We surprising didn't sleep into the afternoon on saturday but woke up decently early (mainly because my alarm that i forgot to turn off went off at around 7:20am) so we went to this breakfast joint called Yolk which ironically, i loved the restaurant, hate actual egg yolks... Apparently their eggs benedicts were known for being de-lish so decided to go with their... Pot Roast Eggs Benedict! jealous? you should be. Now i understand that eggs benedicts is mainly about the yolk.. poached egg and hollandaise sauce.. blah blah.. but i don't like yolk (like i said.. ironic in this restaurant) so i got mine with egg whites and hollandaise sauce on the side. i know i'm totally ruining eggs benedict..
Pot Roast Eggs Benedict
The pot roast was tender and juicy.. egg whites cooked perfectly and not rubbery.. potatoes a little undercooked but i'm ok with that as long as i have ketchup and tabasco sauce. With a side of fresh fruit, this meal everything i was craving and a great start to my day with J :D J got a customized omelette (but basically a western) with ham onions peppers and mushrooms.
Western Omelette
very tasty.. surprised the inside was cooked because it was a very large omelette. looked more like a football. ended up eating only half and took the other half plus potatoes home for a rainy day.
Yolk
355 E Ohio Street
Chicago, IL 60611
So i love my vietnamese food.. maybe that's why i joined VSC instead of KSA during college. i already had access to korean food at home.. but what about my banh mis and phos? anyways we decided we were craving some pho so we went to the viet-town of chicago (more like viet-corner.. but that's ok) and went to Tank Noodle. Lots of tables squished together, sometimes even sharing tables with people you don't know.. but i'm ok with that as long as i get fed. J got Phở Tái, Chin, Gân, noodle soup with beef, brisket, and tendon and i got Bún Heo Nướng, rice vermicelli with sliced grilled pork, vegetables, and peanut. I was craving fish sauce for some strange reason. You can never go wrong with vietnamese food. de-lish.
Bún Heo Nướng
Phở Tái, Chin, Gân
Tank Noodle Restaurant
4953-55 N.Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640
So dinner we had already made plans early on because we wanted to try this steakhouse, Gibson's. We made reservations when i first bought my plane tickets to chicago. their chicago location were booked up! so we decided to try their oakbrook site. This is probably where i would brag the most about the food but the pictures are not that great because i didn't want to have flash go off in this nice restaurant. This restaurant atmosphere was a bit confusing though. half the people dressing really classy with bottles of wine (ourselves included), other half dressed semi-casual/casual... and then the table next to us seated a couple in sweats, watching a basketball game with sound ON on their cell phone... distracting and rude! Another distracting aspect at this restaurant was birthdays. apparently birthdays are a to-do at Gibson's on weekends. they have so many birthday requests that they don't sing you the song. a group of waiters stand next to your table and shout "Happy! Happy! Happy Birthday to You!!" and then walk away. definitely kept you on your toes.. enough about the atmosphere. on with the food.
what's a fancy restaurant without oysters? and there was this sauce. could not place the exact flavor. like a citrus-y shaved ice that you put on the oyster. oh divine!! cocktail sauce and tabasco will no longer be enough for me.. :(
Oysters on the Half Shell
And now onto the steaks! before you order, the waiter brings you a platter with all the different steak options to show you the marbling, size, cut, etc. (each steak had the option of peppercorn crust, garlic herb, blue cheese something or another.. don't remember the rest) their special that night was the 16 oz. bone-in filet with king crab bearnaise sauce which i added peppercorn crust and J got the 22 oz. "chicago cut" with peppercorn crust. can't have steak without sides. double baked potato, 1/2 order of sauteed mushrooms, and 1/2 order of creamed corn (because we were indecisive and our waiter was awesome). paired very nicely with a waiter-recommended bottle of Mionetto il Moscato sparkling wine and a french martini (guess who had which drink ;) both sound girly right? XP)
Bone-In Filet (16oz) with King Crab Bearnaise Sauce
W.R.'s Chicago-Cut (22oz)
i know these pictures just look like black bricks.. just trust me they were awesome.
our eyes definitely bigger than our stomachs.. we had a very big doggie bag when we left.. we both ate about half of our steaks and a fraction of the sides. (i sliced up my leftover filet the next morning to have with eggs. yum) no room for desserts, though i did see plates with 1/4 slice of a humongous cake floating around so i must come back for that. this was a very extravagant dinner but i'm going to justify it by saying it landed on the day of our 26 month anniversary.................
Gibson's Bar and Steakhouse
2105 South Spring Road
Oak Brook, IL 60523
So lunch the next day, just walking around downtown chicago we walk by a place called the Purple Pig. J had heard of this place before! 4 stars on yelp with over 1000 reviews? sounds good to me. usually there is a 2-3 hour wait to eat here but apparently not for a 1pm lunch on a sunday. as a tapas place, the dishes are small and meant to be shared. we ended up getting:
Salt-Roasted Beets with Whipped Goat Cheese & Pistachio Vinaigrette
cool and refreshing with a tang from the goat cheese and perfect amount of saltiness from the pistachios. the chef is a genius with this dish!
Olive Oil-Poached Tuna with Greek Lima Beans
citrus-y and herb-tastic! tuna not too crumbly and nice big lima beans to balance the fish.
Roasted Bone Marrow with Herbs
served with toasted bread, this smear was different and amazing. scoop out the bone marrow, smear it on the bread, sprinkle a little sea salt and top with light vinaigrette salad to balance the fattiness. yummy :)
Eggplant Parmesan Balls
you would think something so simple wouldn't taste that must better than any other eggplant parmesan.. oh but it did! little nuggets of happiness :) J ate one before i could take the picture.
Milk Braised Pork Shoulder with Mashed Potatoes
so tender and juicy! the meat just falls apart! on a bed of creamy mashed potatoes. a perfect comfort food.
Wild Striped Sea Bass with Artichoke
so good! crispy crust with flaky insides. paired perfectly with the tomato-based marinated artichokes. (sorry for blurry picture.. was anxious to try this last dish since all the past ones were so good)
Amazing food-gasm experience. I have nothing bad to say about this place. except for they should invest in more than 1 single user bathroom. maybe 1 for each gender at least?
the purple pig was the best way (if there is any good way) to end my weekend in chicago with my J (too much rhyming there.. not intentional)
The Purple Pig
500 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
Now i am back in the fruit :(
omg, this post made me SO hungry. gonna go make a very mediocre dinner now -______-"
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