Lincoln Park Eats

 -Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Newly Opened in Lincoln Park

Lincoln Park has long been one of Chicago's premier neighborhoods in terms of living but only recently has it started to enter the chat of Chicago's best food neighborhoods. The food scene in the neighborhood I grew up in has exploded over the last five years or so. Take Lincoln Avenue for example. When I was a kid the stretch of Lincoln that cut thru Lincoln Park was mostly watering holes. I remember when the Bulls were winning championships and Lincoln Avenue was one of the main places people would go to celebrate when they won. Then in the early 2000’s it kind of became dead over there for quite a while until restaurants like Galit and more recently Nadu started setting up shop. Fast forward to today and LP has suddenly become one of the city’s most desirable neighborhoods when it comes to opening a restaurant. But how come? Two guesses 1) people have money to spend in that area and 2) it’s become much younger and much more diverse as a neighborhood leading to some interesting restaurant openings. Today we take a look at five spots that opened in Lincoln Park in the last year or so. The type of spots that would’ve been out of place in this area a decade ago. 

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KookKook Khao Man Gai

For our first stop we head over to Clark street which is also booming right now. The stretch of Clark between Fullerton and Diversey has seen a handful of international openings the last couple years. Kook Kook Khao Man Gai is one of the more recent spots to set up shop. It’s ran by a guy from Nashville by way of Thailand. So I was told the owner runs a bubble tea shop in Nashville but he wanted to do something a bit more personal here and he’s doing exactly that at 2532 N Clark where he’s serving up Thai style Chicken and Rice aka Khao Man Gai. This chicken and rice dish consists of boiled chicken, rice cooked in broth, sauce, and a chicken soup as a side. It's a Thai version of Hainanese chicken with which it shares a common origin, though they differ mainly in the sauce and accompaniments. Khao Man Gai is known for its punchy, complex dipping sauce, most often made with fermented soybeans, vinegar, and chili, and is typically served with chicken soup and cucumber slices. It’s not the most instagramable dish you’ll come across but it’s likely to be one of the more flavorful. Kook Kook serves up an excellent version that comes with or without the skin - get it with for extra flavor. All facets of this dish from the tender boiled chicken, to the rice infused with broth, and the garlic sauce are very well made. The menu is small with a few other options including what’s said to be a good Tom Yum  soup plus other chicken dishes like Khao Mun Gai - fried chicken and rice. 

Khao Man Gai at Kook Kook Khao Man Gai
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China Wok

Next we head a couple minutes down the street to China Wok located at 2485 N Clark I’ve featured this spot before as the owner here used to run a takeout spot called New China Station in Humboldt Park where I was a regular. The dry chili fish filet at New China Station was one of my favorite dishes in town until it suddenly closed out of nowhere. I spent a couple years trying to find a replacement for it often to no avail until one day I decided to try this newly opened spot called China Wok that had quite a few Sichuan dishes including dry chili fish filet. As soon as it came out I knew I had found my favorite version again as the owner of China Wok previously ran the kitchen at New China Station. So you know about the dry chili fish filet but what else is worth getting? Here’s my go to order when we go with a group as it’s great place to byob as the family is so accommodating. First up I suggest an order of their old school potstickers which are thick and chewy and bursting with pork and ginger flavor. I’d also go for an order of the Sichuan green beans which always come out crisp with a nice spice kick. Then I recommend a plate of the “Thai Crazy Spicy Noodle” for the noodle lovers in your group. These are made with thick stir fried rice noodles mixed with onion, Chinese broccoli, jalapeño and basil leaves. We usually get the shrimp as the beef is a bit chewy but the noodles are always cooked well with hints of wok hei abound. I also love the “Szechuan Fish Casserole” which seems to be an Americanized description of Shui Zhu Yu or Sichuan boiled fish. This is a popular dish where marinated fish is boiled, then hot oil is poured over it, with heavy use of chili and Sichuan peppers. But whatever you get make sure to try the dry chili fish which is still the best in town on my watch. 

Dinner at China Wok
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Trilokah Kerala and South Indian Restaurant

Moving along we head over to Clybourn just off Webster where there’s yet another string of recent openings including Trilokah Kerala and South Indian Restaurant at 2239 N Clybourn. Trilokah isn’t exactly new though as they moved to Lincoln Park from Mount Prospect. I never got a chance to try this regional Indian restaurant when it was in the suburbs but I’ve been a few times since they moved into the city. Trilokah is cooking up food from Kerala, a state on India's tropical Malabar Coast. Judging by the crowds on my visit they made the right call moving to Lincoln Park. They did a nice job on the inside giving it a fun feel with colorful pieces of art lining the walls. On my first visit, which was solo, I had to try the Kothu parotta - a popular South Indian and Sri Lankan street dish made up of shredded flatbread (parotta) stir-fried with assorted vegetables, eggs, and meat in a spicy masala. The name "kothu" literally means "minced" or "chopped," referring to its preparation method. This dish is kind of like fried rice except it’s diced flatbread instead. Trilokah serves up the best version I’ve tried in the States. It’s super fluffy and not mushy at all with a nice spice profile. I tried it with beef which might seem out of place at an Indian restaurant but not one featuring the food of Kerala which has a large Christian population that often eats beef. Actually beef seems to be the move here, the beef curry has a ton of mentions in online reviews and most of them are favorable. As far as appetizers go the Tawa Roasted Shrimp makes for a great group starter with a thick and flavorful coating. 

Tawa Roasted Shrimp

Beef Kottu Porotta

The menu at Trilokah features quite a few dishes I’d never had before including Kizzi Porotta - a popular and aromatic South Indian delicacy where flaky, layered parottas are combined with a flavorful, spicy meat or vegetable curry, wrapped tightly in a banana leaf, and then steamed or slow-cooked. I decided to try it with beef and even though I had never tried this hands on dish it brought back a ton of memories upon first bite as it tasted like an Al’s Italian beef to me. I can see myself returning on a cold day as this dish had the same warming effect as a pot pie does. On a more recent visit we very much enjoyed the Kottayam style fish curry which is a semi spicy curry from Kerala cooked with kudum puli (malabar tamrind) and red chili powder which produces a vibrant red color that really stands out on a crowded table of food. Be sure to add a side of flaky porotta for dipping purposes. I look forward to further exploring the menu at this exciting new spot. 

Kizzi Porotta at Trilokah

Kottayam Style Fish Curry
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Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian

Tavern style pizza is having a big moment across Chicago right now with lots of chefs chasing the crowds that come with it. Dimmi Dimmi Corner Italian opened up at 1112 W. Armitage and it’s been a hot stop since first opening their doors this past August. It’s ran by the Cornerstone Restaurant Group which took over the former space of Tarantino’s, a family-run Italian spot that closed last year after a 30-year-run. The kitchen is helmed by executive chef Matt Eckfeld, who previously worked at some very popular red sauce joints in New York such as Carbone. I really like the dining room which gets very lively on the weekends with groups of friends and families sharing plates of pasta and super thin and crisp tavern style pizza. I haven’t had the pasta, prices on that are getting pretty ridiculous, but the pizza is pretty damn good. It reminds me of the version served at Middlebrow as it’s super thin and almost too sturdy if that makes sense. It comes out as if you requested it extra well done. The namesake salad was a perfect pairing with the pizza. Some people don’t like this recent trend of cheffing up a working man’s treat but I find it refreshing in that a lot of pizza out there is average at best. It's the same product at a lot of spots as they all use the same supplier (Sysco) for their cheese, and toppings and so forth but places like Dimmi Dimmi are giving it a bit of a more personal feel.

Sausage Pizza at Dimmi Dimmi
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Le Mistral

Last stop takes us over to the beautiful Belden Stratford building at 2300 N Lincoln Park West where S.K.Y. recently relocated after spending seven years on 18th Street in Pilsen. As was to be expected it’s a beautiful space and a quite large one at that though I only walked through there to get to their new hidden wine bar Le Mistral. It’s a sleek looking spot hidden in a back room that you have to pass thru the kitchen to get to. It has the feel of a posh hotel bar in Europe and I don’t mean that in a bad way. On top of cocktails and wine they also have a little food menu that’s separate from S.K.Y. but I think you can order off the standard menu too. I saw something about their French Onion Burger which comes with a dipping sauce though it’s not poured over the top like those viral ones you've seen on social media. But this burger felt like a bit more than a viral stunt with a nice juicy patty covered in buttery onions and melted gruyere cheese with a Parmesan crisp added for crunch. It’s served with a rich and indulgent gravy like you might find on an upscale version of poutine. It hit the spot but I thought the Parmesan crisp was a bit distracting though that sauce would be good on anything beefy. Not cheap ($24) but with a bit of a tweak they can make it worthy of the price. I look forward to trying the new iteration of S.K.Y. which has a few old favorites and some new dishes too. 

French Onion Burger at Le Mistral
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Ora Sushi

-Grubbing in Chicago  
BYOB Sushi in Andersonville

You know for someone whose diet is as diverse as mine I don’t eat as much sushi as others seem to do. There’s a couple reasons for this - 1) it’s an expensive habit, especially omakase 2) to me sushi is a warm weather food meaning I crave it when it’s hot outside. I do eat sushi but mostly during the warmer summer months like right now. Lots of couples I know have their own “sushi spot” they go to when they want some nigiri and or rolls but we did not until earlier this summer. During the first heat wave of the year we decided we wanted sushi and I made the call to check a spot long on my list thanks to some tips from people I know that eat lots of sushi. Enter Ora Sushi in Andersonville.  

Locals Favorite in Andersonville

Ora is stationed on the corner of Clark and Hollywood. I was tipped off by a friend in the food world who eats lots of sushi at different price-points and Ora is one of his favorite places in town. He’s also a big wine guy and lives north and Ora is BYOB and located further north so those two factors play a role in his love for Ora but first and foremost is the sushi. First thing I liked when peeping Ora’s menu was it’s tight - meaning it's not over the place. It’s a single page with no more than 20 options listed among appetizers, nigiri, and rolls. I avoid sushi spots that get packed with groups due to the fact they’re cheap and have other stuff, choosing to leave those places to recent college grads in need of a spot to celebrate a group birthday or the likes. Ora is more personal than those places as it’s fairly small and only open for dinner so no lunch deals, no ramen or Thai food, or any of that other stuff. 

Crispy Tuna Rice

Ora is all about the sushi and it’s offered at a fair price-point. For ex. the crispy tuna rice is only $10 and it’s as good as any others I’ve tried, then again tuna crispy rice is always pretty good. The version at Ora is a bit smaller than others but it’s got a delicious relish made up of finely diced tomatoes, onion, and kimchi radish. We always start with that before moving onto our favorite thing on the menu - Beni Toro aka seared salmon belly. It’s a piece of seared Scottish salmon belly resting atop a small ball of rice but it’s truly one of my favorite bites in town this time of the year. The salmon just melts in your mouth. The searing of it really brings out the flavor. It’s so good we always get a second round. 

Beni Toro at Ora

After that we always get two or three rolls of “Makimono” which is a Japanese term that can refer to sushi rolls or, more broadly, rolled items. I know that some sushi purists frown upon these but some spots do them better than others and Ora would be one of those spots. We’ve gone thru all the rolls we want to try and they’re all good but there’s one that really stands out. The Hotate Volcano roll is made up of Cajun bay scallops over shrimp tempura, cucumber, scallions, lemon, sweet soy, crisp scallions. It’s a terrific combination of flavors with the crisp burnt scallions really bringing it all together. This is my favorite roll in town right now and another one of my favorite bites during these dog days of summer. 

Hotate Volcano Roll at Ora Sushi
(cajun bay scallops, shrimp tempura, cucumber, scallions, lemon, sweet soy, crisp scallions)


Wasabi Tail at Ora Sushi

(fresh yellowtail, chopped yellowtail, avocado, cucumber, bacon salsa, scallion vinaigrette) 


Sake Tataki at Ora Sushi
(seared salmon, softshell crab, cucumber, avocado, onion soy vinaigrette, sweet soy)

Ora Sushi
5701 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60660
(773) 754-8750

Dhanteraz Indian Fusion

 -Grubbing in Chicago  
An Indian BYOB in Roscoe Village

I've been hooked on South Asian food ever since my first visit to London back in September of 2024. Then I returned to London last month (report coming soon) and became even more hooked. London isn't solely responsible for my love but it drove up an interest in all things Indian Cuisine and beyond. The truth of it is Indian food is much better in London than it is anywhere in the States but the gap has been closed over the last five years or so as Indian food is having a moment in NYC and other places across the country too including Chicago. There was a time when Indian food in the States was mostly associated with buffets but those days are in the past similar to how Italian food or Mexican food are no longer associated the same way they once were. Indian food is becoming mainstream as evidenced at Dhanteraz Indian Fusion which opened up in Roscoe Village right around the new year.  

Recently Opened in Roscoe Village

I had been hearing good things about Dhanteraz from people who's palettes I trust but it took me a few rounds to convince Erica to give it a try with me (we continue to frequent Kama for our fix). Although the name implies that it's Indian fusion food there's really only a few dishes that I would place into that category including a couple of pasta options made with tiki and butter masala. The rest of the menu is pretty straight forward Northern Indian classics sprinkled with a few Indo-Chinese options and vindaloo too. We visited on a Saturday night and brought some spirits with us as Dhanteraz is BYOB. We arrived to a lively dining room where all of the tables were filled showing the popularity of this place on the weekends (reservations recommended). We started with the onion pakora which are served in a similar fashion to the onion chips at Superdawg so no complaints there as these were a more spiced up version of an old favorite. The chili mushrooms came recommended after our waitress asked us if we like spicy dishes and they really do bring the heat with these medium sized button mushrooms stir fried with bell peppers and tossed in a highly spiced red chili glaze. 

Onion Pakora / Chili Mushrooms

Everybody has their go-to dishes when it comes to gauging the kitchen at an Indian restaurant like this. For us that's the Dal Makhani and the garlic naan. The former should be rich and creamy and really well seasoned and neither too thick nor too thin. The Dal Makhani at Dhanteraz passed all those inspections and I would happily get it again. I like my garlic naan both soft and chewy but also crisp and crunchy in some parts but this version fell a bit short. That said you cant have one without the other so it still served it's purpose as a delivery vehicle for the dal. I just wish it was a bit thinner.

Dal Makhani and Garlic Naan at Dhanteraz Indian Fusion

Lots of the online reviews make note of the namesake Dhanteraz claypot biryani which I had also heard good things about from the people whom I can actually put a face to their reviews. This was a very nice bowl of rice that can easily feed two if not three to four with a few other dishes included. My lamb biryani arrived piping hot covered in a golden baked crust that releases a fantastic fragrance when removed. The rice was steamed perfectly to a slightly chewy texture with none of it sticking together. The medium spiced option was not mild by any means and my only real complaint was that the lamb could've been cut into smaller more bite sized pieces and some of those pieces also could've been a tad more tender. But you can also get it with chicken, shrimp or vegetarian. If you’re looking for a BYOB stop and you like spicy and well seasoned food then give this family run spot a shot - but remember it's best to make a reservation ahead as it’s relatively small and really popular.

Dhantarez Claypot Biryani

Dhanteraz Indian Fusion
2116 W Roscoe St
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 799-8585
Website

Bayan Ko

-Grubbing in Chicago

New to the 'Scene'

One of 2018's hottest restaurant openings was this Cuban and Filipino spot on Irving Park. We tried to make Bayan Ko our last meal of 2018 but couldn't secure a seat. That's bc it sits maybe 20 people max. It's been packed most weekend nights since then too which is a testament to it's popularity in the city. It's the co-creation of a couple each showcasing the cuisines of their families ancestries.

Newly Opened in Irving Park

Though they feature both Filipino and Cuban food most of the dishes don't intersect. There's maybe ten items total and about half are Cuban and the other half are Filipino. Two foods closely associated with both are the Cuban sandwich and Lumpia (egg rolls). Both are worth your time. The Cuban was a tad bit too stuffed which some would say is a stupid complaint but I'm a big proponent of balancing a Cuban sandwich just right and it starts with not adding too much of anything and everything. Props for the well melted cheese. The lumpia had mostly meat which is different than most others I've had. 

Cuban Sandwich and Lumpia at Bayan Ko

Both the Cubans and the Filipinos are really good with pork belly. The Bayan Lechon was one dish that did have a little bit of both Cuban and Filipino flavors. Crispy pieces of pork belly are cooked to perfection in the Filipino style and served with a small bowl of mojo and mang tomas sauce.

 Crispy Pork Belly (Bayan Lechon) at Bayan Ko

Perhaps the most popular dish is Luglug noodles. Everyone who eats here seems to get these. Described on the menu as noodles with scallops, uni, chicharron, egg yolk, saffron. It's a really interesting dish with a flavor I couldn't quite pinpoint other than the fact I knew I enjoyed it. They were briny from the seafood, partly crispy from the chicharron, and rich from the egg yolk. Delicious.

Luglug Noodles

Maybe you've heard about Ube ice cream lately? As it's now available at Trader Joe's. People are going crazy for the purple yam treat. It's been hot for a while and Bayan Ko makes great use of it in their Ube Sundae. Made with luscious ube ice cream, flan, young shredded coconut, and red beans. I love me some Asian desserts. Bayan Ko is BYOB for a $5 corkage fee. You can reserve online. 

Ube Sundae at Bayan Ko

Bayan Ko
1810 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 698-6373
Website

Ixcateco

-Grubbing in Chicago

BYOB Chef Driven Mexican in Albany Park

I stopped trying to figure out why this place doesn't get more love a while ago. For me it's one of the best BYOB's in the city. Not just that but also home to one of my favorite places to brunch. Odds are it's the odd location on Montrose just west of Kimball that keeps this delicious Mexican restaurant somewhat off the radar. The chef/owner is one of the handfuls of Rick Bayless proteges to branch off onto his own. He started off as a dishwasher at Frontera before moving up and then onto other spots. 

Locals Favorite in Albany Park

Ixcateco opened back in 2015 and it certainly didn't go unnoticed. If I remember correctly the reviews were mostly favorable. The chefs training in fine dining allows him to create contemporary takes on classic Mexican dishes. Both the feel of Ixcateco and also the menu have a little bit of a 90's vibe going on. The menu is small. A group of 5 could probably go through all of it. A few items crossover to the brunch menu but not all of them. I find the brunch to be one of the best in the city bc it isn't too boring as far as breakfast dishes go. Simple bacon and eggs doesn't do it for me. But you know what does do it for me? Tacos. No matter what the meal is. I'm always down for tacos.

Steak Taco at Ixcateco

There's only a few taco options. None of them are exciting as far as fillings but the carne asada is one of the best steak tacos around. It's made with quality wood grilled (medium rare) meat and served with grilled onions on a house tortilla for the sick price of $3. I'd have been happy paying double. My wife likes the chilaquiles. You can order them green or red with your choice of meat should you want to add some. They're a very solid version though there's a few others I personally prefer around town.

Chilaquiles at Ixcateco

If you're looking for a brunch-y dish I recommend the lesser seen Huevos Motuleños. This is a regional specialty from the Yucatan region of Mexico. Exact recipes vary but the main ingredients will most often be eggs served over corn tortillas (sometimes fried) and ham, black beans, cheese, peas, plantains, and a Salsa picante like sauce. There's only a few spots in Chicagoland making this dish which is one of my favorite plates of breakfast. Ixcateco makes theirs with bacon instead ham.

Huevos Motuleños at Ixcateco

The best value on the menu is the red meat and that's whether you're here for brunch or dinner. The wood grilled skirt steak is a large piece of tender meat cooked to your liking. When served at brunch comes it comes served atop a tomato molcajete salsa with black beans, guacamole, and a fried egg. It's huge plate of food that would feed two with appetizers. The smokey tomato sauce is served warm and compliments the grilled meat nicely. At just $17.00 it's one of the best steaks in the city at the under $20 price-point. At dinner it's virtually the same but comes without an egg and is $3 more.

Skirt Steak and Eggs at Ixcateco

Ixcateco
3402 W Montrose Ave
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 539-5887
Website

The Spice Room

-Grubbing in Chicago  
Indian Cuisine in Logan Square

If there's one cuisine the city of Chicago is lacking in - Indian food might be it. Pretty much every single memorable Indian meal I've had has come in a place other than Chicago. In fact the best Indian food I've ever had came in the Vietnamese vacation town of Hoi An. That said there's been a few openings of late that have improved the city of Chicago's game when it comes to Indian food.

Locals Favorite in Logan Square 

The Spice Room opened up shop last year on Armitage in Logan Square. I remember hearing somewhere that the owners behind it are the same family behind Rangoli on North ave. Not surprising as Rangoli is widely regarded by many as the city's best Indian restaurant. Just like Rangoli the dining room at The Spice Room has been packed. I think you can attribute part of that to the fact it's a BYOB and the area it's in really likes it BYOB's. The other thing that can contribute to it always being packed is the fresh food they're making. One thing I have noticed in my 3 or 4 visits to Spice Room is the freshness of the food itself. Specifically the curry sauces and samosas seen below.

Samosas at Spice Room

Speaking of things Chicago doesn't have the samosa is high on my list. Lot's of cities and suburbs have spots that specialize in samosas but Chicago doesn't have anything like that. That said the ones at The Spice Room are damn tasty to the point where it brought back memories of the ones I ate that made me love the dish in the first place. The "Indian empanadas" were definitely fried to order with a nice smooth and also spicy potato mix waiting inside. Onto the curries. They're pretty damn good. Not good enough to make me forget memorable curries I've had outside of Chicago but good enough to go back for more when the hankering hits. The spicy options are legitimately spicy. Make sure to order some of their fresh garlic naan for dipping. All in all I'm happy to have SR near me.

Curries at The Spice Room

The Spice Room
2906 W Armitage Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 360-8689
Website

La Palapa

-Eating like a Mayan King in the Windy City

If you've driven by today's stop you will certainly remember doing so. Unless seeing a big ass shark looking over some palapas is something that doesn't catch your eye. La Palapa is the type of spot that can transform you to another place. Dine in on a a busy weekend and the BYOB will take you straight to whatever Mexico beach destination it was you last vacationed at. It's name coming from the dozen plus Palapas (an open-sided dwelling with a thatched roof made of dried palm leaves).

Locals Favorite in McKinley Park

While La Palapa is big it's only so in the summertime. The actual restaurant is small with maybe four tables. It's outdoor dining and byob policy paired with plates of spicy shrimp is what makes it a big hit. I'll be honest and admit that Chicago's marisco places aren't going to compare to any of the spots in cities on the water but when it comes to the food at most of them there's pretty much one thing you're there for and that's langoustines bathing in butter. Me being the major taco aficionado I am I once decided to try the fish tacos and was reminded of what I said the sentence before this.

Fish Taco

There is one other thing that's worth ordering when stopping by for the langoustines and that's the Shrimp Zarandeado. Pescado Zarandeado is a popular grilled fish in the Nayarit region of Mexico and La Palapa makes a version with shrimps. This dish is all about the sauce which mixes a deep red chile sauce with lots of butter both before and post cooking of the shrimps. The sauce is the star. I like to mix the Zarandeado sauce with that of the popular langoustines. The latter of which can be hit or miss as far as seafood quality. I've had big meaty shrimps that tasted great but there's also been a time or two the shrimps were smaller and the meat was a tad tougher. Still at this pricepoint with that sauce it's not something that bothers me much. The atmosphere (and sauce) are why you're here.

Shrimp Zarandeado (top) House Special Langoustines (bottom)

La Palapa
2000 W 34th St
Chicago, IL 60608
(773) 376-9620

The Bento Box

-Grubbing in Chicago  
New to the 'Scene'

It took me a while to get over to Bento Box but it wont take me all that long to get back. The cute little BYOB sits in a small space on Armitage in Bucktown. Originally (and still) a catering company, the husband and wife team behind it decided to start a small little restaurant where people could get a taste of their popular dishes with Asian influence. It only seats about 15 people total but reservations are accepted.

Cool neighborhood spot in Bucktown

The menu at Bento Box reflects the rest of the space. Small. It's updated weekly but can still change daily. Many items make return appearances but whats being served is pretty much always decided by whats fresh at the Green City Market that week. Important to note that Bento Box is not open on Mon or Tues. Their week starts Wednesday which happens to be the weekday slot of the GCM.

Sample Menu

I had the good fortune of dining with a few others on my visit. This allowed for a nice sample of that days menu to be tasted. It started out with an absolute bang. The Mussels in lime leaf curry were sensational. I eat alot of mussels and this was the best bowl in a while. Not just the perfect plump pieces of meat inside each shell but the lime leaf curry was something special. We were told people ask to take the leftover juice from in a jar to go home with. I could totally see why, unfortunately there was none left. We got extra garlic bread and soaked it all up into it. Fantastic start.

Mussels in Lime Leaf Curry

I decided to order last and get something no on else ordered in order to make for more variety of samplings. I've always liked bi bim bop which is a traditional Korean comfort food dish. Their offering included BBQ Pork. I was expecting sliced pork Chinese style but the top notch ingredients they use made this one a winner, I just wish they served it dolsat style since we were dining in.

BBQ Pork Bi Bim Bop

One of the popular rotating menu items is Singapore Noodles. Most times it can come with chicken or pork and there are also times they can make it even if it's not on the menu. Due to the rotating menu you may want to call later in the afternoon and ask whats being made. When I did that they told me the Singapore noodles were also available if someone wanted those. I figured they must be popular if people are calling asking when it's going to be on the menu. Easy to taste why. I really liked this homestyle dish which featured a big heaping plate of highly seasoned noodles with some beautiful chunks of pork and Thai basil to boot. I've had craving for this a few times since my visit.

Singapore Noodles with Pork

So far we've had an appetizer with Thai influence, a comfort favorite of many in Korea and a noodle dish named after a peoples republic in Southeast Asia. Next up we try a favorite comfort food favorite from Japan that's taken America by storm. When you hear ramen noodles you no longer think of the cheap plastic stuff that kept you stuffed through college. Ramen is an art and the good stuff of it isn't made in a microwave. Bento Box made a take on it featuring beef short rib in a mushroom miso broth. I'm more of a pork guy when it comes to my ramen preference but this had all the makings of a perfect bowl of beef stew with a heavy Japanese influence. Despite being made with no meat bones, the broths flavor was deep. Add in the short ribs and you didn't need a rich beef broth because those in themselves were potent and full of flavor.

Short Rib Ramen

The final thing to try from that days menu was the Korean Fried Chicken. Served with chili whipped potatoes and a kim chee cabbage I thought this was an excellent dish. The chicken was a boneless thigh that came fried to perfection. The use of thigh meat made the insides juicy and the chili whipped potatoes were a perfect compliment to it. Everything went together really well. I look forward to a return visit to see what else they got going on inside that small two man kitchen putting out some really great Asian flavors.

Korean Fried Chicken with Chili Whipped Potatoes

The Bento Box
2246 W Armitage Ave 
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 278-3932
Website