Owen and Engine
2700 N Western Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Logan Square

Owen and Engine.

During the summer when Anna and I went to City North for a movie, we realized there was an interesting looking building going up on the corner of Western and Schubert.  Flash forward a couple of months and that building is now Owen & Engine.  The owners of Fat Willy’s Rib Shack are responsible for bringing this cozy two-level English countryside gastropub to Logan Square.  Owen & Engine is truly beautiful inside and out, with finely detailed wood and leather decor throughout the pub.  Anna and I visited Owen & Engine on a busy Friday night, so we were seated at the bar on the second floor, which was perfectly fine with us since the bartenders were so friendly and helpful in telling us what the pub had to offer.  Anna loves seafood, so she went with the haddock fish and house cut chips that came with malt vinegar aioli.  I went with the butter chicken that was really juicy and very flavorful, and I also had a side of aged cheddar mash.  We topped off our meal with an apple cobbler for dessert that was incredible.  It is worth noting that Owen & Engine also has four cask brews along with 20 other beers on tap, and they have many British, Belgian, and American craft bottled beers available as well.  Overall, Owen & Engine is another great addition to Logan Square.

-Rob

Anna’s fish and chips.

Rob’s butter chicken with cardamom scented basmati rice and chapatti bread.

Apple cobbler with a side of apple cider.

Cumin
1414 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Wicker Park

Cumin (photo courtesy of Yelp/Cesario Moza).

Anna and I randomly had a craving for some Indian food this weekend, so we decided to check out Cumin—a very modern Nepalese and Indian restaurant in Wicker Park—instead of venturing north to Devon Avenue like we usually do.  Cumin opened earlier this summer and it is actually the first Indian restaurant in the Wicker Park neighborhood, and only the second Nepalese spot in all of Chicago.  After arriving at Cumin, we were notified by our waiter that they had a lunch buffet for $12 and we decided to go for it.  The buffet was nice because we were able to try a little bit of everything that Cumin has to offer, including chicken tikka masala, samosas, gorkhali khasi, and aalu tama ra bodi.  All of the food at Cumin was very good and surprisingly tasted fresh, even though it was buffet style.  If we decide to head over there again, we’d probably go for their dinner hours, and not their buffet, just so we’re able to have more of a choice of what we ate.  Overall, Cumin is a nice addition to Wicker Park and proof that there is good Indian food in Chicago beyond Devon Avenue.

-Rob

Cumin’s buffet set-up.

One of our buffet helpings.

Dessert at Cumin.

Southport Grocery & Cafe
3552 N Southport Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Lakeview

Southport Grocery & Cafe (photo courtesy of Yelp).

Anna and I have been meaning to try the Southport Grocery & Cafe out and finally had an opportunity to check it out this weekend.  This boutique grocery store sells many upscale products for sale, but the real kicker is the fantastic cafe that offers breakfast and lunch all day long.  The cafe is cozy and the menu offers comfort food that is made from scratch and features local ingredients.  Anna had the sunflower dusted walleye pike sandwich that was topped with green tomato-sunflower sprouts and basil aioli.  I opted to try Southport Grocery & Cafe’s take on the classic steak and eggs breakfast.  My entrée included layered scrambled eggs, corn tortilla chips, black bean tomato salsa, queso fresco and of course steak that was cooked perfectly (tender, juicy).  I also ordered a mocha that ended up being my favorite part of our brunch.  After we finished eating, we browsed the market that was stocked full of gourmet treats like specialty olive oils, cheeses, pasta sauces, wine and many local food products direct from the city.  If you’re a “foodie,” Southport Grocery & Cafe is the place for you.

-Rob

Rob’s Mocha.

Anna’s walleye pike sandwich.

Rob’s steak and eggs breakfast.

The Book Cellar
4736 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Lincoln Square

Book Cellar.

The Book Cellar is is an independently owned bookstore located in the heart of Lincoln Square. What makes The Book Cellar so unique is the wide selection of wines that are available in their cafe.  This means you can browse the book shelves while having your a glass of pinot noir or merlot.  If you’re not much of a wine fan, they also sell beer and coffee and a wide variety of sandwiches too.  Unfortunately, Anna and I did not take advantage of their wine selection since we visited on a Sunday afternoon and weren’t in the mood to imbibe.  However, I had a wonderful hazelnut iced mocha that was very delicious and refreshing.  I also bought two books: The Motel Life by Willy Vlautin and an autographed copy of Will Leitch’s Are We Winning?.  Anna bought a cool Sonic Youth biography that she’s looking forward to reading.  It is also worth noting that The Book Cellar is very committed to the community of Lincoln Square, by sponsoring local author nights, hosting book clubs, and even collaborating with the Chicago Public Library.  The Book Cellar is certainly dedicated to “enriching the literary culture” of Chicago, as they state on their website, and Anna and I will definitely make it a point to visit them again soon.

-Rob

Inside The Book Cellar.

Our purchases.

Three Happiness
2130 S Wentworth Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Chinatown

Three Happiness.

Anna and I had a major craving for some Chinese food this afternoon, so we decided to head south to Chinatown for the real deal (or as real as it can get in Chicago).  We usually prefer to go to Won Kow when we venture to Chinatown, but today we decided to try Three Happiness and were very pleased with our meal.  Although Three Happiness is known for their dim sum, we chose to order from their regular menu.  We started off with some crab rangoon and egg rolls that were delicious, and then we both shared an assorted seafood egg noodle plate and a beef with broccoli dish.  We enjoyed the food a lot—the portions were fairly large—and it was reasonably priced, but the service wasn’t that great.  Most likely, it was just the waitress we ended up with, so we won’t let it keep us from coming back for more Happiness.

-Rob

Our Chinese feast.

Part of Three Happiness’ interior in their upstairs room.

Cafe Mustache
2313 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Logan Square

Cafe Mustache.

Logan Square is flourishing with new restaurants and stores throughout the neighborhood.  One of those new establishments is Cafe Mustache, a wonderful new space that is being utilized for art, music, community, and hand-crafted coffee and tea.  Cafe Mustache’s coffee is locally roasted by the Bridgeport Coffee Company and they also sell fresh pastries from Roscoe Village’s Bleeding Heart Bakery.  Anna and I visited Cafe Mustache on a very hot and muggy day, so we both opted to have iced drinks.  Anna had a iced caramel latte that had a perfect balance of sweetness with a bold coffee flavor, while I went with the special of the day, a iced Mexican coffee that was brewed with fair-trade beans that are organic and shade grown.  The drink was medium-bodied, sweet, with hints of cocoa, and floral aroma.  It was quite impressive, to say the least.  Cafe Mustache is a great addition to the neighborhood, especially considering they opened up shop on a stretch of Milwaukee Avenue that is riddled with abandoned and empty storefronts.  It is also worth noting that Cafe Mustache will also host local and national music performances and art exhibits, so be sure to check out their current (and future) events too.

-Rob

Rob’s Mexican coffee on the left and Anna’s caramel latte on the right.

Cafe Mustache’s interior.

3 Floyds Brew Pub
9750 Indiana Parkway, Munster, IN

3 Floyds.

Anna and I decided to give you a special 52 Weeks in Chicago post that takes place just outside the city in Northwest Indiana.  We are both huge fans of 3 Floyds and love that their unique and tasty beers can be found on tap at most of our favorite bars throughout the city, so really it is only fitting we made the quick drive down to Munster to try out their brew pub before our trip to Los Angeles this past weekend.  3 Floyds Brew Pub doesn’t disappoint at all with its wide variety of beers on tap and guest beers that are available.  Anna had 3 Floyds Drunk Monk, which is a traditional Bavarian style Hefeweisse, that was very tasty.  I ended up trying 3 Floyds Topless Wych, a very full bodied and strong (9% ABV) Baltic Porter with hints of coffee and chocolate.  For dinner, Anna had an incredible grilled cheese sandwich with fries and I went with the duck sandwich that made the drive to Indiana very worth it.  We highly recommend taking a trip to 3 Floyds Brew Pub; it is the perfect place for friends to get together that have a strong appreciation for microbreweries and a menu that is constantly changing every day.  

-Rob

Anna’s Drunk Monk on the left and Rob’s Topless Wych on the right.

Rob’s duck sandwich.

Anna’s grilled cheese sandwich.

Royal Thai
2209 W Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Ravenswood

Royal Thai.

Tonight, Anna and I finally found a Thai restaurant that reigns supreme over all of the others we’ve tried in this great city.  Royal Thai is a family owned and operated restaurant tucked inside the Ravenswood neighborhood, right across the street from Welles Park.  They have a very extensive menu that includes everything from traditional noodle and rice thai dishes to fancier curry and seafood options.  We started off with an appetizer of crab rangoon that was served with Royal Thai’s homemade sweet and sour sauce and proved to be crispy and light, and not greasy in the slightest.  For our main entrees, Anna and I both had noodle plates.  I had the crispy pad thai that was very filling and delicious.  Anna ordered the Royal Thai noodle plate, which happens to be the house special.  It included crispy wide rice noodles topped with bok choy, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, baby corns, onions, carrots and peapods in Royal Thai’s special house sauce.  Overall, the service at Royal Thai was excellent and our entire meal was under $20.  The only complaint we had is that we wish we lived in their delivery zone!  We will definitely be visiting Royal Thai again soon.

-Rob

Crab Rangoon.

Anna’s Royal Thai Noodle Special with chicken.

Rob’s crispy Pad Thai with chicken.

DMK Burger Bar
2954 N Sheffield Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Lakeview

DMK.

Anna and I both had a craving for a burger earlier this week, so we opted to try out the DMK Burger Bar in Lakeview.  This modern and sleek burger joint is co-owned by MK’s Michael Kornick and Pompei’s David Morton.  The menu features a variety of grass-fed beef, turkey, lamb and veggie burgers that made choosing a burger very difficult since everything sounded so good.  Anna ended up ordering a beef burger that was topped with New York pastrami, French gruyere, sauerkraut, and Leroy’s remoulade, while I went with a beef burger that included chili-rubbed onion strings, Amish blue cheese, and spicy chipotle ketchup.  We also shared two small orders of fries, one portion of sweet potato with lemon tobasco aioli and the other was smothered with Wisconsin cheddar cheese and scallions.  Overall, the service and food was great.  It’s also worth noting that every burger on the menu is $8, which is a reasonable price considering the quality of meat you’re getting.  DMK also has a great selection of craft beers and wine available too.

-Rob

Anna’s pastrami burger.

Rob’s chili-rubbed onion strings burger on the left, sweet potato fries in the background, and Wisconsin cheddar and scallion fries in the foreground.

Hoosier Mama Pie Company
1618 W Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL‎
Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village

Hoosier Mama.

My family takes their pie making very seriously; maybe it’s a Midwest thing.  There is even a long running joke that my Uncle makes better pie crust than my Grandma does.  I believe both crusts are superior, but today Anna and I might have found a pie company that could even top my Grandma’s recipes.  The Hoosier Mama Pie Company is a very small bakery in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood that makes every pie by hand with the best ingredients available during each particular season.  Today, Anna had a slice of apple pie that was divine with a flaky, scrumptious crust.  I went with a slice of the chocolate banana pie that was luscious and satisfying with its many banana slices and rich chocolate cream.  The Hoosier Mama Pie company has a wide variety of pies for sale that customers can buy whole or by the slice ($4 each!).  It’s safe to say for my birthday next year, I’m opting for Hoosier Mama pie instead of a birthday cake.

-Rob

Hoosier Mama’s cozy interior.

Apple pie.

Chocolate banana pie.