CHICAGO RESTAURANTS - Mercat a la Planxa & Beard Papas

Chicago is one of the best cities in the U.S. for us foodies and regardless of your budget, you are bound to find tons of places and you will wish you had booked just "one more night"...
As decisions have to be made, and some places did not make our list for either price or timing reasons... the ones we did go range from really good to superb.

MERCAT A LA PLANXA 

We decided to try this Catalan cuisine for lunch and all in our party went for the $18 lunch deal that included a fountain drink, starter and main course.

TRUITA DE PATATAS CON ESPINACAS

One of the appetizers, we most refer to as tortilla de papas in Argentina, and  it was so good that surprisingly my even my mom approved (she still makes the best tortillas!) this one was very well seasoned, nice vegetal notes from the spinach and most importantly not overcooked. There's nothing worse than burned eggs.

MIXTO DE CROQUETAS - JAMON SERRANO, CHORIZO & ROMESCO

I ate these all over Spain this summer, and it was still not enough... I came back wanting more... and Mercat's version with chorizo and the Romesco sauce did not disappoint... they were crunchy outside, with lovely notes of the jamon & chorizo, and the sauce added a nice finish to these perfect little bits.

FISH OF THE DAY, POTATO PURE, HERB OIL

For the world I can't remember the type of fish, but I can tell you if was mild in flavor with an incredible nice crunchy skin very nicely assembled with a smooth and creamy potato pure and the herb oil added a nice finish and sublime herbaceous notes.

LAS RAMBLAS GRILLED CHICKEN SANDWICH, BACON, ROMESCO, TOMATO & PARMESAN

I don't usually order sandwiches and this was no exception.  The choice was my son's and it was a good one.  This was no ordinary sandwich as the chicken was marinated in lots of herbs and unlike any chicken breasts, this one was juicy and tender as opposed to dry.  Add to this the bacon, the amazing romesco sauce,tomato and parm... I'd say you have a delicious gourmet sandwich.

BLACK ANGUS HANGER STEAK, POTATO CROQUETTE, BRAISED SHORT RIBS,BEECH MUSHROOM ESCABECHE

This hanger Steak was very nicely done, rare in the middle and a nice caramelization and smokiness on the outside.  The short ribs were very and I mean very tender and well seasoned and both meats went really well with the mushrooms en escabeche which added a nice acidity.  The only downfall of this dish is that the croquette got soggy in the middle as the beef was atop.

BEARD PAPAS

 Beard Papas is a transplant from Japan that has perfected the way of making these incredible puffs without compromising quality.  They use NO preservatives,  fill them up as you wait and are incredibly light, crispy, flaky, delicious... I could keep going! 

The best part is that they have locations here in Southern California!!

STORE FRONT OF BEARD PAPAS - CHICAGO

VANILLA CREAM PUFF

AS YOU SEE, THEY DON'T SKIMP ON THE FILLING!

THE STRAWBERRY WAS THE FAVORITE

CHOCOLATE CREAM PUFF

Chicago Review & Pictures

Decided to go with my son and my mom to the windy city over Thanksgiving weekend.  I know this review is a bit late, but as they say better late than never.
Arrived at O'Hare at Noon on Thursday (Thanksgiving day) and the airport was not as busy as I thought it would be. However, it took us nearly 45 minutes to get to the L blue line to go downtown.  The airport is very intimidating!  Loved the bathrooms with the automatic seat covers LOL gotta love that! and the fact that they have TORTAS FRONTERAS BY RICK BAYLESS, well, it makes it one of my favorite airports after Paris (mainly due to the Macaroons from Laduree).
Stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel Magnificent mile, and loved the service (5 stars) and the room was modern, super clean, ample enough (although there have been some complaints on the small size of them) you've never seen a small room until you've been to Europe, those are SMALL! LOL
In the next few days we used taxi's and the amazing public transportation system.  We did a free tour with Chicago Greeters with Leigh, who took us to the Gold Coast (my mom's favorite of the entire trip).  She was extremely knowledgeable, fun and a true enjoyment to have her show us around.
Skated in Millennium Park while realizing we were the only ones literally "ON" the ice... as in falling every 5 seconds! Most everyone else skated very well.  It was fun and free (you only rent the skates) but if you have your own, its entirely free.
Downtown (The Loop) was a true joy to walk around and admire the buildings and architecture.  Just be careful because you're neck will hurt at the end of the day from looking up! LOL
Had amazing Chicago Deep Dish Pizza at Giordano's, Huge tasty pancakes at the Bongo room, super crunchy and creamy cream puffs at Beard Papas (the strawberry was the favorite) and an unforgettable dessert tasting at TRU with the now famous black and while napkins service in the silver tray.
The Field Museum was my son's favorite of the trip, as he got to see "Sue" the largest, most complete T-REX in the world! He also enjoyed the Egyptian Exhibit, and bragging about what he knew.  :)
On our last day we spend the morning at the Art Institute and had an amazing time admiring my favorites:  Picasso and Dali paintings.
One thing I missed:  There is a true shortage of souvenir shops or knickknack shops.  The windy city has this "air" about her I've yet to see in another city.  Very proper, high-scale if you will.  We had a fantastic time!


Enjoy our favorite pictures

Largest Tiffany Dome in the World at the Chicago Cultural Center

Magnificent Mile from our Hotel (Intercontinental Chicago) looking towards downtown

Our Hotel, Intercontinental Chicago - Magnificent Mile

Mom & Matthew at the German Christmaskindl Market in the Loop

A very good beginning in Chicago, German Potato Pancake & amazing Bratwurst sandwich 

Our room at the Intercontinental Chicago with a view towards Magnificent Mile (paid $400 including tax for 3 nights!) great deal.

Our View

Matt & Me (Random picture in Chicago)

Cultural Center - View towards Millennium Park

Millennium Park

Mom & Matt in the Gold Coast (my mom's favorite area) a small box under the freeway costs about $1 Million! LOL

The original Playboy Mansion

Matthew in love with the $1Million cube at the Federal Reserve Bank Museum in Chicago

Hahahaha! My mom had lots of fun at the Federal Reserve Bank!

Matt's Hero! Michael Jordan's (His Steakhouse in Chicago)

Cloud Gate "The Bean" Huge steal sculpture made to reflect the whole city

Millennium Park

Matt & Me ice skating in Millennium Park

Monet at the Art Institute - Love his use of color!

Matt's favorite - Georges Seurat "A Sunday on la Grande Jatte"

Painting by Matta  from Chile "The earth is a man"

View at night from the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears tower) which by the way, they sold the name because they needed $$!

David Burke's Primehouse-Chicago

Chicago... known for its amazing architecture and of course, a foodie's paradise.  Here is my opinion on the places we dined while in the city over Thanksgiving weekend.

David Burke's Primehouse (Thanksgiving dinner - Pre-fix menu)

Its hard to judge a steakhouse when you didn't really have any steak, but there's a good reason for that.  Being Thanksgiving night, I really didn't think it would be the best night to sample on of there dry aged meats, as I am very picky, and did not want to be dissapointed. I was rather sure they would be focusing on the Pre-fix menu which included all the obvious for a night like this:  Turkey (white and leg confit), sweet potato mash, green beans, stuffing, cranberry sauce and dessert.

Appetizers: My son ordered the scallops and as usual, his choice was a good one.  They were very good, perfectly cooked.  (Future foodie!)

I Ordered the Steak Tare Tare which I loved.  It came with Shrimp tempura which were tasty but overcooked.

Lobster Salad:  Huge chunks of Lobster were well appreciated, but lacking a good amount of acidity.

Pumpkin Soup:  Too thick and I would have liked it a bit more savory, as the sweet notes were very predominant.  But good.

Salad with Cranberries & walnuts: I didn't taste it, as it was my moms, and I was really not in the mood for anything green... she said it was good, but a salad nonetheless.  Nothing spectacular.

Turkey:  was good, nothing to write home about... (honesty, my mom makes the best tasting with lovely notes of mushroom & white wine) and DB's did not even come close...and it tasted a bit gamey.

Salmon: My son ordered this and it was cooked to perfection, albit missing some acidity... we both agreed that a little lemon would of made it much better... such a simple addition, but it was missed.

Green Beans: raw!... need I say more... they were beyond crunchy... I didn't send them back, but I should of.

Stuffing, Sweet potato mash with toffee bits: Stuffing was well seasoned and moist, but traditional.  Sweet potato mash was mixed with regular potato, which I appreciated, making the dish less sweet and although I loved it combined with the toffee, it stuck to your teeth, not pretty.

Desserts:  Apple cheesecake was the best, nice cream cheese notes with a nice acidity from green apples.  The crust was sweet and very good (and I usually leave it) but this one was good.
Profiteroles: The shell was not crunchy outside, and the inside was a bit undercooked... not impressed, and we did not finish it.
Creme Brulee: for me, it was not dense enough, however, i know this is not the same version as the Spanish one, which in turn is more so.  but nonetheless, it tasted a bit eggy and not enough caramelized sugar on top.

Overall, I'd say the food as a whole was average.  I will give it another chance on  my next trip to Chicago and will order the dry aged steak.  However, I thought it was a good deal for the price, being Thanksgiving: $45 for adults, $15 for children.