I had to be in Chicago again last weekend for business, so it was time to check out some more restaurants. Luckily, my work pal was game to try the restaurants on my list! After lots of research, I narrowed my choices down to one Top Chef Master candidate and one Next Iron Chef contestant. :)
I've been watching this season's Top Chef Masters and have really enjoyed it, though I will admit that most of my favorites have already been elimated. I really enjoyed Takashi Yagihashi - he was just so fun and humble and his food looked amazing. I read on the Bravo website that his restaurants were in Chicago, so...yay! I chose Slurping Turtle as a lunch spot. It was an excellent choice. The restaurant is light and airy, with a festive atmosphere. Our server, Eddie, was enthusiastic, but not overly intrusive. He was very knowledgeable about the menu and was helpful when we were trying to choose from all the delicious-sounding options. I was disappointed that they were out of sweet corn croquettes, but I guess that means I have to go back! I got the chahan, or, Japanese fried rice, with vegetables. It was SO yummy. It had ginger and pickled daikon, along with squash, mushrooms and bok choi. The fried rice also came with a tasty bowl of miso soup and a small salad. Thumbs up on the fried rice lunch - it was delicious and really filling! My work pal enjoyed his meal too, and a dear friend from college also met us there! We were a happy party and had a good time eating a ton of food.
Of course, that didn't stop us from getting dessert! Eddie brought us a cream puff, on the house, and we ordered some macarons in various flavors. My favorite was the caramel soy, though the yuzu was pretty darned tasty. Oh, please, everything was tasty! And then, as we were paying our check, I saw Takashi himself come into the restaurant! I couldn't stop myself from squealing like a little girl! He looked over and I smiled and clapped. He came right over to meet us. He's just as charming in person as he was on the show. He asked us what we had for lunch and if we enjoyed it, asked us where we were from and just chatted for a few minutes. I was too excited to ask for a photo, darn it! I'm a dope. I did get a very blurry photo of him by the windows. It's goofy, but oh well. Now I really love me some Takashi and have to go back to Slurping Turtle. I'd also like to try his higher-end restaurant sometime. Maybe next trip to Chicago. 
I'm very fortunate that my work pal let me decide where we were going to eat and indulged my tv chef obsession. For dinner Saturday night, I chose Vermilion, Maneet Chauhan's restaurant. I enjoyed watching Maneet on the Next Iron Chef and I like her comments as a judge on Chopped. Plus, Latin-Indian fusion/small plates sounded intriguing to me. So, off we went, dragging another Chicago-area co-worker along for the ride. I started with an amazing ginger lime margarita, though I forgot to say 'no salt,' so it was a little too salty at the end to finish. I'll remember next time, because it was tast-ee. I opted to have two small plates and a side instead of one main course. That way, I could taste as much food as possible. ;)
I got the artichoke pakoras, which were incredible, with an amazing eggplant coconut sauce that had a pomegranate vinegar reduction on top. I could've eaten a bowl of that and been happy. In fact, I started dipping everything into that sauce. The coconut rice side dish tasted especially wonderful in the eggplant sauce. I also got a dosa/taco (which is how they bill it on the menu) with potatoes and tamarind chutney. It was yummy, though the potatoes were a tad spicy for me. But once dunked in the eggplant sauce I mentioned above, I could get by. The picture I took of the dosa was terrible, so I'll include a photo of my work pal's duck in mole. Gorgeous. I did take a little taste of the mole and it was amazing. I wonder if they would do a vegetarian dish with it...Those were the most fantastic meals of the trip - we did also have a very nice lunch at a bar, where I had a tasty catfish po' boy (don't tell the vegetarian police, please) and I also had a nice breakfast panini at a cafe near the hotel. All in all, the weekend in Chicago was fun (my work pal and I always have a great time together - we laugh a lot) and the food was fantastic. I'm already planning where we'll eat next time we go.
When I got back to NY Sunday, I met an old friend from Ohio for dinner (even though I was EXHAUSTED). We met at a restaurant I hadn't tried yet, 508 Grill. They apparently brew their own beer, but I don't drink beer, so I didn't try any. The wine I got, the torrontes, was very nice. Again, I decided to try two small plates instead of one main course. Why not stick with a good plan? I got the fresh bufala ricotta with lemon zest, honey and sea salt (OMG, so good) and the kabocha squash croquettes (again, SO good). Both dishes were fantastic, so I definitely want to go back and try other dishes there. Plus, our server was really great and the atmosphere was quite cozy. In fact, it may have been TOO cozy. I was so sleepy, I barely remember being there, but the photos help. Next time, I'll try to be more awake.
I'll include some random Chicago photos to finish. Here's to more trips, more good food, and more laughter! Definitely what the doctor ordered...
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