Sorry for the dearth of updates. Anyway, we did do more than just eating on this trip. In addition to molecular gastronomy, Chicago is quite well known for its amazing architecture. We went on an architectural river tour, and we basically cruised down the Chicago river admiring the buildings around us. But first, Millennium Park:
The Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa
Cloud Gate by Brit Anish Kapoor
I happened to like this curve.
35 East Wacker Drive
77 West Wacker Drive
Leo Burnett Building - more corner offices = more mo-ney
Don't back up
Chicken yakitori
After a long, intellectual day, it was of course time for some grub. As most restaurants were booked that night, we decided to be spontaneous. We were both craving some sushi, so we headed over to the Randolph Street area, on which was situated a row of trendy, zenny Asian restaurants (oh you know, minimal lighting, random Asian characters, hints of red, sweet sauces, etc..) I guess the interior could be considered "trendy," but it was nothing compared to New York. That said, I consider Chicago more on par with cities like San Francisco, where substance > style.
We started off with some chicken yakitori. The chicken was a bit tasteless and undercooked. In addition, our post-Alinea palates were not suited to single ingredient bites; the appetizer got boring very quickly.
Amaebi, hamachi, tuna maki
The nigiri fared better. The quality of fish was fine, but the rice was overcooked and clumpy. I know it is unfair to compare sushi in Chicago to that in New York and Los Angeles, but let's just say Chicago is famous for other cuisines for a reason.
Uni, tuna, salmon
I'm usually a purist when it comes to sushi, but I felt it apt to try one of their creative fusion rolls. I experienced some intense paralysis of choice, and went for the most complicated roll I could find:
Ecuador: maguro . hamachi . cilantro . cucumber . avocado . green onion . jalapeno . orange tobikko . tempura crumbs . chili sauce . wasabi mayo . sesame seeds
I haven't had such a complex roll in a while, but everything came together pretty well. It was almost like eating a rice-wrapped spicy tabouleh.
Sushi Wabi
842 W Randolph
Chicago, Il 60607
The Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa
Cloud Gate by Brit Anish Kapoor
I happened to like this curve.
35 East Wacker Drive
77 West Wacker Drive
Leo Burnett Building - more corner offices = more mo-ney
Don't back up
Chicken yakitori
After a long, intellectual day, it was of course time for some grub. As most restaurants were booked that night, we decided to be spontaneous. We were both craving some sushi, so we headed over to the Randolph Street area, on which was situated a row of trendy, zenny Asian restaurants (oh you know, minimal lighting, random Asian characters, hints of red, sweet sauces, etc..) I guess the interior could be considered "trendy," but it was nothing compared to New York. That said, I consider Chicago more on par with cities like San Francisco, where substance > style.
We started off with some chicken yakitori. The chicken was a bit tasteless and undercooked. In addition, our post-Alinea palates were not suited to single ingredient bites; the appetizer got boring very quickly.
Amaebi, hamachi, tuna maki
The nigiri fared better. The quality of fish was fine, but the rice was overcooked and clumpy. I know it is unfair to compare sushi in Chicago to that in New York and Los Angeles, but let's just say Chicago is famous for other cuisines for a reason.
Uni, tuna, salmon
I'm usually a purist when it comes to sushi, but I felt it apt to try one of their creative fusion rolls. I experienced some intense paralysis of choice, and went for the most complicated roll I could find:
Ecuador: maguro . hamachi . cilantro . cucumber . avocado . green onion . jalapeno . orange tobikko . tempura crumbs . chili sauce . wasabi mayo . sesame seeds
I haven't had such a complex roll in a while, but everything came together pretty well. It was almost like eating a rice-wrapped spicy tabouleh.
Sushi Wabi
842 W Randolph
Chicago, Il 60607
Labels: chicago
posted by Hungry Hedonist at 5:27 PM
4 Comments:
mmm
that looks like the orb in our now-outdated finance textbook.
mmm, finance.
not.
I loved all of your Chicago photos. They made me homesick for my home town. Thought you'd appreciate -- the local name for "Cloud Gate" is "the Bean."
we just had the Ecuador Maki in Sushi Wabi!!! You took better picture than I did!
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