Grahamwich, Goddess & Grocer, and Glen Prairie

A lot of G's this week...


Grahamwich
A few months old now, Grahamwich has gotten a lot of buzz in the foodie world.  Maybe my expectations were set a bit high because of all the hype or because I had high hopes from a chef who's self-named restaurant (Graham Elliott) earned a Michelin star, but his sandwich shop concept was a bit of a let down.


Don't get me wrong.  It wasn't bad.  It just wasn't great. 

Grilled Cheese

Wisconsin Cheddar, Shaved Prosciutto
Tomato Marmalade, Cheese Curds
on a Pullman Loaf

Pastrami Reuben
Rutabaga Sauerkraut, Toasted Caraway,
Gruyere Fondue, 1000 Island on Marbled Rye

Beef Shortrib
Baby Watercress, Shoestring Potatoes,
Pickled Shallots, Creamy Horseradish on a Pretzel Roll

Bahn Mi
Pork Belly, Roasted Pineapple, Daikon Slaw
Shiitake Mushrooms on a French Baguette

Jibarito Taco
Pork Shoulder, Green Mango,
Queso Fresco, Habanero Salsa
and Crispy Plaintains

The highlight of my meal....

Cinnamon Stick Ice Cream
Roasted Apple, Salted Caramel (a lot of it!!!)
and Pie Crust

Grahamwich
615 N State St.
Chicago, IL
www.grahamwich.com

Goddess & Grocer

Beet salad aside, I love everything about Goddess & Grocer (and its sister restaurant Feast).  It's the gold standard of what every takeout shop should be.  If Ward, Wally and the Beave weren't such needy guys, June Cleaver would probably have a shop like this.

There's a selection of prepared salads, sandwiches, artisanal cheeses, and small bites.  They have their classics as well as rotating menu items all served up in a casually elegant style.  


If you're ever looking for a quick bite or a little something for an impromptu picnic, this is the place to go!

Beef  Tenderloin on Toasted Baguette
with Red Onion Marmalade
and Horseradish Cream

  

Wild Mushroom Risotto Cakes
with Parmesan & Truffle Oil

Potstickers

Korean Spiced Chicken Wings

Roasted Beets
with Goat Cheese,
Orange Segments, Red Onions,
and  Red Wine  Vinaigrette

Coconut Chicken Fingers

Mustard & Rosemary Crusted
Lamb Chops

Grilled Vegetable Skewers
with Balsamic Glaze

Goddess & Grocer
25 E Delaware Place, Chicago
1646 N Damen Ave, Chicago
2222 N Elston, Chicago
www.goddessandgrocer.com



Glen Prairie
Everyone down to their own staff will tell you how hard this place is to find the first time around.  Half the problem is the address of Glen Prairie: 1250 Roosevelt Road, Glen Ellyn, IL.  GPS and Mapquest will point you in the wrong direction.  


Hell, even the towns of Glen Ellyn and Lombard are confused as to which town this restaurant belongs to!  Apparently, the restaurant (and the Crowne Plaza it's attached to) is right on the border of the two cities....and is serviced by the fire department on one city and public services of the other.


Aside from the bland exterior, the restaurant is really pretty enjoyable.  After my wild goose chase to get there, my nerves were completely frazzled.  But as soon as I entered, I was greeted by a genuinely friendly staff.  Everyone from the greeter to restaurant manager empathized with my plight and shared stories of their "first time."


Nerves settled, I was interested to learn about Glen Prairie's practice of sourcing all ingredients from local farms within 150-mile radius.

Caramelized Onion Soup
Herbed Croutons, Steiner Bros. Swiss & Gruyere

Organic Baby Spinach Salad with Chicken
Stickney Hill Goat Cheese, Toasted Almonds,
Dried Cranberries, Raspberry Viniagrette

Midwest Cuban
Nueske's Smoked Ham, Becker Lane Organic Pork,
Housemade Pickles, Swiss Cheese,
Whole Grain Mustard Sauce on a Sourdough Roll

Glen Prairie
1250 Roosevelt Rd
Glen Ellyn, IL
http://glenprairie.webs.com

Italiasian Weekend Eats

We did some eating this weekend.  Here's what we had at Zenwich & Vincitori's....

Zenwich: Asian flavors served up in a familiar western way....in a sandwich.

This small, unassuming sandwich shop in an Elmhurst strip mall is easy to overlook but I'm glad we discovered it!  

The assorted slaws, salads, and chips are all homemade, but what makes it really great is that the sauces, marinades and even the mayonnaises are made from scratch!

The owner and clientele are all very sweet too!  :)

My recommendation: Get the Mu Ping Sandwich!  It's really tasty!

Mu Ping Sandwich
Grilled caramelized pork, pickled carrot and dykon,
cucumber, red onion, jalapeno and cilatro with
homemade sweet mayonnaise

Crab Cake Sandwich
Japanese style panko crusted homemade crab cake
and baby greens topped with homemade creamy garlic sauce

Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Grilled chicken with homemade buffalo sauce,
lettuce, mozzarella and ranch

Zenwich 
416B N York St
Elmhurst, IL 
www.eatmyzenwich.com


Vincitori
There's noting fancy about Vincitori.  It's really just pretty basic Italian food... done well.. 


There's a host of classics on the menu ranging from Braciola with Grilled Polenta to Veal Marsala to Clams & Linguine, but Tim really likes their pizza.


I had the grilled calamari appetizer as my meal.  The flash fried spinach reminded me of the kale chips at Cafe Spiaggia in the city.

Italian Beef & Giardiera Pizza

Grilled Calamari
Served over flash fried spinach
and topped with plum tomato relish

Vincitori
14 N Cass Ave
Westmont, IL
www.vincitori.com

Raku Sushi

SLOWEST SERVICE E-V-E-R!  


We decided at the last minute to celebrate Mom's birthday at Raku.  I'd been there before and it was pretty decent sushi but, more importantly, on a Friday night, it was a convenient meeting place for the whole fam.


Because it was a cold day, I opted for a bowl of udon soup instead of sushi.  Mistake #1.  


My brother ordered both sushi and udon soup as well.  His sushi came out first.  OK.... no red flags there.  As he worked through his sushi (the rest of us watching with nothing but chopsticks in front of us), his shrimp tempura udon came out.

Since my brother's soup came out, mine wouldn't be too far behind..... right?  WRONG.


Tim's meal came out next.  And by "next", I mean about 15 minutes later.

Thank God Tim doesn't like ginger dressing... at least I had something to eat while waiting the next 15 minutes before getting my Seafood Udon.

Dad's order for Japanese-style Shrimp Curry came out next (after another 10 minutes).

The birthday girl sat anxiously awaiting her meal.....  A good 75 minutes after placing our orders, Mom finally got her food!


Despite the average food and terrible service, . Mom still left smiling.  What a trooper!  Happy Birthday, Mom!!!  =)

Friday Morning Breakfast Date

It's our thing.  Every Friday morning (well, almost every Friday), Tim and I have a breakfast date before heading to work for the day.  While we have our favorite spots (Juicy-O!!!!), we try to hit a new place each week.

This past Friday, we went to Fresh Start Cafe in Elmhurst.  The taste of the food wasn't really blogworthy, but I did love the Fresh Start Sampler option.  It's perfect for indecisive breakfast eaters like me.  You get your pick of: (1) half a waffle, 2 pancakes or French toast; (2) a two-egg omelette; (3) a crepe.  How awesome is that?  I ordered this and it ended up being my breakfast  and lunch for the day.

Lots o' food!
Vegetarian omelette (with tomatoes, mushrooms, green peppers, onions & cheedar)
Crepe (with roasted portobello mushrooms, red peppers, spinach, tomato and scrambled eggs)
and Pancakes!

Southern Eggs Benedict
Poached eggs with Canadian bacon topped with sausage gravy
served on open-faced biscuits

The food wasn't anything special, but I guess I can't say they don't try...
I give them props for the cutesy little touches like yarn on our utensils.

Fresh Start Cafe

1038 S York Rd

Elmhurst, IL

http://www.freshstartcafe-elmhurst.com

Stir Crazy

One word: Underwhelmed

Pan-Seared Lobster Potstickers
with Thai Red Curry Dipping Sauce & cucumber salad

Seared Scallops in Miso Sauce

Szechwan Peppercorn Crusted Chicken

Back at Millers....

It was time to start the weekend unwind which could only mean one thing: another thirsty Thursday at Miller's Ale House.  There is NOTHING a little bitchfest with friends over good food and drinks can't fix.  

Ice cream with Nutter Butters helps too.... How can this place not make you happy?


Capt'n Jack's Nutty Brother

Nutter Butter Cookies, Fudge, and Vanilla Ice Cream

Topped with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Sauce

I've come to accept (and embrace!) the fact that this will be on our table everytime we come to Miller's. 

The Zinger Mountain Melt

I didn't even TRY to resist it this time!



The Zinger Wrap

with sweet potato fries and honey butter sauce

Have Your Pancake and Eat It Too!

FRESH VEGETARIAN WITH CHEESE OMELET 
Broccoli, onions, tomatoes and mushrooms 
(I ordered mine made with egg whites)

Walker Bros' omelets are baked....
Just look at how fluffy they are!

SANTA FE
Spicy & Zesty southwestern omelet
with a medley of fresh onions, cilantro, tomatoes and jalapeno peppers.
Filled with habanero cheese and served with homemade salsa on the side 

VENICIA BENEDICT
Poached Eggs
with fresh sautéed spinach, mushrooms and bits of crisp bacon
on a toasted English muffin
blanketed with our rich hollandaise sauce,
a garnish of pico de gallo. 

THE CONTINENTAL
Two Eggs any style with hash browns....

Most items on the menu come with the option of a side of pancakes (or toast or fruit).  I can't stress how much I LOVE the option of getting a side of pancakes!  It's the perfect solution to the question: Do I want something sweet or savory for breakfast?  The pancake option is like getting dessert for free!  

...And Walker Bros' pancakes are incredibly tender!

Walker Brothers has locations in Arlington Heights, Glenview, Highland Park, Lake Zurich, Lincolnshire and Wilmette.  Just be warned that if you're going during peak breakfast/brunch hours on the weekends, there's almost always a wait.  The good news: the wait is worth it.


Walker Bros
www.walkerbros.net

Tom & Eddies

Five Guys burgers are good, but these Two Guys know how to elevate a burger through upscale ingredient combinations like applewood smoked bacon, smoked gouda, and smoky BBQ sauce.  But as former McDonald's executives, Tom Dentice and Ed Rensi should know a little something about hamburgers.

Still, I give them credit for doing what they do well.  I ordered the Bushel & a Peck burger (Granny Smith apple slices, handmade walnut butter, melted Brie cheese, and caramelized onions....swapping out the standard Angus beef with a turkey burger) and it was really tasty!  The walnut butter was definitely a unique touch.  (I'm a huge fan of compound butters.  I'll have to do a post on that soon.)

All the special touches are what make T&E's good.  They have an extensive assortment of condiments and  their milkshakes are made using Häagen-Dazs ice cream.

The Bushel & A Peck burger
Granny Smith apple slices, handmade walnut butter, 

melted Brie cheese, and caramelized onions

Chicken Capri
Grilled seared chicken breast, oven roasted tomatoes, basil pesto
& fresh mozzarella on a ciabatta roll

The Blue Chip burger
Sliced Haas avocado, roasted garlic aioli,
tomato, blue cheese, topped with fresh made potato chips

Vanilla Shake

Tom & Eddies

348 Yorktown Center
Lombard, IL 60148

1042 Commons Drive
Geneva, IL 60134

Coming Spring 2011:

740 Waukegan Rd
Deerfield, IL 60015

www.tomandeddies.com