- Avec (West Loop, $$, No reservations) - Soooo, so good! Even though the place gets crazy packed, my friend Alli and I were able to get seated right away at the bar. Everything we ordered was delicious - bacon wrapped chorizo-stuffed dates; warm burrata with braised artichokes, pomegranates, basil and smoked sea salt; kale salad with fennel, red onion, crimini mushrooms, hard-boiled egg and shaved parmesan; and of course, a delicious bottle of vino! Loved everything and can't wait to go back.
- The Purple Pig (River North, $$, No reservations) - For the adventurous eater. This highly touted restaurant had been on my list for a long time, and I attempted to go there twice before finally being able to get in on my third try with an old coworker who was in town for the week. People LOVE this restaurant, so we were super excited to check it out. Unfortunately, we were completely underwhelmed by everything we ordered (which were the most popular items on the menu - salt-roasted beets w/whipped goat cheese; milk braised pork shoulder; and pig's ear w/crispy kale, pickled cherry peppers and fried egg). Every dish we tried was ridiculously salty to the point where you couldn't taste much else. Maybe they were having an off night? Either way, very disappointing.
- Nellcote (West Loop, $$, No reservations) - I went here for brunch after reading a Chicago blogger's review on it. I loved the decor - elegant yet fun with chandeliers everywhere. The brunch menu is prix fixe: $18 for your entree along with a platter of cheese, charcuterie, figs, homemade concord grape jelly, lemon curd, and mini pastries. For my entree, I ordered the lobster hash which I wasn't too crazy about but others seem to really like it. I also ordered a bellini, which of course I enjoyed. This would probably be a fun place for cocktails with girlfriends, but I wouldn't rush back to dine there.
- Le Colonial (Gold Coast, $$$, Reservations recommended) - I grew up on Vietnamese food so my standards are obviously high when it comes to Vietnamese restaurants. I was a little wary about going here, but what a wonderful surprise it turned out to be! Le Colonial is a beautifully decorated, upscale French-Vietnamese restaurant that's perfect for a romantic date night or for a fun girls night! I started off with their appetizer portion of pho (a "hearty oxtail soup with rice noodles, beef tenderloin slices and aromatic herbs"). I was expecting a watered down, Americanized version of it, so I was very pleasantly surprised by its wonderfully rich and authentic flavor. For my entree, I ordered the Vit Quay (ginger-marinated roasted duck). It was excellent, although I would have liked to have had some greens on the plate. For cocktails, I had the Mekong Sunset, which was good although a bit watered down. I would love to come back during the summer and dine on the upstairs terrace which apparently is also really lovely. [By the way, I read a fellow Yelper's review that said "My complaint is that it was definitely more on the Asian side, which is fine, but $250 for Chinese food doesn't make much sense to me" - Listen up you uncultured, ignorant fool, it's VIETNAMESE food, NOT Chinese food. There's a difference, asswipe. Just go back to your Applebee's and PF Chang's - great food should not be wasted on such undeserving tastebuds]
- Las Tablas (Lakeview, $$, Reservations recommended) - Really good Colombian steakhouse with a cozy yet festive ambiance! My entrana strip steak topped with chimichurri was tender, juicy and cooked to perfection, and my sangria [pitcher - don't judge] was fantastic! The empanadas appetizer, on the other hand, was just okay. Unless you're starving, I'd skip on the appetizers as the entrees are pretty generously portioned.
- San Soo Gab San (Lincoln Square, $$, Reservations recommended) - I was craving Korean BBQ and had read rave review about this place, so I made the trek from River North to Lincoln Square one Friday night to check it out. There are some really amazing Korean restaurants in Atlanta, so maybe my bar was set a little too high, but I was kind of let down by the experience. The food was decent but completely lacking in the richness and depth of flavor that I'm used to in the Korean dishes that I love (particularly, the yukgaejang - a spicy beef stew). The meal came with a ridiculous amount of small dishes ("banchan" - see below), so just a heads up that you might want to skip the appetizers altogether if you're planning on some big orders! Also, service is completely lacking - we weren't greeted so we stood at the door for five minutes before finally walking over to the register to ask for a table (there were three servers standing behind the counter, not doing anything), our waters didn't get refilled unless asked, etc. There have got to be better Korean restaurants in the city; I will not be going back to this one.
- Bar Umbriago (River North, $$) - I went here for dinner one night during Restaurant Week since it's right around the corner from my place. For appetizers, we ordered the pork belly porcetta (served with arugula, shaved parmesan and a kumquat marmalade) and the pickled cauliflower; both were excellent. For my entree, I had the Tagliatelle di Grano (homemade wheat tagliatelle with mushroom ragu and truffle oil) which I thought was also really good, although I make a very similar dish at home so I probably should have tried something else. They had live jazz the night I went, which was fun. Overall, a good dining experience and convenient to where I live so I'll probably be back.
There are a few other restaurants I've been to and need to review, but I'll get to those next time. Tonight, I'm going to The Drawing Room and tomorrow night, I'm hitting up RPM Italian for the second time (the last time I was there, back in October, I got to meet and take pictures with G&B!! Oh happy day). For it being a celebrity-owned restaurant (and a celebrity-that-I-love owned restaurant, at that), it's really good!!
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