Endo Edibles

September 19, 2020
6:00 PM
by: Uhockey

Costa di Mare, Las Vegas NV

Costa di Mare

Ciao Bella – Strawberry-infused Aperol, Cocchi Rosa Aperitivo, Giffard Rhubarb Liqueur, Prosecco

Bread Basket – Focaccia, Flatbread, Semolina Knot, Herb and Tomato Roll

Agnolotti – Corn and Mascarpone Filling, Summer Truffle, Parmesan

Ricciola – Sicilian Amberjack Crudo, Lemon

Polipo – Grilled Ligurian Octopus, Cranberry Beans, Escarole, Lemon, Olive Oil

Paranza – Fried Scorpion Fish, Shaved Fennel, Pickled Lemon

Capesante – Sea Scallops, Fig Compote, Walnuts

Grigliata Mista – Grilled Gamberi Rossi, Langoustine, Spiny Lobster

Rigatoni – Rigatoni Pasta, Piemontese Short Ribs, Herb Gremolata

Frutti di Mare – Risotto, Scallops, Shrimp, Clams, Crab, Cuttlefish, Octopus

Nero di Seppia – Handmade Ink Ribbon Pasta, Cuttlefish, Shrimp, Lobster, Spinach

Spaghetti Astice – Rock Lobster, Spicy Tomato Sauce, White Wine

Ravioli – Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Ravioli, Tuscan Pecorino Cheese, Marsala Wine Glaze

Roasted Rombo Acqua Pazza – Turbot, Garlic, Pomini Tomatoes, Broccolini, White Wine, Pepperoncino, Oregano

Salt Baked Pagaro – Purple Snapper

Double Espresso

Celebration Cake – Dark Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Gelato, Chocolate Ganache

Sorbets and Ice Creams – Raspberry Sorbet, Mango-Passion Fruit Sorbet, Coconut Sorbet, Espresso Stracciatela Gelato, Salted Caramel Gelato, Brown Butter Gelato

Torta Caprese – Chocolate Almond Cake, Warm Chocolate Ganache, Fresh Raspberries, Biscotti and Cream Gelato

Tiramisù – Espresso Soaked Ladyfingers, Mascarpone Mousse, Kahlúa Crema, Coffee Toffee Sauce

Strawberries and Cream – Harry’s Berries Strawberries, Orange Olive Oil Cake, Mascarpone Ice Cream, Sicilian Pistachios

Bomboloni – Espresso Mousse, Chocolate-Hazelnut Praline Filling, White Chocolate

Mignardises – Pignoli Cookie, Financier, Pate de Fruit, Chocolate

Last visited in 2015 after a ten year hiatus, both meals memorable in their own way under the tenure of Paul Bartolotta, a return to the space now titled Costa di Mare finds Chef Mark LoRusso and General Manager Ivo Angelov conducting a symphony of style and service surrounding Seafood flown in daily.

Freshly renovated just prior to LoRusso’s move from Botero, his tenure at Tableau after debuting Bellagio’s Aqua in 1998 suggesting a diverse skill-set and commitment to Las Vegas, it is via faces familiar from Le Cirque that guests are welcomed beginning at 5:30pm Thursday through Saturday, everything from PPE to extended social distancing assuring comfort as well as safety.

Undoubtedly one of The Strip’s most opulent venues, spiraling stairs beneath a dazzling chandelier leading diners to white tablecloths and coastal Italian tones, it was by request that four guests were seated in an outdoor cabana, desert’s early autumn and a gentle breeze absolutely beautiful alongside the Koi-filled lagoon.

Awarded Four-Stars by Forbes Travel Guide, no small feat for a space easily able to seat over a hundred pre-pandemic, it is around a list of Fishes and Crustaceans sold by weight that Costa di Mare’s menu revolves, though for those seeking a true experience Chef’s $150 Gran Menu di Mare offers all the season’s best plates served in five courses.

Pouring fine Italian Wines and Craft Cocktails, Ciao Bella sweetening the Aperol Spritz into a Food-friendly sipper, dinner began with an amuse of Agnolotti pairing Summer Truffles and Corn, two glorious bites soon gone before the arrival of housemade Bread that one must be mindful of in order to avoid filling up too quickly.

Continuing with Antipasti, three plates served family-style with each guest also gifted their own cuts of Amberjack, Chef LoRusso wastes no time showing off a diversity of cooking styles – Grilled Octopus with a bit of bite smartly complimented by Escarole and Legumes while fried Scorpion Fish acted as a crisp and meaty segue to lightly seared Scallops atop Figs grounded by Walnuts.

Well-known for Langoustines, their secret location and live transportation written of elsewhere, it is at a $30 per person supplement that medium-size specimens are grilled and served with Spiny Lobster and Red Shrimp from Napoli, each as good as one will find Stateside now, or without a several hour plane ride and passport otherwise.

Onward to Primi, LoRusso holding onto several Bartolotta classics while adding a few new Pastas of his own, both Surf and Turf were well represented from tubular Rigatoni beneath shredded Short Ribs to handmade Ink Pasta and Spaghetti dressed in mixed Seafood with either spicy red or garlicky white Sauce.

Individually plating Ravioli, equally memorable as five years prior, Seafood Risotto is also identical to what Chef Bartolotta served for over a decade while the self-selected Fish course presented tableside by Mr. Angelov was dinner and a show featuring tender Turbot alla Acqua Pazza and meaty Purple Snapper flamed inside a Salt crust with subtle hints of Licorice.

Describing Dessert as a “Sinfonia di Dolci,” five plates and six frozen confections arriving before Mignardises, one would be hard-pressed to choose only one standout, the Tiramisu non-traditional but light and indulgent while Doughnuts in an edible White Chocolate cup filled with Pudding and a seasonal Strawberry Tart with Pistachios and Citrus were equally impressive.

FOUR AND A HALF STARS: Self assured that its patrons are willing to pay a premium for the sort of Seafood and cooking rarely seen outside of gastronomic temples located in coastal cities, Costa di Mare is every bit as noteworthy today as any restaurant in Las Vegas when taking into account sourcing, setting and service.

RECOMMENDED: Agnolotti, Capesante, Grigliata Mista, Rigatoni, Nero di Seppia, Ravioli, Salt Baked Pagaro, Tiramisù, Strawberries and Cream, Bomboloni.

AVOID: Several menu changes occurred after this meal, a seasonal shift, see Costa di Mare’s website for current offerings.

TIP: Offering Fishes and Shellfish on a seasonal basis with prices ranging $18-$30 per 3-oz, bone-in/shell on, those interested in specific selections or preparations are encouraged to call in advance, though the langoustines – whose source remains a well guarded secret – are always available in various sizes with costs ranging $32-$45 each.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor

www.wynnlasvegas.com/dining/fine-dining/costa-di-mare

Posted in Bread Basket, Coffee, Costa di Mare, Crab, Dessert, Food, Ice Cream, Las Vegas, Lobster, Nevada, Octopus, Tiramisu, Truffle, Truffles Tagged Acqua Pazza, Agnolotti, Agnolotti Pasta, Almond, Almond Flour, Almonds, Amberjack, Amberjack Crudo, Amberjack Fish, Aperol, Bean, Beans, Beef, Beef Rib, Beef Ribs, Beef Short Rib, Beef Short Ribs, biscotti, Biscotti and Cream Gelato, Biscotti Cookie, Biscotti Cookies, Bombolini, Bomboloni, Bread, Bread Basket, Broccoli, Broccolini, Brown Butter, Brown Butter Gelato, Budino, Butter, Cake, Cakes, Calamari, Capesante, Caramel, Caramel Gelato, Celebration Cake, Cheese, Chocolate, Chocolate Almond Cake, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, Chocolate-Hazelnut, Chocolate-Hazelnut Praline Filling, Ciao Bella, Cinnamon, Clam, Clams, Cocchi Rosa, Cocchi Rosa Aperitivo, Cocktail, Cocktails, Cocoa, Coconut, Coconut Sorbet, Coconuts, Coffee, Coffee Toffee Sauce, Compote, Cookie, Cookies, Corn, Corn and Mascarpone Filling, Costa di Mare, Cow, Cows, Crab, Crabs, Cranberry Bean, Cranberry Beans, Cream, Crema, Crudo, Cuttlefish, Dark Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Cake, Dessert, Desserts, Donut, Donuts, Double Espresso, Double Espresso on Ice, Double Espresso with Ice, Doughnut, Doughnuts, endoedibles, Escarole, Espresso, Espresso Mousse, Espresso Soaked Ladyfingers, Espresso Stracciatela, Espresso Stracciatela Gelato, Fennel, Fig, Fig Compote, Figs, Filling, Financier, Financiers, Fish, Flat Bread, Flatbread, Flour, Flourless Cake, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Focaccia, Focaccia Bread, Food, Foodie, Fresh Raspberries, Fresh Raspberry, Fried Scorpion Fish, Frutti di Mare, Gamberi Rossi, Ganache, Garlic, Gelato, Giffard, Giffard Rhubarb Liqueur, Glaze, Gremolata, Grigliata Mista, Grilled Ligurian Octopus, Grilled Octopus, Handmade Ink Ribbon Pasta, Harry's Berries, Harry’s, Harry’s Berries Strawberries, Harry’s Berries Strawberry, Harry’s Berry, Harry’s Strawberries, Hazelnut, Hazelnuts, Herb, Herb and Tomato Roll, Herb and Tomato Rolls, Herb Gremolata, Herbs, Ice Cream, Ink, Ink Ribbon Pasta, Ivo Angelov, Kahlúa, Kahlúa Crema, Ladyfinger, Ladyfingers, Langoustine, Langoustines, Las Vegas, Lemon, Lemons, Ligurian Octopus, Liqueur, Lobster, Lobsters, LV, Mango, Mango-Passion Fruit Sorbet, Mangoes, Mangos, Mark LoRusso, Marsala, Marsala Wine, Marsala Wine Glaze, Mascarpone, Mascarpone Cheese, Mascarpone Ice Cream, Mascarpone Mousse, Michael Uzmann, Mignardise, Mignardises, Milk, Mousse, Nero di Seppia, Nevada, Noodle, Noodles, Nutella, NV, Octopus, Oil, Olive, Olive Oil, Olive Oil Cake, Olives, Orange, Orange Olive Oil Cake, Oranges, Oregano, Pagaro, Pagaro Fish, Paranza, Parmesan, Parmesan Cheese, Passion Fruit, Pasta, Pastries, Pastry, Pate de Fruit, Pecorino, Pecorino Cheese, Pepper, Pepperoncini, Pepperoncini Pepper, Pepperoncini Peppers, Pepperoncinis, Pepperoncino, Peppers, Pickled Lemon, Pickled Lemons, Piemontese Short Rib, Piemontese Short Ribs, Pignoli, Pignoli Cookie, Pignoli Cookies, Pistachio, Pistachios, Polipo, Pomini, Pomini Tomato, Pomini Tomatoes, Pominis, Praline, Pralines, Prosecco, Pudding, Purple Snapper, Purple Snapper Fish, Raspberries, Raspberry, Raspberry Sorbet, Ravioli, Ravioli Pasta, Red Shrimp, Rhubarb, Rib, Ribs, Ricciola, Rice, Ricotta, Ricotta Cheese, Rigatoni, Rigatoni Pasta, Risotto, Roasted Rombo, Roasted Rombo Acqua Pazza, Rock Lobster, Roll, Rolls, Rombo, Rombo Fish, Salt, Salt Baked Pagaro, Salted Caramel, Salted Caramel Gelato, Salty Caramel, Sauce, Scallop, Scallops, Scorpion Fish, Sea Scallop, Sea Scallops, Seafood, Semolina, Semolina Bread, Semolina Knot, Shaved Fennel, Sheep's Milk, Sheep's Milk Cheese, Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Cheese, Sheep’s Milk Ricotta Ravioli, Short Rib, Short Ribs, Shrimp, Shrimps, Sicilian Pistachio, Sicilian Pistachios, Sin City, Snapper, Snapper Fish, Sorbet, Spaghetti, Spaghetti Astice, Spaghetti Pasta, Spicy Tomato Sauce, Spinach, Spiny Lobster, Squid, Squid Ink, Squids, Stracciatela, Stracciatela Gelato, Strawberries, Strawberries and Cream, Strawberry, Strawberry-infused Aperol, Sugar, Summer Truffle, Summer Truffles, Sweet Corn, Tiramisu, Toffee, Toffee Sauce, Tomato, Tomato Sauce, Tomatoes, Torta, Torta Caprese, Truffle, Truffles, Turbot, Turbot Fish, Tuscan Pecorino Cheese, Vanilla, Vanilla Gelato, Vegas, Walnut, Walnuts, Warm Chocolate Ganache, White Chocolate, White Wine, Wine, Wynn

September 19, 2020
11:30 AM
by: Uhockey

Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine [2,] Las Vegas NV

Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine

Alcapurria – Fried Taro Root, Beef

Bacalaito – Fried Cod Fish Fritter

Rellenos de Papa – Potato Ball, Ground Beef

Jibarito de Bistec – Fried Plantain, Steak, Mayo Ketchup, Lettuce, Tomato

Jibarito de Pernil – Fried Plantain, Pork, Mayo Ketchup, Lettuce, Tomato

Trifongo – Mashed Green Plantains, Sweet Plantains, Yuca, Pork Rinds

Surullitos – Fried Corn Sticks, Mayo Ketchup on the side

Que Rico Fries – French Fries, Roasted Pork, Sweet Plantains, Mayo Ketchup

Although Puerto Rican Cuisine has a long and storied history it is far from well-represented in Las Vegas, the city’s only proper purveyor started as a Food Truck in 2015 before laying down roots inside the Food Court at 6475 West Charleston and later moving down the Boulevard to a proper storefront at 5201 Suite 110 between Decatur and Lindell.

Titled Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine, family owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Jason and Susanette Sandoval, it is from 11:00am daily that guests will find an expansive menu of plates hailing from the couples’ heritage, everything handmade in house and portioned plentifully for the price.

Still “Under the Radar,” but getting by during COVID-19 thanks to safety measures including distanced tables plus staff and guests wearing PPE, it was after an aggressive exchange with a tatted-up server interrogating guests about “taking pictures of my line” that $60 of Food was taken elsewhere, well-seasoned Potato Balls stuffed with Ground Beef and sizable Fritters of shredded Salt Cod each delicious while elongated Alcapurria were unfortunately fairly bland.

Not a particularly “light” style of cooking, most items including finger-length Corn Sticks fried in Oil, “Que Rico Fries” seem to be something specific to Sofrito Rico, the store-bought Crinkle-Cut Spuds topped in chopped Plantains and Pork plus Mayo Ketchup that had specifically been requested on the side using Grubhub.

More authentic with Trifongo, Yuca joining the more traditional combination of Pork Rinds, Garlic and Plantains that constitute Mofongo, entrees entailed dueling Jibarito Sandwiches, a relatively modern concoction first seen in 1996 at Restaurant Borinquen in Chicago’s Humboldt Par neighborhood featuring flattened-fried Green Plantains as the “Bun” and Meat with fairly benign Veggies plus a dearth of seasoning within.

TWO AND A HALF STARS: From the frankly appalling behavior of a server who all-but-threatened a guest for taking the same picture others have posted more than once on social media, to hit-n-miss dishes and the inability to read typed instructions in an online-ordering system, this visit to Sofrito Rico was a significant fall-off from 2016 – though prices and portions are both still recommendable.

RECOMMENDED: Bacalaito, Rellenos de Papa.

AVOID: Jibarito de Bistec, Que Rico Fries.

TIP: Online ordering, delivery and dine-in all available from 11:00am until 8:00pm Monday through Thursday, and till nine o’clock Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.

www.sofritorico.com

Posted in Cornbread, Food, Las Vegas, Nevada, Pork, Sofrito Rico, Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine Tagged Alcapurria, Bacalaito, Baccala, Baccala Fish, Baccala Fritter, Baccala Fritters, Beef, Beef Steak, Bistec, Cod, Cod Fish, Cod Fish Fritter, Cod Fish Fritters, Cod Fritter, Cod Fritters, Corn, Corn Bread, Corn Stick, Corn Sticks, Cornbread, Cow, Cows, endoedibles, Fish, Food, Foodie, French Fries, French Fry, Fried Baccala, Fried Cod Fish Fritter, Fried Cod Fish Fritters, Fried Corn, Fried Corn Stick, Fried Corn Sticks, Fried Plantain, Fried Plantains, Fried Taro Root, Fries, Fry, Garlic, Green Plantain, Green Plantains, Ground Beef, Jason Sandoval, Jibarito, Jibarito de Bistec, Jibarito de Pernil, Jibarito Sandwich, Ketchup, Las Vegas, Lettuce, LV, Mashed Green Plantain, Mashed Green Plantains, Mayo, Mayo Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Michael Uzmann, Mofongo, Nevada, NV, Onion, Onions, Pernil, Pig, Plantain, Plantains, Pork, Pork Rind, Pork Rinds, Pork Skin, Pork Skins, Potato, Potato Ball, Potato Balls, Potatoes, Que Rico Fries, Relleno, Relleno de Papa, Rellenos, Rellenos de Papa, Roast Pork, Roasted Pork, Salt Cod, Sandwich, Sandwiches, Sauce, Sin City, Skin, Skins, Sofrito Rico, Sofrito Rico Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine, Steak, Surullito, Surullitos, Susanette Sandoval, Sweet Plantain, Sweet Plantains, Taro, Taro Root, Tomato, Tomatoes, Trifongo, Vegas, Yuca, Yucca

September 16, 2020
11:40 AM
by: Uhockey

Johnny C’s Diner Catering [6,] Las Vegas NV

Johnny C’s Diner

Hot Wings – Cholula Aioli, Ranch Dressing

Cubano Sandwich – Ham, Roasted Pork, Swiss Cheese, Mayo-Mustard, JC Pickles, Pressed Hoagie Roll

Pork Trifecta Sandwich – House Smoked Pork Shoulder, Ham, Pork Belly, Egg, BBQ Sauce, JC Pickles, Toasted Bun

Taco Salad – Ground Beef, Chicken, Quinoa, Farro, Spinach, Brown Rice, Peppers, Corn, Black Beans, Sour Cream, Avocado, Lettuce, Cheddar, Housemade Taco Shell

Mel’s Mac N Cheese – 5 Cheese, Cheez-It Crust

Freshly Forged Seasonal Fruit Platter – Grapes, Currants, Blackberries, Figs, Honeydew Melon, Watermelon

“No Bake” Cheesecake – Blueberry Compote

Orange Cake

Having previously discussed Johnny C’s Diner here, plus five faultless catering gigs, it was an honor to call on Chef Church and his team for another #supportlocal Lunch on Wednesday, Sous Chef Sam Brooks and Johnny arriving on time with a bounty of items carefully packed and temperature appropriate from fifteen minutes away.

Serving Sin City since May, anyone familiar with dining around Nevada likely to have come across something cooked or created by John Church II, it was at a budget of $25 per diner that Johnny went all-in this afternoon, several items from the new menu joining old favorites for a sizable spread that also saw several staff box up leftovers for later.

Focused on great Ingredients and fundamentals at a fair price, Johnny C’s “Freshly Forged Seasonal Fruit Platter” featuring a rainbow of Melons, Berries, Grapes, Currants and Figs, those seeking heat instead of sweet found it in Cholula Chicken Wings, the Mexican Hot Sauce also offered on a spicy version of Church’s beloved Hen House Chicken Sandwich.

Again including containers of housemade Pickles, delicious on their own and better atop a Cubano on par with any in Las Vegas, those seeking the 702’s best Smoked Pork should strongly consider an all-new “Pork Trifecta Sandwich” offering Shoulder, Ham and Belly with an Egg, Dill Pickles and BBQ Sauce.

Adding one more new item, plus Mel’s Mac N Cheese with a Cheez-It Crust, Johnny C’s Taco Salad rethinks the concept by placing a multitude of Ingredients atop an XL housemade shell that shatters like laminated Pastry, Ground Beef, Rice and Grains eating lighter than an actual Taco but with all the familiar flavors plus a variety of textures furthered by fresh Vegetables and Black Beans.

Not forgetting a few sweets, Chef Church’s family-recipe Orange Creamsicle Cake always a good choice, Chef Brooks stepped up with another winner in her “No Bake” Cheesecake that eats like silky Citrus Pudding with Graham Cracker Crust and naturally-sweet Blueberry Compote.

N/A: Making it blog policy to not ‘rate’ places based on catering alone, Johnny C’s combination of products and talent is nothing short of remarkable while the price-point is an undeniable bargain for quality Cuisine capable of pleasing a wide range of palates.

RECOMMENDED: For the second straight time, every single dish served this time was exemplary.

AVOID: N/A.

TIP: Currently open Monday through Sunday: 8:00am until 3:00pm for Take-Out and Dine-In. Follow @johnnycsdiiner on Social Media for events as well as specials. Call 702-263-0146 for reservations (encouraged) and use convenient online ordering or Chownow for take-out.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.

www.johnnycsdiner.com

Posted in Catering, Dessert, Food, Johnny C’s, Johnny C’s Diner, Johnny C’s Diner Catering, Las Vegas, Nevada, Pork Tagged "No Bake" Cheese cake, "No Bake" Cheesecake, #supportlocal, 5 Cheese, Aioli, Avocado, Avocados, Barbecue, Barbecue Sauce, Barbeque, Barbeque Sauce, BBQ, BBQ Sauce, Bean, Beans, Beef, Belly, Berries, Berry, Black Bean, Black Beans, Black Pepper, Black Peppers, Blackberries, Blackberry, Blueberries, Blueberry, Blueberry Compote, Bread, Bread & Butter, Bread & Butter Pickle, Bread & Butter Pickles, Brioche, Brioche Bread, Brown Rice, Bun, Buns, Burger, Butter, Buttermilk, Cake, Cakes, Catering, Cheddar, Cheddar Cheese, Cheese, Cheese Cake, Cheesecake, Cheez-It, Cheez-It Cracker, Cheez-It Crackers, Cheez-It Crust, Cheez-Its, Chicken, Chicken Wing, Chicken Wings, Chickens, Chive, Chives, Cholula Aioli, Cholula Hot Sauce, Cinnamon, Compote, Corn, Cow, Cows, Cracker, Crackers, Cream, Cream Cheese, Creamsicle, Creamsicle Cake, Crust, Cubano, Cubano Sandwich, Cubano Sandwich – Ham, Cucumber, Cucumbers, Currant, Currants, Dessert, Desserts, Dill, Dill Pickle, Dill Pickles, Diner, Dressing, Egg, Eggs, endoedibles, Farro, Fig, Figs, Food, Foodie, Freshly Forged Seasonal Fruit Platter, Fried Chicken, Fruit Platter, Garden Greens, Graham, Graham Cracker, Graham Cracker Crust, Graham Crackers, Grahams, Grape, Grapes, Greens, Ground Beef, Ham, Hamburger, Hoagie, Hoagie Roll, Honey, Honeydew, Honeydew Melon, Honeydew Melons, Hot Wing, Hot Wings, House Smoked Pork Shoulder, Housemade Bread & Butter Pickle, Housemade Bread & Butter Pickles, Housemade Dill Pickle, Housemade Dill Pickles, Housemade Dressing, Housemade Pickle, Housemade Pickles, Housemade Taco Shell, JC Pickle, JC Pickles, John Church, Johnny Church, Johnny C’s, Johnny C’s Diner, Johnny C’s Diner Catering, Las Vegas, Lettuce, LV, Mac & Cheese, Mac n' Cheese, Macaroni, Macaroni & Cheese, Macaroni and Cheese, Macaroni Pasta, Mayo, Mayo-Mustard, Mayonnaise, Melon, Melons, Mel’s Mac N Cheese, Michael Uzmann, Mixed Berries, mustard, Nevada, NV, Onion, Onions, Orange, Orange Cake, Orange Creamsicle, Orange Creamsicle Cake, Oranges, Pastries, Pastry, Pepper, Peppers, Pickle, Pickles, Pig, Pork, Pork Belly, Pork Shoulder, Pork Trifecta, Pork Trifecta Sandwich, Pressed Hoagie Roll, Quinoa, Ranch, Ranch Dressing, Rice, Roast Pork, Roasted Pork, Roll, Rolls, Romaine, Romaine Lettuce, Salad, Salads, Sam Brooks, Sandwich, Sandwiches, Sauce, Scott Carson, Seasonal Fruit Platter, Shell, Shoulder, Sin City, Smoked Pork, Smoked Pork Shoulder, Sour Cream, Spiceology, Spinach, Sugar, Swiss Cheese, Taco, Taco Salad, Taco Shell, Tacos, Toasted Bun, Toasted Buns, Tomato, Tomatoes, Vanilla, Vegas, Watermelon, Watermelons, Whipped Cream, Wing, Wings, Yellow Watermelon, Yellow Watermelons

September 16, 2020
7:45 AM
by: Uhockey

Bronze Café at The Juice Box LV Catering, Las Vegas NV

Bronze Café at The Juice Box LV Catering

Fresh Seasonal Berries – Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Blackberries

Fresh Seasonal Melon – Watermelon, Cantaloupe, Muskmelon

Roasted Dill & Garlic Potatoes

Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Roasted Bacon Strips

The Banana Flax Cake

The Blueberry Muffin

The Carrot Cake

The Pumpkin Cookie

The Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle

Having enjoyed David Mozes’ and Chef Peter Bastien’s Bronze Café at The Center, The Market, Juice Stars and Summerlin, it was to #supportlocal that Breakfast was catered from their new location inside The Juice Box LV, a collection of old favorites predictably arriving on time with plenty of plates and utensils that allowed staff to start the day right.

Located at 7150 South Durango Drive, hours from 8:00am until 7:00pm Thursday through Tuesday finding all Bronze Café’s Sammiches, Salads and sweets alongside Juice Box’s signature Smoothies, it was focused on health-conscious and diet-friendly fare that many guests began with Fruit and Vegetables, crispy roasted Potatoes a big hit while Bacon, Berries and Melon were precisely what one expects and a sizable portion for the price.

Continuing with herbed Sweet Potatoes, and more than happy to indulge in Bronze Café’s entirely Vegan Desserts, The Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle remains Las Vegas’ best Cookie despite mounting competition while Gluten-free diners will be happy to know both the Banana Flax Cake and Blueberry Muffin are made without any Wheat protein, though to taste them one barely notices the difference.

Continuing strong with The Pumpkin Cookie, no clever autumnal marketing just great flavor and a moist cake-like consistency, those seeking more should go all-in on Chef Bastien’s Carrot Cake as the eponymous Vegetable is complimented by Pineapple and plenty of Baking Spices beneath slick Icing and toasted Coconut.

N/A: Making it blog policy to not ‘rate’ places based on catering alone, no matter where Chef Peter and David are set-up the quality has never declined, Breakfast on Wednesday continuing to show quality and creativity bound to please those with and without dietary restrictions, whether they want to be gluttonous or eat light.

RECOMMENDED: Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Dill & Garlic Potatoes, The Carrot Cake, The Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle, The Blueberry Muffin.

AVOID: N/A.

TIP: Online ordering and delivery offered by postmates, grubhub, ubereats, seamless, and doordash.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.

www.facebook.com/bronzecafelv

Posted in Breakfast, Bronze Cafe, Bronze Café at The Juice Box LV Catering, Bronze Cafe Catering, Catering, Dessert, Food, Las Vegas, Nevada, Pork, The Juice Box LV Tagged #supportlocal, Bacon, Bacon Strip, Bacon Strips, Banana, Banana Flax Cake, Bananas, Basil, Blackberries, Blackberry, Blueberries, Blueberry, Blueberry Muffin, Blueberry Muffins, Bread, Bronze Cafe, Bronze Café at The Juice Box LV Catering, Bronze Cafe Catering, Cake, Cakes, Cantaloupe, Carrot, Carrot Cake, Carrot Cakes, Carrots, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Sugar, Clove, Cloves, Coconut, Coconuts, Cookie, Cookies, David Mozes, Dessert, Desserts, Dill, endoedibles, Flax, Flax Seed, Flax Seeds, Food, Foodie, Fresh Seasonal Berries, Fresh Seasonal Melon, Frosting, Garlic, Ginger, Gluten, Gluten Free, Herb, Herb Potato, Herb Potatoes, Herbs, Icing, Las Vegas, LV, Melon, Melons, Michael Uzmann, Muffin, Muffins, MuskMelon, Muskmelons, Nevada, Nut, Nutmeg, Nuts, NV, Oat, Oatmeal, Oats, Oil, Olive, Olive Oil, Olives, Pastries, Pastry, Peanut, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle, Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles, Peanuts, Peter Bastien, Pineapple, Pineapples, Potato, Potatoes, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Cookie, Pumpkin Cookies, Pumpkin Spice, Pumpkin Spice Cookie, Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Pumpkins, Raisin, Raisins, Raspberries, Raspberry, Roasted Bacon, Roasted Bacon Strip, Roasted Bacon Strips, Roasted Dill & Garlic Potato, Roasted Dill & Garlic Potatoes, Roasted Sweet Potato, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Seed, Seeds, Shredded Carrot, shredded Carrots, Sin City, Snickerdoodle, Snickerdoodle Cookie, Snickerdoodle Cookies, Snickerdoodles, Strawberries, Strawberry, Sugar, Sweet Potato, Sweet Potatoes, The Banana Flax Cake, The Blueberry Muffin, The Carrot Cake, The Juice Box LV, The Peanut Butter Snickerdoodle, The Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles, The Pumpkin Cookie, The Pumpkin Spice Cookie, The Pumpkin Spice Cookies, Toasted Coconut, Toasted Coconuts, Vanilla, Vegan, Vegas, Watermelon, Watermelons

September 14, 2020
7:20 AM
by: Uhockey

Rosallie Catering [9,] Las Vegas NV

Rosallie Le French Café

Yogurt Parfait – Granola, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries

Nutella Twist

French Toast Breakfast Sandwich – Smoked Honey-cured Bacon, melted Mozzarella Cheese, Paris Ham, Maple Syrup

Pain au Raisin

Peach Custard Danish

Nutella Almond Croissant

Almond Croissant

Cinnamon Roll with Frosting

Cinnamon Apple Brioche

Almond Raspberry Croissant

Nutella Almond Tarte

Blackberry Almond Tarte

Walnut Tarte

Pear Tarte

Now in its sixth year, unquestionably Las Vegas’ top choice for French Pastry since debuting with a second location thriving in Florida, Rosallie Le French Café continues to operate with strict safety measures amidst Phase Two of Nevada’s reopening, and just like prior a #supportlocal Breakfast on Monday saw Christophe assemble a remarkable spread of items both sweet and savory.

Easily arranged through owner Jonathan Pluvinet via ‘Le French Café’s’ e-mail, a budget of $15 per guest yielding enough quality cuisine to feed twice the office’s number of staff, it was by 7:20am that all items were delivered and carefully arranged, Sandwiches still warm as were several Pastries.

Also serving Salad and a sizable Parfait, the latter a big hit with those favoring a lighter morning, it was after indulging in a heaping spoonful that Rosallie’s French Toast Breakfast Sandwich followed, the marriage of Smoked Honey-cured Bacon to Ham by Mozzarella masterful between slices of Brioche soaked in Maple Syrup.

Making short work of Jonathan’s World-class Walnut Tarte, better than ever thanks to more Nuts and less Sugar, an equally-noteworthy Almond Croissant predictably followed featuring great lamination and hand-ground Almonds that are further gussied up in Viennoiserie featuring Nutella or Raspberries.

No Bostock this time, Blackberries instead found pocketing a seasonal Tarte while Apples rest atop a fluffy Brioche round, Fruit is equally well utilized in Danishes ranging from Peach to Apricot with silky Custard supported by beautifully laminated Dough.

Happy to share two more Tartes, both Nutella and Pear juxtaposing housemade Almond Paste inside a delicate Shell, Rosallie’s Cinnamon Roll continues to take the American favorite in an entirely new direction by making it light and airy with plenty of tangy Cream Cheese Frosting piped elegantly above.

Rounding out the afternoon with crispy layers of lamination, a lengthy Twist with Confectioner’s Sugar, crunchy balls of Chocolate plus Hazelnut-Chocolate Spread, be sure not to sleep on Rosallie’s Raisin Snail that has emerged recently as one of the Café’s best items thanks to shattering edges surrounding a soft interior rife with Butter.

N/A: Making it blog policy to not ‘rate’ places based on catering alone,from the day Jonathan Pluvinet opened Rosallie on South Rainbow the need to visit Las Vegas Blvd for great French Pastry vanished, and although competition has sprouted up none are in the same class as what he and former Jean-Philippe maestro Christophe are baking daily.

RECOMMENDED: French Toast Breakfast Sandwich, Tartine L’Espagnole, Walnut Tarte, Pear Tarte, Almond Croissant, Cinnamon Roll, Pain au Raisin, Cherry Custard with Pastry Cream Danish, Almond Raspberry Croissant.

AVOID: N/A

TIP: Currently 7a-2p daily. Call or e-mail Info@rosallie.com ahead for pre-orders or catering and consider Yelp! (Grubhub) on-line delivery for smaller orders if you can’t make it to the store.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.

www.rosallie.com

Posted in Bread Basket, Breakfast, Catering, Croissant, Croissants, Dessert, Food, Las Vegas, Nevada, Pork, Rosallie, Rosallie 'Le French Cafe', Rosallie Catering, Rosallie Le French Café Catering, Rosallie Le French Cafe Catering Tagged #supportlocal, 100% Maple Syrup, 100% Pure Maple Syrup, Aioli, Almond, Almond Croissant, Almond Croissants, Almond Raspberry Croissant, Almond Raspberry Croissants, Almonds, Apple, Apples, Bacon, Blackberries, Blackberry, Blackberry Almond Tarte, Blueberries, Blueberry, Bread, Breakfast Sandwich, Brioche, Brioche Bread, Brioche French Toast, Brioche Toast, Brown Butter, Butter, Cake, Cakes, Candied Walnut, Candied Walnuts, Cheese, Chocolate, Chocolate-Hazelnut, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Apple, Cinnamon Apple Brioche, Cinnamon Roll, Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting, Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Icing, Cinnamon Roll with Frosting, Cinnamon Roll with Icing, Cinnamon Rolls, Confectioner's Sugar, Cream, Cream Cheese, Cream Cheese Frosting, Cream Cheese Icing, Croissant, Croissants, Cucumber, Cucumbers, Custard, Custard Danish, Custard Danishes, Danish, Danishes, Dessert, Desserts, Dressing, endoedibles, Foodie, French Bread, French Toast, French Toast Breakfast Sandwich, Frosting, Granola, Ham, Hardwood Smoked Bacon, Hardwood Smoked Honey Cured Bacon, Honey, Honey Bacon, Honey Cured Bacon, House Dressing, Housemade Brioche, Housemade Brioche Bread, Icing, Jam, Jelly, Jonathan Pluvinet, Laminated Twist, Laminated Twist with Confectioner’s Sugar, Las Vegas, LV, Maple, Maple Syrup, Melted Mozzarella Cheese, Michael Uzmann, Mozzarella, Mozzarella Cheese, Nevada, Nutella, Nutella Almond Croissant, Nutella Almond Croissants, Nutella Almond Tart, Nutella Almond Tarte, Nutella Almond Tartes, Nutella Almond Tarts, Nutella Twist, NV, Oat, Oatmeal, Oats, Pain, Pain au Raisin, Parfait, Paris Ham, Pastries, Pastry, Pastry Cream, Peach, Peach Custard Danish, Peach Danish, Peach Danishes, Peaches, Pear, Pear Tart, Pear Tarte, Pear Tartes, Pear Tarts, Pears, Pig, Pork, Preserves, Puff Pastry, Pure Maple Syrup, Puree, Raisin, Raisins, Raspberries, Raspberry, Raspberry Jam, Raspberry Jelly, Raspberry Preserves, Roll, Rolls, Rosallie, Rosallie Le French Cafe, Sandwich, Sandwiches, Sin City, Smoked Bacon, Smoked Honey Cured Bacon, Strawberries, Strawberry, Sugar, Syrup, Tart, Tarte, Tartes, Tarts, Toast, Twist, Vanilla, Vegas, Viennesoire, Viennesoires, Viennoiserie, Viennoiseries, Walnut, Walnut Tart, Walnut Tarte, Walnut Tartes, Walnut Tarts, Walnuts, Yogurt, Yogurt Parfait

September 12, 2020
11:35 AM
by: Uhockey

Late Labor Day Picnic, Las Vegas NV

Late Labor Day Picnic

Carson Kitchen Crispy Chicken Skins – Smoked Honey

Big B’s Texas BBQ – BBQ Beans

Snap-o-Razzo Hot Dogs

Having left Las Vegas for the first time in 6 months for Labor Day, Saturday’s lunch celebrated the end of Summer with old favorites from Big B’s and Carson Kitchen, plus Ralph Perrazzo’s extraordinary Hot Dogs featuring a robust casing, big flavor and the sort of juiciness that sees a saporous spray when pierced with fork or knife.

Posted in Big B’s, Big B’s Texas BBQ, Big B’s Texas BBQ 2, Big B’s Texas BBQ Catering, Carson Kitchen, Food, Las Vegas, Nevada, Pork, Snap-o-Razzo, Snap-o-Razzo Hot Dogs Tagged 100% Beef Hot Dog, Barbecue, Barbecue Bean, Barbecue Beans, Barbeque, Barbeque Bean, Barbeque Beans, BBQ, BBQ Bean, BBQ Beans, Bean, Beans, Beef, Beef & Pork Hot Dog, Beef & Pork Hot Dogs, Beef Brisket, Beef Hot Dog, Beef Hot Dogs, Big B's, Big B's Texas Barbecue, Big B's Texas Barbeque, Big B's Texas BBQ, Bread, Brian Buechner, Brisket, Carson Kitchen, Chicken, Chicken Skin, Chicken Skins, Chickens, Cory Harwell, Cow, Cows, Crispy Chicken Skin, Crispy Chicken Skins, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Honey, Hot Dog, Hot Dogs, Las Vegas, LV, Michael Uzmann, Natalia Badzjo, Nevada, NV, Onion, Onions, Pepper, Peppers, Pig, Pork, Ralph Perrazzo, Sauce, Sin City, Skin, Skins, Smoked Brisket, Smoked Honey, Snap-o-Razzo, Snap-o-Razzo Hot Dog, Snap-o-Razzo Hot Dogs, Sugar, Tomato, Tomatoes, Vegas

September 12, 2020
11:30 AM
by: Uhockey

PopNPies, Las Vegas NV

PopNPies

Blueberry Crumble Pie

Egg Custard Pie

Salt & Maple Pie

Banana Cream Pie

Chocolate Chess Pie

A graduate of College of Southern Nevada, with a resume including stints at Joël Robuchon and Bouchon Bistro, Andrea Reyes Mclean’s PopNPies has been slowly gaining steam since 2018, recent praise from several high-profile Chefs necessitating an order of five seasonal selections delivered door-to-door.

Low profile to say the least, only an Instagram account with occasional pictures sharing PopNPies story, it was directly from the hands of Chef Andrea and an assistant that Pies arrived safely, verbal thanks and a stamp in the box showing gratitude with an added surprise below each pan.

Offering a seasonal menu, and currently working with Sparrow + Wolf on a joint project, first bites from PopNPies’ Blueberry Crumble attest to both great Crust and a light hand with Sugar, the Berries individually bursting beneath buttery Topping before switching over to Egg Custard that eats jiggly like something from a Chinese Bakery but more developed in terms of complexity.

Enjoyed during an end of Summer picnic including Carson Kitchen’s Chicken Skins and Snap-o-Razzo Hotdogs, plus Big B’s Texas BBQ Baked Beans, Dark Chocolate Chess saw sheer decadence balanced by a big Dollop of Whipped Cream while Salt & Maple reminisced of Tarte Au Sucre Francaise found throughout Eastern Canada.

Rare to take a chance on Banana Cream, at least a dozen experiences with Emeril’s iconic version rendering almost any other irrelevant, suffice it to say Chef Reyes Mclean makes a strong case for being as good – if not better – thanks to crumbled Graham Crackers juxtaposing silky Pudding and Bananas that tastes as though they were caramelized or kissed with Rum.

FIVE STARS: Judged as what it is, a locally-owned online Pie business, PopNPies rivals the likes of Bang Bang Chicago, Emporium in Dallas or Fat + Flour Los Angeles at a lower price point with top quality taste and texture plus impeccable customer service.

RECOMMENDED: Egg Custard, Salt & Maple, Banana Cream.

AVOID: N/A.

TIP: @popnpies on Instagram for current menu, prices and ordering information.

WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor.

www.instagram.com/popnpies

Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Food, Henderson, Las Vegas, Nevada, PopNPies Tagged 100% Maple Syrup, 100% Pure Maple Syrup, Andrea Reyes Mclean, Banana, Banana Cream, Banana Cream Pie, Bananas, Blueberries, Blueberry, Blueberry Crumble, Blueberry Crumble Pie, Butter, Caramel, Chess, Chess Pie, Chocolate, Chocolate Chess, Chocolate Chess Pie, Chocolate Pie, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Cookie, Cookies, Cracker, Crackers, Cream, Crumble, Crust, Crusts, Custard, Custard Pie, Dark Chocolate, Dessert, Desserts, Egg, Egg Custard, Egg Custard Pie, Eggs, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Graham, Graham Cracker, Graham Cracker Crust, Graham Crackers, Grahams, Henderson, Honey, Las Vegas, LV, Maple, Maple Syrup, Michael Uzmann, Nevada, Nilla Wafer, Nilla Wafers, NV, Pastries, Pastry, Pie, Pies, PopNPies, Pure Maple Syrup, Rum, Salt, Salt & Maple, Salt & Maple Pie, Salt and Maple Pie, Sea Salt, Sin City, Streusel, Sugar, Syrup, Vanilla, Vanilla Wafer, Vanilla Wafer Cookie, Vanilla Wafer Cookies, Vanilla Wafers, Vegas, Vinegar, Whipped Cream

September 9, 2020
11:00 AM
by: Uhockey

Delightful Pastries, Chicago IL

Delightful Pastries

Apricot Kolaczki, Raspberry Kolaczki, Cheese Kolaczki

Pecan Square

Apple Cake

Raspberry Paczki

Prune Butter Paczki

Located in Jefferson Park since 1998 Delightful Pastries is a neighborhood bakery through-and-through, Dobra Bielinski and mother Stasia Hawryszczuk still serving many of the same Eastern Europeans today that made the storefront a success two decades ago.

Built on local Ingredients and historic recipes, all housed inside a cozy space on Lawrence, guests entering Delightful Pastries during COVID-19 will find little changed from pre-pandemic, staff and patrons donning PPE noteworthy while at least three-dozen choices rest safely behind glass.

Less sweet than the typical Bakery, low Sugar plus a lack of preservatives and stabilizers proudly promoted, it was on a nearby bench that seven items were tasted, Kolaczki with locally made Preserves or Cream Cheese precisely as good as Grandma’s while Bielinski’s Pecan Square outperforms the average Pie thanks to more Nuts and a lack of Corn Syrup.

Offering plenty of Fruit based items, typical of Poland on Hungary, Apple Cake comes sliced into weighty wedges offering plenty of Cinnamon between Sponge layers while Paczki served year-round provide a reminder of Fat Tuesday without long lines but all the expected texture and flavor.

www.delightfulpastries.com

Posted in Bread Basket, Breakfast, Chicago, Delightful Pastries, Dessert, Food, Illinois, Vacation Tagged Apple, Apple Cake, Apples, Apricot, Apricot Jam, Apricot Jelly, Apricot Kolaczki, Apricot Kolaczkis, Apricot Preserves, Apricots, Bread, Butter, Cake, Cakes, Cheese, Cheese Kolaczki, Cheese Kolaczkis, Chicago, Cinnamon, Confectioner's Sugar, Cookie, Cookies, Cream, Cream Cheese, Delightful Pastries, Dessert, Desserts, Dobra Bielinski, Donut, Donuts, Doughnut, Doughnuts, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Glaze, IL, Illinois, Jam, Jelly, Kolaczki, Kolaczkis, Michael Uzmann, Paczki, Paczkis, Pastries, Pastry, Pecan, Pecan Pie, Pecan Pies, Pecan Square, Pecans, Pie, Pies, Powdered Sugar, Preserves, Prune, Prune Butter, Prune Butter Paczki, Prune Butter Paczkis, Prunes, Raspberries, Raspberry, Raspberry Jam, Raspberry Jelly, Raspberry Kolaczki, Raspberry Kolaczkis, Raspberry Paczki, Raspberry Paczkis, Raspberry Preserves, Stasia Hawryszczuk, Sugar, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla, Yeast, Yeast Donut, Yeast Donuts, Yeast Doughnut, Yeast Doughnuts

September 9, 2020
9:00 AM
by: Uhockey

Bittersweet Pastry Shop, Chicago IL

Bittersweet Pastry Shop

Blueberry Scone

Thumbprint Cookie

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie

Cherry Clafoutis

Pecan Roll

A part of Lakeview since 1992 Bittersweet Pastry Shop & Café has made its name by designing Cakes for several famous Chicagoans, and operating at limited capacity amidst a global pandemic the storefront at 1114 West Belmont Avenue continues to serve guests from 8am until 2pm Wednesday through Sunday.

A European-style stalwart in the age of Social Media, complete with an on-site dining menu alongside dozens of Pastries, it was moments after opening that shelves were found well-stocked, prices on par with other similar places and slightly less than new Artisans like Baker Miller or Lost Larson.

A cozy shop turned somewhat cold by safety measures, its dearth of guests and one masked employee awkwardly quiet during an exchange of funds for Baked Goods, first bites of Bittersweet’s Scone found Muffin-like texture dotted by Blueberries, the Thumbprint Cookie to follow unfortunately quite dry while an Oatmeal Raisin Cookie interestingly approximated Feuilletine.

Increasing in size and quality henceforth, the $4.25 Pecan Roll sticky and crackling on the surface overlying wispy insides, those seeking a true European classic will find it in high-walled Clafoutis featuring plenty of tart Cherries suspended in a buttery Custard matrix.

www.bittersweetpastry.com

Posted in Bittersweet Pastry Shop, Bittersweet Pastry Shop & Café, Bread Basket, Breakfast, Chicago, Dessert, Food, Illinois, Vacation Tagged Bittersweet Pastry Shop, Bittersweet Pastry Shop & Café, Blueberries, Blueberry, Blueberry Scone, Blueberry Scones, Bread, Bun, Buns, Butter, Cake, Cakes, Caramel, Cherries, Cherry, Cherry Clafoutis, Chicago, Clafoutis, Cookie, Cookies, Custard, Dessert, Desserts, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, IL, Illinois, Jam, Jelly, Michael Uzmann, Oat, Oatmeal, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie, Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Oats, Pastries, Pastry, Pecan, Pecan Roll, Pecan Rolls, Pecans, Preserves, Raisin, Raisins, Roll, Rolls, Scone, Scones, Sticky Bun, Sticky Buns, Strawberries, Strawberry, Strawberry Jam, Strawberry Jelly, Strawberry Preserves, Sugar, Thumbprint Cookie, Thumbprint Cookies, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla

September 9, 2020
8:05 AM
by: Uhockey

Lost Larson Bakery, Chicago IL

Lost Larson Bakery

Sourdough Brown Butter Pecan Cookie

Trailmix Cookie

Bostock with Grapefruit Marmalade

Churro Croissant

Cardamom Bun

Kouign Amann

Almond Croissant

Lingonberry Almond Cake

Carrot Cake

To the traveled diner Bobby Schaffer’s resume reads like a bucket list, his love of Pastry discovered at Quique Dacosta followed by stints at Blue Hill at Stone Barns and Curtis Duffy’s Grace, but since June of 2018 it is from Lost Larson that Chicago has been able to experience word-class skills in a more casual setting.

Located in Andersonville at 5318 North Clark Street, a small storefront with simple signage far less remarkable than products within, it is from Organic Grains milled on-site that Schaffer and team produce dozens of Loaves, Buns and Viennoiserie, all firmly rooted in heritage rather than whatever is “trending” on Instagram today.

Currently pre-order and walk-up only, hours from 8:00am until 2:00pm Wednesday through Sunday frequently finding many items sold out quickly, it was at a cost of just under $50 that nine items were procured Wednesday morning, to some a steep price for Baked Goods but largely justified by the quality of each.

Referencing Viennese and French technique, but globally influenced by Scandinavia as well as America, a sampling of Lost Larson’s goods began with two $4 Cookies, their dubious value supported by crisp rim and soft center with no shortage of complexity while thick-cut Bostock is an absolute treasure thanks to freshly made Brioche soaked in Rum and slathered with tart Marmalade before being baked beneath Almonds.

Moving on to laminated Pastry, local Grains marrying rich European Butter, suffice it to say Lost Larson’s variety poses tough choices, the “Churro” Croissant in reality just Cinnamon-Sugar atop buttery layers while both Schaffer’s Kouign Amann and Almond Croissant rival the quality one rarely finds outside of France.

Hand-rolling Cardamom Buns, with Cinnamon Rolls also available for those seeking something sweeter than Sweden’s most popular Fika, it was passing on Lost Larson’s famous Princess Cake that two alternatives were chosen, the Lingonberry Almond round toothsome and tart while Bobby’s Carrot Cake ascends to great heights thanks to plenty of moisture, tangy Cream Cheese Frosting and pockets of candied Walnuts beneath a layer of Apricot.

www.lostlarson.com

Posted in Bread Basket, Breakfast, Chicago, Croissant, Croissants, Dessert, Food, Illinois, Lost Larson, Lost Larson Bakery, Vacation Tagged Almond, Almond Cake, Almond Cakes, Almond Croissant, Almond Croissants, Almond Paste, Almonds, Apricot, Apricots, Bobby Schaffer, Bostock, Bostock with Grapefruit Marmalade, Bread, Brioche, Brioche Bostock, Brioche Bread, Brown Butter, Bun, Buns, Butter, Cake, Cakes, Cardamom, Cardamom Bun, Cardamom Buns, Carrot, Carrot Cake, Carrots, Cheese, Cherries, Cherry, Chicago, Chocolate, Churro, Churro Croissant, Churro Croissants, Churros, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Sugar, Confectioner's Sugar, Cookie, Cookies, Cream, Cream Cheese, Cream Cheese Frosting, Cream Cheese Icing, Croissant, Croissants, Dark Chocolate, Dessert, Desserts, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Frosting, Grapefruit, Grapefruit Marmalade, Icing, IL, Illinois, Kouign Amann, Lingonberries, Lingonberry, Lingonberry Almond Cake, Lost Larson, Lost Larson Bakery, Marmalade, Michael Uzmann, Oat, Oatmeal, Oats, Paste, Pastries, Pastry, Pecan, Pecans, Praline, Pralines, Rum, Seed, Seeds, Sesame, Sesame Seed, Sesame Seeds, Sourdough, Sourdough Bread, Sourdough Brown Butter Pecan Cookie, Sourdough Brown Butter Pecan Cookies, Sugar, Sunflower, Sunflower Seed, Sunflower Seeds, Trail Mix, Trailmix, Trailmix Cookie, Trailmix Cookies, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla, Viennesoire, Viennesoires, Viennoiserie, Viennoiseries, Walnut, Walnut Praline, Walnut Pralines, Walnuts, White Chocolate

September 8, 2020
6:15 PM
by: Uhockey

Ever, Chicago IL

Ever

Canapes – Huckleberry Pâte de Fruit / Jamón Ibérico / Smoked Trout Roe, Lemon Crème Fraîche, Sea Lettuce, Puffed Rice / Peach Kombucha, Tapioca Pearls

Osetra Caviar – Crab, Cucumber, Citrus Lace

Tomato – Watermelon, Brioche, Arugula

Scallop – Mango, Lardo, Hoja Santa

Olive Roll

Salted Butter, Herb Butter

Butternut Squash – Black Olive, Apple, Oxalis

Caper Biscuit

Maitake – Toasted Rice, Idiazabal Cheese, Nasturtium

Pretzel Demi Baguette

Squab – Fennel, Coffee, Yarrow

Sea Salt Brioche

Miyazaki Wagyu – Sunchoke, Orange, Tat Soi

Chartreuse – Pineapple, Licorice, Mint

Double Espresso – Ice

Chamomile – Pine Nut, Raspberry, Plum Sorrel

Chocolate – Finger Lime, Banana, Hibiscus

Tiny Sweets – Wheat Berry Koji Bar, Cranberry, Pumpkin Seed / Chocolate, Pomegranate Caramel

Chocolate Bar

As anyone who has followed Curtis Duffy’s career can surmise little has gone according to “plan,” the story by Kevin Pang that told of Chef Duffy’s difficult upbringing followed by Michelin 3* accolades now adding another chapter in which he and co-owner Michael Muser open a $5 million dollar Restaurant amidst a global pandemic.

Unknown when cooking at a country club in Ohio, but first met in 2011 on the tail-end of a stint with The Peninsula at AVENUES, it was a couple years later that Curtis opened the Restaurant featured in Netflix “For Grace,” it’s sudden shutter due to investor issues in 2017 almost unprecedented and leaving many questions.

Described by Muser as “a place you come to when you don’t want to question any of the ‘what ifs?’,” the very nature of a destination Restaurant incorporating “socially distanced” tables while Tock assures “contact-less payment,” it is after a quick temperature check that Ever checks every fine-dining box, only staff clad in masks differentiating the dining room scene from what was likely intended.

Bringing GM Amy Cordell and Chef de Cuisine Justin Selk along after Duffy’s 2-year non-compete, 3* ambitions evident to traveled diners, Ever’s walls slope and cascade into a serene yet well-lit space, and with only one menu offered the experience begins quickly atop a black Bee’s Wax mold featuring Canapes ranging from salty to sweet.

Growing Herbs on the roof, and displaying an immense space including at least sixteen Chefs plus unloading areas that guarantee no outsiders enter Ever when delivering Ingredients, course one has already become a photogenic favorite thanks to the Restaurant’s etched name and the cooling flavor of Cucumber punctuated by everything from King Crab to Caviar and texturally modified Cashews.

Pairing generous pours from an engaging Sommelier to each plate, he just one of a number of peerless wait staff, seasonality predictably influenced many of the following courses, Tomato Ice shattering to something like Gazpacho before a well-trimmed Scallop standing alongside Mango with Pork Fat and a bursting sphere filled with liquid.

Ten-courses at $285 without Beverages, an exclusive price point that will undoubtedly raise eyebrows in the current economy, Ever’s next four plates each arrived with accompanying Bread, the first Roll playing off Black Olives building upon the flavor of softened Squash plus Apples while a buttery Caper Biscuit worked well with an umami-soaked Mushroom grounded by peppery Nasturtium.

Served at a leisurely pace, an evening at Ever currently ~150 minutes including a complete tour, Pretzel Baguettes half the size of one’s pinky found themselves offered alongside barely-seared Squab accented by bold aromatics and subtle bitterness before savories concluded in A5 Wagyu amidst Citrus and earthy textural components.

Seeing elements of both Grace’s Flora or Fauna menus implemented, whether Ever will eventually offer separate tastings currently unknown, Dessert looks precisely as fans of Duffy might expect – Chartreuse and Pineapple Sorbet incorporating Licorice that harkens back to Tat Soi from the prior savory while Chamomile refreshes the palate in preparation for a Chocolate landscape brightened by Finger Lime and Banana.

Sipping Espresso with “Tiny Sweets,” an autumnal Granola Bar and Chocolate Bon Bon, it was after the tour that a Menu and parting gift were provided, every aspect of the experience already humming along in a way that feels fluid, luxurious and familiar even during “unprecedented times.”

www.ever-restaurant.com

Posted in Bread Basket, Chicago, Coffee, Crab, Dessert, Ever Restaurant, Food, Ice Cream, Illinois, Pork, Tasting Menu, Vacation Tagged A5, A5 Beef, A5 Wagyu, A5 Wagyu Beef, Americano, Amy Cordell, Apple, Apples, Arugula, Baguette, Baguettes, Banana, Bananas, Beef, Biscuit, Biscuits, Black Olive, Black Olives, Bread, Brioche, Brioche Bread, Butter, Butternut Squash, Cake, Cakes, Canape, Canapes, Caper, Caper Biscuit, Caper Biscuits, Capers, Caramel, Caviar, Chamomile, Chamomile Tea, Chartreuse, Cheese, Chicago, Chocolate, Chocolate Bar, Cinnamon, Citrus, Citrus Lace, Coffee, Cow, Cows, Crab, Crabs, Cranberries, Cranberry, Cream, Creme, Crème Fraiche, Cucumber, Cucumbers, Curtis Duffy, Dark Chocolate, Demi Baguette, Demi Baguettes, Dessert, Desserts, Double Espresso, endoedibles, Espresso, Ever, Ever Restaurant, Fennel, Finger Lime, Finger Limes, Fish, Food, Foodie, Ham, Herb, Herb Butter, Herbs, Hibiscus, Hibiscus Flower, Hoja Santa, Huckleberries, Huckleberry, Huckleberry Pâte de Fruit, Iberico, Iberico Ham, Iberico Pork, Ice, Ice Cream, Idiazabal, Idiazabal Cheese, IL, Illinois, Jamon, Jamon Iberico, Justin Selk, King Crab, King Crabs, Koji, Koji Bar, Kombucha, Lardo, Leaf, Leaves, Lemon, Lemon Crème Fraîche, Lemons, Lettuce, Licorice, Lime, Limes, Maitake, Maitake Mushroom, Maitake Mushrooms, Maitakes, Mango, Mangoes, Mangos, Michael Muser, Michael Uzmann, Mint, Mints, Miyazaki, Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Beef, Miyazaki Wagyu, Miyazaki Wagyu Beef, Mushroom, Mushrooms, Nasturtium, Nasturtium Leaf, Nasturtium Leaves, Olive, Olive Roll, Olive Rolls, Olives, Onion, Onions, Orange, Oranges, Osetra, Osetra Caviar, Oxalis, Pastries, Pastry, Pate de Fruit, Peach, Peach Kombucha, Peaches, Pepita, Pepitas, Pepper, Peppers, Pig, Pine Nut, Pine Nuts, Pineapple, Pineapples, Plum, Plum Sorrel, Plums, Pomegranate, Pomegranate Caramel, Pomegranates, Pork, Pretzel, Pretzel Baguette, Pretzel Baguettes, Pretzel Bread, Pretzel Demi Baguette, Pretzel Demi Baguettes, Pretzels, Puffed Rice, Pumpkin, Pumpkin Seed, Pumpkin Seeds, Pumpkins, Raspberries, Raspberry, Rice, Roe, Roll, Rolls, Salt, Salted Butter, Sauce, Scallop, Scallops, Sea Lettuce, Sea Salt, Sea Salt Brioche, Seed, Seeds, Smoked Trout Roe, Sorrel, Squab, Squabs, Squash, Sugar, Sunchoke, Sunchokes, Tapioca, Tapioca Pearl, Tapioca Pearls, Tasting Menu, Tat Soi, Tea, Tiny Sweets, Toasted Rice, Tomato, Tomato Ice, Tomatoes, Travel, Trout, Trout Fish, Trout Roe, Vacation, Vanilla, Watermelon, Watermelons, Wheat Berries, Wheat Berry, Wheat Berry Koji Bar, WheatBerries, WheatBerry, Yarrow

September 8, 2020
1:55 PM
by: Uhockey

The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop, Chicago IL

The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop

The Original Rainbow Cone – Chocolate Ice Cream, Strawberry Ice Cream, Palmer House Ice Cream, Pistachio Ice Cream, Orange Sherbet

Founded by Joseph Sapp in 1926, The Original Rainbow Cone still stands at the corner of 92nd and Western, ownership currently in its third generation still holding onto Joe’s guiding principle that no one should be satisfied by a single flavor.

A South Side gathering place through wars, economic collapse and the current pandemic, all staff donning PPE and sanitizer at the ready, it was at safe social distance from two elderly women that a brief wait preceded ordering, though the decision-making process was obviously simplified for a first-timer.

Currently Credit Card only, packed pints and Cakes also offered along with a handful of additional flavors, it was atop a Waffle Cone that five colors were stacked using something like a trowel, the Chocolate sweeter than expected while Strawberry, Pistachio and Orange Sherbet all represented well on either side of Vanilla with Walnuts and Cherries.

www.rainbowcone.com

Posted in Chicago, Dessert, Food, Ice Cream, Illinois, Original Rainbow Cone, Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop, The Original Rainbow Cone, The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop, Vacation, Waffle Tagged Cherries, Cherry, Chicago, Chocolate, Chocolate Ice Cream, Cone, Cones, Cream, Dessert, Desserts, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Ice Cream, IL, Illinois, Joe Sapp, Joseph Sapp, Michael Uzmann, Orange, Orange Sherbet, Oranges, Original Rainbow Cone, Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop, Palmer House, Palmer House Ice Cream, Pistachio, Pistachio Ice Cream, Pistachios, Sherbet, Strawberries, Strawberry, Strawberry Ice Cream, Sugar, The Original Rainbow Cone, The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla, Waffle, Waffle Cone, Waffles, Walnut, Walnuts

September 8, 2020
12:05 PM
by: Uhockey

Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria, Chicago IL

Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria

Small Pizza – Half Cheese/Half Sausage

With roots in Sicily, the story of Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria starts around 1923, first a tavern and then another from Vito Barraco before the addition of Pizza when son Nick joined the business after being discharged from the US Air Force.

Starting as thick squares, but eventually developing the thin Dough that typifies Chicago’s signature “Tavern Style,” it is currently at 84th and Pulaski that guests can experience what many consider to be one of Chi-town’s best Pies – a rumor undoubtedly benefited from Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives.

At this point a South Side institution, and still operating at limited capacity amidst COVID-19, guests visiting Vito & Nick’s can expect brusque greetings and cash-only sales, Nick Barraco’s 1965 quote that “We will never deliver, if they want a truly great pizza, they will come in for it” still standing today.

Known for using housemade Italian Sausage and Giardiniera, the latter with Italian Beef something of a signature, it was instead from a middle-age waitress who smelled of cigarettes that an $18.25 “Half Sausage/Half Cheese” was served, a slightly charred edge and plenty of Herbs enjoyable though the Crust was neither as thin or crackling as that of Pat’s on North Lincoln.

www.vitoandnicks.com

Posted in Chicago, Food, Illinois, Italian, Pizza, Pork, Vacation, Vito & Nick’s, Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria Tagged Bread, Butter, Cheese, Chicago, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Herb, Herbs, IL, Illinois, Italian Sausage, Michael Uzmann, Mozzarella, Mozzarella Cheese, Nick Barraco, Pig, Pizza, Pork, Pork Sausage, Sauce, Sausage, Tavern Pie, Tavern style Pizza, Thin Crust, Thin Crust Pizza, Tomato, Tomato Sauce, Tomatoes, Travel, Vacation, Vito & Nick’s, Vito & Nick’s Pizzeria, Vito Barraco

September 8, 2020
9:05 AM
by: Uhockey

Aya Pastry, Chicago IL

Aya Pastry

Coconut Bun

Peanut Butter & Jelly Dino Mac

Samoa Cake

Biscuit

Almond Croissant

Kouign Amann

Arguably Chicago’s most consistently-excellent Pastry Chef in recent years, stints at Michelin 2* RIA and Sixteen followed by a turn to wholesale in 2018, Aya Fukai settled into West Town last August with her eponymous Bakery featuring everything from Macarons and Viennoiseries to Cakes and Pies.

A former James Beard Foundation Award nominee, with items dotting the menus of spots like nearby Tempesta Market before debuting Aya Pastry, it is amidst pandemic precautions that the space at 1332 West Grand Avenue currently serves guests from 9:00am until 4:00pm daily.

Offering online ordering, currently the easiest way to guarantee a wide variety of options that are known to sell-out early, it was shortly after opening that the storefront was found bright and welcoming, the clerk quickly adding a warm Milk Roll filled with Coconut Cream and crowned with Royal icing to the bag already containing five selections.

Also delivering within a set radius, though an opportunity to see the store’s décor is encouraged, signatures from Eater’s 2016 National Pastry Chef of the Year include jumbo “Dino Macs” that break crisp to fillings like PB&J plus a Kouign Amann that crackles and flakes with up-front sweetness slowly dissipating to a rich and buttery finish.

Adding a touch of Sourdough to Croissants, the Almond version on par with many in France thanks to imported Butter plus housemade Paste imbued with Rum, suffice it to say Fukai’s Biscuit outperforms both Bang Bang and Baker Miller at a lower price point while the $4 Samoa Cake riffs on a Girl Scout icon with Chocolate-Brown Sugar Cake frosted in Dulce de Leche Buttercream beneath Toasted Coconut and Chocolate Ganache.

www.ayapastry.com

Posted in Aya Pastry, Bread Basket, Breakfast, Chicago, Croissant, Croissants, Dessert, Food, Illinois, Macaron, Macaroon, Vacation Tagged Almond, Almond Croissant, Almond Croissants, Almond Paste, Almonds, Aya Fukai, Aya Pastry, Biscuit, Biscuits, Bread, Brown Sugar, Brown Sugar Cake, Bun, Buns, Butter, Buttercream, Buttercream Frosting, Buttermilk, Buttermilk Biscuit, Buttermilk Biscuits, Cake, Cakes, Caramel, Chicago, Chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Ganache, Chocolate-Brown Sugar Cake, Coconut, Coconut Bun, Coconut Buns, Coconut Cream, Coconut Flake, Coconut Flakes, Coconuts, Cookie, Cookies, Cream, Croissant, Croissants, Dark Chocolate, Dessert, Desserts, Dino Mac, Dulce de Leche, Dulce de Leche Buttercream, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Frosting, Ganache, Grape, Grape Jam, Grape Jelly, Grape Preserves, Grapes, Icing, IL, Illinois, Jam, Jelly, Kouign Amann, Macaron, Macarons, Michael Uzmann, Milk, Milk Roll, Milk Rolls, Paste, Pastries, Pastry, Peanut, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Peanut Butter & Jelly Dino Mac, Peanut Butter and Jelly, Peanuts, Roll, Rolls, Royal icing, Rum, Samoa, Samoa Cake, Sugar, Toasted Coconut, Toasted Coconuts, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla, Viennoiserie, Viennoiseries, Whipped Chocolate Ganache

September 8, 2020
8:25 AM
by: Uhockey

West Town Bakery & Diner (West Chicago,) Chicago IL

West Town Bakery & Diner

Chocolate Almond Croissant

Carrot Cake Cake Ball

Chocolate Peanut Cake Ball

French Toast Cake Ball

Dark Matter Mocha Donut

Homer Donut

Chocolate Chip Cookie

A concept from The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, West Town Bakery & Diner took over the space previously operated by Bleeding Heart Bakery in 2012, and through careful expansion now serves both River North and Wrigleyville in additional to the original at 1916 West Chicago Avenue.

Keeping some aspects of the Bleeding Heart’s graffitied design, and currently one of the Windy City’s few full-service bakeshops with indoor seating, it is amidst COVID-19 precautions that guests will find West Town clean and well-stocked, a fairly concise list of brunch favorites offered alongside Pastries from Chef/Partners Chris Teixeira and Sam Turner.

Sparsely populated on a rainy Tuesday, traffic flowing one-way with all staff masked and gloved, it was with seven items bagged that Breakfast was enjoyed on the patio, the last Chocolate Almond Croissant enjoyable save for a clump of Frangipane while West Town’s $2.25 Chocolate Chip Cookie lacks not for Butter or Vanilla amidst the crispy edge and soft center.

Open from 7am until 3pm daily, customers on this particular morning ranging in age from kids in strollers to septuagenarians, Teixeira and Turner’s Donuts feature springy Brioche with an exaggerated rise, both Coffee-Cream filled and “Homer” a bargain under three bucks while $1.95 Cake Balls may not be the most frugal choice, though both Carrot and French Toast were two perfect bites embodying West Town Bakery’s “principal belief that everyone should be able to have their Cake and eat it too.”

www.westtownbakery.com/west-town

Posted in Bread Basket, Breakfast, Chicago, Coffee, Croissant, Croissants, Dessert, Food, French Toast, Illinois, The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, Vacation, West Town Bakery, West Town Bakery & Diner, West Town Bakery & Diner West Chicago Avenue, West Town Bakery West Chicago Avenue Tagged Almond, Almond Croissant, Almond Croissants, Almonds, Bread, Brioche, Brioche Bread, Brioche Donut, Brioche Donuts, Brioche Doughnut, Brioche Doughnuts, Butter, Cake, Cake Ball, CakeBall, CakeBalls, Cakes, Carrot, Carrot Cake, Carrot Cake Cake Ball, Carrot Cake CakeBall, Carrots, Cheese, Chicago, Chip, Chips, Chocolate, Chocolate Almond Croissant, Chocolate Almond Croissants, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chips, Chocolate Peanut Cake Ball, Chocolate Peanut CakeBall, Chris Teixeira, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Sugar, Coffee, Cookie, Cookies, Cream, Cream Cheese, Cream Cheese Frosting, Cream Cheese Icing, Croissant, Croissants, Dark Chocolate, Dark Matter, Dark Matter Coffee, Dark Matter Mocha Donut, Dark Matter Mocha Doughnut, Dessert, Desserts, Donut, Donuts, Doughnut, Doughnuts, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, French Toast, French Toast Cake Ball, French Toast CakeBall, Frosting, Homer Donut, Homer Doughnut, Icing, IL, Illinois, Michael Uzmann, Mocha, Pastries, Pastry, Peanut, Peanuts, Pineapple, Pineapples, Raised Donut, Raised Donuts, Raised Doughnut, Raised Doughnuts, Raisin, Raisins, Sam Turner, Sprinkle, Sprinkles, Strawberries, Strawberry, Strawberry Frosting, Strawberry Icing, Sugar, The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla, Walnut, Walnuts, West Town Bakery, West Town Bakery & Diner, West Town Bakery & Diner West Chicago Avenue, West Town Bakery West Chicago Avenue, Yeast Donut, Yeast Donuts, Yeast Doughnut, Yeast Doughnuts

September 7, 2020
6:00 PM
by: Uhockey

S.K.Y., Chicago IL

S.K.Y.

Rice Cracker – Edamame Puree, Black Sesame

Salt Cod Brandade – Fry Bread, Jalapeno Slaw

Cornbread Madeleines – Extra Virgin Olive Oil Butter, Black Pepper

Maine Lobster Dumplings – Jade Butter, Soft Herbs

Foie Gras Bibimbap – Charred Vegetables, Mushroom Bulgogi

Banana Budino – Vanilla, Granola, Bourbon

S.K.Y. Mille-Feuille – Caramel, Almond, Mascarpone

Debuted in Pilsen late-2017, S.K.Y. is Chef Stephen Gillanders’ first solo project, a decade with Jean-Georges Vongrichten plus two years at LEYE’s “Intro” developing a diverse skill-set that sees Gillanders exploring global influences that feel both familiar and distinctive at the same time.

Boasting the initials of wife Seon Kyung Yuk, her vision responsible for a modern space housed inside a building constructed during the 19th Century, guests visiting S.K.Y. amidst the global pandemic will find tables sparsely filled and service especially accommodating with a bevy of safety precautions in place.

Seated after a quick temperature check, high-tops in the bar perfect for singles as TV On The Radio played overhead, it was after perusing a QR Code menu that the night’s special was suggested, Salt Cod pureed with silky-soft Potatoes alongside housemade Fry Bread and Jalapeno Peppers a perfect example of Gillanders’ intent to “prepare familiar Ingredients in a modern, innovative way.”

Born in Los Angeles, but Asian-inflected across much of S.K.Y.’s menu, dish two saw the kitchen fuse France with the American South by way of Cornbread Madelines, undoubtedly a far-cry from Proust’s ideal but nonetheless delectable while signature Lobster Dumplings offered thin-yet-sturdy Gyoza packed with Meat afloat in Butter primed with Yuzu, Chervil, Chiles and Mint.

Told the Fried Chicken was something special, but reluctant to pass on Chef Gillanders’ Bibimbap, it would need to be a World-class piece of Poultry to compete with roasted Duck Liver atop Mushrooms, Scallions, Nori and blackened Chinese Broccoli – not to mention housemade Gochujang that added heat and umami to bowl-crisped Rice beneath.

Not stopping here, though the aforementioned plates would be a good amount of Food for most couples, it was on the server’s suggestion that a “baby” Banana Budino arrived alongside S.K.Y.’s recently-added Mille-Fuille, the former a worthy signature from Pastry Chef Tatum Sinclair with hints of Bananas Foster while the latter rivaled any in France – including Jacques Genin and Alain Passard – in terms of taste and texture.

www.skyrestaurantchicago.com

Posted in Bread Basket, Chicago, Cornbread, Dessert, Foie, Foie Gras, Food, Illinois, Lobster, Madeline, Madelines, S.K.Y., S.K.Y. Restaurant, Vacation Tagged Almond, Almonds, Bacalao, Bacalhau, Baccala, Baccala Fish, Banana, Banana Budino, Banana Pudding, Bananas, Bibimbap, Black Pepper, Black Peppers, Black Sesame, Black Sesame Seed, Black Sesame Seeds, Bourbon, Brandade, Bread, Broccoli, Budino, Bulgogi, Butter, Caramel, Charred Vegetable, Charred Vegetables, Cheese, Chervil, Chicago, Chiles, Chili, Chilis, Chinese Broccoli, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Cocoa, Cocoa Nib, Cocoa Nibs, Cod, Cod Fish, Cookie, Cookies, Corn, Corn Bread, Cornbread, Cornbread Madeleine, Cornbread Madeleines, Cracker, Crackers, Cream, Dark Chocolate, Dessert, Desserts, Duck, Duck Liver, Ducks, Dumpling, Dumplings, Edamame, Edamame Puree, endoedibles, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil Butter, Fish, Foie, Foie Gras, Foie Gras Bibimbap, Food, Foodie, Fry Bread, Gochujang, Gochujang Sauce, Granola, Gyoza, Herb, Herbs, Housemade Granola, IL, Illinois, Jade, Jade Butter, Jalapeno, Jalapeno Pepper, Jalapeno Peppers, Jalapeno Slaw, Jalapenos, Lemon, Lemons, Liver, Lobster, Lobster Dumpling, Lobster Dumplings, Madeleine, Madeleines, Maine Lobster, Maine Lobster Dumpling, Maine Lobster Dumplings, Mascarpone, Mascarpone Cheese, Mashed Potato, Mashed Potatoes, Michael Uzmann, Mille Feuille, Millefeuille, Mint, Mints, Mushroom, Mushroom Bulgogi, Mushrooms, Nib, Nibs, Noodle, Noodles, Nori, Oil, Olive, Olive Oil, Olives, Onion, Onions, Pastries, Pastry, Pepper, Peppers, Pistachio, Pistachios, Pommes, Pommes Puree, Potato, Potatoes, Pudding, Puff Pastry, Puree, Rice, Rice Cracker, Rice Crackers, S.K.Y., S.K.Y. Mille-Feuille, S.K.Y. Restaurant, Salt Cod, Salt Cod Brandade, Sauce, Scallion, Scallions, Sea Weed, Seaweed, Seed, Seeds, Seon Kyung Yuk, Sesame, Sesame Seed, Sesame Seeds, Slaw, Soft Herb, Soft Herbs, Stephen Gillanders, Sugar, Tatum Sinclair, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla, Vegetable, Vegetables, White Rice, White Sesame, White Sesame Seed, White Sesame Seeds, Yuzu

September 7, 2020
4:00 PM
by: Uhockey

Gino’s East (South Loop,) Chicago IL

Gino’s East

9” Deep Dish Pizza – Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella Cheese, Sausage Patty

Originally opened by Sam Levine and Fred Bartoli in 1966, Gino’s East is considered to be one of Chicago’s “Big Four” for Deep Dish, and differentiating themselves from Uno’s, Lou’s or Giordano’s by laying Cheese directly atop the Crust their Pies are now offered both by mail-order and at a dozen locations across the United States.

Having since abandoned 160 East Superior Street in favor of fancier digs, the Magnificent Mile location ever popular despite prices nearly double Windy City institutions such as Pat’s, it was amidst COVID-19 precautions that Gino’s South Loop spot was visited, the outdoor patio not exactly scenic but also uncrowded.

Having shuttered several branches long before the pandemic, and garnering luke-warm praise from Pizza aficionados, it was after twenty-minutes wait that a 9” with Sausage was presented, nearly $26 after tax and tip plus $4.50 parking for something barely tepid with Cheese that did not stretch beneath a fair-to-middling Sauce.

www.ginoseast.com/south-loop

Posted in Chicago, Food, Gino’s East, Gino’s East Pizza, Gino’s East South Loop, Illinois, Italian, Pizza, Pork, Vacation Tagged 9” Deep Dish Pizza, Basil, Bread, Butter, Cheese, Chicago, Deep Dish, Deep Dish Pizza, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Fred Bartoli, Gino’s East, Gino’s East Pizza, Gino’s East South Loop, IL, Illinois, Italian, Michael Uzmann, Mozzarella, Mozzarella Cheese, Organo, Pizza, Pork, Pork Sausage, Sam Levine, Sauce, Sausage, Sausage Patty, Tomato, Tomato Sauce, Tomatoes, Travel, Vacation

September 7, 2020
12:00 PM
by: Uhockey

Jibaritos y Más (West Fullerton,) Chicago IL

Jibaritos y Más

Relleno – Potato Ball, Beef

Bacalaito – Cod Fish Fritter

Bistec Jibarito – Steak, Fried Plantain, Cheese, Mayonnaise, Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Garlic

Although Puerto Rican Cuisine has a long and storied history the Jibarito is a relatively new idea, its first sighting somewhere around 1996 at Restaurant Borinquen in Chicago’s Humboldt Par neighborhood where brothers Juan and Angel Figueroa trademarked the Sandwich translated as “little hillbilly” in Spanish.

Now served across America, and popularized locally by Jesus Arrieta’s growing chain entitled Jibaritos y Más, it is to the 3400 West Fullerton Avenue that many flock for a Sandwich comprised of Steak, Cheese, Veggies and Mayo between two flattened-fried Plantains.

Venezuelan by background, Jesus and his wife now managing three stores with the first launched by his mother in 2016, it is under pandemic precautions that Jibaritos y Más currently operates as take-out and delivery only, hours from 10:00am until 7:45pm daily still busy with foot service plus drivers from DoorDash and UberEats.

The only American city with an officially designated Puerto Rican neighborhood, and home to one of the island’s largest mainland populations, Jibaritos y Más additionally offers a wide range of items native to Puerto Rico, the $1.25 Beef-stuffed Potato Ball large enough to share but delicious enough that one probably won’t want to.

Not the sort of place that cuts corners, Octopus and Morcilla finding themselves alongside Tostones and Pastele, it was while waiting for a made-to-order Jibarito that Salt Cod was enjoyed flattened and fried, every bite gone before delving into Jibaritos y Más’ eponymous dish that is not only a bargain at $6.95, but a textural masterpiece with some bites crunchy, others more creamy and a lingering air of Garlic.

www.orderjibaritosymas.com

Posted in Chicago, Food, Illinois, Jibaritos y Más, Jibaritos y Mas, Jibaritos y Más West Fullerton, Jibaritos y Mas West Fullerton, Vacation Tagged Bacalaito, Bacalaitos, Bacalao, Baccala, Baccala Fish, Baccala Fritter, Baccala Fritters, Beef, Beef Steak, Bistec, Bistec Jibarito, Brandade, Bread, Cheese, Chicago, Cod, Cod Fish, Cod Fish Fritter, Cod Fish Fritters, Cow, Cows, endoedibles, Fish, Food, Foodie, Fried Baccala, Fried Plantain, Fried Plantains, Garlic, Green Plantain, Green Plantains, IL, Illinois, Jesus Arrieta, Jibarito, Jibarito Sandwich, Jibaritos y Más, Jibaritos y Más West Fullerton, Lettuce, Mayo, Mayonnaise, Michael Uzmann, Onion, Onions, Plantain, Plantains, Potato, Potato Ball, Potato Balls, Potatoes, Relleno, Rellenos, Salt Cod, Sandwich, Sandwiches, Sauce, Steak, Tomato, Tomatoes, Travel, Vacation

September 7, 2020
9:00 AM
by: Uhockey

Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum (South Wentworth,) Chicago IL

Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum

Taro Bun

Black Sesame Bun

Walnut Bean Paste Cake

Egg Custard Tart

Lotus Paste Cake

Sesame Pork Cookie

Lotus Paste Moon Cake

Sesame Ball with Bean Paste

Peanut Rice Cake

Portuguese Milk Egg Tart

Billed as Chicago’s “oldest traditional Chinese Bakery,” the flagship at 2253 South Wentworth Avenue an updated location with modern signage, Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum has been serving residents of the Windy City since 1986.

Owned by Joyce Chiu and brother Matthew, their no-frills approach to Pastries, Cakes, Buns and more having additionally entered Uptown with further expansion planned, it is from 7:00am until 8:00pm daily that guests are welcomed – COVID-19 currently seeing extra safety measures implemented at a space that already appears quite clean.

Cash only then and now, with dining area currently closed but take-out sales faring well thanks to Chiu Quon’s recent partnership with Facebook advertising, it is from over 100 daily items that diners must make choices, many of them identifiable to those familiar with Chinese Cuisine but others previously unseen.

Purporting to use “the finest Ingredients,” a dubious statement considering the low price point, it was at a cost of just under $17 that ten choices were bagged, a lack of seating finding the Taro Bun enjoyed on nearby church steps while Black Sesame baked similarly had an unpleasant gelatinous center as though it was undercooked.

Next sampling a refrigerated Walnut Bean Paste Cake, the Pastry on this as well as a “mini” Moon Cake buttery around well-textured Filling, suffice it to say that arriving immediately after Egg Custard Tarts emerged from the oven was fortuitous – both Hong Kong and Portuguese styles still jiggly with *better* largely a matter of personal taste.

Taking a chance or two before finishing familiar, Chiu Quon’s Sesame Pork Cookie undoubtedly an acquired taste, it seems hard to believe anyone might enjoy a “Peanut Rice Cake” that eats like sawdust in a flavorless Hostess Snoball, a far better taste and value offered by textbook Sesame Balls or golden Dough baked around subtly sweet Lotus Paste.

www.cqbakery.com

Posted in Bread Basket, Breakfast, Chicago, Chiu Quon, Chiu Quon Bakery, Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum, Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum South Wentworth, Dessert, Food, Illinois, Pork, Vacation Tagged Bean, Bean Paste, Beans, Black Sesame, Black Sesame Bun, Black Sesame Buns, Black Sesame Seed, Black Sesame Seeds, Bread, Bun, Buns, Butter, Cake, Cakes, Char Siew, Char Siew Pork, Char Siu, Chicago, Chiu Quon, Chiu Quon Bakery, Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum, Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum South Wentworth, Cookie, Cookies, Cream, Custard, Dessert, Desserts, Egg, Egg Custard, Egg Custard Tart, Egg Custard Tarts, Egg Yolk, Egg Yolks, Eggs, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Hong Kong Egg Custard Tart, IL, Illinois, Joyce Chiu, Lotus, Lotus Paste, Lotus Paste Cake, Lotus Paste Cakes, Lotus Paste Moon Cake, Lotus Paste Moon Cakes, Matthew Chiu, Michael Uzmann, Moon Cake, Moon Cakes, Paste, Pastries, Pastry, Peanut, Peanut Rice Cake, Peanuts, Pig, Pork, Portuguese Egg Tart, Portuguese Egg Tarts, Portuguese Milk Egg Tart, Portuguese Milk Egg Tarts, Red Bean, Red Bean Paste, Red Beans, Rice, Rice Cake, Seed, Seeds, Sesame, Sesame Ball, Sesame Ball with Bean Paste, Sesame Balls, Sesame Pork Cookie, Sesame Pork Cookies, Sesame Seed, Sesame Seeds, Sugar, Taro, Taro Bun, Taro Buns, Taro Root, Tart, Tarts, Travel, Vacation, Walnut, Walnut Bean Paste Cake, Walnuts, White Sesame, White Sesame Seed, White Sesame Seeds, Yolk, Yolks

September 7, 2020
8:00 AM
by: Uhockey

Baker Miller Bakery & Dinette, Chicago IL

Baker Miller Bakery & Dinette

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Oat Pecan Jammer Thumbprint Cookie

Buttercream Sandwich Cookie

Blueberry Oat Muffin

Cinnamon Toast Doughboy

Biscuit

Toast Plate

Migrated from Lincoln Square to 4655 North Lincoln Avenue after a lease dispute in 2018 Baker Miller is no stranger to turmoil, and amidst a global pandemic the concept from Megan Miller and husband David has resorted to take-out only from 8am until 3pm Thursday through Monday.

Officially titled Baker Miller Bakery & Dinette, a combination café and mill house from former Bang Bang Pie employees that debuted in 2014, much of the Miller’s early praise came from house-ground Grains, hand-milled Flour and Chicago’s first “Toast Bar,” while critiques of both price and inconsistency have also been commonplace.

Using online or walk-up ordering during COVID-19, staff appropriately donning PPE but inattentive-bordering-on-rude while waiting for two slices of Bread to be toasted, it was on a nearby bench that the Miller’s goods were eaten, buttered naturally-leavened Sourdough an immediate highlight thanks to both tanginess and crumb while a $3.75 Biscuit was arguably underbaked at the bottom but nonetheless enjoyable.

Trying hard not to focus on prices, David and Megan’s commitment to their craft most certainly commendable, it is hard not to raise an eyebrow at $3.50 for a two-bite Sandwich Cookie that tastes mostly like Sugar, a quarter more for double the amount of Chocolate Chips and perfectly baked Dough faring far better in terms of taste as well as value.

Also performing well with a toothsome Thumbprint Cookie, Strawberry Jam providing just enough sweetness to a blend of Nuts and Oats, those seeking a “signature” item will find it in Baker Miller’s “Doughboy,” the baked round far lighter than a Doughnut and currently dressed like Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal clocking in at $4.50 after tax – far better than the more expensive Blueberry Oat Muffin which finds Fruit in a clump at the center of an otherwise flavorless matrix.

www.eatbakermiller.com

Posted in Baker Miller, Baker Miller Bakery & Dinette, Bread Basket, Breakfast, Chicago, Dessert, Food, Illinois, Vacation Tagged Baker Miller, Baker Miller Bakery & Dinette, Biscuit, Biscuits, Blueberries, Blueberry, Blueberry Muffin, Blueberry Muffins, Blueberry Oat Muffin, Blueberry Oat Muffins, Bread, Butter, Butter Cream, Buttercream, Buttercream Frosting, Buttercream Icing, Buttercream Sandwich Cookie, Buttercream Sandwich Cookies, Buttermilk, Buttermilk Biscuit, Buttermilk Biscuits, Chicago, Chip, Chips, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Chips, Cinnamon, Cinnamon Sugar, Cinnamon Toast Doughboy, Cookie, Cookies, Cream, Dark Chocolate, David Miller, Dessert, Desserts, Doughboy, endoedibles, Food, Foodie, Frosting, IL, Illinois, Jam, Jelly, Marmalade, Megan Miller, Michael Uzmann, Muffin, Muffins, Oat, Oat Pecan Jammer, Oat Pecan Jammer Thumbprint Cookie, Oat Pecan Jammer Thumbprint Cookies, Oatmeal, Oats, Orange, Orange Marmalade, Orange Zest, Oranges, Pastries, Pastry, Pecan, Pecans, Preserves, Sandwich Cookie, Sandwich Cookies, Sourdough, Sourdough Bread, Sourdough Toast, Sprinkle, Sprinkles, Strawberries, Strawberry, Strawberry Jam, Strawberry Jelly, Strawberry Preserves, Sugar, Thumbprint Cookie, Thumbprint Cookies, Toast, Travel, Vacation, Vanilla, Zest

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