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.

BIG & little's

If you happen to be in Chicago, driving down North Orleans Avenue and you notice a yellow awning that says "BIG & little's," you should stop; the building may not look like much, but the food will blow you away! As you walk in and see the picnic tables lined end to end, you may think you have walked into a BBQ joint, but as you read the chalkboard menu, I can assure you, you WILL be surprised. They claim to serve fast food, but don't let that fool you, with a menu that includes Mahi Mahi tacos, soft shell crab po' boys, poutine, and foie gras over fries, they are anything but your average fast food restaurant. With the wonderful variety and unique nature of their menu, it can be tough to choose just one dish, so allow us to offer a few suggestions to make your dining experience a bit easier. I, personally, am a sucker for fish and chips, and am always looking for an order that will blow the rest away, well, BIG & little's fish and chips has done just that! You may shake your head at $15 for fish and chips, but I can promise it will be well worth the price, you will get an entire filet of cod atop a bed of twice fried French fries that will easily feed you and two of your closest friends. And now a word from my culinary comrade;

One of the many things that Big & Little's is popular for is Po' Boys, so pretty much any Po' Boy you order is going to be amazing; I decided to go to the sea shore, and try a fried oyster po' boy. The Oysters were perfectly battered, crisp, and wonderfully cooked. Afterwords my tongue was screaming for more, we only eat here a couple times a year so why not? As I perused the menu again, I saw a tuna Poke taco that piqued my interest, I asked the guy at the counter about this and he explained it as a Sushi grade tuna that is poached in buttermilk and then seasoned very lightly with salt and pepper. When this came out the shell was crunchy like a potato chip and it was filled to the top with the tuna, and boy was it wonderful. It was creamy and light tasting, definitely something that I would order again!

 Fish not your thing? More of a turf lover, than surf? Then allow us to recommend the pork belly po' boy. If you know anything about pigs, then you know the belly is where the bacon comes from, so imagine if you will, cubes of marbled meaty goodness, deep fried, topped with a maple sauce, and overflowing from a crusty roll...your taste buds won't know what hit them. We won't promise that the food at BIG & little's will be friendly to your arteries, heart, or waist line, but we can promise that your belly and taste buds will fall in love!