Asian Noodles

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Noodle Nosh

The origin of noodles are shrouded in mystery but it’s pretty obvious that the Chinese were the first to make them an art. Back in 2005 archaeologists discovered an earthenware bowl containing 4,000-year-old noodles at the Lajia archaeological site in China. So while there’s no single inventor of noodles they more than likely became popular in China before extending off into other parts of Asia and the rest of the world. Here in Chicago we have seemingly endless options for noodles with pretty much every Asian cuisine on offer. But just recently has the city taken its noodle game to the next level thanks to a noodle renaissance of sorts. Back in the day noodles were just a small part of the menu whereas now there’s lots of spots where they make up the majority of the menu. I eat my weight in noodles every year and we've never had better options for slurping than we do right now. 

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Minyoli

We’ll start at one of the more interesting openings of 2024. Minyoli in Andersonville is a Taiwanese noodle shop serving Juàn Cūn cuisine. It’s ran by Taiwanese Chef Rich Wang who’s on a mission to preserve the fast disappearing cuisine that came about around 1949 when more than six hundred thousand of the Chinese nationalist party’s soldiers moved to Taiwan with families and settled down in Juan Cuns - “military dependents' villages” is how the Chinese term is often translated in English. Wang and his team serve up a small well rounded menu of the cuisine that came from these villages. Taiwanese beef noodle soup (Niu Rao Mian) is front and center along with a plethora of Taiwanese snacks both braised and chilled (Luwei) and also fried. The Taiwanese fried chicken starter is dusted with a sour plum powder - a popular condiment at Taiwan’s legendary night markets. Small chunks of chicken are twice fried in a crisp potato starch with the plum powder going on as soon as it comes out of the fryer for a second time. The first thing you taste is a sweet and tangy flavor that soon turns savory. It’s a crowd favorite and a great prelude to a bowl of red braised beef noodle soup. The broth is made by simmering beef bones along with root vegetables for more than eight hours. The menu also lists both premium Taiwanese black bean soy sauce, and spicy broad bean sauce among the ingredients. You choose between succulent braised beef or tender chunks of tendon with the option for half and half being the way to go. Wheat noodles are made daily and come in two different sizes with the thick and wavy ones used in the Niu Rao Mian. The end result is a subtle but soothing bowl of beef noodle soup with perfectly textured noodles and extremely tender beef. 

Taiwanese Fried Chicken and Beef Noodle Soup at Minyoli 
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Kajiken

This Japanese noodle franchise was recently brought to Chinatown by the neighborhoods unofficial mayor - Tony Hu (owner of Lao Szechuan). Kajiken specializes in soup-less ramen aka Abura Soba. It’s a chain from Nagoya with more than 40 locations in Asia plus a few more in North America including this outlet in Chinatown Square. I visited last year and enjoyed the “Homura” which includes spicy minced pork, poached egg, menma, scallion, fish powder, nori, and chives. You can customize each bowl to your liking with vinegar, minced garlic, chili oil, soy sauce, and some powdered pepper all of which is sitting at each table. Just mix it all up and start slurping. The noodles have nice texture. 

Abura Soba at Kajiken
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Szechuan Bistro

The food court in Chinatowns Richland Center basement is always an interesting stop as different food stalls regularly come and go. Szechuan Bistro popped up about two years ago and it didn’t take long for some of us to figure out that it was run by the former cook of Szechuan JMC which has since closed. JMC was a popular stop with locals and Chinatown regulars alike but it closed randomly forcing fans to find their Sichuan peppercorn kick elsewhere. Enter Szechuan Bistro. The menu is loaded with Sichuan classics including my favorite bowl of Dan Dan Noodles in town. Dan Dan are one of the quintessential dishes of Sichuan cuisine and arguably one of the most popular noodle dishes in all of Asia. They first popped up as a street snack in Chengdu back in the 1800’s and these days they’re one of the world’s most well known noodle dishes as Sichuan cuisine has become extermely popular on a worldwide level. There are many iterations of dan dan noodles across the globe but the signature flavor profile should be hot, sour, salty, sweet, and smoky. The sauce should always include Sichuan pepper, a numbing berry from Western China used as a spice. It has a tantalizing citrus, floral, and woodsy aroma and the Dan Dan at Szechuan Bistro is loaded with it. 

Dan Dan Noodles at Szechuan Bistro
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Rudy's Ramen

I recently tried the tantanmen at this Noble Square ramen specialist and it warmed me up just right. Rudy’s Ramen is a hidden gem ramenya ran by a self taught ramen chef who specializes in tonkotsu (pork bone ramen). I feel like Rudy’s kind of got lost in the plethora of ramen openings we had despite being named one of the best ramens in town at The Infatuation. While I’ll always love tonkotsu due to it being the first real type of ramen I ever tried (shoutout to Santouka) it’s a bit rich for me these days and not something I commonly crave. So with that I decided to try the Tantanmen which is the Japanese version of Dan Dan. The recipe at Rudy’s starts with a fairly potent pork broth that’s got a very nice Sichuan peppercorn spice profile. It comes loaded with spicy miso minced pork, bamboo shoots, bok choy, scallions, and thin ramen noodles. Go ahead and add the ajitama egg to your bowl.

Tantanmen at Rudy's Ramen 
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Chengdu Bistro 

Last stop is what’s probably been my favorite opening of the year. Chengdu Bistro opened in May on Division in Wicker Park. It’s owned by the nephew of Tony Hu who also runs Chengdu Impression and Dongpo Impression. The menu at Chengdu Bistro is mostly made up of Sichuan noodle favorites though they also have soup dumplings and entrees like dry chili chicken and Mapo Tofu. But it’s the noodles that make this place stand out. I’ve long moaned about the lack of made on site noodles in Chicago and those days look to be numbered with Chengdu Bistro contributing to the change. Ordering wise there’s lots of good ways to go including spicy beef noodle soup. You choose what size noodles you want and they make them to order. When it comes to beef noodle soup I like ‘em thick and chewy and suggest going with the thickest noodle option, they have a great bite to them and the broth is legit spicy with that distinct taste of Sichuan peppercorns I’ve come to love. They also make a damn good Dan Dan that comes in two sizes including a small for just $5.95.

Sichuan Spicy Beef Noodle Soup 

Dan Dan Noodles

I must’ve picked up the spicy toothsome Sichuan Cold Noodles at Chengdu Bistro a handful of times this past summer when I didn’t feel like cooking on the hottest of days. Yibin Flaming Noodles aka Yibin Burning Noodles are a specialty of Yibin - a prefecture-level city in the southeastern part of the Sichuan province. So they say the name comes from an old wives tale that the noodles were covered in oil that’s flammable but I also read that it’s more likely because back in the day it was common to pour burning hot pork lard over the noodles before serving. Yibin Noodles are similar to Dan Dan with the most distinct difference being the use of alkaline noodles which are chewier than normal. The noodles are mixed with vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and lots of chili oil and topped with minced pork, yacai (preserved mustard greens), roasted peanuts, and scallions. I love how the noodles are tossed hot into the sauce giving it a unique taste and texture. Well worth the $10.95 pricetag.

Sicuhan Cold Noodles

Yibin Flaming Noodle

I've tried most of the noodle dishes at Chengdu Bistro and if I had to pick a favorite it would have to be the Sichuan Za Jiang Noodle with Stewed Pea. When I went to Beijing back in 2018 I visited this famous noodle shop from Chonqing where I waited in line for 30 mins for a bowl of their famous Wanza Mian which ended up being one of the most memorable bowls of noodles I’ve ever had. I’ve been on the search for something similar ever since and the Za Jiang at Chengdu Bistro is the closest I’ve come. At first glance it looks like a bowl of naked noodles topped with saozi (wet minced pork) and peas but a “mixed sauce” consisting of chili oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, huajio (sichuan pepper), roasted sesame paste, and lard lurks underneath. The made on site noodles have a wholesome bite while managing to soak up all the delicious sauce. Think of it as the bigger brother of Dan Dan.

Sichuan Za Jiang Noodle with Stewed Pea at Chengdu Bistro
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See ya next time @chibbqking
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Oliver's

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Retro Fine Dining in the South Loop

You may have noticed a slight shift in my published posts this past calendar year. For starters I no longer post up to three times a week. I’m also posting less reviews of recently opened Chef driven and restaurant group type of openings. There’s a simple explanation for the latter and that’s the price of going out has skyrocketed over the last couple years. Honestly I can’t afford to eat at higher end spots as regularly, not when the mom and pop spots are also getting expensive (I recently paid $26 with tip for a bowl of noodles just the other day). That said we still go out just not nearly as much. But we recently celebrated an anniversary and decided to go out for a celebration dinner. We ended up at Oliver’s - a newish spot in the South Loop reminiscent Hollywood’s golden age (the 1930’s). 

Recently Opened in the South Loop

Oliver’s is a Jason Weingarten production. If the name sounds familiar it might be bc he was recently in the news when former Alinea co-owner Nick Kokonas sold his stake in the restaurant group to Jason, a tech entrepreneur. Weingarten calls Oliver’s a passion project while others call it the best new restaurant in Chicago. It’s in a weird location in that there’s not a ton of other businesses on the block but that makes for easy parking. Once you enter you’re immediately in the bar area where they also have a handful of tables. I was surprised how big the space is as it includes a few dining rooms.

a peek inside

The food menu at Oliver’s is short…and expensive. It consists of six starters, five mains, and five sides (plus dessert). The drink menu looked good and considering the mixologist came from Scofflaw I bet they are. I don’t drink cocktails as often because I’ve cut down on sugar and also bc the prices are getting kind of silly. Since I had a few High Life’s earlier in the eve I decided to have another one as they were just $6 each. Erica tried a few of the wines but didn’t find one she liked. We knew we wanted to try the truffle gnocchi in Comte cheese sauce and we added the fried artichoke side for starters. The gnocchi ($23) was on point during our visit - I’d read mixed reviews as far as the texture goes but it hit both the buzzwords when it comes to good gnocchi - it was soft and pillowy. The black truffle mixed well with the Comte and it was much better than it looks. The fried artichoke ($18) starts with two whole Roman braised artichoke hearts fried naked and dressed with preserved lemon, black pepper aioli, and rosemary. The taste was there but they were a bit greasy from the deep fry. 

truffle gnocchi black truffle, comté, aged parmesan

fried artichoke preserved lemon, black pepper aioli, rosemary

The choices among the mains are limited but there’s still something for every type of eater ranging from a NY Strip Loin for two to a meatless tomato risotto plus a roast chicken and seafood selection. I went to Oliver’s knowing what I was going to get which is pretty much always the case when I eat out. But I switched my order last second and decided to try the Millers Half Chicken ($46 as is) instead of the burger ($27 with fries). Erica got the risotto ($27) and I added on a side of the house made fries ($9) for us to share. The risotto was good though I only had a small bite but it was cooked al dente and had a nice tomato and cheese flavor. My roast chicken was bigger than just about any half chicken I’ve ever seen and that kind of turned me off but the skin had the perfect shade which really turned me on. So I was told they rub fat all over the skin as it roasts which in turns creates a beautiful lacquer. It’s served atop a delicious crème fraîche made with dill and shallots plus the fat drippings of the chicken. It was cooked to perfection but I should’ve got the truffle mashed potatoes to go with it. Better yet the truffle mashed potatoes should’ve came with it at that price. I did get two meals out of it and it was better than any grocery store bought rotisserie chicken so don’t get me wrong, it was very good. But I’m still not sure the price is totally justified as is. I probably should've got the burger. 

tomato risotto smoked olive oil, aged parmesan, pimentón de la vera

miller's half chicken shallot, dill, crème fraîche, roasted chicken fat

We finished with a slice of the housemade Key Lime Pie ($13) which like the chicken was a big portion which does help justify the overall prices just a little bit, I’ve paid equal for lesser sized portions elsewhere. The pie was perfectly tart with an awesome gingersnap crust and whipped chantilly and pistachio praline. I’d be leaving out the biggest plus of this meal if I didn’t mention the fantastic service. Oliver’s is supposed to be like a spot you’d find in 1930’s Los Angeles meaning it’s rich and elegant with lots of ambiance including some world class service. It really did remind me of a previous era in that everything about the service was perfect. Expect to hear this place mentioned when what's left of local media starts mentioning Oliver’s among the year’s best restaurant openings.

coconut key lime pie whipped chantilly, pistachio praline, gingersnap

Oliver's
1639 S Wabash Ave
Chicago, IL 60616 
(213) 320-3100
Website

Balkan Food in Chicago

-Grubbing in Chicago(land)  
A Balkan Food Tour

Today’s post is a special one because it’s unlike any I’ve done before. In fact the Balkan restaurants in Chicagoland have gone largely overlooked by not just me but everybody. This is despite the fact that the Chicagoland area is home to the largest Serbian and Bulgarian communities in the country and along with St. Louis we also have the largest Bosnian population in the country (and the largest outside of Bosnia at that). There doesn’t seem to be complete agreement on exactly what countries make up the Balkans but Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia are typically included. Each of these countries has its own cuisine but their proximity to each other means it’s similar from one to the next. Many dishes across the region are referred to using a similar vocabulary but with national variations. If you had to focus in on one thing they do particularly well in the Balkans that would probably be grilled meat in all its various proteins which is also why this post is at least a few years in the making - as much as I like Balkan cuisine it’s not one I want to eat every day. But over the last few years I’ve really started to seek it out thanks to places like Balkan Treat Box in St. Louis popping up. Or then there was Kiosk Balkan Street Food which was a great ghost kitchen setup in Avondale that I hope one day returns as it’s only a matter of time until Balkan food takes that next step as more and more places follow in the footsteps of a restaurant like Rose Mary on Randolph. Just for the record I've featured a handful of Chicagoland Balkan establishments over the years but never in a special blow out post like this one. 

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Stefan Grill (Hodgkins)

We’ll start in the Southwest Suburbs with a Serbian breakfast at a restaurant hidden in the bowels of Hodgkins. Stefan Grill sits in the middle of an industrial park where 18 wheelers are commonly parked and picked up but they have a serene outdoor setting that puts you in a much nicer place. Its location is a strategic one though in that a large chunk of Balkan immigrants are truckers and many of them stop in Stefan Grill upon completing their jobs for the day. The breakfast plate at Stefan Grill comes with two eggs and two slices of extra thick and chewy bacon plus feta, kajmak (fresh, unripened cheese), ajvar (red pepper spread), toasted bread and fresh vegetables - nice way to start the day.

Serbian Breakfast at Stefan Grill 
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Coffee Slasticarna Drina (Chicago)

Head to this strip mall find on Lawrence in Lincoln Square for freshly baked burek (25 min) by a Bosnian grandmother type. If it’s not the best in town let me know what is because ‘tis the season for these savory flaky pastries found throughout the Balkans - best enjoyed on a cold and grey day. The fillings can vary but I've always preferred the beef and potato mix. I don’t know how she gets it so crisp on the outside and so soft and fluffy within but I bet lots of time and practice has been put into it.

Burek at Coffee Slasticarna Drina
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Toscana Grill (Chicago)

About a mile south of our last stop in Lincoln Square is where you’ll find this next one. Toscana Grill might low key serve one of the best grilled chicken sandwiches in town. One thing I love about food culture is you’re always learning something new and the last few years I’ve come to learn that when it comes to good bread for making tip notch sandwiches, the Balkan baked stuff is outstanding. Nothing about the fillings in this sandwich are special - the chicken is cooked well and the toppings are fresh but it’s the bread that sets this chicken sandwich apart from so many of the others around town.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich at Toscana Grill 
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D-4 Cafe & Bar (Chicago)

It’s possible that the best cevapi outside of the Balkans are found in the Chicagoland area - where the largest Bosnian community outside of Bosnia itself resides (if not here then maybe St. Louis where there’s also a big Bosnian community). So with that it’s also possible that the cevap at this nonchalant Bosnian bar next to an auto repair shop in Arcadia Terrace is the best cevap not just here but anywhere outside of the Balkans. D-4 Cafe is way up north on Western and has no menu nor a geotag but their skinless sausages are some of the best I’ve had thanks to the matriarchs family recipe which the patriarch told me is made with mostly beef and “just a little lamb.” But it’s the texture that sets these apart from many others I’ve tried. It’s said the combination of sparkling water (or beer) plus baking soda on top of a lot of kneading is what results in the most texturally pleasing cevapi but I bet there’s more to these than just that. The Lepinja bread is also made on site and along with raw onions and kajmak it all makes for a great snack paired with a beer and some Bosnian banter.

Cevapi at D-4 Cafe & Bar 
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Rosewood Tavern (Chicago)

Next stop is only about 500 feet from the last one. Rosewood Tavern is a low key bar with a bomb ass burger. At some point smashed burgers joined hot chicken, quesabirria, and poke among the trendiest foods of all time which means they’re no longer distinct as so many of them are all the same. I had thought I was done with smashed burgers outside of the classics but the Balkan Smashburger at Rosewood Tavern pulled me back in. It’s not smashed crispy but it's dressed in a unique way that works really well - spicy red pepper sauce (ajvar), feta, and grilled onions are a fantastic match with high quality organic beef. This is a chill bar ran by a mother and son team with Montenegro roots.

Balkan Smashburger at Rosewood Tavern
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Zimi's Pizza & Grill (Chicago)

We’ll continue along Western Avenue to our next stop - Zimi’s Pizza and Grill is an Albanian owned pizzeria in West Ridge. It’s not a one off as pizza is very popular in the Balkans resulting in lots of Balkan born people in the States that run pizzerias. Zimi’s serves up NYC style pies and grilled meats like Qebapa and Qofte. The former is how Albanians spell Cevapi and the latter is how they spell and pronounce Kofte which is a type of meatball or meatloaf dish popular in a variety of cuisines including those in the Balkans. The Qofte at Zimi’s are well charred and dripping with flavor. They come five pieces to an order with cabbage, tomatoes, raw onions, kajmak, ajvar, and fresh baked bread.

Qofte at Zimi's Pizza & Grill
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Lazic Deli (Chicago)

Up next we head west towards O’Hare to Norwood Park and the Serbian owned Lazic Deli. This place doubles as a butcher and a restaurant as most everything in the display case can be cooked to order.  They have a specialty gourmet Serbian burger called the 'Gurmanska Pljeskavica' which comes stuffed with cheese and bacon and spicy peppers and served on homemade lepinja (Serbian flatbread) with lettuce, tomato and cucumber and includes fries, raw onions and creamy kajmak.

Gurmanska Pljeskavica at Lazic Deli
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Sofia Grill (Des Plaines)

There’s two predominant forms of dining in the suburbs these days - one is franchised chains and the other is independent eateries serving some form of international cuisine to the diaspora it represents. You’re pretty much always going to eat better going with the mom and pop spots like Sofia Grill in Des Plaines. They serve a surplus of grilled meats to a mostly Bulgarian speaking clientele as there’s a big Bulgarian community in the Des Plaines area where there’s also a handful of Bulgarian dining options. Sofia Grill is a full fledged family run spot where they have a daily changing menu of home cooked Bulgarian comfort food and a surplus of Bulgarian grilled meats available daily. I recommend that all first time visitors try the Kebapche which is a must at any Bulgarian barbecue. Sofia serves one that’s a mixture of  pork with a little bit of beef and it has hints of cumin and black pepper with lots of juicy liquid released each time it’s cut or bitten into. Both the cabbage slaw and the potato salad are mixed with dill which along with a cup of spicy feta really freshens everything up. The Karnache Sausage is another item from the grill menu worth getting. Ground pork is seasoned with Bulgarian spices and encased and it goes great with a chargrilled chicken thigh, a big pile of fresh cut fries and an addictive red pepper spread called Lutenitsa. Sofia Grill is easily one of my favorite food stops out by O’Hare.

Grilled Meats at Sofia Grill
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Broosters & Babba Grill (Darien)

One of the things you might notice about the Balkan communities in Chicago is there is no set area where they settled. There's pockets like the strip along Western avenue we just hit but Balkan restaurants in Chicagoland no know bounds which is why our next stop is way out in DuPage County. Broosters & Babba Grill is a two for one restaurant by which I mean it’s two restaurants in one. Babba Grill and their unique Macedonian hamburger was previously featured on here but they’ve since moved into a new space that they seem to share with a Romanian grill. Lots of the online reviews of Broosters mention the shawarma which very much caught my eye. The Middle Eastern favorite is a favorite in many countries including Romania where they tweaked it to their own liking. The shawarma at Broosters comes with your choice of fries inside the wrap or on the side - I tried them inside but took them out after a few bites. I'm not sure what makes it Romanian other than the fact it’s served in a Romanian owned spot with a non spicy sauce but it was a filling lunch nonetheless. Click HERE for my complete review of the Macedonian hamburger at Babba Grill which I tried back in 2022.

Romanian Shawarma at Broosters 

Macedonian Hamburger at Babba Grill 
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Europe 22 Grill (Westmont)

Well I just learned that Europe 22 has closed. The Balkan food stall was running out of the International Mall Food Court which houses a handful of Asian restaurants and what used to be a single Serbian one. But I'm still posting it bc you may come across a dish called Leskovački Uštipci aka Beef Pillows and if you do you should try them. From what I can gather beef pillows are little balls of beef that are mixed with bacon and cheese and grilled until oozing. The order of "beef pillows" that I got at the now defunct Europe 22 in were more like sliders in size but similar to Pljeskavica in taste. I may attempt to make these one day as they seem like they would be a popular party appetizer.

Beef Pillows at Europe 22 Grill (RIP)
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Fresh Farms (Niles)

Last stop takes us back to the Northwest Suburbs and Fresh Farms on Touhy in Niles. I shop here semi regularly and when I do I often grab some Serbian Čupavci from the bakery display case. Čupavci is a soft moist cake dipped in a milk chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut flakes. They’re said to be a Euro version of the Australian Lamington. I guess the biggest difference between the two is in Australia they commonly have a filling in the middle while the Balkan version usually does not.

Homemade Čupavci at Fresh Farms
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See ya next time @chibbqking