Bin Wine Cafe

Decor: Contemporary decor

Wait Staff: Nice. Good ability to give recommendations based on described tastes. Was also willing to give me the gazpacho as a seperate item eventhough it wasn't something on the menu that could be ordered individually.

Drinks: Consuelo Mary...their spiciest bloody mary. Very good and spicy without being a drink that is a novelty item.

Food:
Gazpacho -- the best I've had since I was in Andalusia. Just perfect.
2 eggs scrambled -- very good...but how hard is it to make eggs
Hanger Steak -- also very good
Onion hash browns -- this was very interesting....around the edges and top and bottom, where it was browned the most and crunchy, I really liked it. On the inside, the onion flavor was slightly overpowering.
White toast -- with strawberry preserves. Excellent.

Total Bill with Tip: $50...for the two of us.

Overall: A great place. Reminds me of Hoaglin in Indy a little bit, but better. A very good, reasonably priced, hearty meal. So much food for what we ended up paying.

1559 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-486-2233

Nobu Fifty Seven

Decor: Asian/Japanese theme

Wait Staff: Very nice. Willing to call your cell while you wait for a table or seat at the sushi bar.

Drinks: Sapporo

Food: Spicy Tuna Roll, California Roll, Black Cod with Miso. The rolls were standard fare. Not anything that you could get somewhere else. The Black Cod with Miso is the most spectacular piece of fish I have ever had. It is literally unbelievable. The cod is topped with the Miso, which is carmelized on the top for flavoring. It literally is so good, I considered ordering another.

Total Bill with Tip: $49.00

Overall: A great place if you can get in, which can be very frustrating. If you know you are going to be in town, then plan in advance and get a reservation. You can't even rely on getting a seat at the sushi bar by just showing up. If you are, plan on going there and putting your name in and doing a bit of shopping close by or have a drink at the bar. The main dishes are definitely worth the trouble, however.

Nobu 57
40 West 57th St
New York, NY 10019
212-757-3000
www.myriadrestaurantgroup.com/nobu57/

Rosie O'Grady's

Decor: New York Times Square Big Gigantic Deli decor. Nice outdoor seating though. Good for people watching.

Wait Staff: Slow.....still waiting for my refill. Not once, but twice did I see people sit down and then get up and leave because no one would take their order.

Drinks: Lemonade

Food: Pastrami on Rye

Total Bill with Tip: $22

Overall: This is one of those places where you get a substandard sandwitch for $14.95 and get charged for refills. Everything is too expensive for what you get. Unfortunately, it's on the main drag in Times Square and easy to get in.

Rue 57

Decor: Stylized french brasserie/bistro. Very loud, lots of people hustling and bustling. Great outdoor seating when you can get it.

Wait Staff: Always good. Always nice and friendly.

Drinks: Stella

Food: Steak Au Poivre with pomme frites. Always good. I love this dish here because the sauce on the steak is very peppery and hot, which adds a great flavor to the steak.

Total Bill with Tip: $58.00

Overall: I continue to enjoy this place when I go to NY. It always has a great after work atmosphere and when I'm traveling alone is a great place because both the wait staff and other patrons enjoy talking and chatting with anyone around. There have been quite a few times when I've met people there and ended up going to another bar or two with them.

Rue57
60 W 57th St
New York, NY 10019
www.rue57.com

City Tavern

Decor:
See Below

Wait Staff:
See Below for general comments. This time we had a lousy table. Only four seats for four of us plus Jackson. Right by the window.

Drinks:
Bombay and tonic -- Way too much gin. The second time I've had a drink here that was overpowering. I'm sticking with bottled drinks here.


Food:
Spicy tuna roll -- Good but still wierd. The tuna wasn't ground, but a single piece of ahi tuna inside with the spicy mayo.
Grouper--Just ok. Not bad at all, but not good. Probably made better by the fact that I drowned it in lemon juice.

Total Bill with Tip:
Unknown....

Overall:
Bad experience this time on multiple levels. From the cramped seating, to the bad gin and tonic, to the marginal grouper.

City Tavern
415 Lakeshore
Culver, IN 46511
1-574-842-3300

Decor:
Japanese standard sushi type place. General bamboo tables and chairs.

Wait Staff:
Very nice and accomodating. Very helpful. No arguments or eye rolls when unexpectedly asked to switch from carryout to dine in. Even after packing it all in to go containers.

Drinks:
One massive, canned Sapporo

Food:
Spicy Tuna, California Roll, Yellowfin Roll. All very good. The spicy tuna was good and hot, like I like it. The yellowfin roll was good except I wasn't a fan of the carrot in each one, so I removed it each time.

Total Bill with Tip:
$28.00

Overall:
Very good. I liked the fact that things were spicy enough. The best part is that it's right in Broad Ripple, open till Midnight...a perfect place to hit on the way to the Vogue.

Naked Tchopstix

6255 N College Ave

Indianapolis, IN 46220-1926

(317) 252-2555
www.tchopstix.com

Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant

Decor:
Japanese style decor with standard bamboo type tables and sushi bar.

Wait Staff:
The staff really seems to want to make sure you don't get any surprises. Upon ordering the "lettuce with special dressing" the waitress confirmed that I really wanted the "big salad." When I asked how big it was she said, "Not that big...just wanted to be sure." She also confirmed that the caviar on the outside of the california rolls was going to be ok with everyone. Definitely wanted to manage everyone's expectations.

Drinks:
N/A

Food:
Salad -- Lettuce and vegetables with ginger sauce dressing. Dressing not as good as the measuring stick of Benihana, and definitely not as good as at Wakaba Sushi.
Spicy Tuna Roll -- Average. I like spicy tuna rolls hot, and these didn't have much of a kick.
Soft Shell Crab Roll -- Very good.
California Roll -- Good. I liked the caviar on the outside. A nice treat as they explode in your mouth when you bite into them.

Total Bill with Tip:
$23.00

Overall:
Nothing too exciting here, but it definitely is better in many ways than Wakaba Sushi. The wait staff definitely was very interesting though. Not sure exactly what their deal was....but what can you expect in Northbrook.

Fujiyama Japanese Restaurant
(847) 714-1319
3057 Dundee Rd
Northbrook, IL 60062

LuxBar

Decor:

LuxBar's interior decor is warm, dark wood with old style, traditional furnishings. The floors are black and white tiles, and the atmosphere is very busy, exhibiting the hustle and bustle of the city.

Wait Staff:
The wait staff here is spectacular. They go above and beyond with whatever you need.

Drinks:
Pim's Cup
Pimm’s No.1, Gin, Lemon juice, Ginger and Soda

I've ordered this drink here twice and have had it prepared two completely different ways. The first time seemed to be the more traditional, Wimbeldon style Pim's, 7Up, and fruit slices. The second was prepared as listed above. I prefer the first way to what is listed above, but nevertheless both are very good.

Food:
Buttermilk Fried Chicken Club Sandwich -- A boneless chicken breast deep battered and fried, then placed on a bun with lettuce and tomato. The size of the breast is huge, and it takes quite a bit of effort to eat is all. The batter recipe is wonderful and has that buttery, milky hint to it. Comes standard with thin french fries.

Soft Shell Sandwich -- Angie had a soft shell crab sandwich on a thick bun that was infused with butter. I had approximately 1/4 of it, and it was the most unbelievable sandwich I've had in memory. A full soft shell crab, the bun 'o butter perfectly complemented the crab meat. Amazing! Accompanied by cole slaw, which was rather good.

Hamburger Slider -- Jackson had one of the hamburger sliders. He didn't comment on how it was, but did eat it all.

Total Bill with Tip:
$46.17

Overall:
LuxBar is so good because of the quality service, consistency of good meals, and more than anything, the variety of the types of food you can get. You can get traditional bar food, or top notch seafood and fish any day of the week. They always have something that will pique your interest no matter what mood you are in.

LuxBar
18 E. Bellevue
Chicago 60611
Tel: (312) 642-3400
www.luxbar.com

City Tavern

Decor:
Very contemporary....especially for Culver, IN. Definitely the nicest restaurant in town. Very much like something you would find in an actual city, rather than in a summer home town like Culver.

Wait Staff:
Very nice and accomodating. The owner came over and offered to fashion a make-shift little bed for a sleeping Jackson. He also quickly adjusted the volume of the overhead music when we commented it was slightly too loud.

Drinks:
Bombay Sapphire Gin Martini -- Way too much vermouth. A little overpowering.
Bloody Mary -- Perfect. Not too spicy, but with just enough kick.

Food:
Tempura crusted spicy tuna roll -- Very interesting because of the tempura crusting. Very good, but each piece was so large it would barely fit in your mouth without a struggle. I would have preferred it to be a little spicier.
Ceasar Salad -- Adequate
Shanghai Sampler -- Three tempura shrimp, one large lump crab cake, one medium sized piece of grouper over a bed of sticky rice and vegetables. The tempura shrimp was very good, as well as the grouper. The crab cakes were fine, albiet a little heavy. I would have liked a little more vegetables, however, as the emphasis was on the rice, not the veggies. It would have balanced such a heavy meal a little better if something lighter was there with it.

Total Bill with Tip:
Unknown....

Overall:
Above average to very good. The important comment about the City Tavern is that because of it's location, with nothing like it in a 100 mile radius, it automatically gets higher marks than it normally would. I'm hesitant to comment even slightly negatively about anything there because I'm thankful that it even exists. Sushi in Culver, IN....previously unimaginable!

City Tavern
415 Lakeshore
Culver, IN 46511
1-574-842-3300

X/O

Decor:
Very trendy restaurant decor. Lots of colored lights that line the muted, earthy toned walls to light the restaurant. Rather dark, but they have placed the tables directly under the lights in the ceiling perfectly to light the tables. The bar/lounge looked very active.

Wait Staff:
Unbelievably attentive. Asked us upon arrival and the other tables he was servicing if they had dined at X/O before and followed up with a full description of the restaurant. Recommended various dishes, recommended how much food was too much, even going as far to say that he recommended ordering slightly less than expected because he could always bring more food, but couldn't take it away. When Angie appeared to shiver towards the beginning of the meal, asked if he could turn down the air conditioning so it wasn't so cold in the restaurant.

Drinks:
The "Sleek and Structured" flight
-Coltibuono Cancelli, Tuscany, Italy 2004 --Bold, strong taste, but not harsh. Recommended.
-Panther Creek, Willamette Valley --A very sweet, mild tast. Also recommended.
-Clos La Chance Syrah, Central Coast, CA 2003 --A little harsh. Hints of licorice, which I'm not a fan of.
-Artazuri Garnacha, Navarra, Spain 2004 --Surprisingly spicy but not harsh. Definitely came with a kick to it.

Food:
-Spicy stir-fried Shitake Mushrooms with fresh lotus root and lemon-poached leek.
-Pan seared Foie Gras with fresh strawberries and rhubarb.
-Soft Shelled Crab topped with a garnish of corn and dried onions.
-Coast Style Lump Crabmeat Cakes. “X”: Zucchini, roasted red peppers & parsley with roasted red pepper rouile. “O”: Shallot citrus zest & chives with a spicy roasted red & green pepper relish & cilantro

The mushrooms were spectacular, and the foie gras was the best I have ever had. It literally melted in your mouth. The soft shelled crab was also spectacular, and left me wanting more. I'm not a fan of crabcakes, but these were also very good, with the "O" being my favorite, but Angie favoring the "X" version instead.

Total Bill with Tip:
$109.00

Overall:
This meal was amazing. To this point, it has been the best restaurant we have eaten at since moving to Chicago. There's a patio in the back with outdoor seating, and we'll have to try that.

X/O - 3441 N. Halsted - Chicago - 773/348.9696
www.xochicago.com