Chicago Edition: Yolk

I love breakfast, for breakfast, for lunch, for dinner, and even better, for brunch.  My friend had told me I HAD to go to Yolk, a breakfast centric restaurant, when I was in Chicago, so I did and it did not disappoint.

 

 

This menu is huge and it is very hard to make a decision.  I ended up going with the scrambler with mushroom and turkey bacon and it was delish!  I love alittle fruit on the side as well :)

 

I also love toast, this can make or break a breakfast.  They had a pretty good mult-grain so that did make me happy but I need it alittle bit more toasted.

 

I also had some bites of my husbands pancakes and I do not know how they do it but they are the best pancakes I have ever had!  Light and fluffy, they have a taste of a pancake but with a bit more sweetness which was fabulous.

If you are in Chicago and need breakfast - in the morning or in the afternoon (they are closed in the evenings) - then head to Yolk for breakfast heaven!

 

Yolk
Multiple Locations in Chicago
1120 S Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60605
http://www.eatyolk.com/

Chicago Edition: Siena Tavern

I had the pleasure of having two dinners at Siena Tavern while I was in Chicago and I must say, it was fantastic.  I am a big fan of Fabio Viviani and have eaten at one of his restaurant in CA.  I loved the look of Siena Tavern, and the vibe of the place, it was really fun, contemporary, and the food was fabulous.

 

 

Night 1:

 

It was a long day and we got in much later then expected.  After driving through Chicago traffic, we needed a drink.  I got my lucky number, the No. 10 made with Woodford Reserve, bitters, maraschino and apricot.  It was strong and exactly what I needed!

 

 

 

 

 

There were a lot of different things on the menu I wanted to try so I ordered a bunch of small plates (and big ones) to share.   We started off with the truffle mushroom pizza.  Fantastic.  So fantastic.  I LOVE truffles and I love mushrooms.

 

 

 

 

 

They are also known for their meatball, a Waygu Beef Meatball, so we had to order it.  It tasted like a meatball made from someones Italian grandmother and the tomato sauce was fabulous, I love a good red sauce.

 

 

 

 

The octopus was grilled well and there was a lot of it!

 

 

 

 

 

Of course we ordered the Shistio Peppers as well.

 

 

 

 

 

My husband had a delicious Short Rib Ravioli which was awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Night 2:

 

 

 

This was a pasta and dessert night but started with the fried dough balls and a bottle of red.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then the Gnocchi with truffle cream, fried sage, and panchetta

 

 

 

 

 

 

And my favorite, the Farro risotto with grilled shrimp and root vegetables

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also had a ton of dessert!

 

 

 

 

 

Triamisu was thick and decadent

 

 

 

 

 

The gelatos were awesome!!  Salted Caramel was probably my favorite.

 

 

 

 

 

And I loved the stuff your own donuts, this was fun and really, really delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

If you are in Chicago (or in Miami come this fall when they open their second location) check out Siena Tavern for a fun night with delish dishes.

Siena Tavern
51 W Kinzie St, Chicago, IL
http://www.sienatavern.com/chicago.html

Jack's Sushi and Sliders

A quick post today to tell you about a great lunch special at Jack's Slider and Sushi. 

 

First off, what a brilliant idea, sushi and sliders, who could want more!!!  There lunch menu offers a salad or soup and a drink with any lunch entree which means that I will be coming back for more, I love a good deal!  The restaurant itself is small but cozy small, and the decor is charming and homey.  Its a great place to take a break during a busy day in the office.

 

They have a lot of options when it comes to sliders and they are 1 for $4, 2 for $7 and 3 for $10.  I had the Chipotle Chicken slider with and a Grilled Salmon slider with avocado and spicy mayo.  The sliders also come with some nice spicy and not greasy fries with a great dipping sauce.

 

 

 

The sushi combo is any 2 for $9 and 3 for $12.  I got the spicy tuna which was great and the yellowtail scallion which was so-so. 

 

 

 

 

They also have some amazing looking ramen choices which I will need to try next time.

 

 

Jack's Slider and Sushi

171 3rd Avenue (at 16th st), New York City

http://jacksny.com/

 

 

Meme Mediterranean

Meme Mediterranean is a neighborhood restaurant, and a very popular one at that because on a recent Monday evening it was packed.  As a reader of this blog you would likely know that I am a very big fan of Greek food which is why I was excited to try Meme.

 

I always love when restaurants go above and beyond the basic bread and butter and deliver a much more exciting plate to the table.  Meme did just that with a nice selection of olives, pickled veggies and oil with their olive bread.

 

 

 

 

We started with the combination platter which came with babaganoush, hummus, beets, tabouli, falafel, matbucha, carrots, roast peppers and pita.  This was quite delicious and I would recommend this for two people, there was four of us and had alittle taste of everything but I wanted a BIG taste of everything.

 

 

 

 

For my next course I shared the almond crusted scallops with pureed cauliflower with chili oil.  I did like this and I should have asked for a spoon to get more of that puree in each bite.

 

 

 

Of course I then went with the octopus for my main course.  The octopus was cooked very nicely and came with chickpeas, alittle mesclun and a tomato lemon vinaigrette.  Light and refreshing this was a nice dish and would be absolutely perfect with a rose in the summer.

 

 

 

 

We couldn't pass up dessert and had an amazing baklava.  Sweet and crunchy there were sizeable pieces of nuts throughout which showed that it was homemade.

 

 

 

There lemon tart was awesome, it tasted like a classic lemon bar but with a light and fluffy texture.  Really delightful. 

 

 

 

 

I can't wait till the weather gets warm enough for their outdoor seating!

Meme Mediterranean
581 Hudson St between 11th and Bank, New York City
http://www.memeonhudson.com/index.html


 

Tanoshi Sushi

It took awhile to get a Saturday night reservation at Tanoshi but I finally scored one.  Opened within the last year Tanoshi has gotten a lot of buzz for its high quality, no frills, tasting menu.  With only 12 seats in the entire restaurant, they have three seatings: 6pm, 7:30pm, and 9pm.  Another plus is the tasting menu is about 10 courses and runs $65, it is also BYOB!  So let the evening begin....

 

 

They have a select mix of appetizers to start and we were adventurous, we ordered the Foie Gras of the Sea: Monkfish Liver.  It actually tasted like the chopped liver I remember eating with my grandmother just with a soy kick.
 

 

 

And then the tasting......Everything was extremely light, fresh, unbelievably flavorful and delicious.  I could eat this menu over and over again.  It blows my mind how such simple food can be some of the best food you have ever ate.
 

 

Fluke with yuzu 

 

 

 

Salmon

  

 

 

Marinated Tuna 

 

 

 

 

White Albacore

 

 

 

Yellowtail marinated in a Cherry Blossom leaf: smell the leaf, eat the sushi, and bite the leaf

 

 

 

 

Poached Scallop with eel sauce

 

 

 

 

Marinated salmon cake with roe

 

 

 

 

Santa Barbara Sea Urchin and Quail Egg

 

 

 

A special roll

 

 

Miso Soup

 

 

Spicy Tuna hand roll

 

 

 

Everything was perfectly crafted and well executed.  An absolutely excellent meal for a great price.

 

 

 

Tanoshi Sushi
1372 York Ave.
New York, NY 10021
Tel: 646-727-9056
http://tanoshisushinyc.com/
Closed Sunday and Monday

 

Maya

An amazing brunch deal can be found at Maya Restaurant.  I have been here for dinner - which was fabulous - but when I heard about their $35 all you can eat/all you can drink brunch, I had to try it.

 

You heard me right, all you can EAT and all you can DRINK!  So here we go....

 

An elevated plate of chips and salsa

 

 

Ceviche with octopus, scallop, shrimp, cucumber, avocado and lime was very fresh and light.

 

 

 

 

Caramelized plantains came out alittle cold and tough but I would give them another shot.

 

 

Their Huevos Rancheros were outstanding!  Swimming in a yummy rachero sauce, crema and avocado.

 

 

An awesome mushroom enchilada dish was covered with salsa verde.  I wasn't expecting this to be my favorite dish but it was packed with delicious flavor.

 

 

A decadent Mexican french toast with bananas and nutella. This is VERY sweet so make sure to order for dessert.

 

 

I also loved their version of eggs benedict with poached egg on top of masa and black beans but didn't snap a pic.  Next time...
 

 

This was an fabulous brunch and I cannot wait to go back!

Maya Restaurant
11191 First Ave, New York, NY
http://www.richardsandoval.com/mayany/

Gotham West Market

What an amazing concept.....a food court fit for a major foodie!  The Gotham Organization opened a new luxury high rise, Gotham West, and brilliantly brought together a group of fantastic chefs to open outposts of their culinary treats in a food court setting at the bottom of the building.  This is called: Gotham West Market.

 

 

It is almost impossible to pick which spot you want to go as inevitably you will want to try all of them so just plan to take multiple trips.  On this particular occasion I shared dishes with my husband and a couple friends from two spots: El Colmando from chef Seamus Mullen of Tertulia and Genuine Roadside from the AvroKo Group.

 

 

My husband got a burger from Genuine Roadside so I was able to share some of the best sweet potato fries I have ever eaten.  They are nice and spicy, sprinkled with chili spice. 

 

 

I also had to order their house pickled escabeche slaw which had a great vinegary bite.

 

 

 

The fried pickles were also crazy good, I have never had a full spear of fried pickle and it was divine.  But I ate them too quickly to take a photo!

 

 

 

From El Comando we had a lot of small bites starting with one of my favorite side dishes, Shisito Peppers.

 

 

 

 

We also had to get the Pan con Tomate which I have had at Tertulia and loved and this version didn't disappoint either  It seems so simple but the flavor is huge!

 

 

 

 

I had to get their tuna which was marinated with artichoke, caper berries, olive, and crispy farro.  

 

 

 

 

Lamb Meatballs with sheep's milk yogurt.

 

 

 

 

Baby artichokes fried and covered with arugula salad.

 

 

 

We also ordered a bottle of rose to wash it all down.  Their wine list is extensive.

 

 

 

 

Gotham West Market was an awesome adventure.  It is quite a hike to get over there on 11th Ave but the food is worth it.

Gotham West Market
600 11th Avenue, New York, NY
http://gothamwestmarket.com/#contact