JBord

I should have mentioned -- that was my other disappointment with the Sunset I visited. But also realize that seafood is likely to be generally more expensive in Chicago than the coast. The fish markets here are extremely expensive (but high quality), with one exception I've found. Fresh Farms, which is a small chain that carries almost exclusively Eastern European foods has an excellent fish selection often at 2/3 or even 1/2 the price of the big chains.

gaobest

I also love the stone crabs at joes steak & seafood. Yummy.

I only go to the highland park one and I don’t know how it compares to the others; I just prefer Sunset over other HP options.

It’s Chicagoland :-)

you can also keto them by just baking them on their own and chowing down.

corky

Still the lobster tails are from Maine so they should be equally as expensive out here. And snow crab clusters are around $10 here and they are also not local (and personally I think they are crap).
This is LaLaLand...not known for being inexpensive.

chgoeditor

First: Ina's seafood chowder recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...recipe-1925488

Chicago is not inherently expensive, and a muchof the stuff you find in the seafood section of most stores is coming from the same distributors (one of the largest of which is owned by the Moonies). All of the stuff gaobest linked to is likely frozen (softshell crabs haven't been in season for months) so there's no point in making a special trip to Sunset for them if you have a closer source. Personally, I buy 99% of my seafood at Whole Foods, Dirk's, H-Mart and Mitsuwa. H-Mart and Mitsuwa generally have the best prices and all have an abundance of fresh stuff. (WF probably has the most items that were previously frozen.) I'm not going into stores until after my family leaves, so I'll call in an order to Dirk's on Wednesday to pick up shrimp, crab and scallops for our seafood chowder, since they do curbside pickup. (Also, some of their yummy smoked whitefish spread, which isn't as awesome as the stuff we get in Northern Michigan, but a pretty good substitute when you're stuck in Chicago during a pandemic.)

corky

Grilled chicken thighs
steamed asparagus
cilantro/lime jasmine rice

gaobest

Post-pediatrician well visit with bonus flu shots!

super duper carryout and consumed in car:
cheeseburger
fries
chocolate milkshake
some other chocolate milkshake

sushi carryout and consumed at home:

7 sushi rolls
1 handroll
ribs & wasabi mashed potatoes with bok choy
chicken gyoza
chicken karaage
Side of coconut rice

bensyd

Couldn't resist, had to buy some. And damn they were good.

work2fly

Cheat meal:

Pizza with salami, sausage, pancetta, green pepper, black olive, onion, and feta.

Started with a Rosso di Montalcino, now working through a nice Zin.

Will likely break out the chocolate before the end of the night.

Looking forward to waking up at 2am with a crushing headache

gaobest

Grilled chicken apple sausage
grilled andouille sausage (Aidell’s)
roasted beets
roasted zucchini / Brussels sprouts / onion
baked sweet potato

JBord

I miss Dirk's now that we're in the burbs. It was expensive but great quality and convenient. We have a couple options out here but not the same. And I love the whitefish spread there. I would also often just buy a hunk of smoked whitefish and Dirk's and make my own - delicious! Some of the best smoked whitefish I've had is, surprisingly, in Door County. There's a small smokehouse right up at the tip, Gill's Rock area, near the ferry, that has amazing fish. It's basically the only thing in the area, so not touristy like the rest of the peninsula. I believe you can order from there too, but I can never remember the name.

gaobest

How do these whitefish salads compare to the whitefish at Once Upon a Bagel?

JBord

Good question. I'm trying to remember Dirk's, it's been a while since I've had it. Maybe chgoeditor can remind us what it's like. I do recall that I liked it very much. For my homemade one, I flake the fish, so there are bigger pieces in the salad. And I add a few more things, like celery. I like mine the best, but it has to start with a good smoked fish. Once Upon A Bagel's tastes great, as does Max and Benny's. My minor gripe with both of them is that the fish is almost whipped or blended, with no chunks.

chgoeditor

I would describe it as more of a spread than a salad. I don't think I would want a thick layer of it in a sandwich, but I enjoy it spread on a cracker.

JBord

Right, that's what I thought but couldn't remember. It's a very high quality though. Thanks.

gaobest

Hoping to poach salmon for supper; trying to figure out how best to do the potatoes with it. Baked or maybe I try steamed with a beurre blanc. Must recall to get a cheap white wine to poach the salmon and possibly the beurre blanc.