Chicago Chophouse

A recent trip to the Midwest to visit some friends took my wife and I to Chicago. We spent the weekend in downtown Chicago, and did the typical touristy type activities, as neither my wife, nor I had ever been there. By Friday night, we all had worked up quite an appetite, so I resorted to google searching “Chicago Steakhouses” on my phone. Fortunately for us the options were plentiful, and we decided on The Chicago Chop House. We made reservations for 9:15pm, and went back to our respective hotel rooms to freshen up before dinner.

Paola and I arrived at the restaurant at about 8:50pm or so, as we had no idea how long it would take to get a cab from our hotel to the restaurant. Obviously, not as long as we had allowed for, but this was no issue, as we just grabbed a seat at the bar and had a drink before dinner. The restaurant ambiance and overall feel was quite nice, and very unique. The entire restaurant was decorated with Al Capone artwork and news clippings, which added to the unique feel of the establishment. There was also a pianist who played throughout the night, not loud enough to be a nuisance, but just loud enough to tell what was being played. At one point, the pianist went from “Faithfully” to “Come Sail Away” to “Don’t Stop Believing.” If you know anything about me, this was one of the highlights of my night.

There were two levels to the restaurant, but we did not go up to the second level, so I couldn’t tell you anything about it. The downstairs area was fairly small but inexplicably, we never felt cramped in the slightest. There was a good sized bar in the middle of the downstairs, with a very personable bartender, who got extra points from me for her ability to tolerate the guy sitting next to me at the bar, who was the kind of person who had just enough to drink to try and talk to everyone at the bar within non shouting range of him. This would include the bar tender, who just smiled and laughed off his terrible remarks.

After a simple glass of red wine and a dirty martini, we made our way to our table and were greeted by Benjamin, our waiter for the evening. You could tell he was from the Chicago area, based solely on his accent. He was extremely knowledgeable about the various cuts of meat that were offered (I didn’t realize the difference between wet aging, dry aging, etc., even though the name suggests exactly what it is), as well as the wine in their extensive wine list. We looked through the wine list, and quickly came to the realization that we were well out of our league when it came to drinks. The cheapest bottle of wine I remember seeing was $70, with most of the bottles settling in the $200-$400 range. Oddly enough, the wine by the glass prices were fair, so most of us chose to go that route.

Benjamin returned to discuss appetizers, all of which sounds extremely tasty. We settled on an order of sashimi grade yellow fin tuna with a ground cacao, pepper and espresso rub. This was easily the best tuna I have ever had, and was cooked to perfection. After the four of us mowed through the tuna, our steaks were delivered. I ordered a dry-aged bone-in filet, which was butterflied to allow even cooking all the way through, as I like my steaks cooked a little past medium. Paola ordered the wet-aged filet cooked medium-well. Both steaks were phenomenal and cooked to perfection.

Benjamin continued to come by and check on the table to make sure our glasses were never empty, and that everything was cooked the way we liked, but did not come by so often that it was annoying. As nothing annoys me more about a waiter, then when they come to ask how everything is before you’ve even taken the first bite of your meal. Everyone at the table finished their dinner, with Paola being the only one to take part of their meal in a doggy bag. This worked out great for me, as I ate the remainder of her steak, cold, for breakfast the next morning. It was still extremely tasty.

Having a later dinner reservation, we finished with drinks and dinner at close to 11:30pm, and were pretty much the last people in the restaurant, but we never felt like we were being rushed out of the place, or anything of the sort. Overall, the food, service and ambiance of The Chicago Chop House was amazing...but, it came at a price. It definitely isn’t the cheapest of options, but I think it's worth experiencing at least once if you are in the city. I can’t imagine there are too many places where you can hear Journey and the Styx, while eating phenomenal food with phenomenal service.

Written by guest blogger Andy Thore.

Cantina South on Glenwood

For one of Jessica's friend's going-away parties, a group of us went to Cantina South for dinner last night.  The restaurant has replaced Bogart's downtown, and while they've significantly changed the decor, it's hard not to be reminded of Bogart's, one of my favorite bars downtown, upon entering.

We started at the bar, and a familiar trend for the night began.  The restaurant has only been open for a month or so and it is clear they're still working out many kinks.  In an uncrowded bar, it probably took 10-15 minutes to have our drink orders taken.  The variety of specialty cocktails were good though, and the bar area is nice, so I chalked this problem up to growing pains.

Upon moving to our table, we were given the option of the regular menu or the Restaurant Week menu (three courses for $20).  Both Jessica and I chose the $20 route to sample a variety of their offerings without breaking the bank (normal appetizers were around $10-12 and entrees at or above $20).  For starters, Cantina South doesn't provide free chips and salsa; this is not completely unexpected but still a bit annoying.  The table ordered guacamole though, which was extremely well-received!

I also sampled their tuna ceviche ahead of my three-course meal.  This was definitely the highlight of the evening; the sweet mango, avocado, and red onion complimented the fresh tuna very well, and the "sauce" was really flavorful if even only on a chip (or one of the three plantain chips served alongside).  I could have done without the cilantro, but that is par for the course so I can't dock points.  All in all, it was some of the best ceviche I've had and certainly something worth trying here.

Unfortunately, the rest of my meal was a letdown.  For both appetizer and entree, I had duck; first in flauta form and then as a roasted breast and quarter.  The duck flauta appetizer wasn't terrible but it also really didn't have much standout flavor.  It could have been pork, chicken, or beef and tasted the same, and would have benefitted greatly from a sweet dipping sauce.  The dinner wasn't a whole lot better; the breast had a nice spice crust but was overcooked and the breast/leg quarter was difficult to even cut because it was tough.  Additionally, they ignored a signature of duck (crispy skin) and instead had a greasy outer coating that offered little flavor.

Dessert was a banana empanada for me, which was solid.  Jessica had their lime cheesecake, which was good but lacked any true lime flavor.

Overall, it's hard to figure out Cantina South.  Having been open only a few weeks, I believe it's probably worth waiting for another six months or so to a) give them a chance to figure out what they're doing and b) see if they stay in business.  The ceviche showed a flash of brilliance, but the duck was overcooked mightily on two separate dishes.  I am not sure if the chef (who is allegedly a Mexican national) hasn't yet trained his cooks properly or if the restaurant is just trying to win on volume and location and not quality, but there is work to do.  The service was only marginally better as I felt that the two waiters were trying to convince us how good everything was rather than letting us decide, but that too can be corrected. 

In summary, if you want traditional Mexican food that you're familiar with, go to your local place, save money, and enjoy.  If you feel a bit more experimental with flavors and ingredient combinations, go to Mez (http://www.mezdurham.com/) and get a top-notch meal.

Cooking at Home: Meatballs

Most nights at our house are spent cooking dinner rather than going out; it's the best way to save money and also keep the idea of going to a restaurant a "special occasion".  It's often tough to find a homemade meal that is simple to make, packed with flavor, and reasonably healthy, but I've come up with a basic meatball and red sauce recipe that manages to do all three (~ 600 calories for two meatballs with the sauce, plenty for me).  Below is the recipe I follow, but of course there are many opportunities within what I've done to make it better and make it your own!

Red sauce ingredients (makes ~ 8 servings with the meatballs)

- 1 can (7 cups) of crushed tomatoes (I recommend San Marzano but any will do)
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic (just enough to taste it in the sauce; no need to use less but more would work)
- 3-5 tablespoons of sugar (to taste; helps to balance the acidity of the tomatoes when not using San Marzano)
- Salt / pepper / dried basil / dried oregano to taste

Directions

- Heat the olive oil in a sauce pot at medium heat
- Saute the garlic (I use a micro planer rather than chopping or using a garlic press) until just before browned
- Add the tomatoes and reduce the heat to low
- Add the seasonings and sugar to taste (continue during cooking as the sauce reduces)
- After 2 hours, the sauce is ready

Meatball ingredients (makes 8 meatballs, I find that 2-3 are appropriate per person)

- 1 pound of 80/20 ground beef
- 1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs
- 1 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese (preferred over grated)
- 2 eggs
- Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and form meatballs (slightly smaller than racquetballs)
- Cook for 15 minutes then flip and cook for another 15 minutes
- Cover with sauce and enjoy

Flights at the Renaissance Hotel in North Hills

After a bit of a dining hiatus, Jessica and I finally made it back out to try another restaurant from our list, Flights at North Hills.  Situated inside the Renaissance Hotel, Flights is what I'd call a hidden gem, with a modern, open dining area that seems more lounge than fine dining establishment.

Gemelli and cheese

We tried two appetizers to start; the fried gemelli and cheese and the night's special, which was cornmeal crusted scallops with a bacon-corn relish.  The fried gemelli and cheese was a spin on truffled macaroni and cheese; instead of being presented as a creamy bowl of pasta, the dish was served as three fried "nuggets" filled with the familiar white truffle oil and cheese flavors.  The crust of the fried bite was perfect; exceptionally crisp but not the least bit greasy, and the inside was perfectly creamy and bursting with flavor.  The nuggets were served over a tomato cream and basil oil, a surprisingly effective flavor addition that turned a traditional favorite into a more modern presentation.

Scallops

As good as the mac and cheese bites were, they paled in comparison to the scallop dish.  Two large scallops were coated on both sides with cornmeal and pan-fried until crispy and just cooked through.  The combination of crunch and sweetness from the scallop was enough to earn high marks, but the addition of a thick-cut piece of bacon as well as an amazing bacon-corn relish went above and beyond.  Jessica commented that we can never have corn again without bacon bits, as the two flavors were a perfect compliment and instantly made us question how we'd never had it before!



Cornish hen

For my entree, I had another twist on the traditional fried chicken and waffles.  Here, they served a whole Cornish game hen with a cheddar-jalapeno waffle, accompanied  by skillet potatoes and a terrific parsnip and chive puree with red eye gravy.  The Cornish hen was great; the breading was filled with flavor and perfectly seasoned.  The crispiness was a good match for the juicy meat of the bird, and the puree was an amazing match with both the meat and the breading, creating a taste I've never had before but want again soon!  The waffle was good but a bit heavy; I think a lighter version would have worked better with the dish.  The potatoes were nothing overly special and could have used a bit more carmelization.  Still, the bird and puree / gravy combination was a unique and extremely successful combination that I'd recommend highly.

Jessica had their filet, which was magnificent and one of the better steaks I've had at a non-steakhouse.  She enjoyed the rest of her meal and also was very impressed by their Dulce de leche root beer float as dessert.

Flights is a bit different than most of the other restaurants we like in the area; the dining area is modern and understated and food presentation is highlighted with each dish.  Still, the variety and uniqueness of the menu, coupled with the great service and terrific flavor of everything we tried, makes Flights another place I'd strongly recommend.  Few people seem aware that it exists, much less that it's very good, but that's even more reason to get ahead of the curve and try it!