Dinner #5: Taste of Peru

Yes, the review for "Dinner #4:  Cafe Selmarie" (4729 N Lincoln Ave / Chicago, IL  60625) is missing - I never got around to writing a review of the restaurant.  I'll sum it up for you right here, right now:  overall, the group was pleased with the food, service (pleasant & attentive) and ambiance of the restaurant.  We of course ordered the Mac & Cheese for everyone to try at the table - it's become a dinner club tradition (when available).  The only disappointment came with the desserts; considering that this Lincoln Square establishment is known for its pastries, expectations were high - consensus amongst the group was that many of our selections were dry.  However, still worth a visit.  They have a very lovely-sounding brunch which I would personally like to try and an outdoor seating area that would be especially nice during the warm summer months - I could imagine myself at a street cafe in some European city.

Anyway, on to the review du jour...

This evening's gastronomic adventure took us south of the equator to Taste of Peru.  Located in a tiny strip mall in Rogers Park at 6545 N Clark St (just north of Devon), don't let the exterior of this little culinary gem fool you.  Simply and sparsely decorated with Peruvian handicrafts and pictures of the Peruvian countryside, this family-owned BYOB restaurant serves up delicious and hearty authentic Peruvian fare at a very reasonable price.  The owner proudly displays the many accolades the restaurant has earned (ranging from Chicago's very own Check, Please! to the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives and even the Michelin Guide) and for good reason - our group was in total agreement that the food was superb! 

The waitress we had (I believe she was one of the owner's daughters) was friendly, knowledgeable and willing to share her favorites.  While the restaurant is BYOB, no one brought alcohol this evening so some of us decided to try some of the Peruvian non-alcoholic beverages they have on the menu (based on our waitress's recommendations).  We tried the Inca Cola and the Purple Corn & Pineapple (?) drink, the name of which escapes me - both were excellent.  For those familiar with Faygo (a Michigan soda/pop), the Inca Cola was reminiscent of that brand.  We were brought some complimentary bread and a dipping sauce to tide us over until we were ready to order.  Our waitress told us they called the sauce "pepper" - it was a mixture of chicken broth, chillies and a few other ingredients - expect a spicy jolt to your taste buds (a little bit goes a long way).

We decided to order some appetizers to start:  Empanada de Carne, Empanada de Pollo and the Papa A La Huancaina.  Unfortunately, our appetizers got lost in the kitchen so they came out after we got our entrées  but that didn't hinder us.  The empanadas were delightful; they had a nice fluffy, slightly sweet pastry that encased a flavorful and suitably spiced filling.  Our one disappointment was the Papa A La Huancaina; perhaps the picture featured on the menu should have been a visual warning to us.  We were hoping that in might look a little different in "real life" but no, it looked exactly like it did in the menu.  For most of us, it was the sauce that threw us for a loop - it was the color of egg yolk/mustard and thicker than a hollandaise.  Just not anyone's cup of tea.

Other than that, everything else about the meal was fantastic - our entrées and desserts more than made up for the Papa A La Huancaina.  There was a lot of repetition in what we ordered, but it was SO GOOD:  Lomo Saltado (2) - the #1 best seller & highly recommended, Bistec A Lo Pobre-Estilo Llita (2), and Chaufa De Vegetales (1).  There were no surprises or twists - just simple, hearty and savory Peruvian cuisine.  It felt as if we had stepped into someone's home and they were merely serving us a home-cooked meal.  And no one left hungry, that's for sure - many of the plates were practically spotless at the end of the meal.  Of course we had to end the meal with some traditional Peruvian desserts and we decided to sample a little of everything:  Alfajores, Budin and Arroz Con Leche.  All very good, though I was a little disappointed as I wanted to try the Flan.

This was a great treat (and inexpensive to boot!).  Friendly/welcoming atmosphere (I appreciate that the owner came over and chatted with us & we weren't rushed to leave even though the restaurant was starting to close).  Would suggest visiting on a Tuesday or Wednesday night when they feature live Peruvian folk music.  Definitely 5 stars!

STAY TUNED FOR NEXT MONTH'S GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE...

We are back to the start of the rotation, so Herb will be picking our next spot.  Keep a look out for updates & check back in a month for a new review!

Dinner #3: Landmark Grill & Lounge

Tonight's restaurant selection, Landmark Grill & Lounge, was made by P.B; he was curious about this restaurant as he had heard good reviews and it is run by the same people that manage The Girl & the Goat.  Lucky for us, every Wednesday at Landmark is Wino Wednesday (half price bottles from 7-8PM plus a free pizza! - so of course we ordered two).  Plus, this week was Chef's Week 2011, which the restaurant had helped to found, so they had a $33 3-course fixed menu that we could also choose from - another happy accident (though no one took advantage).

Landmark Grill & Lounge is located at 1633 N Halsted St.  Street parking may be difficult depending on time of day, though it is convenient to get to by public transport.

Before moving on to the food, I must make note of the unwelcoming reception some of our party received upon entering the restaurant.  When the two arrived, the hostess was condescending & rude to them regarding their inquiry about the coat check and also made a snide comment about how they would need luck to get a seat at the bar.  So our first impressions based on interaction with the staff - not so great.

The restaurant's ambiance was actually quite nice.  It wasn't too crowded and it felt very spacious.  We were seated towards the back of our section, which was great for having lively group conversations.  It wasn't too loud, so we were able to carry on a normal conversation without screaming.  The music was an eclectic mix - a little new agey to contemporary/modern.

However, I feel we were all in agreement that the wait-staff left much to be desired.  The first person who visited our table, apparently the "assistant", came to take drinks but ignored our requests for wine and just wanted to know what type of water we wanted - tap/table or bottled.  Seriously???  So that was a little off-putting.  When the actual server arrived, he seemed a little insincere, especially in the way he made recommendations about food & wine.  I'm sorry but when I ask you for what your favorite menu item is, I want to know YOUR opinion - not that everything on the menu is "fantastic, but with slightly different preparation methods".

Regardless of the personnel, the food was pretty good.  Let's start with the pizzas - in my humble opinion, a MUST!  The menu lists very interesting/unusual pizza combinations; we went with the Pulled Pork/Cilantro Pesto and Chef's Special (which was a yellow curry + chicken and some other goodies).  These were great appetizers for the table.  If you like thin crust pizza, definitely give it a try.

The main course consisted of two Atlantic Salmon, one Skirt Steak Sandwich, one Roasted Chicken and one Arugula-Ricotta Agnolotti.  Everyone seemed pretty thrilled with their dishes:  H.L loved his lentils with the Chicken; A.W. particularly enjoyed the "special sauce" on her sandwich (and we all enjoyed her fries!); P.B. and K.S. enjoyed their salmon (though not so the eggplant puree).  I, myself, was a little underwhelmed with the agnolotti - i think it had to do with the pesto.  In all honesty, it tasted like fresh-cut grass.  However, Kelly and I decided to split a side-order of the brussel sprouts - OMG!  So delicious the way they were prepared.  Brussel sprouts are one of those misunderstood vegetables, but I definitely would recommend to anyone to give 'em a try - you won't be disappointed.

Of course, we ended dinner with dessert - the Gigantic Cookie w/Ice Cream & Hot Fudge and Milk-Chocolate Semifreddo.  In all honesty, you really can't go wrong with dessert, but these were exceptionally good.  The sweetness of the cookie was a nice balance to the mild/not-quite bitter semifreddo.  I'm sure we looked like sharks in a feeding frenzy as we devoured both desserts - we were reaching across one another to see who could get to them the fastest.

Overall, a great evening out.  While the personnel was a little disappointing, the food made up for it and I think it would definitely be a fun spot to hit again with friends (especially on Wino Wednesdays).  As a group, we decided to give the restaurant a score of:

STAY TUNED FOR NEXT MONTH'S GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE...

Anne will be picking our next spot, keep a look out for updates & check back in a month for a new review!

Dinner #2: Table Fifty-Two

Interior of Table Fifty-Two

I must preface this post by stating that this restaurant was my pick, but please don't take my rave reviews as irrational bias.

Table Fifty-Two is located at 52 West Elm Street on Chicago's Near North Side neighborhood.  While street parking is normally difficult, the restaurant does offer valet and it is quite accessible by public transport.

I must admit that I have been wanting to dine here for the longest time (since I watched Art Smith on Top Chef Masters - I loved his approach to food, cooking & presentation as well as his cheerful personality) and when this dinner group formed, I thought was a perfect place to select for my first pick.  I think I had been looking forward to this meal for close to two weeks!

The Master Chef himself, Art Smith

Ambiance
Upon first impressions, the restaurant had a very quaint look to it from the exterior.  Upon entering, you're greeted by a very warm & cozy atmosphere of yellows, oranges and reds.  One thing that was surprising was the size of the restaurant - I hadn't realized how small it was from the outside; it's a wise decision to make reservations ahead of time.  However, I think our table of six benefited from the limited seating as we were able to enjoy an intimate dinner filled with easy conversation and laughter.  Ironically enough, we discovered there was an upstairs after one of our party had returned from the bathroom; apparently it had a much more French/elegant feel.  Upon further reading, the upstairs can handle group events and I think it would be a fantastic place for a large party/gathering.  AND the restaurant has an outdoor seating area during the summer, which I think I'll have to go back and try.  In addition to the space, the wait staff was very friendly and our waiter was very attentive and informative - I definitely felt the Southern hospitality.

Food & Drinks
We started with cocktails, of course, and they had a nice array of custom selections (though they could accommodate any order) and a fairly extensive wine list.  The custom cocktails that were ordered included the Humdinger, Tart Heart and Peach Palmer - my personal favorite was the Tart Heart.  It was like liquid cotton candy.  A dirty martini was also ordered by one of the group and it was apparently a VERY good one.  Once we were brought our drinks, the waiter brought us complimentary Cheese Biscuits and Deviled Eggs.  The biscuits hit all three marks - they looked, smelled and tasted amazing.  All of us agreed that they could just keep bringing out plate after plate of biscuits and we would have been happy.

Now one thing to note about the food - if you're expecting traditional Southern comfort food, you'll be sorrily disappointed.  Even though Table Fifty-Two puts an upscale twist to traditional Southern fare, the soul of the food is still there.  Take, for example, the Fried Green Tomatoes we ordered as an appetizer for the table.  That's a very Southern dish, but they paired it with unusual accents, like kalamata olives and aioli.  I don't think everyone at the table was a huge fan of the tomatoes, but I thought they were pretty tasty - good flavor with a crispy crunch and NOT soggy.  The table ordered an assortment of entrées, including Cornmeal Crusted Catfish, Beef Short Ribs, Fish of the Day (which I think was halibut if I remember correctly), two sides of the Three-Cheese Mac and a side of Cornbread.  While I can only speak for myself, the words that popped into my head as I ate were:  OMG / delectable / delicious / fantastic / awesome / mmmmmmmmmmmm.  The consensus around the table was extremely positive and we all loved their take on mac&cheese (I could've been happy with just the mac&cheese and biscuits).  I definitely want to go back and try some more items on the menu (I had a difficult time choosing what to order).  Since we were already on carb-overload, we decided to go ahead and order desserts to pass around.  They were out of this one chocolate cake that sounded really good (which I can't remember the name of) so we ordered Art's Hummingbird and the Smith Family Twelve-Layer Chocolate Cake.  While I was not disappointed with either, my favorite of the two was Art's Hummingbird.  It was a perfect combination of all ingredients; light & airy, a little fruity and topped with my favorite - cream cheese frosting.  And to top it all off, we got a complimentary dessert of little snickerdoodle cookies.

While a little on the pricey side (especially if you're ordering cocktails, though I did read you can bring your own wine, though corkage fees apply), the food and service met all my expectations.  This is one of those places that would work great for a date, or for an intimate gathering of friends and/or family.

Kelly's overall rating ~ I do not represent the opinions of my dinner companions

STAY TUNED FOR NEXT MONTH'S GASTRONOMIC ADVENTURE...
Patrick has selected Landmark Grill & Lounge, which looks to be an experience for all our senses. Check back in a month for a new review!

January 20, 2011: Tango Sur, our inaugural dinner club excursion

Located in the Lakeview Neighborhood of Chicago, Tango Sur is an Argentinian BYOB restaurant with a menu designed to meet any meat-lovers beefy dreams.

The group's first restaurant choice was made by H.L.; he wanted to revisit one of the first restaurants he had been to after his arrival in Chicago.  His first experience here had been during the summer, so he was able to enjoy his food al fresco (they open an outdoor patio during the summer time); our dinner club excursion took place in the middle of winter, so we had to make due with eating indoors.  The ambiance of the restaurant was surprising - dark, lots of candlelight, very romantic.  It seems like a perfect spot for a date night.  In my opinion, the only down side was that the tables seemed really close together - I felt like we were sitting on the people next to us.  Also, the night we went it was pretty boisterous as there were a lot of groups dining that evening, so it may not be the best for a romantic tete-a-tete.

There was good variety on the menu, almost made it hard to choose.  Usually in that situation, the wait staff can offer some insight but I didn't feel our waiter helped us narrow down our choices.  Rather than giving us his top picks, he rattled off the most popular dishes that people order.  Other than that, the overall service was average.

Now onto the food...
We started out with some appetizers - empanadas and provoleta.  Both were excellent choices and I would have probably been just as satisfied with getting a variety of appetizers and sharing.  Rather than do a group meat platter, which would seem customary in any type of steakhouse, we each got individual entrées.  Most of the group stuck with beef (filet mignon or steak) and I got a grilled chicken.  I think most of us were satisfied with the food, although one person's filet mignon was underdone and when they brought it back she said it was like rubber.  Because of that mishap, we ended the night with a complimentary flan for the table, which was the perfect topping to the meal.

I would definitely recommend this place and I would love to go back during the summer and experience the outdoor patio & the grilled meat platter with friends.

Kelly's Overall Rating

STAY TUNED NEXT MONTH...
February's gastronomic adventure takes place at Art Smith's Table Fifty-Two. Check back soon for a new review!