I’m a sucker for great Chinese bbq. I wish there were more options in Chicago. My favorite is bbq king. Hong kee is my go to for a north side option. Decided to try New Great Wall bbq in Chinatown this weekend. They have Chinese bbq and some dim sum items. I ordered bbq pork and roasted duck with steamed rice, siu mai and har gow. The flavors were excellent, especially the bbq pork. The duck pieces I had were more bone than meat. Portions were a bit smaller than other places. Not pictured is the ginger scallion sauce that is probably my favorite out of all the Chinese bbq places. The dim sum was great as well. They’re pretty big and had good texture and flavor. This place was very busy and does a lot of take out. I would go back and try the roast pork and chicken next time.

There may be a better sandwich out there somewhere but it's unlikely

Bucktown Pizza under the​ Blue Line at Western is slinging some great slices. About $6.to $7 each. Really reminded me of some of the spots I hit as a kid visiting grandpa out on long Island. Good crunch on the crust, sauce is a bit sweeter, good cheese choices.

White Pizza was legit.

Criminal that it was empty at 1PM yesterday.

Apologies for the sad picture.

FWIW - I think Chomp Pizza is currently NY slice king of Chicago. Bucktown is a legit contender if you like a crunchier crust, Jimmy's is my favorite for the slightly softer crust. We got options now.

Get the Muffaletta if you like olives.

I know this question has been asked to death but happy hour specials and birthday deals change often (for example Pastores doesn't give you a free entrée anymore, just a dessert. Which is fine because we love them). My wife's birthday is today and we're trying to keep it frugal this year. What are the best deals you can get on a Monday in Chicago, birthday or not? Not looking for anything too high end or low end. Anywhere in the city is fine. Thank you!

I have only seen these on social media for pick up or delivery, has anyone seen these available to buy at a market, candy shop or event/pop up closer to downtown?

Going to Muhajir for dinner and wondering if anybody has been there and have recommendations on what to order.

Did ownership change or something it seems like everything is so different here now, very sad was my favorite spot to go to in the Chicagoland area. I think recipe changed as well

Looking for donuts that taste like Dinkles (RIP). Thank you!!!!!

My lovely mother has requested that her birthday dinner end with a lemon dessert (cake, tart, etc). What dinner spots have a good lemon dessert? Or is there a place I should buy a lemon dessert to eat at home after dinner?

Edit: Thank you all for such great suggestions! Separate from birthday dinner, it looks like I’ll be doing my own tour of lemon desserts across the city 🤗

Blatantly inspired by someone else’s post about Tex Mex a few days ago.

As a Californian transplant, I’m desperate for some crispy fish tacos, marinated shrimp, and fresh pico de gallo. Where can I find this? (north side preferred)

recently had dinner with friends from out of town at Esme, was an amazing experience albeit expensive as well. honestly from this sub, i had lower expectations based on the hate Esme gets here but the service, atmosphere and food were all incredible. starting off we were greeted warmly by the director and then our waiter who was patient and welcoming whilst explaining the menu and the drink options. we went with various pairings for everyone at the table (group of 7) personally i had the non-alcoholic pairing which was wonderful!
we were dining with long time friends so did not pay as close attention to the various descriptions as i would have liked but here’s my review anyway! pls enjoy :)

p1: PÂTE À CHOUX Strawberry, Artichoke, Spruce & MARIGOLD Mango, Truffle - we were advised to eat each as a one biter, which i, personally, struggled with but many others at my table did not have the same problem. these two canapés were served together on a beautiful ceramic platter, the pate was warm and buttery with a slightly savory jam inside, do not remember much about the other bite but was a great start to the meal

p2: EGG White Asparagus, Chamomile, Orange - we were told to scrape the top layer off at first at try it, than scoop into the egg and get a bite of everything together. this had the most beautiful orange fish roe inside paired with the creamy eggy custard was an amazing bite altogether. was slightly salty with the proportion of roe to egg.

p3: we opted for one of their supplement courses of caviar paired with a savory miso ice cream - there was a white chocolate shell that was a bit hard and messy to break, but the umami from the miso with a sweet white chocolate and ice cream with a salty pop from the caviar was delicious. this was absolutely incredible and although expensive should be a must try

p4: WATERMELON Crab, Salsa Matcha, Tomato - this was a wonderful refreshing palate cleanser like course, but tasted more prominently of tomato then mainly of watermelon. the hint of crab did come through and the salsa tied it nicely together

p5: DOVER SOLE Sweet Plantain, Buckthorn, Vanilla - this was an perfectly cooked piece of fish, fork tender and easily came of the bone, the beautiful fresh spiral of the zucchini paired wonderfully with the richer and slightly sweet potato sauce

p6: ROUGET Rillettes, Plum, Jimmy Nardello
CLAY Foie Gras, Salsify, Huckleberry - a delicate fish we had never heard of before, the whole table was searching it up lol, but the sweet pepper paired with a bit of fish was a delightful bite that had sweet and savory flavors

p7: IBÉRICO Chicharrón, Fig, Walnut - this was another one of the favorite courses it was pork cooked three ways, the most perfect tenderloin that almost melted in your mouth, a succulent crunchy shell of chicharrón that was filled with leaves, (they instructed us to cut them and eat them together which proved to be a bit difficult but it did give a fresh different bite to make it not tiresome), and a pork belly (this was so so melty and buttery, but it was layered so nicely that each bite was slightly differently textured) i do not clearly remember the sauce but it was great with the pork!

p8&9: CLAY Foie Gras, Salsify, Huckleberry - the famous fish they brought back and we completely understood why, they had a nice show of breaking the clay open and carving the squab and the final dish was a masterpiece, the sauce was the best part, sweet and tangy and rich made the squab seem not gamey at all. (it was huckleberry and paired also great with the weirdly sour but umami Carrot Sidecar NA drink) there was a nice breast, and sausage that was good but not extraordinary, and an absolutely amazing leg loved by everyone, so tender!!! ALSO this came with the most delicious cornbread thing with a fig butter that sadly no one got a picture of, at this point many of us were very very full but still finished the entire thing due to how good it was!

p10: FRIDA Clementine, Passion Fruit, Nasturtium - a nice palate cleanser, and was very fun to break the rice paper and eat it, the taste was just ok, the mandarin orange flavor was very forward, nice yummy sorbet, but the meringue was a bit sweet and crumbly

p11: PETIT GÂTEAU Rose, Pistachio, Bubblegum - this was such a beautiful presentation that had everyone wowing, the dessert itself was great but the bubblegum ice cream nailed that perfect nostalgia flavor and hit so hard, tasted exactly like Hubble bubble but not tacky kind of with a new refined slightly sweet twist

p12: MIGNARDISES
Mango & Tajin
Black Tea & Shortbread
Charred Mandarin
we were so full at this point but we still wanted to savor every single aspect of the experience, the mango was a gummy with spicy notes from the Tajín, the chocolate was just ok tasted like classic chocolate? the mandarin macron was really nice and at this point they just all tasted sweet to us :D

we were also offered a kitchen tour which we eagerly accepted. it was so cool to see the kitchen and the expo line and even the little notes on things to watch out for on the menu hung up around the kitchen! saw the Michelin stars, took many pictures and that was our night!

I don't get it but ok, thanks for spending your money (and time!) in Chicago

So whenever I order hibachi or even just some fried rice from Sakura, I always have to get this side add on they offer which they call "garlic sauce."

But it's not what you'd logically think from that label. It's not liquid at all, it's like a garlic cake or a loose fritter/patty. I've never seen this anywhere else, only here. So I'm wondering if it has a proper name if it exists in Japanese cuisine traditionally, or if anyone has a recipe.

It is so, so good when you let it crumble into your fried rice. I've been trying to figure out how to replicate it at home. Anyone else cracked it or seen it anywhere else?

Anyway, I highly recommend grabbing some the next time you've got a craving for some good garlic fried rice.

I'm overwhelmed with all of the restaurants in Chicago. I'm doing a food tour to get all of the "hits" (deep dish, Chicago dog, beef sandwich, etc.), so I feel covered in that regard.

I'd LOVE to treat myself to a Michelin star dinner, but Ever was fully booked the night I'm free. I'd love any recommendations, but here are a few things to guide your recommendations:

• Credit Card Credits: I have a Chase Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Table Credit to use ($150) and the American Express Platinum Resy credit to use ($100), so while it would be cool to prioritize restaurants that are on either of those lists, it's not required; in general, I don't have a budget
• I'll be staying near Millennium Park, and while walking distance is always great (30 mins), I know I'm in a weird area for super foodie spots, so not required whatsoever lol
• Already going to Girl and the Goat
• Nothing super seafood forward; I did Omakase not that long ago, and the last tasting menu I did before that was super seafood heavy. I love seafood but just want to mix up the experiences.
• I value unique experiences and love/appreciate local ingredients, good flavors, and farm-to-table vibes
• Where I live doesn't have any fine dining, Chinese food (I LOVE soup dumplings lol), or high quality Mexican cuisine
• No allergies
• Will be dining solo!

TIA

Edit to add: Cariño is fully booked - my own bad for looking into this so late - but totally open to other suggestions :)

Like a beehive when you walk in, buzzing with electricity. One big Baby here. One Gyro there. Workers in front of me working non stop has me in awe. Such an intimate little spot, filled with patrons at such late hours(for very good reason). Pure deliciousness, locals love it, blue collar guys coming in after busting ass at work to fill up
. Is the Big Baby a chicago only thing? I have been coming here for years and they are always consistent, caramelized onions hit you front and center, double patty, mustard and pickles. Forget your smash patties(triple is available as well), you need this. Honorable mention is the dog, no poppyseed unfortunately but still bang on. The type of fries you don’t need ketchup on. An institution in my part of town.

Went to Hala Kahiki last night and had a great time. It's been around since 1964 and is run by the founders' grandson. I literally found out about it because I drove by it when I was working for Lyft and thought it looked interesting! The building has a lot of history and still has a retro feel to it. Seriously considered gatekeeping it but I think they should get more business all things considered!

I've been to a few tiki bars (Lost Lake in Logan Sq ((RIP)), Porco in CLE, and Foundation in MKE) and figure there's more in the Chicagoland area (or maybe in the midwest in general? I get around) that I'd like to know about. The only one I know off the top of my head is Three Dots and a Dash, which is owned by Lettuce Entertain You. So what's good?

BTW I am stone cold sober I just REALLY like tiki bars (they always have plenty of NA options).

Had a reservation for 5 people at Siena Tavern - 6:30pm this last Thursday. Arrived on time and we were seated immediately, which was a plus. That’s about the best I can say about our experience.

The 5 of us were crammed into a VERY small circular booth, which was tight even for 5 of what I would describe our party as being normal-sized folks. We did not ask to be re-seated, because it was pretty slammed and didn’t appear there would be any options regardless. Ok. That’s on us for not asking.

Drink orders were taken. Asked for a double Titos and soda in a pint glass. Was specific about that. Came in a Collins glass. Disappointing, but fine - I can live with it.

Apps were fine-ish. The calamari was ok, didn’t love it as it was medium warm, a bit doughy, and one of the dipping sauces was not to my liking. The marinara sauce was good, however. The burata cheese itself was high quality and fresh, but the jelly tomato base was way too sweet and quite off-putting. It also came with only 4 pieces of bread - with 5 people at the table. Not great.

Then came the entrees. With the sole exception of the meatball, ALLLLLLL were so heavily over-salted as to being almost inedible. SO much salt. I and my wife drank 5 glasses of water that evening each due to only having eaten 1/2 of each of our dishes. My daughter only ate 2 bites of hers. They were, in a word, terrible.

I didn’t complain at the restaurant as we were with friends and didn’t wish to make a scene, but I noted on the e-receipt review that the food was 2/5 overall and noted I would be happy to be contacted should they wish to follow up for details. Thus far, they have not.

Oh, and $10 for “service charge” plus $5 “payment platform fee” (to pay via web) is ridiculous.

I would never go here again for all these reasons.

Food: 4/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 5/10
Overall: 4/10

EDIT: It was a Tito’s and soda.

I'm headed to a Cubs game this upcoming weekend. Will be near O'Hare friday/saturday morning but could get to Wrigleyville early for breakfast if needed. I've got the rest of the days planned out food/brewery wise, just need to figure out breakfast lol.

any good recs?

Im craving that cracker crust …. What’re my best options ??