Bixi Brewery

 

It has been 3 years in the making, but I was very happy to see Bixi Brewery (pronounced Be-She) open recently, so I invited a couple of friends to try things out, which we did a few weeks ago.  Named for Bixi, a Dragon god with a tortoise shell, that supports great weights (like buildings and bridges), and images of which are rubbed for good luck.  The space is a two floor operation with very different designs on each floor.  The first floor has a bar on the left side and looks more typically like a bar.  There is an image of Bixi in front of the Chicago skyline done in black and white behind the long bar, which was done by a former Marvel comic artist.  There is also much table seating with the furniture also white with chrome legs.  The brewing area is in a glassed off area at the front of the bar, near the front.  Going up the stairs, the second floor also has a large bar off to one side, but the space looks more like a restaurant dining area than the first floor with a high ceilings, a large skylight, a rooftop dining area, green walls, and an area that looks like a salon, for a more intimate experiencce.  Having said this, you can eat and drink on both floors.  The bar has a large shelf with liquor on several shelves, with the high ceilings, I have to imagine that a ladder is necessary to get to the higher shelves, though I didn't notice one when we were there.  The tables, walls, and shelves on the second floor were also white, though there was a variation upstairs in that there were more colors involved than black and white (with some chrome).  There was some plant life as well as the green walls, which, although they did look very good, were artificial.  The salon area used green wallpaper with a plant-like design, the furniture looked like vintage 20th century salon furniture, i.e. upholstered couches and chairs with dark upholstery.  While the salon did look comfortable, the portraiture hanging on the walls, like the ape in the robe and flowered headdress were a bit odd.

Owned by Bo Fowler, who also owns and runs, and Owen and Engine, an English-Style Gastropub, and Fat Willy's, a barbecue joint, she decided to go in yet another direction with the food served, that being Asian.  Fowler, who was born in Korea, decided to work on a menu that was closer to her heart when creating this brewery and restaurant.  Most people don't think of beer when eating Asian food, the issue was to create a menu that would pair well with beer and to make beer that invokes the ideas and flavors of Asian fare.  While the menu looked really good and we discussed what we wanted to order, ordering the beer was much easier, between us, we all ordered flights which covered everything.  They had flights of three four and five.  I wanted to try as many as I could, so I had a flight of five.  I was able to try all of the beers, but I only ordered five.  Bixi covers many of the most common ale styles, with a lager also on draft, and augmenting many of their beers with Asian flavors.  The major styles that were missing was the Stout or Porter.  Though the first beer on their menu was a dark ale, it was a dark ale and not a stout or porter, and while it was good and was actually a favorite, it was definitely not a stout or porter.  It used Roasted Wheat, Caramel, Smoked Malt and was augmented with Szechuan Peppercorns.  Unspoken Rule was a Lagered Farmhouse Ale with Pearled Jasmine Tea.  Sanchez Therapy, another Farmhouse Ale was spiced with Cucumber, and had Melon forward aromas.  Against the Cross was probably the most mainstream and undifferentiated beer.  It was a classic American-Style IPA, which really reminded me of Bell's Two Hearted Ale.  My other favorite beer that I ordered for myself was surprisingly a Lager, which I normally find pretty boring.  This was augmented with rice like many American Macro Lagers, and at the front it really reminded me of Miller High Life, but the rice that was used was Jasmine Rice, which gave it a very distinctive flowery rice flavor.  The other beers served were a Summer Pale Ale, a Wit, and a Wheat beer, which were all pretty good.

The food menu (as well as the mural going up the stairs) was created by Kimski chef Won Kim.  While Chef Fowler and Chef Kim are both Korean, and the menu does include Korean food, it also includes, Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese, as well as American with Asian influences.  We started out with Oysters, which can't really be put into one menu except for seafood.  They served two different types of oysters each from East and West Coast.  We all ordered different Oysters, I ordered a Beausoleil Oyster, which is an East Coast raised in New Bruinswick.  I normally like raw oysters, and my dining partners liked theirs, but I apparently picked wrong, because I found it a little on the strong side.  For our other appetizers, we went with Kimchi Mandu with Mushrooms and Leeks, Momo with Chicken and Curry Spices, and a Chicago Beef Bao, which were all served at the same time.  All were very good with a lot of good flavors, though I think that I favored the Kimchi Mandu best.

Our main course was a Ssam Plate.  It was offered as a half or full size.  Because three of us would be sharing, We decided to get a full order and were still surprised by the size. Ssam means wrapped and it is generally meat wrapped in leafy vegetables.  For this plate we were served a lot of Leafy Vegetables, Scallion Pancakes, Char Siu (Korean Barbecued Pork), Asian Pears, Carrots, Peppers, and Bao.  It reminded me of the Korean version of Fajitas.  It was fun combining different things and tasting the different flavors.  There were several different types of greens with different flavors and it was fun to try different combinations.  I was generally taking a piece of char siu, a piece of pancake, some greens, some vegetables, and pile it all into the bao.  While I probably wasn't eating Ssam correctly, I was able to try the different flavors and textures, together and individually, and it was all good.

Bixi is a very nice looking space, and while they don't do groundbreaking beer, it is good, and it goes well with the food that they serve.  I will have to return to try more of the menu.

Analogue - Pho Q

I have been to Analogue a few times and like what they do.  They are a low key cocktail bar that serves some really good Cajun food, so when it was announced that they would host a pop up called Pho Q (careful about how you pronounce that), a dinner combining Vietnamese and Barbecue, I quickly signed up.  Now, on the surface, Vietnamese and Barbecue in a Cajun restaurant may not make a lot of sense, but if you look at it geographically, it might make more sense.  There is a large Vietnamese population in southern Louisiana and one of the regional barbecue styles is from Texas which is just west.  People that eat these different styles of cuisine actually live fairly close to one another in southern Louisiana.  The dinner featured four courses, but drinks were extra.  For this dinner, they did come up with a couple of cocktails.  You didn't have to stick to these cocktails though.  You could order a beer or something of of their regular cocktail list, but I decided to stick with the theme and ordered the Smokin' Indo, a cocktail consisting of Laphroaig Scotch, Indonesian Rum, Spiced Vermouth, and what they referred to as Blood Orange Bitters, which was specifically China China, a French bitter orange flavored liqueur.  As one might guess from the name and from the fact that it contained Laphroaig Scotch, it was pretty smoky.  It wasn't all smoke, the rum provided something of a vanilla flavor and the China China added a bitter orange flavor.  It is not my typical go-to cocktail flavor profile, but it wasn't bad.

The first course of the meal was listed as an App Sampler and was served on a metal serving tray as barbecue might be.  The sampler contained three things (or four if you count the pickled vegetables).  It started with a Smoked Gulf Shrimp Spring Roll with a Peanut BBQ Sauce, continued with a Crispy Smoked Chicken Wing with Scallions, Garlic, and Noc Cham (Fish Sauce), and finished with a Hoisin Glazed Pork Rib with Black Vinegar and Thai Chilies.  The pickled vegetables included Carrots, Cucumbers, and Red Onions.  Everything on this tray was very good.  The spring roll was light.  The shrimp were tender and had a nice smoky flavor to them.  The peanut BBQ sauce was very good and went well with the spring roll.  It had a nice spicy peanut flavor that complemented the flavor of the spring roll.  It was not, however, necessary to make the spring roll to taste good, it was good by itself.  The chicken wing was also very good.  It had a crunchy and smoky flavor and the chicken was cooked perfectly.  I could have probably eaten about 10 of these and been happy.  The same could have been said for the rib.  As it was just a sample, I only had one bone, but it was very good.  The meat was tender with bitter, sweet, spicy, and tangy flavors.

The next course very definitely had a Vietnamese name, but it was basically a meat salad.  It was also pretty big.  It was called Goi Bo Thit Heo and had Pulled Pork and Brisket with Bean Sprouts, Cabbage, Mint, and Cilantro, and was served with a Shrimp Chip on either side.  It was both meaty and crisp with a variety of flavors and the chip made a good delivery system to the mouth.  I used chop sticksto put a pile of meat and greens on the chip and took a bite of the chip.  There was more salad than there were chips, but it was very good even without the chips.

The namesake dish was the last savory dish.  It was served in a large bowl and was served with a large plate of fresh greens, which included Mint, Cilantro, Bean Sprouts, Lime and Hot Peppers which were to be added at the diner's discretion.  The pho contained Brisket, Eye of Round, Beef Tendon, a Lil' Smokie, and Smoked Stock and Nutmeg.  I didn't add all of the greens to my pho but I did add enough to add some crispness and fresh flavor.  I liked everything about the pho except the Lil' Smokie.  The brisket and eye of round were very tender and flavorful, the tendon had a nice chew to it, and the broth had a nice smoky and meaty flavor.  The Lil' Smokie was a small smoky link which would have been fine except that it was unexpectedly also very spicy.  I might have liked it more if I had expected the hit of heat, but it was a surprise.

The dessert was interesting.  Called a Cafe' Sue Da.  It was a scoop of Condensed Milk Ice Cream sprinkled with Chicory Coffee and Peanuts and served on a slice of Texas Toast.  I will say that I really liked the condensed Milk ice cream.  It was rich, creamy, and sweet, and the peanuts and chicory added some bitterness and nuttiness which went well with the ice cream, but I didn't understand the point of the Texas Toast as it was just a thick piece of bread.

While Vietnamese food and Barbecue aren't commonly put together, the combination did work well.  I really enjoyed my experience and will definitely return for a regular dinner if not for a special meal.   

Embeya

As I have said before, I really like Chicago Restaurant Week.  For two weeks in February, about 300 restaurants in the Chicago area provide a prix fixe menu at a discount.  For most restaurants, the discount works out to getting a free dessert, but there are some restaurants whose discounts are substantially more.  For most restaurants, the prix fixe consists of an appetizer, entree, and dessert.  For pan-Asian restaurant Embeya, though, they offered their entire prix fixe menu for the entire table and it was served family style.  In other words, the entire table was served two appetizers, two main courses, two sides, and two desserts.  Admittedly, this could get a little ugly if a single person tried to eat it all.  Luckily, I did come with a few other people so it wasn't an issue.  The space was both modern and Asian and won this year at the Jean Banchet awards for best design. The front wall is a window, the ceilings are high and unfinished and the room is divided by several cutout screens with hexagonal designs.  The bar is long and marble topped with a great selection top shelf liquors and the kitchen is open.  The seating consisted of the bar as well as dark wood tables with light wood chairs and padded banquettes.  We were seated at one of the tables in the middle of the room, between the window and the bar.  While the meal consisted of many dishes, the meal was actually divided into appetizer, entree, and dessert, with all of the appetizers being brought out together, then all of the entrees (and sides), and all of the desserts.  For our appetizers we started out with a Green Papaya Salad with Cilantro, Crispy Shallots, and Vietnamese Beef Jerky.  The papaya, which made up most of the salad, was fresh, crisp, and slightly sweet and tart, as a papaya is supposed to be.  The cilantro added a little bitterness, and the shallots added a salty crunch like mini onion rings.  The beef jerky was cut into a thin strips and provided a spicy and meaty surprise.  You wouldn't find a piece of jerky in every bite but there was enough to let you know that it was there and to add flavor and texture to the dish.  I had had the papaya salad at First Bites Bash, the opening benefit for Chicago Restaurant Week although there it didn't have the beef jerky.  While it was good at the benefit, it was much better at the restaurant with the jerky.

Our other appetizer was Octopus with Confit Eggplant and Radish.  I wouldn't think that octopus would have enough fat to do a confit, but obviously it came from somewhere because it was very tender, flavorful, and not at all rubbery.  The eggplant was well cooked and soft, but it was not slimy as eggplant can become.  It kind of matched the texture of the octopus.  The only way you could really tell which you were eating was by the flavor.  The radishes were there to add a little spice and provide some much needed textural diversity to the dish.  Without the radishes, the eggplant and octopus tasted good enough, but the dish was a mass of mush.  The radishes gave your mouth something to crunch on and improved it immensely.

Our first entree was a Peking Duck Style Garlic Chicken with Confit Scallions  It was a very simple dish, but the chicken was very good and flavorful.  The garlic and scallions just added to the flavor.  It had a thin, crisp outer skin with tender meat and while most of it was sliced into medallions, there was one piece attached to a leg that i grabbed and enjoyed.

The other entree was called Thit Heo Kho and consisted of Braised Pork Belly with Coconut and Shallots in a Pork Broth.  The pork belly was obviously tender and flavorful.  The coconut was sliced into thin strips and added a little texture and flavor, but the shallots were interesting.  They were cooked whole and when I first saw them in the pan, I thought they were plums.  Trying to grab them with chop sticks, though quickly dispelled that idea because every time I tried to grab one by squeezing it, the inner layers came out.  We figured out the best way to grab them was by scooping them from the bottom.  Once we were able to get a hold on them, it was seen that they were tender, well cooked and flavorful.  All of the elements of this dish were good and I felt a little guilty for leaving the broth.  That was solved though with one of the sides.

The side was simple.  It was Sticky Rice with a little Chive for color and flavor.  On it's own it was very good.  It had a good flavor and it was fairly easy to eat.  If the pork broth from the Thit Heo Kho was added though, it was much better.  The rice and pork broth added to one another and it positively became comfort food.

The other side kind of went with the chicken, although it was very good by itself and was not necessary to finish the chicken dish.  It was Carmelized Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Scallions.  The brussels sprouts cooked to tender and had a slightly crisp and brown outer coating which showed an initial sweetness before the slightly funky (but good) cabbage flavor.  The scallions added a salty crunch to the dish.

After our appetizers, entrees, and sides came the desserts, and while they were both good, one was favored much more than the other.  The first dessert were the Cream Puffs.  The pastry was very good and was filled with Vanilla and Matcha (a type of green tea).  They were topped lightly with powdered sugar.  These were sweet and flavorful but the lesser of the two desserts.

The other dessert was Roasted Pineapple with Coconut Ice Cream and Peanuts.  This was sweet, tart, tropical flavored and the all around favorite.  It was a great finish to a great meal that made a good presentation of the menu.  The food was very good, the restaurant design was very cool, and the service was very good.  I will be very happy to return.      
    

Sawtooth

It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to write about this.  Sawtooth is a Vietnamese restaurant on Randolph St.  Because of this, there is an expectation of quality and style that comes with the location.  What I had seen of the restaurant as I was biking by bolstered that impression.  It has a nice outdoor lounge located beside and in front of the restaurant.  The restaurant itself is antique brick with a glass wall between the lounge and the bar inside and there is a stylized S (with sawteeth) above the entrance.  When I entered the restaurant, I was met quickly and asked whether I wanted to sit indoors or out.  As it was a nice day, I decided it would be a good day to sit outside so that is where I sat.  The problems began almost immediately.  While I was seated quickly and I had a nice seat, I didn't receive water or a menu for a few minutes.  I looked at the menu, and while they had some interesting cocktails, I thought a beer would be safer.  They had a Sawtooth Ale so I decided to have that.  Unfortunately, they didn't have it.  My next choice was a local beer, Three Floyds Pride & Joy.  With this one, I was told it was replaced by Domaine Dupage.  While I didn't say it at the time, it did bother me a little, the way the bartender stated it sounded like Domaine Dupage was a 3 Floyds beer.  It is not, it is a Two Brothers beer which is another big local brewery.  I decided to avoid all of that and went with a New Holland Mad Hatter which arrived relatively quickly.  I had to wait a little while again before someone showed up to ask if I wanted anything to eat.  I made my order and waited...  Another waiter eventually came out with my appetizer and it looked really good.  I had Bo Bia which were essentially Vietnamese spring rolls.  They had grilled pork and chicken sausage, a strip of scrambled eggs, jicama, lettuce, and carrots that was all wrapped in rice paper.  It was served with a peanut and red pepper sauce on the side.  The rolls were crisp and very fresh tasting and were an explosion of flavor.  I really enjoyed this and brushed off the wait that it took for me to receive them.

 My table was cleared relatively quickly but then the wait began again.  For the main course, I actually ordered two separate dishes, the entree and a separate vegetable dish.  I would have been fine if the dishes arrived separately but they brought them together.  For my vegetable dish, I ordered what they called Basil Tofu which had the tofu, broccoli, red peppers, baby corn, and pea pods in a dark soy sauce.  I am generally not a huge fan of tofu but I like basil, broccoli, and soy sauce, so I thought I would try it out.  It was amazing!  The tofu had been fried crispy and the flavor of fresh basil suffused through the dish.  The vegetables had been stir-fried and the soy sauce was also very good.

My entree was Seafood Glass Noodles which had shrimp and crab stir-fried with glass noodles and mixed vegetables which included broccoli, carrots, celery, red pepper.  This was also very good and much drier than were the vegetables.  It did take a little mixing to get everything mixed together well but I didn't mind.  I will admit that while I am not an expert with chopsticks, when they are offered to me, I will try to use them. Using them with the Bo Bia was easy but other than with the crispy tofu, I didn't really try with the vegetable dish.  With this dish, it was easy.  I just wound a bite up with the glass noodles and had my way with it.  The crab was shredded, the shrimp were small, and the vegetables were firm and bite-sized.  It tasted good and was fun to eat.

While I had the vegetables and the seafood dish at the table at the same time and I did try both (I didn't eat them separately), I did finish the vegetables first.  After I finished the vegetables and while I was eating the noodles, my waiter came close and while he was waiting on the table next to me, he picked up my vegetable plate and my menu.  After I finished the noodles though, the plate sat at my table for about ten minutes and after it was picked up, it took a few minutes for the waiter to come to ask if I was interested in dessert.  It would have been convenient to have the menu at this time because the dessert menu was also on the main menu.  The waiter did remember what was on the dessert list and I ordered a Passionfruit Torte which was served with fresh fruit and topped with mint.  While this wasn't bad, it was probably the least successful dish of the meal.  It tasted good and the fresh fruit (except for the cantaloupe) was nice but it wasn't spectacular.  I finished my dish and again waited for my bill.

 By this time, I was a bit irritated and did actually think about leaving without paying.  I did have a discount coupon that they already had in their possession but it wouldn't have covered the entire bill.  While I was irritated and felt ignored, I did stick around for my bill.  While they did not overtly acknowledge their lack of service overtly, when I received my bill, the only thing that I had to pay was tax because everything else was covered.  Up until this point, there was no way that I was going to return to this restaurant despite the fact that I really liked the food and the decor.  The bill seemed to me to be a tacit acknowledgement that they screwed up.  With this, I would definitely consider coming again but they would have a very short leash.  If I again received the level of service that I had received, I would walk and not return.

Dung Gia

When I leave town for several day, I generally work things out so I have all of my perishables eaten before I leave. The major advantage to this is that I don't have to worry about anything spoiling when I am gone but the disadvantage is that if I don't have the time to shop before the next time I work, I will have to eat out. This isn't really that bad because there are several places close to where I work that are pretty good and I enjoy going to. I invited a couple of co-workers to join me to both celebrate the end of the year and to kill time because the time between Christmas and New Year's is generally pretty dead. We went to a small Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Des Plaines called Dung Gia which while it doesn't look like much, really puts out some good food. The tables were covered with vinyl tablecloths with an Asian design, there were some Vietnamese styled design accessories (bamboo, bead wall hanging, etc.) and there was some Vietnamese music playing softly in the background. The menu is pretty accessible and affordable. There is a lunch deal that includes soup for $6.95 but as I generally also order an appetizer, my bill costs a little more. I unfortunately forgot to take pictures so I had to rely on pictures taken by others. I started with a Vietnamese Crepe which is big enough to be a meal by itself unless it's shared. It is a crispy rice flour pancake filled with bean sprouts, shrimp, and pork and served with a lime dipping sauce. Our crepe was also served with a side salad of leafy greens and carrots. It is really good without the lime sauce but the lime sauce puts it over the top.For my main course, I had a Beef Curry. It was very liquid and served in an unevenly shaped bowl with rice on the side so the diner could combine them to his desired consistency. In addition to the curry spices which made it both sweet and spicy, and the beef, the stew included coconut milk, potatoes, carrot, and taro (a root vegetable that is starchy and kind of tastes like a potato). It is all very good and while similar to Thai curries, has a flavor all it's own.

I like Dung Gia. The service is friendly, the food is good and affordable and while the food is different from the Chinese and Thai with which many people are familiar, it isn't so different that it would alienate anyone. It is an easy step to take if you want to explore and I would gladly go back for lunch.

Bun Mi Express

When people think of Asian food, they almost invariably think of Chinese food or sushi. Asian food though, is much more than meat or seafood with savory sauces served over rice or raw fish. There are a wide variety of cuisines that would fall under the Asian label. While Chinese food is generally meat and sauce served over rice, there are a wide variety of flavors and also includes Dim Sum and Peking Duck. Japanese food includes sushi, but it also includes tempura, hibachi style, and all manner of fried foods. Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and Malaysian cuisines all have their own styles that are very separate from what you might find in a Chinese or Japanese restaurant. Vietnam was once a French colony and the French style has rubbed off and combined with the available ingredients to create something very good but different. In the Western world, sandwiches are a common street food and patisseries abound in France. French baguette is great for making sandwiches. The bahn mi is a sandwich that was created in Vietnam in the French colonial days. It generally contains ham, pate, and fresh vegetables. In the colonial days, only the rich were able to have them because everything was imported and so was pretty expensive. When the French departed, the Vietnamese learned the baking techniques, made the baguette a little smaller, and added local spices, vegetables, and herbs. While the French influence can be seen, the bahn mi is very definitely Asian (and specifically Vietnamese) cuisine. I went to Bun Mi Express, which is located in Lakeview, for lunch because I happened to run across them when running an errand for something else and bahn mi are quick, affordable, and very good. I ordered what was called a Saigon Classic which contained, inside a great baguette, ham, headcheese pate, pork roll (similar to a sliced summer sausage), cucumber, pickled carrots, cilantro, jalapeno, daikon, and mayonnaise. I ordered a special and also got a soft drink and a Vietnamese Spring Roll which is essentially rice (wrap and noodles), lettuce, and shrimp served with a peanut dipping sauce. Everything was very good, the staff was friendly, and looking at the traffic coming in, it seemed to be pretty popular. I will be happy to add this as one of my goto lunch places when I happen to be in that part of town.