I just can't get enough of Graziano's: By John Newman

John is a teacher that enjoys all different types of food. You can bet that when he's not playing softball he is out on the town looking for a fantastic food experience. For John dining out is all about good food and not worrying about being seen. As many would agree, he says his favorite part about dining out is that you don't have to spend hours on recipes and most importantly on the cleanup.

Whether I have a craving for an overwhelming portion of chicken parmesan or the city’s tastiest bowl of bottomless salad, Graziano’s is the place I go to satiate my hunger.  For more than ten years, Graziano’s Brick Oven Pizza has sent me home with doggy bag after doggy bag of Italian classics.  Good for lunch or dinner, alone, with my wife, or with a large group of family and friends, the exposed brick walls, accessible seating options, and friendly service keep me coming back…… for the food!

A typical meal for me begins with an appetizer and is followed by the best house salad in the Chicagoland area, a portion sized entrée I never finish, a glass of wine or cocktail, and dessert.  Staples in my rotation for appetizers are the polenta, bruschetta, or often one of the dozen or so specialty pizzettes. When available the skirt steak polenta, often a daily special, takes the crown. House salad is always next, and bottomless. 

If only stopping by for lunch, the Italian Turkey Sandwich gets the job done. Dinner, however, requires a bit more heavy lifting. Although I do not have an allergy and don’t pretend I am on a diet, I like the option of gluten free or low-carb dishes to keep my wife happy. If we ever have children, or just decide to borrow my niece, I know I can count on Graziano’s to keep them full and entertained, giving kids the chance to watch their pizzas cook in the wood burning oven. 

In the city of big shoulders and waistbands, the best options are the Tuscan brick chicken (chicken breast and balsamic marinade with roasted potatoes), chicken parmesan, or bowtie pasta with vodka sauce (rich and creamy). If you are looking for something with a little more kick, try the penne arrabiatta (spicy tomato sauce and a few red pepper flakes) with an oversized meatball.

And what would a nice Italian dinner be without dessert?  The profiteroles are outstanding, but don’t be afraid to dig into a messy sundae, piece of tiramisu, or grab an espresso from the bar. And when leaving with tomorrow’s lunch feel free to grab a root beer barrel for me.  

Graziano's

5960 West Touhy Ave.

Niles, IL 60741

(847) 647-4096

http://www.grazianosrestaurant.com

The Portage By: Patricia Nicandro

 

Patricia is a graduate student at DePaul University who enjoys traveling, reading, culinary exploration, and playing sports that don't require much athleticism. If Patricia was forced to choose her favorite kind of food it would be breakfast food with a heavy emphasis on bacon. Patricia may not have a car but she is willing to travel as far as the CTA/Metra tracks will take her in order to reach a good restaurant.

The Portage describes its food as “contemporary southern cuisine,” but I just call it good food.  The chefs cook with what’s in season and, to me, that’s the best and only way to cook.  For instance, on the winter menu one of the dishes that The Portage featured was gnocchi with diced squash, zucchini, sautéed arugula, smashed peas, brown butter sauce, and shaved parmesan.  Normally, I shy away from vegetarian dishes at restaurants because they tend to taste a little on the bland side, but not this dish!  It was perfectly seasoned and the veggies weren’t overcooked or undercooked, which some restaurants tend to do. 

If you’re more of a meat-eater and love comfort food, then I’d stick with staples like the Portage burger and southern fried chicken.  Though these dishes sound common, both are delicious and decadent.  The Portage uses Kobe beef for its juicy burgers; and the fried chicken is boneless, crispy, and has a slight kick to it.  While you may want to scarf down these dishes, don’t forget to save room for dessert.  The Portage makes its own ice cream with very unique flavors, like buttered popcorn and strawberry-goat cheese.  The chefs recently added the sweet polenta cake to their dessert arsenal and it is by far my favorite dessert there.

Cocktails are another must at The Portage.  Though I’ve only stuck with my favorite cocktail there, the Portage Mango Martini, the bar has an abundance of wines, beers, and spirits.  And the bartenders are very knowledgeable and friendly.

The host and servers at The Portage are also extremely friendly and will go to great lengths to ensure that you have a pleasurable dining experience.  They will do their best to seat you where you feel most comfortable; bravely ask the kitchen staff to see if a dish you ordered could be slightly modified; and check-in with you regularly during your meal. 

The interior of The Portage is also a reflection of the food and service – warm and inviting.  But if you’d rather dine al fresco, the restaurant has a lovely patio in the back.                   

All in all, the Portage is a true neighborhood gem in the heart of Portage Park. 

The Portage 

3938 North Central Avenue

Chicago, IL 6063

(773) 853-0779 

www.theportagechicago.com

La Scarola By: Sharon Feldman

Sharon Feldman is the Grant Manager at UIC. She enjoys going to the movies, gardening and drawing. As a foodie who is also a Weight Watcher, Sharon thinks it is important to distinguish whether the experience is going to be about food or the social experience prior to dining out. She says when it is all about the food, it is also about the social aspect. However, it can be about the social aspect where the food isn't important. 

Ever have a meal you can’t get out of your head?  Maybe at a little out of the way place you found on vacation, and you just keep thinking of how you wish you could get back there?  Well, luckily for me, La Scarola is just blocks away.  But from my brother and nephews, it is an annual pre-camp meal that they look forward to from one summer to the next, when they come to town for a weekend with Aunt Sharon before heading up to Wisconsin.   It’s not just the incredible food that rounds out the memories, but the buzz in the air, the way it just invites you in to its aura.  Woody Allen couldn’t shoot a NY Italian restaurant any more lovingly than this place feels the moment you walk in.

The warm ambiance created by the hip host; the familiar red table cloths on tables pushed so close you practically dine with your neighbors; where, if you’re sitting in the front room, every steaming hot dish practically passes under your nose, and really you can’t believe the size of the portions and how amazing each one looks. If you can tear your eyes away from the food, the people-watching is also a feast.  Some are well healed, others like they just finished up at their Teamsters job. Big groups of guys; business men; families; north side; side south side.  Big hair and jewelry; mullets on women. It all works here. The menu features predictable Italian fare, but it’s done well, with my favorite, oft-overlooked ingredient:  all served piping hot. Food faves: hands down, the veal chop “Gabe,” grilled calamari, eggplant parmesan; pasta fagiole soup. Specials reasonably priced, always with a fresh fish and an interesting pasta in the offing. Caveat: Reservations, especially during peak times, are a suggestion. Patience required.

La Scarola 

721 West Grand

Chicago, IL 60610

(312) 243-1740

www.lascarola.com

Mana Food Bar By: Maggie Duplace

Maggie is a special education teacher who enjoys going out to eat, being with friends, crafting and riding her scooter. Maggie considers a restaurant worthwhile if it has delicious and interesting flavors delivered with consistency. She also appreciates a restaurant that has inventive and thoughtful vegetarian dishes. One of the reasons Maggie watches Check, Please! is to encourage her to leave her neighborhood and try new places. 

The restaurant that keeps me coming back is Mana Food Bar. As a vegetarian, I am willing to try anything that doesn't contain any meat or stock in the dish; dairy will do. There are a variety of cold, hot, small, and large plate, sides and drinks to choose from that make me feel like I really have entered a restaurant that actually tries to make vegetarian food outstanding.
The hummus is creamy and smooth, spiked with garlic and is served with an endless supply of pitas and veggies for dipping. Toast points make the perfect spoon for delicious baked goat cheese in spicy marinara. The sliders delight even my carnivorous friends, made of brown rice and mushrooms topped with spicy mayo and served on a sweet little bun. The sweet potato pancakes are one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. It's a pairing of sweet and salty magic topped with a seasonal chutney and fresh cream. A sprinkling of green onion brightens the rich flavor. The small is enough for 1, but I order the large because they are just that good.
Anyone's hand that comes near my plate is swiped away when they reach for a bite- my friends have learned. The cool and natural decor and outside seating make the restaurant a comfortable spot and provides great Wicker Park people watching. Add a glass a wine and I am definitely the happiest vegetarian in the 60622 zip code, maybe even the city. 

Mana Food Bar

1742 West Division Street

Chicago, IL 60622

(773) 342-1742

http://www.manafoodbar.com/index.html            

Chicago Fire House By: Jahan Kashani

 

Jahan is an executive assistant who enjoys savory comfort food. Jahan will drink a suggested complimentary wine with her meal but otherwise she chooses water or tea. She is also willing to drive pretty far for quality food; sometimes she takes the two-hour trip to Lake Geneva to get a great meal. She thinks that the food is what eating out is all about. She says great food can come from the scariest looking restaurant. 

It was 2007 when I had to host a regional conference for the company I was working with. I had to set up an exclusive dinner that night for the panel of executives that were attending. I chose to choose a place special to Chicago that was not the same old chain steak house… Where?  Chicago Fire House. I called them handled the logistics of the dinner and attending a menu tasting to make sure our companies guests would be satisfied. That great thing about CFH is that their food is so luxurious but not their setting. It is cozy, warm and comfortable. You’re treated well and fed even better. My experience was so great that I hosted a private party for my family.

My family is easy to please, I can say, Old Country Buffet has my family on their VIP List. Bringing them to CFH was going to be an event. I booked “The Mayor’s Room” which is warm and elegant room containing floor to ceiling mahogany panels with large windows and hardwood floors and created a pre-fixed menu. They were extremely impressed with the environment but excited for the special Chicago Fire House Chilled Seafood Display that included crabmeat, oysters, large cocktail shrimp and plenty of mignonette sauce.  Next was the lobster bisque. Yes, a heavy soup but salads are salads and I wanted them to enjoy drinking the rich smooth savory flavor that CFH creates in the Lobster Bisque. I could bathe in that soup. As that is not possible, I tried my best to enjoy every last drop without bathing the bowel with my tongue.  Main course was varied, lobster for my mother, steak for my father, salmon for my sister-in law and so on. Everything was cooked perfectly. Smelled decadent and tasted flawless. They serve the best quality food and you can taste it.  Lastly, (yes, we Kashani’s had enough room) we opted for cheesecake with the savoriest fresh raspberry sauce. It had a great tartness that did not make the dessert overly sweet. The entire meal was overly satisfying to the point I have started a tradition for myself with Chicago Fire House.

 Every Christmas Eve, I reserve a half-circle booth in the main dining area and treat myself to a great Christmas feast. It is a time for me to reflect on the holiday. Enjoy a meal with someone I care about and spend time reflecting on the past year. I usually dine for three hours. Enjoying each course and watching the other families dine in delight. I am coming up on my 5th Christmas Eve dining experience at CFH and looking very forward to it. I am often asked why I do not choose another place. Simply put, would you sample another grandmother’s pumpkin pie? No, tradition can be spruced up yes, but always stay in the end I prefer to stay with the one who welcomes me home.

Chicago Fire House

1401 South Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL 60605-2810

(312) 786-1401

www.mainstayhospitality.com

Click Your Heels Three Times By: KD King, featured Check, Please! Guest

 KD King is an erotic romance novelist from Hazel Crest. She was a guest on the latest new episode of Check, Please! as she recommended her favorite restaurant Mabovi. KD loved her experience of being on the show and is excited to share her love for Chef Bea's Afro Caribbean creations with all of you.

Say it with me “There’s No Place Like Home, There’s No Place Like Home.” Well unless you decide to stop by Mabovi restaurant. No sparkling red heels needed. Come and bring an empty stomach.

When I first heard of Mabovi it was through one of my women’s groups. We had plans to go and check out the cuisine. At the time Mabovi was in Matteson. Unfortunately, I was busy that day and couldn’t make it. But I made appoint to remember the name so I could check it out on my own. I am familiar with both West African and Caribbean cuisine, so I knew it was a place I wanted to try. I love oxtails. And I grab at any chance to find a place that makes good ones. 

When I finally decided to try the restaurant out, they had moved to their Hazel Crest Location. In fact they had just moved. So it was only a take out window and two small tables pushed against the window. No more than four people could “dine-in” at once. 

I sat and studied the menu trying to figure out what I wanted. That’s what happens when you wait until you are hungry. Well she was baking some bread to take over to the fire department and just pulled some loaves out. 

“Here try this.” Bea, the owner, gave me a fresh baked roll.

I knew then and there this would be a place that would not disappoint. The bread melted in my mouth. Filled with nuts and cranberries it was unlike any roll I had ever had. I know many people are carb addicts. They love bread and the like. I’m not one of those people. But in that moment. I became one. I craved the bread. And I was sure to order an extra piece with my meal. And I have from that day on.

I decided on the curry lamb shank. She recommended it to me. I decided to eat at one of the two tables. I was not prepared for the Fred Flinstone portion of meat on one of the biggest plates I have ever seen served at a restaurant. Curry lamb shank, rice and peas, and steamed cabbage. I ate, and ate, and ate. Then I took the other half home. 

The food was great, but I’ve never felt so welcomed. The owner talked to me, recommended food, we talked about her expansion of the restaurant, and why she moved. I was no longer eating by a window in a small restaurant. I was enjoying a meal at home. It was that experience in addition to the food that had me coming back for more and more and more. And yes her oxtails are delicious.

I finally made it to another event with my women's group at Mabovi. This time she served family style because the group was so large. The food kept coming, the laughter never stopped, she talked to everyone, walked them through, made her special peach tea type concoction and made sure that everyone left full. Well full is an understatement. We were stuffed. Somehow we had managed to eat our weight in food. Afterwards we lingered, relaxed, and sipped tea. That’s when I knew. I could no longer keep this gem to myself. I had to tell everyone about Mabovi. A home away from home. I didn’t have to kill a witch and travel down a road to find Mabovi. Just a hop, skip, and a jump away and I found another home. 

Mabovi African & Caribbean Restaurant

17100 Dixie Highway
Hazel Crest, IL 60429
(708) 206-1900
http://www.mabovirestaurant.com

The Downtown Family, and the Uptown Cafe By: Gina Witt

Gina is a dental hygienist and food blogger who enjoys running, sewing and fantasy and baseball nerding. Gina is picky about her food and restaurant choices. She says, the must be prepared flavor-fully with care, from scratch and considers herself to be a snob about these requirements. Time is too precious to squander on a mediocre or bad dining experience for this busy mom.

Throughout my life, I’ve occasionally been noticed for my quirky style, but never my expensive taste. I have always earned a look of disdain when, on receiving a compliment on an outfit, I’ve blurted proudly, “It’s second-hand. Two bucks! And I sewed the top!” I admit, I think that good things don’t have to cost a fortune.

Now, I have two kids under the age of three that I love to share meals with. However, I don’t believe in bringing our kids along to fancy restaurants, because I feel that a $32 steak is a waste of money when served with a side of screaming.

My life doesn’t happen at five-star venues. My life happens at the Uptown Café in Arlington Heights.

We can all have fun at the Uptown, and I don’t have to eat something that’s pressed into a nugget shape. The food is fresh and delicious at Uptown, the service is friendly, and the prices are incredible.

The Uptown Café has been owned by a Greek family for decades. Georgia greets us at the door. She is a tall woman with tall hair and a tall personality. She has shown my toddler how to stack the creamers to help keep her amused, or she has fed her jelly off the end of a spoon. She calls her “kukla,” or “doll.” The Uptown staff is always accommodating: crayons and coloring paper, saltines, and a kiddie cup are available promptly at the Uptown. Phew!

The décor is the low-point at the Uptown, but I find it endearing. It includes Miami-style pinks, palm fronds in the upholstery, and frosted glass partitions. Things get even more convoluted with lots of ceramic figurines, and hanging seasonal paper decorations. If you can’t find the warm heart (or at least the kitsch factor) in these types of surroundings, then I would humbly suggest that the Uptown is not for you.

The French fries at the Uptown are some of the very best anywhere, always served hot, with a shattering crunch. Breakfast selections include enormous omelets and perfect pancakes. (The Mickey Mouse pancake is a festival of cherries, sprinkles, and whipped cream so over-the-top that your kid will think it is her birthday.) The sandwiches have ingredients like hand-carved turkey, cranberry mayo, crispy bacon, and always perfect avocado. You will obsess about their chicken salad, or their thick and gooey grilled cheese. Specials never disappoint, whether a burger or an entrée salad. The grilled chicken is incredibly flavorful: my favorite special has been their broccoli, chicken, and cheddar crepe that I have requested specially-made many times.

The prices at Uptown are fast-food low. Our family can eat for just above $20 on real food, creatively prepared, with quality ingredients and fresh produce. I can bring my family to the Uptown, and still leave a hefty tip after my kids trash the immediate area around our table.

I’m happy to admit that the Uptown Café is where my family is right now. And like my family, it is always fresh (and oh, that toddler is a fresh one), comfortingly routine but never boring, just what I wanted, and where I’m always very glad to be.

Oh, and a little tacky and loud sometimes.

Uptown Cafe

24 East Miner Street

Arlington Heights, IL 60004-6012

(847) 398-1720

Perfect Meal By: Emilie Yount

Emilie is an editor from Andersonville. She loves to read, travel and considers herself a fan of everything Harry Potter. Emilie watches Check, Please! to see how different people view things in different ways. She thinks its interesting to see how the food, especially spicy food, tastes to other customers. Some people may think something is too spicy, but Emilie says, bring it on!

Twist is a restaurant in Chicago in the oddest of areas. When you think of Wrigleyville, you likely imagine 20-somethings stumbling down Clark Street in a drunken haze to the next sports bar that smells of stale beer. In the case of Twist, a plethora of delights are encased in a tiny storefront just near the corner of where Clark intersects with Sheffield. I have been back dozens upon dozens of times to savor in what this quaint tapas restaurant has to offer. It can get super-crowded due to its size, and although I have spotted quite a few first dates there, it isn't ideal in terms of romance. It is, however, an excellent place for a group to converge over an array of red and white sangrias and chat the night away.

Tapas are the best way to get to know the people around you or reconnect with your dinner party. Sharing food allows people to converse and discuss and, of course, allows you the chance to dabble when it comes to your meal. How many times have you ordered an entree that you were unhappy with and spent the majority of the meal eyeballing the lovely entree your dining partner has ordered? Tapas allow you to sample, which means you will be happy with most items, but more than likely, there will be standouts to remember for your next visit.

Twist has a price per plate that can't be beat. I have definitely been to my fair share of tapas places, and there is no silly gimmick here. They have quick service and bring the items out as they become available. You can sit in the front section, which rises upon the rest of the restaurant and looks out onto Sheffield or at the tables that line the restaurant wall. You also have the choice to sit in front of the cook station, which smells like heaven. Some of the items are are continuously stellar are subtly spicy jalapeno gnocchi, the tuna cannelloni stuffed with tuna, asparagus and basil in a white wine vinaigrette and tomato basil sauce, the lobster ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes, stuffed mushrooms roasted with sauteed spinach and Monterey Jack cheese, the beef tenderloin crusted with delicious blue cheese and the Paella Twist, which combines chicken, calamari, mussels and shrimp with saffron rice. I can honestly say I have never had a disappointing visit here. Your options are endless, from cold to hot tapas (veggies, meat, cheese- whatever you are craving) and a full bar selection. People who don't like small spaces need not apply, but I am all about the food. If it's good, I will come back, and in this case, it's great. The sangria selection doesn't hurt, either (red being a mainstay but always in addition to a summer option). If you want to meet up with old friends or meet new ones, this is the place.

Twist

3412 North Sheffield

Chicago, IL 60657

(773) 388-2727

twistinchicago.com