Reviews by feng

feng says "Wonderful surprise" about Liborio's Cuban Restaurant - New Orleans, LA

feng — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:45:10 GMT

I was in town for New Year's Eve and staying at the Country Inn and Suites next door. The friendly doorguy at the hotel recommended Liborio's Cuban restaurant for lunch. We were all so glad he did. Our group ordered empanadas, cuban sandwiches and lechon. Everything was absolutely delicious! The cuban sandwich and empanadas were some of the best I've had. Both items had a good amount of flavorful meat. From what I remember, it was just a little pricey overall and the service wasn't that great, not the friendliest servers. But the food more than made up for it.

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feng says "Awesome Vietnamese sandwiches" about Bon Bon - Chicago, IL

feng — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:40:41 GMT

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. I got a classic, ginger chicken and iced coffee. Loved everything. The ginger chicken was tender, very flavorful and not too sweet. I was impressed at how large the pieces of chicken were and how you could taste the fresh ginger flavor. The coffee was so good, I almost finished it while waiting for my sandwiches to be made. It was a nice dark, rich coffee, not too sweet and there was a hint of some extra goodness that I just couldn't figure out.

Bon Bon definitely doesn't cut corners. They don't skimp on ingredients or freshness. The sandwiches were even good the next day. I popped them in the toaster oven and was in heaven all over again. I can't wait to go back to try all the other sandwiches. I really hope Bon Bon sticks around.

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feng says "Great place for brunch with the girls." about Thyme and Honey - Forest Park, IL

feng — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:38:24 GMT

I've been to the old Thyme and Honey location in Oak Park and now the Forest Park location several times and have always left satisfied. We're always seated quickly even with a larger group with people arriving at different times. The staff is friendly, attentive and extremely tolerant to our long-lasting and sometimes loud recaps of the weekend.

My favorite is the Greek omelette with spinach, tomatoes, huge chunks of feta and I add ham. The portions are huge and the prices are okay. I've never had dinner here and lunch only once. I'll stick to breakfast every time.

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feng says "Awesome langostinos" about Mariscos Las Islitas - Chicago, IL

feng — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:35:36 GMT

I'm in love with a Langostino. That's all I need or want when I go to a Nayarit style seafood restaurant. I've tried a couple of places and so far, Islitas is my favorite.

We also tried one of the shrimp platters, the seafood paella, which had an obscene amount of assorted seafood and shrimp empanadas. The shrimp were good, the sauce was similar to the langostinos, but I still prefer the langostinos. Anyone have a recipe??? It was ridiculous how much seafood was in the paella. I don't know how these restaurants can offer that much seafood at those prices. The only dish I didn't like were the empanadas.

One complaint I have is that the restaurant is big and even when there are only a few tables of people, the music is super, super loud. You have to shout over your shrimp just to hear each other. This makes us think twice about going here when my friends and I really want to talk over dinner.

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feng says "Love Intelligentsia coffee" about Intelligentsia - Chicago, IL

feng — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:23:56 GMT

I first started going to Intelligentsia when they were on Broadway in Lakeview. I had tasted their coffee at Hackney's in Printer's Row. I went to the Intelligentsia store and told them that I loved the coffee I had at Hackney's. They looked up the blend they make for that restaurant and mixed a bag of beans for me according to that exact recipe. Brilliant. I continued to buy that recipe for myself and as gifts for out of towners.

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feng says "Inexpensive and good sized portions" about Yats - Chicago, IL

feng — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:46:25 GMT

At Yats, you will find extremely reasonable prices for the quality of food and the portions. The menu features about 10 dishes and changes daily. The best part is that you can have two half portions for one entrée, so you can try multiple dishes. Between 3 of us, we tried 5 dishes. All were good, but I would go back just for the jambalaya. I was impressed with the size of the portion, especially the amount of meat in it. My friends liked everything we ordered, each plate was cleaned off.

The only thing I wish is that you could do a half and half with gumbo. That's the only dish that you can't. It would make the perfect meal with all the heavy rice dishes.

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feng says "Best pastries" about Artopolis Bakery & Cafe - Chicago, IL

feng — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:34:28 GMT

Went to Artopolis Bakery and Cafe with a friend for a coffee and pastries. Loved it! I had a hot frappé and we shared a Valrhona chocolate mousse and a lemon tart. They were all really good, but I've since been dreaming about the Valrhona. It's a perfect ratio of milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate mousse on top of a thin layer of cake and all covered in chocolate ganache. Absolutely delicious. The only complaint is the waitress cleared the plate before I could lick the wrapper! Haha. Thankfully, parking is not easy around there or I'd go all the time and over do it.

The atmosphere is cute, really relaxed and the waitstaff was really friendly. They were attentive enough, but let us casually sit there for hours, refilling our glasses.

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feng says "Known for burgers, but try the bacon cheese dog" about Five Guys Burgers and Fries - Oak Park, IL

feng — Mon, 25 May 2009 14:26:05 GMT

At Five Guys Burgers and Fries, I wasn't impressed with the burger at all, but the bacon cheese dog was amazing. I'm not a huge hot dog person, but this hot dog is definitely worth going back for again and again. I crave it. The hot dog is split in half and grilled, topped with melted cheese and full strips of crispy bacon. I added onions and mustard and it was simply delicious. The first time I went, I got the cajun fries but they were extremely over seasoned. I chalked it up to the place still being new. The next time I tried them, they were perfect.

Definitely worth a visit to see what all the hype is about. But don't stop at burgers and give the bacon cheese dog a try.

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feng says "Mixed feelings" about West Elm

feng — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 03:07:13 GMT

Very mixed feelings about West Elm. I absolutely love the look and style of everything. But a lot of times it does looks way better in the catalog than in person and it can be really expensive.

The delivery service was great, the father and son team were so nice and lugged the heavy pieces to the second floor without a single complaint. The headboard, bed and dresser were all fine. But the drawer on the nightstand won't close all the way without slamming it shut. I can live with it though.

The big problem came with the dining table. It took me a while to put it together, but when I did I found out it was broken. I called to return it and they delivered a new one and picked up the old one without question. The second one took me even longer to put together since you need two people to turn it over. But when I finally got it together and tried to extend the leaf, it was broken! By this time, it was way over the return period. But I called and they took it back to the store to check it out and...

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feng says "Best place for asian groceries" about H Mart Niles IL

feng — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 23:04:34 GMT

H Mart is great for asian groceries, especially the vegetables, meats and seafood. The prices are usually cheaper than chinatown and the assortment is vast. If you go on the weekends, it can be really crowded. But they usually have a ton of sample stations where you get to try all kinds of foods that you otherwise may never be exposed to....

feng says "Good place for a nice lunch" about Weber Grill Restaurant - Chicago, IL

feng — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:48:40 GMT

I've tried several dishes at Weber Grill, but I always go back to the skirt steak for lunch. It's a decent price for a nice juicy and flavorful piece of meat. It comes with peppers and onions and a choice of a side, which I always get the delicious garlic mashed potatoes....

feng says "Great for lunch" about Oysy - Chicago, IL

feng — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:33:59 GMT

Oysy has a great lunch special. For about $15 you'll get miso soup, 6 pieces of california rolls, vegetable tempura, egg pancake, and a choice of a main dish that includes tuna, salmon, chicken, steak, and sushi. Perfect for when you want a little bit of everything....

feng says "My all-time favorite wings" about Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill - Warrenville, IL

feng — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:26:55 GMT

I've been eating Buffalo Wild Wings for over 15 years now. They are still my favorite wings because of the crispness and the sauce. I always get hot bbq. It's nice and spicy, but not insanely spicy and has a hint of bbq, so it's not all vinegar like some buffalo wings. I just wish they had more locations closer to me....

feng says "Must go" about Avec - Chicago, IL

feng — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 22:18:49 GMT

I love Avec. It's a great place to go with a few friends or to impress a date, client or out-of-towner. The tables are close together, so you definitely get a community-like environment. You'll see what other people order and easily start conversations with your neighbors.

The menu has a nice variety of shareable plates. I crave the chorizo stuffed dates and the focaccia with taleggio cheese and truffle oil. The wine list is also really good, I usually get a nice cava. ...

feng says "Excellent for travelers" about American Express - Blue Sky

feng — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:51:51 GMT
The first year of no interest is great. I like that you can use points towards the purchase of air travel through any company. The only downside is that you can't make a payment at any time, only after the billing period closes. Not a big deal though....

feng says "New Orleans, great food, great fun" about New Orleans

feng — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:43:05 GMT

New Orleans is a great place for all kinds of food. We had a great Cuban meal right next door to our hotel, Quality Inn and Suites. Mother's was worth the wait in line for delicious jambalaya, gumbo and po'boys. The fried seafood at almost any place is good. You have to stop at Café du Monde for beignets and café au lait. You have to be quick to snag a table, but it's still a must do. I was sad that I didn't get to try the muffaletta at Original Grocery Co. They close at 5pm and even though we were there before that, they were closed already.
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