Toro

Sashimi

"Southern Galz"

"Oh my God"

"El Fuego"

Close up of El Fuego

Green tea ice cream tempura

     Last night was a return trip to Toro Sushi in Lincoln Park , my old stomping grounds. I really miss this place not only because of the great fresh sushi but my fondness of the space. The tiny restaurant, which hosts maybe twelve tables, is located across the street from my old apartment. And although my address had changed not too long ago it feels like a life time since I've been here. Not to get all nostalgic, but isn't it amazing how the atmosphere of a restaurant can have that effect?

Toro has a reputation for their no-reservation policy (expect a long wait), unique house rolls (don't expect me to detail ingredients because they are strictly hush-hush), and the one and only heart of this place- Mitch Kim, chef and owner. You can find plenty of positive reviews on yelp - and local Chicago websites. And you might find the occasional brat complaining about service ( get over it, its about the food). But all in all a great local find!


     It is BYOB, and between Sanaz and our new friends Johara and Nadia we weren't bothered by the new limits on bottles per party. I brought a bottle of Dancing Bull Cab. Johara brought a bottle of Riesling and a few Sapporo's. I found out that Johara's knowledge of beer might be a premise for her new blog (I'll keep you posted!). With two pairs of sisters, drinks and Sushi - you can't go wrong.
     The food: fresh as always. Johara and Nadia shared the sashimi, Sanaz and I started with salads with ginger dressing. We got four rolls (all pictured above - minus the Taco roll ). I have to admit, before moving to Chicago I knew little about sushi, thus I won't go into the different types of rolls. For a great glossary of terms check out Toro's website.
     All I can say is wow - Southern galz- was a deep fried spicy and very filling roll. The Oh my god with crispy eel on top was a mouthful of delight. The Tako Roll wasn't listed on the menu and although it looked a hot mess it had tasty octopus! El Feugo, was a spicy roll with jalapeños and cilantro- a unique twist. Complete with green tea ice cream tempura, sparkler and all (a prelude to Sanaz's birthday coming up) it was a perfect night of sushi!


The recent return to Toro was a nostalgic trip to my old life as a Lincoln Parker and I miss it dearly. Complete with the LP mom's fetching sushi to-go for their families, Pocket Puppies across the street, and Molly's cupcakes next door - I can't picture this space anywhere else in the City. On the list of top ten Chicago finds this fits the bill. Enjoy.

Habana Libre

Nothing beats getting to know new friends over an unexpectedly delicious dining experience. A couple days ago Warren's sister Christina came to celebrate her 21st birthday here in Chicago. We planned to meet over dinner and then head out to break in her I.D at a local bar.

Generally speaking, dinner is always better with drinks. Therefore picking a BYOB restaurant takes a few clicks in the right neighborhood and viola I found Habana Libre conveniently located between Warren and my apartment in Noble Square.
I like to check out Yelp.com reviews before I try a new place and all reviews gave us the green light. The sisters had some white wine while the Buckler's had a six-pack of Summer Shandy. A couple glasses went by while we waited for Christina's friends Kang and Natalie who brought more treats.
I don't know if we expected how amazing the Cuban flare would be- I mean hey I've never had Cuban so what to expect? I'd rather show.

 

Salmon with mango salsa, white rice and beans with plantains. 

 

Steak with carmalized onions

 

Carne Asada steak. 

 

Carne Asada special with shrimp

 

Chicken with garlic 

 

Another chicken dish with Cuban spices

 

Home-made hot sauce with jalapenos and cilantro

Habana Libre looks like another dive, nestled in between West town bars. You walk in and are welcomed by pleasant staff. The music was authentic and so the kind service. I did think the added fees (corkage, bread etc.) were unnecessary but the food made up for it. I highly recommend any of the steak dishes which several of us tried. I got the Salmon with mango salsa, and they were not frugal with the portion, that's for sure. We requested hot sauce and were pleasantly surprised by a homemade jalapeno salsa. 

What topped of the evening (besides the bottle of wine, two six packs, and sangria) was the birthday surprise: the entire staff singing which brought the whole restaurant clapping.

Can't wait to come back!

Al-Khymieh Restaurant

Yikes! It's been forever! I've been so busy with work, weddings in Buffalo, and other activities, that I haven't been blogging. Shame! Before I can get up to date on my more recent restaurant excursions I have to fill you in on a dinning excursion from April at Al-Khymieh Restaurant.

Warren, and I took my co-worker  Mary out for some Lebanese food up north near Kimball. Unfortunately the restaurant we wanted to go to use our Groupon wasn't taking reservations. So we randomly picked an appealing nearby restaurant. 

What struck my eye initially was the table of eight Muslin women sitting near the front window, dressed head-to-toe in colorful silk hajab's. Nothing says authentic Middle-Eastern more than a group of women feasting in centuries old traditional garb.
It was truly authentic and delicious. Although the restaurant wasn't where we planned to dine I'm pleased we picked it. If i can choose between a restaurant that is wise in advertising (groupon) vs. one with authentic tasting food- I will pick the road less traveled. Al-Khymieh was a hidden BYOB gem and we'll be back. Happy Birthday Mary!

Viola les photographs...
Hummus, Lamb shank, Middle-Eastern salad and grilled chicken. 

Aki Sushi

Last night was date night so we decided to explore Warren's new hood in Wicker Park by walking down Division. A couple restaurants sparked our interest, but we decided to try out Aki Sushi. The BYOB sign and convenience of a liquor store across the street might have had something to do with it.

I started with the house salad, with ginger dressing - so good! If you want to make this dressing at home check out this site for instructions. Its surprisingly refreshing and goes great with the bottle of white wine we brought. Warren got two rolls with king crab and ahi tuna and I got a roll with seared salmon avocado and cream cheese. Delish!

It's always fun to go out for sushi. Something about the atmosphere- the refreshing food, the anticipation of what your roll will look like, and the clumsiness of stuffing your mouth with an all too large roll. The koi pond with a couple fish was slightly awkward as I kept thinking "sorry dudes", but none the less added to the atmosphere.  I think for a Saturday night the number of filled tables says a lot about a restaurant. And with that said- although the experience was fun I don't think I'll be back. Sorry Aki, no wow factor.