Carriage House
Wicker Park
There was a lot of shrimp involved in this dinner, but those dishes that included it happened to all be some of my favorites. First up, the peel and eat shrimp. The shrimp was seasoned really simply with just a little seasoned salt and was served in the shell with these amazing grilled lemon halves to squeeze over the top. They were served with two different dipping sauces-- a really cool spicy smoked cocktail sauce and in southern tradition, a dijonnaise. This was definitely a messy eat-with-your-hands kind of food, but totally worth it. The shrimp was super moist and flavorful after being cooked with the shells still on.
And while we're talking about shrimp, let's hit one more dish featuring this delicious seafood, shall we? The fried green tomatoes at Carriage House are some of the best that I have ever had. The breading is crunchy and flaky and the tomatoes are topped with a combination of really interesting ingredients: creamed red beans (weird, but good) and pickled shrimp in a tangy spicy hot sauce vinaigrette. I absolutely loved this combination and thought it was one of the best things that we tried all night. I'm also nut usually a ceviche fan, but the pickled shrimp was flavorful and a perfect addition to this dish.
As I mentioned, we tried a ton of different dishes off of the menu here and these are just a few of the highlights. Before I wrap up this review though, I did just want to give some quick praise to the sides on this menu too! Carriage House serves up this amazing little skillet of warm cornbread and the real kicker is that it is served topped with fresh sweet strawberry preserves and savory foie butter... I mean, wow! It's such an odd, but delicious flavor combination and the perfect marriage of savory, sweet, and rich.
Carriage House's modern take on traditional lowcountry food is such a fun and different option on the Chicago restaurant scene. It's the perfect place for a casual date night or an evening out with friends!

Chicago Q
Gold Coast
Alex and I are big barbecue fans and-- lucky for us-- a great selection of BBQ joints have popped up all over the city in the last few years. Most of these places are casual and bordering on divey (exactly what you'd expect from a barbecue restaurant, right?), with the exception of Chicago Q. Chicago Q is a white tablecloth restaurant in Chicago's posh Gold Coast neighborhood, serving up really good southern BBQ. It seems like a bit of an oxymoron, but it works-- and our countless dinners there are certainly proof!
Chicago Q also offers some great southern-style appetizers to share. The last time we were there I gave the fried green tomatoes a try. They're crispy and served with a delicious Green Goddess dressing for dipping. Our favorite appetizer and one that we always order at Q is the House Bacon Cheddar Hushpuppies. My southern husband hates all food made with cornmeal: cornbread, corn dogs, grits, polenta, etc. He does, however, love these hushpuppies which is why photo of them is so bad-- I had to quickly snap it before he dove in! They are smoky and a bit spicy and served with an even spicier chipotle dipping sauce.
While Alex will move between their Kobe brisket, and St. Louis or Baby Back Ribs, I am a total creature of habit here and always order the pulled pork platter. It's a generous portion of slow cooked pork and saucing it is totally up to you. Each table receives a selection of sauces to mix, match, and add to their meals: Original Mild, Spicy, Eastern North Carolina Vinegar, and South Carolina Mustard Sauce. The latter two are my hands down favorites. My husband prefers the Spicy, which has a really good kick to it.
If you can still possibly find any room after all of that, you should definitely consider sharing a dessert with your dinner companions. Chicago Q offers some great southern staples like seasonal pies (we have had a really good Key Lime here before), carrot cake, or this amazing Espresso Brittle Ice Cream. Espresso ice cream is sliced up, coated in homemade peanut brittle and served with chocolate sauce.
This is definitely not your standard BBQ joint, but always worth a trip!

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