Table Fifty-Two

Art Smith, who recently finished fourth on Top Chef Masters, has a restaurant in Chicago called Table Fifty-Two. Service was decent, but a little spotty. Two incidents come to mind: the more expensive (twice as much) version of the wine we ordered came to our table, but when it was questioned, we were reassured it was the wine we ordered. It was NOT. Then our 2 desserts came at least 10 minutes apart - the latecomer was a piece of cake that just needed to be sliced and plated with gelato and canned pineapple - doesn't seem like there was an excuse for this. Nevertheless, most of the food here was wonderful. There were maple short ribs that were not too sweet; buttery baked catfish, sophisticated yet homey mac and cheese, and tangy collard greens. We were hoping Art Smith would peak his head out of the kitchen, but he did not. Maybe next time!

cloudy

With a Chance of Meatballs... is a fun movie with spectacularly, if not a bit creepy at times, animated characters and food. Sometimes, there are even characters animated as food! I'm not sure if you remember, but the children's story was a little thin on plot. Here they've beefed it up a bit, no pun intended. I was a little disappointed, though, that there were no mashed potato mountain with a pat of butter on it. I give it 3.5/5 stars.

District 9 is a great movie, that I wasn't too excited to see, but turned out to be rather enjoyable. It's shot documentary-style and has pretty decent CGI for the "prawn"-like aliens - it ends up looking rather real. There is subtle commentary on race and society which can spur some interesting conversations. 4.5/5 stars.

Extract was a slightly disappointing Mike Judge movie. I'm willing to give this one another shot when it's played repeatedly on Comedy Central. Although, I'm not sure it will become the classic that Office Space has become. 3/5 stars.

Let me also take this time to mention that on Tuesdays in Chicago, you can go to the movies for $6, and you get free popcorn. There's also Kettle Corn salt or cheese to sprinkle on! Parking not included.

hot asian buns

Went to Wow Bao yesterday for lunch and tried to sample all 6 savory buns. Unfortunately or fortunately, we got 2 kung pao chicken and no chicken teriyaki. The buns were quite good and quick, and I look forward to trying their chocolate, custard and the elusive chicken teriyaki in the future.

highS :: kung pao chicken bun, mongolian beef bun
lowS :: vegetarian bun - not sure if it was the whole wheat bun or the veggies...

In NYC :: try Rickshaw dumpling for a similar vibe. I don't think they have buns, though.

I declare it winter

Brrr, it is cold in Chicago. I have seen gloves, scarves, hats and puffy coats make multiple appearances, and it's not even Halloween. It also seems to be an excuse for a lot of sweatpants wearing in public...

The thermometer in my car registered 38° F last night. And, this morning people had to go out and run 26.2 miles!

urban belly

Went to Urban Belly the other night, a noodle shop in Logan Square. Nice logo. Rude hostess. We're told 40-45 minutes for COUNTER service. Are you kidding me? Are the noodles going to be a revelation?

A waiting area is nonexistent - we graduated from the wind-catcher entrance to the small hallway in front of the bathroom. Whoopee.

Finally, we get called and put in our order at the counter. Service from here is fast, but not everyone is served at the same time. Food is good, but not mind-blowingly. Nothing seems terribly authentic. And, nothing is subtle or mild. Dumpling sauces are cloying and sticky, masking any flavor of the actual dumpling. Some sort of unidentified tofu-like objects (fish cakes) float in the chicken mango rice cake soup. Be sure to check out the specials... the best of the bunch was the kogi ramen special.

highS :: counter service person, broth of kogi ramen
lowS :: hostess, "waiting" area

in NYC :: go to Momofuku Noodle Bar, Ippudo, Naruto for decidedly better ramen.

about susanK

I just moved to Chicago from New York City. I'm a food enthusiast trying to figure out why they call Chicago the Second City, how windy it really is here, and what to do with my recyclables. I'm trying to find equivalents for Franny's pizza, Momofuku's ramen, Lupa's bellinis and Katz's pastrami. I'm hoping to stay the same size while battling enormous portions and looking for the cream of the Midwestern crop. Or will I need the insulation to get through the winter?