Nick's Fishmarket

We went to Nick's Fishmarket in Rosemont a few years ago for our anniversary before we started the blog.  They went over the top with lavishing us with stuff last time - they gave us a balloon, a picture and a comp'd dessert so we wanted to go back again to get the royal treatment.  But this time they had toned it down and just comp'd us a dessert, which was fine but less impressive. But we ate some good seafood so that made up for it.

Black and Blue Seared Ahi

Black and Blue seared Ahi tuna appetizer - Cajun dusted with soy mustard sauce - this was really good quality tuna.  The spices weren't too overwhelming. It had a very beautiful plating presentation with the sauce swirled around the tuna itself.

Lobster Bisque - pretty typical lobster bisque, but lobster bisque is good overall so that is always a winner for us.

Lobster Bisque 

Chopped Salad

Chopped Salad - arugala, currants, tomatoes, smoked salmon, pumpkin seeds, roasted corn, couscous, Asiago cheese, pesto buttermilk dressing.  Natalie likes salad that have a lot of things in them that are not lettuce so this is the perfect choice for her.  All the ingredients were great together and it was an elevated form of a chopped salad.  This is totally something that would be great to make at home and people could choose to add all the ingredients or not.

Chilean Sea Bass

Chilean Sea Bass - with Asian Slaw, sweet soy sauce and garlic mashed potatoes. Several years ago when we were in Las Vegas we had some amazing Chilean Sea Bass at Tao at the Venetian and we have been searching for similar sea bass ever since. This wasn't quite at that level but it was Chilean Sea Bass so once again how can you go wrong.  The fish itself was buttery and flavorful and surprisingly the stacked slaw, sauce and potatoes paired very well together.

Grouper - macadamia encrusted, with asparagus and saffron rice, Natalie would have preferred a bit more sauce with the grouper.  The grouper had a light crust of macadamia nuts so it wasn't too heavy and the rice was amazing. We usually love asparagus these large stalks were a bit woody.

Macadamia Crusted Grouper 

Meringue topped key lime pie - they gave us this dessert for free for our anniversary celebration. We're starting to get a little sick of key lime pies since ever since we had fantastic key lime pie in the Florida Keys.  The meringue made this one a little different but it otherwise it was pretty standard key lime pie.

Final thoughts on Nick's Fishmarket:
Food - Great seafood. A nice place to celebrate.

Service - It wasn't nearly as stellar as the previous visit. They didn't keep the water glasses filled promptly.  Even though there were lots of open tables they sat us next to a very loud set of people.  It took a long time before they took our order.

Atmosphere - there weren't nearly as many people dining there as the last time we went.  Maybe because of where it is located near O'Hare airport and Rosemont it is more of a lunch place. The chatter of the table next to us was quite distracting and took away from the romantic ambiance we were going for by picking this restaurant.

Key Lime Pie

Devon

For Natalie's Birthday we went to a seafood restaurant called Devon in Oakbrook Terrace with Natalie's parents.  Devon used to be called Braxton's Seafood and was located in the Oak Brook mall but due to a leasing dispute had to leave and relinquish the name.

Shrimp Cocktail

Shrimp cocktail - jumbo shrimp cocktail, with Creole remoulade sauce and cocktail sauce.  Nice standard shrimp cocktail but kind of interesting that it is also served with a remoulade sauce.

Spring roll

Vietnamese crab spring rolls - with daikon, avocado, mint, basil, pea greens, carrots, sweet and sour dipping sauce. These were good but we only got a small bite of them so we wish we could have more.  Natalie's bit didn't have any avocado in it but it was still good and fresh.

Smoked Salmon Flatbread - garlic white sauce, red onion and watercress. Nick's favorite appetizer - crunchy, a little salty, good flavors.

Smoked Salmon Flatbread

Lobster Bisque - tasty, on par with other good lobster bisque we have eaten.

Lobster Bisque

Georges Bank scallops - with sweet potato corn hash, bacon, corn butter sauce. Good scallops with nice accompaniments that accentuated their flavor. The scallops were large and firm, but still tender.

Georges Bank Scallops

Monchong - wood grilled Hawaiian fish, with lobster mac n cheese, and whipped potatoes. Nick would have preferred it with a different preparation with a sauce on it (he felt it was a bit dry).  Otherwise the fish itself was good and a very large portion.  Natalie liked the smoky flavor.  The lobster mac was good but we almost always want more lobster.

Vanilla Creme Brulee - this was large serving of creme brulee (probably a little larger than normal due to the birthday celebration). A nice way to end the meal.

Final thoughts on Devon:

Monchong

Food - Nick was more impressed by the appetizers. He prefers Parker's Ocean Grille in Downers Grove or Catch 35 in Naperville.  He seems to remember liking Braxton's a little more so maybe there is a different chef than before.





Service - very good service.  They were super attentive to our needs with refilling drinks to making sure everything was just right.
Atmosphere - a little dark inside but a nice/fancy environment inside.  The new location isn't as nice as the mall and it is a bit difficult to find parking as a lot of the parking nearby is reserved specifically for the hotel next door.

Catch 35

Coconut Shrimp

We went to dinner at Catch 35 in Naperville as we here it advertised a lot on the radio.  There is also a location in Chicago that Natalie went to a long time ago, but we told them it was our first time.

Coconut shrimp - more of an Asian flavor of coconut shrimp, the sauce was like a chili sauce so it was spicier than we expected and there was a lighter breading.  But who can go wrong with coconut shrimp.

Chilean Sea Bass - we saw this on the menu but when the waiter said it was their signature dish we felt we had to try it. We were hoping of a replication of an awesome Chilean sea bass dish we had in Las Vegas (at the Venetian).  It wasn't quite like that experience, but still a great piece of fish.  Light and tasty with a Hawaiian ginger scallion sauce.

Tuna Poke - poke style tuna with avocado, scallions, soy sauce and macadamia nuts.  Also a Hawaiian inspired seafood dish. We must have been dreaming of Hawaii. This dish would be wonderful on a hot summer day being that it is prepared and served cold. The flavors were great together.  Natalie felt the color of the sauce was not the most appetizing, but that can be overlooked.

Key lime pie - we tried their key lime pie for dessert.  Not quite like in the Florida Keys.  It had a whipped, airy texture instead of being more dense. But it was a nice sweet end to the meal.

Final thoughts on Catch 35:
Food - we liked all of the food.  If we went back we would repeat the entrees; they were so different but enjoyable.
Service - we went to eat here on a Friday during Lent so it was pretty busy.  Luckily we had reservations because it sounds like there weren't taking any walk-ins.  Because of the busyness of the restaurant the waiter didn't spend a lot of time telling us about the different fresh fish or the preparations on the menu.  So what he did say felt a bit rushed and forced.
Atmosphere - it was a lively Friday night.  The interior is decorated with sleek lines and a modern style. Going with the seafood feel - there were blue overtones.

Chilean Sea Bass

Tuna Poke

Key Lime Pie

Tin Fish

Buffalo Shrimp

We went to dinner at Tin Fish in Tinley Park after seeing it featured on Check Please in October.  Since it is a south suburban location (kind of near where we work), we wanted to check it out.

We tried the following:
Buffalo shrimp appetizer - we got a 1/2 lb of shrimp but it is also comes as a full pound.  The shrimp were super tasty in a unique creamy buffalo sauce.  It had a good tang and heat to it but wasn't too overpowering so you could still taste the fresh shrimp.  The shrimp also came with blue cheese dressing and celery.  We should have gotten the pound of shrimp but then we wouldn't have had room for our entrees.

Cornmeal crusted scallops

Tin Fish features fresh caught fish daily which can be prepared in a variety of styles and sides.  We chose the Red Snapper which was a catch of the day.  We had it cooked with a garlic char glaze and it was served with smashed potatoes. The fish was firm and flaky and held the garlic flavor well.

Red Snapper

We also chose Georges bank scallops which are a regular item on the menu.  We had them prepared with a cornmeal crust and they came with a side of brussel sprouts.  The scallops tasted good.  We chose the cornmeal encrusted style of preparation to try it out, but maybe the scallops may have been more well suited to a different preparation (blackened, grilled, sauteed or garlic char glazed). They were still tasty and unique, but sometimes it is better when the knowledgeable chefs pick the preparation method for dishes.

Final thoughts on Tin Fish:
Food - nice fresh fish, with the choose your own fish/preparation/complement there are many variations that can be tried so you can have a unique experience each time - even with the same type of seafood. We loved the buffalo shrimp.
Service - we went early on a Friday night so it wasn't too busy and we got a lot of attention from our waiter (maybe almost too much attention).
Atmosphere - hip seafood place, but it is located in a strip mall.  From the outside it doesn't look as nice as it does inside.  This restaurant could be good for either a casual or a fancy meal.

Shaw's Crab House

Interior

We went to dinner at Shaw's Crab House, at the Schaumburg location. Although the Chicago location has been featured on Check Please, Natalie knew generally about this restaurant from residing in the area (and actually may have eaten there in the past but doesn't remember exactly).

The decore reminds you of days gone by with an art deco style.  We were there on a Saturday evening and you definitely need reservations for the weekend. Also, if you don't like seafood at all you are a bit out of luck because almost everything except a few entrees involves some sort of seafood. 

Lobster Bisque

We ordered the old standby of Lobster Bisque. It was good, but not the best ever.  Maybe Lobster Bisque (or any soup) is best ordered when it is colder outside so maybe you can appreciate its warmth. When we order Lobster Bisque we are probably looking for it to top our best experiences in the past and that hasn't happened lately. So maybe we should venture out and try other appetizer type foods.

Tuna & Guacamole

For an appetizer we ordered something that had a very simple name - tuna, guacamole and chips.  But it was a little fancier than that simple name implies.  It was sashimi grade chopped tuna (basically tuna tartare) on top of guacamole.  It was served in a dish that was sitting in a bowl of ice - although we consumed it before it would have gotten to room temperature.  It was served with tortilla chips and was basically a super fancy form of guacamole.  We decided that to spruce up guacamole at home we could try this if we got our hands on some quality tuna.

Crab Cakes

For one of the entrees we got crab cakes, which were served with a red pepper mustard mayo and a small salad on the side. They were good, but they weren't quite as moist as even the crab cakes we have made at home.  We like crab a lot but are reluctant to go all out and order crab legs because we are not skilled at cracking them and getting all the good meat out.  So we kind of settle for other crab dishes to get a similar taste.

Pasta with Lobster, Spinach, Brie and Cheddar

For the other entree we ordered ordered a pasta dish with lobster, brie, spinach and cheddar cheese sauce.  The pasta had generous large pieces of lobster and a good cheese combination.  But when compared to the lobster pasta we had a Parker's the week before the lobster portion was better at Shaw's but the overall combination of flavors was better at Parker's.


Final thoughts on Shaw's Crab House:
Food - the food was good, but if we were to go to a Lettuce Entertain You seafood establishment we would suggest Joe's Stone Crab (which is just a few blocks away from the Shaw's downtown location and has a very similar vibe)
Service - good service but the server could have given us a better idea of the highlights of the menu
Atmosphere - a bit of a step back in time with the decore.  Although we would consider this to be an adult oriented restaurant we did see a family of 5 with younger children venture in (although it sounded like the dad was vocally disappointed that the children all ordered sliders at a seafood restaurant - so maybe completely seafood isn't the way to go even with a sophisticated family).

Parker's Restaurant and Bar

We ate dinner closer to home at Parker's Restaurant & Bar in Downers Grove. 

Bread & Flatbread

It used to be known as Parker's Ocean Grill - but now it has both a steak and seafood focus.  They are also a farm to fork style restaurant - they don't go through a distributor and have relationships with the farmers and growers.

What we ate - soup - maybe it's crazy to order soup on a warm day in June, but they somehow enticed us.
Manila Clam Chowder - white clam chowder like New England style, but lighter (not as heavy on the cream)

Manila Clam Chowder

Lobster Bisque - with a lobster ravioli, it tasted different than most lobster bisque does so not sure we would order it again.  Like the chowder, it was lighter (not as creamy) as most bisque is, which in this case made us not like it as much, as opposed to the chowder.

Lobster Bisque

Cedar Plank Alaskan Halibut with spinach and whipped potatoes - This was Parker's in season fish from Alaska.  The cedar plank gave it a good smoky and peppery quality.  There was a massive amount of spinach on the plate which seemed odd. especially since it was in the center of the plate. so was the focus the fish or the spinach? Good fresh fish.

Cedar Plank Alaskan Halibut

Lobster Mac and cheese with cold water lobster tail, smoked gouda, pancetta and asparagus - Nick is a bit picky about mac n cheese and he loved this combination.  You can't really go wrong with combining mac n cheese with all those awesome other ingredients.  The asparagus gave the dish a crunch which is kind of unique for mac n cheese dishes. The smoked Gouda with the lobster tail gave the entire dish greater dimensions than so-called good mac n cheese dishes at other restaurants.  We could try to make it at home but we probably wouldn't come close.

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Final thoughts on Parker's
Food - Nick liked it so much he would like to his parents to come here sometime
Service - good, but our waiter didn't explain as much about all the dishes as other wait staff did.  We tried to listen to a server a few tables over when he was going through the specials. But otherwise service was good - drinks were full all the time.
Atmosphere - very fancy looking, with nautical artwork and decore, there is a bar up front that has live piano music.  Nick said if he were to open a restaurant it would be a lot like this place and its theme.

Pappadeaux

We went out to dinner at Pappadeaux in Westmont. Natalie had eaten at a Pappadeux many years ago but not this particular location.  It is a chain restaurant with locations in 7 states and this location opened in 1999.  We drive past this location all of the time and we finally decided to go inside. Pappadeaux is mainly a seafood restaurant with a Cajun flair - its headquarters are in Houston.

Coconut Shrimp

As an appetizer we ordered coconut Shrimp with a cajun slaw and a spicy sweet dipping sauce.  The shrimp were good but weren't anything unique or special.  In fact the dipping sauce sure looked just like a Thai chili sauce that you buy at the grocery store.

Crawfish Etoufee

For entrees we both decided to go with items from the New Orleans specialties section of the menu since for us that is the unique appeal of this restauarant.  We had Crawfish Etoufee with white rice. The sauce is thicker than a gumbo and has a base of an onion roux.  Etouffee means smothered - and in this dish the crawfish was smothered in a sauce that had a little heat to it.  Because the sauce is smothered over rice it is not a very beautiful presentation but it is tasty.  Live crawfish resemble small lobsters, but the cracked crawfish in this dish looked & tasted like small shrimps because only the tail portion is served in an etouffee.

Shrimp & Grits

The other entree we ordered was Shrimp Creole with creamy Andouille cheese grits and tomato sauce. The sauce had a little more spice/kick to it than the etoufee. There were lots of shrimp - enough dinner and lunch the next day.  The cheese grits were a bit bland, but did their job to offset the spiciness of the sauce.



Another favorite local Cajun restaurant is called Heaven on Seven.  So we will have to go there for a comparison.

Final thoughts on Pappadeaux:
Food - food seemed a little pricey but we did have enough leftovers for both of us to have a full lunch the next day.
Service - nothing special; we knew there was a crawfish special going on and although we wouldn't have ordered it anyway the server she did not even mention it to us. They took care of us but it wasn't a real personal experience.

Giant Lobster (and regular size lobsters)

Atmosphere - really busy for a weeknight (probably because of the crawfish special going on).  Good thing we had a reservation otherwise there was a 20 minute wait to be seated.  The parking lot is always filled when we drive by so this wasn't too much of a surprise.  It is a casual seafood restaurant with a Cajun flare.  Probably the most interesting thing we saw was a giant 9 pound lobster in lobster tank - its claws were the same size as a normal sized lobster.

Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab

For our second Restaurant week meal we went to Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab in River North.  It is located at 60 East Grand Avenue in Chicago.

Lounge/Bar Area

The Restaurant Week menu was $33/person for dinner for a three course meal.

Crab Bisque

For an appetizer we both had crab bisque.  It was a thick bisque with large chunks of crab meat. We are more used to having lobster bisque so this was a pleasant change. The other option for an appetizer was Manhattan Style Clam Chowder, which we do not enjoy as much so we were very happy with the bisque.

Stone Crab Claws

Mashed Potatoes

For an Entree we had the choice of 2 different meals - either 6 medium Stone Crab claws with Hashed Brown Potatoes and Cole Slaw or an 8 oz Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and a grilled tomato.  We had one of each so we could try everything.  We've never had stone crab claws before but we love them now.  They were pre-cracked so we had to be a little careful of the thick shell pieces, but they were easier to eat than crab legs. The cole slaw pairs nicely with the crab - it is presented a little differently with relish and tomatoes; the relish brought out a sweetness that most coleslaw doesn't have. The filet mignon was perfectly cooked.  The waiter told us that they had some of the best steak in the city and we didn't believe him until we tried it.  It was buttery and very tender - we were able to cut it with a butter knife. In Nick's opinion, it is his second favorite steak behind Ruth's Chris.  The mashed potatoes were served a little bit differently with a breadcrumb topping and were very tasty.  But the side dish we enjoyed the most was surprisingly the grilled tomato.  It was topped with a green leaf (spinach or kale?) vegetable and baked with a layer of cheese.  It was uber tasty and we were surprised at the quality of the tomato for that time of year.

Filet Mignon with Grilled Tomato

Hash Brown Potatoes

Cole Slaw

Banana Cream Pie

For dessert we had the choice of either Key Lime Pie or Banana Cream Pie with Caramel sauce so we had one of each. Both were good desserts-we probably enjoyed the banana cream pie a little more. But this isn't a place that we would go just for desserts.  Instead we would fill up on more crab, steak or side dishes.

Key Lime Pie

Overall we were really overwhelmed with the quantity of food for a prix fixe menu.  Probably the cost of this meal from the regular menu would have been twice as much.  They did not lesson the quantities even though it was restaurant week. We had more than enough food and even had to pack some items up to go.



Final thoughts on Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab:
Food - we were really happy with all of the food. This is a place we would recommend to other people as it was recommended to us. There is also a location in Las Vegas and the original location is in Miami. Anyone who enjoys steak or seafood would like it here.
Service - friendly staff, willing to share their opinions.  It looked like all of the wait staff were willing to help all of the tables.

Dining Room

Atmosphere - Because of its location near Michigan Avenue there was a lot of out of town traffic.  Also we witnessed a lot of business dinners.  We went here on a Monday night and most likely due to Restaurant Week the reservations were booked until 10pm (we were there at 6:30).  I'm sure many of the walk ins felt they would be okay to get a table on a Monday night but that was not the case - it really felt like a weekend evening.  Before our table was available we waited in a large bar/lounge area where you can also order off the same menu, but in a less formal setting.  The main dining area is huge and evokes a sixties era feel with dark wood, pictures and music from that time period. All of the wait staff were in tuxedos.  Because of the height of the ceilings it can get a little loud.