Carlos - Highland Park, IL

It's our first time back since fall of 2008. You can read our post dated 11/4/08 where I was somewhat unsure of the changes and once again there are changes.



First, let me say that the service is still excellent. The same servers have been there for years and that must say something about the restaurant.



We had reservations early in the evening and for a long time we were the only ones in the restaurant. I was worried that maybe they were not doing well during this economy, but by 7:00 the place was full.



Last time we dined here there were two degustations to choose from: meat and seafood. This time there were two to choose from - the regular degustation and a mini-degustation. The regular one is one more course than the mini. I chose the mini-degustation only because I thought the choices were much better . The price of the mini was $75, $115 with wine. The regular degustation was $100, $155 with wine.



I still miss the fact that you cannot substitute items from the other side of the menu, but everything was still very good. I do think, though, that when you used to be able to pick from the regular side of the menu, you had one entree that was really the size of an entree. This time I noticed that all the courses were small and nothing stood out as an entree.



I started with the Pan-Seared "Mano de Leon" Scallop served with Caramelized Carrot Puree (wow!) and a Coffee-Red Wine Reduction.



My next course was a Maine Lobster Saffron Tortellii with a Leek Gratin and Lobster Saffron Sauce. This sounds heavy, but it was not. I'm not big into saffron, but the flavors were great.



After the sorbet my next course was Sliced Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Cauliflower, Brussel Sprouts, Fingerling Potatoes and a Rosemary Emulsion. Since I don't like cauliflower or brussel sprouts, not matter how hard I try, I gave them away leaving me with not much on my plate. Regardless, the beef was cooked perfectly and the sauce very good.



The dessert course was very good. There was something chocolate (don't remember what) and something made from figs, which was out of this world. I didn't know I could like figs so much.



I did get the wine pairing with each course and the servers were on their toes. We never had to wait for the wine.



My husband and his mother both got the regular degustation.

They started with a Smoked Trout with Goat Cheese Gnocchi, Parmesan Cream and a Basil Pesto. I didn't try it, but they both raved about it.

They had three choices for their next course, but they both chose the Pan-Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Roasted Baby Red Beets, Beet Espuma (foam) and a Balsamic Raspberry Glaze.

Next they had the same lobster dish that I had and for their final course they had the Miso Marinated Halibut with Wild mushrooms, Artichoke hearts, Caramelized Pearl Onions and a Lemon Grass Emulsion. This I tasted and it was excellent.

This is still one of our favorites, not just for the food, but for their well-trained staff.

http://www.carlos-restaurant.com/

Prairie Grass Cafe - Northbrook, IL

We first heard about this restaurant during an interview with Bill Kurtis about his Tallgrass Beef Company. We were going to be in the area, so we decided to give it a try.

We checked out their website before going so we knew that it wasn't anything fancy inside and the dress was casual. I worried, though, before we got there because I thought we were going to be underdressed. There were many people just as casual as we were, but also many who were in suits. It was a weeknight, so possibly people came straight from work.

The place was a little different than expected. First, it was in a weird location. It seemed like it was part of an office building. They had a back corner and the front corner was empty, so when you first drive up you are not really sure if they are open or not.

There was a bar area separate from the dining area. It looked like you could eat in the bar. The main dining area had a mixture of tables, booths and tables against a banquette. We were there early in the evening so we had our choice of tables. One thing we noticed is that the wood tables were really beat-up. I would suggest covering them with tableclothes; it looks really tacky.

I have read other reviews of this restaurant and the biggest complaint is the service. We thought the service was great. As soon as we were seated our servicer came and took our drink order. To our surprise the wine list was very reasonably priced.

This restaurant uses products from local farms, which makes the menu very interesting. They make their own sausages, salad dressings and ice cream.

I chose for my appetizer the Maine "Peeky Toe" Crab Cake over Grapefruit and Avocado Salad with a Citrus Butter Sauce. I was hesitant because I really don't like grapefruit, but I decided to chance it. It was well worth it. The flavors worked really well together and I really could not taste the bitterness of the grapefruit. The crab cake on its own was one of the best I've ever had.

My husband odered the Homemade Pate in a Crock with Apples and Port Wine-Balsamic Reduction. He spread the pate on the apples and drizzed the reduction on top and he loved it!

For entrees I had the halibut which had a brioche crust and what I think was a lemon butter sauce. We were told this dish used to be a special and people liked it so much, it was permanently put on the menu. The menu online is not updated with this dish so I can't confirm what the sauce was. The fish, which was perfectly cooked, was served over a warm green bean salad in a pesto sauce. Wow, was that good. I've never had anything like it.

My husband had the Tallgrass Beef filet special. It was served with sauteed mushrooms and roasted potatoes. However, he opted to substitute the Twice Baked Potato with Caramelized Onions and Gruyere Cheese for the roasted potatoes. In fact, it was so big that we split it.

Unfortunately we had no room for dessert.

I would definitely dine here again.

http://www.prairiegrasscafe.com/

Rip Tide - Milwaukee, WI

This particular Saturday we were looking for a seafood restaurant in Milwaukee. Many times in the past the name Rip Tide came up, but when we've read the reviews we've always decided against it. Most talk about how bad the service is.

We made reservations through Open Table. We wanted 6:30, but they only had 6:00 or 7:00 available. We chose 6:00. We were meeting another couple there and they always like to have a drink at the bar first. They arrived a few minutes before 6:00, so my husband went and checked in with the hostess, told her we were here and asked if we could have a drink at the bar first, then be seated. She said no, that they were busy and we needed to be seated right away. That was fine; we realize how important keeping to your reservation is if the restaurant is busy. In the few seconds it took all 4 of us to walk back up to the hostess station, a different hostess was there and she said we had a wait of about 20 minutes. Ahhhhh. We had just given up our bar stools!

The service was pretty bad at the bar. They had plenty of bartenders, that was not the problem. It was that they were not paying attention to the customers at the bar. We would have to try to get their attention away from their personal conversations to get any service.

I would like to point out that the bar area was extremely loud, and it was very difficult to talk. We hoped that the dining area would not be as loud, but it was. If you expect to carry on a conversation, this is not the place to go.

Once we were seated our server did come right away and take care of drinks.

We ordered appetizers first. We all shared Lobster Lettuce Wraps, Fried Grouper Bites and the "Damn Good Crab Cake". The appetizers were very good. I feel that the Lobster Lettuce Wraps needed a better description because it was actually a lobster salad (with mayo, etc.) wrapped in lettuce leaves. It was really good, but not at all what we were expecting. The crab cake was big and very good also. One of our friends didn't like it because it was made with cilantro. I guess she didn't think that was normal. The grouper bites were my least favorite, but still good.

Salad is included. It's basically a garden salad, mostly iceberg, but nothing special. The server only brought three of our salads, she forgot the dressing for one and actually it took her about 10 minutes to come back.

At this point we'd ordered another round of drinks and that took about 15 minutes. It seemed that there were not enough servers to handle the amount of people.

By the time she brought the 4th salad, the entrees were only a couple minutes after that, not giving my husband enough time to eat his salad.

I ordered Crab Stuffed Shrimp for my entree. It was served with a beurre blanc sauce and rice. It was good, but I wished I would have realized the "crab" was the same crab cake we had as an appetizer.

My husband ordered the King Crab Legs. Anytime we go to Bob Chinn's in Wheeling, Illinois, he gets the King Crab Legs. He said that Rip Tide's do not even come close and they are just as expensive. In addition, he had no accompaniments, no starch or vegetables like all the other entrees came with.

The couple ordered the Crab Stuffed Shrimp also and she really liked it. Her husband ordered the Seared Ahi Tuna, which he liked too.

Overall, though, the experience was not good at all. The food does not make up for the bad service. Because they do have a great view (Lake Michigan), it could be a really nice place to eat outside, but it's just too expensive to suffer through the bad service.




http://www.getriptide.com/

B. J. Wentkers - Burlington, WI

We have been here many times, usually on Mondays when they offer 1/2 price bottles of wine.

Tonight we were very happy to see some new items on the menu; however, I feel they are a little expensive. Not to say that the food isn't good, because it really is, but in this economy when everyone else is lowering prices or running specials, their prices seem high.

We started with the appetizer special, which were two lobster crepes covered in a cream sauce. The price was $13, but crepes were pretty big. In fact, it could be an entree. I would like to see it permanently on the menu.

I skipped the soup/salad, but my husband had the soup, which was a tomato soup with pastrami. He thought it was just okay.

For my entree I had the Shrimp, which was prosciutto and sage wrapped shrimp on mushroom ravioli, with balsamic beurre noisette for $24. We were told that this used to be on the menu (I had never seen it before) and the chef brought it back. It was very good. The ravioli was al dente, which I am just coming to appreciate. I really could not taste the mushrooms inside, though. The sauce was also excellent. I was not familar with the term noisette, but have looked it up. I think there are a couple meanings, but I'm going to assume the definition of hazelnut is correct. I did not notice a hazelnut flavor though. I am not a big prosciutto fan, so after eating a few shrimps it became too much, so I started removing it. It was just a good without it. I would definitely order this again.

My husband had the Drunken Ribeye, which is marinated in beer and brown sugar, grilled, with caramelized onions, on a beer mustard sauce and served with Rofumo mashed potatoes, also for $24. The meat was very chewy. This is unusual, because I have ordered this before and it was never chewy. Very disappointing.

Nevertheless, we have had many good meals here and will definitely come back.

http://www.foodspot.com/bjwentkers/menu.html

Chez Jacques - Milwaukee, WI

This restaurant came recommended to us by a friend who knows we like French style cooking, so we decided to give it a try.

I'm only familar with certain areas of downtown Milwaukee and assumed that's where this place was. When we pulled up to the front, it just didn't seem like it was where a restaurant should be, but I got over it once we walked in. They are located on South First St., one block north of teh Allen-Bradley clock)

It's a cute little place, nothing fancy on the inside, but you feel comfortable right away, which is important. They have all the typical items you would expect to find - Steak frites, Boeuf Bourguignon, Bouillabaisse and even Croque-Monsieur.

We started with Bouchee a la reine (puffed pastry filled w/Crepes, veal and cream sauce). Very good.

I had Coquille Saint-Jacques, which is sea scallops in a vermouth sauce. This is actually the first time I had Coquille Saint-Jacques, so I don't know how to compare it, but it was good.

My husband had the rabbit special, which was also very good. Plus, it was a treat for him, because not a lot of places serve rabbit.

This place is very reasonably priced. My only complaint is that it went too fast. I know it's a fine line between too fast and too slow, but some places just know how to get it right.

http://chezjacques.com/

Pierrot Gourmet - Peninsula Hotel, Chicago, Illinois

We have been to this restaurant many times, but only for breakfast. It is located at the Peninsula Hotel and we discovered it when we stayed there because the price is very reasonable compared to the main restaurant. You actually do have to go outside the hotel and walk a few steps to get there.

This is a cafe style restaurant, similar to what you would find in Paris. If you are a social person you might want to share one of the large family style tables with strangers. Not us, we always get a table for two.

Today we both ordered the Breakfast Bread Pudding. They have two kinds and we both got the one with ham, leeks and gruyere cheese. It is really good! The other bread pudding is made with bacon, potato and cheddar cheese. That one is good too (we've had it in the past), but we are both fans of gruyere cheese. It is similar to a regular bread pudding, but it's savory rather than sweet. It is served with a light salad on the side.

My wife is a tea drinker and whenever she has ordered milk on the side for her tea, they bring it heated. She loved that small touch, however, this time they did not do that. They were too busy to ask for it to be heated. That bring up the subject of service. It's not the greatest; it too reminds you of a Paris cafe. No one is in any big hurry.

Anyway, this is a great place to get a creative, inexpensive breakfast.

Pierrot Gourmet

Umami Moto - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This was our first visit to this restaurant and we were very satisfied with our choice of the evening.

We'll start off talking about the decor; someone went to a lot of trouble. It reminded us of many restaurants we have eaten at in Japan. Our only issue we have is with how they seat tables of two. They are all right next to each other. We have complained about this in other posts. We know they are trying to put as many people into the space, but if we got stuck at a table like that, we would walk out. Fortunately this night we were given a booth. If you make reservations here, request a booth or a table near the window.

Okay, the important part, the food. We have absolutely nothing to say but good things; this place is terrific. We started with their Strauss Veal Wonton, which comes with wild plum gastrique and parsnips. The flavors were perfect and complemented each other. My wife is not a big fan of veal and she loved it.

For the main course my wife had Sea Bass prepared with a tangy miso and served on top of bamboo rice and yuzu. The bamboo rice was very much like a risotto. This really was a wonderful dish.

I had the Diver Scallops which came with a cauliflower puree and a lobster salad. If we go back I would hate to not have this again; that is how much I liked it.

There are many more dishes to try, so we will be for sure going back.

There is one strange thing, though. Along the back wall, where our booth was, is a huge screen. At the time we were there, they were playing the movie, Enter the Dragon with Bruce Lee. Well, this movie has a few breast shots. So I don't know how you would feel about bringing kids. Otherwise the experience was great!

http://www.umamimoto.com/milwaukee/