Honey Butter Fried Chicken

Recently I went to Honey Butter Fried Chicken for a friends birthday. This restaurant has been getting a lot of press for being one of the best new restaurants, and has been included in several Chicago Eater articles.

You definitely need a car or to grab a cab to get to this place, as it's in the Avondale neighborhood and there is no great public transportation nearby. They do have good restaurant neighbors though; Hot Doug's and Kuma's Corner are both just around the corner.  That being said, any way you can get to this place is worth it. The food was absolutely amazing and the sides are to die for. We were all stuffed but literally couldn't stop eating because everything was so good, cocktails included. I was only sad that I didn't have enough room left for dessert. They don't take reservations and I was concerned upon arriving as the line to order at the counter was very long. That being said, I was extremely impressed with how quickly they moved the line along, and found you a seat after ordering. As soon as you get a table, your food is brought out within minutes.

They've also recently added brunch and have a huge outdoor space...I'll definitely be putting this on my list to come back in the summer. Similar to other restaurants, due to the location, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to out of towners, but if you are local, you have to go. You will not be disappointed.

Owen and Engine

A couple of weekends ago I went to Owen and Engine with some friends for brunch. This restaurant has been on my list for a while, but was never a place I had been dying to go. They got a lot of buzz when the first opened, and I hadn't heard too much since.

Owen and Engine doesn't have much going for it in terms of ambiance and definitely gives off more of the bar feeling. We had looked online and the brunch menu looked great, however we were confused and apparently brunch is only served on Sunday...we went on a Saturday. That being said, the Saturday lunch menu had one sweet brunch item that we all ended up ordering and it was fantastic.

Overall, I wouldn't put this restaurant on my must go to list. There are so many places to try in Chicago and this doesn't make the cut for me. There is however a fireplace in this restaurant that I must have missed, but it does seem like it would be pretty cozy for a cold winter night!

Berkshire Room

A couple of weeks ago I went to Berkshire Room with my friends Michelle and Emily. This place has constantly been on the hot list for being one of the best new cocktail bars. The Berkshire Room is part of the 50/Fifty restaurant group and is located in the ACME Hotel in River North. That being said, this place doesn't feel like just another hotel bar.

The vibe here was great. The bar was not too crowded and wasn't loud, but also wasn't empty and there was someone sitting at almost every lounge area and table. There is a very limited food menu, essentially they only have high end bar snacks (most of which didn't look that appealing). The cocktails were great though. The menu had a side with regular cocktails and stronger cocktails. Sadly I was driving so had to go with one of the regular cocktails.

This place is great for a work night meet up for some cocktails. I would definitely recommend coming here. I think it also could be a good date place because there is semi private lounge areas and it was easier to talk because it wasn't too loud.

Ada Street

Life got busy again. I have been spending my weekends and free time running errands getting ready to move into my condo. Thank God closing is over, so now it can be onto the fun stuff: decorating.

Anyways, a few weeks ago I went to Ada Street with my girlfriend Camille. I had heard wonderful things about this place and it has been getting a lot of buzz. This restaurant is also owned by the same people as Fish Bar and DMK Burger. The ambiance at this place is absolutely perfect and so cozy. There is a welcome lounge, wine library and the back room is the dining area. They were also playing great music the entire night, which made the atmosphere even more fun.

The neighborhood that Ada Street is in is not one you would not normally go to. The restaurant is at North and Elston...and you feel like you're going to get robbed when you get out of your car. There is literally nothing else around this place. Because of this, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to out of town friends, but any Chicagoan should definitely come here. This is clearly already a destination for local foodies, as the deserted location was completely parked up by the time we left.

The only negative about this place was that they don't take reservations, unless you're willing to go at 5:30pm or 6:30pm. After that, it's walk-ins only. They do however let you call in advance to put your name on a list and they give you a recommended time to come. We got in with no problem or wait.

I want to come back to this place for brunch in the summer and sit outside in their back patio. They have my favorite kind of outdoor space; in the back with no street noise and cozy patio lights. Overall, I highly recommend coming here.

Look at this outdoor patio....