RA Restaurant Review

I have enjoyed sushi in Tokyo and in California. But in Chicago? Well, as I have toned down my taste adventurism, sushi to me is now rolls. And Chicago is as good a place as any.

RÄ is a chain of westernized bars with an Asian design and a very creative menu that specializes in western tastes. It is trendy, and the service is youthful and informally friendly.

The rolls we enjoyed were a little bit amazing to us, not that we haven't had sushi fusion, a California staple, before. These went a bit further on the side of beauty and imagination.  Well worth a visit and a second visit.

totopo Restaurant Review

Recently while in the Lombard area, we looked for a taqueria.  Not likely.  But "totopo" seemed interesting, so in I went for a bit of carryout.  I was excited as I went it, the place is a little quick casual place, with really nice decor. Cool Mexico colors.  Not overdone.  Nice finishes.

In front of the counter they had set up a salsa tasting station, so there was no mystery about the heat and freshness of the salsa and chips.  Very nice stuff.  And the menu! Quite nice, not the normal big burrito place.  More stoked I could not be.  I ordered an al Pastor burrito and a vegetarian tamale- cheese and poblano chilis inside.

So I took it back to the hotel, ready to chow down.  The unwrapping went well, it looked good!  I had a winner, a place to "discover".

Then it all went horribly, horribly wrong.  The food was bland.  Thats right, bland as could be.  And the pork- what wasn't gristle was tough.  And how do  you get a poblano to have no flavor?  Disappointed, and embarrassed, that was how I felt.  Don't go here.

Weber Grill Restaurant Review

The Weber kettle grill makes my mouth start to water. Under the hand of a master, such as one of our friends, this little bit of kit can produce as good a barbecue as any contraption. So when I saw the giant Weber at the Weber Grill, in the Weber hometown, I was in.

Cooking here is done in giant stainless versions of the grill.  Unfortunately, these don't make poor recipes any better.



I had to order the BBQ platter, with pulled pork and brisket. The brisket did have a smoke ring, but any flavor was overwhelmed by, you guessed it, sweet red barbecue sauce.  And this is not the lean brisket you expect out of a good roadside joint in Texas, no, it was about one quarter fat.  Not fat that had rendered down into a delicious concentrate, no, just gooey jiggly white fat.  Not near enough time on the fire.

The pulled pork was full of silverskin and membrane, fat and blood vessels.  But it did have a generous amount of....sweet red barbecue sauce.  We passed on dessert, our curiosity about how to serve sweet red barbecue sauce on dessert did not overcome our revulsion at what we had just paid for.

The idea of food at the Weber Grill in Oak Brook is to use enough sweet red barbecue sauce on everything to make patrons think it is Barbeque.  In this, Weber Grill fails.  And to serve food in a restaurant designed to look like a steak house.  Unfortunately, this only amplifies the travesty.

In all, this is a place to avoid.  Take a picture of the grill, but don't go in to eat.  You have been warned.

Five guys burgers the best ?

Nope, no way, not by a mile. First the bun is whitish, doughy,
squished and full of sesame seeds. Second the meat falls apart.
Finally the ability to add a mountain of toppings overcomes the burger
flavor, a kilo of French Fries per order does not make up for the fact
that they laden in old oil . The best burger for the money remains In
& Out: The beautiful shiny dome bun, the secret sauce, the perfect
balance between meat and toppings...yum yum!!!
Sent from my laborcentric iPhone

Indian Harvest Restaurant Review

Indian cuisine is the most under appreciated in the U.S. If you appreciate spice and flavor, this you can devote a lifetime to exploring it. When we have a chance, we like to indulge. Not being well acquainted with Indian food, it is an adventure as we learn our way.

When in the Chicago Burbs, we encountered a small chain called Indian Harvest, situated in secondary strip malls with non-descript signage. We would have been put off, but for the traffic that seemed to stream toward it. So we joined the flow.

Ganesha

As soon as we stepped inside we were glad we did.  Of course, Ganesha was there, hopefully removing obstacles for us and Indian Harvest. The decor is tasteful and the crowd seemed enthusiastic. Looking at the tables, the food seemed carefully plated.

We had lentils, eggplant, chicken tikka, chicken vindaloo, raitta, garlic naan. Each was very well prepared and as flavorful as any.  The vindaloo had a complexity and depth of flavor that elevated it beyond the mundane dish for heat eaters.  The chicken tikka was moist as well as flavorful, a rarity.  The raitta was chunky and plentiful, and the naan was fresh, and cooked perfectly.  If you are in the Fox Valley area, Indian Harvest is worth stopping for!

Truly an Indian Harvest!

Boston Market Review

When on the road a meal that reminds you of home is nice. That is the feeling we search at Boston Market.



In it's hay-day this chain was defining fast casual. High quality food with a nice adult atmosphere and no hassle counter service. Over expansion, and pandering to Wall Street analysts in order to keep generating investment was the strategy that ended up ruling Boston Market's fate. Unlike a contemporary, St Louis Bread Company (now Panera), who worked out the operation and P&L statement for 10 years before expansion.

In the years since the brand began it's decline, things went from bad to worse, until the value of the brand was gone, and it's real estate was all that mattered. In spite of the commensurate loss of customer good will, there are many Boston Markets still operating. We stopped into one in Chicago.




There were telltale marks of the
original look, the red grout in white tile, the Boston Chicken medallion sign. But the mural was painted over, the butcher block tables replaced. The Old Hickory rotisseries still turn and the food cases are still on the line, with smiling people behind them offering samples on occasion.


But what is fundamental to a brand is food. Here Boston Market continues to be adrift from it's origins. Oh the chicken is as good as ever. But thats it. So many core items gone. Mac n cheese, stuffing, butternut squash, chicken salad. All gone. The idea of narrowing offerings so waste is minimized is widely practiced. But it usually stops when the menu is gutted. And was this food always greasy and salty? It sure is now.

Well, it was worth a stop and a trip down memory lane.

Pompeii Restaurant Review

Pompeii is a small local chain of counter service Italian places that is doing it right.

Eschewing all of the trappings of "traditional" Italian restaurants by blending informality and practicality with good traditional cooking and value, Pompeii has it goin on.





The decor is just the right level of ambience and simplicity, and the line in which you stand to place an order let's you see almost everything on the menu well presented in the food cases.


From baked goods and deserts to salads and pasta, they keep the displays fresh and appetizing.



The food comes out of the kitchen very quickly, as it should, since this is a menu designed for speed. Out mostaciolo with chicken, sausage and white beans was very, very good. As was the roasted vegetable salad. When in the Chicago 'burbs, forget about Portello's, eat at Pompeii.

Marriott Towne Place Suites- shocking pictures!

Marriott, like Hilton, is a family name that is defined by hotels. So why would you let your name be on a hotel with finishes like shown in these photos? If I had wanted to stay in a motel along a long disused truck route, I would expect to pay less. One of the key attributes a hotel must have for our patronage is a fitness center. At this Marriott we were given access to not one, but two centers, the Towne Place and the Courtyard! 6 machines to use, including TVs. How many worked? TWO! Yes, 2 effin machines! : ( grrr! But the real story is the condition of the property. Drop the pretentious "e" from Towne, and invest in fit and finish, this is ridiculous!

On a positive note, the staff was uncommonly helpful, responsive, friendly and accommodating. They almost made up for the lack of investment in the property.

Judge for yourself- does the Marriott name make up for these conditions in my room?




Several walls separating from the ceiling.




Two of four doors coming apart.




This is the heater air intake. Note the 2x4 and air filter behind the grate.




Tape around the ceiling was separating too.




And the cheap plastic trim was poorly cut and installed. This is a typical gap.

Location:Marriott Dr,West Dundee,United States

Joe's American

This local pub kind of place presents a very nondescript face. Inside the decor is just as plain, done nicely but with no bric-a-brac with which so many pubs like to inundate diners, thankfully. Even as we were seated we kept wondering what kind of place it was.




As soon as the menus were plunked down, though nothing about the service here merits the term "soon", we had some clarification.

Burgers, sandwiches, salads, steaks. This is pub grub, but a little less "fryer forward" than usual. But the puzzle was not completely unravelled. Why are the prices so low? We realize this is not Manhattan, or Sequim, but $8 entrees? We looked forward to learning if it is a value, or just cheap.

As time went by, we also looked forward to seeing our server. And one we did, we looked forward to every step thereafter. This was the most painfully drawn out service I can recall. Wait for menus. Wait for a greeting. Wait for water. Yes, water didn't come  when the server came. We looked forward to having our order taken, as it eventually was. Then we waited for our food, our condiments, our follow up, and our bill.

What we couldn't wait for was to leave.

The food was a bit below mediocre. No effort at making it memorable, nor tasty was apparent. It was humorous though- check it out, two asparagus spears, and that broccoli is just about raw.
In a fit of rage, I left 10% and left.

It is rare to get good service, and a tip does not insure proper service, as it claims to.  But it is also rare to get bad service.  Service that is not only designed to fail by asking or allowing a server to cover too many seats, but also fails by hiring the wrong person for the job.  These two errors work to geometrically multiply the level of service ineptitude.