Square Bar and Grill

Square Bar and Grill recently opened in the former MoJoe's space on Belmont. I saw a piece about the bar in Time Out Chicago and had to check it out.

The space is really nicely done - very warm and freindly vibe. The bar does not yet have beers on tap, but does have a nice selection of bottle beers, including Metropolitan Flywheel (a good sumemr lager - I sucked down 2 of them after biking to tghe bar from work!).

The menu has a nice variety of starters, sandwiches, salads, pizzas, and more. I had eyes only for the burger, though - and it turned out to be a great pick. The burger was deliciously seasoned and served on a pretzel roll, and was done perfectly to eahc person's order. The fries were handcut shoestring, and absolutely addictive.

Even though I finished all of my fries and all of my burger (although I did have to leave some of the roll, sniff sniff), I wanted dessert. I proposed to my friend that we split the crunchy banana (I may have gotten the name slightly wrong), and she agreed. Mmmm. A plate bearing a deep-fried banana and a huge scoop of ice cream arrived at our table and we attacked. The banana's coating was sweetish and had nuts, and was perfect eaten with a spoonful of the vanilla ice cream.

All in all - a great meal. I look foward to visiting the Square Bar and Grill again to check out more of the menu!

Ras Dashen

Before seeing a play wayyy no the north side (to me anyways!), I went to dinner with Allyn at Ras Dashen. We had decided to get off the Red Line at Berwyn and walk up Broadway, window shopping along the way to decide on our dining spot. Ras Dashen caught our eye, so we headed inside.

Seating at Ras Dashen is either typical Western seating - a table & chairs - or traditional Ethiopian seating - low seats, with a small rattan table the size of the serving trays. We sat at a Western-style table, but I'd like to try the other seating next time.

The menu is very extensive, and we spent a good bit of time reading it over - everything sounded wonderful. We decided on a combo, ordering Doro Wat (chicken and egg in spicy sauce), Yebeg Alicha (lamb tips in alicha suace), Misser Wat (lentils in suace), Diffen MIsser Wat (whole lentils), and Misserana Bowmia (lentils and okra in alicha sauce).

Our food came on a tray lined with Injera (bread) - the waitress tipped each dish onto the injera. We also had a basket of injera to scoop the food up with. Everything was fantastic - flavorful, perfectly seasoned. Both Allyn and I noted that the dishes seemed spicier than at the Ethiopian restaurants by Belmont, and wondered whether Ras Dashen's seasonings were more true to the original. In any case, this was the best Ethiopian food either of us had eaten, and we did our very best to eat everything on our tray.

We finished with a cup of Ethiopian espresso, which seemed like a good idea at the time, as we were off to see the play. It certainly was delicious. It must have had some serious caffeine, though, as we both had trouble getting to sleep that night!

Al Bawadi Grill

Last month, I rented a car for MLK weekend, so I took the opportunity to travel down to Bridgeview and check out Al Bawadi. The area, including the restaurant, had been featured in Time Out Chicago. I was curious to see what Mediterranean food tasted like on the south side!

The restaurant was not very busy when we arrived for lunch, and service was very friendly and attentive. We were immediately given a small plate of pickles, toasted & seasoned pita slices, and an eggplant spread, all of which was delicious.

When it was time to order our food, we requested water glasses - we had a pitcher of water on the table, but no glasses. The waiter, who I believe was the owner, apologized profusely and gave us a second small plate of appetizers on the house.

I ordered the mixed grill - lamb, chicken, shwarma, and shish kafta with rice. Bridget ordered a meat "casserole" which turned out to be more of a patty in tahini sauce. I loved both of our entrees. Bridget wasn't too crazy about the tahini sauce, but otherwise enjoyed her entree; she really enjoyed my grilled meats. The rice was really tasty, just tender enough without being mushy and very subtly seasoned.

Really, we could have ordered one entree and shared - that would have been plenty of food! As it was, I took home a very large doggie bag, which I enjoyed for lunch the next day.

It's a heck of a drive to get down to Al Bawadi from my place. But if I were down that way, or looking for a Sunday drice, I'd definitely head down there for more grilled meat.

90 Miles Cuban Cafe

Today I ate at 90 Miles Cuban Cafe. I passed this little place on Clybourn a couple of months ago and have wanted to eat there ever since, especially after reading rave reviews. I love me some good Cuban food!

The restaurant is a tiny space with only counter seating. The walls are very cool, covered in Cuban and Cuban-related newspapers, magazines, and photos. One of the owners was eating lunch when I arrived, and a new staff person was taking orders. Service was incredibly friendly.

I ordered a beef empanada and a Cubano sandwich to go. Since it was cold today, both had cooled off a little by the time I biked home, but were still relatively warm. The empanada was excellent - flaky pastry, tasty filling, and a cilantro sauce on the side that I hadn't encountered before, but loved.

The Cubano sandwich looked as though it would give my favorites a run for the money. But the first bite ended that impression - the pork, while good, was not as flavorful and tender as other restaurants. The bread, ham, cheese, mustard & pickles were all excellent, but I ended up pulling the pork off, as it was just not right.

The sandwich menu is pretty extensive, as are the sides. There are a few breakfasts and dinners available as well. Prices are comparable to, maybe even a bit better than, other Cuban restaurants in the city.

I would definitely go back - for more empanadas, and to try out the ropa vieja. And the cafe con leche. I'll probably stay away from the pork, though.