Resident Foodies: Mortar and Pestle pancakes in Lakeview

Resident Foodies say: We went for breakfast today at Mortar and Pestle in Lakeview. We had the vanilla pancakes typically served with orange and thyme Butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar. Today, though, we went sans butter and sugar. The pancakes were very good, but nothing too special. The menu, though, is very eclectic, with plenty of items, such as foie gras with eggs or on French toast, that you probably can’t find elsewhere. They also serve chicken and waffles on the weekend.

Resident Foodies: Review of Simply It–Vietnamese restaurant

Clay pot chicken

Vietnamese steamed pork ravioli

Resident Foodies say:
We made it out to Simply It, a neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant near DePaul. It’s a cute little place on Lincoln Ave.

We tried the Clay Pot chicken (simmered with ginger and caramelized sauce in clay pot) as well as the Vietnamese steamed pork ravioli, a specialty of Northern Vietnam. Both were tasty dishes. The ravioli is reminiscent of the dim sum rice noodle rolls, given the use of the same style noodle. The flavor of the Vietnamese dish is more mild, but it has a nice combination of textures and flavors. The claypot chicken was tasty, but lacked the caramel sweetness of Slanted Door’s famous claypot chicken in San Francisco. The red peppers provided a nice contrast, but our dish could have use a few more peppers. For a neighborhood restaurant, though, Simply It is a pretty solid option, especially for lunch. Street parking was decent, too.