Skirt Steak Special at Los Nopales

This is officially my new favorite place to eat in Lincoln Square. Fresh, friendly, authentic, reasonably priced, and BYOB—this is one of the best meals I’ve had in my neighborhood. Ever. They’ve even been awarded a Bib Gourmands by Michelin. Where have I been on this one?

Tucked away on Western Avenue, just south of Wilson Avenue, Los Nopales is easy to miss. Overshadowed by Western Avenue traffic, bodegas, and second-hand shops—you’ll need to look for the festive lights on their awning to separate it out from the riffraff. Once inside, you’ll find this restaurant comfortable, welcoming, and eager to please.

Once we squeezed inside the door, we were seated and served chips with green and red salsa to nibble on as we mulled over the menu. While their menu contains some standard Mexican cuisine, I recommend focusing all of your attention on their entrée section.

First entrée of the night was the grilled pork tenderloin medallions accompanied by a grilled cactus salad in a guajillo, chili de arbol, and tomato sauce over white rice. I had never eaten cactus before, but I certainly will again after trying this dish. The meat was tender, the sauce flavorful, and the addition of a grilled cactus salad topper proved to be surprisingly tasty.

Next order out was the vegetarian tacos: fresh tortillas filled with grilled cactus, beans, and avocados. Extremely fresh and very delicious—this restaurant won’t skimp on the basics.

The last entrée that came to our table was the skirt steak special: char-grilled skirt steak served on frijoles borrachos (pinto beans, bacon, sausage, green pepper, onions, and Model beer), and topped with a grilled cactus salad. Amazing.

I’m ready to head back to sample more. Who’s coming with me?

Los Nopales

4544 N. Western Ave.

Chicago 60625

773.334.3149

Web: http://www.losnopalesrestaurant.com

CTA Transit:

Bus: 49 Western and Wilson

El: Western, Brown Line

If you ever find yourself on the far north end of Western Avenue searching for a place to eat, I highly suggest San Soo Gab San. It’s a difficult place to spot, and I would have missed it myself if I hadn’t been intrigued by the neon sign advertising their business hours of 10am-5am. Friday night, we decided to give it a try.

Moments after we were seated, our order was taken, and a bowl of smoking wood charcoal was set between us. As the coals began to catch, our server filled the table with 24 small plates of Korean delights. Some of it we could recognize (kimchi, jorim, namul, dumplings, etc.), and most of it we couldn’t place.

For the barbecue, we ordered marinated beef and spicy chicken to cook over the fire. I believe the quality of meat at San Soo Gab San is worth noting here. It wasn’t slathered in marinade to hide poor cuts—both plates of meat were lightly dressed in marinade to enhance what were already excellent pieces of beef and chicken.

The bustling restaurant made for a lovely evening of conversation and grilling as we flipped our food over the fire and feasted on the plethora of side dishes that had taken over our table. Our servers were extremely attentive—the grate over our fire was changed twice to prevent our table from being too smoky, and we were checked on often.

Two orders of meat alongside the small plates, soup, and rice yielded way too much food for two people—but the leftovers were excellent, so I recommend ordering as much as you like for your group!

San Soo Gab San

5247 North Western Avenue

Chicago, IL 60625

773.334.1589

Transit: CTA Bus 49, 49B to Western and Berwyn

All of those summer blockbusters will be here before we know it! Looking to catch a quick bite before heading to the show? Check out these restaurants close to some of your favorite theaters.

AMC River East 21 / AMC Loews 600 N. Michigan 9
Loop

Star of Siam is a lovely hidden gem in Chicago’s loop. This bustling Thai restaurant offers delicious food at a descent price in a comfortable atmosphere. Their menu is extensive, the service is friendly, and the bar is stocked with beer, wine, and fruity tropical cocktails.

Star of Siam
11 E. Illinois St.
312.670.0100
http://www.starofsiamchicago.com

AMC Loews Piper’s Alley
Old Town

The Flat Top Grill has a few locations around Chicago, but I hadn’t noticed the one in Old Town until a friend suggested we meet there for dinner before going to Piper’s Alley. Genius. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of trying Flat Top Grill—I recommend checking it out. This restaurant lets you to create your own stir-fry dish by going through a salad bar-esque line to pick out your rice, noodles, veggies, sauces, and meat. You put it all next to the grill, they cook it up, and deliver it to your table. You can get creative on your own, or they have recommended combinations for you to try.

The Flat Top Grill
319 W. North Avenue
http://www.flattopgrill.com

The Landmark Century Centre Cinema
Lakeview

Just around the corner from the Landmark Theater you’ll find The Counter. Holy beers and burgers, this place has variety…and a large patio…and fried pickles. Sign. Me. Up. Their checklist-style menu bombards you with more burger options than you had ever thought possible, and by ticking all the different boxes on the menu, they reckon you have 312,120 + possible combinations for your burger.

The Counter
666 W. Diversey Pkwy.
773.935.1995
http://www.thecounterburger.com

The Davis
Lincoln Square

A mere half block from the Davis Theater, you’ll find the Daily Bar and Grill, which has a menu packed with good ol’ bar food, an array of lovely salads, pastas, pizzas, vegetarian options, and an awesome comfort food section. Meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, chicken pot pie—all made on site and all extremely delicious. Have a seat inside or grab a chair on their sunny patio before you head to the show.

The Daily Bar and Grill
4560 N. Lincoln Ave.
773.561.6198

http://www.sparetimechicago.com/index.php?section=77

It’s May in Chicago, which means that the weather is finally starting to cooperate with my spring / summer outdoor dining plans. Is anyone else in Chicago looking to sit on a patio somewhere and enjoy some great food and drink specials? I know I am!

Here are some great restaurants with al fresco dining and awesome weekday deals along North Lincoln Avenue:

Café Selmarie:

Café Selmarie is a neighborhood staple with excellent food, desserts, and a lovely patio right in the square of Lincoln Square. Check out these weeknight specials:

Tuesday: Kids eat free
Wednesday: Half price wine
Thursday: 3-course dinner for $22

4729 N. Lincoln

http://www.cafeselmarie.com

La Bocca:

This spring, La Bocca is celebrating twenty years of dishing up excellent Italian food in Chicago. They have a small patio that is extremely pleasant, and when you combine it with their weekday specials—it’s hard to beat.

La Bocca runs this special on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays:

Selected pasta dishes for $9.95
Peroni and Moretti beer for $3.50
$5 glasses of wine

4618 N. Lincoln

http://laboccachicago.com

Lattitude:

Latitude sports a good-sized patio right across from Welles Park. I’ve always liked this place for their fancy bar food. I’ve never had a bad meal here, and their weekday specials are an excellent deal.

Tuesday: Half price bottles of wine AND any three appetizers for the price of two
Wednesday: Buy one entrée get one entrée half off
Thursday: $5 Martinis

4500 N. Lincoln

http://www.42nlatitude.com

Bowmans:

Bowmans Bar and Grill is a very friendly joint with a lovely patio and a menu packed with good ol’ bar food.

Monday: $3 draft beers and $3 burger and fries
Tuesday: $5 margaritas and $1 tacos
Friday: $5 martinis, $10 pitchers of sangria, and a $7 fish fry

4356 N. Leavitt (just off N. Lincoln)

http://www.bowmanschicago.com

Andersonville has a great strip of restaurants on North Clark, and everyone knows its staples: Ann Sather for pancakes, Hamburger Mary’s for…burgers, the Hopleaf for mussels, and Reza’s for your Mediterranean fix. But just down the street from Reza’s is the understated Andies Restaurant, which definitely has the kebabs to battle Reza’s—especially in the service department.

Every time I’ve eaten at Reza’s the food has been excellent, but the service was sub par—and I get the idea that most people who frequent Reza’s go there just because of the hype. I’m here to offer an alternative to the masses: Andies Restaurant for delicious Mediterranean food (sans the waiter talking on his phone while you’re giving your order).

As soon as we sat down at Andies, we were served a generous basket of warm, perfectly baked pita that lasted us through our entire meal. To compliment our lovely pita, we started off with an order of saganaki, which was excellent in presentation and taste.

For an entrée, one of my fellow diners ordered the lamb couscous, which was extremely tasty. The lamb was tender and the dish was packed with fresh vegetables and spice. There was definitely a delicate balance to the spice of this dish that pushed it over the edge with just the right amount of zing.

Two of us ordered the Tunisian chicken and artichoke in a lemon sauce with a side of dill rice. It was like Mediterranean comfort food, and we ate every bite.

I feel the presentation and timing of our meal at Andies is worth mentioning here. They definitely go out of their way to make sure you’re comfortable and full. Next time you find yourself on North Clark, resist the temptation to breeze into Reza’s and head one door down to Andies.

Andies Restaurant
5253 N. Clark
Chicago, IL
773.784.8616

http://www.andiesres.com

If you’re looking for a neighborhood go-to for Thai food, Siam Country, directly off the Damen brown line stop, is a sure thing every time. While carryout is convenient, dining in at this small, modest restaurant is always a treat. To compliment their overly attentive service, they remember your favorite dishes, eagerly accept substitutions or additions, and expertly tailor the spice of each dish to the palates of individual diners.

The thing that separates Siam Country from your average neighborhood Thai place is the freshness of the ingredients they use and their modest, but filling, portion sizes. This isn’t your average Thai take-out.

Last night I branched away from my usual Panang curry to sample their red pineapple curry, and I’m officially sold on a new favorite.

Hop off the train, give them a call, or order online. You won’t be disappointed.

Siam Country
4637 North Damen
Chicago 60625
773-271-0700
www.siamcountrychicago.com

Saturday night, my neighborhood gal pals and I finally decided to try the little BYOB Cuban restaurant down the street that had somehow eluded us all…until now. With bottles of wine in hand, we headed to the small, romantic, conveniently located Sabor a Cuba nestled quietly on the corner of Wilson Avenue and Wolcott in Ravenswood.

We started off with plantain chips and a plate of papa rellenas (mashed potatoes stuffed with picadillo, and lightly fried), but the scene-stealer was definitely the guava and ham empanadas. Sweet, savory, warm, and gooey—I could have ordered another plate of them and had that as my meal.

For the main course, we each had various forms of roasted goodness. Unfortunately, two of my fellow dinner-goers were vegetarian, leaving the main course menu a little sparse. They each ordered a plate of roasted vegetables and watched the rest of us devour our plates of roasted pork and picadillo. My regards to Linda and Cindy.

Now on to the roasted goodness: Each main course was served with a side of sweet plantains and black beans and rice.

Lechon Asado: Roasted pork smothered in garlic and onions.

Roasted Pork Chunks: Chunks of roasted pork lightly breaded and fried.

Picadillo: A mixture of Cuban-spiced ground beef, tomato, and onion.

While the food at Sabor a Cuba is worth checking out, the three hours we spent at our table attempting to have food or water brought in our general direction was frustrating. I would recommend their carryout menu for anyone who has anything else they would like to accomplish in the same evening.

Sabor a Cuba

1833 W. Wilson Ave.

Chicago 60640

(773) 769-6859

BYOB

Reservations recommended