Essence of India

Essence of India
4601 North Lincoln Ave
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Essence of India website
We have yet to check out the 3,000 or so Indian restaurants on Devon Avenue. Craving Indian food the other night, we decided on this closer-to-home restaurant in Lincoln Square.


We visited on a Friday night and the restaurant was pretty busy. It's a pretty small interior and the tables are literally inches from each other. We're not fans of unintentionally eavesdropping on our dining neighbors' conversations, but we didn't allow this to ruin our dining experience.

I think our favorite thing about this place is the appetizers. We started with the complimentary papadum (thin wafer-like chips) served with a trio of Indian chutneys. The green mint/cilantro-based chutney was absolutely amazing! We followed that with two vegetable samosas and some buttered naan. I haven't tried a whole lot of Indian food, but Jenn has and said that the samosas were some of the best she's ever had.

Indian Appetizers

Vegetable Samosas

We could have been satisfied with the appetizers alone and nearly forgot about our entrees. Jenn got the Vegetable Korma, a variety of vegetables and cheese in a curry sauce and topped with shaved almonds. I got a ckicken curry consisting of tomatoes, carrots, garlic, yogurt, cardamom, cumin and curry leaves. Jenn loved her dish. Mine was good, but not great. I would probably try something different on a return trip.

Vegetable Korma

Indian Chicken Curry

Overall, prices are reasonable (about $10 a dish), service is quick and friendly, and the servings are generous and filling. We give Essence of India an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.8
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.2
Customer Service: 8.4
Overall: 8.4

Ian's Pizza

Ian's Pizza
3463 North Clark St.
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lakeview
Ian's Pizza website

Ian's Pizza is a pizza place in Wrigleyville that offers thin-crust pizza by the slice, as well as whole pies. They also offer a decent selection of signature salads. We stopped by on a Friday night and as expected, several semi-intoxicated college kids were present. Ian's is cheap, fast and easy (like most college kids), so there's no doubt that it's a popular stop between bar hopping in Wrigleyville.


Although they offer whole pizzas and salads, Ian's is best known for its pizza by the slice, which is offered in a variety of unique topping combinations. They also rotate signature slices out on a regular basis. Some examples of the unique topping combinations include Chicken Burrito, Chili Cheese Fries, BBQ Pulled Pork and a pizza called the King Crab Rangoon (crab meat, cream cheese, wonton strips, green onions and sweet and sour sauce). They also offer many vegetarian slices, including guacamole burrito, kalamata mozzarella, and potato and broccoli cheddar. They even have dessert pizza like apple pie pizza and s'more pizza. I chose the BBQ Chicken slice and Jenn got the veggie slice of Portabella mushroom, spinach and tomatoes. Each specialty slice is $3.75 and for traditionalists, cheese or pepperoni slices are only $2.75.

BBQ Chicken

Portabella, spinach, tomato

The slices are pretty big and because of the numerous toppings, they're pretty filling as well. We were both satisfied with our slices and would definitely come back to try some more of the interesting topping combinations. The crab rangoon pizza has my name written all over it. Overall, Ian's pizza is the perfect place to stop for a quick, cheap slice of unordinary pizza in Wrigleyville. We give it an 8.3 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.7
Value: 8.4
Atmosphere: 7.8
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 8.3

Opart Thai House

Opart Thai House
4658 North Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
Neighborhood: North Center
Opart Thai's website
We absolutely love thai food and since we probably won't be able to visit all the thai restaurants in Chicago, we sought some advice from the Chicago Reader. In their Best of Chicago 2010 issue, they rated Opart as the best thai restaurant in Chicago. There are three Opart locations in the Chicago area: one up in Wilmette, one on South State St. and the one we went to on Western Ave near Lincoln Square.


Upon walking into Opart, we were impressed with both the friendly service and the hip ambience. The interior was modern and stylish with lots of wood surfaces and large windows. It was also surprisingly spacious.


Coming in with high expectations, we were not disappointed. The food was excellent. We started with some appetizers of crab rangoon and fried tofu. The crab rangoon was some of the best I've had and they give you 8 large pieces for $4.95! We were also impressed with the dipping sauces. The sweet and sour and the peanut sauce were both spiced and prepared to perfection and clearly did not come straight from a jar.


We were in the mood for curry, as we usually are when we get thai food. I got the Gaeng Gari curry, which is like a red curry with sweet potatoes and chicken. Jenn got the Gaeng Keow Waan, which is a green curry with Thai eggplant, green beans and tofu. Both were incredibly delicious and the servings were well-sized. The prices were also pretty low for the quality of food we were getting (about $8 for curry).

Gaeng Gari curry

Gaeng Keow Waan (green) Curry

As mentioned above, the service was friendly and very fast, but not rushed. Our appetizers came out in about 5 minutes and our curry came shortly after that. It is also BYOB, which is good to know for the future. Overall, we were glad we took the Chicago Reader's advice as Opart Thai House has become one of our new favorite Thai places. The menu has a lot to offer, so we will definitely be coming back to sample some more of their wonderful dishes. We give Opart Thai House a 9.1 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.4
Value: 8.9
Atmosphere: 8.9
Customer Service: 9.0
Overall: 9.1

Gino's East

Gino's East
633 North Wells St
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: River North
Gino's website
One of our goals with this blog is to discover and critique interesting, unique and relatively lesser known restaurants in Chicago. But every once in awhile we have the desire to experience the popular, well-known Chicago restaurants that every tourist has on his or her "things to do in Chicago" list. Right up there with the Willis Tower and the Bean, perhaps one of the most popular destinations in Chicago is Gino's East.


Jenn and I ventured to Gino's on a late afternoon on a weekday, so it wasn't too busy. There were aspects of Gino's atmosphere that we both liked and disliked. Like: the fact that visitors can leave their autograph on walls, tables and basically any other available surface. Dislike: the dark ambiance was a little too dark for us, especially for a 2 o'clock lunch. We ordered our pie and had to wait a whopping 45 minutes, but our waiter at least warned us that it would take that long. Another complaint is how pricey their pies are. Seeing as its a well known Chicago pizza establishment, we understand that people come here for that experience and history (and hopefully for the pizza itself), and not for its value. Well aware of this, we decided to share a small 8" cheese pizza, no toppings, no appetizers, no drinks, and our bill still came out to over $20, tip included. Based on the value factor alone, we would probably not come back.


The pizza itself was decent. Good, but not great. We really liked the sauce, which was chunky and tangy. There was too much cheese and the crust was flaky and buttery, but nothing that great. It probably would have been better with some toppings to negate the volume of cheese. Like most deep dish pizza, it was very filling and the 8" small was enough to fill us up. We enjoyed the pizza for the most part, but there are definitely better places to get pizza in Chicago. Overall, Gino's is a pricey tourist attraction with decent but not great pizza. We give it a 7.6 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.0
Value: 6.8
Atmosphere: 7.3
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 7.6

Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna

Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna
4761 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Barba Yianni's website

For greek food in Lincoln Square, Barba Yianni Grecian Taverna is a must stop restaurant. Our good friends and newly newlyweds Erik and Rocky visited us in ChiTown on a tuesday night and we decided to try some greek cuisine.


The restaurant was rather empty on this tuesday night but we enjoyed the quiet, laidback atmosphere. After ordering some Aris Lager, Erik suggested we start with the saganaki, aka flaming plate of cheese. As is tradition, our waitress set the plate of cheese on fire before our eyes and gave a rather unenthusiastic OPAA! Despite the tame OPAA!, the service was very helpful and friendly.

Saganaki

I decided to get the mousakas, a traditional greek specialty consisting of eggplant, zucchini, potatoes, seasoned ground beef, grated cheese and topped with bechamel sauce. It also came with a side of rice, peas and a serving of egg lemon soup. Needless to say, it was a lot of food for a fair price. I really enjoyed this dish. I loved the combination of ingredients and the meat was cooked and seasoned to perfection. I even ate the peas and I usually hate peas! The egg lemon soup was interesting. It was creamy, tangy and unique, though not great. But overall, I would definitely come back and get the mousakas again.

Egg Lemon Soup

Mousakas

Jenn got the falafel with tzatziki sauce. It was a generous portion and the falafel was crisp on the outside and perfectly textured on the inside. The sauce was exceptionally flavorful with just the right amount of spice.

Falafel

We came to this restaurant with really no expectations, but we were pleasantly surprised and left satisfied. It was a fun night with great friends and great greek food in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere. We give Barba Yianni an 8.6 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.7
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.9
Customer Service: 8.8
Overall: 8.6

Exchequer Restaurant & Pub

Exchequer Restaurant & Pub
226 South Wabash Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Loop
Exchequer website
The Exchequer is another restaurant/pub in Chicago's loop. It is supposedly known for its famous ribs, but we both passed on that option. The menu is fairly extensive, with everything from pizza, ribs and pasta to seafood, sandwiches and salads. They even have a Capone burger! They also have a bunch of fun Chicago sports and movie memorabilia on the walls.


Despite the plethora of menu choices, we both chose fairly ordinary dishes. I chose the penne pasta with meat sauce. It was alright. Nothing spectacular, but decent and the serving size was rather large. Jenn got the 8" portabella mushroom pizza, a thin crust pizza topped with a generous layer of fresh portabellas. It was very good, but again, nothing to write home about.

Penne Pasta with Meat Sauce

Portabella Mushroom Pizza

Overall, we enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the Exchequer, but the food itself was nothing special. With that said, we would probaly not go back, except maybe to try those ribs. We give the Exchequer a 7.8 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 7.5
Value: 8.0
Atmosphere: 8.0
Customer Service: 7.3
Overall 7.8

Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant

Elephant & Castle Pub and Restaurant
111 West Adams Street
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Loop
Elephant & Castle's website
Elephant & Castle is a pub/restaurant with British inspired pub food. There are 22 locations across North America, including Toronto, Boston, San Francisco and three locations in Chicago. We went to the location on Adams Street, which is in the loop and right next door to Club Quarters.


E&C boasts British pub classics like fish and chips and sheperd's pie and of course provides a great variety of beer and whiskey from the British Isles. They also have their own unique takes on pub food like Guiness Meatloaf and Jameson's Chicken. We were in the mood for burgers and beer so burgers and beer we got. I got the Union Jack Beef Burger, a burger basted with Guinness BBQ sauce and topped with bacon and jack cheese. Jenn got the Veggie burger, which was topped with bruschetta tomatoes and pesto mayo. The burgers were well-sized and came with generous toppings that worked well with each other. Add English chips and the obligatory Newcastle and/or Harp and you get satisfying and filling pub food at a moderate price.

Union Jack Beef Burger

Veggie Burger

There's nothing incredibly amazing about this place, but if you're looking for pretty good pub food, great service and a comforting atmosphere, Elephant & Castle is a great place to stop. We give it an 8.2 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.1
Value: 7.8
Atmosphere: 8.3
Customer Service: 8.4
Overall: 8.2

Pequod's Pizza

Pequod's Pizza
2207 North Clybourn Ave
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Pequod's website

We need to thank our good friends Brad and Lindsey for introducing us to this pizza place near Depaul University. On this visit, we wanted to impress some out-of-towners (Jenn's parents) and Pequod's did not disappoint. We arrived for lunch around noon and got there just in time. Shortly after we arrived, the lunch rush came and the rather small restaurant filled up fast. The lunch rush is most likely the result of Pequod's fantastic lunch special, which consists of a 7" personal pan pizza with one topping plus choice of either soda or domestic draft beer for only $4.95!


We couldn't pass up this amazing deal, so we each got the lunch special. We all agreed that the pizza here is delicious and what makes it stand out is the crust, which is not your typical deep dish crust. Pequod's boasts a "carmelized crust", meaning that melted cheese is fused to the edge of the crust, forming a perfectly burnt edge. And unlike the other Chicago deep dish pizza giants (Giordano's, Gino's), Pequod's doesn't overload on the cheese. It's a perfect balance of cheese, sauce and toppings. The sauce is flavorful and the toppings delicious. I especially recommend the sausage! And while consumption of the other deep dish pizzas in town can make your stomach feel like a ball of cheese, Pequod's isn't too filling. The 7" was plenty for each of us and we left satisfied, not bloated.

7" Personal Pizza with Sausage and Pepperoni

7" Personal Pizza with Green Olives

Overall, Pequod's is delicious deep dish pizza and different from the "other guys". The lunch special is an amazing deal that will have us coming back for more. Combine this with great customer service and a friendly, laid back atmosphere and you get one of our new favorite pizza places in Chicago. We give it a 9.0 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.1
Value: 9.5
Atmosphere: 8.7
Customer Service: 8.8
Overall: 9.0

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant

Garcia's Mexican Restaurant
4760 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
If you're looking for authentic mexican food in Lincoln Square, this is the place to be. Garcia's is another restaurant that we've already been to a handful of times and we know we can always count on a delicious yet rather cheap mexican meal.


Most entrees here are less than $10 per person and the portions are huge. For us it usually means leftovers for the next day. On this visit I got the tostadas suizas, two generously sized tostadas topped with ground beef, veggies, sour cream and melted cheese and served with beans and rice. Jenn got the veggie platter: two veggie tostadas, a cheese quesadilla and rice and beans. All the ingredients were fresh and delicious. I especially enjoyed the avocados, which were creamy, subtle and perfectly ripe. We must also comment on Garcia's margaritas. They are huge, delicious and don't skimp on the tequila. Definitely a must-have!

Tostadas Suizas

Veggie Platter

The quality of ingredients and large portions reign supreme at Garcia's and make it a must-stop for Mexican dining in Lincoln Square. Our only complaint is the atmosphere. The fact that Garcia's is always packed is a testament to its quality and value, but the high ceilings and stone walls make it sound more like a rowdy high school gymnasium. Needless to say, if you're looking for a quiet evening out, this is probably not the place for you. This brings our score down a little, but it's still a great place to stop for authentic Mexican cuisine. We give it an 8.4 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 9.1
Value: 9.1
Atmosphere: 7.0
Customer Service: 8.3
Overall: 8.4

Roong Petch Thai Restaurant

Roong Petch Thai Restaurant
1828 West Montrose Avenue
Chicago, IL
Neighborhood: Ravenswood
Roong Petch's Website
Roong Petch is a thai restaurant in Ravenswood, right off the Montrose Brown Line stop. Since moving to Ravenswood a few months ago, this has already become a regular destination for us whenever we are craving thai food.

On our most recent visit we decided to take advantage of their lunch special. The lunch special consists of an appetizer, bowl of soup and one of a dozen or so dishes to choose from, all for only $5.50. They even have vegetarian options for the soup and appetizer. We both chose the red curry.

Pot Stickers and Chicken Noodle Soup

Red Curry (w/chicken)

After three or four visits to this restaurant, we really haven't had any bad experiences in terms of the food. The curry is delicious. The vegetables and meat are always fresh, and the dishes are always flavorful. The entrees are reasonably priced and the lunch special is a great deal. One minor complaint is that they only had one server for the whole restaurant during the lunch hour, thus resulting in rather slow service. Friendly, but slow. Despite this, it's still well worth a visit. Nothing special, just tasty, affordable thai food. We give it an 8.2 out of 10.
Quality of Food: 8.6
Value: 8.7
Atmosphere: 8.2
Customer Service: 7.4
Overall: 8.2