san francisco had their restaurant week at the end of january called "dine about town".


when it comes to choosing a restaurant to try for restaurant week in SF, it was quite a challenge. i couldn't quite make up my mind but i ended up picking a french restaurant called chouchou french bistro probably mainly because of their restaurant week menu.

when we arrived at the chouchou, it was a petite restaurant with bright decor around the room, and pictures of france to mimick a french-like ambience. it was nice and cozy but there wasn't much of a waiting area so it was awkward as i waited for ryan to park his car. i felt that i was constantly in the way and just didn't quite know where to stand in the restaurant.

we were shown to our table which happened to be on the second floor which was an indoor balcony seating. it was quite dangerous to walk up the dark staircase. i liked our table because it was private but it was quite a small space and could be annoying when ppl try to walk through the narrow path next to our table to get to theirs. and there was only one waitstaff tending to the tables on the second floor so service was a tad slower though he was apologetic about it and i could see he was trying his best to keep all the diners happy.

i love the art on the back of the menu. i was somewhat disappointed when i saw the selection for restaurant week menu. it wasn't as posted online of the website but they did mention it was subject to change. so we decided to get one prix fixe three course meal and get a la carte dishes from their regular menu.

note: restaurant week items would be marked with *rw*

as an accompaniment to the meal, ryan ordered a small bottle of white wine (which equalled to about two glasses) which he actually really enjoyed.

appetizer | local carlsbad mussels marinieres . shallots . garlic . parsley . cream . white wine . ($9)

these were mussels done right. after the disappointing mussels i had from the house, this dish made up for it. the flavors all melded together really well and i could taste the fresh mussels flavor throughout the well-seasoned broth. it wasn't too heavy on the cream and it was balanced just right. i was very happy with my selection of appetizer and wanted to lick the bowl if i could but i refrained myself.

we were kinda persuaded to order this by our waiter. i was not very hungry before dinner so i certainly didn't want fries. but our waiter was saying that if we order the mussels, pommes frites are a must as the accompaniment just as how one would have it in france. he actually gave us an analogy of mussels without the frites is like summer without the sun -.- ryan decided to just order it to try anyway. it was just alright. i am very picky with fries. i like mine crispy on the outside but nice and soft on the inside.  it wasn't as crispy as i hoped it would be and there were some soggy ones. good job on the amount of truffle oil so the flavor of truffle was present but not overpowering. not sure if i'd order it again.

appetizer *rw* | dungeness crab salad . endives . creamy meyer lemon dressing .

ryan absolutely loved the crab salad. it was his favorite dish of the night. i concurred that it was tasty with the natural sweetness and flavor of the dungeness crab which was enhanced by the freshness and creaminess of the dressing and the crunch of the endive. although i enjoyed this dish, i prefer simpler and minimalist kind of crab salad with just salt and lemon but this came close to my absolute favorite crab salad.

entree | all natural moulard duck leg confit . white beans . huckleberry sauce reduction .

i was already stuffed before this dish even arrived at our table so my assessment about the dish might be a bit biased. setting aside the white bean (i don't like beans), the duck leg had a very nice crispy skin all over and the meat inside was somewhat reddish. oddly enough, i remembered it being ever so slightly dry but was compensated by the huckleberry sauce that cut through the richness and sweetness that also gave the dish a depth of flavor. ryan liked it a lot.

entree *rw* | organic roasted winter vegetables in cassolette . béchamel . mixed herbs . puff pastry


our verdict: the kale killed the dish. since the chef was trying to incorporate seasonal winter vegetables, the kale which has a somewhat distinctive flavor which you either love or hate (in this case, i don't like the flavor of kale much) dominated the dish since there was a ton of it. ryan had a bite of kale with every bite he took so that was quite an overkill of kale. minus the kale, he thought the dish needed some salt but the puff pastry was tasty. the chef came by our table to ask for ryan's opinion on the dish since he received an unfavorable review from another diner the night before and we tried to come up with suggestions that might improve the dish. regardless, i think we will probably not order this dish again, at least not if kale is in the list of ingredients.

dessert | vanilla crème brulee


by this time, we were filled to the brim and had all intentions to have the dessert (included in the restaurant week prix fixe) to go. but the waiter came by and told us that the chef has specially prepared a dessert for us which i guess is for the suggestions we offered for the cassolette. the crème brulee was done so beautifully. i've watched several iron chef america episode where the judges were served this dessert and they would have to use a spoon to crack that layer of crunchy brulee on the top. this time, i got to experience it myself. the custard was not too sweet and was soft and smooth. even though we were stuffed, we just had to take an extra few bites. it was probably the best crème brulee i've ever had so far.

with the exception of the cassolette dish, chouchou restaurant offers tasty classic french food made with fresh seasonal ingredients that we enjoyed. that and the best crème brulee i've ever had. :)


disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others

my last chicago restaurant week destination after a run of good food and over indulgence.

the first time i read about this place was in a dining out magazine and i read iron chef jose garces somewhere in the description and i was sold.

"wait.. there is an iron chef owned restaurant here in chicago?  this i gotta try for sure! "


it was slightly confusing at first since there wasn't a huge visible sign at the restaurant's entrance as we walked through the hotel. there were a lot of natural light streaming into the room through the huge windows around the room. to the left, we could see the kitchen staff in action in a mosaic tiled open kitchen and to the right it was an open space with the bar at the end. it was tastefully decorated with burst of bright colors but at the same time it felt cozy and casual. i immediately liked the ambience of the room.

my friends and i looked at the menu, trying to figure out which dishes we were going to order, expecting to get a three course prix fixe meal. instead, we were pleasantly surprised that the restaurant week menu is a seven course brunch tasting menu. on top of that, the tasting menu also included carving, charcuterie station and dessert table and the best part is it's only for $22. gosh, i LOVE restaurant week! for those who likes cocktails and such, they offer bottomless "bloody mary" and sangrias for $8.


before i go all gung ho about the seven courses, i'll start with the carving and the charcuterie station. there were two kinds of cured meats (think it was chorizo and salami) that they offered along side two cheeses (manchego and blue cheese) which all tasted really good but i passed on the blue cheese cos i've never been a fan.


there was a gorgeously seared and seasoned hunk of beef where the staff would cut a slice of medium rare juicy perfection and place it on your plate which you can then add condiments as desired. well, i liked them just by themselves because it was that good. it was so good that one of my co-workers, eric was always contemplating on getting seconds throughout the meal even though he was stuffed. lol


off to start our huge feast of seven courses.

primero | cangrejo . jumbo lump crab . avocado . tomato .


the toasted crostini served as a canvas for the naturally sweet jumbo lump crab that is dressed with mayo which richness was echoed by the avocado. the diced tomatoes added another dimension of freshness and the diced green peppers for extra crunch. it was creamy, rich and great crab flavor that is served upon crisp toasted bread and it was delish..


primero | blackstone benedict . toasted brioche . chorizo . and truffle hollandaise .

segundo | pimientos de padron . flash fried padron peppers . salbitxada . sea salt .

salbitxada is a sauce made from almonds, mildly hot chile, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and vinegar to name some of the ingredients. the general consensus around the table that this was really tasty and it was addictive. the fried padron peppers had mild heat (in my case very very mild) that is cooled by the savory, slightly tangy salbitxada sauce. i love it.

segundo | manchego-bacon biscuits . rosemary-apple sausage gravy .

by this time, we were starting to feel full and we've only had three of our seven dishes. we've come to realize that each dish is double the size of what we'd usually expect from a tasting menu and the biscuits were no different. the biscuits were cheesy, savory and moist. it was almost borderline too salty for me with the combination of manchego, bacon and the sausage gravy. the flavor of the manchego came through more than the bacon did. my friends all loved it though but i thought it was pretty good.

tercero | espinacas a la catalana . catalan spinach . raisin . pine nuts . apples .

this dish had a mixed bag of reviews. i think it's mostly due to expectations. the slightly wilted spinach was topped with julienned granny smith apples. what we didn't expect was for the spinach to be warm. i finally looked up online and found that espinacas a la catalana is a regional dish from cataluna where fresh bunches of steamed spinach are briefly sauteed in olive oil , garlic, pine nuts and raisins. my friends didn't really enjoy the combination of warm spinach and apples.  although i started out apprehensive with the dish, i actually really liked the lightness of it with the sweetness of the raisins and the slight tartness from apples. it was actually a great breather from all the rich food we had so far.

tercero | tuna . toasted brioche . sauteed shallots .


regardless, this offering was really delicious. the tuna was gently cooked through and served on my favorite toasted and buttery brioche accented by the sweetness of the shallots and the creaminess of the sauce. loved it.

tercero | revuelto de temporado . roasted seasonal mushroom . soft scrambled eggs . black truffle toast .

we were close to having food coma but we still wanted some sweets to end the awesome meal. well, in eric's case however, he was still thinking about the carving station.. lol. although he didn't ended up getting any. their dessert selections were nothing too fancy.

i still managed to get myself two pastries and finished most of it. :)  the puff pastry was okay but the raspberry bar was probably my favorite. it wasn't too sweet and had a strong raspberry flavor and sorta felt it one of the healthier choices of the dessert! haha. at the end of the meal, i just felt like going to bed and taking a nice long nap lol. :)

my friends told me that they were happy that i found this restaurant. it's safe to say that they enjoyed it as much as i did. overall, the food was delicious and tasty but the only thing i find lacking is the spanish influnce in a few of the dishes although in all fairness, it was a brunch menu. regardless, the wonderful ambience and the fantastic food will have me going back for more. an awesome way to end my restaurant week pig out sessions and wrap all my experiences up in a cute tiny bow. :)

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others.

living in the city where the only body of water that surrounds it is lake michigan thus the seafood here is expensive, finding a good deal for dinner during restaurant week at devon seafood grill makes me a happy girl. being a sucker for anything seafood, i jumped at the chance as soon as i found friends to go with. 

despite its name, this restaurant is not located on devon avenue but on the corner of chicago and wabash in the gold coast area.


taken from examiner.com


we got there a tad early and the place wasn't as packed as i expected, granted that it was only just before 6 pm. we were shown to our table which happened to be down in the basement where the room was decorated tastefully with warm colors and cozy lightings. i could catch a glimpse of the contrasting brightly lit kitchen at the end of the room and there were several private dining rooms that were painted deep red to add a lil more color to the dining area.

they started us off with some delicious, crumbly biscuit served warm from the oven with a side of honey butter. off to a good start, i'd say.

first course | baby greens . watercress . feta cheese . toasted pine nuts . honey balsamic vinaigrette . 

christina decided to get a salad since she wanted to start her dinner with something lighter. she seemed pretty happy with her selection and said it was definitely a good way to begin her three course.

 

first course | lobster bisque . cream. sherry . tomato . lobster .

the three choices of first course were the two salads and lobster bisque, so it was a no brainer for me which i'd go for. the lobster bisque was thick, creamy and had a good lobster flavor. however, it was borderline too salty for me. it was good but wasn't amazing.

second course | seared georges bank scallops . wild mushroom risotto . shaved fennel salad . basil olive oil . balsamic glaze .

i was torn between two entree choices - this seared scallop or the crab cake to which our friendly waitress recommended the crab cakes which was her personal favorite. however, i still went with the scallops because i rarely get to have scallops and the wild mushroom risotto kinda gave it the slight edge. 

i honestly wanted to love this dish but it fell short of my expectation. the scallops had a decent sear and was seasoned right but the mushroom risotto was undercooked and that wasn't pleasant. christina seemed to have a better luck with hers though. there was too much basil olive oil that it overpowered the dish. the redeeming factors of the dish were the fennel salad and the balsamic glaze which added a refreshing crunch and slight sweetness to the otherwise rich dish. at the end of my entree, i was half beating myself for not ordering the crab cakes just as the waitress suggested. oh well.

second course | seared atlantic salmon . sage potato gratin . creamed leeks . mustard vinaigrette . 

the salmon had beautiful grilled marks which laid on top of the potato gratin and topped with the sauteed leeks. it looked delicious but xy said it was underwhelming and wasn't impressed with it. 

side dish | brussel sprouts with pancetta

the brussel sprouts were cooked just right and still maintaining a little bite with a hint of the pancetta flavor running through the dish. it was tasty done right.

dessert | vanilla bean creme brulee . raspberry . mint .

after having one of the best creme brulees i've ever had in san francisco, i set a pretty high standard for any of its counterparts.

christina and i were a little surprised when the creme brulee was served in an espresso cup that is deeper than it is wider. the whole point of ordering the brulee is the crisp crust which wasn't very present in this case. it wasn't overly sweet and the custard was soft and smooth which was nice but the creme brulee was mediocre at best. i am not too sure why they threw in a short bread cookie on the side though. dessert number two?

dessert | orange cream-chocolate tart . ganache . pistachio ice cream . 

as delightful as this sounds, xy was disappointed with his dessert. he actually had difficulty cutting through his tart shell. the ganache and the filling tasted alright with a huge punch of orange flavor but it wasn't a favorite of ours. it was almost borderline too sweet but he finished the pistachio ice cream.

i actually spoke to one of my co-workers before going to devon seafood grill and he said he wasn't too thrilled with his experience there but i wanted to try it nonetheless. when i asked xy what he thought about the place, he said he won't be returning for their regular priced items. there were some highlights to the meal but as much as i wanted to like it, we were bummed out with our dining experience. 

disclaimer this is written based on my personal experience and opinion. experiences and taste buds may vary for others