Dining Out- Weekend of April 9th, 2005

SATURDAY IN CHICAGO

Early morning at Bulldog Bakery could have been for a pastry, but I selected a large White Chocolate Chip Cherry Cookie that struck a fine balance of being crisp and soft.


Orange
Lakeview Neighborhood


Pancake Flight
Theme of the Week: Sweet Home USA, clockwise;
-Apple Pie: Apple pie filling topped with apple juice reduction, garnished with candied apple skins.
-Banana Cream Pie: Pan roasted bananas topped with banana infused whipped cream, garnished with banana infused honey.
-Carrot Cake: Cakes with crushed pecans, carrot infused crème anglaise and carrot syrup.
-Key Lime Pie: Key lime pie filling garnished with lime syrup and whipped cream.

My plans to order frushi or French toast kabobs were quickly abandoned when seeing this special. Alas, not as good as it sounds and pricey pancakes for eleven bucks. The ingredients were not incorporated into the batter as deduced but mostly used as toppings. The Apple Pie ones were sweet, the Banana Cream Pie tropical, the Key Lime Pie bitter and the Carrot Cake had no carrot taste.


Décor: Bare brick, wooden floors, juice bar and surprise- lots of accents of orange.
Service: Lame.

2 ½ out of 5 stars

Sure, under that shiny tin ceiling and in those gleaming cases is bakery at Rahmig's House of Fine Chocolates, but what are you really going to get here??

Good thing Dinkel's Bakery hasn’t messed with the Apple Strudel recipe since 1922 featuring flaky layers of pastry holding a chunky apple filling.


My last stab at Sweet Mandy B's found them closed so my excitement rose approaching the awnings, ducking into the subtle pastel interior, smelling the myriad of baking and seeing cases of goodies. This excitement came crashing down after having their Chocolate Cream Pie which uses their bittersweet chocolate pudding for a filling and unsweetened whipped cream. It doesn’t hold together so instead of a plate holding a nice slice, it is served in a container as slop.

A trip to Chicago can't be complete without a stab at another hot dog stand. Sammy's Red Hots has a good version appropriately dressed Chicago style served with French fries that were oily, inconsistant in texture and obviously cooked with fish; but mysteriously still good.

Café Sandwicheria
Union/Milwaukee/Hubbard


The Mexican
Beef pastrami, Chihuahua cheese, chipotle mustard, avocado and pico de Gallo salsa

These nice guys know how to build a sandwich of fresh ingredients and assembling it to keep the meat and bread hot, and veggies and spreads cold.

Décor: Triangle of a building with a inviting interior, but I took advantage of the nice weather and dined outside.

3 out of 5 stars


Michael at Canady Le Chocolatier rightfully has pride in his reasonably priced creations. Death by Chocolate Gelato was rich and dense, Pistachio Gelato’s sweetness built, and the Ganache Au Trois was you guess how many layers of silkiness.


Joining the line at Joy Lee’s Noodle Shop in Chinatown for one of her famous drinks it was hard to sort through over a hundred choices. If the Jack Fruit Tapioca Freeze is any indication it shows why this place has garnered attention from newspapers, magazines, books and the community. The fresh tropical sweetness had the slightest backbite of sourness.

SUNDAY

Trocadero (Second visit)
Milwaukee- Water & Holton


Quiche- Smoked Salmon, Marissa and Gruyere with Chevre Cream Sauce served with Roasted Potatoes and Mixed Fruit.

The slice looked appealing with its golden top, rippled crust and stout profile. But it had little taste, most of the salmon was fishy and there was no perception of either of the cheeses. At least the chevre added some creamy tartness. The potatoes had a nice accent of rosemary and the grapes were dirty.


Décor: This has always been known as an odd space cleverly used flowing from a Parisian café to a trendy dining room to outdoor seating.
Service: AWOL

2 out of 5 stars