Anna's Asian Bistro

We went to dinner at Anna's Asian Bistro in the West Loop of Chicago.  We found out about it from Chicago's Best.  Otherwise we probably would have walked right by it because it doesn't stand out too much from the street; and it is on Lake street so the facade kind of gets covered up by the El trains.

Stuffed Fried Avocado

When the title says Asian they are correct - the menu is huge and covers pretty much all Asian fare: including Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese, and even Filipino.

We went there specifically to try the Stuffed Fried Avocado - avocado stuffed with spicy tuna and tempura fried.  This was the item featured on Chicago's Best.  It was really good and we could have easily had more of it. It was warm and spicy and crunch all at the same time. Kind of like having sushi, except with avocado instead (which we love).

Lumpia

Since we saw some Filipino items on the menu we couldn't resist because we don't find them that often.  We had lumpia which are small egg rolls/spring rolls with chicken and vegetables. They were nice and crunchy but pretty standard Filipino fare.

For an entree we had Panang Curry - chicken with green peppers and basil in a peanut coconut curry sauce. The sauce was great.  The only disappointment is that there wasn't quite enough rice for all the sauce - but that seems to be the case with all curry dishes at any restaurant - there is only a small scoop of rice included with the entree.

Pancit Noodles

Unagi roll

Filipino Pancit noodles - we had to try another Filipino dish.  Pancit is thin noodles and in this case it was served with eggs, vegetables and shrimp.  Nick thought it wasn't quite up to the ultimate Filipino standard (something about how the noodles stuck together), but Natalie enjoyed it.

Panang Curry

We also had a black maki roll with unagi.  Don't know what the "black" in the title meant but Natalie loves unagi (eel).  Nick thought it was pretty standard/nothing special.  We've had better sushi elsewhere.

Final thoughts on Anna's Asian Bistro:
Food - the avocado and tuna was amazing.  The entrees were good. The other appetizers were just okay.  What was interesting was having the variety of Asian options in one restaurant. But since they were trying to do every type of cuisine they weren't outstanding in one category.
Service - pretty good but there weren't that many people on a Tuesday night when we went
Atmosphere - it is easy to miss it from the outside, kind of non-descript, but looks nice inside

Ruby's Fast Food Filipino

As Nick has lived in the Philippines, he was very excited to try Ruby's Fast Fast Food Filipino located at 3740 W Montrose in Chicago.  We had heard about this place from Chicago's Best and Bizarre Foods on the Travel Channel. From Natalie's perspective as not much of an expert on Filipino food, she wants to give a big disclaimer that if you do not know very much about Filipino food you should not go to this restaurant.  We were the only non-Filipino customers during a busy lunch rush, which tells you that it is truly authentic food but that it is not as accommodating to customers who are not well versed in traditional Filipino dishes.

Goto - rice soup

One of the main reasons why it is not friendly for newcomers to Filipino cuisine is that the menu does not give any description of the items listed.  It just has the Filipino term and the price.  Natalie had to rely solely on Nick's preferences and judgment because she didn't know what everything was. Also we learned that there is a lot missing from the written menu.  After we had our food we observed others ordering items that were not listed on the menu. As first timers to the restaurant we didn't know any better.

We ended up ordering Goto (a rice soup), Lumpia shanghai (similar to spring rolls) and Pancit Canton (pork and noodles).  Nick felt this was some of best tasting Filipino food he has eaten in the United States - of  course other than what he can make himself at home. Natalie enjoyed everything but was a little turned off by the pieces of pork fat in the Pancit Canton dish. She's sure that Andrew Zimmern of Bizarre Foods would be fine with that, but with her Americanized palate it is a little scary.

Lumpia Shanghai

We got to the restaurant right before the big lunch rush.  The restaurant has walk up service where you order at the counter and wait for your food to come up. We were able to order right away but by the time we left there was a long line to even place an order, so much so that one couple walked in the door and walked right out. The slowness of the line was due to only one employee working the front - both  serving and cashiering. This caused us to not order any dessert, something we were looking forward to.

Pancit Canton with Pork

Although Filipino food is very tasty it hasn't caught on like Thai or Chinese food in the United States due to its lack of color and presentation when being served. Nick wishes that Filipino food (and service) were a little more mainstream so that it could catch on more in the United States.  There was place in the Chicago western suburbs that tried to make Filipino food more westernized but unfortunately that restaurant closed a few years ago. So if you have any recommendations please let us know.  Otherwise, the best Filipino restaurant that we have been to in the last year is Isla Pilipina in Chicago.

Final thoughts on Ruby's:
Food - tasty but you need a guide to help you order
Service - slow for a place that is called "fast food", it is cash only but fortunately the prices very low for the portion sizes
Atmosphere - small location, tight seating, authentically Filipino with TV programs from Manila streaming in the background