Well, the work year is over. Thursday was the last day, as the office is closed until January. I was in the office as were a few others, working until the bitter end. I headed out for a stroll to the Green Line and headed west to Fulton Market, as I was looking to revisit one of this year’s great finds, Rose Mary.
I got to the Croatian-Italian eatery just as it opened and plunked down at the bar. I see the excellent bartenders remember me from my previous visit (yikes?) so soon I had a drink in hand and placed my food order. Hungry, as I skipped lunch (as usual) so wanted to eat with a little reckless abandon!
The cocktail kept me going until my first item arrived, the zucchini fritters. Delicious, didn’t need the guac-y sauce but the sauce was also good. It’s rare I say that, but this was good. Switching to a nice island white, it went perfectly with the next dish, the clams.
I love these, so good, swimming in buttery goodness that I unashamably sipped on after consuming each of the bivalves. Just lovely, as good as last time. This is definitely one of the dishes of the year. Switching to a more inland Croatian white that had a bit more kick, we have the risotto.
I love ink as my readers know, so this shouldn’t have been a surprise. Lovely dish, cooked perfectly, letting the rice be the star without too many unnecessary additions. Lovely.
I took a break from eating but was having a great night chatting with the bartenders and fellow patrons. So I decided to have one more dish, and this I didn’t have last time but let’s see how Chef Joe Fiamma does ćevapi…
Quite good, on the large side. I almost like the diminutive ćevapčići a little more, but these worked quite well. But the bread was a little too filling at this point in the meal. I was full and happy, so drank on a bit more chatting away.
Although they told me not to worry, I wanted to pass my seat onto eager diners this busy Thursday night. So I ordered a dessert and some final libations.
This olive oil cake was excellent, although I do generally like them a little more intense with the oil. But this was very relaxed, worked well with my rather intense drinks (including ample šljivovica). I was very full and very merry, so I thanked the two fabulous bartenders and bequeathed my in-demand seat to the next lucky person.
Well, this was a fabulous way to end the work year! Rose Mary was as good as ever, and I look forward to coming back again soon! Strongly recommended!
Rose Mary 932 West Fulton Market Chicago, Illinois
Although this was the start of the last week of work for 2023, I knew it was going to be busy as I had planned to finish off a few things before the close of the year. So a busy day in the office, I headed out for a rewarding treat.
And of course I would choose Cocoro, the best Japanese place in Chicagoland that doesn’t require a lengthy shlep to Des Plaines. And it’s casual, which is what I need after this busy day. I still remember my first visit upon discovering this place…it was game changing for me, especially days I go into the office.
I got there after a nice walk in the nicely chilly and windy weather and was seated at my “usual” table. Soon a bottle of sake greeted me and not long after a few drinking snacks to start.
At this point nothing is very chronological as I decided to do a huge feast as a holiday gift to myself. Screw it all, I’m gonna eat! The shiokara (salted squid innards) does a wonderful job in getting me more thirsty, while the gingko helped to temper my appetite. Plus the takowasa (raw octopus with wasabi) was as good as always. I may have had more orders of some of these items as the night went along, just to keep the sake flowing…
I always order shishamo here, and it’s always good. Always addicting. Again, I may have had more than one plate of this…
Some nigiri, which led me to order the hotate separately.
They always get wonderful scallops, and these were just dreamy…
And of course, the hamachi kama. Fish collars are always excellent, and when you get one from a yellowtail you usually order it. And it was quite nice.
After a bottle of good sake and a few glasses of special shochu, I was pretty good. I ordered an ice cream and they comped me some mochi.
A wonderful way to end the night. And they were nice enough to comp me on a few other snacks throughout the night as well, but I probably ran up a tab for a table for four this evening, so this was a mutual appreciation thing.
I headed out happy, having enjoyed my own version of the Feast of Seven Fishes, although I had more than 7 different fishes…
So good. After so many bad “izakaya” experiences around the US, from NYC to Seattle, so good to have this place to enjoy here in Chicago, and just a 20-minute walk from the office…
I’ve come to really like Bayan Ko, a quirky Filipino-Cuban place that does some extremely good food. My first visit here was quite wonderful, and that’s brought me back more times over the past few months.
I noticed that the wonderful short rib that I had back in September was still on the menu, albeit with a slight change in prep, so I took advantage of being down at the office and headed to Bayan Ko.
You know, usually it’s the Red Line part of this trek that’s unpleasant, but today it was a crappy Brown (hah) Line experience. From barely moving to a guy smoking crack, you get it all…
I survived getting to Bayan Ko and sat down and relaxed. The vibe changes there each time I visit, and this time it was odd with this fluorescent glow illuminating the dining area like I was in a trying-to-be-cool bowling alley. Weird. Cocktail in hand, I relaxed and ordered. I actually had lunch today (with a good colleague) so I wasn’t as hungry as I usually am.
You know I’d order this. I love sisig, and their treatment of it is excellent. I can eat a dozen of these things easily, and they were as delicious as always. I should have gotten a full order!
Sadly the chicken skewer was nowhere as good, and definitely not as good as other skewers I’ve had here in the past. The chicken was a little rubbery, which is sad because I don’t think I’ve ever had a dish that wasn’t executed well here. Then for the item I was here for…
You know, maybe it’s just today. Because this tasted a little rubbery too, it’s like it wasn’t grilled right. It was definitely nowhere as good as last time, which is sad for me, as this place has been so good, especially execution, each and every visit. Today is just a really off day, sadly.
At least the coconut flan was as good as before. I don’t know if it’s just because of a bad day, a busy time of year with other commitments, or even their planned expansion. But today’s food execution definitely fell flat.
But a flat Bayan Ko is still better than a lot of places, so I’ll just live with it. With the place getting busy, plus coughing children, it’s time to head out.
A disappointing evening at a usual safe bet, but it happens with the best of us. Let’s see what happens when I come back next time in early 2024…
Volare has been one of my few trusted escapes after a long day at the office, as it’s the closest of the few that I have come to really relax and have never been disappointed. I’m not sure why I’ve only written one review out of the many, many visits…
So once again, on this long Wednesday, I decided it was a good time to drop in and take a seat at the front bar and relax. My usual bartender seems to always know what I want, so that helps. A martini in hand, and my order placed, I relaxed…
Decided to mix it up a little more today and soon my antipasto arrives.
Vongole al forno, really nice. Tons of sauce for me to wipe up with the bread basket. Having skipped lunch, this was a nice way to get the day’s eating started (yes, I usually skip lunch, and I never eat breakfast, sorry, that’s just me). A good and filling start. And soon my first arrives, and now you’ll see why I didn’t order a second.
This risotto nero di seppia is gorgeous, with a twist on the seafood. They are great separate or together, so you can choose with every bite to either take in the ink or mix it with a little tomato-based seafood. This is comfort food at its best for me. Finished this with gusto and my wine as well, so closed with a grappa and this.
This may be way too rich for me, so good. As intense of a chocolate as you can get.
I was very happy after this, and very full. I thanked my excellent server as I quickly finished so some folks waiting for a seat in this very busy eatery could relax. I got my fill, it’s their turn. Plus, I need to run to nearby Eataly to do some food shopping…
Always a good place to eat in River North, always recommended.
I don’t know why I chose Umi Sake House for my second (and last) dinner on this Seattle trip. I thought the menu looked interesting, but when I got there I immediately had second thoughts. This seems to be one of those places that caters to people half my age with very limited ideas of what an izakaya is.
I walked into the loud and way too warm space and was squeezed in between two very food-disinterested set of patrons that just sat there and chatted and barely touched any food. Oh goodie.
Despite the room being so crazy hot from excessive heating, it took ages to get some water and my server’s attention. A few things I wanted were unavailable, so I ordered and tried to relax. It’s hard not to hear the inane conversations next to me, but easy to not listen to considering how they absolutely define inane.
Whoa, this is the wakame dish? This is gigantic. A good sign? The seaweed is rather good. But considering the small counter space, where’s everything else gonna go? That question became a problem as more stuff arrived…
The black cod was rather meh, especially compared to the wonderful version last night at Off Alley. This felt like something you can get anywhere. Plus a gigantic thing of salad with almost no dressing? I just picked off the tomatoes and returned to my gigantic serving of wakame. And the counter is now ridiculously overburdened when my nigiri appeared…
The toro was okay, the hokigai (surf clam) was a bit too soft. The saba (mackerel) was excellent, while the tarabagani (king crab) was pretty lame. Throw in some suspect wasabi, this really didn’t do it for me. I don’t see anyone else eating anything but maki, which says plenty.
However, this is giving me flashbacks to that very mediocre night at Izakaya Nana in Queens back in October, another place that bastardised the izakaya to something gaudy that appeals to people who have little idea of what a true Japanese izakaya looks, feels, and tastes like.
But the food is of okay quality, so I soldier on, despite the really annoying vibe in this place.
The grilled ika (squid) was not bad, again something that I suspect few people order since all I see being consumed is maki after maki here. I thought Seattle was a little more sophisticated with Asian cuisine, but clearly I am wrong.
And finally, some saba sashimi to close, and unagi nigiri as dessert. All washed down with some Japanese whisky. The saba was good, so that worked well.
My poor server, now with most people cleared out, now seems more relaxed. She did a great job considering the large section she was responsible for, and any early hiccups have been ironed out.
The food wasn’t bad, but it was just completely out of place in this venue. The setting was not condusive to izakaya-like dining (space, portion, etc.), and the audience was just totally wrong for what this menu could have been. Why don’t they just market themselves as a maki-specialty place with a few izakaya-ish dishes and not missell themselves to idiots like me that actually should have done more research?
I left disappointed that Seattle has failed me again. It’s like Off Alley was such an anomaly compared to nearly all of my previous Seattle dining experiences. Alas, I did have a nice 15 minute walk back to the Link station for the long ride back south.
As I fly out tomorrow late afternoon, I think I’m going to rely on my trusty Jack in the Box for the rest of this trip…
Last time I was “home” in Hawaiʻi was the summer of 2018. One thing I miss dearly is Hawaiʻian food. Lucky here in Chicago there’s one or two okay options, not great, but enough to tide me over. So when I visited Seattle this past weekend, knowing the larger number of kamaʻaina there, I hoped to get my fix.
Well, not really. Again, it was okay, but didn’t really soothe my cravings…
First up was a visit to Kauai Family Restaurant, the venerable eatery for Hawaiʻian food in the Puget Sound area. Already a long morning having arrived early, I stopped there and grabbed some food. After a little wait, it came out.
Well, first of all they got the order wrong. I ordered the kalua without cabbage, and I said it 3 times, but they just didn’t listen. And it was not good at all, like it was sitting there. The pork was harder than even places far away from the islands like Chicago, which is a shame.
The chicken long rice was far better, but I thought it was a smaller portion. Turned out to be a tub of it, which I appreciated, especially as a snack later (as it heats up well).
The next try was at Saimin Says, of which I see some mixed reviews of. I got there and took a little to get someone to notice a customer, but it was good and the food came after a little.
The kalbi here was okay, a little bit too salty. I found the mac salad to be interesting with some tuna in it. Overall it was okay.
Now they also had a special Chamorro plate, and that turned out to be a little better. The pork belly was okay, but lacking in flavour. However, the tinala’ katne (dried beef) was good, reminded me of pipikaula a little.
Well, didn’t quite get my Hawaiʻian food cravings dealt with, so I need to head “home” at some point soon. Alas, this will have to do until then.
I’ve not been back to the Seattle-Puget Sound area since 2017, but made a quick trip for a pre-Christmas getaway. I took the Friday off and got on a very early morning flight west. Lucky I caught up on some sleep on the flight so I was pretty rested when we landed in a dreary Seattle Friday morning.
I had a long day, not helped by fighting the elements. I love cold, I love snow, but I hate cold and rainy. Absolutely miserable. Lucky it wasn’t coming down much today, but tomorrow may be bad… It made my plans more difficult but it was a relatively okay day. Too bad lunch didn’t meet my expectations (I’ll discuss this on the next review).
The long day came to an end and I decamped at my hotel near the airport; more importantly, near the airport’s Link station. The rideshare costs are ridiculous in this area. I eventually headed out and made my way to Columbia City area and walked to my dinner destination, Off Alley.
A unique place, it’s actually the width of an alley, so you got a dining counter against the wall, and that’s about it. Reminded me a little of Kabuto in Tokyo, where the space was even more limited and your knees will ache as you enjoy that amazing eel.
I like cozy places that can cater to singer diners, so that’s already a plus. They do reservations before 6pm, so I came in just before 5.30pm. As it’s 7.30pm back home, that’s no biggie for me.
I relaxed with a nice cocktail and looked over the ala carte menu on the blackboard. Some of it looks fantastic, but I was also tempted by the tasting menu, of which I was told are mostly not on the menu. That intrigued me more, but there was one dish I really, really needed to try on the ala carte menu. I was told there’s something similar on the tasting, but missing a key ingredient. So I went with the ala carte, and did a pairing for each.
I relaxed with my cocktail, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere as this was just before the first dinner rush of the night. As soon as I drained it, they were ready to start for me. First up is the house-smoked duck with chanterelles.
Very nice! Two of my favourite things here, so you can’t go wrong with that. And what I already love about Chef Evan Leichtling’s cooking is that he lets the best of the ingredients out with his technique, not trying to alter Mother Nature but to complement her. Lovely stuff.
Then next up is the black cod, with some absolutely delicious carrots. All of this is graced by chocolate, mint, and pistachio, giving this dish a wonderful complexity that, again, brings out the best of each of the main ingredients. Another fine dish!
What made this even more fun is that during this dish, the sommelier Meghna Prakash brought out a second paired wine for the course, showing a detailed knowledge of not just what works with each dish, but what appeals to the diner by their order. Very sharp, and a true personal touch you rarely get at any restaurant these days (including Michelin’d places).
The next dish was what broke the deal with me for the tasting menu, as this was the dish I wanted. And it was worth it. Dungeness crab and tripe, again two of my favourite things to eat. Accentuated by apple and crab fat, I almost cried eating this dish. As a tripe afficionado who eats tripe almost every chance he gets (and cooks it damn well at home), this was one of the best tripe dishes I’ve ever had in my life. The creaminess brings out so much of the crab, while the plump tripe was cooked about as perfectly as possible it’s hard to describe in words.
Okay, I’m totally sold on this place. This is easily one of the best dishes of 2023. And yes, folks, after several years of slacking, I am planning to do a 2023 overview this year! And this dish was what convinced me to do it!
It’s hard to top the last dish (I would say impossible), but the foie dish did try its very best. Ordinarily this would have been an outstanding dish of the night, but this is like doing an encore after playing an ultra-rare song that no one expected. Nevermind, this was also absolutely delicious, with pig’s feet ensconsed in that fried wonder below. Throw in some cherries that brought out the flavours even more, this dish is an absolutely winner.
Oh, I am full and very happy! No weak dishes at all, not even close. One of the meals of the year for sure! But I need to have something to close the night, as things are getting busy again. So I ordered a rye and a dessert, which made me smile when it arrived.
Looks simple, right? The pistachio and black sesame ice cream on the right would ordinarily be one of the best ice creams I’ve had this year, but once again, an unexpected surprise anchored this evening as one of the best of 2023, or even, of this decade so far. The ice cream on the left was foie gras, and it is as rich and decadent as you can imagine.
I was making odd sounds during and after consuming this dessert…so good. I was full and ridiculously happy, so wanted one for the road. I took a nice calvados and bought the quite awesome sommelier a mezcal. This is an awesome team, front and back of the house, cooking up some incredible stuff and taking great care of their patrons.
Off Alley is definitely worth going out of your way to visit. In fact, despite the rain and ridiculously awful drivers, I would probably make Seattle my primary connection point to West Coast and Pacific destinations in the future just to have the opportunity to visit Off Alley again. This was how good this evening was.
To say this is highly, highly recommended is not saying enough. Wow. A must.
Off Alley 4903½ Rainier Avenue South Seattle, Washington
A long Monday re-entry after a long holiday break from work, and I was tired. I went to get a haircut with my usual barber, but this being Monday, my usual after-haircut places are all closed. So I decided to try something new.
I got to Little Madrid Tapas Café after about a 15-minute walk from my barber, and it was empty. I guess the windy, 15F weather wasn’t to people’s liking. I sat at the bar and enjoyed some wine.
The menu changed a little from the online version and some of the items I wanted were gone. So I ordered a few things and relaxed. They claim to be authentic, as the place is owned by a madrileño, so let’s see. After a little, the first item came out.
Hmmm, doesn’t look tapas-like, even though it was supposedly a “tapas” – pimientos de padrón. Good, but why the elaborate plating? I just wanted some peppers with my meat tapas, and it came out first.
Then the morcilla came out. This was excellent, with another set of padróns. Much appreciated, but these plates seem more like ración than tapa. And coming out in courses almost. But the morcilla was quite good.
Sadly the chistorras were far less good. Skimpy, almost melted into the heavy sauce. Nowhere near as good as at Contento in Copenhagen during my recent Europe trip, not even close. Although not a fan of potatoes, this helped.
And finally, pulpo a la gallega was also odd. The octopus was relatively good, but this is just an Americanised version of this dish. The potato slices beneath were not cooked well, but I saved it because it would be useful for the last dish.
Gambas al ajillo. It was okay, but again, looks like they’re trying too hard to change a traditional dish. The sauce was also thicker than usual. But it worked with those plain boiled potatoes from the last dish.
It turned out to be pricey for what I had, not quite a tapas night that’s for sure. I headed out to wait for my Lyft in the cold, which I absolutely love and miss. So glad winter’s back, but not too glad for a night like this food-wise. I’ll pass on this place in the future, as it makes me miss Madrid so much…because this ain’t it.
My last day in DC was partly derailed from the start due to something out of my control, which sucked. But I made the most of it, and had a very busy day improvising. Before my flight home this evening, I decided to revisit one of my faves.
Alongside Nasime, which I revisited the other day, the other place from my previous life I miss dearly in Alexandria is La Fromagerie. I got there at about 5pm and it was packed, so I had to sit at a table and not at the bar (sacre bleu!). I had dropped in for a glass of wine before my Nasime dinner a few days earlier, so was good to come back for a meal before I fly back to Chicago.
Although I’ve only written one review, I’ve visited this place so often, both to eat and drink. As I reminisced about past visits and enjoyed my glass of local red, my starter arrived.
Lovely escargots, done very well. I love these things. However, it was a little frustrating with toasted bread as it was very hard to jam it into the recesses of the dish to get the sauce without it crumbling. A little hiccup on planning here. But it was delicious.
Then the main course was as good as expected, a delicious carbonara that was very light on the sauce as it did not need much. This was fabulous, just what I needed. I don’t like to fly with a full stomach, so this was perfect size-wise.
But I didn’t necessarily want a dessert, so I went with a savoury dessert…
Yep, charcuterie. Two good local cheeses and good local ham, things I don’t see now having moved away. A wonderful snack, although they had forgotten the toasted bread until I reminded them. I guess it’s a holiday hangover and it being very busy. But it was excellent, and I am now ready to fly home!
I thanked the wonderful crew, especially my server (ironically) from Chicagoland, and headed out for the short Lyft ride to DCA. Alas, another trip is over, and time to go home.
melhuang1972 