Chicago Restaurant Week at Epic 2013

February starts off with a BANG! Chicago Restaurant Week is like New York Fashion Week for all the foodies in the city. We researched where to go and thought Epic Restaurant would be a good place to start. Let me tell you one thing, the place is GORGEOUS! The city lights shine inside amazingly and the aura of the place just makes you feel baller. As for the food, there were hits and misses. 

Crab and Shrimp Louie with Avocado and Tomato

The Crab and Shrimp Louie was a great start as it freshened our palates. It was an excellent starter and didn't overload us at all. Both of the seafood meats were full of flavors and juices that complemented the tomatoes and avocados. 

Lamb Carpaccio. Pickled Huckleberries. Manchego Cheese. Pecans

The lamb was beautiful. Perfect texture and full of flavor. Both the huckleberries and cheese blended well with the lamb and the pecans gave it a bit of a crunch factor. 

Baby Spinach. Grilled Apples. Goat Cheese. Almonds. Tarragon Vinaigrette

I could have eaten just the grilled apples and goat cheese with each other and would have been satisfied. That being said the spinach gave it a fresher taste and a softer texture to go with the apples and goat cheese. 

Lobster Bisque. Calvados Cream. Chervil

The Lobster Bisque had a lot of flavor to it. It seemed like it was missing a crunch but the flavor was definitely delicious. 

Braised Short Ribs. Scallion-Potato Puree. Baby Carrots

Despite being the entree, this was my least favorite dish. That being said, I actually really enjoyed the baby carrots a lot. They were full of flavor, had a perfect soft texture, and made me smiled. The reason I didn't like the short ribs was that it was overcooked. It tasted like a frozen TV dinner except it took longer to get out. I was indifferent about the potato puree. 

Grilled Salmon. Crispy Risotto Cake. Spicy Tomato-Mint Sauce

This entree was also overcooked. Tasted a little dry and didn't have much punch to it. In theory it looks like it had a lot of potential, but the execution just did not hit it. 

Milk Chocolate-Banana Cake. Rum Anglaise. Mango Sorbet

Nothing smashing about it, but not bad. The mango sorbet was mediocre here. Emma and I actually had Mango Sorbet bought at Dominick's and it was smoother and we finished a pint in one night. Maybe my expectations were too high after tasting some delicious mango-filled Filipino dishes. It didn't blend that well with the chocolate to compensate it either. 

 

Overall, it was an okay experience but could have been better. It seemed like the veggies and fruits were prepared better than the meats. The service was great and our waiter was very personable and friendly. Despite having an awesome scenery, the food just doesn't match up to the setting.

As always,

"The Couple that Grubs Together,

Stays Together"
-Grub Couple-

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Happy New Year!

  

It's New Years Eve and what better way to celebrate the end of the year than going out to grab some grub! Wayne and I wanted to celebrate with a bit more flair so we decided to go to Sprout in Lincoln Park. I've always wanted to try this place, along with The Girl and The Goat, Grace and Alenia. :) So I was pretty excited.

Now, you would think that Sprout would be geared towards more vegetarian chic dishes but nope! They're more contemporary French/American cuisine. Plus the Executive Chef is Dale Levitski from season 3 of Top Chef.  Chef Levitski also opened up a restaurant called Frog n Snail (which I also would like to try) that focuses on more European classics. However, Sprout does cater to vegetarians by having a vegetarian New Years Eve dinner offered along with their five course meal special. 

 

When you first walk into Sprout, the first thing you may notice is how small the restaurant is. Despite that minor detail though, the atmosphere has a classy yet comfy feel to it. We had a 7:15pm Reservation so the restaurant was a little slow at first. But it began to pick up halfway through our meal. 

 

We were first given a pumpkin squash appetizier to start off with. It had nuts and a gingerbread topping. I thought it was really neat was that it came with a cute itty bitty spoon and that it was served in an actual egg shell. 

After the little pumpkin egg we were then given the Lobster. It had butternut, armagnac, cream and crab. I have to say that this was my favorite dish out to the meal. The smooth butternut squash base added a nice touch to the lobster. It was as if the squash flavor softened the lobster so the seafood taste was subtle instead of overpowering. While the slices of chips added a nice crunch to the soup without taking away from the flavor.  I felt that every element of the dish complimented each other, creating a nice symphony of flavors on the palate.

The gnocchi dish was Wayne's favorite. It had black truffle, cauliflower mash, kale and Ossau-Iraty. Fun fact, ossau-iraty is a creamy, rich yet smooth French cheese made from sheep's milk. Apparently the cheese is produced traditionally. As the sheep get to graze in mountain pastures. I also liked how the served the gnocchi with three pieces. I'm not a huge fan of gnocchi because it can be too filling, but the smaller portion was just right. As the dish gave enough to make your mouth savor it, but not too much where it was overwhelming.

Yup. Sipping my drink like a lady :)

 Haha. He's such a cutie.

The Quail was another one of Wayne's favorites. If you haven't seen our previous posts, Wayne really likes foie gras. So the fact the quail had foie gras made his day. The quail was delicious it was moist but still had a bit of gamy texture with it. I've never actually ate quail before. I've had quail eggs but never quail. I think quail is like duck in its gamy texture. Despite that fact though, the texture complimented the dish quite nicely with the corn grits.

The venison was a very tasty dish. It had Glögg, chestnut, cauliflower and goat cheese. I'm not a huge fan of venison but what was great about this dish was that the Glögg (a nice mulled Swedish Wine) added a nice hint of sweet-fruitiness to the meat without taking away from the texture of flavor of the venison. There was also a goat cheese stuffed prune which was really delicious too.

Last but not least for dessert we got three different types of cream puffs of milk chocolate, caramel and vanilla.  There was lingonberry berry jam, and decorative candied sugar web over the cream puffs. To top off our dessert, we also ordered a cappuccino. The coffee was really rich yet smooth. The cream puffs were pretty good, however, I felt like they were kind of rushed. The outside of the puff was kind of crispy instead of fluffy and the decorative sugar webbing was very pretty but difficult to eat.

 But to end on a sweet note, we were given free homemade cookies after our meal! It was very nice and they were very yummy!

Thank you to everyone who follows us!

We wish everyone a Happy New Year! See ya 2012!

May 2013 bring more wonderful opportunities and memories along the way!!!!!!!

 

As always,

"The Couple that Grubs Together,

Stays Together"
-Grub Couple-

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Noodles!

 

Tonight Wayne and I went to Urban Belly for dinner around Avondale. We were craving something affordable yet tasty and Urban Belly definitely met our requirements.

When you get to the restaurant it's in a tiny plaza next to a laundromat. At first we thought it was closed because the lights inside are kind of dim. But thankfully for our stomachs, it wasn't.  Once you walk in you instantly see its not your normal place to eat. For one thing there's communal tables. In other words, don't be the jerk that sits in the middle of the table. But I think it's BYOB, so you do have the potential to make friends. :)  If you can get over that initial shock that you will probably have to sit with a complete group of strangers, it's a great place to get delicious noodles and dumplings. The atmosphere is casual and can be quick because you can order carryout. 

 

Plus I really liked reading about Chef Bill Kim's philosophy for Urban Belly. On their website it says, "Urbanbelly is about the communal dining experience. Meet new people. Eat great food. Feed your belly from the heart."

In my personal opinion, eating good food and being around the people is a form of happiness. I don't believe that materialistic things can make you happy. They can sustain your happiness for a little bit. Happiness is a revolving emotion. Some days you're happy and some days you can't find the happiness. And there are some people are constantly searching for happiness. When in reality, it is right in front of them.  I strongly believe that being around good people who make you feel good about yourself/make you better person, can be the best route to happiness. But anyway, I digress...

THE FOOD:
For appetizers we ordered the lamb & brandy dumplings and the duck & pho spices dumplings. And wow, these dumplings were really delicious. The duck dumplings had a little subtle kick of spice. While the lamb and brandy dumplings were fried tasty little pockets. I think my favorite dumpling was the duck though.

 

 YAY dumplings!

For entrees, I ordered the Rice Noodles and Wayne got the Urban Belly Noodles.
The Rice noodle had hominy, kimchi and a spicy pork broth.  I thought that the kimchi made the noodles taste really good. Then again I'm biased because I'm South Korean and Koreans love their kimchi. :)

 

Rice Noodle Bowl 

But if you're looking for something with a little more spice then this is the noodle bowl for you.  The only downside I saw with the Rice Noodles was the fact that there was too much Tteok (떡) or rice cake. If they had cut them smaller or added less it would have been perfect in my book. As for Wayne's Belly Bowl, I thought it was really tasty. However, I quickly got bored with the taste. Probably since I like my noodles to be a bit spicier. But if you're looking for a safer choice, or something a little bit heartier then this may be the noodle bowl for you.

 

Urban Belly Bowl

In short our verdict is, if you're too lazy to make your own ramen and want to take a person out for a date (but still haven't made it to the intimate stage) this might be a good place. Or if you just want Ramen Noodles after a long day of work, you should check this place out. :)

As always,

"The Couple that Grubs Together,

Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-

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Emma's Birthday Dinner

My 23rd birthday is tomorrow, November 4th. So, today, Wayne and I went out to celebrate my birthday at Graham Elliot.  The chef, Graham Elliot, appeared on Top Chef Masters in 2009 and was also on Master Chef as a judge. So we had some pretty high expectations.

The atmosphere of the restaurant was very trendy and chic with sophisticated lighting.
To start off we ordered wines. I decided to get the 2011 chateau pradeaux rose just because it was pink. lols I thought it was really good, it was a little dry but had a very smooth finish.
We decided to do the prix fixe for dinner. Wayne got the butternut, lamb and chai. And I decided to go with the pear, sturgeon and chocolate.

 

Our waiter came out with a complimentary tasting from the chef. We weren't too impressed by it. I think it had shishito in it and some type of foam. The tasting dish provided the taste bud pallet with a mixture of textures and flavors. It just wasn't something I'd reach for to taste if it wasn't given to me though.

 

For our first course, my pear dish was amazing. All of the elements of the dish complimented each other. The prominent flavor of the roquefort, the sweet and juiciness of the pear and the surprising mostarda. The dish consisted of: pear, roquefort, peppercress, and mostarda.

Roquefort is one of the world's best known blue-cheeses. The flavor was pretty mild and ends with a little bit of salty after taste. I also know that peppercress comes from the mustard family. But I had no idea with mostarda was. After looking it up on Google, I found out it was an Italian condiment made from candied fruit. Weird! But it was pretty tasty with the dish. It is kind of like a ball of jelly.

 

Wayne's butternut dish was a butternut-like soup with noisette, chestnut and sage. I thought his dish would be more like a butternut squash soup, but instead it was just a broth. Noisette is when unsalted butter is melted over low heat and it begins to brown as a liquid in the process. The chestnut was like shavings and added a bit of a crunch compared to the liquid. It was pretty good. I expected Wayne's dish to have a little more butternut flavor. Instead it was just a hearty brown broth with textured chestnut shavings. Again, I wasn't too impressed by it. But Wayne thought it was pretty good.


For our main course I had the sturgeon with rutabaga, apple coleslaw, and Gruyere. Now I gotta say, the best dish for the night was my sturgeon. The sturgeon was perfectly cooked. It was a little fishy but because it was cooked to the T, it was savory and smooth for a fish dish. The rutabaga was kind of breaded and provided a little bit of contrast to the texture of the fish. It was almost like a crab cake in presentation and texture.

Wayne got the lamb with an eggplant, pistachio and yogurt. I thought the eggplant puree was pretty good under the lamb. Wayne and I both thought the lamb was pretty good in texture, it just was a tad bit salty. I think the eggplant was mixed with like chickpeas or something with pistachios. The puree added another texture to the lamb's meaty flavor. However, I felt like the dish needed one more thing crunchy or sweet to add another dimension to the dish. But it was still pretty decent.

Then for dessert we got the carrot with maple, ginger and raisin and the chocolate cake with gianduja and mexican. They both were pretty good. I thought my chocolate dish would be a little more chocolatey. The cake was kind of bitter instead of sweet. Which I can understand, because it's dark chocolate and gianduja is pretty bitter. I just thought they should have added an element to counter the bitterness with a sweeter chocolate or puree or something.

 

We ended the night by getting another drink at Union Sushi Bar & Grill. If you ever get a chance to go there, you should! It's like sushi/robata grilled tapas.  Also it sounds silly, but I thought they would at least say happy birthday to me. Wayne had specifically put on OpenTable that we were out celebrating. Oh well.

So note to self: if having expectations for a fancy restaurant either forgo the expectations and just eat and be happy OR  just go to my favorite fancy place and all of my expectations will be met.

 

 All decked out in my orange dress & my black rabbit fur coat from South Korea.

Honestly guys, MK Restaurant was the best ever.  Seriously though I've never had a better experience. It seemed like everyone (to the waiters to the busboys were on their A game.) When I had gone there with an ex, almost everyone at MK said happy birthday to me. And when Wayne and I had gone to celebrate our 1 year, they came out with a desert plate saying happy anniversary. I mean when we're shelling out the big bucks, I expect a great experience/accommodations for our money. Because honestly, it's the little details that matter the most. I'm honestly surprised that MK doesn't have higher ratings on yelp.

In short, our experience at Graham Elliot was nice for a birthday celebration. It just didn't hit m expectations for a really fancy restaurant.

BUT I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world though because I got to spend it with the most amazing guy ever. And honestly, that's all that matters to me. :) Thank you Wayne for taking me out for my birthday. I love you. <3

As always,
"The Couple that Grubs Together, Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-

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Drunken Pig in Chicago (not from The 5 Year Engagement))

 

Yesterday Wayne and I went to the soft opening of Drunken Pig, in Rogers Park for dinner. Wayne knows the Executive Chef/Owner, Johnny. Johnny was really nice. What was cool about Johnny was how open and you could tell he really put some thought into the dishes he created.

When we walked in the atmosphere was relaxed yet modern for a gastro pub and it started to pick up pretty good (for a soft opening) as time progressed.

Now the food. The food was pretty awesome!

We ordered the Bacon wrapped dates, Twice cooked pork belly, Johnny's getting angry! Chicken Skewers , Johnny's chicken wings (I forget the actual name of the dish),  drunken garlic Parmesan truffle fries, and the mango flan. If you love beers, they have a pretty nice selection of microbeers. Wayne really liked the 2 beers he tried.

 

The bacon wrapped dates were really good. The date provided a little bit of extra moisture and tenderness to the bacon. However, depending on the size of the date under the bacon, it can be hard to taste it. I like the taste of dates, so I would have liked a little more of the flavor to seep through my taste buds. But then again, some people may not like dates and just want to taste the bacon.

Johnny's getting angry! Chicken Skewers was good. I thought the Korean sauce tasted pretty good combined with the moist chicken and the bed of arugula on the bottom. If you are looking for something to eat that will add a little more sustenance to your stomach along with the Pork Belly, these are pretty good.

The Twice Cooked Pork Belly [on the left] was Wayne's favorite. There were four chunks of tender pork belly, with scallions, pickled red onion and a tiny bit of kimchi in the middle. The pork belly was savory and had the right amount of crispiness. And the kimchi added a little sour/spicy touch to the mix. Very good and should be ordered.

Johnny's Chicken Wings [on the right] These were fantastic and my favorite dish of the night! The wings were absolutely succulent. And the dish was so freaking good because it had the right amount of spice, juiciness with a hint of sweetness. I felt all the flavors were in sync with each other perfectly. Plus they were perfect to nibble on while watching football. (Literally I ordered 2 dishes of these wings). Also I told Johnny if he ever does carryout, I'd order a tub of these wings because I thought they were that good! Haha. Anyways, amazing dish and must be ordered!

The Drunken Garlic Parm Truffle Fries was also a really good one to munch on. The fries are sprinkled with shavings of Parmesan cheese (and blue cheese I think?) And served with a garlic aioli sauce. The fries were a thicker cut, (which I personally like) and the cheese added a tiny bit of sharpness in flavor to the fries. The aioli sauce was also pretty darn good. It had just enough garlic flavor to add a bit of creaminess to the fries.  Really tasty. Just be careful these will be gone pretty fast if you enjoy munching!

Last but not least, the Mango Flan. Wow, this dessert is really really rich. Wayne and I made the mistake of ordering our own. If you're on a date or with a friend, make sure to share the flan! The flan was served with a mint leaf and a foamy Malibu cream on the side. I thought the bit of Malibu complimented the flan because it was so rich. Word of advice, eat slowly, remember sharing is caring and savor slowly. In short it is a pretty tasty dish to try with a friend.:)

 

The only downside I can see, is if you're looking for a big meal, it may be hard to get your fill. The dishes are like tapas with a bit of Korean cuisine-inspired flair. But if you're down to relax, eat a bit, drink beer, catch up with friends, and watch a football game it's a good place to be. Nonetheless, you really should go check it out if you're in the Rogers Park area.

Go try some interesting beers, eat some yummy Korean-tapa dishes and catch up on your football. :)

As always,
"The Couple that Grubs Together, Stays Together"

-Grub Couple-

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