Hot "G" Dog

-In Chicago: Every Dog Has it's Day

When Hot Doug's closed it left a void in many peoples hot dog diets. It was a spot that many went to when in need of some encased meat. Sure there's 100's of other stands scattered throughout town but these people loved Hot Doug's and it's product. Hot Doug isn't coming back but his former team did open their own spot in Uptown. With Doug's blessing they're serving many of the same things.

New Locals Favorite in Uptown

As beloved as Hot Doug's was I rarely made it in. Not because I didn't like the place but rather I just don't like waiting in line and when I do want some encased meat I usually just prefer the traditional stuff. Which isn't to say Doug didn't make a perfect example of a Chicago style hot dog, because he did. And so does Hot "G" Dog as Doug taught them well. It's best enjoyed on the weekend with a side of their duck fat fries done in the same way as Doug's. All the exotic sausage options are there, everything except Doug basically. Check them out if you haven't already.

Chicago Style Hot Dog with Duck Fat Fries 

Hot "G" Dog
5009 N Clark St
Chicago, IL 60640
(773) 209-3360
Website

T&B Grill

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi

Is Korean Town along Lawrence avenue transforming? Not quite but there have been some recent openings of the taco variety. In the case of T&B Grill it's also of the burger variety. If just riding down Lawrence you might not even notice this semi new restaurant that sits in a building that once housed a liquor store. The old sign from the store still hangs and if thats all you notice you'll likely miss the T&B Grill awning they put up when they opened. I did not miss it and made a note to go.

Newly Opened in Albany Park 

Aside from a review over on Reader I haven't seen much on this place. That's to bad because despite the generic name the focal points are well prepared. Starting off with the tacos they offer five different options, all of them served on housemade cilantro and jalapeno infused tortillas. I recommend trying the namesake taco which comes with perfectly grilled spiced shrimp and gets topped with habanero lime aioli, and garlic cilantro lime slaw. I admit I wasn't expecting this to be as perfect of a taco as it is. I need to try the rest of them sometime soon.

T&B Taco with Spicy Shrimp 

Moving onto the B part of the menu the burgers come in both regular size and also mini. You have seven different options to choose from including a turkey and also a veggie option. They also have a bison patty on their namesake burger. I decided to try a mini version of the Cheddar-Jalapeno option. Again I was surprised. Normally these mini burgers tend to be dry and not all that good. Not here. This burger was prepared with care. It was terrifically juicy and the toppings of smoked cheddar, jalapeno aioli and sliced jalapeno worked in perfect harmony. All burgers come with fries which are also phenomenal. At just $4.50 for a mini this is a great deal. I hope people check this place out. On top of the wonderful food the family that owns the place is as nice as can be. I'll be back.

Mini Burger with Fresh Cut Fries

T&B Grill
 3658 W Lawrence Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
(773) 961-7016

Monteverde

-Grubbing in Chicago
New to the 'Scene'

We still have 9 months to go in 2016 but the Restaurant of the Year might already be locked down. No disrespect to what else is out there as there have been quite a few notable openings and I'm not claiming to have been to all of them not to mention the ones yet to come. Still though the early reviews on Monteverde have been very enthusiastic. The city waited more than a year for the opening of former Top Chef contestant Sarah Grueneberg's restaurant and pastificio but the people didn't take long in making it the city's go-to pasta spot. I checked them out this past February.

New City Favorite on West Madison 

Monteverde is pretty large and the ceiling extends high. Like always we chose to sit at the bar. This is where you'll find a bit of a stage with the ladies making fresh pasta amongst those mixing drinks. Pretty much every publication and actual food writer in this city has been here so I'm not sharing anything new I just thought I'd give my two cents. A complimentary app of some fried cheese balls. I forget exactly what was in them but it was definitely sharp. They worked well with a beer.

Rice Balls

Moving on we went with the tortellini in brodo. This dish might have been a bit too heavily salted but I still loved it for the fact it was similar to something I ate in my youth but stepped up times ten with a deep chicken broth that was almost beef like. Same for the tortellini which were filled with mortadella. I'm sure the menu will switch soon if it hasn't already but I hope I can get this again.

Tortellini in Broth 

Moving on we decided to try the Fegattini Calabrese. Described on the menu as "wok fried chicken livers, tomato, peperoncino, lima beans, soft polenta" this was another great dish. I loved the smoothness of it both in texture and also flavor and feel like we need more dishes with lima beans.

Fegattini Calabrese

Lastly the pasta. The star of the show here. They display a few choices on the menu and all sounded good. We ended up rolling with the Arrabbiata with wok fried strangozze pasta, head-on gulf shrimp, tomato, garlic, and hot pepper oil. Just wonderful I love me some spicy tomato based pastas and will never dislike big plumpy juicy shrimp so this was a dish that if I saw in a cookbook or something would immediately attempt to make. I'm already excited for my subsequent visit to see what's next.

Arrabbiata

Monteverde
1020 W Madison St
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 888-3041
Website

Dining at Mitsuwa Marketplace Foodcourt

-Grubbing in Chicago (land)
Japanese Eats at Mitsuwa Market

As mentioned in the previous post I'm having a major fling with Japanese cuisine right now. Over the last couple months I've ate some form of Japanese food at least twice a week and I don't envision getting sick of it anytime soon. Part of it's happening is the fact I find myself in the NW Suburbs once a week these days and this is where you'll find Chicagoland's largest population of both Japanese people and also grocers and restaurants. There's no better place for the best of both worlds than at Mitsuwa Marketplace in Arlington Heights. The American based Japanese Supermarket chain has locations in California, New Jersey, and Arlington Heights as mentioned. Not only is Mitsuwa a great place to pick up all things Japanese for your kitchen it's also home to a fantastic food court. Over the last four months the court has seen three new food tenets move in and today I cover them.

Mitsuwa Marketplace Foodcourt

________________________________________________________________________________

Hannosuke

First spot is a stall specializing in Tendon aka Tempura. This famous Tokyo chain was started by a man who used to scream “TEN-DON (Tempura Bowl) to passerby's of his shop. Hannosuke Kaneko who served as a chairman of Japanese Chef Association lives on thru his grandson and their tempura. Hannosuke's Tempura might not be as crunchy as others and that's due to the special sauce that gets layered on after frying. I had no problem giving up a bit of crunch for extra flavor and thought the tempura from here was fantastic. In agreement is Jonathon Gold. The LA Times food critic and star of the documentary 'City of Gold' named the Hannosuke in LA as one of the city's 101 best spots.

Shrimp Tempura Bowl from Hannosuke

________________________________________________________________________________

Sutadonya

Here we have another Tokyo import. From what I read this is the first US location of this popular Donburi outlet. Donburi means rice bowl which is one of the most popular things to eat over in Japan. Sutadonya translates to "Stamina Bowl" and I think these are supposed to give people energy to finish their work day. You have your choice of a bunch of different options that can all be visualized in the faux food display case each of these spots has. I chose to roll with #1 on the menu which was described as "Number One in Japan" and got a big bowl of rice with some slivers of silky pork cooked in a wok served alongside some sauteed onion, Tsukemono (Japanese Pickles), and a soft boiled egg. Its nothing life changing and something that can easily be made at home if you shop for the ingredients in the grocery section, but it was quick and comforting on a cold and rainy day.

Sutadonya Bowl

________________________________________________________________________________

Sanukiseimen Mugimaru

This Udon shop from Japan with an outlet in California is the most recent place to open. I caught them on their 3rd day of business and you could tell they were already getting popular. They got a system here where you walk up and choose your udon. The chef then boils the noodles quickly while prepping the broth. After he hands you your bowl you walk down to the cash register and pass a tempura buffet while doing so. You grab whatever piece (s) of tempura you want and put them on the plate alongside your udon and pay. Find a seat and start slurping. I'm not well versed in Udon as this is the first focused shop of its kind in Chicago so don't take me as an expert when I say this place is awesome. I loved this bowl of soup which was texturallly enhanced with the big bowl of tempura crumbs you're encouraged to use near the register. Will work my way through their options.

Udon at Sanukiseimen Mugimaru

________________________________________________________________________________

Santouka

No report on the food court at this Mitsuwa outlet is complete without the spotlight shining on Santouka. The Japanese ramen giant is still going strong as one of the original tenants. I wrote about them back in 2011 and the only thing thats changed is the ramen scene in Chicagoland. At one time this was the best joint around due to the fact it's fantastic but also because there weren't many other options. Since then there's been handfuls of ramen shops to open and many of them are good. In my opinion Santouka is still Top 3 and still makes the best pork preparation with their silky smooth cheek meat on offer. I'd happily welcome a city location with open arms. Someone make that happen.

Tonkotsu Ramen at Santouka

________________________________________________________________________________


Mitsuwa Marketplace
100 East Algonquin Road
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
(847) 956-6699
Website

Japanese Cooking at Home (Pt. 1)

--Tailgatin' and how to make mofos start playa hatin' (Recipes)

When a recent case of the travel itch hit us it just so happened there were some bargain flights to Japan. So good was the price I was almost positive we were going. But then we let our conscious get the best of us and decided it was too much of a load with all the other things on our 2016 calendar on top of a marriage in Austin. Of course during the time I thought we were going I was already looking at what and where to eat. I couldn't stop as spot after spot and dish after dish stood out to me. I certainly wasn't unfamiliar with Japanese cuisine but I soon learned there's so much more of it I need to explore. So instead of going to Japan, for the time being anyway, we booked a fantastically priced ticket to Seattle where there's good Japanese food. Also since then I've been cooking a good amount of Japanese food myself with the help of the internet and Mitsuwa Market out in Arlington Heights.

Japanese Grocery Chain in the Northwest Suburbs 

________________________________________________________________________________

Japanese Gyoza

Gyoza Ready for the Pan

Dumplings are most certainly one of my favorite forms of food and Gyoza are always good when I get them while eating out. But it's shockingly easy to make your own and you'll get at least 50 of them out of what you'd pay for around 12 of them at a restaurant.  Mitsuwa Market usually has a selection of fresh not frozen dumpling skins. You want to use the Gyoza ones while trying to stay away from the Dynasty brand which is too rubbery for my liking. Get one of the ones imported from Japan with very little English displayed on the wrapper. Like I was saying I've relied solely on internet recipes thus far and even though me and the guy have bumped heads over on da twitter this recipe from the Food Lab is money. Although I like it with a bit less cabbage then it calls for. 

Japanese Gyoza Dumplings

________________________________________________________________________________

Tonkatsu Sandwich

As easy of a recipe as there is, especially if you get the ready to fry pork at Mitsuwa pictured above

________________________________________________________________________________

Yaki Udon 

Here we have my favorite thus far. I also made it for my family recently and they too really enjoyed it. Yaki Udon is a homestyle dish that's very easy to complete, like most other Japanese recipes. It's all about the ingredients and the girl who's recipe I used suggested a wonderful brand of Udon to look for and sure enough Mitsuwa had it. They also have a bunch of different Mentsuya options so if you don't want to make your own just pick up a bottle there. Again I suggest the one with very little English except whats on the sticker which mentions no MSG. Its crucial for this recipe which I add a poached egg on top of. It's made on my Dash Rapid Egg cooker which was well worth the $20 imo.

Yaki Udon with Pork

________________________________________________________________________________

Next Month: A look into the Mitsuwa Market Food Court Options.

Glaze Teriyaki

-Grubbing in Chicago
Lunch in Lakeview

Its rare for the Midwest to start a food trend, well except maybe the whole farm to table thing, but usually food trends start on one of the coasts. Today's post is on one of those style of spots. Glaze Teriyaki is out of New York City with locations in San Francisco, Chicago, and soon to be Madison Wisconsin. The specialty of the house is Seattle style Teriyaki chicken. Its called that due to a Japanese man in Seattle who's teriyaki shop spawned handfuls of imitators to the point where damn near every neighborhood in Seattle now has a spot where one can indulge in grilled teriyaki glazed chicken. Glaze is giving Chicago its first option, well outside of mall food courts anyway.

Newly Opened in Lakeview

I have no shame in admitting I find the dark meat chicken bombs handed out at the mall to be tatsy. I don't really go to malls so I don't find myself eating this style of food all that often but I do enjoy a bowl of rice with chunks of dark meat chicken swimming in sauce. So it's no surprise to me that I enjoy what Glaze is doing. It's not life changing or anything like that but it is a good lunch for when you need something quick that isn't fried. Glaze offers a few different grilled meats including chicken breast and thigh as well as salmon, steak, and boneless pork loin. They come in bowls served with your choice of white or brown rice and a salad with choice of dressing. My standard order is teriyaki dark with ginger carrot dressing. Sometimes its exactly what I want for lunch. Quick, fresh, tasty.

Chicken Teriyaki Bowl

Glaze Teriyaki
3112 North Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 697-3580
Website

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken

-Grubbing in Chicago
New to the 'Scene'

The Opening of the Chicago location of Gus's Chicken marked the start of the Memphis restaurants expansion. Started some 60 years ago it's been a long walk to the top. Most all conversation about best fried chicken in America will likely include Gus's so you can bet that folks from all across the country were excited about the news of expansion. I know I was interested in trying them out. Seeing as how I've been to many of the spots mentioned when best fried chicken is discussed I was eager to see how it compared to some of the others. Even if the location I would try was not the original.

Newly Opened in Fulton Market 

I got a chance to stop in for lunch a couple months back. It was probably about half packed but with the recent opening of Google building I can envision this place being packed in the future. The wait for the fried chicken was a bit long but this all but assured they were frying the bird to order which is something I was curious about how they'd handle. I would rather wait for freshly fried then get faster stuff that was being held. Upon it's arrival it was glistening with a beautiful golden hued skin that produced decent crunch although not as much as it looked too. I thought the seasoning was ok, there might be some MSG in there, but it wasn't as aggressive as I had hoped. It wasn't bad but it just wasn't enough to make me place it amongst some of the greats, though for the area it's worth a bite. Sides were pretty average while service was above that. If I worked near I'd go back for lunch.

Fried Chicken 

Gus's World Famous Fried Chicken
847 W Fulton Market
Chicago, IL 60607
(312) 733-1971
Website

Mr Taco

-Eating like a Mayan King in the Windy City

Its the freaking weekend baby I'm about to have me some fun! Today's stop is a weekend favorite of Cicero's heavy drinking crowd. It's also one of the few restaurants in town that Al Capone didn't frequent. At least not to my knowledge. Mr. Taco is old, but not that old. I don't have the exact date this place opened up on the corner of Ogden and Austin but it's been around for at least a couple decades. Open late this is the spot many local late night revelers find themselves post drinking.

Locals Favorite in Cicero 

First things first, as someone who's been to as many Chicagoland Mexican restaurants as anyone I know this isnt "real" Mexican food. Or is it? I mean it's owned and made by Mexicans. You can take up your idea of what authentic is with them. Today we're here for the food. The type that's great at soaking up lots of booze in the wee hours of the morning. Even though it's called Mr. Taco the tacos here aren't the most popular item however they are good in that American style Mexican food way.

Steak Taco 

Also good are the enchiladas which they sell by the single. Not many places do that so I'm not as well versed in enchiladas as I am tacos. They use a dark red sauce that might come from a can but I doubt thats whats on your mind when you've got a few whiskeys in you.

Beef Enchilada

You could say Mr. Taco has a cult following and the reason for that is the steak quesadilla. They make them a little bit different here. Using regular sized taco tortillas they take one and put it over a bunch of cheese melting on the flattop. The cheese then melts into the tortilla creating a cheesy, crispy outside. Steak and the toppings go on top and you basically eat the thing like a taco. This is one of my great guilty pleasures which I enjoy when out and about this way after 10:00pm. It might not be "authentic" but I'll be damned if its not good after you've had a few. See for yourself.

Steak Quesadilla

Mr Taco
5960 W Ogden Ave
Cicero, IL 60804
(708) 652-3767

Harrington's Deli

-The Sammy's of Chi

You may remember a piece I did for Serious Eats on this Northwest Side Irish Deli. I figured since Serious Eats has gone the way of the almighty dollar mixed with sponsors, that now was a good time to remind people of Harrington's existence. You know with it being St. Patrick's Day this week and all. It sits in a strip mall on the 5600 block of Milwaukee. I have to imagine its a busy week for them.

Locals Favorite in Jefferson Park 

Harrington's is part lunch counter, part deli, part grocery, and part souvenir shop. Everything relating to the Irish. They also do catering and supply local grocers with their briskets of corned beef ready for the stovetop. So if you're ever in need of an Irish Folk music CD or maybe a hamburger ground with corned beef, Harrington's is your one stop shop. They even have HP sauce for cheap.

Irish Goods for Sale

I'm not an Irish relic collector so whenever I stop in it's for a visit to the deli/lunch counter. If you go there on a Tuesday or Saturday you can indulge in corned beef and cabbage dinners but I'm more of a sandwich guy when it comes to the consumption of corned beef. Harrington's does a good one.

Corned Beef with Swiss

These aren't the NYC Jewish Deli style of stacked sandwiches like those at Manny's. You really only need one hand to eat these but this isn't a bad thing. The corned beef is hand sliced to order into a medium thickness. Its rare to see much fat on the meat but there's just enough to give it that full rounded flavor people love when it comes to good corned beef. I don't know where they source the bread but it too is always fresh and perfect when paired with the beef. The Reuben is well constructed and comes with two sandwiches that basically equals one large one. Its got all the flavors you'd expect from a spot specializing in corned beef. Hope you have a Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Reuben Sandwich

Harrington's Deli
5685 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60646
(773) 283-8388
Website

Boba Burger

-Got beef?
The Burgers of Chi (land)

Food Media is good for some things but mom and pop stops in the suburbs isn't one of them. Luckily we still have social media and message boards which is where I learned of this Asian owned burger spot sitting inside a bowling alley. Boba Burger is connected to Classic Bowl in Morton Grove. It's been around for a few years, it may have moved here from elsewhere but I'm unaware.

Locals Favorite in Morton Grove 

Any place serving burgers that have accumulated a perfect score on yelp, as well as praise from those I actually trust is getting a visit from me. So I stopped in one day this past winter. It was a Sunday so there were tons of families ditching the cabin fever for a few games of bowling. This meant that Boba Burger was packed but after a 15 minute wait my fries arrived. These probably needed to be fried in a hotter oil as the color was a tad too light. Nonetheless they are fresh cut and made to order.

Fries 

On my first visit in I was swayed from trying a burger. They also offer hot dogs and one of them spoke to me. The "Tokyo Dog" boasts some Japanese flavors which might not sound like a match for a wiener but having been to Ivy's up in Edgebrook I knew they worked well together. No difference here. They dip a Vienna Beef wiener in tempura batter and give it a fry. When nice and golden it gets topped with wasabi aioli, nori, picked veggies, and sriracha ketchup. The overall sum of this dog tastes like a popular snack in Japan where they're known to eat stuff like this. Though I'm pretty sure this is a Boba Burger creation and not something you'll actually find in Tokyo

Tokyo Dog 

I made a return visit for a burger not too long ago and also came away impressed. Boba offers a variety of topping combinations but I've always been a minimalist when it comes to dressing a hamburger. I made a small exception on this day and decided to try a traditional cheeseburger with a piece of fried spam added on for a dollar. After one bite it was apparent that the spam wasn't needed so I took it off and ate it as is. I then finished the burger without it and ended up loving the product. The meat itself is high quality and packed a little looser than most which makes it more tender in my mind. The burger was cooked to medium but the juice factor was as if it was medium rare. Coming in at just $5 without the spam makes it one of the better burgers I've had in that price range.

Cheeseburger with Spam added on

Boba Burger
8530 Waukegan Rd
Morton Grove, IL 60053
(847) 410-7779
Website