Chicago's West Loop-- Randolph Street, specifically-- is the culinary hub of the city, where trendy restaurants with noteworthy chefs (like Stephanie Izard's Girl & the Goat and Graham Elliot's G.E.B.) seem to be popping up all the time. As a food lover, I couldn't be happier to live in this neighborhood and in walking distance of all of these fabulous places. In fact, since it has warmed up (and WAY up, recently) we have been dining out and about more frequently in the neighborhood. Here are a few of my recent restaurant finds in the West Loop...
West Loop

de cero
West Loop
de cero is an upscale taqueria on trendy Randolph Street. We first had dinner here a few years ago and just went back recently and it was great. I love a restaurant with tasting and a la carte options and de cero has lots. They have 6 different salsas to choose from, but we decided on the pickled jalepeno: it was essentially Mexican giardinera, sour and spicy at the same time. And they have tons of different taco options-- from meat heavy to vegetarian and everything in between. Personally, I'm a big fan of the bacon chorizo & potato taco and also the panko-crusted tilapia. A few other remarks on this place: They have a great selection of margarita flavors-- I ordered a mango con chile and it was sweet and a little smoky. Randomly, the pinto beans and rice side is really good. Typically, I wouldn't order them but one of my dinner companions did and I couldn't stop sneaking bites of it. Skip the guacamole-- it is pricey, small, and wasn't very memorable. For value and taste, I do think that Taco Joint edges de cero out slightly, but the atmosphere here is different and definitely worth a visit if you're on Randolph Street and have a craving for Mexican food.

For as great as almost every restaurant on Randolph is (and I'm telling you about a few of them in this post), I was surprised at how underwhelming our dinner was. We went on a Friday night and the place was not even half full-- that's usually a sign, right? They serve Mediterranean-style tapas and while the food wasn't bad, it was forgettable. And expensive. Even with a Groupon, the bill was high and neither of us loved anything we ate. Also, we went ahead and ordered a carafe of sangria and this turned out to be a mistake-- it tasted bottled, not freshly made. If you're in the mood for tapas and sangria, head north to Cafe Ba Ba Reeba instead where the food is consistently good.

West Loop
Everything on the menu looked so good that our eyes ended up being much bigger than our stomachs... we ordered a LOT of food! We started by sharing an order of fried pickles and onion rings. The onions tasted a little pickled, which was surprising but gave them a taste similar to the fried pickles (which I love). And the breading was super crispy (and not soggy) and they were served with ranch dressing and a mustard dipping sauce. We also ordered some tempura fried mashed potatoes. They were totally weird and tasty all at the same time.
For entrees, Alex knew what he wanted almost immediately: beef ravioli with a side of dinner rolls. Random, right? I just love him.
Patrick and I had a bit more difficulty deciding. I ended up ordering one of the day's specials: a BLT made with avocado, heirloom tomatoes, arugula, and a smoky gouda cheese spread. Patrick went for breakfast (they serve it all day long like a good diner should) and ordered their infamous Bullseye French Toast. Are you ready for this? It's thick French toast slices with a fried egg in the center topped with strawberries, fried chicken, and maple syrup. Holy heart attack. Oh, and we shared a side of their creamy mac and cheese because, why not?
I was super impressed by our meal here. For a buzzy restaurant like this, the prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was super laidback-- loud, casual, kid-friendly even. Just a fun experience. And the food is exactly what you'd expect-- rich and decadent, but interesting and well done. And all around, delicious. I can't wait to come back!

Ohmigosh
ReplyDeleteEverything looks soo effin good! fried, cheesy goodness. Is it lunch time yet? :)
Ox
Simplycamylla.blogspot.com
I love anything fried or cheesy-- I'd highly reccomend ALMOST all of these places if you're ever in Chicago! :)
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