a tavola

2148 W. Chicago Ave.
773.276.7567
Northern Italian

A Tavola is a cozy and quaint restaurant in Ukranian Village. You walk in and you feel like you are in someone's home, not a restaurant.

The menu is pretty limited, with only a handful of appetizer and entree choices, but the ones they offered were pretty appealing. They also offer pastas, which are more of a second course, so it is larger than an appetizer but smaller than an entree.

I opted for a pasta dish, gnocchi with brown sage butter and parmesan cheese, with a side of rosemary potatoes. The gnocchi was fabulous! Very light and flavorful, with crisp sage leaves. The rosemary potatoes were also very good with parmesan cheese crusted on top.

This restaurant is a very cute find. It is a little out of the way from other things, but it is well worth the trip out there.

She She

4539 N. Lincoln Ave.
773-293-3690

I was on my way to Bistro Campagne for brunch on Sunday and found a sign in their window stating no brunch for the remainder of winter. Since it was icky and raining we went across the street to She She. I had always wanted to try it. Seating was pretty uncomfortable with very close quarters. I had the special - fried eggs with salsa verde, tomatoes, refried beans and some kind of baked tortillas with cheese. My Mom had the poached eggs on artichoke heart with creamed spinach and leeks and my sister had the green eggs and ham omelette. While it wasn't awful, everything on the plate was undiscernible and I mean all three plates. While I don't mind my food mixing with each other, I prefer to know what I'm eating. I also think items on the plate of little consequence (usually called garnish) should not be included in the menu description. My salsa verde was drizzled on the plate. I could go on and on, but I would much rather wait and talk about a more pleasant experience.

Mas

1670 W. Division
Chicago, Illinois
773.276.8700
Latin
www.masrestaurant.com/masrestaurant/


"Mas," in spanish means "more," so you would think that a restaurant by that name would have one wanting more. I don't know if that is the case with me. My meal was a decent one, but I wouldn't classify it as exceptional...I think I was expecting more...

I absolutely had to start out with a mojito. And that was well worth it...not too strong and not too sweet. Then they brought out a starter...instead of the standard chips and salsa, they served a small loaf of bread with a chipotle spread that was really good.

For an appetizer we ordered the tuna tacos. Now, you are probably thinking "why get tacos at a nice restaurant?" But these were not regular tacos. They had tender, fully-cooked ahi tuna (sometimes I find cooked tuna to be tough, but this wasn't at all.) with papaya, rosemary and salsa. The dish had a very pleasant flavor and the tacos were HUGE! They came out open-faced, 2 on a plate, with the filling overflowing and practically taking up the whole plate. All that for only $9!

I probably went a step too far in ordering the seared rare yellowfin tuna with chimichurri (like a cilantro pesto) and yuca frites. I think it was "tuna overdose"... because I just wasn't that into the entree. The tuna was really fresh, premium-grade ahi, but the flavor with the chimichurri just didn't do it for me. However, the frites were really good...crispy and salted just right.

I also had to try another one of their drinks, so I ordered the prickly pear margarita. It was a little too sweet for my taste buds, but I am glad that I tried it since I had never had prickly pear juice before. For dessert, we ordered the flan. The flan had a good flavor but the consistency was a little stiffer/creamier than I like. It came garnished with cinnamon pecans, which were really good with the flan, but they were literally just crumbs.

The atmosphere of Mas was dim, but lively. It has a really good "date" feel to it. Overall, I was satisfied with my meal, but not impressed with it...not for the price, at least. It is a nice, trendy restaurant and I definitely think it is worth trying, but not necessarily worth going back for "mas".

Hopleaf

5148 N. Clark St.
Andersonville
773.334.9851

This Belgian bar is probably my favorite bar in the city. It has the most extensive beer list I have ever seen...having a large selection of beer from all over the world. What is also cool is many of the different beers come in their own individual style of glass. The only thing better than the beer here are the mussels. They come in two flavor choices, one cooked with white wine and herbs and the other in a tomato based sauce. I have only had the white wine one and it is amazing! They come in two servings-"mussels for one" or "mussels for two." The "mussels for one" is perfect to share between two people and the "mussels for two" is a huge bucket perfect for four. It is the perfect appetizer to go with a pint of good beer. The mussels come with a cup of fries that you can dip in this yummy garlic aioli. Just talking about this is making me want to go back already!

I have been to Hopleaf for dinner as well and it was good, but personally I would just go for the mussels. Their food menu has more of an "European" flair, usually serving entrees such as rabbit, venison and more specialty items, and usually ranging from $20-$25 an entree.

The bar is not big, with a small dining room in the back, and almost every time I have been there it has been really crowded... so I would suggest going early or on an off-night.

Osteria Via Stato

620 N. State St.
312-642-8450

This was my second visit to Osteria, the newest Lettuce Entertain You restaurant. I love the concept - order the type of water you want (plain or bubbly-no extra charge) and order your entree. The remainder of the food is served with no decisions. Since I love all food this works well for me and most of my dining companions, but may not work well for everyone. First they brought out some wonderful foccacio and a variety of olives. Next came the oil cured salmon with radishes which is to die for. Along came a plate of salami with celery salad. This isn't your typical salami. Before we knew it someone dropped off a "welcome back" plate of the best prosciutto I've ever had. Two more appetizers - grilled onion rounds with cheese and a radicchio salad - and already I'm getting full. Did I tell you they have a fixed price of $36, desserts are extra. The next two courses were pasta. The first a rigatoni and fingerling potatoes in a pesto sauce and then parpadelle in a bolognese sauce (one of my favs).

Entrees came next. They have a selection of about 10 entrees, that include grouper, salmon, chicken two different ways, short ribs, pork shank, steak for two (with an extra charge) and I had the calves liver. Now liver is something you either love or hate and I happen to love it, but don't eat it that often. It was delicious with a veal au jus sauce with sauteed onions and pancetta.

Even though I was really full by this time, I had to have the pomegranet granita. If you've never had granita - try it. It's flavored water that's frozen and scraped with a fork to form ice crystals. It is really refreshing and a perfect end to a big meal.

Visit Osteria before the prices go up. You won't be disappointed.

Lucia Ristorante

1825 W. North Ave.
Bucktown
773.292.9700
Italian

I was craving Italian food so we went to this cute restaurant on North Ave. I had heard from multiple people that the food was good so I figured I would give it a shot. You walk in and there are two sides, the deli and the restaurant. We went to the restaurant section. It was a very small room that felt like a dining room in an apartment. But it was quaint and cozy, with the walls painted like you were sitting in Italy and with Italian music lightly playing through the speakers.

The waitress brought out a basket with two kinds of bread. One of my favorite parts of Italian restaurants is the bread. There is something so enjoyable about dipping bread in good olive oil with parmesan and pepper. YUM! And I was very impressed with Lucia's bread. It was warm and soft--the best kind!

We ordered the grilled calamari for an appetizer. The flavor was rich with the "grill taste" and perfected with the slight squeeze of lemon. The tentacle parts were more tender than the rings, but overall I was quite pleased.

For my entree I had the gnocchi alla romana. It was gnocchi in tomato sauce with basil and parmesan. The gnocchi was a little on the chewy side-often sticking to the roof of my mouth, but the flavor was good. The sauce was very light, the basil was fresh, and there was a slight sweet aftertaste that was pleasant but not overwhelming.

And for dessert I had my favorite Italian sweet, tartufo. I am very particular about my tartufo. This one was a mound of chocolate gelato with an ameretto gelato middle, covered with shaved chocolate powder and rolled in chunks of more chocolate. Although it was a lot of chocolate, I still enjoyed it. I prefer the kind of tartufo with almonds in it, but this was decent.

Overall, Lucia was a cute place and I would definitely go back there. There were so many mouth-watering things on the menu that I want to try and the prices were reasonable. I also would like to go back and try out the deli side.

Le Bouchon

1958 N. Damen Ave.
(Armitage & Damen)
Bucktown
773.862.6600
French

Le Bouchon is a cute little french bistro. I went there a couple months ago and I would definitely go back. The restaurant is really small, so when you walk in it is a little cramped. But the atmosphere is welcoming-making you feel as if you were in France. It is also pretty loud in there since the tables are close together.

I started with a french onion soup, one of my favorites! I was truly impressed...it was a huge portion and there was lots of melted cheese baked over the top. And the broth was light and not as salty as typical french onion soups. I also tried the warm goat cheese salad, which was very good as well-it was tossed in a light, tangy dressing. For my entree I had the ragout of duck over mashed potatoes. (It was a daily special.) It had a decent flavor, but was a bit on the salty side. The portion was large, two bone-in duck pieces...I had enough for lunch the next day! I also tried my dining companion's entree, monkfish with spinach and tomato ratouille. The monkfish was tender, with a good consistency and the ratouille was very flavorful. For dessert, I tried the lemon tart which was too tart for me but my dining companion liked it.

Overall, I would definitely come back here. The dining experience is intimate and warm and you get high quality food for very reasonable prices.

Lao Sze Chuan

2172 S. Archer Ave.
Chinatown
312.326.5040

I have been here twice now and have been very pleased with the quality of food. (That really says something since I am not usually impressed with Chinese food.)

Lao Sze Chuan specializes in the szechuan style of Chinese food...which means it is HOT! I like spicy food, but can't handle it sometimes, so I asked for mild dishes. This time I ordered ma po tofu and hot and sour soup. The hot and sour soup was the perfect "hot" and the right amount of "sour." I would definitely get it again. The ma po tofu came out in a huge bowl and I was amazed at how red it was! Since I requested it milder, it was not too spicy at all. It had a good flavor, a little salty but great over the white rice. I also tried my dining companion's dishes, which were crab rangoon and crispy eggplant with ground pork. The crab rangoons were very plump and flavorful. And the eggplant was just the right texture-crispy when you bite in and tender throughout. And there was just enough saltiness on the outside.

Overall, this place is quite a find in Chinatown. The food is flavorful and not too oily, the service is fast and attentive, the portions are huge, and the prices are reasonable. If you were to venture out to Chinatown, I would definitely recommend it! Bring a group of people because it is the perfect place to order a few dishes and eat family style. Just be aware that it does get pretty crowded on weekends.

Simply Soup

2142 N. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL
773-871-7687
www.simplysoupco.com

What a disappointment. I was so excited when I read about this place, because I LOVE soup. I tried 4 different soups and each one was worse then the other. The lemony chicken with wild rice had no hint of lemon or chicken. The award (?) winning BLT was just as bad. Good soups are not that difficult to make. Go to Dappers where the soup is 100 times better and much cheaper. They also serve sandwiches and salads, but who wants to take a chance on those after eating the soup.