Table, Donkey and Stick is a small but cosy restaurant with a Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide on the edge of Logan Square that, as their website proclaims, honors “the eating and drinking traditions of the Alps.” Their Restaurant Week offering is a three-course dinner for $33 that includes a selection from their Wanderteller menu of charcuterie, an appetizer, and an entrée.
In terms of positive attributes, Sunda is a fairly large, trendy restaurant in a prime location with a wide variety menu items. On the other hand, I’m not impressed by the food I ordered, and the prices certainly reflect its River North location. Whether you want to visit the restaurant will likely depend on whether you’re footing the bill yourself and whether you care about food more than location or decor (if the answer to either is “yes,” I’d skip Sunda).
My first meal of 2015 was an afternoon tea that I prepared for a friend; my first restaurant meal of the new year was afternoon tea at The Allis. I am, if you can’t tell, a big fan of afternoon tea. Prior to January 2nd, however, I had only had afternoon tea in Chicago at The Lobby at The Peninsula, which is an elegant and luxurious experience. At $55 each, however, afternoon tea at The Lobby is an expensive treat. In comparison, the $18 price tag at The Allis is a veritable bargain. Unfortunately, in this case, significantly lower quality accompanies the much lower price.
Afternoon Tea
The First National Tour of Rodgers + Hammerstein’s Cinderella is as fun and frothy as the ball gowns they wear. The recent Broadway production adds an updated, Tony-nominated book by Douglas Carter Beane with a sly, clever sense of humor to the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein score. Gorgeous costumes, a talented cast, high production values, and a script far funnier than I’d anticipated all contribute to a stellar tour.
Cafe Spiaggia Restaurant Week menu
Although I’ve never been to the full Spiaggia restaurant, its younger sibling restaurant Cafe Spiaggia is my go-to Italian restaurant in Chicago. The food is always well-executed, and of the half dozen-plus times I’ve visited, I’ve never had a bad dish there. Continue reading
I’m always looking for a good burger and a good dessert, and I’ve read excellent reviews of both at Mindy’s Hot Chocolate. In particular, Mindy Segal is known for being one of the best pastry chefs in Chicago, perhaps even the entire country, so I’ve been meaning to make my way out to her Bucktown restaurant for quite some time. I enjoyed my meal there during Restaurant Week, so I planned a couple additional return trips later in the year. Continue reading
Arami
The few pieces of sushi that I ate at Arami were the best sushi I’ve had. While the sushi is certainly more expensive than many places in Chicago, the quality is worth the high price tag. Arami focuses on pristine fish and carefully chosen flavor combinations instead of the overstuffed messes of rolls that some sushi restaurants offer.
Zuke sake nigiri – Norwegian salmon, soy marinated
My first introduction to Dee Snider’s Rock & Roll Christmas Tale was at the Broadway In Chicago summer preview concert – although the premise sounded a little questionable, Dee Snider’s energy made me cautiously optimistic about the musical’s prospects. The first night of previews, however, dashed those hopes, and the opening night did not go nearly far enough to make up for that. Continue reading
I, too, come here to be entertained. I come here to be moved. But my favorite nights in the theatre at not the ones where I left thinking about how much I loved it. . . . My favorite nights in the theatre are the ones where I left asking questions. Maybe getting into an argument – not about whether the show was good or not, but about whether we are good or not.
That is how Season on the Line begins, and to be perfectly frank, The House Theatre of Chicago‘s world premiere production of Season on the Line was one of my favorite theatrical experiences thus far in my life. I was entertained; I was moved; I loved it from the start – and it did make me ask questions. I thoroughly enjoyed myself, but it also caused me to think more deeply – about whether honesty is always truth, when it’s time to say no, what the theatre is for, the role of a director and the qualities of leadership, the relationship between art and critic, the relationship between art and ego in a theatre company, the impact that a review can have, and what happens when a chasing a review becomes more important than an artistic vision. Continue reading
NAHA is Carrie Nahabedian’s Michelin-starred restaurant in River North. The atmosphere had that white tablecloth, fine dining feel, but it wasn’t as luxurious as The Lobby, nor did it have as much personality as Sepia or Boka. The tables were very close together, and it was surprisingly loud, even without music. Given all of its accolades, I had such high expectations for NAHA, but it ended up being one of the most disappointing restaurant experiences I’d had in quite some time. Continue reading
Night Out Reviews 