cheltzel

How sour/vinegary is the food? I've had some Filipino food where the sauce just tasted like flavored vinegar.

Sweet Willie

sour is a common profile of Filipino food, the reason the adobo at Kusina de Manila was so outstanding is that the various flavors were balanced. I urge you to try it.

Sweet Willie

Went again to Kusina de Manila, had the goat adobo again, again outstanding. Also tried milkfish (bangus) sisig, which is fish cooked with onions, chilies, peppers, another stunner of a dish.

Nothing was overly sour or vinegary of the two dishes we had.

Kusina de Manila
632 W Algonquin Rd, Ste 100
Des Plaines, Illinois
(847) 378-8838
10am - 8pm (closed Mondays and closed from 3-4pm on Saturdays)

cheltzel

I am hoping to try the following place tomorrow for the first time. Opens only on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 AM to when they sell out. A very strange concept but this may be the Texas style BBQ place I have been looking for. I have friends who have been there and swear it is the best BBQ in the Chicago area. But I will know once I try!

Chicago Culinary Kitchen
773 N Quentin Rd
Palatine, IL 60067

https://www.yelp.com/biz/chicago-cul...tchen-palatine

http://chicagoculinarykitchen.com/

Sweet Willie

I went to a charity event at Chicago Culinary Kitchen, got to try:
Chicken
Pork Ribs
Beef Back Ribs
Sides: Corn, Pit Beans
Dessert: Bread Pudding

Pork Ribs were quite delicious. They didn't serve brisket, I'd be curious as to your thoughts on how it compares to Lockhart & TX hill coutry.

cheltzel

Lockhart (the original location in Dallas) is excellent. The places in Austin and in the nearby Hill Country get a lot of hype. Most are very good. However there are tons of really good BBQ joints all through Texas. IMO the original Black's in Lockhart is as good as it comes. The original BBQ joint in Texas. Run by the same family for something like 4 generations. My personal taste in Texas brisket is very traditional. No fancy rubs, just a really good piece of meat, salt and pepper and the right wood (most of the really top notch places use post oak) properly cured. Smoked at as low a heat as possible for a very long time (10 - 12 hours minimum).

Hopefully I get a chance to go tomorrow.

cheltzel

My DW and I got a chance to visit Chicago Culinary Kitchen in Palatine on Saturday. I really like the overall ambiance of the place. I was really excited as it really had the look of some of the quirkier BBQ joints I have visited back home in Texas. Big stack of nicely cured hardwood and a decent sized smoker wagon. My guess is they got started as a BBQ catering business, kind of like a food truck but on a larger scale.

The menu is small but with the specials seems adequate. We got there about 10 minutes before opening and there were about 20 people in line. They opened about 5 minutes after the posted time (no big deal). Very nice crowd. Lots of regulars. A family noting that it was our first time said to sit with them as the tables get crowded.

My wife an I both got the brisket. I was chatting with the lady at the register (I assume from all the pictures on their web site and Yelp that she is the SO of the chef/owner). I mentioned that I was from central Texas and she wanted to know what I thought of the brisket after we finished. I asked her what kind of wood they used and it was a mix of apple and cherry wood. I mentioned that all the places back home used post oak and she was almost indignant. Saying that post oak produces a too acrid flavor and theirs is much sweeter. My internal dialog was I guess that 80 - 90 percent of the highly rated BBQ houses in Texas have it all wrong. We got the brisket anyway.

The brisket was not very well executed. None of the fat cap had been removed before cooking and there was almost no smoke ring. SInce it takes a minimum of 6 - 8 hours to get even a so so smoke ring I suspect the brisket was not heavily smoked. Also by smoking a brisket low and slow (10 - 12 hours minimum as I mentioned above), all the fat in the fat cap is rendered. And in the places back home shave off some of the fat cap prior to smoking if there is a thick cap. The brisket was extremely moist but about 20 - 25 percent of each slice was pure fat and the meat had a really fatty taste. Not much of a wood smoke flavor at all. I suspect it was done by a combination of baking and smoking or pure smoking with using very little wood (using wood shavings in conjunction with charcoal indirect heat).

For sides we got the esquites and the mac'n'cheese. Both were OK but nothing special.

I will go back once more before totally writing this place off. I want to try the sausage and the ribs. But IMO the brisket at other places in the area is much better.

Timpsi91

I usually visit Chicago/ORD twice or three times every year, and for the past years I've been eating dinner prior to boarding my Transatlantic flight back to Europe. I usually go to Rosemont, IL (right next to ORD). These two restaurants are well worth a visit and are only 5 minutes away from ORD - so a very convenient location.

The first place is Carlucci. It's an Italian restaurant and serve excellent steaks and pasta, aswell as seafood. Located just a 5 min drive away from ORD makes it very easy to grab something to eat before you go to the airport. The portions are large and they are usually very quick with the food. I think you definitely get value for money at this place, if you like to eat a lot, but also with a good quality.

The second one is similar to Carlucci; Gene & Georgetti, which is also located in Rosemont. Their orignial location is in downtown Chicago, but apparently they opened up a location in Rosemont aswell. Very good for me!! They serve primarily steaks, seafood and pasta. Good quality, large portions and friendly staff. The bar area is very nice aswell and I like to hang around in there just to have a chat with someone random.

Carlucci - Rosemont
6111 N River Rd, Rosemont
IL 60018, USA
Menu: Carlucci menu - Rosemont

Gene & Georgetti - Rosemont
421 W Higgins Rd, Rosemont
Rosemont, IL 60018, USA
Menu: Gene & Georgetti menu - Rosemont

Sweet Willie

I do as well, perhaps a Flyertalk Do?

Someone I know who has written about BBQ & is an accomplished BBQ chef, had a very positive experience with the brisket, so I would like to get back to try it as I didn't the time I was there

cheltzel

That is what was puzzling me. There were several people there who are obviously multi visit regulars. The lady at the register knew their names. They knew each other, etc. You do not get that kind of following by serving bad food.

I will go there again. But IMO it is kind of a small place for a Do.

Sweet Willie

Some Flyertalkers gathered this past Saturday night at Restaurant Metahana which is in Des Plaines just north of ORD. Metahana serves Bulgarian food and you get A LOT of food for the money, some really delicious items. Here is their website: https://restaurantmehanata.com/

Restaurant Metahana
1141A Lee Street
Des Plaines, IL