Thanks for coming out hiding, FarmerL! That is a nice selection of eating.

A Cambodian salad of crisp fried mackerel, fried garlic, peanuts, mint... @ Hermosa restaurant hit it out of the park on every level.

Hello all - I literally found LTH this morning and love it! So I'm brand-new. Also stumbled on a new cuisine, (Yemeni) and sharing this somewhat-hidden gem, Sheeba Mandi (on Foster just west of Kimball). Mutapq and Chicken Zurbian, fantastic. They also list a "Salta" (veg stew) with fenugreek foam that sounded interesting, may try that next!

Got a couple of “Old Fashioned Hot Dog Weiners” from Paulina Meat Market, steamed a Rosen hot dog bun with poppy seeds and dragged it through the garden. Wow. So good. Paulina’s pork brats are superb too.

Off topic but I still kind of hate that this topic is always at the top. At first I would click on it all the time, thinking there was a new posting. Then I just stopped looking and ended up missing the newish postings (although newish is a misnomer cause it can be a whole month between comments). Not a big deal but I do find it really irritating- can’t people just do a search for the topic when they want to post?

cleanplateclub wrote:Off topic but I still kind of hate that this topic is always at the top. At first I would click on it all the time, thinking there was a new posting. Then I just stopped looking and ended up missing the newish postings (although newish is a misnomer cause it can be a whole month between comments). Not a big deal but I do find it really irritating- can’t people just do a search for the topic when they want to post?

I've unpinned it. Let's see how it goes.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

Vegetale Pizza at Galucci, but with a tomato sauce base. And the Fritto Appetizer (vegetarian with ricotta cheese and Lemon rid dusting).

The Vegetale is in the Bianco section, but I like the sauce so the Pizziola made it for me with sauce. I sat at the bar next to the oven and saw the whole process. Dude put a fresh log on the fire, then made the pizza, fired it up, and was done in about 90 seconds!!

The Appetizer was fantastic too. Airy fried bread; topped with whipped Ricotta di Bufala, dusted with Lemon rind.

This place is fantastic. I feel bad that I don't go here more often.

Gallucci
1551 N. Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60610

Indianbadger wrote:

This place is fantastic. I feel bad that I don't go here more often.

Gallucci
1551 N. Wells Street
Chicago, IL 60610

Agreed! We had a great lunch there before the Van Gough experience around the corner. Thought the food was great (maybe not quite Spacca Napoli level, but what is...), service was excellent, and I was disappointed to see the place nearly empty despite it being a Saturday afternoon.

We don't live nearby but hope to return soon!

Truffle Pizza at Pazza Pizza in Old Town.

For 20 bucks for a small (12 inch), I thought it would be a mushroom pate with 'truffle oil'. Nope. Real Truffles mixed in. I also like their Veggie Calzone.

It was fabulous.

Pazza Pizza
1543 N Sedgwick St,
Chicago, IL 60610

ETA: I was there again and saw he was using imported 00 flour from Naples for his pizzas. I did not expect that. He's an immigrant from the Balkans and I always enjoy talking to him while waiting for my pizza.

Had the Shrimp and Grits at Wishbone today and they were very good. Really nice portion size which I could only eat half. Warm corn muffin put it over the top. Funny that I used to like the vibe of Wishbone much more than the actual food. Don’t know if I changed or they changed.

From LTHF member "eating while walking"'s italian beef document, I got to Quick Bite stand @ N. Western Ave. & W. Foster Ave.
Its menu is vast. Occasionally, you view exasperation from a reviewer perceiving the stand cannot do a quality job on all its menu items. But the identifying clue here can be glimpsed in the first photograph below: A Scala Beef neon sign.
This is definitely worthy of more consideration in italian beef 'top 10' rankings. I asked for hot peppers, dipped. The beef was well sliced. The bread held together. The peppers were spicy, not fiery. This was a very savory sandwich.
Quick Bite may seem to be off the beaten path, until you recollect Western Ave. is definitely on the beaten path.
You could stop by here and take it to Spiteful Brwg. on Balmoral Ave. (But not Half Acre Brwg. It has a food menu.)
The stand is cash only. There are six seats inside the stand. Older descriptions mention limited outdoor seating; but I did not view any chairs or tables. YMMV.

I shared this with Mr. X. He owes me. (edited to add: cinnamon roll from Lost Larson)

no pics, but i had the egg/longanisa/cheese on-a-martin's-potato-roll sandwich at kasama in Ukrainian village today. as long as one has proof of vaccination, it's ok to eat in their very charming dining room. there's also a lovely patio... what a terrific spot for relaxing and just hanging out.

Ginger and poached pear cupcake from Sauce and Bread Kitchen. Ranks high on my best cupcake ever list.

Garlic Rosemary Sourdough from River Valley Ranch (Wisconsin location.) Chunks of garlic, wafts of rosemary. Followed closely by their five cheese spread stuffed mushrooms. Baked those puppies up and they were delicious!

https://rvrvalley.com/

RVR Farm
39900 60th St, Burlington, WI 53105
+1 262-539-3555

This might not be fair since it's not commercially available, but my friend and neighbor dropped off a homemade gyro-esque sandwich last night based on a recipe from Cook's Illustrated. It blew everything in the category out the water (or off the spit). Best bites of food I've had in a while, and delivered to my doorstep.

Crab fried rice and spring rolls at Sochi Saigonese Kitchen on Belmont. Wife really enjoyed her curry as well.

I keep thinking about the juk portion of the duck course at Jeong a few weeks ago. Such a simple dish in theory, this had the most depth of flavor I can recall. A pure umami bomb, with the balancing crunch of granola. Chatting with the staff, the claimed long-roasting the duck bones was key, but I know enough to know there is much, much more behind this flavor!

Had a most excellent meal @ Jose Andres/Gibsons meat mash-up Bazzar Meats Saturday, and as good as it was what keeps nagging my mind are the roasted leeks w/onion ash side veg.

Cauliflower Flan at Osteria Langhe. Simultaneously deeply flavorful and so silky as to be almost light. Eggs and pureed cauliflower, possibly some cream, not sure whether there was any flour, and cheese - possibly a mix of like fontina and pecorino. Just scrumptious, so now I'm down a rabbit hole of reading about this, which is maybe more Tuscan than Piedmontese (which is what Langhe generally sticks to)?

Dry Chili Eggplant at Dongpo Impression.

This was the first time I had this dish and it was fabulous. It shows a deft hand in the kitchen as the eggplant pieces were perfectly deep fried. Crisp exterior with a creamy interior, and it was not greasy at all. The amount of dried chilies is always frightening when it comes to the table, but it was just spicy enough as usual with these kinds of dishes. The other spices were what stood out. Ginger, Garlic, Chili oil and Sichuan Peppercorns.

It also reinforces to me that it is always better to go to such restaurants in a group, so a selection of dishes can be ordered. Some dry, some with sauce, some spicy, some not etc. Having just this as a entrée is weird, as it really does not mix well with rice to make a full meal.

It was the Nick's Burger from Nick's Tavern in Lemont, IL. Nick's is a solid venue where to visit anyhow. It has intriguing beers both on draught and in package, at lower-than-average prices (perhaps due to it being cash only). I was here because my afternoon destination, Pollyanna Brwg., would not open until 12:01pm. Nick's opens at 11:00am.
In case you likely missed it, Metra is running service on the Heritage Corridor Line on Saturdays through 3 September. The first train from Chicago to Joliet departs Union Station at 10:30am. There are numerous breweries, taprooms, and bars within walking distance from train stations. The fare is $7.00 for all day. The snag is there are only three trains each way.

The dumplings from Le Coloniale, the new one in Lake Forest, were extremely good.

The lamb shank at Xochimilco in Ravenswood, which I have now eaten twice (once in late 2019 and once yesterday) is truly delicious. It's so perfectly cooked, tender and succulent, with a delicious sauce. At $21 it is a great deal too. So glad to have this restaurant in my neighborhood.

jsagoff wrote:The lamb shank at Xochimilco in Ravenswood, which I have now eaten twice (once in late 2019 and once yesterday) is truly delicious. It's so perfectly cooked, tender and succulent, with a delicious sauce. At $21 it is a great deal too. So glad to have this restaurant in my neighborhood.

Agree. I had this one time, and slowly enjoyed every bite. There is some great execution going on at Xochimilco - GNR candidate!!

rmtraut wrote:

jsagoff wrote:The lamb shank at Xochimilco in Ravenswood, which I have now eaten twice (once in late 2019 and once yesterday) is truly delicious. It's so perfectly cooked, tender and succulent, with a delicious sauce. At $21 it is a great deal too. So glad to have this restaurant in my neighborhood.

Agree. I had this one time, and slowly enjoyed every bite. There is some great execution going on at Xochimilco - GNR candidate!!

Seems like great Mexican food in Lincoln Square/Ravenswood starts with "X" these days. If you like Xochimilco, see my recent post about El Xangarrito not far away at Rockwell/Lawrence. I didn't really believe all the glowing online reviews until I tried it.

Green Curry Omelette at Andy's Thai Kitchen.

It was really good, without being overwhelmingly hot. They have become cash only, which is surprising. Usually places add 3% for using a card. But it looks like ATK has removed that option completely. I would expect this in a fast-food kinda place; but to see a sit-down restaurant becoming cash only was surprising.

I also tried cheese slices at a newish Pizza place nearby called Naudi. Very sparse selection. Basically thin crust round, thin crust square (for some reason) and a thicker Pan version, all offered cheese base + added toppings only. About 5-6 toppings available. Like a combination of Neapolitan with Tavern style which I have not had anything like this. The slices tasted fine, but I would like to get a freshly made pizza to have a real opinion on it. Kinda expensive too. I want to open a place next door serving deep-dish and call it Nice.

Andy's Thai Kitchen (CASH ONLY)
950 W. Diversey Parkway
HOURS
Sunday: 12:00-9:30pm
Monday-Thurs: 11:00-9:30pm
Friday: 11:00-9:30pm
Saturday: 12:00-9:30pm

Naudi Signature Pizza
926 W DIVERSEY PKWY
PICKUP
Monday 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday-Wednesday Closed
Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday-Sat 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM
Sunday 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM

Steak Huaraches, with green sauce substituted for red at Los Mogotes de Michoacan in Highland Park. Granted, I was hungry, but I don't think so hungry that it would make anything taste this sensational without it actually being pretty darn wonderful.

Los Mogotes de Michoacan
2069 Green Bay Rd, Highland Park, IL 60035-2562
Phone: +1 847 432 5667

Garibaldi Quesadilla at the Quesadilla Pilsen, a outpost from the vegetarian/vegan mainstay Q. Reina Del Sur in the Bucktown West. I heard from the bartender that the original has reopened in a new place next door to the old location.

I had a Barbacoa Taco also, but the Quesadilla was the highlight.

This place is completely vegetarian/vegan, offering only soy based meat substitute version of all the familiar Mexican meat versions. I have never eaten meat, so I don't know how the substitutes taste compared to the original; but they were really well seasoned and tasty. This will be my go-to place from now on in my hood because I can eat everything on the menu! Plus they offer both regular and vegan cheese, but I don't like vegan dairy.

The place is also a Bar with cocktails and beer on tap; but I don't partake in that activity anymore.

Address:
1519 W 18th St, Chicago, IL 60608

Hours:
Monday Closed
Tuesday Closed
Wednesday-Friday: 5–11PM
Saturday-Sunday: 10AM–10PM

The eggplant gateau at Citrine Cafe!
(100 S Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302)

Possibly the best Mediterranean inspired dish I've tasted this year, layer upon layer of thinly sliced eggplant, baked in a perfect tomato sauce, with fresh ricotta served on the side.

Intense, complex, and perfectly executed. Also a very generous serving.

Most impressive.

Combined with the rest of the meal, including a lovely beet salad, rigatoni, and craft cocktails, Citrine created an incredibly good meal, but this main dish was above and beyond!

The pork shank at Laschett's. Holy moly, did this hit the spot. Only available on Saturdays, they served up a 2.5 lb meaty, crackling beauty. Lots of juicy meat, and the pork skin rivaled any decent chicharron out there. Washed down with a couple Stiegl Paracelsus's, I left a very happy camper.