Sushi House

Shrimp Tempura Roll

We went to dinner at the Sushi House in La Grange.  They have 6 locations all in the suburbs. We ordered a few traditional sushi rolls and few specialty rolls.

Alaskan & Unagi rolls

The 3 more traditional rolls were the unagi roll with bbq eel and cucumber, the Alaskan with salmon, avocado and cucumber and a shrimp tempura roll. These were pretty typical sushi rolls; they aren't as flashy or intricate as the more specialty rolls but they are also more affordable.

Sweet heart - spicy tuna, crunch crumbs avocado, tuna over top and served with a spicy honey sauce. This is definitely something we haven't seen before.  They took tuna and used it as the exterior of the sushi and shaped it into a heart and put all of the rice and other items inside of it.  It was fun to look at and actually a bit spicy to eat with both the spicy tuna and the spicy honey sauce.

Sweetheart

Dragon Roll

Dragon roll - bbq eel, cucumber and fish eggs with avocado outside. This is a bit more elaborate of a sushi roll (but not as unique as the sweetheart).  Natalie loves bbq eel and avocado so we tend to order things like this at most sushi restaurants we go to.

Crazy roll - Tuna, salmon, whitefish, avocado, deep fried.  The fried exterior of the roll is like the tempura batter on shrimp or veggies. These were large pieces of sushi that barely could fit in our mouths.

Final thoughts on Sushi House:
Food - excellent sushi.  The sweet heart roll was fun and creative.
Service - we ordered a few sushi to start and then wanted a couple more.  It took a long time for someone to come back to take that order we were almost ready just to get the check.
Atmosphere - typical Japanese style restaurant.  At some point we would like to sit in the pit style seating in the front (where you basically sit on the ground).

Crazy Roll

Bella Bacinos

Cauliflower Soup

We went to dinner at Bella Bacino's in La Grange.  A few years ago we went to its sister restaurant in Lincoln Park on a food tour and had a spinach deep dish pizza.  We were hoping to re-create that here and we wanted pizza because it was national pizza week.  But when we got there we realized they didn't have deep dish only thin crust cooked in brick ovens (so slightly different concept). We wish it were deep dish because there are a few other brick oven thin crust pizza places in the area already.



We ordered:
Cup of cauliflower soup - this was the soup special of the day.  It was creamy and tangy and reminiscent of a cream of potato soup (but different).

Duck Brown Butter Ravioli

Duck brown butter ravioli (also a special that evening) - Natalie is a sucker for duck entrees.  This dish was really good but the only critique is that there was a little too much butter in the sauce.  Otherwise the flavors of the duck, sun-dried tomatoes and basil were great together and the fresh pasta was scrumptious.

Pizza - Capricciosa - tomatoes, mushrooms, ham, artichoke, olives and mozzarella.  The pizza was a little burned looking on the edges (but that comes with the brick oven concept). We were expecting black olives but they were Mediterranean olives that had a strong flavor.  They kind of overpowered the rest of the pizza so we removed them and it tasted much better (more balanced) and ate the olives separately.

Capricciosa Pizza

Final thoughts on Bella Bacino's:
Food - go for the pasta not the pizza
Service - slow night because lots of snow outside so we were served promptly.
Atmosphere - good for families and wine aficionados.  Local vibe.

Palmer Place

Pretzel Bites

We ate dinner at Palmer Place in La Grange.  It has been has been featured on Chicago's Best. We have eaten here a couple of times before but this is the first time we were able to eat outside in the Biergarten.  It was a nice day and most everyone was doing that.  They have a large outdoor space on 2 levels. When we first moved to the area this is the place in La Grange where everyone told us to go.

We started out with Pretzel Bites and a honey mustard dipping sauce.  They taste exactly like a doughly pretzel would taste but in minature form.

Mexicali Burger

There are over 30 hamburgers listed on the menu so it is really difficult to decide. We went with:

Mexicali burger - with jalapeno jack cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo.  A bit messy but we both love guacamole so it is okay.

Benchmark Burger - it was listed as a new burger on the menu.  Is is a more specialty burger with a blend of prime chuck, brisket and short rib.  It was topped with Cheddar cheese, smoked picante ketchup (spicy), roasted red pepper remoulade, bacon, tomato and pickle slaw.  The ketcup was spicy.

Benchmark Burger

The menu said that the Benchmark Burger was chosen as the 2011 People's Choice Award Winner, Chicago Gourmet Hamburger Hop in Millenium Park. That is part of why we ordered it.   

The burgers can come with a variety of sides - we chose fries and potato salad.  The potato salad left something to be desired so try something else. 

Maybe Natalie is getting burned out with hamburgers.  Yes these were good burgers but all hamburgers are starting to meld together now.

Final thoughts on Palmer Place:
Food - large burger selection which should accomodate most people's preferences.
Service - it sure seemed like it took a long time to get our food out.  Another table got pretzel bites a little before us, but we thought when we saw the place coming (kind of in our direction) that they were for us since so much time had elapsed.
Atmosphere - fun atmosphere, local hangout for groups









Smashburger

We went to eat dinner at Smashburger - a new location for this franchise opened near where we live.

Mushroom and Swiss Burger

Mushroom and Swiss burger - The burger patties here were just right; thick but not too thick and filled the bun. It would be hard to go wrong with a mushroom and Swiss and they didn't.  The cheese was nice and melted into the patty and mushrooms gave it that juicy pop of flavor.
As a side with this burger we got Onion petals with sauce. Well when we hear petals, we think of something like a flower that you can grab onto and hold a dip of sauce. We were hoping for something like onion rings, but they need to rename these and call them Onion strings because that is what they were. They were fresh fried onions, kind of like what you get for a green bean casserole topping. These onion petals would make a great burger topping but at as side they didn't cut it. They were hard to pick up with your fingers and even harder with a fork because they were so small that once dipped in to the sauce they either broke or didn't hold the dipping sauce. SKIP this as a side. 

Spicy Baja Burger

Spicy Baja burger - yum! Nick had been gradually increasing his spice tolerance and this was definitely helping that tolerance.  It had a healthy topping of Jalapenos, pepper Jack cheese, spicy chipotle mayo and a chipotle bun.  Nick thought it was a great combo with the coolness of the avocado and the zing of the everything else. We go the signature Smash fries with this order - they were coated in olive oil, rosemary and sea salt. They were very good fries and we would recommend this side for sure. Nick liked these fries a lot more then the over-hyped Truffle fries that every one is pushing these days. The fries were long and slender and crisp. We got a generous portion and liked them much more then the fried onions.

Final thoughts on Smashburger:
Food - good burgers.  We chose burgers off the menu but you can customize your own burger with the toppings you like.  Stay away from the onion side.
Service - You order your food at the counter and the food is brought to you at your table.  All of the staff were almost too friendly. Maybe we got there at a shift change.  We were sitting in a direct path where all the servers came in and out of the kitchen so we were often asked by multiple servers if every thing was ok, which is nice but too much of a good thing can even be bad.
Atmosphere - the restaurant is clean, neat and new.  It will be interesting to see how they fare against home town faves such as Palmer Place and Back alley burger in La Grange. We do like that there is close parking; something that isn't always possible in La Grange.

Tavern on La Grange

Stuffed Portabello Mushroom

So we went out to dinner near home at a place called Tavern on La Grange.  I think we are kind of wondering why we tried this place - we had seen some deals on their street signs and thought it looked good from the outside.

Stuffed portabello mushroom - stuffed with bread crumbs, garlic butter, and topped with Parmesan cheese.  These were pretty good; they had a bit of a lemony taste them.  It's hard to mess up something drenched in butter.

Italian Beef Sandwich

Italian Beef Sandwich with cheese and giardiniera and a side of chips. We weren't super hungry and some of the other entrees seemed to be more filling larger sized (and pricey). It was a pretty standard Italian Beef; so stick to the classic Italian Beef places to get your fix.

Fish Tacos

Fish tacos - tilapia with rice, really not that exciting. This was a bit disappointing because fish tacos can be really good with some interesting spices and flavor.  The tilapia was dry and the rice was boring. The best part about the dish was the southwest flavored mustard sauce.

Final thoughts on Tavern on La Grange:
Food - nothing too interesting and it seemed pricey; we probably won't be returning.

Service - at the end of the meal it took a really long time for the check to come out to us; even though there weren't too many people in the dining room.

Atmosphere - it was a very large space with lots of TV's.  It is probably better suited as a sports bar.  A while ago we heard that on certain nights there are dueling pianos and we thought they would be there that night - either that wasn't the case or it happened later in the evening. 

Woow Japanese

Interior Shot - notice the wild decorations

Crab Rangoon

For another celebration of Nick's birthday (this time with Natalie's parents), we went to Woow Japanese in downtown La Grange.  This location has been open for 3 months. It is their 3rd location in the the Chicago Suburbs - the weird thing is they all happen to be located on La Grange Road (in Orland Park, Frankfort and now La Grange).  Their menu features mostly Japanese entrees and sushi but also includes other Asian fare such as traditional Chinese and Thai dishes.

Shrimp & Vegetable Tempura

Appetizers:
Crab Rangoon - 4 pieces, deep fried combo of cream cheese and crab meat, celery and onions.  We each got a piece of this and it tasted great. Each piece was pretty large so you could really get a good taste of the filling.

Miso Soup & Salad

Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura - Shrimp, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini and sweet potato.  We each got a couple of pieces of this appetizer. The items were lightly breaded and therefore didn't taste to heavy.

Eel Avocado Roll (front on plate)

Sushi roll - Eel Avocado roll, Nick didn't like this as much.  But, Natalie liked it because she really likes eel.  Don't know that we can really form an opinion about their sushi from 1 roll. They do offer a lot of sushi pieces, regular rolls and specialty rolls on their menu.

Entrees:
Tropical Fried rice - rice, egg, shrimp (slightly breaded), chicken, cashews, pineapple, carrots, peas, onions, all served in a hollowed out pineapple half.  The presentation of this dish was very impressive (very much like a similar dish served at May Street Cafe).  The fried rice was pretty typical fried rice but was definitely made more special with the way it looked. The menu did not indicate it would be presented in a pineapple so that was a surprise when it got to the table.

Tropical Fried Rice

Hibachi Shrimp - served on a giant plate (think platter size), shrimp came with 2 dipping sauces - ginger and seafood, plate also had broccoli, rice and noodles (so you didn't have to choose between the 2).  Once again the presentation was a bit amazing due to the sheer size of the plate it was served on. The shrimp had a smoky grilled flavor, enhanced with ginger and soy sauce.  This entree was served with both a salad and miso soup. The ginger dressing on salad was great (like most dressings at Japanese restaurants).

Hibachi Shrimp

Final Thoughts on Woow Japanese:
Food - So far their hasn't been a Japanese restaurant that Nick doesn't like and this follows that pattern
Service - very good, waiters were insightful and engaging

Fun and Crazy interior

Fun and Crazy interior

Atmosphere - now this is the surprise.  We walked in and it looks like a nightclub.  The decore is very over the top - there was animal print wallpaper, clear lucite columns that had a bubble effect that changed colors, crystal beads, etc.
It definitely didn't look like a typical Japanese restaurant.  We felt we had walked into some place in Las Vegas (think the Cosmoplitan). They played dance/club music in the background.  It didn't quite fit what we thought it would be, but it was fun.

Wild Monk

Lamb Poutine

We went to dinner in downtown La Grange at a new restaurant called Wild Monk. The owner also owns the restuarant across the street and we love their food so were excited to try this place. The concept of this resutaunt is gastro pub, meaning there are a lot of craft beers and a large slection of adult beverages paired with some relay tasty food. By not partaking in the adult beverages it somewhat baffled the wait staff.

We ate: 

Lamb slider

Lamb Poutine - french fries with cheese curds, golden raisins and a lamb sauce, we had never had this dish before (but had heard about the dish in general). It is a big hit in Canada so what could be bad about it. The raisins gave it a sweet burst with a savory bbq flavors of the lamb. And you can never go wrong with cheese and fries.

Beef slider

Jalapeno Cheddar corn bread - once again we thought our corn bread might not even arrive until after we were done with our entrees, but it came just after the entrees were brought to the table. It was tasty but no where close to our Table 52 experience. It would go great with some kind of chili, but it was way too hot outside to be ordering chili.

Lamb Slider with tzatziki, feta, pepper relish and cucumber and Beef Slider with blue cheese, bacon jam and tomato -These two sliders were both good.  Nick was expecting more than just a two bite sandwich (so we each got one bite of each one), but what we had was good. Nick preferred the beef with the familar flavors and was surprised at how much he enjoyed the sweet bacon jam. Natalie liked the lamb slider with its cool crisp summer flavor of feta and cucumber.

Jalapeno cornbread

Pork Belly Tacos with pineapple salsa - It is funny that Nick ordered this dish because when we were deciding where to eat out that night he firmly stated that he didn't want Mexican since we had cooked a lot of those type of dishes at home recently. But these were intriguing enough that he wanted them.  The grilled pineapple sugars off set the saltiness of the pork for a great summer dish.  We would get these again.

Final thoughts on Wild Monk:

Pork Belly Tacos

Food - everything we tasted was very good so we have no complaints there.  We just came away feeling not quite satisfied.  Maybe we felt that for a local place we should have gotten more bang for the buck.  On purpose we didn't order their full entrees because it was a hot day and we didn't want anything too heavy.  Also, this place is first and foremost a pub.  The waitress kept asking us if we wanted a beer almost to the point where it got a bit annoying.

Service - see comment above. Our water wasn't refilled quickly and in some cases at all.  Maybe because we didn't order any alcohol they forgot to come around and check on the water.

Atmosphere - cool looking decore, lots of tvs on the walls

Interior space



Outdoor patio







Grapevine

Interior Space

We had just gotten home from a mini road trip and weren't in the mood to cook anything so we went to dinner locally at Grapevine in La Grange.  We had heard about this place from a couple of people and have passed it many times as it is located just across the street from the downtown La Grange train stop.

Greek Anti Pasto

We didn't know what to expect at all.  We were given menus to peruse through at a table but  we were told that the ordering takes place back at the counter.  They have too large of a menu to simply write down on boards above a counter space.

Spanakopita

We ordered a Greek Anti Pasto as an appetizer which had artichoke hearts, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, olives, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and feta cheese.  They also had an Italian style anti pasto as well but the feta swayed Nick to the other direction.  (He must not have read the entire description on the menu because he was hoping to see some meat like you would have in an Italian anti pasto.) Later he heard others order various types of salad at the counter and they were asked if they wanted feta with it so perhaps we could have gone in the other direction and still gotten the feta. But the vegetables and feta were very refreshing on such a hot day.  And Natalie discovered a new way to spice up lettuce by putting dill in with it.

For entrees we stuck with the traditional Greek fare, although they do offer sandwiches, pizza and other Mediterranean entrees. We ordered Spanakopita which is spinach, onions and feta wrapped in phyllo dough.  The filling was very good but it could have used a few more layers of phyllo dough. It was served with a rice pilaf which was more than enough and had to be boxed up to take home.

The other entree we had was Pastitsio, kind of like a Greek version of lasagna.  But instead of layers of long flat noodles, smaller noodles are baked together and topped with a ground beef, cheese and bechamel sauce.  We really enjoyed this dish.  Nick claims that it could have been warmer but it was such a hot day that it really didn't matter. It was served with a small salad so that was a bit of overkill with the Anti pasto we had earlier.

Pastitsio

Final thoughts on Grapevine:
Food - good value for what you get, nice carry out food to get on your way off the train
Service - after you order at the counter the food is delivered to your table.  The dishes all came out quickly.  But the entrees came out too quickly because we weren't even half way done with the appetizer when they came out (maybe that is why Nick thought the pastitsio was not warm enough because we were still eating the anti pasto).
Atmosphere - nice Mediterranean feel. Lots of space.  A little awkward to sit down and peruse the menu but it looks like they have lots of regulars that know what they want to order already or have a take out order ready.

Mezza Mediterranean Grill

We went to dinner at Mezza Mediterranean Grill in downtown La Grange.  They have 4 other locations all in Chicago and one more coming soon to the Merchandise Mart. They have Mediterranean/Middle eastern fare - including pita and wrap sandwiches, salads, traditional sides and kabob plates.

Tunisian Chicken Pita

Unlike the two other Middle eastern\Mediterranean food establishments we have recently visited, this restaurant was the most westernized. Also this meat was tender but not as moist as the other restaurants. We both ordered sandwiches and them come either in pita bread or a wrap (this was not clear from the menu); we liked the thick and hearty pita to hold all the meat in.

Here is specifically what we ordered:
We both ordered Mezza meals - a sandwich with a side and a drink.
Tunisian Chicken pita sandwich - spicy chicken, harissa mayo, red onion, avocado - again not as moist as the meat at other restaurants, but tasty

Beef Tenderloin Pita

side of falafel - 3 falafel (garbanzo beans) with sauce, served to us hot and fresh, Nick enjoyed probably better than any other falafels he has had (not too crunchy on the outside, and a warm moister center)
Beef Tenderloin Kabob pita sandwich - skewered cuts of beef and veggies, tahina sauce - better than the chicken sandwich; but probably not a classic Middle Eastern dish
side of red pepper hummus with pita - creamier (instead of thick) than the consistency of most hummus. Natalie found it mundane compared to the flare and freshness of the past two Middle Eastern restaurants.

Red Pepper Hummus

We went at 5pm on a weekday.  Not sure when they get their rush because there weren't many people there at the time.  The location is right next to the La Grange train station so they are probably trying to capitalize on the train traffic but we didn't see that happening from the trains that stopped while we were there. Unfortunate, because it seems like a nice place.  But perhaps better suited for a lunch crowd which is perfect for their 4 other locations in Chicago.

Falafel

Final Thoughts on Mezza:
Food - Good place for a lunch.  A good light summer meal. Nick was a little sad that there was no baba ganoush. We would go again but probably not dine in.
Service - order at a counter up front and get your food as you are paying - not quite fast food, but pretty close.  The falafel wasn't quite done when we paid so an employee brought it to our table.
Atmosphere - very nice decore, quite fancy looking actually for such a casual place.

Crisp and clean interior

Prasino

Warm Olives

To celebrate Natalie's grandmother's birthday we decided not to go into Chicago in case we would have any NATO related traffic or disruptions.  Instead we decided to stay close to home and go to Prasino in La Grange.  Natalie had been there twice before but Nick had never been there. Since we came with a group of 5 we were able to sample a few more things than we would have otherwise

Appetizers:

Mushroom Bruschetta

Warm Olives with piquillo pepper, sun-dried tomato, herbs, feta and grilled bread.  They were a little salty and much spicier than we had anticipated.  We enjoyed the olives at Girl and the Goat better - less spicy and oily.
Creamy mushroom bruschetta with grilled bread, Parmesan, tomato and basil.  The waiter recommended this and it was really good. It had a creamy sauce instead of a more traditional tomato sauce, but sauce made the mushroom flavor pop.

Entrees & Sides:

Braised Short Ribs

Grilled Thai Curry Pork Loin

Grilled Thai Curry Pork Loin with  brown rice, mango salad and coconut cashew sauce.  This was definitely spicier than we thought it would be; maybe it would have been a little better if it were sweeter, i.e. a few more mangoes to offset the heat of the curry.
Braised beef short ribs with cauliflower cheddar gratin (roasted cauliflowers, sharp cheddar, bechamel sauce) greens, truffle mushroom Cabernet sauce.  The short ribs were very tender and definitely the best entree.  The cauliflower gratin was really good and came in an interesting shape like it had been cooked in a muffin tin.

Turkey Blue Burger

Taste of Turkey Blue burger with caramelized onions, sauteed apples, spinach, and bleu cheese on a multigrain bun.  Definitely an interesting combination of ingredients, especially apples on a burger.
Taste of Vegetable flat bread (pizza) with corn, tomato, onion, pesto, mozzarella and balsamic.  It tasted really good.  If we were returning to the restaurant we would order one of the flat breads.
Chilled Beets with goat cheese, candied pecans, balsamic glaze.  We must need to eat more beets in our lives because whenever we go out we like to order them and they are super tasty. This was a good light dish.

Veggie Flatbread

Chilled Beets

Fish Tacos

Chocolate Molten Cake

Gooey Butter Cake

Dessert: 

Chocolate molten cake with vanilla ice cream and blueberry compote - true molten with gooey chocolate inside.  The blueberries were really tasty and went well with chocolate.

Taste of Gooey butter cake (for the birthday girl) - it definitely lived up to its name - warm and gooey, slight crust.  Would order this again.

Final Thoughts on Prasino:
Food - Nick would like to come back and try their summer menu.  We should mention that they try to locally source their ingredients and offer many vegetarian and gluten free menu items.
Service - very good, the waiter was willing to give his opinions and recommendations.  Grandma ordered the fish tacos and they made sure to put the hot sauce on the side.
Atmosphere - casual, located right on La Grange Road in downtown La Grange, lots of seating both indoors and outdoors.