three nights - three meals

so here's a good one- our dishwasher broke down... so we have been eating out a lot because standing at the too short kitchen counters is a killer on my back.  The other night we ate at Jibek Jolu for the second time ever and the friendly owner came by to talk to us.  We mentioned our dishwasher was broken and we were eating out until a new one arrived and her response was "we are closed tomorrow but open every night until 10 or 11 weekends" LOL... I guess she thought we would be over every night until the new dishwasher came. Alas she will be disappointed tonight when we do not show up (and in some ways so will we but one cannot live on manty and samsa and pelmeni alone LOL)

Last night we did a return engagement at El Ideas- a place which has just gotten better and better and better over the meals we have enjoyed from Phil Foss' kitchen.  Let' see - I have a new favorite course to use as the top photo- shrimp with a buckwheat tuille and amazing flavors- in the gelleed broth- completely brought up memories of food in Vietnam during my first trip there with Jennifer in 2003- now fifteen years ago!

here is the menu for last night

our wines for the evening-

on to the fabulous food- in the menu order- the burrata...

salt cod beignet-

foie course- with caramelized pineapple - yummy!

the shrimp - wow wow wow

halibut with caviar and puffed beef tendon

ever popular - milkshake and fries!

tuna

rabbit and full flavored peas -

amazingly tender venison and hiding underneath equally amazing sweet corn - corn pancakes and puffed corn  and alongside a kick of jalapeno pepper to notch it up!

my fave -coffee ice cream and macadamia nuts and roasted pineapple (a trip to Hawaii for your mouth!)

final dessert of berry and chocolate - Phil was in heaven- his two favorite flavors in one dish!

a fun place all around - here are some photos of the restaurant -

a new sign in the restroom - LOVE it!

and in case you were interested - here are a few prior posts on El Ideas-

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2017/08/a-bright-idea.html

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2016/08/back-busy.html

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2014/08/an-idea-or-two-or-el.html

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2014/07/happy-27th-birthday-drew.html

the night before we went to Jibek Jolu - where we had some central Asian cuisine-

We arrived at a tad after 8 PM and found virtually no one there - but by the time we left the place was jumpin! - completely full and turning folks away!

we started with Cheburecki (a beef lamb pasty kind of thing

then a Samsy with beef ( made with pastry dough)

and carrot salad - which is made all over Uzbekistan (second photo from my visit to the Tashkent market)

then a full order of pelmeni with beef and served as a side to the skewer of beef and the lula kebab we ordered but ate before I got a photo of it (sorry only swords!)

for dessert the Napoleon -

a nice meal in the hood in between two great meals out of the hood - the second being our Monday night seafood place in Evanston (corkage free night at Oceanique)- starting with an amuse of halibut

then Phil had foie gras to start-

I had oysters with trout roe and creme fraiche and a side "salad"

then a second amuse - the sword fish bite which made swordfish taste better than it usually does to me...LOL

a palate cleanser of berry sorbet

then for mains Phil had the bouillabaisse and I had the halibut -

and as usual - we both had the day and night cake for dessert-

Chef Mark never disappoints us! So the next few days bring more dining out (still no dishwasher until next week on Thursday) tomorrow with Chaine friends Shari, John & Stephanie at the pop up 2C Chicago.  Then Saturday night meeting up with Mike & Leslie at Bistro Campagne -

so we won't go hungry LOL - but you knew that already LOL.... and now we are in the twelve day countdown for Africa and starting to think seriously about packing beginning this weekend... we need to see just how much we will have to jettison in order to fit our things into our specially provided bags for flying camp to camp.... maximum (and they mean it) for all your stuff (camera equipment included) 33 pounds each.  Which is kind of a tall order when carrying DSLR and telephotos for the animal photography...but who needs clean clothes??? LOL

as always more to follow!