I FINALLY went to Rick Bayless’ new restaurant Xoco in Chicago’s River North (2.5/5 Stars).

So after opening up a couple months ago, all I’ve heard is that everyone I know in Chicago wants to go to Rick Bayless’ new restaurant, Xoco, located at 449 North Clark Street.  I wanted to visit Xoco because I had heard it was more of a fast food and more inexpensive version of Rick’s other restaurants, Topolobampo and Frontera Grill.  While I agree that Xoco is both of the above, it’s still expensive as hell.  I spent over $19.00 for my meal which is not what I consider inexpensive.

I ordered the Pepito ($12.00) which is braised Tallgrass shortribs, caramelized onion, artisan Jack cheese, black beans, pickled jalapenos.  Now, I have to admit, the Pepito was an awesome sandwich.  Now, I’m sure Rick Bayless would hate to have his sandwich described as a much better Portillo’s Italian beef sandwich but that’s all I thought about when I was eating it.  Personally, I would take this as a compliment because Portillo’s Italian beefs are awesome.  I also had an order of fresh chips and Frontera guacamole ($4.00) and one homemade churro ($1.25).  Obviously I could have gone without the churro in order to save money, but I felt like the chips and guac were necessary.  You know how a burger comes with fries?  Well, this sandwich didn’t come with anything else.

My sister ordered the Gunthorp Chicken sandwich which is wood-roasted red chile chicken, caramelized onion, black beans, avocado and tomatillo salsa ($8.50).  She didn’t like it and only finished half of the sandwich.  I thought it was alright, but the red chile sauce was so thick and almost chalky in texture.

Our friends both ordered the slow-cooked pork carnitas with potato-masa dumplings, chayote, roasted serrano chile, spinach, arugula, avocado…all in soup form ($11.50).  Neither of them liked it and for one, it was too spicy and painful to even finish.  Again, I thought it was good but not $11.50 good.  Everyone but me ordered the hot chocolate and althought it was very rich for two of the three, I thought it was awesome…think melted chocolate mixed with a teaspoon of water.  That’s how rich it was. 

 The service and food came out very fast and they definitely have it down to a ‘T’ so I give them props for that.  Too bad Xoco isn’t larger because it could definitely use more tables at times.  Click HERE for their menu!

The Pepito sandwich!

Little Mel’s Place on 18th Street in Pilsen opened by a great, young couple!

After a second time eating at Little Mel’s Place, located at 1800 S. Jefferson Street, in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood, I realized I should have posted about this place after my first visit.  I’m all about no frills places where I can actually leave full and satisfied for not much money and where I know I’m contributing to a small neighborhood restaurant.  A very nice, young couple were the ones to open up Little Mel’s and they will also be the ones to take your order and cook your delicious food…plus, they happily took my townhome brochures which was extra cool.

Both times I visited, I was lame and got the same thing but I swear I only did so because it was so good.  I ordered a double bacon cheeseburger meal which includes a drink and fries.  Let me tell you, the burger was massive and with the pickle spear, lettuce, tomato and onion, I could have died a happy man right there.  BUT, I’m not one to turn down these fries because they taste similar to McDonalds fries but are a bit bigger.  I also skipped the pop and went with a large strawberry shake which was perfect for the 95 degree day.  All of this set me back a little over $7.00…not bad for being able to fill me up.  Kudos Little Mel’s, kudos.

Thanks to “Yelper” Southside S. for the photo of Little Mel’s.  I couldn’t find any picture of the place.

New location for Orange Brunch, with a peel at Halsted/Grand/Milwaukee!

About two weeks ago, Orange opened its fourth location at 730 W. Grand Avenue, in Chicago’s Fulton River District.  Orange is the newest culinary addition to the neighborhood where they specialize in all things brunch.  Orange’s new restaurant will be open seven days a week and is often descibed as Charlie Trotters in his jammies, or the fine dining version of brunch.  From looking at THE MENU, it looks like omelete and pancake meals generally run around $8.95 and they sound pretty good.  I haven’t paid a visit but will definitely do so pretty soon.  I love me some pancakes and fresh squeezed orange juice…too bad I work weekends…

A taste of Latin America at Lito’s Empanadas in Lincoln Park! (5/5 Stars)

I LOVE LITO’S EMPANADAS!  Lito’s, which is located in a small storefront at 2566 N. Clark Street in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.  I first started making my own empanadas after seeing a recipe in my high school Spanish book…random I know…so when I saw Lito’s open up, I immediately went in to check it out.  If you’re driving by, you may easily miss the restaurant because of its small presence from the street.  Inside, there’s only a small bar with about five stools to eat at making Lito’s good for carry-out. 

Whenever I go, I order one ‘Beef’ which includes ground beef, olives, raisins, potato, tomato and onion ($2.29), one ‘Chicken’ which has chicken, rice, tomato and onion ($2.19) and one ‘BBQ Chicken’ which is made with slow-cooked BBQ chicken and potatoes ($2.29).  One is a snack, two can make me content, but I always get three so I can enjoy my uncomfortable fullness.

According to their website, Lito’s now delivers and caters their empanadas which range from sweet (Choco-Banana), savory (Beef and Rice), and even vegetarian empanadas…all for a pretty awesome price.  I have to give props for their marketing efforts because I constantly see articles on them in places like the Red-Eye and Time Out Chicago.

Uncomfortably full, but so good at Texas De Brazil! (5/5 Stars)

I randomly signed up for Texas De Brazil’s eClub program and they emailed me a buy one dinner, get one free for their all you can eat dinners.  Texas De Brazil, located at 51 E. Ohio Street, is one of two prominant Brazilian steakhouses in Chicago, Brazzaz is the other. 

The concept of Texas De Brazil is that you have a harvest table which is full of vegetables, types of salads, cheeses, small dishes, sushi, and much more.  This table is basically an all you can eat buffet.  BUT, I don’t like to waste my time on this “filler” table.  Texas De Brazil gives each person at the table a two sided token.  Flip the token to the green side, the servers bombard you with different cuts of meat, ranging from shrimp to filet mignon.  Flip the token to the red side, and the servers ignore you until you switch back to green.  And if you actually have room in your stomach for dessert, a friend and I tried their bananas foster and key lime pie and they were both amazing.

Texas De Brazil is huge, I’m talking about two stories tall and seating for what seems like 1,000 people.    Prices are not cheap, that’s why I only go here when I have a buy one dinner, get one free coupon.  Plus, you literally have to prepare your body so you can accommodate this much food.  STILL, I highly recommend you pay a visit at least once because Texas De Brazil knows how to cook amazing food.

 

One of Pilsen’s most talked about new restaurants: Simone’s Bar

I FINALLY got to pay a visit to Simone’s Bar in Pilsen, the neighborhood’s most talked about new restaurant and bar.  Luckily, I got to combine work with pleasure as well, due to a lunch meeting with a coworker and a great contact in the Pilsen neighborhood, Norma Alanis.  Norma owns and operates Chocolate For Your Body Spa, located at 1743 S. Halsted Street.

Simone’s Bar, located at 960 W. 18th Street, opened a few months ago and already has quite the following throughout the area.  The inside of Simone’s is decorated with recycled materials such as old bowling lanes for tables and the bar and glass bottles for light fixtures so it’s pretty unique.

Their outdoor patio recently opened so we all decided to eat outside because the weather was so nice.  I ordered the Simone’s Burger which is a 100%  hand pressed beef patty filled with bleu cheese and served with a mixture of hand cut regular and sweet potato fries ($9.00).  Norma ordered the Cheeseburger with American cheese, also served with the mixture of fries ($8.00), and Zev ordered a cup of tomato soup and had a panini sandwich which was the special for the day (price not known).

Overall, our server was very attentive and the food came out very quickly and I’m always a fan of outdoor eating which made the experience even better.  The food was great and I look forward to trying some other entrees the next time I pay a visit.  Simone’s Bar is open from 11:30am – 2am daily so definitely check them out!

Thai hideaway and good food at Silver Spoon on Rush Street (4/5 Stars).

First introduced to me by a couple friends who live in the neighborhood, I have now passed my love of the Silver Spoon to other friends and visitors.  The Silver Spoon, located at 710 N. Rush Street, is a hole in the wall Thai restaurant that is tucked away in the basement level of a building but within a minute from the Mag Mile.  Most times that I have visited, there was no wait, and every time the service was attentive, and the food came out very quickly.  For my most recent visit to Silver Spoon, I went with my sister Diane and our friend Andrea and we went the whole “sharing route”…here’s what we ordered:

I ordered the Bamee BBQ Pork without broth which is steamed egg noodles topped with sliced BBQ pork, garlic, green onion, bean sprouts, and cilantro.  The reason I stray away from having broth is strictly because I am not a huge fan of soup. 

Andrea ordered the Ginger Chicken which has stir-fired chicken sautéed with ginger root, onions, mushrooms, carrots and baby corn.  Out of all three dishes, we all agreed this was the least favorite…but good nonetheless.

Diane ordered the Pad Thai…go figure.  Her Pad Thai had thin noodles, stir fried with egg, bean sprouts, onions, tofu topped with carrots, green onions and ground peanuts.  Diane opted out of the tofu for this dish.

We also split an order of spring rolls which were amazing and, for an appetizer, the quantity was pretty large.  I’ll definitely order them again the next time I’m at the Silver Spoon.

Get a taste of the Taste of Randolph Street in the West Loop this weekend!

For those of you who aren’t too farmiliar with the West Loop restaurant scene, Randolph Street, centered around Randolph Street and Peoria Street.  Restaurants range from upscale sushi to low country bbq so no matter what, you’ll find something.

This weekend, from June 19th – June 21st, is the 12th annual Taste of Randolph Street.  The Taste of Randolph Street is a neighborhood festival showcasing local restaurants as well as different crafts, food demonstrations, and some fun bands to liven it up even more.  Examples of participating restaurants include Market Bar, Veerasway, Izumi Sushi, De Cero Taqueria, and more.  Suggested donation is $10.00 and check out the hours and the band lineup below as well.

Friday, June 19th - 5pm – 11pm — Saturday, June 20th – 2pm – 11pm — Sunday, June 21st, 2pm – 10pm.

Friday
5:30 p.m.: Miles Nielsen
7 p.m.: These United States
8:30 p.m.: Dr. Dog3 p.m.: Dan and Leland
4:15 p.m.: Ultra Sonic Edukators
5:30 p.m.: Posies
7:15 p.m.: Urge Overkill
9 p.m.: Tinted Windows2 p.m.: Baby Loves Disco
4:15 p.m.: Old Fake
5:30 p.m.: Regal Standard
6:45 p.m.: The Ladies & Gentlemen
8 p.m.: The Hold Steady

Saturday

Sunday

Handmade calzones at Rizzata’s in River North! (4/5 Stars)

About a week ago, my sister FINALLY decided to make the move to Chicago and the day before she was to move my mom, sister, and a couple friends went out to dinner for some calzones at Rizzata’s.  I found Rizzata’s while looking for restaurants that were inexpensive and to tell you the truth, it was pretty difficult.  But as soon as I saw the word calzones, I knew where we were going.  Rizzata’s has everything from pizza, salads, tiramisu,  bbq chicken, and even plenty of vegetarian options…all for a great price.

The order:  I created my own calzone with sausage, green peppers, and mozzarela cheese ($6.49).  My mom and sister split a large caesar salad ($5.50) and a vegetarian calzone which had mushrooms, onions, green peppers, mozzarella cheese, and for a bit extra, they added sausage ($6.49).  Andrea and Steven shared the vegetarian calzone but added Canadian bacon ($6.49) and also split a large chef’s salad ($6.45).

Rizzata’s is located at 300 W. Grand Avenue in Chicago’s River North neighborhood so if you’re ever in the mood for some really good, handmade Italian food, stop in or give them a call at 312-832-1051…they deliver seven days a week.  I’ll definitely pay another visit, but next time I’ll try something different because I’m sure it’ll be good.

Paramount Room for Kobe beef burgers and a pint! Awesome place to go. (4.5/5 Stars)

On Saturday night, My sister and our two friends came to Chicago to go see Sixteen Candles at the Cubby Bear.  BUT before we went out to the bar, we had to fill up on some good food so we went to Paramount Room for some $10 Kobe burgers and a pint. 

All four of us ordered the Kobe burgers which come standard with lettuce, tomato and onions.  For an extra $2 you can get french fries and a garlic aioli sauce for dipping which I highly recommend because the aioli is delicious on both the fries and burger.  The burgers were delicious and the fries were some of the best I’ve had in years so I am definitely going to go back to Paramount Room in the near future.  Our server was quick and attentive but you could tell she was bored as hell.