04/09/2011 - from top-left to right

• fried chickpeas
• fried rueben-style sweetbreads w/ cucumber linguini
• roasted pork tenderloin w/ popcorn pesto, edamame, strawberry salsa and crispy parsnips
• charred octopus salad w/ fingerling potatoes, haricot verts, fresno chiles, radish, balsamic, curry aioli
• rabbit and pecan terrine w/ crostini and vinegar/honey infused apples

description: late lunch with coral and mehul. we’d been rejected from this place the night before (i’m a minor in the states, boo life) and our stomachs simultaneously rumbled as we passed this restaurant’s doors.

location: pops for champagne, corner north state and ohio, chicago.

final rating: 8.6, BEST NEW MEAL. everything delicious. bonus points for the window table; stared at passer-bys with tired tourist eyes, judging everything.

ps. there aren’t any shit photos here. that’s because they’re all coral’s.

03/09/2011 - choc-pecan frozen custard

description: met up with coral’s friend after berghoff’s. after looking for a sit-down place for an hour, we ended up at chili’s (like sizzler, but even worse). floated around the bad part of town for another hour and ended up at portillo’s. 

location: portillo’s, south wabash, the loop.

final rating: 6.5. frozen custard was okay (maybe i had too-high hopes for such an awesomely-named dessert); a little like a super sugary, extra-thick soft serve. bonus points for a restaurant that looked like a disneyland diner, though. fact: bebop makes any kinda of food more fun.

02/09/2011 - fish and chips

description: self-explanatory. greasy dinner at 11pm with zyrah, coral and mehul. miller’s was the only thing open in a mile radius of our hotel room. hungry as fudge.

location: miller’s pub, south wabash, the loop.

final rating: 6.7. decent enough, but not the same as at home. bonus points for following this dinner with midnight trespassing at navy pier.

02/09/2011 - gino’s east supreme deep-dish pizza (sausage and capsicum) + deep-fried spinach/cheese sticks.

description: everyone says gino’s is the place for deep dish. 45 minute wait, but it was worth it. think i drowned in mozzarella that day (so beautiful).

location: gino’s east: the original, downtown chicago.

final rating: 7.5. spinach sticks were the bob-omb, but i’ve a feeling the deep-dish’s big appeal was its novelty, not its actual taste. still so good though.

ps. the shit photos are mine. the cool photos are coral’s.

(Source: nathaneatsillinois)

16/09/2011 - chicken burrito bowl + almond palmer iced tea

description: got sick of cafeteria food; trekked it to chipotle’s on green with friends. we probably waited ages, but it didn’t feel that long. line snaked all the way through the restaurant. starbucks and insomniac cookies afterwards. dude behind the counter started singing waltzing matilda (+0.6 points)

location: chipotle’s on green, uiuc.

final rating: 8.6, BEST NEW MEAL. worth the wait. so much better than the burritos at PAR. better than qdoba’s burritos, even. 

ps. thanks for the photo, zyrah! i was camera-less.

04/09/2011 - pastrami and cheese croissant panini + cinnamon stick soft serve + double capp.

description: late breakfast with coral and mehul. we’d passed this place the night before, and swore to return.

location: grahamwich, state st, chicago.

final rating: 8.8, BEST NEW MEAL. the panini was good enough, but man— that dessert. salted caramel, roasted apple pieces, pie crust crumble, ground vanilla bean all through the sort serve. think i died a little bit. also, the coffee was the best i’ve had this year.

definitely returning for the pacific tuna sandwich (w/ roasted pineapple, wasabi peas, yuzi aoli and sweet soy) + truffle-chives popcorn + orange-ginger soda.

ps. the shit photos are mine. the cool photos are coral’s.

(Source: nathaneatsillinois)

03/09/2011 - chicken and sweet potato brochette + baked bean stuffed onion + caramelised michigan peaches + honey-drizzled grilled pineapple.

description: first real meal of the day, ‘lunch’ at 5:30pm. spent the day at the art institute; escaped the rain, hungry as fudge (again).

location: berghoff’s, west adams st, the loop.

final rating: 8.8, BEST NEW MEAL. best baked beans i’ve eaten (and i really hate baked beans, man). chicken brochette had this badass sweet / savoury balance going for it— and shit man, those michigan peaches. the bomb.

(Source: nathaneatsillinois)

02/09/2011 - wow bao frozen yoghurt w/ ginger syrup + pomegranate ginger ale

description: dead scared / tired from navigating the american girl store with friends; stopped by wow bao afterwards, but not for bao. seriously refreshing for a day that could’ve killed… something. 

location: wow bao, water tower plaza —> jamba juice, water tower plaza.

final rating: the yoghurt’s ginger-y goodness was mostly at the bottom. a small score-down from an other A+ dessert, for reals. the pomegranate ginger ale was the bomb. way to combine my favourite shit, wow bao.

ps. the shit photos are mine. the cool photos are coral’s.

2/09/2011 - chocolate muffin, latte.

description: breakfast in chicago after a 5:40am bus ride from champaign. thought we’d discovered a cool bakery place; turns out, corner bakeries are on every fudgin’ corner in chi-town.

location: corner bakery, union station.

final rating: 7.1/10. really needed coffee after that 4:30am start. the A+ crumble muffin was a bonus.