Green Zebra - 1/10/2012

After hitting up XOCO for lunch we had my sister's birthday dinner at a place she had never been but that I highly recommended, Green Zebra (1460 W. Chicago Ave.). This upscale vegetarian restaurant (named after a type of tomato) focuses on seasonal ingredients as well as working with local farmers and foragers.

This was my third visit to Green Zebra and rather than order several small plates to share with the table, I ended up getting the Chef's 5 course seasonal tasting menu.

I have to admit this was a rough week so unfortunately when each dish of my tasting menu was brought out and explained I didn't retain any of the info. The good news is that the food here is absolutely fantastic. Every time I've eaten here I have not missed eating meat at all. Every single component of each dish shines through and there's always variations of fruits and vegetables that I've never tried.

My sister, who is a vegetarian, now lists Green Zebra as her absolute favorite place to eat. Success!!!

Chef's Seasonal Tasting Menu is $55 and I believe is only offered on Tuesdays.

Small/Medium plates range from $6 to $15 (I recommend the D'Anjou pear soup and the Tarte Tatin desert with blue cheese ice cream!)

Tasting Menu - 9 Adal's

Homemade Focaccia with lemon-parsley butter and piperade jam

XOCO - 1/10/2012

For my sister Sadieh's birthday lunch we went to one of my favorite sandwich places, XOCO (449 North Clark Street). This cafe is the third popular restaurant by celebrity Chicago chef (and Top Chef Masters winner) Rick Bayless. With XOCO, Bayless wanted to offer Mexican street food in a quick service setting.

Having been here a dozen or so times I order my go to, the Ahogada torta. Consisting of pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce and pickled onions, it packs quite a bit of heat. Pair it with their Limeade and you'll be in heaven.

For a starter (or a dessert) you MUST get the homemade churros. They are insanely good.

I also recommend the Caldos (basically a mexican soup) which are served after 11a.m. The seafood and the pork belly versions are knockouts.

Tortas are $9-$12, Caldos are $12 and Churros are $3.75 for 3.

Churros with chocolate dipping sauce - 7 Adal's (when ordered with the homemade mexican vanilla ice cream for dipping this dish gets 10 Adal's)

Ahogada sandwich - 8.5 Adal's

Churros with chocolate dipping sauce

Ahogada: Golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato broth, spicy arbol chile sauce, pickled onions

Bop N Grill - 1/9/2012

Ventured further north than usual to grab lunch at Bop N Grill (6604 N. Sheridan Road), a fairly new Korean burger spot.

My taste buds were all set for their umami burger which has been hailed as one of the must try burgers in the city. Unfortunately upon arrival (12:30pm) they were already sold out, turns out it's that popular.

I settled for the kimchi burger (kimchi, bacon, cheddar, cabbage and a fried egg on top) and a side of kimchi fries (with cheese, kimchi and bacon)....this is the most I've ever typed the word 'kimchi'.

The fries were addictive but half-way through I wish I would have put some of the available Sriracha on them but it was too late...the toppings were gone and all that was left was naked fries....next time.

I found the burger to be a knockout. The spicy sourness of the kimchi, the crunch of the fresh cabbage and the runny fried egg proved to be a winning combination. I'd definitely put this in my top 3 burgers in Chicago after just one try.

Hopefully I'll be back soon to try the elusive umami burger or specials like the crab cake crusted burger (!).

This was a meal well worth the trip north on the redline and there was only 2 other people eating when I went so there was no wait time at all. Burgers are $7/$8.

 Kimchi fries - 6 Adal's

 Kimchi Burger - 8.5 Adal's

Kimchi burger

Kimchi fries

this is now inside me

The Doughnut Vault - 1/5/2012

Had the day off so I visited The Doughnut Vault (401 1/2 N. Franklin) to grab breakfast for the roommates.

The first time I went here it was a line of 80-90 people, this time there was only a handful of folks so I was in and out in 5 minutes. The inside is about 20 feet long and 6 feet wide, so it's like walking into a triple-wide phone booth.

This place has been buzzed about since it opened, famously making x amount of donuts and then closing when they are sold out, whether that's 10 minutes after opening or at the latest 12:30pm.

I got the chestnut, chocolate glazed and gingerbread this time around. The gingerbread, coming in a stack of 3, had a good flavor to it but the crust was hardened as if it had been sitting out. The chestnut was fantastic but the chocolate glaze was by far the highlight. At around the size of a small dog it made me feel like I was being beamed up in the Star Trek transporter after 3 bites...which is to say tingly and like I just got onset diabetes.

The Donuts are about $3 a piece, cash only and expect to wait between 10 and 25 minutes depending on what time you go.

Chocolate Glaze w/sprinkles - 8 Adal's

Chestnut - 6 Adal's

Gingerbread stack - 3 Adal's

chocolate sprinkle doughnut

Gingerbread stack doughnuts

Chestnut doughnut

doughnut and Brett

BIG and little's - 1/4/2012

Lunch today at BIG and little's (860 N. Orleans). This mostly seafood, take-out shack is run by former Hell's Kitchen contestant Tony D'Alessandro (a.k.a. little) and Gary Strauss (a.k.a. BIG), and yes, size wise they live up to their monikers. I have actually been here a half dozen times since it's a 10 minute walk from work.

I'll say this place hands down has my favorite fish and chips in town and all the different enormous po'boys I've tried there (soft shell crab, pork belly, oyster) were great.

This time around I tried their Samurai Whitefish taco with a side of truffle fries (fries not pictured because they were inhaled). The fish was perfectly fried with pickled jalapenos and a spicy mayo sauce. I hear they also have some of the best burgers around but I always get hung up on the seafood.

Fish tacos are between $4 and $5 and the sandwiches can get into the $11 to $16 range but totally worth it. Also expect to wait 20 minutes or more as it's been more of a hoppin joint after being featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.


Samurai Whitefish taco - 8 Adal's

Truffle fries (not pictured) - 7 Adal's

Samurai Whitefish taco with pickled jalapenos

Lillie's Q - 1/3/2012

Craving BBQ I visited Lillie's Q (1856 W. North Ave.), a recent addition to the BBQ scene in Chicago having opened in the middle of 2010. The chef, Charlie McKenna, has won numerous awards for his sauces and meats, including 1st place at the Memphis BBQ competition (usually regarded as the world championship of barbeque).

After being seated I was immediately sidetracked when I spotted 'limited quantity' smoked fried chicken on the menu. Well of course I thought I better have that, and at $20 for 3 pieces I figured it would do the conga line into my mouth. The waitress gave her spiel of how the chicken is smoked, then fried, then smoked again and then fried again (I'm guessing that's Lillie's secret recipe for any food). I nodded approvingly and ordered some tri tip as well for good measure.

The chicken was delicious. It was piping hot, moist, smokey and with the crispiest skin I've ever had, which caused it to leave behind these little crispy chunks a'la Long John Silvers. It also came with a little pot of tupelo honey and a honey dipper. Sadly this was the first time I've ever used a honey dipper as I previously have only seen them exist in Golden Graham commercials. Fried chicken + honey = yes.

The tri tip was very tasty but came to the table lukewarm. It was given new life by the 5 different regional sauces the restaurant keeps at each table; a brilliant touch that ensures you get the style of sauce you are accustomed to.

Smoked fried chicken - 8.5 Adal's

Tri Tip - 7 Adal's

Hushpuppies - 5 Adal's

Smoked fried chicken

Tri tip and a brioche bun

Hushpuppies with sweet potato dipping sauce

Smoked fried chicken with tupelo honey