Recent Foodie Finds

From saganaki in Greektown, to Neapolitan pizzas in Evanston, It's been a fun few weeks filled with a variety of delicious cuisines!

Zomato Meetup at The Parthenon

Zomato Meetup 

Zomato (formerly Urbanspoon) held its first Chicago meetup at The Parthenon in Greektown. It was a delicious evening filled with Greek specialties and meeting other Zomato food bloggers. I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life, but everything was so delicious it was hard to resist!

I enjoyed five courses including saganaki, egg and lemon soup, Greek salad, gyros, and baklava! My only regret? Not wearing stretchy pants!

Zomato Meetup Menu

Saganaki

Gyros

Baklava

Progresso Cooking Stocks Event at The Violet Hour

I attended quite a unique event in celebration of the launch of Progresso Cooking Stocks. The intimate event was held at Wicker Park's The Violet Hour and featured small bites and drinks with the flavor of Progresso Cooking Stocks. I know what you're thinking...stocks in cocktails?! I was skeptical too but they added a ton of depth of flavor and a nice balance to the three cocktails we tried. It's no secret the mixologists at The Violet Hour are super talented but they did an exceptional job creating these unique cocktails.

Progresso Cooking Stocks Bites & Cocktails

Progresso Cooking Stocks Cocktails

Demera Ethiopian


I have been meaning to try Ethiopian food for the longest time! I finally got the chance to dine at Demera Ethiopian in Uptown with Emily and everything was delicious! We started with lentil and chicken samubussas which are fried dumplings with onions, bell peppers, and seasonings. They are similar to an Indian samosa and were amazing!

Sambussas

For our main course, we shared a combination messob with meat and vegetarian dishes. This is a traditional course served with injera, a type of sourdough bread used to scoop up your food. That's right, you eat with your hands! It was so much fun, I felt like a kid again :)

Combination Messob

LUXBAR's 10th Anniversary


It's hard to believe but this year marks the 10th anniversary of LUXBAR in the Gold Coast! The neighborhood spot is celebrating by offering 10 signature cocktails and 10 menu items for $10 for 10 days only. Drink options include their famous build your own Manhattan, Moscow Mule, and even bottles of select wines! Food options include the LUX royale burger, marinated skirt steak, Great Lakes whitefish, and much more. Stop in before October 20th to take advantage of this incredible deal!

LUXBAR threw a lively party featuring some of their signature bites including shrimp cocktail (with quite the impressive display), LUX royale sliders, and ahi tuna tartare! Yum yum!

Build Your Own Manhattan Bar

Shrimp Cocktail

LUX Royale Sliders

Ahi Tuna Tartare

800 Degrees 


Fast casual pizza concept, 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizzeria, recently opened in Evanston! The chain is popular throughout the West Coast and offers a variety of specialty and make-your-own pizzas, as well as salads, burrata, and small bites. I checked it out before it opened and was impressed not only with the food, but also with the space.

800 Degrees Pizza

I created a vegetarian and meat pizza, and also tried their burrata, salad, and gelato (it's research people!). My favorites were the burrata, prosciutto pizza, and bourbon gelato! Did I mention that they have truffle cheese...TRUFFLE CHEESE. I loved how you could watch your pizza being made right in front of you, and it was ready before you could even find a seat!

Pizza Assembly Line

Preparing the Dough

Adding the Toppings

So Many Topping Options!

Salad Options

Freshly Sliced Prosciutto

Greens Salad

Burrata with Prosciutto & Melon

The Spread!

Margherita Pizza with Mushrooms, Red Onion, and Roasted Red Peppers

Bianca Pizza with Prosciutto, Caramelized Onions, Pickled Peppers & Truffle Cheese

Gelato

Gelato

800 Degrees is definitely worth checking out if you're near Evanston! The pizzas are true Neapolitan style with a perfectly chewy crust, and the variety of fresh ingredients were fantastic! It's also very affordable, especially for the quality of food.

Lowcountry

 

There's a new seafood boil-in-a-bag concept and it's right around the corner from me (luckily!). Lowcountry is in the former Blokes & Birds space on Clark Street in Lakeview. The space has been entirely changed and features a nautical theme. 

Lowcountry

If you're familiar with the seafood concept at places like The Angry Crab, then you'll know the deal at Lowcountry. All seafood is sold by the pound and prices are listed on a chalkboard on the wall. You select the sauce, spice level, and add-ons like corn, potatoes, and andouille sausage. There are other food options if you're not into seafood including banh mi sandwiches, and popcorn chicken.

Seafood Prices

I stopped by with a small group on a Friday night and while there was no wait for a table, the place ending up filling up over the night. Seating is either at the bar, or one of the several communal picnic tables. 

Our group ordered mussels, head-on shrimp, and snow crab legs with all sauces combined (I highly recommend it), which includes lemon pepper, cajun spice, and garlic. We opted for a level two out of four spice which was actually quite hot. If you're a spice wimp, I'd definitely go with a level one. We also ordered honey butter jalapeño cornbread, garlic beignets, corn, potatoes, and sausage on the side. The seafood tasted very fresh and the sauce was delicious. We used the garlic beignets to soak up the pool of sauce at the bottom of our plastic bag of seafood. Since I've been to The Angry Crab, I of course had to compare the two. I liked the ambiance of Lowcountry better, but I have to give it to The Angry Crab for the sauce. It seemed to have more of a richer flavor. I will say though, I really enjoyed the novelty of the savory beignets (we also ordered sweet beignets for dessert). 

Lowcountry Seafood

Honey Butter Jalapeño Cornbread

Beignets

After 10 when the kitchen closes, Lowcountry becomes "brocountry". Really. The picnic tables turn into beer pong tables and everyone bonds over the fact that they all reek of garlic and shellfish. There's also a dice game you can play before or after the kitchen closes. Ring the bell, roll the dice, drink the shot associated with the number you roll. Warning: don't roll a six (that's a Malort shot). 

Note: I was invite to attend events at The Parthenon, The Violet Hour, LUXBAR, and 800 Degrees; however all opinions expressed are my own.