Tisiphone "Sushi, Curry, and Buffalo Wings (oh my)!"

As the owner does whenever somebody new walks into his restaurant, I will begin by disclaiming – this restaurant is vegetarian!

OK, now that that’s over, this restaurant is GREAT. If you like Indian food, this is a quiet, authentic, peaceful place to get a meal at a great price. The food is healthy, and always very nicely spiced. It has a family atmosphere and is a good place to hold a quiet conversation.

Despite a significant drive, my office and friends regularly order carryout from Thai Garden. I have tried Thai restaurants all over Chicagoland, and in my opinion, no other Thai restaurant serves food that is as flavorful and fresh. This isn’t your generic Thai-American restaurant. Oddly, I would consider their house specialty their rice. They make some of the best white rice and curry fried rice that I have ever eaten; and I normally find fried rice rather uninteresting. Some other favorites include their Curry Noodles and their Tom Yum soup. They are very good about spice to order, so be sure you specify how spicy hot you want your dish.

My only gripes are that they do not deliver, and I haven’t found a takeout service that picks up from them (please correct me if I’m wrong!). Also, carefully check telephone order bags due to the language barrier.

I wish that this California chain had a better foothold in Chicagoland. I stopped in expecting a Panera clone, and I was in for a surprise! Their bread is amazing, and I have never had anything that wasn’t fresh, creative, and delicious.

I’m absolutely in love with this restaurant! They do speedy carry-out and coffee, too.

I recommend their Spring Salad and their Turkey Cranberry sandwich.

Yes, its in the most awkward strip mall on Butterfield, but I promise that Momotaro is worth it. If the fresh, carefully prepared sushi isn’t enough, their late afternoon ‘happy hours’ (food and drink specials) will be!

They also do carry-out orders. You can pick up a menu at their door.

(edit: Their new “Blue Ocean” roll may be the BEST food invention of the summer! Yum!)

What’s there to say? Its Portillo’s. If you’re not a Chicagoan, forget pizza – they’re the Chicago classic that you gotta try when you’re visiting. If you are, then you shoulda been there by now.

Really, you must go. Drive from Chicago, or Madison, or Gary, heck, even get on a plane – just go! This is a themed restaurant and bar that every Bond-fan and cinemaphile has to go to at least once in his or her life. It is well worth the drive.

Its tough to find and unadvertised (on purpose). Go to the Pabst theatre in downtown Milwaukee. At the front entrance to the theatre, turn around 180 degrees. You will be facing an alley across the street, perpendicular to the Pabst. Cross the street and go down that alley until you see a nondescript door that says “International Exports”. Enter the office. From there on, I can’t help you. ;)

What I can tell you about this super-secret bar and grill?
- Full bar, great service – staff in and out of character and different sorts of entertainers at night. There is tons of stuff to see and do there besides eat and drink. Its pretty low-budget, but -incredibly- fun.
- Excellent grill: the burgers and appetizers are amazing, in particular.
- Bond-themed restaurant that’s fun for adults and kids alike; I would go there as readily with friends for a night out at the bar as with my family for lunch during the day.
- Bring quarters.

If I told you anything else, I would, of course, have to kill you. ;)

Beautiful restaurant with excellent sushi for a very reasonable price. Their fish is fresh and their sushi chefs always add unique flair to meals, even when I’m there by myself and not ordering too much food. The only tricky part is finding parking at peak hours.