EWP Gift Guide 2011: A Night Out

There's no better gift for the harried parents on your Christmas list than a night out. 

Give them a gift certificate to a restaurant

or 2 tickets to a movie

AND (and this is hte big part, gotta do the and)

Promise to babysit for them.  We get gift certificates to things but never make it out because we can't ever find anyone to watch BabyWP.

So let a couple near you reconnect and speak to each other without raisins flying in their face and give them the gift of a night out.  I swear you'll be their most favorite person ever.

EWP Review: Big Star

We've moved to a bit of a hipster paradise, so we've been making the rounds to all the hipstery places to eat.  The latest was Big Star, a taco joint that I've heard so much about.

Sadly, no one took the the time to warn me it was terrible.

It was absolutely packed on a random Tuesday night, which generally means good things, but the clientele could be summed up in two words: hipster douches. Sorry, but it's true.  The type of peopel who only care about where they think is cool to be, but not where actually has good food.  And, well, the food was definitely not good. The guac was bland, the chips ridiculously salty, and the tacos were just so sad and gross.  Literally the ONLY thing I liked that I had that night was my bottle of Mexican Coke.  Which I could have just got from my garage where I have a whole box of them that I picked up at Costco.  I would've rather eaten at Chipotle, where the guac and tacos are so much better and my meal would have cost only a 1/3 of what I paid at Big Star.

I give Big Star a very sad Goodwill rating of 0 stars.  But I'm sure the hipsters will still go there in droves, they like to buy things from Goodwill and be all ironic, whereas I'd rather buy something nice and nto be ironic about it.

EWP Review: Takashi

Ever since the ol' Michelin folk came to Chicago, I made it my mission to hit up all the places they bestowed with their lovely stars. 

So towards that end, Mr. EWP and I called a sitter and headed to Takashi. 

The place is tiny, blink and you'd miss it on the street, but it's well decored.  We sat upstairs which was a little roomier, but oh so hotter. They only had a window air conditioning unit.  Yes, that's right, a WINDOW AIR CONDITIONING UNIT.  And there was a rather large man sitting in front of it hogging all the cool goodness. What a jerk.  Another building issue: the bathroom was basically right in the middle of the tables. They tried their best to cover it up with this odd screen thing in front of it, but it was stil super awkward when I took a restroom break.

But enough about the setup, let's talk food.  The appetizers were both delicious and GIGANTIC.  Honestly I couldn't believe how much food was on our plates, especially for what we paid.  Mr. EWP's was basically the size of an entree. And my foie gras was more than generous a portion.  Our desserts were equally as phenomenal.  But the very odd thing was, after great beginnings and endings, our entrees were just meh.  Nothing to write home about, nothing that I wanted to go out of my way to eat again.  Mr. EWP had a wasabi encrusted steak and I had some sort of chicken creation that tempted me with the promise of eggplant, which there wasn't much of sadly.  It was just very boring.

So while the apps and desserts made us all giddy and would have been a 3 in my book, you really show up to a restaurant for the entrees, and those just made me fall asleep. 

And because of that, Takashi is only getting 2.25 stars.

But they have a special noodle night that I do still want to check out, I think more casual Asian fare may do better for them.

EWP Review: The Bristol

We switch from fancy downtown dining to casual neighborhood fare.

The Bristol specializes in locally-sourced, seasonal food and has a different menu daily written across its blackboard wall.

I've checked it out for both brunch and dinner now.

They don't take reservations, but I actually haven't had a problem getting a table, despite its Michelin recommendation, it's still not totally crazy to get into. *phew*

I've decided I'm a bigger fan of their brunch than their dinner. They feature a giant strawberry doughnut to share and their eggs are cooked oh so well. I'm particular about the cooking of my eggs.

As for dinner, I was a big fan of the monkey bread with dill butter. And their duck fat fries are pretty yum.

I was especially gaga for the bone marrow. I guess it's not for everyone, but I really really love bone marrow.

While all the small plate appetizers were super delish and varied, I was disappointed by the entree selection - there were only FOUR things to choose from. And the four weren't really up my alley at all: two fish, pig's feet, and chicken. Pig's feet aren't really for everyone, which limits you to the other three, and if you're not into seafood, you have only chicken left to choose. And while it was some of the best chicken I've had, it was still just chicken.

As for dessert, I was expecting a lot since their pastry chef is currently competing on Top Chef: Just Desserts, and because I was so gaga for the cherry doughnut. But the desserts didn't really wow me, except the peanut butter cookies with chocolate mousse. MMMM... peanut butter and chocolate.

Brunch: 3 stars
Dinner: 2.5 stars

EWP Review: Quay

It's EWP Review Week and today we're reviewing Quay.

My friends wanted to grab dinner and suggested this new place on Illinois right by Navy Pier and the following thoughts went through my head: 1) OMG, it's by Navy Pier, it's going to be terrible, 2) OMG it's new, it's going to have terrible service, 3) OMG it's new, it's going to have terrible food.

I am very pleased to share that I was wrong on all counts.

Quay has both a bar area and a pretty dining area. I would, in the future, head to Quay to watch a game [who am I kidding? I don't watch sports. But I do often hang out with people who watch sports, so I'd go there with them] and skip the dining area.
For a bar it's super clean and cute, and not pretentious.

The dining area was actually surprisingly cute. I am a sucker for good decor and ambience. It really makes a HUGE difference in where I want to eat. I was a little nervous when I walked in and it was this polished because we had brought BabyWP and I was worried she'd not be received well. Once again, I was totally wrong. The waitstaff was totally happy to grab a high chair for us and catered to the little miss all night, even more than to us! They brought a non-stop string of baby friendly food items for her to munch on which was seriously super appreciated, by both myself and BabyWP.

And speaking of the waitstaff, they were really great and you wouldn't know the restaurant had only been open for 3 days. Yes, 3 days. They knew what was on the menu, and they knew what they were doing.

And as for what the adults ate. I opened with chicken thighs with a Korean BBQ sauce. It was delicious. Surprisingly so. I would eat that again. And I have actually. Haha, loved those chicken thighs. [btw, all the pics have been stolen from the Quay website. That was not my actual dish of chicken thighs]
For my entree I went with the scallops. It had promise but was unbalanced. The scallops are sweet, which is fine and expected, but then it was paired with a sweet parsnip puree which was also super sweet. It was too much sweet and not enough acid. There was a bit of shortrib to add a little savory, but not enough.

And for dessert I had the Banana Tres Leches cake. I'm a HUGE fan of banana desserts. Yes, I'm allergic to bananas and they make my mouth and throat itch, but it's really worth it. I heart banana desserts. I also love the mushy goodness of a tres leches cake, so I was really excited for this dessert. And, well, it was a disappointment. It had this random bit of pineapple on the plate that had nothing to do with anything and didn't fit the flavors at all. And then the cake itself was rock hard. It was really gross and weird. Not the texture you expect from a tres leches cake at all. So disappointing.

So in sum, the food was good enough, but not great, and pretty pricey. I would skip the dining area and just go for apps and sit at the bar and watch a game.

I give it: 2.25 stars

EWP Review: Girl & The Goat

A couple weeks ago I dined at Girl & The Goat. You know I love my Top Chef restaurants, so I had to go. I had been back in November, but was on a ridiculously restricted diet because of my pregnancy and evil gallstones. I basically had soup and that's about it. Not the best way to experience a restaurant. I was dying to get back and actually be able to eat this time around.

Being the in demand restaurant that it is, we booked 3 months in advance to get a weekend reservation. Finally the day of the ressie rolled around, so we packed ourselves and BabyWP up and met my good friend Laura and her husband at Girl & The Goat.

We showed up and the first thing we were smacked with was a giant haze of smoke. And, no, it was not the patrons. There's a smoking ban in Chicago, but no one told the kitchen it seems. The smoke was coming from the cooking, and y'all, it was thick.

The second thing we were smacked with was attitude. The host station was not pleased about the presence of BabyWP. Mind you this is a casual restaurant where it wouldn't be weird to bring a baby, they have high chairs for pete's sake, and there were other children there! And we had an early Sunday evening reservation on purpose, as that's a more appropriate time to bring your kid to a restaurant, at least in my opinion. But the host was super upset that we made a reservation for 4 people when we were in fact, in his opinion, five people because we had a baby. I told him that BabyWP wasn't going to sit in a high chair and we were just going to hold her through dinner. That didn't seem to mean anything to the host. He then told me we couldn't sit at the four-top they had set up for us, and we had to wait for a bigger table. He assured me it would only be a few minutes.

I was annoyed because I did not understand how we still couldn't sit at a four top, and especially worried about the delay. When you go out with a baby, careful planning of naptimes and bedtimes and feedings happen in preperation so dinner works out. We could handle a bit of delay, but not a giant one. But we were assured it'd just be a few minutes.

FORTY-FIVE minutes later, we were finally led to a table..... a four-top. Umm..... so we couldn't sit at a four-top because we had a baby, so you made us wait forty-five minutes ... for another four-top???? It defied explanation.

We sat down and tried to shrug off the wait, breathe through the smoke, and not think about the meltdown that was sure to happen mid-dinner as the delay would put us into bedtime before we got the check. There was food to eat, and great food can cure all ills.

Except this wasn't good food. It was mediocre. I mean, it was fine, but it wasn't anything I would go out of my way to eat again. Like Pirennial Virant, it was shared small plates. Unlike Pirennial Virant, I was not excited about anything I ate. There was goat, there was pasta, there was flatbread, there were scallops. And, frankly, it was all over-salted. The sugo was so salty it was inedible. No real restaurant should make such a glaring salting mistake.

And by the end of the meal, I could not see. The smokiness had made my, and my friend's, eyes sting very badly. As soon as I had my last bite, I told Mr. EWP I was going outside, with the baby, and get some air and would wait for him out there while he got the check. It was just that bad. My eyes literally stung for hours and hours after we left. It was bad.

So after a very lackluster evening, full of salty food and rude service, I give Girl & The Goat a Nine West rating of 2 out of 4 stars. It'd be fine for a random Tuesday night at the last minute when you didn't have anything else, but definitely not something worth waiting three months for.

Chicago Spotlight/EWP Review: Perennial Virant

I've decided to add a new feature to this here blog - little reviews and posts about local Chicago places. I've been doing it here and there, but now it'll be more official and part of the "Chicago Spotlight" series. It might be a local boutique or local eatery, but they'll get a spotlight shined upon them and get reviewed on the following EWP scale:
0 stars = Crocs
1 star = Payless
2 stars= Nine West
3 stars= Stuart Weitzman
4 stars= Christian Louboutin

As you can guess, everyone should be shooting for the coveted Louboutin rating :)

Today I'm reviewing a new restaurant. Yes, I normally talk fashion, but what's the fun in dressing up if you have nowhere to go?


A week ago I had the supreme pleasure of dining at Perennial Virant. [Isn't it cute?!]

My friend Foodiebia was visiting from California and I knew she would totally love the local, fresh menu as much as I would.

Perennial Virant is located across from Lincoln Park and the Green City Market. As a lover of farmer's markets and specifically the Green City Market, it was wonderful to see the produce from the market make its way across the street to the Perennial Virant menu. The menu changes daily, based on what is fresh and available. I LOVE this for several reasons: 1) I get bored with menus that don't change, 2) what could be better than tasting things at their very freshest instead of off-season and trucked in from places far away?, 3) I like being encouraged to show up to a restaurant repeatedly because they have new things for me each time.

The decor was fresh and streamlined. Simple, a little earthy, some tables to be shared with other groups, but not too close to them that you're weirded out that you're sitting with other people. We actually got a shared table and the only time I noticed that I was sharing was when I would peek over to see what they were eating.

The feel is casual and friendly. There were kids in attendance, the waiters all wore plaid (but in a cute hipster way, not a lumberjack way). The only complaint of mine was a person who was a little too friendly - the overenthusiastic water refill guy. He was just a little too much for me, interjecting jokes into our conversations. He was cute, but I wasn't in the mood for a full on press joking flirtation. But better an overly present water guy than one you can't ever find as you sit there parched. So if my only complaint is an overly friendly water guy, then this place is great.

And now let's get to the food. Perennial features small plates to share, so of course we ordered a million things. And every single thing was divine. Even the cheese plate, and I'm not a cheese person at all. But the cheese plate had these delicious Spanish almonds that had Foodiebia, Mr. EWP, and myself all swooning. And I don't even like almonds! We had short ribs, corn cakes, green beans, heirloom tomatoes with baked ricotta. All super delicious. But there were two standouts from the meal: 1) The beef loin. That was an incredible piece of meat. Mr. EWP is a meat guy, he's picky about his beef and he was drooling all over the table and basically fainted from the awesomeness of the beef. 2) The wings. Yes, a fancy restaurant that serves wings. Can you say EWP heaven? I'm a wing nut. I don't know why but I super super love chicken wings. But you can't really get them anywhere but a sports bar, but enter Perennial Virant and the most delicious barbecue wings of all time. They had been drenched in liquid smoke which really upped the flavor factor. I was literally licking my fingers and may or may not have considered ordering another round.

And lastly I have to show y'all the patio. Because it is adorable. If it hadn't been 95 degrees that day, I would've totally been sitting outside. I'll be there again soon I'm sure, I love me some outdoor dining. I'm seriously already thinking about when I can go back.

I give Perennial Virant an amazing Louboutin rating! (aka 4/4).

Look at that, a Louboutin right out of the gate for Chicago Spotlight. Wonder who'll be getting the EWP inspection next....

EWP Gift Guide: For the Chicagoans - Tickets to Next

For all of you with Chicago foodies on your Christmas list - this is a must buy.

Grant Achatz, the highly praised chef of Alinea in Chicago (the current #1 restaurant in North America, and #7 in the world), is opening a new restaurant. And unlike Alinea which will set you back $300/person, this one is a super economical $45-$75.

But this isn't your normal restaurant where you just hit up OpenTable and make a ressie. Next Restaurant is selling tickets to partake in their dining experience.

Anyone wishing to eat at Next after its scheduled opening in the fall will pay in advance on its Web site. Like airlines, Next will offer cheaper tickets for off-peak hours. A table at 9:30 on a Tuesday night, say, would cost less than one for Saturday at 8. Ticket prices will also vary based on the menu, but will run from $45 to $75 for a five- or six-course meal, according to the site, nextrestaurant.com. (Wine and beverage pairings, bought with the ticket, will begin at $25.)

The menu will change four times a year, with each new edition featuring the cuisine of a particular place and time. When the restaurant opens, Mr. Achatz said, the theme will be Paris in 1912, with painstakingly researched evocations of Escoffier-era cuisine. Three months later, the kitchen will turn out a fresh set of recipes — evoking, say, postwar Sicily, or Hong Kong 25 years from now, with modern techniques employed to imagine the future of Chinese cuisine.

Subscriptions to a year’s worth of space-and-time coordinates will also be sold.

This is any foodie's dream. You must buy these tickets. Or wait. Don't. I don't want any competition to get them :)


Portions excerpted from this New York Times article.

Graham Elliot Second Anniversary Dinner

I was somehow lucky enough to score an invite to the Graham Elliot second anniversary dinner last night. If you don't remember, Graham Elliot is my favest Chicago restaurant. I'm kind of sort of obsessed and take all my visitors there. Apparently Chef Bowles and Co. recognize my super fandom and consider me a regular worthy of an invite to this special event. Mr. EWP and I were SO excited!

The invite said to dress summery, so this is what I came up with to wear [Darn Mr. EWP always taking pictures from a seated position. So unflattering!]

Anthropologie dress (I'm totally in love with the Parisian-esque city print!), Forever 21 bangles and headband, Guess shoes (you can see my runner-up shoes in the back)

There was a cocktail hour with all the booze you could drink. Or, in my case, all the fun and creative non-alcoholic beverages you could drink. Mr. EWP was supposed to get my cute drink in the pic, but apparently didn't get the memo, so here is me and part of a straw.

Mmmmm..... Graham Elliot

The Menu: White tuna, pea bisque (may have been my favorite course), salmon confit, jidori chicken, and strawberry shortcake (my fave GE dessert).

Mr. EWP and I both remarked how the folks at Graham Elliot really brought their A game. While the restaurant is usually scrumptious, last night everything was just elevated and decadently delicious. Even the popcorn was better than normal!

And did I mention this was all on the house? We spent not a dime and ate and drank like kings (and princesses!)

Me and the hubs taking a break from shoving food in our mouths to smile for the camera.

Our new friends. Mindy and I follow each other on Twitter and found out we were both headed to the dinner and got a kick out of meeting each other in real life. Mr. EWP and I had a total blast with her and her boyfriend.

And, once again, I got a tour of the kitchen. The folks at Graham Elliot are seriously way too nice to me.

And then, the big finale: after dining at his restaurant at least 7 times, I finally got to meet Chef Bowles!!! I've forgotten the name of the cute bow-tied guy on the left, but he's the front of the house guy and super cute and nice. I almost asked if he was single so I could try to set him up with someone. I found him that adorable. But I restrained myself. I was already embarassing Mr. EWP enough with asking for a picture with the Chef.

We had the most wonderful time and were so honored to be invited to be a part of the second anniversary celebration. Thank you to everyone at Graham Elliot for a wonderful night!! Wishing you many more anniversaries.

xoxo,

EWP

I'm a Graham Elliot Superfan

While I often do giveaways, I myself never ever win anything.

So when my friend Foodiebia emailed me that Graham Elliot (my fave restaurant in Chicago) was doing a contest for a special invite-only dinner for their 2d anniversary, I wasn't really too optimistic about winning. I did enter, though. No matter how many times I don't win contests, I always enter.

And, OMG, my EWP luck is turning because I won. I have my very own golden ticket (i.e. an email) saying I was selected for the special dinner.

If you recall, I am obsessed with this restaurant, eat there often, and scored a kitchen tour with Foodiebia when she was in town. So this is kind of on par with Christian Louboutin sending me an email and saying I can pick out a pair of shoes of my choice - which is to say it's very very exciting.

Now there's only one thing left to worry about: whatever shall I wear?