Sausage comes in two forms: one is sliced thin, and the other is whipped into the ricotta mounds. If anyone mentions Coalfire, ‘nduja (a spicy, spreadable sausage) is the first pizza I recommend (and so does most of the Chicago food media). Tried-and-true pizza ‘Nduja pizza with mozzarella, sauce, berkshire sausage, ‘nduja-infused whipped ricotta, cherry bomb pepper, Coalfire From the green beans and yams all the way to the toasted coconut, every component comes together well. Left Coast’s menu is brimming with healthy, veggie-centric options, but I’ve stuck with this curry bowl every time. Most nutrient-packed bowl Cadillac curry bowl with brown rice, garnet yams, green beans, madras curry sauce, pickled sultanas, green onion, basil, mint, and toasted coconut, Left Coast The crackly, not-too-sweet topping gave way to rich chocolate filling I did not regret ordering it. Most indulgent dim sum Baonuts, Duck Duck GoatĪt the end of a dim sum feast at Stephanie Izard’s Chinese eatery, we couldn’t help but order this donut-bao hybrid. The meat itself was so flavorful that I could have easily eaten it on its own, but having it safely ensconced in a soft lobster roll made it more delicious.
The chorizo verde is now a mainstay of Quiote’s dinner menu, but over the summer it showed up as an egg-topped breakfast sausage.
Most unique breakfast sandwich Torta with chorizo verde, green chile aioli, and xni pek on a lobster roll, Quiote It was even better accompanied by live blues performers on the riverside patio on a warm September day. We ordered this appetizer almost as an afterthought, but all the textures – tiny pickled mustard seeds, crunchy battered sausage, and a perfectly runny egg – made it memorable. Burrata with strawberries, malt crumble, pink peppercorns, mint, basil, and toast, Forbidden Rootīest spin on a egg Scotch egg with pickled mustard seed, River Roast Like last year, I’ve chosen 20 more Chicago dishes and drinks – some old favorites, some new discoveries – that I didn’t have the chance to blog about in 2017. Gumbo with a jalapeño-cheddar corn muffin Chicken, andouille sausage, and the smoky depth of a black roux came together for a thick and satisfying soup – with a warm jalapeño corn muffin to round it out with sweetness. Fried catfish po’boy with coleslawĪll entrees come with gumbo, soup, or salad, but it’s easy to see why pretty much everyone gets the gumbo. What really made it was the way the bread was toasted with butter and herbs. We also shared the catfish po’boy, a mammoth sandwich loaded with catfish, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and honey-jalapeño dressing. The trio was a great sampling of shellfish flavor, stewed together in a rich gravy and served over rice. One of the many specials was a bayou étoufée with three kinds of seafood: crab, crawfish, and shrimp. Restaurant interior, with Mardi Gras decorations covering a wall of hot sauces
We visited the week of Fat Tuesday, so Mardi Gras decorations were in high gear and we were both given a string of beads upon arrival, but I have a feeling it still feels like a party all year around. It’s a boisterous Cajun restaurant tucked away on the seventh floor of a Loop high-rise (you even have to sign-in with a charming doorman before getting on the elevator). Heaven on Seven has been one of my Chicago dining blind spots: a classic that I’ve somehow never managed to visit. Bayou étoufee (special) with crawfish, crab, and shrimp