Resident Foodies say: Yonder in Queenstown, NZ had these divine buckwheat pancakes a year ago, but no longer. My friend tried to get the recipe, but to no avail!
Buckwheat pancakes with blueberries at Yonder in Queenstown, NZ
Author: admin
Pad kra pow chicken with fried egg at My Thai
Resident Foodies say: It’s always nice to see a restaurant improves its dishes. My Thai restaurant in the West Loop in Chicago downsized its menu, eliminating sushi and focusing on Thai dishes–which makes sense, given the name. We went in to have the sushi, but, given the change in the menu this year, we had a bunch of Thai dishes. My Thai has upped its game. Dishes tasted more flavorful. We really liked the Pad kra pow chicken with a fried egg on top.
Resident Foodies: Review of Maison Marcel bakery in Lakeview
Plain brioche and sugar brioche
Resident Foodies say: Exciting news: Maison Marcel, a French bakery, opened its first bakery in the United States–in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago (in the building formerly housing the Melanthios Greek restaurant and very close to the recently opened Mariano’s). Arnaud Brochard is the French baker behind the menu of baked goods. We tried the plain brioche, which was heavenly, and the pistachio eclair, which was delightful. We can’t wait to make our ways through the rest of the menu.
The owner, Xavier De Yparraguirre, explained to DNA info, why he selected Chicago and Lakeview: “In New York, the market is saturated: Too much French, too much bakery, too much everything. Here, I can feel the people are more open about different kinds of food, different concepts. We can make a place here. I rode everywhere in Lincoln Park, Logan Square, West Loop. And it was like destiny. I fell in love here with Lakeview.”
Croissant
Pistachio eclair, croissant, and brioche
Paris-Brest
Resident Foodies: chicken at Roister
whole chicken and chamomile, fried and braised with gravy and spicy habanero sunchoke sauce
Roasted beets, endive, tangerine, blue cheese
hearth baked lasagna with burrata
hot and sour soup
milk and cookies
Resident Foodies say: On Sunday night, we went to Roister, touted as “the Alinea Group’s convivial & casual restaurant.” Chef Andrew Brochu is the head chef at Roister, but we spotted Chef Grant Achatz (renowned chef of Alinea) in the kitchen (see below). The menu at Roister is pretty simple, with a limited number of offerings for a Michelin starred restaurant. But the food does not disappoint. The whole chicken is the main attraction, and it surpassed our expectations. It was cooked 2 ways: The fried chicken has the perfect crispiness, wrapped around tender pieces of chicken. The braised chicken was our favorite–succulent pieces of meaty chicken breast topped with a nice crisp skin. Delicious! There’s also a side of chicken salad, along with gravy and habanero sauce.
We also had the beet salad, hot and sour soup, lasagne, salmon (not pictured), and Yukon fries (not pictured). To top it all off, we couldn’t resist the milk and cookies.
Chef Grant Achatz
Resident Foodies: Bar Lupo breakfast sandwich
Resident Foodies say: We ventured out on this cold Saturday in Chicago to try out brunch at Bar Lupo. a new Italian restaurant with a funky, eclectic and rustic decor. There was one item on the menu we knew we couldn’t pass up: the Bar Lupo breakfast sandwich. It consists of fried mortadella, a fried egg, cheese, pistachio pesto, and giardiniera to spread, all inside a brioche bun. Yum, yum! This sandwich is wondrous, a heavenly combination of scrumptious ingredients. The texture and taste ooze yumminess, and a bit of spice. Hands down, the best breakfast sandwich we’ve had. In fact, it may be the best new dish we’ve had this year.
We were delighted to meet the mastermind behind this heavenly sandwich, Chef Marcos Ascencio, who used to be chef de cuisine at Park Hyatt. At Bar Lupo. Marco has assembled Italian influenced dishes, including dinner and weekend brunch. We can’t wait to try out more. 
Resident Foodies: Robust rosa kale spinach salad at Left Coast
Resident Foodies say: We ventured out to Left Coast, a cute cafe that specializes in organic, locally sourced food, juices, and smoothies. Today, we tried the Robust Rosa salad, consisting of kale, spinach, roasted broccoli, red onion, roasted tomato, toasted hemp seeds, avocado caesar dressing. It was fresh, healthy, and very tasty. We also tried the Light My Fire cold pressed juice (kale, spinach, romaine, cilantro, jalapeño, bell pepper, lime, sea salt) and the Fairways and Greens smoothie (spinach, apple, banana, avocado, spirulina, matcha tea, agave, lemon juice). Both were creative combinations, perfect for those who love veggie juice.