some new eats

Folklore... looks nice, but isn't. This Argentine steak house made us wait 3 times longer than they original estimate, with no effort made to compensate for this oversight. Good chimichurri and melted cheese appetizer, but I'm not going back.

In NYC :: I'd go Brazilian at Churrascaria Plataforma

Vong's Thai Kitchen... serves decent pad thai (it seemed a bit Italian, somehow), but not much else. Some pan-Asian appetizers were decent, but curries seemed inauthentic. Doughnut dessert was the highlight. This is the second Thai restaurant we've been to in Chicago, and the second with NO green papaya or green mango salad. WTF? Do Thai restaurants in Chicago not have access to these fruits?

highS :: doughnut dessert
lowS :: pretty much, everything else

In NYC :: try any other Thai restaurant in NYC or NJ.

Le Bouchon... has a $25 prix fixe dinner on Tuesday nights - any appetizer, any entree and any dessert. The escargots were a little funny - my suggestion would be more garlic, a little salt, and a new snail supplier. We were mystified by old fashioned cocktail, ordered at the bar, that featured grenadine - undrinkable. The skate special was decent, but would have been helped by some salty capers. Profiteroles were tough, and they were pretty stingy with the creme anglaise. Service was decent, considering a slight wait at an unlawfully crowded bar and the fact that we had a reservation.

highS :: waitress service, bread
lowS :: escargots, old fashioned

In NYC :: Schiller's Liquor Bar, Balthazar, Cafe D'Alsace, French Roast, Pigalle, Maison

some CHIcago observations

• Chicago is very windy... from WIND. Forget everything you hear about politicians or the World's Fair. It's plainly very windy here, and that is why it's a deserved moniker.
  
• I have seen many small dead birds on the sidewalk. I've come to realize that this is much less jarring than seeing dead pigeons. So, I'm ok with this.
• There are a lot of visibly homeless, begging for change. New York City seems to win this battle.