Cai

Location: 2100 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, IL 60616


A Quick Word:
When searching for dim sum restaurants in Chinatown, they tend to be either too expensive or not very tasty.  However, Cai seems to be the perfect balance between cost and quality. We came on a Saturday morning and were greeted with a large crowd and a short wait.  But after being seated, we ordered all the dim sum we wanted (via a menu rather than waiting and stalking the carts).  The dishes tend to be amazing or something I wouldn't order again so be ready for some hit and miss.  But when you get your check and its cheap, you understand why.  The atmosphere is BUSY, but the dining room is beautiful.  Cai is good, but not as amazing as Triple Crown Seafood.  Reservations are accepted so I suggest making some.

The Dim Sum Menu                                              

What We Ate:

Simmered Chicken Feet with Peking Sauce

This is one of my favorite dim sum dishes at any restaurant.  And Cai does a good job with these.  They are stir fried lightly in a peking sauce.  If you never have eaten these, make sure to use your teeth to get the skin/cartilage off the bones and be sure to not swallow any of the small bones.

Ha Gow

These are some of the simplest dumplings out there.  It is just a shrimp wrapped in a light rice wrapper and steamed until cooked.  It is one of the best preparations of dim sum because it focuses only on the shrimp.  Dip it in the chili sauce and enjoy.

Shrimp and Pork Shumai

These are the stereotypical dumpling that most people have tried.  But when you actually get them from an authentic dim sum restaurant, you will never order them at those fake places again.  Here, the meatball is made out of ground pork and ground shrimp with a little bit of vegetables (mushrooms, water chestnut, carrots).  They top it with a little masago.  Once again dip these into the chili sauce and you will definitely order more and more.

BBQ Pork Bun

With all the bao restaurants opening up, the most authentic is still when you come to Chinatown.  These are not perfectly round because these are hand made, not machine pressed.  They are steamed until the crack open to expose some of the amazing bbq pork.  These are not gelatinous at all so its much different than ordering from the bakeries.

BBQ Pork Rice Crepe

These are another staple that most dim sum restuarant offer.  Unfortunately, at Cai, they are a little dry.  These rice crepes are filled with BBQ pork and some scallions.  They are topped with some kind of soy sauce, which doesn't do the job to moisten the crepes.  They are extremely sticky and just not that enjoyable to eat.

Lo Mai Gai

This is one of the larger dishes we ordered.  The little lotus leaf wrapped package is stuffed with sticky rice, a little shredded chicken, and some seasoning.  They steam it for a while and they come out extremely hot.  Another one of my favorites.

Stuffed Bean Curd Skin with Pork and Shrimp

These are my brothers favorite dumplings.  Some places call them "Three Happiness Dumplings" probably because of all the ingredients inside.  Anyway, the name describes it all.  Shrimp, pork, and a bean curd skin.  These are served piping hot... hotter than other dishes so be careful.

Crispy Taro w/ Chicken

This is probably my favorite dish we ordered.  Taro root is a huge part of dim sum with different dumplings and cakes being the main focus.  In our case, we ordered a mashed taro ball, mixed with chicken, and deep fried to make a light outer coating.  This may be one of the most technically difficult dish that some restaurant don't even attempt.  Cai does a great job with it.  A must have!

Beef and Chinese Broccoli Chow Mein

My family loves chow mein.  We order this dish at every restaurant we go to.  And it always is delicious.  The pan fried egg noodles are extremely crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  It is topped with beef and chinese broccoli.  Make sure to mix it all together so you get some of the crispy noodles and some of the softer, sauce-soaked ones.  It isn't as good as Triple Crown's chow mein, but it does the trick.  This is ordered off the dinner menu so the price is significantly higher at $10.

Sesame Ball with Red Bean

These are sort of the dessert dim sum.  Simply red beans stuffed inside a rice ball coated in sesame seeds and lightly fried.  It is super sweet so don't try ordering these if you are craving something savory.

Hot Tea

Just some amazing jasmine tea to start of the meal.  It helps "cut the fat" when eating so sip it throughout your meal!

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- I would call ahead and make reservations if possible.  Lunch time, especially on weekends, can be a mess at the restaurant.
- Make sure to make an order and not just rely on the carts being pushed around for dim sum.  Not only will the food come out more fresh, you will actually find a better variety by ordering.   But feel free to do both.
- There are no prices, but small, medium, and large plates are how they are categorized and I believe it is $2.50, $3, and $3.50 respectively.  My family of 5 (pretty big eaters) spent around $50 so maybe 3 dishes per person?
- If they forget a dish that you ordered make sure to let them know.  With so many small plates, confusion is bound to happen.

DON'T:
- They may ask you to share a table with someone else... I wouldn't so just pass and wait for the next table.  The turn around is fairly quick so just being patient.

How far would I walk for this food?

Opart Thai House

Locations:  1906 S. State St., Chicago, IL 60616

(Other great location is in Lincoln Square.  Check out the urbanspoon links above.)

A Quick Word:
When it comes to Thai food, I tend to be pickier ever since visiting Thailand and enjoying authentic home cooked meals at our dive resort.  However, Opart Thai House in Chicago is one restaurant that seems to be a little more authentic than others.  The dishes seem to be hit or miss in terms of me loving it and the location (at least in South Loop) is not the greatest.  Spicy dishes are available, but make sure to have them customize your order to your preference of spicy.  Overall, the food here was average at best, but I do hope to try it again and find better results in some of my other favorite dishes.

What We Ate:

Pad Thai with Tofu

Ever since traveling in Thailand for a couple weeks, it has been difficult finding Thai food that can come close to compare.  And once again, the pad thai was delicious, just not that authentic.  Here, the pad thai came with the typical rice noodles, raw bean sprouts, thinly sliced carrots, tofu, and peanuts on the side.  The noodles did arrive extremely hot so the vegetables got a quick steam after mixing them together.  I was disappointed because it didn't come with any chili powder on the side to make it spicy.  The noodles did have a slight sweetness to it and when mixing it with some of the spicier curry, it made the meal significantly better.  There was also plenty of tofu to go around which was a surprise.  For a buck or two more, you can add meat or shrimp to the dish.

Gaeng Keow Waan

Now this dish was great.  I was craving a good Thai green curry ever since the trip and this did the trick.  The green curry is cooked with thai eggplant, green beans, and a choice of meat, in which we chose chicken.  Each dish is made to order and you get to choose either mild, spicy, or extra spicy.  Depending on your choice, they add different amounts of thai chili peppers to the dish.  I will warn that the spicy is significantly spicier than other restaurants so be careful.  The dish has the great coconut milk flavor along with curry.  There is a generous amount of chicken pieces in the curry, but unfortunately it seems that the chicken was added last minute because it hasn't soaked up much of the flavor.  The dish comes with a small bowl of rice, so order an extra one if you are hungry.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- The area has lots of street parking so feel free to drive to the area.
- I would error on the side of caution when they ask about how hot you want the dish.

DON'T:
- No real complaints about the restaurant... Just don't come with high expectations.

How far would I walk for this food?

Phil's Last Stand

Location: 2258 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60622


A Quick Word:
Phil's Last Stand was a recommendation from two of my best friends that happen to be vegetarian.  I was wondering at first how they could enjoy the char dogs and burgers, but realized they offered an incredible vegetarian char dog as well.  This place is your typical hot dog stand in Chicago, but they specialize in their fire grilled char dogs.  The restaurant is a small stand that is always packed like sardines.  The atmosphere is fun with tons of people standing and enjoying their food inside while a few others brave the cold weather and sit at the outdoor patio.  I personally ordered "to go" because we came on a day when they had a charity deal... $1 char dogs and fries.  Overall, the dogs are incredible, but they are not the perfect Chicago Style Hot Dog (how could they not use neon green relish?).  I still prefer the superdawg at  Superdawg Drive-in, but for location and cost, Phil's wins.  I will definitely be going back soon to try one of their famous fatso burgers.

What I Ate:

Char Dog

So when you come to Phil's, make sure NOT to order a hot dog.  They don't serve the typical hot dog here... they serve Char Dogs.  These hot dogs are grilled on an open flame to make a nice char crust and are cooked until the ends split open.  They are topped with the typical Chicago style toppings including mustard, relish, onion, tomato, pickle, sport peppers, and celery salt.  Unfortunately, the relish isn't the neon green one that defines Chicago style hot dogs.  The bun was nice and soft, the dog was perfectly cooked with a nice char flavor, and the toppings made it amazing.  The sport peppers weren't too spicy... I will surely ask for extra next time.  The overall size is good, but if you are hungry you might need to order a double char dog or another one to get full.  They do come with fries so that is a plus.

Fresh Cut French Fries

As you walk into the restaurant, you can smell the frequent deep frying of their fresh cut fries.  You see them frying up basket after basket, which gives you an idea of how popular this place is.  I don't think they season the fries at all... so make sure to add a little salt (a little goes a long way).  They are crispy at first, but if you are getting it "to go," then be prepared for a greasy pile of soggy french fries.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- So when first arriving at Phil's Last Stand, remember that there is parking in the back!  Don't pay for street parking.  When you walk in, you will notice that they don't have seating indoors so its standing room only unless you want to eat on their outdoor patio (open even when its cold).  So make sure to order your hot dog or burger at the cash register and just hangout.  They cook everything up super fast so it should be ready within seconds to a minute or two.  Standing inside makes the experience so try it out.
- CASH ONLY! They do have an ATM inside, but with a service fee, I suggest making sure you have cash on you.
- Try the Vegetarian Char Dog... they are just as good.  I have had a bite (sorry for no picture).

DON'T:
- Don't call it a hot dog... they serve char dogs
- Don't put ketchup on their char dog.  It is definitely discouraged.

How far would I walk for this food?

Gyu Kaku

Location: 210 E. Ohio St., Chicago, IL 60611


A Quick Word:
The concept of Gyu Kaku sort of confuses me with either Japanese or Korean BBQ.  I guess I don't really know the difference, but regardless, the food here is delicious.  And, the best part about Gyu Kaku is the HAPPY HOUR MENU!  Monday-Thursday, after 9:30pm, this restaurant has a happy hour menu which offers tons of options for a significant discount.  I believe everything we ordered was under $6 which is incredible especially for the city.  I was disappointed in the hostess of the restaurant though; she was rude and wouldn't seat us despite our reservations.  In the end, all the grilled meats turned out great and the price wasn't too steep.  Definitely come after 9:30pm for cheap food and cheap drinks!

What We Ate:

Veggie Spring Roll

So we started the meal off with this "weird" spring roll.  The inside was more like a ball of mush rather than the typical shredded vegetables found in other veggie spring rolls.  The shell was a nice crisp to it and dipping it into the sweet and sour sauce was good.  Nothing special for these rolls but another staple appetizer for many.

Edamame and Crispy Seaweed

Here are a couple typical asian appetizers. The edamame (pictured in back) did have a little bit of salt seasoning added.  I always enjoy eating them.  The seaweed (pictured in front) actually had some seasoning on it too.  I was pleasantly surprised and everyone seemed to really enjoy it.

Hot Oil Seared Salmon

This was another one of the appetizers we started with.  This plate of sushi grade salmon was sliced thinly and topped with warm oil. I wasn't sure about why they claimed it as seared, but regardless, it was very fresh salmon.  I wasn't too impressed with this recommendation and probably wouldn't order it again.

Assorted Kimchee

I have been lucky to try lots of kimchee at different restaurants and of course wouldn't miss the opportunity at Gyu Kaku.  A bowl of various vegetables arrived at the table with the typical red kimchee color.  Overall, it wasn't spicy at all and didn't have a strong fermented flavor.  I consider it to be an extremely mild kimchee... one that everyone should try, even if you dislike it.  And for a couple bucks, it is a great way to break up all the grilled meats.

Bibimbap

This traditional Korean rice dish was incredible.  We ordered two different styles, one with beef and one vegetarian.  The waitress will ask the table whether to make it spicy or mild.  I suggest spicy because even when we said spicy, the rice dish wasn't hot at all.  The bowl it is served in is extremely warm so be careful.  Let the rice cook down in the hot pot so that it develops the signature burnt edges. Mix it all together and enjoy it with more hot chili paste and the meats from the grill.  I personally preferred the vegetarian one because I could add whatever meat to mine without mixing too many flavors.

Garlic Noodles

This dish was a little disappointing.  Thick soup style noodles were cooked on a hot searing pan to probably try and give it a little crunchy texture.  Garlic was the only flavor I actually noticed.  Probably won't order this one again either.

Kalbi Toro Short Plate (top)

Most of the Asian BBQ places offer some sort of kalbi.  I never really understand where the cut of meat is from or how they flavor it.  The waitress did recommend it, and it was good.  Honestly, I am unsure how else to describe it.

Gyu-tan Beef Tongue

Another excellent cut of meat.  The beef tongue was so thinly sliced that it cooked in just seconds.  It was probably the most tender fleshy cut of meat we had, but did lack on flavor.  I think everyone enjoyed eating this dish and I am glad we chose it.  For anyone that has never had tongue and wants to try it... I suggest this dish because it is very mild.

Horumon Intestine Miso

Without question, the intestine was the BEST dish of the night.  With so much fat, cooking the intestine on the grill made an amazing caramelization.  And, with the already sweeter miso marinade, this dish was the perfect balance of richness and crunchy sweetness.  It takes a little longer to get that dark golden brown caramelization so be patient!  But don't leave it on too long because it will catch on fire.

Pork Belly

The pork belly was another great dish to grill.  It also has a high fat content that caramelizes under the extreme heat.  This was sliced thinner than the intestine and did have some meat on it too so make sure to cook it much less than the intestines.  It reminds me of a nice sweet piece of bacon.

Chicken (front)

So my friend really enjoys the chicken and orders a bunch of it every time.  It was not really seasoned at all, but dipping it into the spicy sauce made it amazing.  It was probably just the sauce, but I found the chicken to be the best vessel for it.  One main problem though is the chicken takes forever to cook.  After waiting several minutes, I was still worried about eating raw chicken, which I definitely did a couple of times.  Making it too thin wouldn't work either, so I guess patience is what is needed.

Yakishabo Brisket Shio

(See above picture middle dish)

Recommended by one of my friends, the brisket was ordered.  I really liked it because it would grill up in just a few seconds and had a sweet sauce that the meat was marinated in.  This made it tasty without adding anything additional.  Definitely get a couple of these to fill up on!

Mahi Mahi

Grilling fish at Gyu Kaku is really interesting.  They wrap up the fish, in this case mahi mahi, with spinach, chopped tomatoes, and some garlic. You place the aluminum pouch on the grill and wait for it to "steam up."  Flip it a couple of times, and the fish is cooked.  The mahi mahi was a nice filet with the miscellaneous vegetables that I mentioned.  Overall, the steam grilling cooked the fish well.  It was tender and actually had some good flavor.  I definitely enjoyed this one better than the salmon described below.

Salmon

(Sorry, not pictured)

Just like the mahi mahi, the salmon comes in an aluminum foil pouch for steam grilling.  Unfortunately, I wasn't a big fan of the salmon, mainly because of the light seasoning and also the raw cooking temperature.  A couple of friends at the table enjoy salmon on the rare side, but I sure don't.  Even if we cooked it longer, I still think the seasoning was nearly non-existent.  More bold flavors are needed.

S'mores

What more is there to say?  Chocolate, marshmallows, graham crackers, and fire.  Always a good dessert, but I did wish a more authentic japanese dessert option was available.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- As emphasized throughout this post... DO come for HAPPY HOUR!  After 9:30pm on weeknights, they have the happy hour special where most of the meats are significantly discounted!  It is the greatest deal by far... so don't miss out.
- Make sure to order Bibimbap; it is incredible here and you can substitute to make it vegetarian.

DON'T:
- I would order slowly... The food comes out quickly and sometimes the eyes are too big for your stomach.

How far would I walk for this food?

Coast Sushi Bar

Location:  2045 N. Damen Ave., Chicago, IL 60647


A Quick Word:
Hearing from a lot of friends that Coast is some of the best sushi in Chicago, I had to try it out.  Coast does have excellent sushi and is delicious, but I couldn't label it as my favorite.  Overall, the rolls were incredible... they have a huge variety, tons of specials, and are reasonably priced.  The atmosphere is fun, and it always seems busy.  It is a great BYOB restaurant that you can eat and drink at for hours... so keep that in mind!  The staff was knowledgeable and friendly.  They do limit 2 bottles of wine per table (so bring the larger bottles).  Also, parking is really difficult in the area unless you are prepared to walk.  Regardless, another great sushi place and for that reason a 4-mile rating was given.

What We Ate:
(I apologize ahead of time for the blurry pictures; it was dark and I had to brighten them up.)

Edamame

This is the "staple" appetizer that everyone orders at a sushi/japanese restaurant.  The edamame here was a little disappointing however.  Still served in shells, the edamame was just boiled.  No salt, no special seasoning.  I love the flavor of soybeans by itself, but the added salt on the shell always makes them so addicting.  Nothing fantastic, but I would probably order it again by habit.

Hamachi Carpacio

One of their recommended appetizers... The hamachi carpacio is 5 pieces of thinly sliced sashimi style yellow tail drizzled with a garlic oil and topped with a slice of jalapeño, cilantro, and a little citrus from limes.  It is served along side a bed of baby greens with a balsamic dressing.  The yellow tail was extremely fresh and the garnishing/toppings didn't hinder the taste of the fish.  The jalapeño was almost sliced too thinly though to give any heat whatsoever.  This appetizer is a little on the expensive side, but if you really enjoy sashimi, I would recommend it for sure.

Assorted Sushi Rolls #1

Top Left to Right:  White Dragon Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Fresh Philly Roll
Bottom Left to Right:  Rainbow Roll , Alaskan Roll 

After a quick chopstick lesson for my friends, we dug right into the first plate of sushi.  We ordered the White dragon roll, the fresh Philly roll, the spicy tuna roll, the rainbow roll, and the Alaska roll.  I am not going to explain everything in each roll, but I will mention some of the high points and lows.  First of all, the White Dragon was by far the table's favorite.  This is one of the signature maki rolls that is filled with shrimp tempura, cream cheese, avocado, a wasabi dressing, eel sauce, and topped with a tempura crumb.  It was extremely creamy and the flavors all blended well... no need for soy sauce.  The other point I wanted to mention was not to get the Alaska roll.  It claims to have King Crab in it, but the "crab" reminded me of the typical imitation stuff found in the other less expensive rolls.  For the price though, the caterpillar roll was excellent with lots of fresh slices of fish on top of the roll!

Assorted Sushi Rolls #2

Left --> Top --> Right:  Spicy Creamy Roll, Volcano Roll, Dragon Roll

After demolishing about half of the first plate, we decided to order a few more rolls.  This time, however, we ordered the spicy creamy roll, the dragon roll, and the Volcano roll.  From these, the Dragon was again the favorite. It was very similar to the white dragon, but instead it was topped with sliced of unagi and extra eel sauce.  I enjoyed the roll; it had a little sweetness to it.  My favorite though from this plate was the Volcano roll.  Stacked high, as you can see in the picture (top roll), it was a simple roll of white tuna, a volcano sauce, and lots of tempura crumbs.  The crumbs gave a nice crunch that seemed to be missing in some of the other rolls.

Spooky Roll "Halloween Special"

We finally ended with their Halloween Special... the "Spooky Roll."  The waiter mentioned this right off the start and recommended trying it.  I honestly cannot remember everything in it, but I do remember it had avocado, cream cheese, and something else inside the roll.  It was topped with fresh salmon, black masago, and an orange mayo based sauce.  It looked black and orange as you can barely make out in my picture.  Overall, the roll wasn't anything crazy, but it was still fun to try and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

The DOs/DON'Ts:
DO:
- BYOB!!!  There is a limit of 2 bottles of wine per table so either bring a huge bottle or don't come with an insanely large group.  They will even bring a bucket if your wine bottle is too big like in our case.
- Share rolls...  I think eating sushi is the best only if everyone agrees to share rolls.

DON'T:
- I wouldn't worry about making reservations too far in advance.  We went on a Saturday night and it seemed like constant business was always going on, but nothing insane where we would have to wait.
- Don't order too many appetizers... they aren't as good as the sushi and are pretty heavy on the wallet.

How far would I walk for this food?