{"id":4190,"date":"2016-04-02T17:00:16","date_gmt":"2016-04-02T22:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/?p=4190"},"modified":"2017-06-17T20:50:40","modified_gmt":"2017-06-18T01:50:40","slug":"this-months-best-bites-catching-up-on-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/2016\/04\/02\/this-months-best-bites-catching-up-on-chicago\/","title":{"rendered":"This month’s Best Bites: Catching up on Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve spent the last month catching up on Chicago dining and drinking destinations! These were the standouts for brunch, dinner, and beverages.<\/em><\/p>\n

Brunch<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

3 Arts Club Caf\u00e9<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Burrata,<\/a>
Burrata with slow-roasted tomatoes, garlic bread, and basil<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I have to begin with what must be the most breathtaking dining setting I’ve seen in Chicago lately (and from the looks of Instagram, I’m not alone in this assessment). The glitzy Gold Coast caf\u00e9 has sweeping windows, brick arches, skylights above towering trees, glittering chandeliers, and a centerpiece fountain that we were more than happy to be seated right alongside. This plate of burrata, tomatoes, and garlic toast was just as elegant as the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

Catalpa Kitchen<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Old<\/a>
Old Fashioned flapjacks with orange caramel, bourbon cherries, and angostura whip<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Brunch at this newcomer to Logan Boulevard had a decidedly cozier vibe, and these creatively boozy pancakes fit right in. Orange caramel, angostura whipped cream, and bourbon-soaked cherries atop a pile of flapjacks added up to a version of an Old Fashioned almost as good as the cocktail itself. <\/p>\n

Latinicity<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Sunday<\/a>
Sunday brunch with tacos, oysters, empanadas, waffle bacon burgers, caramelized plantains, and more<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Latinicity opened on the third floor of the Block 37 complex late last year, and its Sunday brunch is an especially good value: $25 gets you unlimited food from eight different stations, plus two brunch beverages from the bar. Our group divided and conquered, each visiting a different counter and bringing back as many offerings as we could, and our strategy produced a delicious variety of results. A few standouts: oysters on the half shell, tacos al pastor, smoked fish dip, and savory lomo saltado with fried rice. <\/p>\n

Dinner<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Monteverde<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Cannelloni<\/a>
Cannelloni saltimbocca with prosciutto, lamb, sage, balsamic, soffritto, and romanesco
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’ll admit that I made this March reservation at Monteverde while I was still in Dublin, because I was that excited to try Sarah Grueneberg’s much-anticipated pasta dishes. The cannelloni was exactly the caliber I was expecting: the hardy rolls of pasta stood up to the proscuitto and lamb, enhanced by sage, balsamic, and crunchy romanesco \u2013 everyone’s favorite veggie fractal. I was also impressed by the sunchoke crostini, complete with creamy ricotta and lots of black truffle. We also happened to be dining there the same night as Chicago’s mayor (and heard even he had to make a reservation).<\/p>\n

\"Artichoke<\/a>
Artichoke & sunchoke crostini with fontina, ricotta, and Savini black truffle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Band of Bohemia<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Coffee-roasted<\/a>
Coffee-roasted carrot with coconut milk, chai, sesame seed, licorice, and oxalis<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A self-described “culinary brewpub,” Band of Bohemia brews food-friendly beers exclusively to pair with its dishes. Our group’s meal here was meant to make up for missing Chicago Restaurant Week, and it was a more than sufficient substitute. These coffee-roasted, coconut-scented heirloom carrots packed explosive flavor, with lots of contrast from chai, licorice, and sesame. The steak and the foie gras were also major hits at our table. Beer-wise, I was particularly a fan of the beet-thyme and apple-tarragon brews.<\/p>\n

\"Band<\/a>
Three house-brewed beers: roasted beet thyme, orange chicory rye, and grilled apple tarragon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Salero<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Potatoes<\/a>
Confit potatoes a la plancha with mushroom demi-glace, wild mushrooms, sunny egg, and Queso Tetilla<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A few friends graciously threw me a welcome back celebration at this Spanish eatery in the West Loop. Of all the dishes we sampled, these grilled potatoes with heaps of wild mushrooms, toasted grains, and a sunny-side egg were the most savory and satisfying. The baked alaska with “Welcome Home” in script on the plate was also a lovely touch.<\/p>\n

Drinks<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cantina 1910<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Bears<\/a>
Bears Club cocktail with Milagro Reposado tequila, Punt e Mes, maple, and cherrywood<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I’d heard great things about the drinks at Andersonville’s new upscale Mexican cantina. This was quite possibly the smokiest cocktail I’ve ever had, and I was completely captivated by the cherry and maple notes in every sip. It’s now only available as a large-format shareable drink, so I’d recommend getting a few others on board if you visit.<\/p>\n

Mezcaleria Las Flores<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Unknown<\/a>
Unknown Death cocktail with mezcal, amaro, ancho reyes, cr\u00e8me de noyaux, lemon juice, and simple syrup<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This cocktail was in the same smoky family, but served across town at Mezcaleria Las Flores in Logan Square. This new flower-shop-turned-mezcal-bar has gotten a lot of attention for its concept, and I’m glad to see such an oft-overlooked spirit getting some time on the spotlight. This cocktail was balanced and citrusy, with punchy amaro and a colorful sprinkle of hibiscus on top. Bonus: we were also able to order snacks from adjacent Johnny’s Grill \u2013 just ask for a menu.<\/p>\n

Portillo’s<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Chocolate<\/a>
Chocolate cake shake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I had to include this beloved Chicago treat, because having one my first week back at work made me truly feel like I was home again. Portillo’s chocolate cake shakes are basically an institution, and are as simple as they sound \u2013 chocolate cake whirred into a milkshake, with chunks of icing and cake crumbs hiding at the bottom of the cup. It’s decadent and a little absurd, but it’s also pure Chicago.<\/p>\n

The details:<\/strong> Monteverde<\/a>, 1020 W. Madison St.; Band of Bohemia<\/a>, 4710 N. Ravenswood Ave.; Salero<\/a>, 621 W. Randolph St.; 3 Arts Club Caf\u00e9 at Restoration Hardware<\/a>, 1300 N. Dearborn Pkwy.; Catalpa Kitchen<\/a>, 2800 W. Logan Blvd.; Latinicity at Block 37<\/a>, 108 N. State St.; Cantina 1910<\/a>, 5025 N. Clark St.; Mezcaleria des Flores<\/a>, 3149 W. Logan Blvd.; Portillo’s<\/a>, 100 W. Ontario; all Chicago.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve spent the last month catching up on Chicago dining and drinking destinations! These were the standouts for brunch, dinner, and beverages. Brunch 3 Arts Club Caf\u00e9 I have to begin with what must be the most breathtaking dining setting I’ve seen in Chicago lately (and from the looks of Instagram, I’m not alone in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,2179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4190","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-bites-2","category-chicago"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4190","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4190"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4220,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4190\/revisions\/4220"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.hillaryproctor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}