by way of introduction (several mini reviews)

I'm brand new to the board. Just got turned onto it by a friend (thanks, L!).

My gf and I eat out way too much, and I'm a burgeoning wine geek as well. Looking forward to participating here.

One thing I'm curious about: how long do you folks think reviews are good for? We were looking at hitting Spring this week (never made it), but with the opening of a new restaurant and a new chef du cuisine, I think we're going to skip it, even though we have heard good things. Just a question to get things started ....

Recent meals:

Thyme: great outdoor seating, good but not great food, OUTRAGEOUSLY overpriced wine list.

Bistro Campagne: in a word: awesome. Beautiful outdoor seating, perfectly simple and well done bistro food, nice wines, killer profiteroles.

Japonais: along with Mirai, our favorite sushi in town. Appetizers are a bit hit or miss, wine list is nice if just a bit pricey, but great decor, and we really enjoy it.

Sweets and Savories: had the tasting menu, which was very nice. The portions were actually a bit too big, and the food was on the rich/heavy side for 7 courses, but very nice, and a real bargain @ $50. I don't know if they're still BYOB, but as long as they are, you won't find better in the city.

Hilary's Urban Eatery: interesting menu, poorly executed. Might be ok for brunch. Neat little space, though.

Geja's: overpriced food, but fun, and who doesn't like cheese and chocolate fondue? Awesome wine list, and the real pros know to go on Monday nights for 1/2 off bottles.

Tru: my favorite restaurant in the world, bar none. Never had anything other than a fantastic experience on all fronts.

Alinea: Hmmm. Good. Maybe even great. But a bit wide of the mark. I finally decided to see it as food performance art rather than a meal, as we did the 24-course tour with wine pairings. In that sense it was great. Wine pairings were expertly (and interestingly) done, staff was very friendly. It's hard to justify $800 for 2 though with some of the other things in town, though.

Mas: Decent, really nothing special.

Bandera: yum! Decent wine list with decent prices, too.

Coco Pazzo Cafe: great casual lunch or weeknight dinner. Prices aren't bad, and it's nice and laid back.

Kamehachi (Ontario): I constantly see reviews of this place as great. When it first opened I thought it was quite good, but the last 3-4 times it has just plain sucked. The wait staff is always WAY overworked as well, so waits for food can get annoying.

That should be enough to start.

b

hmm, a few more leaping to mind:

Toast (Halsted/Webster): too loud/crowded, but awesome food. Their version of Eggs Benedict rules.

Bongo Room: just go. Probably my favorite breakfast place.

Lou Mitchell's (Jackson): a close second to Bongo.

onesixtyblue: excellent food, even better wine list, cool people, nice room.

NoMi: excellent food, excellent wine, excellent view. Maybe a tad overpriced.

Naha: awesome ... one of the better spots in the city right now, imo.

Ok, enough.

b

basis wrote:I'm brand new to the board. Just got turned onto it by a friend (thanks, L!).

My gf and I eat out way too much, and I'm a burgeoning wine geek as well. Looking forward to participating here.

Welcome basis! We look forward to your participation as well. It looks like you've been around the block a few times. Take a look at our Great Neighborhood Restaurant nomination board and you'll be busy for the next few months.

basis wrote:One thing I'm curious about: how long do you folks think reviews are good for?

I take every "review" I read with a grain of salt. If it's Vettel, Bruno, or anyone else, I don't take one snapshot too seriously. That's one of the reason that I enjoy this board so much. It rarely ever stops with one review. Every post is not only a review, but the start of a long-term conversation. We learn about how places change over time and about all the nooks and crannies in every menu in every part of the city. We also learn about each other, our likes and dislikes, which give us more perspective on every post.

Best,
Michael / EC

Spring is a good as ever. We just went in early May and it was so good we went back in early June (we'd been years ago as well). It was even better on the return trip (which was post-kitchen shake-up). It was one of the better meals I've had (and we've done all the big guns in Chicago). They seemed to be expecting re-reviews with the new staff.

The wine list is great, really reasonably priced and lots of variety.

I would def recommend.