Japonais. 600 W. Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL.
Tyson Rating ****
This past Saturday night, I was looking for somewhere fancy to dine out in the city. Upon the recommendations of some friends and family, I settled on Japonais, on the west side of Chicago on the river. While I had some worries about walking through the area that was once nearby the infamous Cabrini Green, a 6pm reservation during the middle of the summer proved to be a pleasant walk.
Japonais is not your traditional sushi bar. When I think sushi restaurant I in short think sushi and only sushi. Sure, there are other dishes, entrees, desserts, but anyone would be crazy to order them. With Japonais this was not the case. The restaurant has two separate kitchens- a sushi bar, and a traditional kitchen. The menu is divided accordingly, with one half dedicated to sushi items and the other non-sushi items. Being the experimental couple that we are, we decided to try some items from both parts of the menu.
We began the night with a house special "The Rock." Presentation, Presentation, Presentation, this is what makes "The Rock" an extravagant dish. The servers bring out a stone that has been cooked to a steaming heat, and they follow this with a plate of raw, marinated New York strip steak. As the diner you must simply cook the pieces of meat on the rock for 5 seconds/side for a perfect medium-rare bite. The steak is tender and marinated to perfection, and so, despite the experience of cooking it yourself being exciting, you are also treated to an exceptionally well prepared piece of meat. The dish cost $16, which, while seemingly cheap for a steak, was not a bargain for this 3 oz. maximum cut of meat. However, it was truly delicious.
This dish was followed by our sushi. Unfortunately the unagi roll was not being prepared because the chef did not like the unagi quality, and so we did not order any of the specialty rolls. We began with the basic California roll for my date, a picky and simple taste-budded sushi eater. California rolls were California rolls- nothing to complain about nor anything to rave about. We then had an order (and soon after a second order) of a shrimp tempura roll with shiitake mushrooms, avocado, and a washabi sauce. This roll was terrific, and even with all the ingredients only $9 or so for 6 pieces.
We then received our lobster spring rolls, another house specialty. Both my date and I are huge lobster fans, but to be honest we were not at all prepared for this dish. We expected a miniscule portion of lobster in each roll, overwhelmed by vegetables, sauce, and other items. What we received was the exact opposite. The rolls were 90% or more of tender lobster, the crust was heated to perfection, thin and crispy, and a sweet mango sauce layered the bottom of the plate for some dipping. I thought these and "the rock" were fantastic dishes, and the price was better than one would expect for two lobster tails worth of lobster- only $16.
To finish off a fantastic night of dining we took a look at the dessert menu. Normally at any Asian restaurant I am wary of placing a dessert order, but with the way things had been going, I knew this was not the usual Oriental kitchen. The desserts were pricy (all in the $10-12 range), but the descriptions looked magnificent. We decided on a Chocolate Mascarpone cake, served with coconut ice cream and fresh fruit. The cake's presentation was not so impressive as would be desired, but it took one bite to forget. The outside appeared dry and flaky, but inside was 3 layers of moist deliciousness. The coconut ice cream was served in a bouncy ball sized scoop, but savoring it took us six bites or so, and we easily could have eaten a full bowl of it.
All in all Japonais was a great experience. The ambiance of the restaurant was terrific, the service was great throughout, and the noise in the establishment down to conversational level. The total bill for the two of us was $92, pricy, but also much cheaper than the fixed price menus of some of Chicago's other hot-spots. Whether you are a sushi lover or not, I would recommend Japonais with two thumbs up for a brilliant dining. experience.
Monday, July 11, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
Bombay Spice
Bombay Spice, 111 W. Illinois, Chicago, IL
Tyson Rating *
We were invited to dine at Bombay Spice this past Thursday before the official opening as part of a friends and family welcoming. The location of the restaurant is terrific, and it is clear that it will do good business once opened. It strays away from the traditional Indian Restaurant, and has a more fusion feel to it with current music, contemporary seating and decor, as well as high top tables and booths. The restaurant is very nice but very small, and this could be of some concern, as there is not really any room for parties over 4-5 people (they would need to move tables together). The noise level is a bit much, and some of the music could be turned down to allow for more easily sustainable conversation. A slight complaint is that there was not a single Indian employee at the restaurant, and this took away from any sort of India feel that the restaurant sought to achieve.
We all started off the meal with a recommended "Mango Lasse," a fruity drink made with yogurt that really may have been my favorite item that we ordered. The consistency was somewhere between a standard drink and a smoothie, and it was light but delicious. They offer an unflavored one (just sugar) which we later tried, but it was nowhere near as good.
We tried some of their award winning (from their Phoenix location) Chickpea Civiche. It was good and refreshing, but also not unbelievably unique. We also each ordered a samosa as a starter which was nothing special either.
For the main course Bombay has a "Create Your Own Entree." The idea is clever- you choose an ingredient (chicken, lamb, seafood, or vegetables), a base (white rice, brown rice, or noodles), and 1 of their sauces. I ordered lamb with a mild masala sauce and noodles. The party I was with also tried chicken with the korma sauce, scallops with korma, and shrimp with the spinach sauce. We all decided to try the noodles upon the recommendation of our server. The lamb was quite tasty, though the sauce tasted too much like a pasta sauce and had no real interesting flavor to it. The korma, a fruity sweeter sauce was also good, and the two who ordered it enjoyed it very much. The shrimp was delicious, but the spinach sauce was very bland and in need of much salt.
The meal concluded with two orders of the Carrot Halwa, the only dessert the restaurant had in stock for the family/friends day. It looked like a short piece of cake with a carrot base and ricotta cheese on the top. The dessert was very disappointing, but this was to be expected. It tasted overwhelmingly of carrot and spices, and it had no real sweet flavor to it. Between the four of us, less than half was finished.
Overall, the restaurant was good. The meals are not overwhelmingly filling, and the feel of the restaurant is much different from the traditional Indian cuisine. A good restaurant to try out if you are unsure as to whether or not you like Indian cuisine, as most of the dishes were rather plain. The setting was comfortable and it will be a big hit with the younger Chicago crowd.
Tyson Rating *
We were invited to dine at Bombay Spice this past Thursday before the official opening as part of a friends and family welcoming. The location of the restaurant is terrific, and it is clear that it will do good business once opened. It strays away from the traditional Indian Restaurant, and has a more fusion feel to it with current music, contemporary seating and decor, as well as high top tables and booths. The restaurant is very nice but very small, and this could be of some concern, as there is not really any room for parties over 4-5 people (they would need to move tables together). The noise level is a bit much, and some of the music could be turned down to allow for more easily sustainable conversation. A slight complaint is that there was not a single Indian employee at the restaurant, and this took away from any sort of India feel that the restaurant sought to achieve.
We all started off the meal with a recommended "Mango Lasse," a fruity drink made with yogurt that really may have been my favorite item that we ordered. The consistency was somewhere between a standard drink and a smoothie, and it was light but delicious. They offer an unflavored one (just sugar) which we later tried, but it was nowhere near as good.
We tried some of their award winning (from their Phoenix location) Chickpea Civiche. It was good and refreshing, but also not unbelievably unique. We also each ordered a samosa as a starter which was nothing special either.
For the main course Bombay has a "Create Your Own Entree." The idea is clever- you choose an ingredient (chicken, lamb, seafood, or vegetables), a base (white rice, brown rice, or noodles), and 1 of their sauces. I ordered lamb with a mild masala sauce and noodles. The party I was with also tried chicken with the korma sauce, scallops with korma, and shrimp with the spinach sauce. We all decided to try the noodles upon the recommendation of our server. The lamb was quite tasty, though the sauce tasted too much like a pasta sauce and had no real interesting flavor to it. The korma, a fruity sweeter sauce was also good, and the two who ordered it enjoyed it very much. The shrimp was delicious, but the spinach sauce was very bland and in need of much salt.
The meal concluded with two orders of the Carrot Halwa, the only dessert the restaurant had in stock for the family/friends day. It looked like a short piece of cake with a carrot base and ricotta cheese on the top. The dessert was very disappointing, but this was to be expected. It tasted overwhelmingly of carrot and spices, and it had no real sweet flavor to it. Between the four of us, less than half was finished.
Overall, the restaurant was good. The meals are not overwhelmingly filling, and the feel of the restaurant is much different from the traditional Indian cuisine. A good restaurant to try out if you are unsure as to whether or not you like Indian cuisine, as most of the dishes were rather plain. The setting was comfortable and it will be a big hit with the younger Chicago crowd.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Maggiano's Little Italy
Tyson Restaurant Review
*Good
**Great
***Excellent
****Exceptional
Maggiano's Little Italy- Oak Brook, IL Tyson Rating **
We came here on a Thursday night with an 8pm reservation. We had asked to be seated outside because the heat was mild and there was a nice breeze at the time. We were promptly seated with no trouble.
We started off the night with some fresh Italian bread with olive oil and fresh Parmesan cheese. While the server was slow to bring it to us, once brought it was consumed quickly. The bread was a bit stale and store-bought, but it was enjoyed. The second loaf had been heated up and was even tastier. We then split the Tomato Caprese, an Italian classic. I was left a little unsatisfied, as the tomatoes were not fully ripened and rather hard to the bite. The mozzarella, however, was delicious and the balsamic enhanced its flavor.
Around this time the skies appeared ominously grey-black, and we decided to move inside. This was our only main encounter with poor service, as the server was not very accommodating to us, despite the fact that a tornado looked imminent. We were moved inside to high-top bar tables; not the most comfortable of seating, but we made do.
Both of us tried the "Famous Rigatoni 'D'", a large bowl of rigatoni in a marsala cream sauce topped with mushrooms, chicken, and caramelized onions. The dish was truly delicious, though the chicken appeared to be a bit old and gritty, and was covered in an overwhelmingly large amount of herbs that made the dish more "green," than it needed to be. Overall, however, it was quite tasty.
We finished off the night with an Apple Crostada, served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. It is described as apples baked inside of a pasty crust, but the crust is much closer to a sugar cookie than any pastry crust I've ever seen. This is an exceptionally good dessert and one they should play up more to their advantage. I've been for some of the traditional desserts in the past, and none of them come close to the quality of the crostada. The carmel sauce topped off a great dessert.
All in All, Maggiano's is an above average Italian Restaurant. It easily tops the likes of Olive Garden and Bucca di Beppo, and it's portion sizes are worth the price they ask in return. While we did not experience it first-hand, they offer a free take-home pasta with any of their traditional pastas, and this is definitely an offer I have yet to see anyone match. Maggiano's lacks some aspects of a great Italian restaurant- fresh bread, small country feel, but it is a good place for a night out or a family dinner.
*Good
**Great
***Excellent
****Exceptional
Maggiano's Little Italy- Oak Brook, IL Tyson Rating **
We came here on a Thursday night with an 8pm reservation. We had asked to be seated outside because the heat was mild and there was a nice breeze at the time. We were promptly seated with no trouble.
We started off the night with some fresh Italian bread with olive oil and fresh Parmesan cheese. While the server was slow to bring it to us, once brought it was consumed quickly. The bread was a bit stale and store-bought, but it was enjoyed. The second loaf had been heated up and was even tastier. We then split the Tomato Caprese, an Italian classic. I was left a little unsatisfied, as the tomatoes were not fully ripened and rather hard to the bite. The mozzarella, however, was delicious and the balsamic enhanced its flavor.
Around this time the skies appeared ominously grey-black, and we decided to move inside. This was our only main encounter with poor service, as the server was not very accommodating to us, despite the fact that a tornado looked imminent. We were moved inside to high-top bar tables; not the most comfortable of seating, but we made do.
Both of us tried the "Famous Rigatoni 'D'", a large bowl of rigatoni in a marsala cream sauce topped with mushrooms, chicken, and caramelized onions. The dish was truly delicious, though the chicken appeared to be a bit old and gritty, and was covered in an overwhelmingly large amount of herbs that made the dish more "green," than it needed to be. Overall, however, it was quite tasty.
We finished off the night with an Apple Crostada, served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. It is described as apples baked inside of a pasty crust, but the crust is much closer to a sugar cookie than any pastry crust I've ever seen. This is an exceptionally good dessert and one they should play up more to their advantage. I've been for some of the traditional desserts in the past, and none of them come close to the quality of the crostada. The carmel sauce topped off a great dessert.
All in All, Maggiano's is an above average Italian Restaurant. It easily tops the likes of Olive Garden and Bucca di Beppo, and it's portion sizes are worth the price they ask in return. While we did not experience it first-hand, they offer a free take-home pasta with any of their traditional pastas, and this is definitely an offer I have yet to see anyone match. Maggiano's lacks some aspects of a great Italian restaurant- fresh bread, small country feel, but it is a good place for a night out or a family dinner.
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