Good BYOBs in North Center?

The basement (no, not the cellar) is full of wine. We keep acquiring bottles here and there and then not drinking them because we eat at home so rarely. After arriving home with several cases full from a recent trip, we have resolved to try to go to BYOBs more often.

A friend has a new job in North Center and wants to explore restaurants within the boundaries of that neighborhood (which centers on Lincoln Avenue, Irving Park Road and Damen Avenue).

Consulting various sources, I have come up with El Llano, 3900 N. Lincoln Ave. (773/868-1708) as possibly best meeting our respective needs.

Does anyone have any comments on the BYOB experience at El Llano and/or suggestions for other North Center BYOBs?

That's a tough one because practically everything I can think of in that area that's open for dinner is a bar with food (e.g. Grizzly's, Resi's, etc.). Expand it a bit and you get the Thai restaurants on Western, which somehow I think you're already aware of, Essence of India, Anatolian Kebab, etc. But assuming we're drawing a dividing line somewhere between North Center and Lincoln Square, then El Llano, the other S. American chicken place on Lincoln, Orange Garden (recommended for things other than food) and the Thai place (is it Always Thai? Isn't it the one that actually made Chicago mag's best new restaurants list some years back?) on Irving are the slim pickings I can think of.

As for El Llano, I can tell you about taking kids there, but not wine.

And I believe that the moment you put a bottle of wine in your basement, it IS a cellar.

We had a Chowhound dinner at El Llano several years ago that featured numerous bottles of byo'd wine. The big complaint at that dinner was that we did not order quite enough food.

I like El Llano a lot, but I probably like their sister restaurant Brasa Roja a bit better because they (mostly) use real charcoal to grill and they also have the chickens (which some do not like). El Llano has on its menu, two family style meal, one of mixed meats and one of mixed fried things. Bring enough people to order one of each (I think you would need four, two for each). At Brasa Roja, you can get the combo's (picada/frittura), but they are not on the menu, you have to arrange ahead of time. Note, the best thing at El Llano is its spicy salsa de aji, so I do not suggest bringing your most delicate wines.

The other obvious choices (I would think) for BYOB in that area would be Tango Sur and Spoon Thai.

Rob

Vital Information wrote:I like El Llano a lot, but I probably like their sister restaurant Brasa Roja a bit better because they (mostly) use real charcoal to grill

A bit off-topic, but last time I was in El Llano, I did see a big bag of Royal Oak hardwood charcoal. Don't know the extent of its use.

The 1800 block of Wilson isn't that far from North Center, and there are a couple of BYOBs there: Caro Mio (Italian) and Sabor a Cuba. I've been to both, they're reliable, but neither is outstanding for their styles. They do give you an alternative when you get tired of the Colombian at El Llano.

We wound up at Always Thai, a pleasant little storefront dominated by a huge and lovely mural of a floating produce market. They were extremely nice about the wine, supplying an ice bucket, servicable stemware and a corkscrew (I advise bringing your own for the last -- theirs has a solid core like a posthole digger) with no corkage charge.

Our waitress was a bit mystified when we handed her an entire bottle of wine and told her to throw it out, but she dealt with it. (A somewhat elderly bottle of Australian chardonnay turned out to be corked, an eventuality we'd prepared for by bringing a spare. Our storage spot really is a basement and not a cellar.) The second bottle, a pleasant blush wine with a very silly name that we picked up on a trip to Michigan, complemented the food very well, its fruity and spicy notes offering a nice counterpoint.

The food, too, was pleasant and unassuming, nothing that would challenge the Thai experts here, but obviously freshly prepared. I enjoyed my red curry, brimful of chicken and vegetables in a silken sauce, and the dried-beef appetizer was excellent, although the accompanying sauce could have used more zing.

The unique item was dessert, "Thai little fruits," exquisitely formed marzipanlike confections made from sweet bean paste, with a custardy flavor and texture. I haven't encountered these before. According to our waitress, they were house-made.

Always Thai
773/929-0100
1825 W. Irving Park Road
Chicago, IL 60613

LAZ wrote:The unique item was dessert, "Thai little fruits," exquisitely formed marzipanlike confections made from sweet bean paste, with a custardy flavor and texture. I haven't encountered these before

I have seen these available for carry out at Thai Bakery, located on Broadway south of Argyle on the east side of the street.

Cathy2 wrote:

LAZ wrote:The unique item was dessert, "Thai little fruits," exquisitely formed marzipanlike confections made from sweet bean paste, with a custardy flavor and texture. I haven't encountered these before

I have seen these available for carry out at Thai Bakery, located on Broadway south of Argyle on the east side of the street.

I've bought them at Thai Grocery, where they usually have a stupendous collection of artful Thai confections.

Thai Grocery
5014 N. Broadway Ave
Chicago, 60640
(773)561-5345.