BopNGrill

Ever since a friend shared some of her Bulkogi with me in nursing school I have had a love for it, but somehow my homemade versions never matched up, and there isn't a great abundance of Korean restaurants in this area, so when I found a little joint in Chicago serving up this Asian delight I was ecstatic! BopNgrill near Loyola College in Chicago is serving up Korean favorites, as well as burgers, and some unique takes on fast food, like kimchi fries. Another unique fusion dish that BopNgrill only does on weekends, and frequently sells out of is their Philly Cheese steak egg rolls, my hubby tried an order of these, and other than a strong onion flavor he really liked this unique take on an egg roll, so if you are a Philly cheese steak lover, this is a dish for you to try.

Obviously I ordered the Bulkogi, which is a Korean ribeye dish that was served with rice, kimchi, and a side salad. The ribeye was fantastic and very tender, it was cooked with onions and carrots, and even though I don't always care for cooked veggies, I really liked this. The kimchi, which is a fermented cabbage dish, was too spicy for my taste, but otherwise had a good flavor, and the side salad had a creamy dressing with a good flavor on it, but was shredded lettuce and I just don't care for shredded lettuce.While I really didn't eat the sides, the Bulkogi itself was delicious and the rice was really well cooked, this dish is definitely a must try.

My hubby ordered one of the many unique burgers that BopNgrill serves, the umami, and for those who haven't heard of umami, it is one of the basic tastes and directly translates from the Japanese as a pleasant savory taste. His burger had truffled mushroom duxelle, bacon, smoked gouda, bacon, sun dried tomato confit, and togarashi mayo (a red chili mayo). I asked what he thought of the burger and he said the only word he could think to describe it was "umami," so I guess this burger lives up to it's name! For our little man we ordered the "strips and fries," since it was just $5, we didn't expect much, but this was a large serving of hand breaded chicken and a ton of fries (one of our best deals of the day)! The chicken was delicious, it was panko breaded, and if you know anyting about panko bread crumbs, they are incredibly crunchy, this is actually the same chicken they use for their chicken katsu, and it was so good I will be getting that next time we go back!

BopNgrill, might serve Asian food, but it is a far cry from the Chinese and Japanese restaurants you may have tried; pair their delicious Korean food with a unique variety of burgers and you have a winning menu and a winning restaurant.

Panozzo's Italian Market

There aren't too many things that I like as well as a deli, even better is a European deli, or since I am in the US, a European style deli; and that is exactly what I got when we had lunch at Panozzo's Italian Market on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Panozzo's in more than just a deli with fresh made sandwiches, homemade pastas, and an abundance of salads, it is an establishment supporting it's own local community by using local and sustainable food.

Not only is the menu at Panozzo's incredibly tempting, but the deli case will also have your mouth watering; since we have heard such good things about the hot sandwiches, we went that route. I chose the porchetta, which is a pork shoulder that is marinated for a couple days, wrapped in a cured pork belly, and slow baked. For the first time in my life I ordered a sandwich totally unaltered (normally I prefer my sandwiches pretty plain), and it was delicious! My porchetta came on delicious yeast bread that was pan fried and perfectly crispy on the outside, it was topped with pickled fennel, greens, and a mild chili aoili, and that aoili in combination with the rendered fat from the porchetta gave the inside of the fried bread a soft, creaminess. I am so glad that I went against my inhibitions and ordered this sandwich as is, because it was delicious!

My hubby ordered the chicken thigh confit, which we were told is another popular choice. His sandwich also came on the delicious fried bread, and was reminiscent of chicken Parmesan with a chicken thigh, tomato pesto, herbs, pickled chili's, Parmesan, and most importantly fresh, handmade mozzarella...yes, they make their own mozzarella daily. 

For our little man we ordered a breaded chicken cutlet, which my hubby and I both tried and agreed it was delicious! These chicken cutlets can be bought by the pound and would be the perfect base for any chicken dish like chicken Parmesan. I perused the deli case and saw many unique olives, salads, and several different varieties of lasagna and I personally had to resist the urge to take home pounds and pounds of deli meat like salami and speck, but without a cooler, I am not sure it would have fared well during the rest of the day and trip home, but next time I will be smarter and take a cooler to bring home extras.

Italian restaurants are a dime a dozen, but Panozzo's Italian Market is a unique little joint, that is doing Italian different and doing it well.

West Town Bakery & Cafe

Near the Ukrainian Village in Chicago is a funky little joint covered in graffiti called West Town Bakery & Cafe, and if you are anything like me the mere sight of the pastry case as you walk in the front door will be enough to convince you that you have come to the right place! The cases were full of the most original flavored cake balls, like French toast, red velvet, & chocolate peanut butter; several different types of brownies; Sweet and savory pastries; many varieties of bagels; lots of huge doughnuts; mini and regular size whoopie pies; delicious looking scones; and chocolate covered bacon. We brought home a pretty good variety of baked goods, but I won't bore you with all of those details, but I will tell you that you have to try the maple bacon doughnut, one of the employees explained it as "life changing" and he was right!! 

As we sat down, my hubby barely picked up the menu when he saw an herbed waffle with braised pork belly covered in spiced apples, and he laid the menu right back down, he had seen everything that he needed to see. Now my husband is not a waffle guy, he doesn't really do breakfast, and if he does, waffles are never his first choice...until today. He actually really liked this savory version of a traditional breakfast staple. and it complemented his pork belly well. Now, if you know anything about pork, or meat, or butchering, you know that the belly is where the bacon comes from, my hubby told me that it was really good, but that if you don't care for fatty meat, this meal will not be the choice for you. His slab of pork belly was covered with a fried egg, which is not his favorite since he doesn't like yolks, but he ate around it, and really enjoyed this breakfast! And those apples were awesome!!

I am normally a water drinker, but the thought of fresh squeezed apple juice was too much for me to resist, and I was not disappointed. There is just something so delicious about fresh juice, I don't know if it is the real fruit taste, or just knowing that what you're drinking has been minimally processed, but either way, this was a glass of juice that stands high above the rest.

There were many fantastic looking options, especially with a menu as creative as this one, but since I have never tried chicken and waffles I went for it! Even though this was my first chicken and waffles, I can't imagine that this concept is anything like the original. The base for this old favorite, was anything, but traditional, it was a vanilla bean and bacon waffle, The flavor was awesome and sweet, with the occasional burst of saltiness from the bacon. The chicken was really well fried, but not very flavorful, it could have done with a little more seasoning on the meat and in the coating, but truthfully once you pair a bite of the chicken with the delicious waffle and syrup you won't feel like a thing is missing. Did I also mention that my chicken and waffles came with two slices of bacon on top? Good bacon takes everything to the next level, and this bacon did just that.

West Town Bakery & Cafe is a green restaurant, it also uses local, organic, and sustaining ingredients; not to mention they cook for a variety of diets, they really do have something for everyone! So if you are visiting Chicago and want a delicious breakfast, need something tasty for your lunch break, or even need a personalized cake remember West Town Bakery & Cafe on Chicago Avenue.

The Wood & Gage

When you venture off the beaten path you can often be rewarded with unexpected surprises, this holds true with restaurants as well, and was proven at lunch today when a dear friend took me to a little cafe and antique shoppe tucked in the neighborhood behind Rice Cemetery, at the corner of Wood Street and Gage Avenue, appropriately called The Wood and Gage. The first thing you will think when you walk in the door is "this is so cute!" The walls are covered in assorted signs and pictures, with shelves containing antiques and gifts, the tables are charmingly mismatched, and most importantly (at least my toddler thought so) there is an old pedestal bathtub used as a fish tank. The menu is simple, mostly salads and sandwiches, but perfect for a lunch time spot. I struggled to decide between an Asian chicken salad and a tenderloin, but finally decided on the salad, and what a good decision that was! A bed of lettuce and greens, topped with shredded cabbage, carrots, almonds, chicken, fresh fried wonton strips, served along with a delicious creamy Asian dressing, and if you think a salad can't constitute an entire lunch, well, about 3/4 of the way through my salad I had to quit eating because it was so large and I was getting full.

I ordered fresh cut, skin on french fries for my little man and they were a huge hit! Great crisp, thick and hearty, very flavorful with the skin still on. A very unique and delicious fry that I am anxious for my potato loving hubby to try!

My dear friend who introduced me to this sweet little place ordered a dish called "creamed chicken in a potato basket" which I was expecting to be a baked potato with chicken on it, and I was wrong. They take shredded potatoes and make a bowl with them and crisp them up, then serve it smothered in a creamy chicken mixture, it is a very unique dish, which my friend says is delicious. It's another dish I am anxious for my hubby to try!

With it's tea room like atmosphere, adorable hand made gifts, and extensive antiques and collectibles The Wood and Gage is a great place for a ladies breakfast, brunch, or lunch, but any man will appreciate the delicious food, too!