CHI - Pho 777

I'm finally back in Chicago after a month of being home for winter break. I can easily say I missed it in Rochester and I'm a little sad to be back on the grind here but school is a must, so I'll keep trekking along. 

Quick stop in Little Saigon before mom drove back home and we had to make a stop for Pho! 

LOCATION: 1065 W ARGYLE ST., CHICAGO, IL 60640

Apparently mom and dad came to this restaurant when they moved me to Chicago but I was at orientation so this is my first time in this neighborhood. Mom was also very cryptic about her opinion of the restaurant until after I told her mine. 

I'm the only one that was on the band-wagon for Pho while my mom and my cousin were about the pork chop rice platters. I can easily say that I probably should've gotten the rice as well. Mom told me after we started eating that she and my dad didn't really enjoy the Pho here last time but she's always up for letting me make my own mistakes and form my own opinions so there we were.

I ordered a bowl of Pho Dac Biet or basically the Pho beef special with all the variations of beef (tripe, meatballs, eye round, flank steak, brisket, and soft tendon) because I was feeling like beef that day and you might as well go all in if you're gonna do it! 

The service wasn't too bad for a weekend and the restaurant had maybe 3 or 4 other tables besides ours with two very quick waitresses that seemed a little bored to be honest. The food came out pretty quickly and I had pretty high hopes for a real authentic bowl of Pho from Little Saigon. The portions were right for a traditional Pho and the noodles and amount of meat were very fair for the order. The only thing I had a problem with was the broth. With Pho, broth is everything, and when it's not right, you might as well order rice because what are you doing. This broth, while full of flavor, was overwhelmingly sweet for what Pho should be. I felt like there was too much cinnamon and/or star anise and that just ruined the whole bowl. I couldn't taste any beef-y flavoring and that was the whole point of the order. Disappointed, I just ate the noodles and left a bowl full of broth at the end.

While some people may be fans of Pho777, I'd like to try another restaurant in Little Saigon for Pho that tastes more like Vietnam to me.  

CHI - Little Goat Diner

I've been dreaming of trying out Little Goat Diner since I moved to Chicago 3months ago and I finally made it!

LOCATION: 820 RANDOLPH ST., CHICAGO, IL 60607

My cousin was feeling better after these past few days and her stomach was up to try something a little out there so I finally got my wish and we headed to Little Goat. Of course I showed her the website before we went and we both fell in love. The illustrations are fun and whimsical and super crazy which just makes me happy to play around with. They of course carried over into the menu when we got to the restaurant too which was perfect and make me smile. 

Also walking up to the place and seeing that happy spinning little goat on the rooftop was the perfect welcome on this chilly day. Surprisingly we were seated right away and we decided to sit at the counter though a booth was available. We could see into the kitchen and I can easily say i was happily distracted by the fun and happy workers. Everyone was really nice and professional while looking like they were enjoying themselves. 

The menu is a mish-mash of a lot of different things and it was exciting to read through and try to figure out what to get. My cousin is pretty picky though and just ended up with chicken fingers and we ordered a side of fries to share. These fries were shoestring style and seasoned perfectly and had a nice crunch to them. For my meal I went with The Fat Club which is a smoked turkey, ham and bacon, havarti, avocado, cabbage, and tomato with mayo, and a special sauce on fat toast. This sandwich is stacked so tall there was a slice of toast in the middle for support. I made a great decision. This was a great sandwich with a great balance in the middle. The toast was a little hard and did that thing where it scraped the inside of my mouth but it was definitely worth it. I will say that if you're picky, this isn't the best place to go. Also it can be a little price especially since the menu is a la carte and we had to pay extra to add things like fries to our meal. The portion sizes are generous to me, at least the fat club sandwich was very filling and was enough for two meals. If i was with someone that was interested in trying something a little out there, I would go back for sure. 

CHI - Toast

Lunch Time! My cousin has been in town visiting for the past couple of weeks but turns out we haven't gone out that much (at least not anywhere super noteworthy). But today we didn't have much planned so we figured lunch out would work. She's been a little sick the past few days so we didn't wanna try anything too adventures and figured Toast would be the safe choice. 

LOCATION: 2046 N DAMEN AVE., CHICAGO, IL 60647

To start off, Toast was right next to the bus stop so that was perfect in terms of not having to walk out of the way and there was almost no chance of getting lost or not being able to find it. The dining room was pretty small and there was a semi large group of people standing outside so I was worried it would be a wait even at 1pm on a Saturday but because there were just two of us it was pretty quick.

The staff was pretty quick at their job and paid a fair amount of attention to us, but while they were casually dressed, felt to me like they were giving of an air of stuffiness. A lot of them seemed like they thought they were too good for things and this was a turnoff for coming here.

The menu was pretty standard for a brunch place and I ordered the Crabby Benedict which came with a side of potatoes while my cousin ordered Chocolate Chip Pankcakes. The eggs were cooked perfectly, the english muffin was toasted well, and the crab weren't too salty or overpowering. The potatoes were great and the cook and seasoning on everything was just right. Portion sizes weren't too crazy and I managed to finish most of my meal. My cousin said her pancakes were light and fluffy and the distribution of chocolate chips was perfect.

Overall not a bad brunch experience. This place is a little out of my way so I don't know that I would make the effort to come back but if I was around the area I would consider stopping by.  

CHI - Eggy's

Our search for poutine has led us here. My cousin is in town and of course we had a poutine craving because I'm me and will bring up poutine any chance I get. I also, however, left the restaurant search up to her which means we looked up 3 different places and wandered around the edge of Millennium Park on a chilly day. Did I mention I'd had a full day of class and it was 2pm and I hadn't eaten all day? By the time we got to Eggy's my bar was set pretty low. I just needed food. Luckily, Eggy's came through.

LOCATION: 333 E BENTON PL., CHICAGO, IL 60601

We were those people that showed up an hour before close but I was hungry dammit and I was going to be that pain in the ass! Apparently we weren't the only ones because two larger groups came in after us so I felt a little less bad.

Turns out that the poutine my cousin found at this place was actually a Breakfast Poutine but poutine is poutine so we ordered it anyways. It had one poached egg (ours was overcooked and therefore didn't run at all to my disappointment), cheese curds (the biggest I've ever seen), (breakfast) sausage gravy, and of course french fries. Not exactly what I was hoping for but for a breakfast poutine, it was alright. The breakfast sausage gravy was a little strong but it definitely reminded me of breakfast so I guess they did a good job in that sense. 

I also got a Grilled Cheese Sandwich with avocado and a side of sweet potato fries while my cousin ordered some chocolate pancakes. My sandwich was pretty good, nothing out of the ordinary. The sweet potato fries were also pretty good, not too crunchy which I'm not a huge fan of.

Overall our meal was pretty average, nothing too extravagant or adventurous but I was so hungry it definitely hit the spot.

I did notice however, that the other two tables that came after us were having problems with the two waitresses working that afternoon. We were the only three tables in the whole place and it was hitting the end of their shift but each of these two tables got orders that were wrong and while the waitresses apologized and fixed them, it didn't seem like they had a really good excuse as to why they messed up and when they went back to fix the orders they seemed to have some attitude about it. Mind you this is an open dining room where you can see into the kitchen so it might not have been the best idea to complain about other customers when everyone can see you. With only three tables and two waitresses, it also shouldn't be something that happens 2 out of 3 times. I'd hate to be here when it's actually busy during a peak lunch hour.

Suffice to say, I wouldn't come back. While the food was good and we didn't personally have problems with the waitresses, it's out of the way and not worth the travel for an average meal that might not be as good if they were busier.    

CHI - Saigon Sisters

Of course being in Chicago, I've been getting a little homesick and in desperate need of some comfort food where I can find it. Recently Nina and I talked about searching for the perfect Pho place because nothings says comfort like Pho and Nina was completely on board. 

This week with the weather changing a little and the holiday's tantalizingly close yet oh so very far I've decided to take Nina up on this adventure and off we went in search of Pho for dinner tonight. This is, however, a busy time for all of us at school with mountains of projects and finals looming dangerously close. We didn't have tons of time for a Pho break so we found a place that turned out to be less than a half hours walk from school and it was a beautifully warm fall night for us so we ventured off!

LOCATION: 567 W LAKE ST., CHICAGO, IL 60661

The sign outside was easy enough to find and as soon as we walked in we were in for a real treat. High ceilings and tight corners, this dining room had an air of loftiness while still feeling cozy. It was dark out when we arrived so candles and a low lighting situation made us feel like we were on a cute little date. How adorable of us. It location is pretty small and intimate but works as a whole space. They have a great chalkboard lunch menu on the wall by the door and a super clean and simple dinner menu that was given to us at our table. 

Apparently Nina and I think alike and we both check out menu's for restaurants before we get there so it didn't take us very long to decide on what we wanted to order. We each ordered a small bowl of beef pho and decided to share the grilled baby octopus plate which came with cuttlefish ink rice.  

Definitely a more modern take on traditional Vietnamese food but you know, when in America.

The broth itself was very flavorful with good spices and the meat was perfectly tender. There was a pretty good kick of cinnamon which is out of the ordinary but overall it wasn't a bad thing. Everything blended well together and, while different, it still was traditional enough to remind me of classic pho.

I wasn't really sure what to expect with the octopus plate but clearly Nina and I are all over octopus so it was a no brainer for us to split it. I was very interested in the cuttlefish ink rice and to me it resembled a couscous more. Still, it had a very familiar flavor I couldn't quite place. Delicious but elusive for sure. I was so intrigued but it I almost neglected the octopus. Cutting into it, it was a perfect consistancy. The octopus was super tender and not at all rubbery. It cut so smooth and was super clean. The flavor though, again, had a very cinnamon like quality to it. It was sweet yet spicy and bold at the same time. I actually felt that if it was served without the rice, I wouldn't be able to eat it. There balance definitely needed to be there and I was quite grateful for it because the octopus definitely couldn't stand on its own which I found to be a shame. I love seafood dishes where the seafood itself is the star and in this case, I found the cuttlefish ink rice to be more interesting and less negatively overpowering.

Overall, Nina said this place for her was worthy of a return visit. I on the other hand, wouldn't mind continuing my search for a solid Vietnamese restaurant to come back to. Not a bad choice, but too modern and experimental. I'd rather have a more traditional meal and leave the extra cinnamon for dessert.