wrote:Hoping someone will post pics--pretty gorgeous stuff!

Someone did.

The Jamba-Mess(jambalaya topped with crawfish etouffee) was out of sight yesterday at Cajun Connection for lunch. Smokey jambalaya with large chunks of pork shoulder and sausage. And the etouffee - tender crawfish tails, and the sauce(buttery and mudbug rich with flavor) - was finger across the plate to get the last drop great.

Between that dish, some fried shrimps, a bowl of gumbo and a basket of bread I was down for a nap when I got home.

Cheese curds and a medium rare Edmund Fig-Gerald with a Crabbe's ginger beer - yum! Went with a few friends who had never been, but love good burgers. The curds were light, not greasy and nice and stretchy. The sauce was a little boring, but the curds were so good that it wasn't a big deal. The burger was cooked perfectly, and the fig and bacon relish was delish!

FYI, knitgirl went to the Bad Apple.

Octarine wrote:FYI, knitgirl went to the Bad Apple.

yep, spaced when I was writing that!

Chicken Fried Chicken at Dove's, enjoyed both on Friday and again on Sunday. If you haven't been to Dove's yet, I suggest you put it at the top of your list.

Ronna

Handmade Rigatoni from the newly opened BarTucci on Harlem brought to you by the great people from Pasta Fresh next door.

Had a friend in town and at the end of a day-long epic eating adventure (Trenchermen, Big Jones, Khan BBQ, Burt's, DMK) when we weren't remotely hungry, we went to The Publican. The stellar pate with cranberry mostarda rendered my lack of appetite irrelevant. I'd never had the pate there before; I'll never go again without ordering it.

Teresa wrote:"crack-like" dry chili dishes (Dry Chili Chicken at Lao Sze Chuan...

I didn't know this was the "crack" when I had it at the holiday party. But I although my mouth was on fire I went back for thirds. Then I told my parents I wanted to go to Lao's for Christmas this year, and I had it again. I am quite glad to know this addiction. I think I may have to order this for a work function, knowing that the peppers will scare people away.

Pie Lady wrote:

Teresa wrote:"crack-like" dry chili dishes (Dry Chili Chicken at Lao Sze Chuan...

I didn't know this was the "crack" when I had it at the holiday party. But I although my mouth was on fire I went back for thirds. Then I told my parents I wanted to go to Lao's for Christmas this year, and I had it again. I am quite glad to know this addiction. I think I may have to order this for a work function, knowing that the peppers will scare people away.

It actually isn't. Chicken Crack is the 3-chili chicken. We'd requested that dish in a menu modfication but the request was lost in the shuffle, so the dish we were served was actually the dry chili chicken (which I personally feel is the superior dish).

=R=

Well I guess I'll have to try this one too. Any excuse to go back is a good one.

Blackbird: whole wheat pierogis filled with fresh farmer's cheese, with crispy Brussels sprout leaves, maitake mushrooms, a phenomenal kielbasa-sour cream broth, and preserved duck egg. Really an outstanding dish and the first thing I've had since Dave Posey left. Knocked it out of the ballpark for me.

The cauliflower with green romesco sauce, raisins and pine nuts, and the oxtail special at Vera. The cauliflower raised that much overlooked vegetable to new heights offering actual flavor and crunch to a blank canvas vegetable, and the oxtail was tender with just enough chew in a glorious beefy sauce reduction accompanied by a rich potato puree. We also had a wonderful off menu seared foie gras accompanied onions caramelized in balsamic. If you had described this to me I would have thought the onions would overwhelm the foie, but slowly cooked with the balsamic they perfectly cut the richness with both a touch of sweetness and acid. What a way to spend a snowy evening in Chicago.

I'll do you one better, cauliflower with ... cauliflower. There's an Israeli "street food" restaurant in Tel Aviv (also in Paris) that makes a killer cauliflower. Olive oil, sea salt and nothing else. A whole head, steaming hot from the oven:

Went to Yassa African Restaurant the other day, which is mainly a Senagalese (west African - though they have a few dishes from countries like Ivory Coast) restaurant and possibly the only Senagalese restaurant in town. They recently moved from 79th in Chatham to 35th in Bronzeville (possibly a smart move?). I'd heard about them before but never had the chance to get down there. 35th and King, their new location, is much easier for me to get to. Regardless, I had the shrimp which was really good but my friend's chicken was honestly some of the best chicken i've had anywhere in the world. I mean seriously.....if only more people knew about this place.