Saturday, May 24, 2014
La Scarola
To celebrate my mom's birthday, she decided she wanted to go to La Scarola, which is an Italian restaurant just east of the highway on Grand Ave. This place is real, legit Itlalian. There are no frills and no sexy ambiance here, just phenomenal food. The restaurant actually looks like kind of a dive. That being said, you know it must be good when the place is absolutely packed and there are lots of Italians. The service was also great; we had a very nice waiter who was patient and joked around with us (in a good way). And the wine list is fabulous (although I am biased) and the prices for the bottles are not overpriced. Overall, I would definitely recommend coming here if you want an amazing Italian meal. This place has been around forever, and although it doesn't have much to it, it draws some heavy hitters (as evidenced by all the pictures on the wall).
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Bread and Wine
I haven't heard much buzz about Bread & Wine, but saw that a friend had gone here, and I usually trust her finds. This place is in the Old Irving Park neighborhood, just off the highway. So easy access for those of us that now live in the suburbs (womp).
When we first arrived, we were thrilled to find that there is a free parking lot out front of the restaurant. I have since learned that this is because it used to be an old laundromat. My immediate reaction after stepping into the restaurant was that the lights were on way too bright and it killed the ambiance a bit. They finally turned the lights down after about an hour. The music was good though, and the place has a nice neighborhood vibe. They have a great bar while you wait, and there is also chefs seating available, in which you can sit at another bar and watch the chefs cook.
The staff was super friendly and made good recommendations (like pointing out we probably shouldn't order a starter of pommes frites when our main entree burgers come with fries on the side). The service was terribly slow and it got annoying after a while. We had to wave someone down to get a second cocktail, and even to pay our bill. The menu is small, which is expected for a small restaurant, and the menu was good but not amazing. I wasn't dying to have several things, and it was clear what I was going to order after looking at the menu for a couple of minutes. That being said, the burger that we both ordered was amazing - cooked just the way we asked it to be, and had amazing beef bacon on it. Yum. The desserts were totally killer. The carmel popcorn panna cotta is a MUST.
Overall, I liked this place but wouldn't put it on my must go to list. I also wouldn't recommend this place for out of town visitors, and the location is pretty out there. If you are an adventurous restaurant goer though, and like to explore, but this on your list.
When we first arrived, we were thrilled to find that there is a free parking lot out front of the restaurant. I have since learned that this is because it used to be an old laundromat. My immediate reaction after stepping into the restaurant was that the lights were on way too bright and it killed the ambiance a bit. They finally turned the lights down after about an hour. The music was good though, and the place has a nice neighborhood vibe. They have a great bar while you wait, and there is also chefs seating available, in which you can sit at another bar and watch the chefs cook.
The staff was super friendly and made good recommendations (like pointing out we probably shouldn't order a starter of pommes frites when our main entree burgers come with fries on the side). The service was terribly slow and it got annoying after a while. We had to wave someone down to get a second cocktail, and even to pay our bill. The menu is small, which is expected for a small restaurant, and the menu was good but not amazing. I wasn't dying to have several things, and it was clear what I was going to order after looking at the menu for a couple of minutes. That being said, the burger that we both ordered was amazing - cooked just the way we asked it to be, and had amazing beef bacon on it. Yum. The desserts were totally killer. The carmel popcorn panna cotta is a MUST.
Overall, I liked this place but wouldn't put it on my must go to list. I also wouldn't recommend this place for out of town visitors, and the location is pretty out there. If you are an adventurous restaurant goer though, and like to explore, but this on your list.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Bottlefork
Last night I went to Bottlefork with my dear friend Camille, and this is now one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago! Anyone who lives here has to come to this place, and I would definitely recommend it for out of town visitors. Make reservations way in advance though because it's tough to get in here!
This place just opened by Rockit Ranch Productions and is in the heart of River North, so there are tons of options to go out afterward if you're making a night of it. You walk in and immediately fall in love with the atmosphere. It's relatively smaller and the decor is dark and the decorations are masculine. We sat at the chef's view bar and had such a blast, although our view was a pigs head and hoof, yuck. The service was amazing; literally the best waiter I have in a very long time. He was fun, made real recommendations and was actually interested in our questions, brought us out a taste of the wine before ordering a bottle, and even gave us a side of ice cream with our dessert (that was not supposed to come with it). And the food is great. You don't feel pressured to order a main entree, because there are also pastas, a snacks portion of the menu and sides. We order a bunch of smaller plates and shared, per usual.
Overall, this was such a good experience and I can see why this place is getting a ton of buzz and climbing up the lists of notable places in Chicago. Literally everyone has written about them: Chicago Eater, Zagat, Michigan Avenue Magazine, Chicago Social, Refinery 29, and the list goes on... I don't like to go to restaurants twice, because there are so many places to try, but I'll have a hard time not coming back here.
This place just opened by Rockit Ranch Productions and is in the heart of River North, so there are tons of options to go out afterward if you're making a night of it. You walk in and immediately fall in love with the atmosphere. It's relatively smaller and the decor is dark and the decorations are masculine. We sat at the chef's view bar and had such a blast, although our view was a pigs head and hoof, yuck. The service was amazing; literally the best waiter I have in a very long time. He was fun, made real recommendations and was actually interested in our questions, brought us out a taste of the wine before ordering a bottle, and even gave us a side of ice cream with our dessert (that was not supposed to come with it). And the food is great. You don't feel pressured to order a main entree, because there are also pastas, a snacks portion of the menu and sides. We order a bunch of smaller plates and shared, per usual.
Overall, this was such a good experience and I can see why this place is getting a ton of buzz and climbing up the lists of notable places in Chicago. Literally everyone has written about them: Chicago Eater, Zagat, Michigan Avenue Magazine, Chicago Social, Refinery 29, and the list goes on... I don't like to go to restaurants twice, because there are so many places to try, but I'll have a hard time not coming back here.
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