Army & Lou's -- soul food with more than a dash of style. Army & Lou's has been around for 63 years. Through thick and thin, and coupled with a change in owners a few times, it has managed to survive the daunting restaurant business by consistently turning out soul food and Southern dishes that, while not fancy or finessed in any way, are flavorful to the core.
Cider rules as fruity beer alternative full of gusto
As summer nears and a warm breeze starts to blow, the mind wanders to all the freshly plucked fruits that will soon tumble over farmers-market stalls. Such seasonal sentiments could be pondered over a frosty brewski, but once you have a taste for tangy raspberries, juicy blueberries and fuzzy peaches, it's hard to appreciate your hop-laden beverage. No worries: These beer alternatives pack sumptuous fruit flavor (and enough alcohol to get you toasted by happy hour).
There's nothing like good baba ganouj. It has but four basic ingredients -- eggplant, tahini, lemon juice and garlic -- but that combination delivers a mystical melange of exotic flavors as you tear off a piece of pita bread and scoop up some baba. I'm an eggplant nut, so if I overplay my enthusiasm for such a simple dish, please forgive me.
If consistency is one of the most important factors in a restaurant's longevity, then it follows that the Village, in the Italian Village complex of restaurants, is as steadfast as they come. In a world where 59 percent of new restaurants fail within three years, it has to be gratifying to Al and Gina Capitanini, who now run the Italian Village restaurants, that they have honored the legacy left to them by their father Frank and grandfather, Alfredo Capitanini, when he opened the Village restaurant in 1927.
Restaurant magazine has released its annual list of the World's Top Restaurants. El Bulli in Roses, Spain, near Barcelona was No. 1 for the third straight year, and 2005 winner the Fat Duck in England took the second spot. The French Laundry in the Napa Valley in California was the top U.S. restaurant at No. 5. New York City scored with Per Se, Jean Georges, Le Bernadin and Daniel.
The New Rebozo is even more likable that the old New Rebozo, now that all of those strips of colored paper and other paraphernalia that once hung from the ceiling (honoring one celebration or another) have been done away with. The decor has been dolled up, but the food hasn't changed -- it's still solidly Mexican and quite enjoyable.
Schaumburg's newest dining establishment, a sprawling pub that reportedly seats 600, is just in its second month but already has attracted a following.
Friday, April 18, 2008
East, West, Chicago — pizza is where it is
Never have I seen so much attention directed at a simple, flat circle of dough dressed with tomatoes and cheese (and a few more toppings, of course). Aisle after aisle, booth after booth, there is much ado about pizza -- in every way, shape and form -- at this extra-large gathering of pizza aficionados who come from around the globe to analyze, scrutinize, hypothesize and proselytize about pizza.
Sushi Wabi, 842 W. Randolph; (312) 563-1224. Not the spiffiest-looking sushi bar around, but there is little question about the freshness of the catch. Try the scallion beef, goma-ae (spinach), hibachi salmon, Ecuador maki and mochi. (Reviewed April 11)
(Reviewed April 11)