Entries associated with the tag "Reader Restaurant Raters":

Here's a new report from Rater Becky Heynman on Evanston's new Ninefish:

Ninefish had been open for just one week when I visited. They've set aside a small room with couches and an assortment of books about food for waiting diners, which is a nice touch--when we arrived the dining room was over half full (they seat about 40) and it was good to be out of the way and comfortable.

This is no cheap ethnic joint. The sleek decor and attentive service may be your first hint, but the menu confirms it. Also the tray of small tastes which was presented as we scaned the menu. A pile of salmon and tuna sashimi, a pickled plum, and a stack of slivers of green apple in a tart dressing piqued our palates. Amuse bouches are not found at your average Asian restaurant.The appetizers include excellent sushi and seafood plates like scallops sauteed with bacon. The scallops were firm and plump, the sauce good enough to scoop up with the spoon. The salmon in my maki roll was buttery and rich, and the crab was the real deal, not surimi (fake crab made from pollack).

For entrees we tried the rack of lamb, bathed in a sauce redolent of hoisin, the meat tender and rare. The rack had been cut so getting every last morsel was easy. A salmon steak with coconut-mango sauce was a huge slab of wonderful fish, easily two inches thick. It was grilled to just-done, and  the crackly skin was a real treat. The shrimp with walnuts and sweetened-condensed-milk sauce was a tower of tempura-fried shrimp with some candied walnuts as a garnish and a lovely light creamy sauce, almost a sabayon in texture. A dish of yellowtail came crusted with sesame and rare in the center.

As good as the food was, however, there were a few problems with the service. The salmon arrived before the last of the appetizers was served and sat at the edge of the table while we finished the scallops. And the table wasn't quite served in synch, so we were all finishing at different times. In an appropriate but unexpected gesture the manager gave us free dishes of vanilla ice cream with his apologies.There are many varieties of tea available, from a straightforward jasmine to a wonderful roasted-brown-rice tea and green tea. The waitstaff was always ready to refil a cup or refresh the cast-iron pots with fresh hot water, and a water glass was never allowed get more than half empty.With another month's practice Ninefish should be a superior dining experience all the way around.

Last night 60 or so Reader Restaurant Raters and guests descended on Smoque BBQ for the Reader's latest Nosh Mob. Nosh Mobs are private parties open only to Raters, who get invites by e-mail just a few days ahead of time. We hadn't had one in a while, but reaction to this one was so enthusiastic that we're gonna get busy planning another, stat.

Smoque's been regularly jammed since it opened in December--but business has really exploded since Steve Dolinsky featured it in one of his ABC-7 Hungry Hound segments ten days ago. There are lines out the door and down the block every day, and for the last week or so the alderman's office has been sending a dude over to direct traffic and parking on Grace. They've even had to close early several times because they ran out of food. Co-owner Barry Sorkin says they're thinking about buying a bigger smoker, but are waiting a bit to see if things relax back to  pre-TV levels of business before making the investment.

Normally Smoque rests on Monday, and given the recent madness you'd think Sorkin and the rest of the crew would be protective of their day off. Instead, they opened up special for us (thanks!) and dished up pulled-pork and brisket sandwiches, quarter-slabs of baby back ribs, baked beans, fries, and green salad. Did I mention it was free?

Click the images link below for more pics of the crowd and the grub; to find out how to become a Rater, follow the link above.

Reports are coming in from Reader Restaurant Raters on a bunch of new places. Here's what Linda Mitchell has to say about Evanston's Quince, which opened in the former Trio space last month:

"We had a reservation for 7 PM, arrived half an hour early and were seated immediately.  The "4" ranking I gave for service was for the long wait between ordering our drinks and actually getting them.  There was also a fairly long wait for our food (which we didn't mind at all).  They said they were a little short-staffed that night.  That said, the wait staff was extremely pleasant and professional.

The food was just fabulous.  I had salmon tartare and skate wing (just perfect).  The braised short ribs were boneless and delicious. I didn't taste anything else but my companions were raving about their choices.

Given the quality of the food, the prices were quite low.  I don't think there was anything on the menu over $30 and a couple of things were below $20.  Our high bill was due to cocktails and three bottles of wine!

It was wonderful to be in a quiet, attractive restaurant with outstanding food that doesn't break the bank.  Hurry to this one:  It'll be hard to get in soon and I'm sure the prices will go up. (P.S. Valet parking: $7.)"

My new review of the Dining Room at Kendall College is up on the Reader Restaurant Finder--finally. A teaching restaurant staffed entirely by advanced students in Kendall's culinary and hospitality programs, it's been on my list of places to check out since April, when I spent some time hanging around the cooking classes for a story (pdf) about the school's remarkable turnaround. The full-service white-tablecloth restaurant has been getting high praise from Raters since it opened in early 2005, and judging by Thursday's dinner, it's well deserved. 

The restaurant closes for winter break, along with the school, this Wednesday, but reopens January 8 with a new menu for the new quarter. A word of caution: reservations are harder to come by than you'd think, as the dining room only serves from noon to 1:30 at lunch and 6 to 8 at dinner (till 8:30 on Saturdays, closed Sundays).

Reader Restaurant Rater Martha Chiplis has high praise for tiny First Slice Pie Cafe, run by former North Pond chef Mary Ellen Diaz (pdf) as a retail arm of her organization First Slice, which provides gourmet meals to the homeless. Says Chiplis:

"I had the best sandwich I have experienced in recent memory at First Slice, the cafe at Lillstreet Art Center, this past Saturday. We happened to be walking past and decided to check it out. Wow, I was surprised and happy that we did. I had the goat cheese and pear sandwich, which also had roasted vegetables and was served warm like a panini. It came with a fresh green salad and potato chips. Being in Lillstreet, this place shares room with many art studios. Highly recommended. I didn't try the dessert--the pie is supposed to be amazing--but next time I will."