Excited for Takashi Yagihashi‘s newest restaurant, Slurping Turtle, to open just around the corner from my office on Hubbard! I’ve been to his fast food place, Noodles by Takashi, many times and last year Dallas and I celebrated our anniversary at his high end joint, Takashi.
Tags:Chicago·japanese·river north·slurping turtle·takashi yagihashi
Over the summer Logan Square got a new Japanese restaurant called S@kura. In about October, one day when Dallas was traveling for work, I ordered delivery and it was literally at our house in less than 15 minutes! The following week we decided to go to the restaurant for dinner. The food was good, but the dining room was nothing to look at. I normally wouldn’t mind, but it’s not like the food was cheap, for such a bare bones place. For the price, I’d probably just go to Hachi’s Kitchen, which has good food and a beautiful dining room…. and is closer to our house!
Tags:Chicago·dallas·hachis kitchen·japanese·logan square·s@kura·sushi
There have been so many new places that have opened since we moved to Logan Square just under two years ago – The Rocking Horse, Cole’s, Longman & Eagle, Dill Pickle Food Co-op, New Wave Coffee, Revolution Brewery, Logan Square Kitchen, Ciao Napoli Pizzeria, Sparrow, to name a few. It seems that every week I hear about even more new places opening here. It’s an exciting time to be in Logan Square. I love going to new places and I can’t help but think this will be good for the market value of our condo if we choose to sell it one day. Here are a list of even more new things I’ve been hearing about … and all within short walking distance from where I live!
The Bike Lane is a new bike shop in Logan Square on Milwaukee Avenue across the street from the Congress Theater. I noticed it one night while walking home a couple months ago and took a quick photo.
A few weeks ago Dallas and I needed to get a new bike pump so we walked over and bought one at The Bike Lane. The inside of the store had a just-moved-in feeling, but the guy that helped us out was very nice and they had a good selection of what we were looking for.
A few weeks ago we were at Summer Sessions on the Square. Afterwards, Stephanie and I were shopping around at Wolfbait and B-Girls. We noticed that something new opened right next door to the store. We were talking to someone who worked at Wolfbait and she mentioned that a new salon had opened that very day. It’s called Barbara and Barbara and their website says they do a shampoo, cut, blowdry and beer for $20. Perfect hipster combo at the perfect hipster price!
If you’ve been following along here on this fine website, you’ll remember a preview I attended for a new pizza place called Nice Slice. Well, Nice Slice changed its name to Boiler Room and opened last week. I know some of the people involved in this project and was invited to the opening, but I had other plans that night. I hope to visit really soon.
Bucket ‘O Blood Books and Records opened last month on Milwaukee Avenue near the intersection of California. I haven’t been inside yet, but their sign says they specialize in fiction, fantasy, horror, vinyl, and “awesome.” Awesome!
A couple months ago I wrote about Cafe Mustache opening on Milwaukee Avenue near the California Avenue intersection. I noticed this morning that on the Cafe Mustache Facebook page, they announced that they’re opening their doors on Monday, July 19 and having a preview on Sunday night. Yay!
In February I noticed that Letizia’s is opening on California Avenue, just south of Logan Boulevard. I thought it’d be open by now, but everyone’s still waiting eagerly for the work to be completed.
As I noticed last month, Play is a children’s toy and gift store that is slated to open this summer. That’s about all I know about it. Play will be located in the same building as New Wave.
One more that I mentioned previously, La Boulangerie is a bakery coming to Logan Square and will also be located in the same building as New Wave and Play.
Jam is a restaurant in Ukrainian Village that I’ve been hearing some very good things about their brunch. It has been in the back of my head forever that I should try it out and I never have. A couple weeks ago I heard they’re opening a second location in Logan Square on Milwaukee Avenue, nearby New Wave. I don’t know the exact location, but there’s a storefront just to the south of The Rocking Horse that is being renovated and it’s my #1 guess.
Finally, yesterday Grub Street reported that they were walking around Milwaukee Avenue trying to figure out exactly where Jam is going to be when they noticed a storefront with a new awning. Just to the north of The Rocking Horse is going to be Wasabi Japanese restaurant.
There is one new Logan Square business on Milwaukee Avenue at Richmond that I am not that excited for, though:
The new Cash America pawn shop! At least it looks nicer than 99% of the pawn shops I’ve seen.
But mostly, though, I’m so excited for these new developments. Logan Square is the place to be these days!!!
Update 06.19.10: I forgot, there’s also a new coffee shop called Nothin’ Less that opened a few months ago on Milwaukee Avenue just north of the Logan Square blue line stop.
Tags:barbara and barbara·bike·boiler room·bucket o blood·cafe mustache·cash america·Chicago·dallas·jam·japanese·la boulangerie·letizias·logan square·nice slice pizza·play·Shopping·the bike lane·wasabi·wolfbait and b-girls
Hamachi bites with a bit of kimchi under each
Prawns
Sauteed scallops with soba gnocchi and mushrooms and celery-root/parmesan foam
Soy ginger carmelized pork belly with steamed buns, hot mustard, daikon salad
Duck breast with confit of leg, beets and quince, ginger-orange glaze
Seared skate wing with a medley of Japanese mushrooms and risotto of cauliflower
Chocolate cake with macadamia nuts, macadamia nut brittle, oranges
A surprise from the chef
For our 6th anniversary (on May 5), Dallas and I went to Takashi for dinner. I had a Groupon for the restuarant. I think you know you’re getting old when you use a coupon for your anniversary! Oh well. We have to save as much as we can this year.
The food at Takashi was really delicious. We shared 4 small plates then I had the skate and Dallas had the duck.
The hamachi was delicious and I’m not a huge kimchi fan, but it wasn’t super strong. The prawns were giant and meaty with a really tasty sauce on the side. The scallop and gnocchi dish was probably my favorite. Any time there are seared scallops or gnocchi on a restaurant menu I want to order them, so imagine a dish that had both! The foam actually was very flavorful and went well with the dish.
Chef Takashi has a fast food restaurant in the Macy’s food court called Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi. Dallas and I have had the pork buns there. The pork buns here at Takashi were a bit more fancy – pork belly in a glaze. Very good.
My skate was flaky and flavorful. Dallas liked his duck, but it was a lot of duck. Not much on the side. He’s not a fan of beets so I had those. When we were ordering I may have accidentally ordered the duck for him and I sort of feel bad because I don’t think he loved the dish… but everything else was fantastic.
And the dessert was fabulous too. Very rich, but the orange offset it. Dallas loved the macadamia nut brittle. The waiter said “chef” made the special anniversary plate for us. I saw so Chef Takashi Yagihashi both near the bar and working in the kitchen, so I’m going to go with thinking it was Chef Takashi who made the plate 
.
I’ve already recommended Takashi to a bunch of people!
Dallas’s parents and sister :: George, Kathy, Caroline
I think this is the relative from HI who won $30k last year. We made him pay for dinner for everyone.
I know Uncle Neil in the back (from MI) & Great Aunty Mary in the front left is Dallas’s grandmother (Doris)’s sister. The rest? Hawaiian relatives.
In the back left and right are Hawaiian relatives. In the middle is Aunty Gail & Uncle Sonny. In the front are Aunty Glenna & Uncle BB.
Peggy & Neil with their daughter Miko and her fiance John. They got married the next day.
Dallas and I with our friends Molly, Matt, Adam & Sarah. Matt & Adam are brothers.
Hawaiian cousin (?) in front. Cory & Chris in back.
Uncle Neil with some Hawaiian relatives
Aunty Laura & Hawaiian relative. They look alike, huh?
Uncle Sonny in the back. Aunty Glenna & Uncle BB in the front. All from Chicago suburbs.
Aunty Glenna, Chris, Uncle BB, Uncle Sonny, Dallas’s dad George.
Aunty Glenna, Chris, Uncle BB, Uncle Sonny, Dallas’s dad George.
Great Aunty Mary, George, Aunty Laura, Uncle Neil, Aunty Gail
Aunty Gail, Aunty Laura
Dallas with his brother Jordan
For Thanksgiving dinner, about 40 or so of Dallas’s family gathered at Makino. As well, our friends joined us for dinner. Makino’s is a Japanese buffet. We had dinner there a few years ago with all of the family, and this dinner was pretty much the same. Except with more relatives putting us on the spot and making a fuss about our engagement.
The Paparazzi
There are always a ton of people taking photos at this dinner and usually I’m not one of them. These photos are Aunty Gail and Uncle Sunny’s photos. Hopefully they don’t mind if I share them.
After dinner we went out for a while then headed to a club. Dallas’s brother Jordan’s friend is a promoter in Las Vegas and got us into one of the hottest clubs on The Strip, Tryst (located at the Wynn). As VIP guests we didn’t have to stand in line to get in and we didn’t have to pay the $40 cover either. SCORE! The club itself was pretty cool. Dancefloor that opened up to an outdoor pool of water and a waterfall, crazy lights, go go dancers. We drank and danced like crazy until something like 4 a.m. We would never go to a place like this in Chicago and never go dancing here either, but when in Vegas….
Tags:adam·bb·buffet·caroline·chris·cory·dallas·gail·george·glenna·grandma·Hawaii·japanese·john·jordan·kathy·las vegas·laura·makino·mary·matt·miko·molly·neil·peggy·sarah·sonny·sushi·thanksgiving·tryst·wynn