Bring Your Appetito

I know. . . you've missed me. Well, we've returned and there are so many new places to discuss here. Well, I'll discuss them. You can listen. The first on my list has to be L'Appetito. Cafe L'Appetito, actually since there are actually two other locations in the city. This one though, located on the west side of Broadway at the corner of Broadway and Buckingham, is the newest. It is in the formerly cursed site of that awful taco place. What was it before that? I can't remember, but I recall seeing them cook my food in front of me. . . in a microwave. Sorry, no thank you. But, luckily for us we now have one of the best additions to the East Lakeview neighborhood. I'm really impressed so far. Don't get me wrong, like any new places (or old places I guess) it has its quirks, but in general this place is great.

Careful on a wet day. For some reason they put wall tile on the floor. Um, that's not smart. This has nothing to do with the food, but from a designer's perspective it's like "duh". 

Ok, back to the food. This place is a little Italian deli essentially that serves sandwiches, soups, salads, hot prepared foods, gelato, coffee, deserts, etc. Yeah, that's a lot, but it's doing a pretty good job at a variety of those. 

What I Eat: 

I really have honed in on the sandwiches. You can get a pressed hot sammy called a "Tostino" or a sandwich on a giant focaccia, or a meatball sub. But, I stick with the cold sliced meat Italian Sub. If we were back in Philly, this would indeed be a Hoagie (Pronounced something like "Hewwgee", or "Houwgie" by my Philly friends). But, alas we are not in Philly. We are in Chicago where everyone wants something dipped in meat juice. I get a mixture of turkey and roast beef with either Provolone or Mozarella on Italian bread. The lettuce is shredded. I'd get a tomato but it's really not worth it if you like good quality tomatoes. Just so hard to get these days. No mayo. I've decided it ruins this particular sandwich. I also get a side of mild Giardiniera. For those of you not from Chicago, this is not a parasite you pick up while camping. It's a condiment made from peppers, carrots, celery, cauliflower and olives that's been marinated or pickled in olive oil and vinegar. It's a must I think. I get it on the side as it will be all over the place if they put it on. I like to put it on afterwards and get a little into each bite. Frankly, the other Italian sandwiches look great, but this is what I get. Oh, don't expect a ton of meat and cheese. It's not that kind of sandwich so stop complaining.

I love the bread. It's soft and chewy. I must be like 90 years old, but I just can't chew the bread down at Pastoral. I love those sandwiches, but it's like a chewing marathon and my jaws feel like they've been in a MMA boxing match after eating. No, the bread at L'Appetito is really perfect for my cheeks. 

What She Eats: 

So my wife gets the Tonino. A Tostino sandwich of mozarella, sliced chicken,  basil and tomato. It's very good. Last time we were there she said something like, "Ooooh, that meatball sub looks so good. I'll get the Tonino." 

Desert is good here too. I have only tried one gelato and it was insanely delicious. I loved that it was a bit firmer than I find at Paciugo. Not many flavors. Just enough. The lemon cookies are also very good. Crumbly and lemony. My wife may just now be finding out that I've been eating those. 

What They Eat: 

My daughter pretty much always gets the Tonino without tomato. My son gets the pizza. I don't love the pizza. It's a bit greasy for me and is a thick style. Not for me. But there are plenty of options for kids. 

This really is a takeout place mainly, but there is a great outdoor seating area when you've got nice weather. There are only two tables inside and some counter seating. Service is relatively fast, so it's a good spot for an On the Go meal. This is family run and there usually or always is one of the family members at each location. They are super nice. The guys behind the counter can be a bit short, but maybe that's part of the charm. Or maybe they don't like my picky,  off the menu order. 

As I said, there is plenty to sample from here at L'Apps, and you can get whatever you want. Up to you really. But that's my usual.   

Cuban Vibes

Have we really not updated this blog since November?! Yikes. Well, fear not. We are back and eating again. I have put on a comfortable layer of blubber for the rest of the Chicago winter and intend to share my resources so that you too may stay as warm as a happy seal on a harsh winter day. Ok, so I'm breaking the rules a bit to get the food sharing juices flowing again. I don't know if it's because we just watched the movie, "Chef", or if it was just time, but we finally tried Cohiba; A Cuban restaurant across from the BBandB and the TJ Max on Broadway just north of the Diversey Clark intersection. We've been holding on trying this place to give it the benefit of the doubt and work out some "new restaurant in a failing storefront location" kinks. We walked in and were welcomed by the sound of Cuban music. Feet were tapping. Good start. There were 4 or 5 full tables and I overheard someone say how much they loved this place. Also good. Service was pretty quick and the waiter was friendly and attentive without being at all overbearing.
What I Ate: I would imagine, this is the place to get a Cubano. However, since I am on a no pork deal, I was drawn to the Ropa Vieja. A shredded beef sandwich with peppers and onions. Sounds like an Italian Beef right? Nope.  The bun itself was incredible. It was a french roll that was grilled to allow for a tiny bit of crispiness without being too greasy. Maybe it was the luck of the first time visit, but I could not stop eating it and could probably have ordered a roll on it's own with nothing inside. The beef was succulent. So juicy. It required multiple napkins and a wet nap. However, it had an overwhelming flavor of Allspice that I just could not get over. Too powerful and floral for me. I ate the entire ginormous sandwich of course, but I just wished it didn't have that overwhelming flavor. It overpowered the sandwich. Perhaps that is the traditional way to make it, but for me, it took a sandwich that could have been spectacular and put it on my "Ew" list.

Ropa Vieja

Why She Ate: My wife and eating partner in crime ordered the Chicken Cohibarito. It has fried plantains instead of bread and was supposed to have grilled onions (but they were raw), mozzarella cheese, lettuce and tomato. It was really delicious and quite massive. It was indeed the more pleasing of the two dishes. We commented on how it was definitely fried, but not greasy. It wasn't dried out either and was a meaty bite of plantain. Delicious.
The fries were fine, but really nothing special. That's all we got. Much more on the menu and we'll be back.
So here's what I think. Go here. I recommend it after only going once (which breaks my rule, but you'll have to live with that).  I really think it's worth trying. If you eat piggy, get the Cubano. It looked delicious and properly made.
They have a large dinner menu which we will hopefully go back and try. I'm going to give it some time before going for dinner, but maybe will be back sooner for lunch to try a couple of the other sandwiches before determining what is going to be. . . my usual.

Cohibarito

Kim Chi on My Taco, Thank You

Del Soul. It's good. Like really good. You're gonna want to order more, but just let your tummy relax a bit before you make that decision. You ate too fast dude.
Del Soul Korean Street BBQ is located at 2568 N. Clark. Right near Molly's Cupcakes and Luigi's New York Pizza. Tough parking in the area, but if you are persistent, you can usually find a spot somewhere on Clark. Park near th Best Buy or even further north and walk. It's worth it. This is one of those restaurants that I always say, "If it was in NYC, there would be a line out the door, all the time." But it's not. It gets plenty of hospital traffic though, so the wait can vary.  I think actually I've ordered a lot on the menu, but I tend to get the same thing every time. As usual, we are typically there for lunch. We tried taking the kids for dinner, but they are less "adventurous" in their food choices.

Decor is "Eh". Order at the counter and grab a number.
Don't expect a Michelin Star anytime soon. 

The decor is nothing special. Hard surfaces and kind of cafeteria looking. But I'm not really planning to eat the tables, the floors or the wall treatments, so I just take note of how I would re-design it (as Claudia and I always do) and move along to the food.

What I Eat: I generally get the fish taco. It's tempura fried really perfectly with a crunchy fresh batter. A pickled bright pink onion that is just the right compliment to the fryness and the slaw. Honestly, I do think it's the best fish taco around (that is, not Mexican style). But still, I'm searching for better and have yet to have one here in Chicago . . . I tried a fish taco up the street at Dryhop once and spit it out. But I digress. Oh, the fish taco comes on a flour tortilla. I like it. Nothing special about the tortilla. Not handmade, but really takes a backseat to the innards of the taco. I suppose you could specially order a corn tortilla, but c'mon. The fries are simple and slender, but very good as well. (If you do want a great homemade tortilla, try the new Kokopelli in Bucktown. Just be careful of the spicy. The place just opened and they have yet to "adjust the heat".)
I also order the Kolbi Beef Tacos. Sweet Kolbi prepared. Sometimes it can have a bit of gristle or fat that is a bit "Ew" but in general, it delicious. This comes on the corn tortilla with cilantro onion relish and the "secret slaw".
They sell Kim Chi by the jar here. Great deal if you like Kim Chi. I do.
Also on the menu is the Sesame Shrimp Banh Mi. I have not ordered it, but friends of ours go there for this item. The Banh Mi's are probably good. I don't actually remember since I really go there for the tacos. They also love the Chili Sesame Shrimp Tacos. So maybe try those as well. Just don't blame me if you don't like them. Last I heard, we were not a shrimp boat town.
You can get larger items such as a Bento Box, Bibimbop or a Hotpot as well. I have also yet to try the Kalbi Poutine. Looks good but I'm afraid of feeling nasty afterwards so I haven't gone there.

Have an addiction to the Sour Apple Hi-Chew.
Maybe grab one of those on your way out.

So how does this compare to say . . . Big and Littles? I'm going to say it's just different. Larger tacos with more stuffed into them. Different flavors all around and more going on in each dish. So let's not compare too much. I think it's an apples to oranges sort of thing.
Seriously though, if you haven't made it to Del Soul, you are really missing out.  Get over there already. Or meet us there. And if you are still hungry afterwards, grab a cupcake and a cup of coffee at Molly's. Damn, am I hungry right now . . .

Big and Little's (Although after a few tacos, mostly big)

So, we may have over-ordered for two today.
But, it all disappeared pretty quickly anyway. 

I love tacos. I mean, really, I love em. I like to make them, I like to eat them, I like to talk about them. I would eat them for every meal.  

I'm sort of obsessed with tacos.

So, it's probably time to review Big and Little's or B&L's as we are calling it these days. They have two locations. One on Orleans, just north of Chicago Ave. Yes, it's there. I know you've driven by there a hundred times, but IT IS THERE. Look again. It has a parking lot and everything. Near that car wash with the orange sign and a bunch of cabby spots. 

Sorry, I'll not be reviewing that location. I'm reviewing the second and newer location on Belmont a couple blocks west of the L on the North side of the street. When you go there, you'll most likely be greeted by Omar. Sometimes, a smile and a friendly greeting elevates the perception of the quality of your food (in a good way) and this is one of those places. I hope Omar never leaves. He's awesome. 

There is a ton on the menu here. Get whatever you want. But I get the tacos. 

I generally mix and match. These are not traditional Mexican tacos. I'll review other places for that at some point as well I'm sure. The tacos here are small. I order 3 or 4 depending on whether or not I can take a nap afterwards. I recommend getting a couple fish tacos. There are a number of those to chose from. I essentially order any of the fried fish. The grilled are good too, but I've had some that were a bit on the fishy side and that just doesn't seem worth it to me. But, if you're health conscious . . . blah blah blah. Just get the fried deliciousness.  I love the Samurai, The Big and Little's, and the Banh Mi. The Poke taco is a raw sushi grade tuna in a hard shell corn taco. The Poke sauce is sweet and sits at the bottom. Very good. I don't get it all the time, but it's always been a hit.  

For meat, I stick with the beef. I'm sure the pork is great, but I love the Spicy Beef Short Rib, The Mexican, and the Japanese Short Rib. I also had the Lamb. If you like gyro's, get that. It's just a taste of a gyro without a major meal. Brilliant. 

Now I know all of you die hard B+L fans out there are going to whine and complain about not reviewing the Orleans location and you're going to say, "the tacos are smaller at the Belmont location, it's too clean" etc. Well, zip it already! 

I don't want to hear it! I like the Belmont spot. I can order multiple tacos each time with no problem and I can walk there. 

So, head on over there if you haven't already and high five Omar for me.