Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar

Kicked off Chicago Restaurant Week 2013 with dinner at Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar in the River North neighborhood. I love the vibe of this place. A very modern way of dining with traditional Japanese cuisine with hip hop playing in the background. My friend and I enjoyed our first meal of restaurant week, you really can't go wrong with Japanese flavors and its cooking. I welcomed the twists the kitchen put on their plates.
Here are our menu choices: Miso Soup; Truffled Tuna with truffle oil, avocado, parmesan, chili fresco and wonton chips; Seared Cobia Carpaccio with orange, grapefruit, yuzu olive oil, dashi salt, ginger, sesame, onion and chive; Pork Loin in coconut milk, enoki mushrooms, fried onions, green onion and Japanese curry peanut sauce; Surf and Turf of filet of beef, jumbo shrimp, sweet potato cream and crispy potato; Killer Yuzu Pie with a coconut biscuit crust and fresh whipped cream; and Pumpkin Mochi cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asian Noodle House

If you want a good bowl of ramen or pho in the suburbs, Asian Noodle House in Hoffman Estates hits the spot. Ang and D have gone here a couple times and we finally went as a family. A family that eats noodle soups together, stays together haha. We each had own bowl. I ordered the pork bbq and shrimp wonton ramen. The flavors in this ramen were well balanced and I got that warm, fuzzy feeling while slurping away. Other menu items include your typical Chinese foods, which we tried in another returned trip and it was pretty good. They don't have a website, but look them on Yelp for reviews.

 

Del Seoul

Have been wanting to try Del Seoul for quite some time and in the past 6 months, I've been there three times already and you know what that means...can't wait to go back for my fourth and more! Yes, it's that good. Located in Lincoln Park, Del Seoul is Korean street bbq, where they put their own twists on it from the traditional to modern. I've heard their tacos and fries are delicious and what they are known for, so I had to get those in each of my visits. I've ordered the sesame-chili shrimp, kalbi and spicy bbq pork tacos topped with their own slaw; and their dumplings, which was ok. You must get their fries with their garlic aioli, so crispy! I really like their tacos especially the shrimp and spicy bbq pork. Plus, what's not to like when it's wrapped in a warm corn tortilla?  Another perk to eating here is walking down a couple doors and grabbing a delicious cupcake at Molly's for dessert, Boston Crème pie is my fave :-)

 

 

Hearty Boys

Started off 2013 with brunch with a couple of friends at Hearty Boys in Lakeview. The menu offered Southern style comfort foods, which I heart. Each of us enjoyed our plates along with the bottomless mimosas, cheers! I'd like to come back here during their dinner. I had the Chesapeake Bay Benedict with Maryland crab cakes. YUM.

 

A look at back 2012

I know it's a bit late, but better late than never.  2012 has been filled with many tasty adventures, but it's whom we share those food filled experiences with and for me that's none other than...*look up at the title of my blog* Thanks to another year for coming along on the adventure... where to next?





Viaggio

Mae and I finally made it to Viaggio in the West Loop, after reading it's Yelp reviews months ago. This is one of the best Italian meals I've ever had. So authentic, rich and full of flavor. We also discovered a new favorite Pinot Grigio, Benvolio. They offered complimentary sweet peppers to snack on with some crunchy bread. We started with a highly recommended dish from reviews, the meatballs with romaine salad. The salad was so simple with juicy and moist meatballs placed on romaines tossed in red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. My main course was the Rigatoni with Sunday Pork Gravy of slow cooked pork in San Marzano tomato gravy served with a scoop of ricotta cheese. Let me tell ya', this dish was filling and felt very home like, loved it. Mae opted for their daily special of their pork chop with creamy poletna and tomato sauce. One word...Delizioso!

Pizzeria Via Stato

Happy Birthday Mom! Yes, the celebration continued. Took the Monday off after Thanksgiving to take her to the city and visit Chicago's ChristKindle Market in Daley Plaza. It was a chilly day, but what more to spend it with her and a mug of spiced wine. Started the day with lunch at Pizzeria Via Stato. We had small plates of their mixed greens salad with walnuts, dried cherries, parmesan dressed with a walnut vinaigrette; veal meatballs with provolone in a tomato sauce, fonduta of spinach, pecorino and crostini; and a white pizza with cracked black pepper bacon, caramelized onions and an egg. I love a farm fresh egg on pizza! We really enjoyed the food here, tasty and filling for a chilly afternoon. I'd like to come back here to try their other pizzas.