The Vegetarian Option: Balena
At Balena, the menu is meant for sharing. It can be nearly impossible to decide what to order when everything looks so delicious, so the more people you're dining with, the better. More
At Balena, the menu is meant for sharing. It can be nearly impossible to decide what to order when everything looks so delicious, so the more people you're dining with, the better. More
When Jesse Divine first moved to Chicago, he lived in River North, but he much prefers the quieter, more laid-back scene in Logan Square. More
Every Tuesday, Chef de Cuisine Jon DuBois crafts a fun vegetarian tasting menu at Green Zebra. This week he's inspired by flavors from the Pacific Northwest. More
Check out the small storefront at Elaine's Coffee Call in the Lincoln Hotel for what may be the best PB&J in town. More
Matt Eversman, former executive chef at Saigon Sisters and Time Out Chicago's 2011 Breakout Chef of the Year, is ready to open his own restaurant, OON, in the West Loop next month. Here, he shares a few of his neighborhood spots to eat and drink in Lakeview, where he's lived for the past six years. More
Karyn's Fresh Corner offers plenty of raw options from a salad bar to raw meatloaf, lasagna and faux sushi. More
Raw food and salads go hand in hand. But at Karyn's on Halsted there is everything from raw empanadas and tamales to raw pasta and pizza. Next time, I'll be a little more adventurous and report back, but for my introduction to Karyn's I played it safe with her famous house salad ($12). More
Spring vegetable risotto at Lockwood highlights local produce. More
Why are Chicago chefs so obsessed with ramps? Well, they are our city's namesake, but they also make a tasty flavor accent for anything from risotto to lobster tacos. More
The menu at Sprout is purposefully vague. Each option is simply a list of ingredients, with the main flavor in bold. More
Spring means asparagus, radish, spring peas and a tasty new salad for The Lobby. More
I'm apparently a little bit obsessed with Floriole. I don't live anywhere near the place, but I was lucky that a couple days in a row this week I've been in the area. So I had four meals in a row at the bakery/cafe. More
A fluffy cloud of baked egg fits snugly between two crunchy slices of baguette in Floriole's veggie breakfast sandwich ($7). More
We obviously love the sandwiches at Reno, but they also have some pretty tasty vegetarian dinner options. More
Most of the ingredients in the Sonoma salad ($12) at Hub 51 are pretty familiar. But what really sends this salad over the top, though, are the sunflower sprouts. More
Big servings are a thing at Hub 51 and I don't mind one bit. Not when the dish in question is as tasty as the roasted chicken french dip sandwich ($11). More
The most glamorous entree at Pensiero is not a meat dish, but pasta. Your server will wheel a cart tableside and toss housemade tagliatelle along with a mix of wild mushrooms and pistachios in a wheel of Grana Padano, scraping off plenty of the grainy hard cheese to incorporate into the pasta. More
Have you tried Siberian sturgeon caviar yet? This sustainable roe is popping up on top menus around town. More
My favorite part of ordering a sandwich at Foodease is seeing them make it. It heightens the anticipation for my mouth and stomach, like a much tastier and not too much more expensive version of Subway. More
Order the bibimbop at Del Seoul, and you better get the hot stone bowl version or you'll regret it. More
Of the delectable sandwich options at Floriole, the tartine of the day (an open-faced sandwich) and the mushroom and swiss chard sandwich ($9.75) are probably your lightest options. More
Squash is the star of The Lobby's Restaurant Week menu. More
Upon first glance, it might appear that this sandwich would require a knife and fork to eat. It is, after all, listed under "knife and fork sandwiches" on the menu. I am proud to report that I managed to eat this with my hands without getting messy. More
Seafood stronghouse L2O surprises with standout trumpet mushroom ravioli with pine nuts and onion. More
If you're looking for meatless options at Crêperie Saint Germain, you could order a colorful beet salad or perhaps sweet potato gnocchi. But this is a crêperie, so naturally, you must order a crêpe. More
Yum - I totally want to try all of these! Especially the second and fifth courses :)
Siberian sturgeon from Sarasota is the (Acipenser baerii) species. It has a totally different taste from paddlefish caviar. I would characterize it as crisper, with a better pop. Not mushy at all.
Hi Dennis,
The Siberian caviar supplement at Next is $115 for a half ounce and $225 for a full ounce. It comes with the caviar and egg soliders.
The Stillness of Ice course is part of the tasting menu. It is an option on the 4-course tasting, and included in both the 8 and 16-course tastings.
Thanks for your comment. I initially thought that since ink is not flesh, it would be categorized the same as eggs or honey – vegetarian, but not vegan. However, upon doing a little research, I found that the squid is killed to harvest its ink. So I suppose it depends on your reasons for being vegetarian.
I'm so incredibly sad that my one trip to Acadia, in November, I had to run at the end of the meal to see a show and missed getting these :( :(
Raw food and salads go hand in hand. But at Karyn's on Halsted there is everything from raw empanadas and tamales to raw pasta and pizza. Next time, I'll be a little more adventurous and report back, but for my introduction to Karyn's I played it safe with her famous house salad ($12). More
Spring means asparagus, radish, spring peas and a tasty new salad for The Lobby. More
Most sandwich places now offer vegetarian options, whether that be a simple grilled cheese or a slightly more exotic Caprese or portobello filling. However, never have I had as tasty and hearty a vegetarian sandwich as the squash and mushroom with kale tofu pesto ($9) at Amy Morton's new restaurant, Found, in Evanston. More
Soulwich in Evanston specializes in Southeast Asian-inspired sandwiches—think bánh mì with a twist. All sauces are made in-house, and there are eight different sandwiches ranging from wasabi teriyaki to sesame chili tuna. More
"Bad" is sort of the last word you'd ever expect to be associated with Floriole Cafe and Bakery—a place much more known for sugar, spice and everything nice in Lincoln Park. That it all combines to make this satisfying sandwich isn't so surprising (this is Floriole, after all), but what makes the sandwich so bewildering is just how unexpected it all is. More
I did not mean to be demeaning at all and I apologize if my comment was interpreted that way. I covered a couple other vegetarian dishes in my Restaurant Week post. Of the dishes I tried on this occasion, I would recommend that perhaps you try the ricotta gnocchi but ask for them to omit the Serrano ham, which is added on top as a garnish.