Mott Street

Dallas and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with dinner at Mott Street. We’d never been there and thought the menu looked great, and luckily we were NOT disappointed. It was SO good. Probably the best dinner out I’ve had in a long time. I’d say the cuisine is… asian-ish. Not Korean, but the chef is Korean, so there are many influences. Asian fusion? Most things on the menu are meant for sharing and our waiter suggested 2-3 plates per person. This is what we ended up getting:

  • GRILLED LEEKS: with sahmjang butter and chopped almonds
  • KIMCHI & OAXACA EMPANADAS: masa shell served with chimichurri crème-fraiche
  • EVERYTHING WINGS: crispy wings glazed with soy, jaggery and dried chilis, tossed with sesame, poppy seed, fried shallots and served with tzatziki
  • SHORT RIB: marinated and grilled, tamale pave, jalapeño yogurt, radish
  • STUFFED CABBAGE: napa kimchi stuffed with pork butt and sticky rice, pan seared
  • BREAD PUDDING: with chocolate, orange, creme chantilly

Everything was great. I especially liked the kimchee empanadas, but every dish was one we would totally order again. And? Surprisingly delicious hot toddies. Also, I’m totally guessing, but I think the name Mott Street must be a nod to Mott Street in New York, which is pretty much Main Street in the Chinatown neighborhood.

After dinner we met up with some friends at Emporium in Logan Square. It was a friend of a friend’s birthday, so we had a few more cocktails.

Pei Wei Asian Diner

20130916-202257.jpg

Pei Wei opened by the Elston Ave. Target a couple years ago, but we just decided to check it out the other day, after a Target run, of course. This is the casual Asian restaurant owned by P.F. Chang’s and there are something like 200 locations across the U.S. I wasn’t expecting much, but the dishes we tried were decent. The sauces were a bit sweet and the spicy was not really spicy at all. The crab rangoon had a lot of crab in it, which is more than I can say for some of the other Asian places around here. I guess it’s pretty much what you would expect from a chain Asian restaurant, maybe a little better than you’d expect.

Belly Shack


Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago


Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago


Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago


Brussels Sprouts & Chorizo (Seasonal Kimchi in the background) :: Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago


Tostones with Chimichurri Sauce :: Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago


Lemongrass Chicken with Peanut and Toasted Coconut :: Belly Shack, Bucktown, Chicago

Jess and I first went to Bill Kim‘s restaurant Urban Belly back in 2008. I really liked it so I was excited when I heard he was opening a new place withing walking distance of our condo, Belly Shack. But then I heard that Belly Shack would be Asian-Latino cuisine, combining his Korean culture with his wife, Yvonne’s, Puerto Rican culture (Read more about this creative combination in an interview with Bill Kim & Yvonne Cadiz-Kim). I must admit, the combination of Asian food and Latino food kind of put me off a bit. I love each separately, but how would you combine them?

A few weeks ago Dallas, Jess and I went to check out Belly Shack and you know what? I shouldn’t have been afraid. We all liked everything we tried. I still mourn for Vella a little bit, since Belly Shack took over its space, but I am happy to have this new addition.