A few months ago I started to explore where to go for Memorial Day weekend. One of the problems of a busy travel weekend is just that: busy. I am not a fan of crowds, so I was certainly not going to go somewhere full of people. I did some research, and found Kentucky – a state I am very fond of – to be a good combination of fun but not crazy busy. Plus the airfare for the short flight was surprisingly reasonable for this busy holiday weekend.
I had that interesting dinner at Smoque Steak before I headed to O’Hare for my flight to Louisville. I’ve always enjoyed visiting that town, folks are friendly and it’s a pace I enjoy. But that mattered little as my flight arrived at midnight and my airport hotel’s phone was down – so I couldn’t call the shuttle. Lucky one came by (knowing their phone was down), so all was good for a short but useful overnight rest.
I had a busy day exploring and doing some hiking through the state, and wound down in Lexington. I’ve had less luck in Lexington than Louisville in the past, but that may just be timing. I decided to stay downtown as it makes dinner far easier than to constantly rely on rideshare.
Tonight’s dinner destination was Lockbox. I’ve read some good stuff about this restaurant, and even though I’m apprehensive about hotel restaurants (it’s located in the 21c Museum Hotel) I went for it. Conveniently it’s across the street from where I was staying.
It was…well, a very quiet night. Seems lots of folks left town; plus there was a public event outside, so that’s where folks went. I sat at the bar and actually had a wonderful evening chatting with staff and other patrons, including some from closer to home near Chicagoland. Excellent staff, good cocktails, so what’s not to like?
My starter that I ordered was some shishitos. Not bad, I did get a surprisingly large number of spicy ones, which made it even more enjoyable. A simple yet good start.
Did a lot of chatting with other guests and the staff, so I didn’t get to my main course until a bit later than planned.
They called it the hog chop, basically a large smoked pork chop. Excellent, lovely flavours. Works great with the pea shoots. Excellent.
However, my mistake was taking so long to order and enjoy, and I missed last call for dessert. Oh well. It was so slow they wound down the kitchen early. So I had a liquid dessert and chatted with the bartender for a bit more before I thanked him and headed out.
A good night, I would very much recommend Lockbox if you are in Lexington. Fun crowd, excellent staff, wonderful food, solid drinks. All the elements needed for a good night out.
It was a long day at the office and I was planning an early Memorial Day weekend getaway, but my flight wasn’t until much later. And as I would be arriving at my destination about midnight, and I do not like eating at airports, I decided to make a stop somewhere en route to O’Hare.
It’s a very laid back space, very different from the “Chicago steakhouse” feel. I can see it’s meant to move quickly, as there’s a large service team armed with hi-tech ordering systems. I was led to a table and I relaxed, looking over the menu. Quickly my server appeared and as quickly I ordered a cocktail, giving me time to go through the menu. I knew what I wanted, but I sense this is a place where the food will come out lightning quick compared to the seemingly-understaffed bar.
The cocktail was nice and refreshing, and eventually I ordered a starter and a glass of wine. Guess which arrived quicker?
A pretty nice shrimp cocktail, good quality shrimp. That’s all you really want, and a nice sauce that gives you a little zing. The wine soon came and I caught up pretty quickly. Then I also ordered my main and also the wine for it. And guess which arrived quicker?
When I first read about this place, I was hesitant, as I am NOT a sous vide fan at all. Although this ribeye was good, it did nothing to change my opinion about this technique. Food is so much more than the temperature, it’s also how you arrive at it.
Think of this analogy. If teleportation is around, you’ll go from Point A to Point B, no fuss. Maybe you’ll get a nice visual of something nice on the trip (like the seared finish of the steak). But if you take the train, it takes longer, but you get all the natural visuals from the experience. Some like optimal, some like process. I like process.
The steak was tender, but it didn’t feel like eating steak. Also, the smoking was not as apparent as you may think, but that’s also due to the process changing the meat too much. So they got a good in-between solution.
Oh, but the star of the dinner was this mushroom side. When places usually do mushroom dishes advertising multiple mushrooms, they usually just do some standard ones. This was a good selection, and done very well. You can taste the mushrooms very distinctly, which I love.
A good dinner. Not sold on sous vide at all, but they did as well as you can imagine with this technique. So if you like sous vide, you’ll love this ribeye.
I just don’t feel like I had a steak…
I was quite full so not sure why I got a dessert…
Oh gee this was excessive. The drunken chocolate cake nearly killed me. Way too much before the airport! I somehow finished the solid parts but had to abandon most of the sauce. I bet some folks would actually just keep scooping it up like some dessert soup…
I thanked my server and had a good chat with the manager as well, so I’m sure they’re gonna see success. The place was packed and the service almost too fast, so they can handle quick turnarounds.
Again, if you like sous vide, you’ll love this place. For those of us who loves the process, it’s still a hard sell. Now off to Kentucky!
Smoque Steak 3310 North Elston Avenue Chicago, Illinois
Tuesday was a frustrating day working at home. Hybrid has its advantages, but it also has some disadvantages – especially when you have bloody idiots meandering around for two ridiculous hours using society’s most anti-social implement: the leaf blower. The noise is deafening and annoying, especially if you have meetings.
So I naturally went into the office on Wednesday to work in person, which I do once a week minimum anyway. And it was a very long and busy day. From about 7.15am until I left at 4.45pm, I only left my office twice – both times to use the facilities and grab a cup of coffee. Having skipped lunch, I was hungry, not to mention tired.
Cocoro is an old-school, Japanese-family operated place that has an extensive – and authentic – izakaya menu. Just looking at the menus you can sense this is authentic, with things that you find in izakayas in Japan – not what Gen Z “thinks” izakayas serve without having spent time in Japan. So I drooled over the menu as I asked for a small bottle of a nice ginjo.
I ordered my first round – knowing there will be more – and relaxed by sipping on my sake. Didn’t want to drink too fast considering I’ve not eaten in 24 hours. It was still relatively early, but there were people trickling in already on this sunny and warm Wednesday. Then soon the procession of food arrived.
First up was a plate of saba. I absolutely love mackerel as my frequent readers know, and this wonderful sashimi plate hit the spot. Lovely stuff. As I was enjoying it, more food came.
I love gingko, it’s one of my favourite things to snack on in Japan. Pricey but worth every morsel. Done well here.
Then the buta kakuni came, which was quite nice. It was not as visually appealing as it can be, but I suspect they trimmed off some of the skin/fat to placate the local audience. But it was good, with plenty of fatty bits below. A touch of Japanese mustard shows that this kitchen know what pairs with what traditionally.
I was enjoying the dishes and was winding down on them when a plate of nigiri arrived.
Oh these were fabulous. The hamachi (yellowtail) in the middle was the first morsel, and it was excellent. Then the hotate (scallop), which were massive and absolutely delicious. Then the toro on the left was scrumptious. High quality seafood but with price tags far less than even in the suburbs? Wow. I need more!
I eventually finished that set of food. That was a lot, but I was still hungry – no thanks to not having eaten since the previous day (and that was an early dinner too). So with my small (300ml) bottle of sake empty, I ordered another and another set of food.
Why the heck not, today was a monster of a day at the office, and I needed a self-reward. Soon that second small bottle arrived and I enjoyed it as I awaited the second round of my feast. I already sense this will be a place I visit often, especially convenient if I go into the office!
The next round dishes, which I focused more on drinking snacks, started to arrive, and first up was shirasu oroshi, or baby whitefish with grated daikon. I love good daikon, and this is clearly sourced better than the stuff I get at the Asian market near where I live. The tiny fish works so well with the daikon, the textures complementary with the savoury of the fish and sweet of the daikon mixing perfectly.
Soon came shiokara – which by being offered on the menu tells you what kind of place you were in. It’s about as close to being back in Japan as it gets. Wonderful squid fermented in its own salted viscera. An acquired taste (and texture) but works so well to increase sake consumption! Love it!
And of course, my favourite thing to eat, shishamo. Lovely grilled ones here. Too bad they weren’t too laden with roe, which makes them absolutely addictive. But these were delicious, so happy to have them. It’s been years since I’ve enjoyed them!
I also added a small plate of sushi here. Escolar is always good, but you need to eat it in moderation. The unagi was also done quite nicely. Works for a dessert…or does it?
I relaxed and had a bit more sake, so I nursed it. I checked my phone and there was a stupid surge charge on rideshare, no thanks to the weather and early hour (people still commuting home), so I decided to hang out a little. The restaurant is now getting full despite the relatively early hour and sunny weather.
When I told the proprietress that I appreciate the menu items as many are hard to find in what people call “izakayas” in the US, even Chicago, she told me she had the same problem, which is why this place opened! What a wonderful idea, and they definitely earned a loyal customer in me. As I finished off the sake, the surge has not receded, so I thought, why not a third round? So my server smiled when I placed an order for more.
Soon a wonderful shochu arrived, one I particularly enjoy – tan taka tan, made with red shiso leaves in Hokkaido. Such a unique taste. And after a little, my final (yes, final!) round started to appear.
I had to get more nigiri as this was darn good and cheap! The hotate on the right were gigantic and absolutely delicious, while the toro on the left were melt-in-your-mouth excellent. The great thing about this place I can treat it as the wonderful edomae-ishsushi place I’ve been looking for in Chicago (instead of the adulterated sushi omakase experiences), and also as a place for all these wonderful izakaya dishes.
And of course, one last round of shishamo. I can’t just have one plate! They are so addictive!
After all that, I was beyond full and crazy happy. This was an awesome discovery! I relaxed but then sighed when I see rideshare having trouble locating cars, and mine happened to be a ways away. So I got a dessert after all…
One that I can handle with a very full stomach – green tea ice cream. I happy (and slowly) consumed the ice cream and settled my (understandably) hefty (but very worth it) tab as my rideshare approched. I thanked the crew and headed out just as the car pulled up. A near-perfect end to a near-perfect dinner!
I was already in River North in Chicago, after a long work day and running an errand at a nearly phone store, I wanted to have a nice dinner having skipped lunch. I heard about a new Basque-style steakhouse in the area called Asador Bastian, and decided to give it a go.
I took a seat at the bar area. A bit dark, my eyes not adjusting well from the blazing sun outside. But all that was relieved with a very strong martini. I looked over the menu and it looked impressive. Let’s just see how it turns out. I ordered a starter and finished my drink, switching to a much-needed wine before my snack arrived.
Slowly enjoyed this treat…it is a treat, after all. Now I feel pretty good, so it’s time for some meat. I placed an order. Pricey as heck, but hopefully it’s worth it. I relaxed with some wine, chatting with the bartender, before my main dish arrived.
This is the “galiciana” grade beef from the Vintage Beef Company in Australia, cooked medium rare. It was quite delicious, but I will be honest – this don’t match up with the txuleta I had at Brücken in Köln a few years ago. But it was delicious, so that was nice.
A side of piquillos, and this was a good dinner. Although it was big, I took care of this quite easily. As I was finishing my wine, I was talked into a dessert by the bartender.
Gazta-tarta, the burnt Basque cheesecake that I’ve not had for ages. It was a good end to the dinner. Not totally genuine, but it did as well as it could. So I wish you can get good beef from the Iberian peninsula here, but we’ll have to do with the Australian stuff for now.
A healthy pouring of calvados and I was happy. A good chat with some fellow patrons at the bar, I was ready to go. A good, if not expensive, night. Good once in awhile, but all it does is make me miss Europe even more, where you can have a night out like this, if not better, for a third of the price…
I arrived in Denver at about midnight, but due to various unplanned issues I wasn’t at my hotel until after 1.30am. No fun, as I was up by 6am the next day as my schedule was completely crazy. It’s my only full day in town, so wanted to maximise it. And 11 hours later, I was back in my hotel room, sore from walking, and needing to get ready for dinner.
I eventually got a Lyft and headed into downtown. I timed it so both the Rockies and Nuggets would have been way into their games, so I didn’t get hit with traffic or surge pricing. I got to my dinner location, Noisette, a little early. They sat me in a nice corner table and I relaxed.
Soon a cocktail was delivered and I relaxed and poured over the menu. There was so much good stuff it was honestly hard to choose. I can now see why this place is so highly rated despite it being new. I ordered, but also went with a bottle of wine. And I asked them to give me a little time with it before the food started, and they were more than happy to accommodate.
A bottle of Éric Texier’s Char Fou was presented, and the juicy red that’s full of grenache goodness will go well with tonight’s selection. My server, as promised, gave me a little time before he came and presented my starter.
An excellent rendition of one of my favourite French dishes, langue du veau. I was surprised when they told me it’s not one of the more ordered items, but one that the kitchen puts great care into making. And they did a wonderful job. The tongue was tender but still had its unique consistency. I hate when kitchens overcook tongue so it’s soft like mush…what’s the darn point then? A lovely start to the evening!
I enjoyed more of the wine as the sun went down outside. I so rarely eat this late anymore, but it was a good night for it. Soon my main course arrived and my smile grew exponentially.
Magret de canard, and it looks absolutely stunning. Taste wonderful too, the duck cooked to perfection. Lovely flavours, the morels just an absolute bonus for me as a morer lover. So good, so many of my favourite elements in one dish, like pea shoots. Even the mash below was spectacular, and that’s something this not-a-big-fan-of-potato guy rarely says.
Oh, what a beautiful dish that was. And a good portion too! I finished and had a little more wine, which helped the close things off. I need a dessert after that, but a light one! So I opted for simplicity.
A nice glace duo of goat cheese and almond, and calamansi sorbet. Perfect to finish this awesome dining experience. I ordered a calvados as a closer, which they so nicely comped.
I nursed my drink a little because with the NBA playoff game nearby just ending, the surge on rideshares was just ridiculous. A 10-minute wait and it was back down to earth, so I thanked the crew and headed on out.
Ah, Denver, you rarely disappoint when it comes to food…
* I originally had different plans for my Sunday as I fly back late in the evening, but due to schedule issues with the NHL playoffs, it would not have worked for me to head into Union Station for food and to the airport afterwards, so I chose the second best option and enjoyed my guilty pleasure instead: an Ultimate Cheeseburger from Jack in the Box, which I cannot get in Chicago…
I was flying to Denver for the weekend, and my flight doesn’t get out of Midway until late. But as Midway is such a ridiculous hike from where I live, I went into the office for the Friday and walked to the Loop to take the Pink Line out.
Now those of you who know Chicago must think I’m lost if I tried to use the Pink Line to go to Midway. That’s because I had a dinner stop first, as my flight was so late in the evening. I hopped off at California and walked to La Casa de Samuel.
This Mexican restaurant is famous for having some exotic and unique dishes, like iguana. They are also famous for their goat. I was hungry as I didn’t eat lunch; however, with a flight to Denver, I didn’t want to be too full for a flight either. Not an easy compromise, but I tried!
I ordered and relaxed as it was a quiet early evening so far. There was a singer, which provided some entertainment. My margarita showed up and I enjoyed a few sips of it. Nice and strong, mango today. I caught up on some emails before my starter arrived.
Nice, charales fritos – fried smelts. One of my favourite things to snack on, but darn this was a big plate for my starter! I’m starting to worry! Delicious, I can eat these things non-stop. Who needs French fries when you have charales fritos?
I kept working on it and needed another drink, so had a lovely cantarito. So delicious, and strong too!
This kept me going as my main course arrived, cochinita pibil. One of their specialties, this was done very well. Lovely flavours, and a generous portion. Of course I used up all 5 tortillas, cleaning off the raw onions and most of the other sides. And somehow I finished it all, and went back to the smelts!
I finished my drink and charales at about the same time, and I was full like crazy. Oh, too much! Not good for a flight! But I was still early, so I decided to go the slow way and take 2 busses to get to Midway. This was I can digest too!
I’ll explore the fancier parts of their menu one day, but this was excellent. Worth a trip out to this part of town definitely!
One of the best things about moving to a real city again – in this case, Chicago – is that I have access to edible sushi again. What a relief! When you grow up eating sushi (nigiri, not maki) in Hawaiʻi, it’s a torture not to be able to eat raw fish.
Those who know me know that I am mostly a traditionalist when it comes to sushi, and I’m not too fond of the direction omakase sushi is taking in the US. Most of the time the adulteration is unnecessary for true connosseurs of raw fish. But I’ve found Aji in Chicago to be a rare place that does it well enough that it doesn’t bother me.
I had a rather stressful day at work so I called to see if Aji had an opening, and I lucked out for the late seating. I tried to wind down beforehand, but that wasn’t very successful as the emails kept coming, so I headed towards Wrigley and dropped into an Irish pub near my dinner location.
A much needed pint that I surprisingly milked for quite a long time (unlike last week when I ordered my second pint when my first pint arrived…), I headed out and dropped into Aji. Was seated at my now-usual corner space. Was nice to see the crew again, and soon a nice sake was poured for me.
I know the 15 courses will be nice, so I relaxed. One of the most unique things about Aji is that they used an old-school “departure board” sign to show the seafood and the ingredients on the nigiri. I think it’s a wonderful idea.
And that sign will scroll over a dozen more times before the evening is over, but it tells me my first item is hotate (scallop).
Not bad, good quality scallop, but I thought the yuzu aioli was quite distracting. Needed more sake to rinse this off. Chef was nice enough to bring me some fresh wasabi as a freshening snack, so that was good.
Next up was hirame (fluke), nice and simple with sea salt and a touch of lime. The engawa (fin) was a nice touch. Back on track very quickly. Then next up a beautiful ika (squid).
Chef did a fantastic job visually here, and the grape mustard actually worked okay here. The person next to me was from Texas and she was a big fan of omakase experiences, so it was nice to chat with her through the evening.
Hamachi (yellowtail) followed, topped by a pickled pear. Not bad, but didn’t need the addition, the fish was excellent. In fact, I’ve noticed I’ve started to separate the adulteration within my mouth, swallowing it before I get into the seafood.
Kampachi (amberjack) came next, also good. The hibiscus salt helped it along and the yuzu pearls too.
Then shimaaji (striped jack), which also worked nicely. The sake flowed well, and I needed it after this long day. Then we have the “other” sake (salmon).
Some cured roe and negi (Japanese green onion) on top of the seared salmon, quite good. Usually not my favourite fish for sushi, but this was good. And now we see what’s coming up next: chutoro.
I all but ignored the walnut mustard and just let the fish melt in my mouth. Excellent piece, highlight of the night so far. Good sake, good conversation, good food. It’s a good night.
Enjoyed a little more sake as the food kept coming, and my favourite is next: saba (mackerel).
Not bad, I’m a traditionalist so I like really strong mackerel. This was relatively neutral, but delicious. Next up, amaebi (sweet shrimp).
After all the raw shrimp I had in Napoli (like at Pescheria Mattiucci or also Il Miracolo dei Pesci), I think it’s gonna be hard for me to like them as much as I did there. But this was a good bite. I always like raw shrimp when it’s good quality, and this was good. When they don’t overdo the adulteration, the morsels are fantastic here.
And finally, otoro. It really does not need the caviar, which I consumed on its own. It’s too much of a good thing in one bite, where the two amazing flavours don’t work together for me in one single bite. They are awesome on their own, so I enjoyed it that way. Rich and delicious. Mmmm…
After a little more sake I know this dinner was in the final stretch. Next up was a surprise: escolar.
Simply seared, this very rich (and dangerous) fish was delicious. I always like escolar, but also know not to eat too much of it. For those of you who know, you know. Another wonderful dish. And of course, the last item is a nikuzushi with an A5 wagyu.
Excellent. This time the caviar worked much better, and it was a joy to enjoy this wonderful quality beef. But that also means the savouries are done…
A dessert came and went, and I was full and happy. I enjoyed the good seafood and attentive service, as well as the tasty sake and nice conversation. I had one last whisky before I headed out, finishing the conversation with the crew before I headed out myself.
I really needed this evening after the crazy day at work. Although I still prefer my sushi unadulterated, this was as good as it gets for a modern omakase. Highly recommended!
A good day really. Although getting away again so quickly after coming back from Italy was draining, this actually is helping with the jetlag. I eventually came to rest at my destination of Lansing, Michigan.
Lansing? Why?
I always believe that capital cities have good food opportunities, partly due to politicians and lobbyists. For the most part I’ve been right, and I’ve found excellent food in lesser-visited capitals like Lincoln NE, Springfield IL, Olympia, WA, and Jackson, MS. Out of the 40 state capitals where I’ve dined before (the other 10 I visited but didn’t have a sit-down meal, like Montpelier VA and Topeka KS), there’s only been a few real duds (I won’t name them here).
So I found a nice place for dinner and got a Lyft out towards the Capitol complex. I was a little early, so had a nice walk through on this Saturday evening as I eventually arrived at EnVie.
I decided to sit at the bar on this quiet holiday weekend. With students (from nearby Michigan State) and legislators all out of town, it’s a little on the quiet side. I relaxed with a cocktail and looked over the menu. Quite interesting. I ordered and chilled out.
Nice folks there, was good to chat with them as I waited for my food. Soon my starter arrived.
I love Brussel sprouts and this was a good dish. It wasn’t overcooked where they lose their texture, while the bacon and goat cheese added a nice touch. A good start!
Switched over to wine and I relaxed a little before my main dish arrived, and it looked quite good.
And it tasted quite good as well. I usually don’t order braised short rib, as it’s so often done poorly with the meat so overly cooked. This was about as perfect in texture as it gets, and it’s also uncompromising. It’s fatty where it needs to be, it’s meaty where it needs to be. Probably one of the best braised short rib dishes I’ve had.
Amazing. Plus it’s in a quiet place like Lansing. I’ve had far less quality from Michelin-starred kitchens that overhype their short rib dishes. This was certainly a happy discovery.
It was a fun evening and although it was getting late, I opted for a dessert.
Delicious. A nice local Michigan tipple as well, and I was quite happy on this Saturday night. I thanked the friendly crew as I headed out into the mild evening. I walked back to the Capitol and enjoyed the view once more, strolling around a little as I waited for my Lyft to take me back to my hotel.
Highly recommended! May even be worth cutting your Detroit stop by a night just to dine here!
EnVie 210 South Washington Square Lansing, Michigan
* Well, the trip back to South Bend was a little less fun. Plus it was getting rather hot and by the time I made it back to South Bend Airport for my train, I was spent. And of course we had to go through the comedy of the replacement bus service for this ultra-slow ride. After 3+ hours on the train-bus-train mess, I still had another half hour to go on the bus to get home…
After that wonderful trip to Roma and Napoli, it was a hard landing back at work the very next morning. However, it was a short week, with Easter coming up. The office closed at noon on Good Friday, so I walked the few blocks to Millennium Station and onto the very long train ride to South Bend, Indiana.
Why South Bend? Many reasons, a good weekend-getaway gateway. Sadly the train route is under so much repair we ended up disembarking a very busy train for busses in Gary, which took us to Michigan City to jump back onto a train for the rest of the way.
Seriously, the distance from Chicago to South Bend by rail is about 100 miles. This took OVER THREE HOURS. I got from Roma to Napoli, which was about 140 miles in just over an hour. And people still think we’re leading the world? Sigh…
I was sore and tired when I got to South Bend. We also crossed over to Eastern Time, so another hour down. But there was still plenty of sunlight, so I had the chance to explore places I wanted to see before I went to drop my stuff off at my guest house. Nothing fancy, just what I needed.
I caught a Lyft for the short ride to my dinner destination downtown, Cafe Navarre. For a Friday night it wasn’t very busy, but this is an odd weekend for dining out. I took a seat at the bar and the wonderful bartender took great care of me the entire evening.
I looked over the menu as I enjoyed a cocktail. Not bad. I ordered a starter just to see how things go. Relaxed and enjoyed my drink when my starter arrived.
It’s not quite like in Roma at Bottega Tredici, but this was pretty good for landlocked South Bend. Cooked well, with a little bit of a kick. This is the type of octopus that makes people who have never tried it like it. An excellent start. With this good opening, I ordered a large main – thanks to the input of my bartender.
I relaxed with a glass of wine for a little when the dish showed up, and I’m glad I was hungry (having skipped lunch).
A nice lamb shank. Again, pretty good, definitely better than I expected. Love the vegetables. I enjoyed this hearty dish very much, and I was pretty full.
I was talked into a dessert, and it was also tasty. A nice after-dinner drink and good conversation with the bartender, I was pretty happy with my evening in South Bend. I headed out thanking my wonderful bartender and enjoyed the crisp evening before heading back to the guest house.
Not a bad night. If you find yourself in South Bend (which I may again in the near future), this is definitely a good place to have a nice evening.
Cafe Navarre 101 North Michigan Street South Bend, Indiana
melhuang1972 