Sunday, July 26, 2009

The Chicago Dining Experience


Rockit Bar and Grill
370 North Clark
Chicago, IL 60613
773.645.4400
http://www.rockitbarandgrill.com/

After being recommended the Rockit Bar and Grill by the concierge, we decided to give it a go. We headed to Wrigleyville via the Red Line towards Howard and got off at Addison. The Rockit is a 3 minute walk form the station on the corner of North Clark Street and West Waverland Ave. It is a large space that is divided into three different areas: the bar, dining area and outside seating. We sat in the bar area which had a very outdoorsy, eclectic feel to it. Nate Berkus of the Oprah Show, created a stylish, natural atmosphere. For example he made chandeliers out of antlers that hang over the bar, he encased TV’s with wooden panels, and the floors are dark wood. As I opened up the menu, my eyes immediately honed in on the sweet potato fries and pulled pork sliders. The sliders normally come with regular fries but I had to substitute them for the sweet potato ones. Jimmy ordered what Good Morning America has titled the “Best Burger in America”, the Rockit Burger. It is a kobe beef burger with brie cheese, fried shallots, medjool date aioli and comes with truffle oil fries. Of course Jimmy substituted the shallots for bacon and ordered it on a pretzel roll. While we were waiting for our food they brought out a bread basket with 5 different kinds of breads, including a pretzel roll (I don’t know what it is with Chicago and their pretzel bread, but I love it). When the food came out my jaw dropped. The sliders came on a long rectangular plate that hung off the table and the burger was stacked a mile high. I didn’t realize that Chicago could serve up such great pulled pork. It was juicy, tender, sweet and tangy. The fries were crisp, spiced perfectly with brown sugar salt and accompanied with a spicy chipotle mayo. Jimmy said the burger was “delicious in every way possible”. The fries were so decadent you forget that you are in a bar. There are two locations: one in Wrigleyville and one in the city; so if you are not venturing out to Wrigley field definitely try the location in the city!




Hub 51
51 West Hubbard
Chicago, IL
312.828.0051
http://www.hub51chicago.com/

I can’t believe I forgot to take photos for yall! The food was SO good that I couldn’t wait to dive in and take the first bite, then the second and so on. Before I knew it the plate was cleaned and no photo. I apologize. I will do my best to describe the delicious meal we had at Hub 51. According to my roommate, Callie’s, friend, Hub 51 is the newest “hot spot” in Chicago. We were only able to get dinner reservations at 6pm because it was completely booked. For Jimmy and I this was perfect, we LOVE eating early. The menu offers a variety of different options from sushi rolls to Mexican cuisine to burgers and steaks. Out of all the choices we ordered the guacamole with a roasted tomato salsa for an appetizer. The guacamole was absolutely scrumptious and towards the bottom of the bowl were roasted corn bits. I would say that if there weren’t four of us eating it, we wouldn’t have made it to the bottom of the bowl and discovered the roasted corn. So if you get it by yourself or sharing with someone else, be sure to dig deep and find the sweet corn at the bottom. The other great part about this appetizer is that when we finished with the chips and still had lots of guacamole left, they brought us more chips. Jimmy ordered the “Overnight Braised Short Ribs”. Although we expected a huge portion, the amount that was served just fell off the bone. I ordered the “Grilled Fish Tacos” with a baja rub, cabbage cole slaw, rice, black beans and guacamole. It was delicious. The black beans were cooked to perfect; it wasn’t just slop on my plate. The fish was very flavorful and tender. You also have the option to replace their fresh made tortillas with lettuce cups. Unfortunately we didn’t have room for dessert but I did see some great looking sweets passing by our table. If you end up trying a dessert please let me know!

Frontera Grill
445 North Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60610
312.661.1434
http://www.fronterakitchens.com/restaurants/restaurants.html

We continued our Mexican feast and went to Top Chef Master Rick Bayless restaurant called Frontera Grill. He has dedicated his career to perfecting the Mexican cuisine and it is quite evident that he has mastered the taste, textures and spices of this flavorful cuisine. We started with Sopa Azteca (their famous tortilla soup), guacamole and hand made chips. I must say the chips were better than the ones from Hub 51. They were thick, golden and extra crispy. The guacamole was perfect, a little chunky, creamy, and not overpowered by other flavors. The two salsas that accompany this appetizer are on the mild side. If you are up for it, ask for the pure habanera lime salsa. It stings the tongue but does not destroy your palette. I mixed it with the guacamole and it added the perfect heat to the dish. The tortilla soup was the best I had ever had. It was broth based instead of the cream based kind you get at CPK. The strips of tortillas added the perfect crunch to every bite. The chunks of avocado and caramelized onions provided that creamy comfort that one looks for in a soup. For main courses we each tried a different Taco al Carbon. I had the Organic Gunthorp chicken breast marinated with fruit vinegar, spices and garlic. Jimmy had the skirt steak marinated with garlic and spices. My dad and Gina both go the farm-raised catfish marinated with achiote and garlic. All of them are served with roasted pepper rajas, two salsas, frijoles charros, guacamole and homemade tortillas. It is the perfect portions of each ingredient. There are only 2 chips, a scoop of guacamole, a ½ cup of beans, and what looked like a 4 oz portion of chicken.
We couldn’t resist dessert. The table next to us was eating a slice of pie that looked absolutely sinful. We asked what that delectable dessert was and were informed that it was their chocolate pecan pie with Kahlua whipped cream. Who could resist that? When it arrived my jaw dropped and my mouth began salivating. I LOVE whipped cream. It must be one of my favorite things about dessert. This generous dollop of whipped cream looked fluffy, yet creamy. I immediately plunged my fork into the chocolate dusted bit of white goodness and let it melt in my mouth. Next I dove into the flaky crust that just crumbled onto my fork. Finally I get to the chocolate pecan bit which topped it all off. It was dense, rich, crunchy, chocolately, gooey and oh so good. I didn’t regret one bite.

No comments:

Post a Comment