Mini-Review: El Nandu - Casual Argentinian Place in Chicago

Image Source: Planet99.com

Note: This post originally was published in November 2006 with my reviews on Yelp.

Good empanadas, friendly service, decent entrees, tasty flan.

We arrived around 8pm on a Wednesday night and they were at least half full, which was more than I expected and a pleasant surprise. Tables are close together, but not uncomfortably so. I wouldn't say it is an overly romantic place, but it wouldn't be terrible for a date.

One random observation: the rice that came along with my churrasco was very good. Too many times restaurants send out sides that are overdone, old or otherwise sub par. Love it when a place takes care of the little details, as it is usually indicative of the care that put into everything they do.

Review: El Norte - Burrito Joint on North Side of Chicago

Image Source: Yelp.com's Lacie G.

Note: This entry was originally published in January 2007 with my reviews over on Yelp

Grabbed a couple of burritos [1 chicken, 1 veggie] to go last night.

* Food remains pretty solid.
Seems like they actually take enough time with the burritos to get things heated up, versus some places where you end up getting home and biting into nowhere-near-melted cheese.

* Friendly enough at the counter.
Maybe a little stingy with the salsa. You could be disappointed if you're like me and want some salsa with every bite - make sure to ask for some extra containers. We got one roja and one verde with a 2-burrito order - not a very generous salsa:burrito ratio, in my opinion.

* Will never earn extra points for decor.
Not expecting a lot, of course, but you can count on goofy little things here, like leaving a couple of burned-out light bulbs in the overhead counter lights. Depending upon your perspective, you could interpret it as a manifestation of their unpretentious charm, or you could say it lends an unnecessarily sketchy feel to the already small, no-nonsense kitchen area.

* Entertainment-While-You-Wait-Bonus
You can usually count on the TV in the corner being tuned to something amusing like Bailando por un Sueo or WWE Smackdown.

Quick Review: Josephina, New York City

Image Source: Yahoo! Travel

Note: This entry also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.

Average food, but pleasant enough place to kill a little time, though by no means would I go out of my way to eat here again. Only reason we ate here was because it was close and in the direction we decided to walk out of the meeting we just had. That and the fact that the restaurant 2 doors down was roughly 50% more expensive and we didn't need to invite financial scrutiny for what should just be an average business lunch.

Our waitress was pleasant if not hyper-attentive. Place was pretty quiet, even for Tuesday lunch. But then, it's last week of August and perhaps everyone is on vacation.

Open face turkey burger was somewhat mediocre, while the 'assortment of sun ripened tomatoes with brucchetta and mozzarella' wasn't bad at all.

Mini-Reivew: Koi, Los Angeles

Image Source: SexiestHotels.com

Note: This review also appears with my reviews over on Yelp.com

Good food, good service, but I wonder if the 'paparazzi' that are taking pictures as people walk in and out are really just Koi bus boys and kitchen help incognito.

We went here as a group of 14 coworkers to celebrate a bit after a couple of days of hard work. For parties of 8 or more you apparently get a fixed menu, although there is opportunity to order additional items on top of that [cue the cash register ringing sound, repeatedly]. Fixed price menu for our group was around $100 a head, included sake, and most folks were raving about the caliber of the food. Add ons that were well received included Kobe sliders [3 for $28] and Kobe wrapped asparagus [~$35, I think, per modest plate].

Random notes:
* $8 valet seems like a good value, considering that's what you pay for valet at Francesca's on Bryn Mawr in the decidedly lower wattage Edgewater neighborhood of Chicago.

* Semi convenient place to eat and then head back to LAX to get out of town. Take La Cienega south, past the 10, and grab La Tijera, which will take you right to the rental car return area. Smooth.