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Category: Chicago

RPM Italian: Deeply Disappointing Dinner in Chicago

RPM Italian: Deeply Disappointing Dinner in Chicago

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We recently dined at RPM Italian, excited to try their restaurant week menu. However, when we arrived and realized that the price for restaurant week ($60) was not worth it for the food options offered, we decided to eschew restaurant week for their normal menu. Unfortunately, the food here was extremely disappointing, and they really need to work on describing the food better on their menu, not only here but at RPM Steak as well. It was so bad, that…

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Esme Chicago Review: Culinary Brilliance That Deserves A More Inviting Setting

Esme Chicago Review: Culinary Brilliance That Deserves A More Inviting Setting

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It’s restaurant week (more like month!) here in Chicago, and I always try to check out a few new spots each year, since the menu is usually such a great deal. Often, there are a handful of Michelin-starred restaurants offering a shortened tasting menu. Last year we checked out Boka, which I thought was really excellent, but had a somewhat uninspired restaurant week menu, making me want to go back and check out their normal prix fixe fare. This year,…

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Ritz Carlton, Chicago Festive Tea: A Luxe Tea At A Reasonable Price

Ritz Carlton, Chicago Festive Tea: A Luxe Tea At A Reasonable Price

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I’ve done a few reviews of high tea around Chicago and around the world on the blog, as it’s a great way to spend an afternoon while traveling and enjoying local culture. Additionally, my cousins, my mom, and I go to tea in Chicago during the holidays as a tradition that has been going for over 20 years. This year, we decided to try out the Festive Tea at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago in mid-December for a lovely holiday…

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Top 5 Restaurants for 2024: Chicago Edition

Top 5 Restaurants for 2024: Chicago Edition

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This year, since we’ve eaten so much amazing food, I’ve decided to do two Top Five Restaurant lists – one for Chicago, and one for around the world. This year, the Top Five list for Chicago is going to be really steak heavy, but it’s all leading up to my Top Five Chicago Steakhouses list, which I hope to publish sometime in 2025. We ate really well here in Chicago this year, and I’m looking forward to another year of…

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Celebrating at RPM Steak Chicago: A Modern, High-Energy Steakhouse In Chicago

Celebrating at RPM Steak Chicago: A Modern, High-Energy Steakhouse In Chicago

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Our annual outing for Brian’s birthday usually brings us to a steakhouse in Chicago, and with seemingly zillions to choose from, there’s always something different to try. Also, I’m really trying to hone and curate my top five Chicago steakhouse list before publishing, so they are top of mind right now. We visited RPM Steak in Chicago on November 30, 2024, and were pleased with a lot of the nice, celebratory touches they added to our meal to make it…

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Rediscovering Old Favorites At Francois Frankie: Chicago’s Carousel Bar & Brasserie

Rediscovering Old Favorites At Francois Frankie: Chicago’s Carousel Bar & Brasserie

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Did you know there is a French-American Brasserie with an actual working carousel bar in the middle of Chicago’s Loop Theater District? Well, now you do! I’ve enjoyed Francois Frankie a few times in the summer/fall of 2024, and I’m here to give it a resounding recommendation for drinks and dining in Chicago! Francois Frankie opened in Chicago in 2019, but has garnered more attention this year, when Matt Ayala became the Executive Chef. Bringing back his signature “Cochon Volant…

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An Evening At Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf: Chicago’s Premier Steakhouse

An Evening At Bavette’s Bar & Boeuf: Chicago’s Premier Steakhouse

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This is a review of Bavette’s Steakhouse in Chicago. If you are looking for Bavette’s in Las Vegas, you can check out that review here! It had been a while since we checked out Bavette’s in Chicago, probably before COVID, but I was really looking for a nice date night after weeks on end of constant school stuff: games, races, concerts, practices, you name it! Bavette’s is a tough reservation to get in Chicago – they only open up 21…

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Unforgettable Dining at Asador Bastian: A Spanish Steakhouse Gem in Chicago

Unforgettable Dining at Asador Bastian: A Spanish Steakhouse Gem in Chicago

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My husband scored a reservation (they book only 30 days out) for my birthday this August, 2024, to the very hyped, very hot, and very exclusive Asador Bastian, one of Chicago’s most highly-praised restaurants of the last year. We adore Spanish food, and we also love steak, and our recent experience at Bazaar Meat (another incredible Spanish Steakhouse in Chicago) made for some very high expectations. Truly, this was one of the best meals I’ve had this year. The place…

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A Love Letter to Jose Andres from Chicago

A Love Letter to Jose Andres from Chicago

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Dear Jose (can I call you Jose?): Thank you so much for opening such brilliant restaurants in our fair city. Bazaar Meat and Bar Mar are delightfully fresh, and a much needed addition to not only pre-theater and pre-opera dining, but to the loop neighborhood in general. A while ago, I wrote a short little article singing the praises of Bar Mar after a nice three course lunch I enjoyed there. Since then, I’ve been back to Bar Mar for…

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The Ramova Grill – Feels Like Home

The Ramova Grill – Feels Like Home

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We’ve been living in Bridgeport, Chicago, for almost nine years, not a long time according to Bridgeport standards. This neighborhood in Chicago has a ton of history, and for me, as a Lithuanian-American, is an important place for my own personal, ethnic, and family history, which are some of the reasons I decided to move here. Since we’ve been living here, and long before that, the Ramova Theater, and its adjacent Grill, have been empty, vacant, and an eyesore on…

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