That looks phenomenal!

HonestMan wrote:That looks phenomenal!

I had leftovers for lunch today and have to say that even gently re-heated in the microwave, it was pretty darn good.

Technically Mayfair, but close enough.

Tonight we did our first post-dance class carryout from Ssyal.

Descriptions from their website.

Gun Mandu 군만두 (6pcs)
Pan-fried vegetable dumplings (6pcs)


Banchan


Han-Ah-Reum Bulgogi Dolsot 한아름 불고기 돌솥
Thin sliced beef stew with home-made sauce, glass noodles, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, and mung bean sprouts served in a sizzling stone pot

This was Audrey's. She loved it. Nothing left but some broth.

Beef Bulgogi 불고기
Thin sliced beef marinated in home-made sauce with onions, carrots, and green onions

Jonathan enjoyed this. They gave us some extra rice so he'll have enough left for lunch.

Soon Tofu Stew 순두부찌개
Soft tofu stew with shrimp, squid, egg, zucchini, and green onions

This was mine. I've been struggling with the worst cold these past few days and was looking for a good spicy broth. Between that and the kimchi hopefully my system will clear out soon!

Ssyal
4201 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630

LynnB wrote:Technically Mayfair, but close enough.

Tonight we did our first post-dance class carryout from Ssyal.

Descriptions from their website.

Gun Mandu 군만두 (6pcs)
Pan-fried vegetable dumplings (6pcs)


Banchan


Han-Ah-Reum Bulgogi Dolsot 한아름 불고기 돌솥
Thin sliced beef stew with home-made sauce, glass noodles, carrots, mushrooms, cabbage, and mung bean sprouts served in a sizzling stone pot

This was Audrey's. She loved it. Nothing left but some broth.

Beef Bulgogi 불고기
Thin sliced beef marinated in home-made sauce with onions, carrots, and green onions

Jonathan enjoyed this. They gave us some extra rice so he'll have enough left for lunch.

Soon Tofu Stew 순두부찌개
Soft tofu stew with shrimp, squid, egg, zucchini, and green onions

This was mine. I've been struggling with the worst cold these past few days and was looking for a good spicy broth. Between that and the kimchi hopefully my system will clear out soon!

Ssyal
4201 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60630

Ssyal ginseng Cornish hen soup is definitely one of the things I miss most about not living in the city anymore. It’s truly a miracle cure for pretty much anything.

Tried a place new to us last night -
Lockal Bar & Pizzeria
3256 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago
Open 7 days/wk with food from 11am-10pm

Jonathan & Audrey picked-up our order. I was told looks-wise, it's your standard sports bar. The menu, however, does have some Balkan flair. For now, we just wanted to check out their pizzas.


Almost forgot to take pictures. Above is regular (thin) crust with sausage, onions, and green peppers. They also offer double dough crust.


This one is spinach, black olives and giardiniera.

They arrived hot and crispy. Found it interesting that they both came with a little cup of melted garlic butter. Didn't partake. We liked the crust & and sauce quite a bit. I would definitely order pizza here again.

FYI, some Balkan toppings on offer include cevapi, suho meso (smoked beef,) and sudzuk (smoked sausage.) They also have a range of wing options, several burgers, and typical-for-a-sports bar fried appetizers. If you are in the market for a Halal beef pizza puff, they have you covered. Also, handmade crust vegan pizza. So, something for everyone!

Audrey ordered a piece of tiramisu for dessert which looked nothing like their online photo. It was more like a wedge of tiramisu-flavored cake. Still, she declared it delicious and polished it off.

Lynn,

Consider yourself lucky that your kids will eat such a variety of foods. Our kids would not ( though now, they both love to eat everything )

lougord99 wrote:Lynn,

Consider yourself lucky that your kids will eat such a variety of foods. Our kids would not ( though now, they both love to eat everything )

Believe me, I do! Audrey has been an adventurous eater from very early on. Cultivated and encouraged by us, but I know that just doesn’t work with all kids. She has a couple of friends who necessitate my pantry be stocked with Kraft Mac & Cheese at all times.

The diversity of offerings in Albany Park is awesome. We are curious to see what’s to come in the former Brazilian Bowl space.

Lynn, another newish place that I've heard good things about: Taqueria y Carnitas Don Valdez on Lawrence, just east of Kedzie.

Sounds like their carnitas is very good so hopefully it lives up to that. I'll report back once I try it.

We really like Kim's Home Cooking a lot if you are looking for more places to try. The food is delicious, the couple that run the place are friendly and helpful, and the prices are very reasonable. The ambience is, well, non-existent but it's a great neighborhood spot for Korean food. My daughter is addicted to their chicken wings (they have several flavor options). Kim's is in the same strip mall as Sahar Meat Market and Antepli.
I'll have to take better pictures next time I'm there but here are a few from previous visits.

Daeji Dupbap



Banchan


Menu



Kim's Home Cooking
4829 N. Kedzie
(773) 509-6538

WhyBeeSea wrote:Lynn, another newish place that I've heard good things about: Taqueria y Carnitas Don Valdez on Lawrence, just east of Kedzie.

Sounds like their carnitas is very good so hopefully it lives up to that. I'll report back once I try it.

Thanks, checked out the menu and it’s a bit meat-centric for me. Looking forward to your report though and keeping it on the back-burner for a daddy/daughter night.

thaiobsessed wrote:We really like Kim's Home Cooking a lot if you are looking for more places to try. The food is delicious, the couple that run the place are friendly and helpful, and the prices are very reasonable. The ambience is, well, non-existent but it's a great neighborhood spot for Korean food. My daughter is addicted to their chicken wings (they have several flavor options). Kim's is in the same strip mall as Sahar Meat Market and Antepli.
I'll have to take better pictures next time I'm there but here are a few from previous visits.

Daeji Dupbap



Banchan


Menu



Kim's Home Cooking
4829 N. Kedzie
(773) 509-6538

We’ve been curious about this place so thanks for the info!
Audrey has been asking me about Spam and as a very sporadic meat eater I just haven’t been able to bring myself to purchase/cook with it. The Kimchee fried rice with spam and egg definitely has her name on it. I’d like to try the seafood kalguksoo.

Albany Park Peeps, does anyone know the official name of the coffee/waffle place in the same strip mall as Salam & Tamales Mi Chula? I can’t find it on Apple Maps or Google Maps. Audrey wants to go for breakfast next weekend and I need info on their hours. Is there seating or to-go only? Thanks in advance!

LynnB wrote:Albany Park Peeps, does anyone know the official name of the coffee/waffle place in the same strip mall as Salam & Tamales Mi Chula? I can’t find it on Apple Maps or Google Maps. Audrey wants to go for breakfast next weekend and I need info on their hours. Is there seating or to-go only? Thanks in advance!

It's called Yakup Bey. Unfortunately, that location doesn't appear to have any phone number or hours posted online, but you could try calling their Harlem location to see if they know. Monica Eng recently posted a video at the Albany Park outpost and it looks like they have 4 or 5 tables for dine-in.

T Kent wrote:

LynnB wrote:Albany Park Peeps, does anyone know the official name of the coffee/waffle place in the same strip mall as Salam & Tamales Mi Chula? I can’t find it on Apple Maps or Google Maps. Audrey wants to go for breakfast next weekend and I need info on their hours. Is there seating or to-go only? Thanks in advance!

It's called Yakup Bey. Unfortunately, that location doesn't appear to have any phone number or hours posted online, but you could try calling their Harlem location to see if they know. Monica Eng recently posted a video at the Albany Park outpost and it looks like they have 4 or 5 tables for dine-in.

Thanks! Checking out their Instagram was helpful. I’m now thinking this will be a post-dance class snack stop instead of a pre-class breakfast. Looking forward to checking it out.

LynnB wrote:

T Kent wrote:

LynnB wrote:Albany Park Peeps, does anyone know the official name of the coffee/waffle place in the same strip mall as Salam & Tamales Mi Chula? I can’t find it on Apple Maps or Google Maps. Audrey wants to go for breakfast next weekend and I need info on their hours. Is there seating or to-go only? Thanks in advance!

It's called Yakup Bey. Unfortunately, that location doesn't appear to have any phone number or hours posted online, but you could try calling their Harlem location to see if they know. Monica Eng recently posted a video at the Albany Park outpost and it looks like they have 4 or 5 tables for dine-in.

Thanks! Checking out their Instagram was helpful. I’m now thinking this will be a post-dance class snack stop instead of a pre-class breakfast. Looking forward to checking it out.

Audrey & I will be here shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday. If anyone would like to join us we could use the extra sampling power.
Not posting this on events as I don’t anticipate being here more than 30 minutes or so.

LynnB wrote:

LynnB wrote:

T Kent wrote:

LynnB wrote:Albany Park Peeps, does anyone know the official name of the coffee/waffle place in the same strip mall as Salam & Tamales Mi Chula? I can’t find it on Apple Maps or Google Maps. Audrey wants to go for breakfast next weekend and I need info on their hours. Is there seating or to-go only? Thanks in advance!

It's called Yakup Bey. Unfortunately, that location doesn't appear to have any phone number or hours posted online, but you could try calling their Harlem location to see if they know. Monica Eng recently posted a video at the Albany Park outpost and it looks like they have 4 or 5 tables for dine-in.

Thanks! Checking out their Instagram was helpful. I’m now thinking this will be a post-dance class snack stop instead of a pre-class breakfast. Looking forward to checking it out.

Audrey & I will be here shortly after 11 a.m. on Saturday. If anyone would like to join us we could use the extra sampling power.
Not posting this on events as I don’t anticipate being here more than 30 minutes or so.

I am so glad we stopped in here today! They are still in their soft opening stage. They have a beautiful new coffee machine, but no coffee yet. The woman helping us said they hope to have it in 2 weeks or less. Right now they are offering hot or cold fruit teas. They are all decaf. She was very friendly and answered all of our many questions. We were offered samples of the hot pomegranate tea and then tried the cold mango and hot lemon mint by request. There is a vast selection of sweets, all imported from Turkey (as are the teas.)

We made a few purchases. Everything was placed in a complimentary tote bag.



Tea is sold by the 1/4 pound, 1/2 pound or pound.



Audrey really liked the cold mango tea. I loved the hot lemon mint. We got a 1/4 pound of each. Instructions were to add 1 tablespoon of tea to 6 oz. of water.

We picked out an assortment of chocolates.


There were several varieties of these halva-filled "logs."



The one on the left is rolled in sesame seeds. Both also contain marshmallow.

We also received some beautiful complimentary magnets.



After we paid, we were asked if we liked baklava. I said of course, and out came 2 pieces for us to sample. These made it as far as the car so no photo. It was some of the best I've had. This is a very nice addition to the area. They have a small oven that they plan to use for some breakfast items coming in the next few weeks.

LynnB wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:Lynn, another newish place that I've heard good things about: Taqueria y Carnitas Don Valdez on Lawrence, just east of Kedzie.

Sounds like their carnitas is very good so hopefully it lives up to that. I'll report back once I try it.

Thanks, checked out the menu and it’s a bit meat-centric for me. Looking forward to your report though and keeping it on the back-burner for a daddy/daughter night.

Got some tacos today and here's my verdict. Carnitas are excellent, pastor was solid and asada is skippable. So if you're in the mood for carnitas, this is a great option. Also in this landscape, 2.99 for tacos this size is an absolute bargain!

WhyBeeSea wrote:

LynnB wrote:

WhyBeeSea wrote:Lynn, another newish place that I've heard good things about: Taqueria y Carnitas Don Valdez on Lawrence, just east of Kedzie.

Sounds like their carnitas is very good so hopefully it lives up to that. I'll report back once I try it.

Thanks, checked out the menu and it’s a bit meat-centric for me. Looking forward to your report though and keeping it on the back-burner for a daddy/daughter night.

Got some tacos today and here's my verdict. Carnitas are excellent, pastor was solid and asada is skippable. So if you're in the mood for carnitas, this is a great option. Also in this landscape, 2.99 for tacos this size is an absolute bargain!

Thanks for reporting back. Jonathan & Audrey are both fans of pastor and cheap tacos in general so they will definitely hit this up at some point.

thaiobsessed wrote:We really like Kim's Home Cooking a lot if you are looking for more places to try. The food is delicious, the couple that run the place are friendly and helpful, and the prices are very reasonable. The ambience is, well, non-existent but it's a great neighborhood spot for Korean food. My daughter is addicted to their chicken wings (they have several flavor options). Kim's is in the same strip mall as Sahar Meat Market and Antepli.
I'll have to take better pictures next time I'm there but here are a few from previous visits.

Daeji Dupbap



Banchan


Menu



Kim's Home Cooking
4829 N. Kedzie
(773) 509-6538

Holy Cow, thaiobsessed! Thanks so much for this recommendation. We picked-up for dinner tonight and were very impressed with the freshness of everything, the care with which it was all packaged, and the low price for how much food we received.

Audrey is very into K-pop so she sees a lot of Korean videos on an assortment of topics. She was excited to see kimbap on the menu and informed me that it is most definitely not Korean sushi and proceeded to explain to me why. So we had to get one order to share.


Veggie Kimbap
Korean rice roll with vegetables.

Jonathan and Audrey also shared an order of the Pork Steamed Dumplings. (No picture.)

For mains, Audrey went with Mandu Guk Soup - Korean style dumpling soup with egg.



I had the Seafood Kalguksoo Soup - Korean knife noodles with seafood.



Jonathan got the Combination Fried Rice. (No picture.)

The banchan were terrific and also generously portioned.



Looking forward to the leftovers. Going on the regular rotation for sure!