Asador Bastian was great. I couldn’t get resos at any of the other places on the short notice, but was able to call and get a bar reso for one at Asador.
The tortilla with jamon was great, although I’m not convinced they put Bellota on it (as opposed to iberico). Salad with anchovy and manchego was on point, and the Galician beef was… Galician beef.
Enjoyed talking to people as much as the food, and have several new “best friends” after holding the bar up for 2.5 hrs. Thanks again for the recommendation.
Revisiting this thread for the simple reason that my three visits to Maxwell’s Trading since it opened have renewed much of my excitement about Chicago’s current scene. Erling Wu-Bower was the original chef at Nico Osteria, and then Pacific Standard Time. Together with Josh Tilden from PST and Chris Jung from Momotaro, Maxwell’s Trading is already nearly impossible to book. Fusion, funk, fun with album-spun jazz and a hip, affordable wine list make for a great vibe. Single best vegan dish I’ve ever had Stray and Hay powered by fermented Korean black beans, series of off-the-chart dips and spreads served with fluffy, soft, pillows of buttery goodness akin to asian pancakes and naan/parata, and inventive takes on the protein offerings. Run, don’t walk to this lively fun newbie. Can’t wait to see what this crew will do with Chicago’s famous summer produce.
Take a stroll around the Green City Market set up in the southern edge of Lincoln Park on Saturday morning – you can get many tasty treats to eat as you stroll nGrab a coffee at Elaines across the street in the Hotel Lincoln or have lunch on the rooftop for an amazing view.
Take the EL (Red Line) up to Argyle, go around the corner to Sun Wah for Chinese bbq/Peling Duck – bring a bottle with you.
I haven’t been since pre-covid, but I always loved The Kitchen on the river on Clark – owned by the nicer Musk brother, usually an interesting wine list, gorgeous room, super for brunch, lunch, dinner – we once started with brunch and stayed 9 hours finishing with a bunch of Schollium wines. Oh and have the bolognese!
Skip the deep dish and uber up to Spacco Napoli or west to Forno Rosso.
Spacca Napoli is my best of the best in Chicago for Neapolitan pizza. Coalfire also does a great job, if you’re closer to downtown (located in West Town).