prcentauri

I will be traveling to Copenhagen in September, probably 9/9-9/13. Dinners will be for 2 but I will likely be eating lunch on my own while wandering around town. So far I have bookings as follows: Sunday 9/9 Dinner at Sollerod Kro Monday 9/10 Dinner at Kiin Kiin Tuesday 9/11 Dinner at Restaurant AOC Wednesday 9/12 Dinner at Geranium. I plan to book today when the online booking opens Thursday 9/13 Was thinking dinner at Kodbyens Fiskebar I am on waitlist for lunch at Noma on 9/11 and dinner 9/13 I also have on my radar Aaman's, Mielcke + Hurtigkarl, Relae, Radio and Geist I was thinking of stopping by Sankt Peders Bageri on Wednesday 9/12 for their onsdag snegle I also thought of going to Reinh.van Hauen Bageri, Coffee Colletive, Sweat Treat and Torrehallerne Market I'm looking for your input, comments, suggestions. Lunch ideas for a likely solo diner. Other must try places or items. I'd also appreciate "things to do" recommendations. Thanks

im already here. i couldnt get next tickets, couldnt get off the alinea waitlist, or the girl and the goat waitlist. i was hoping for schwa but i think it closed. was thinking of doing dinners at TRU, L2O and les nomades. ended up doing a less formal trip with dinners at mk thursday, takashi earler this evening, north pond tomorrow and avec sunday.

seriously? i had a fantastic solo lunch at north pond last august! started with poached egg, warm piccolo farro with bulgher, green and gold zucchini, roasted black trumpet mushrooms, and Banylus syrup. then braised rabbit, fresh egg paparedelle, blackened tomatoes and cipollini onions, lovage, pignoli nuts, and parmigiano reggiano. next was a complimentry apricot chutney and foam intermezzo and last was the brown butter waffle, caramelized peaches, anise sorbet, cinammon whipped cream, and crumble. a truly memorable set of courses. i actually thought of checking out perennial virant this trip. ended up going to mk, which i found just decent. i must add perennial to the must add that to the list for the next chicago visit. we ended up going to takashi and it was excellent. definately as good as three star NY times restaurants and in a much more relaxed setting too. first, a peekytoe crab salad with avocado, cucumber, curried rice chip, and carrot-cumin coulis. next sauteed maine scallops and soba gnocchi with trumpet royale, and celery root-parmesan foam. third was seared quebec fois gras with candied kumquats and rhubarb, and port-huckleberry reduction. soy-ginger caramel pork belly with pickled daikon salad, and steamed buns followed. next was roasted indiana duck breast with duck rillete roll, baby turnips, and green bean salad. to finish was s sheep's milk yogurt panna cotta with yuzu gelee, peach compote, and green tea shortbread. a great meal start to finish. no room in the stomach for dishes at hot chocolate. tomorrow i think i'm going to try m.henry. then frank n dawgs. maybe an afternoon snack from floriole or hot chocolate and then a 9:30pm dinner resy at north pond. sunday as i said will be brunch at sprout and an early dinner at avec.

ahaha yeah. i've been pretty underwhelmed by the food scene in southeastern michigan. although i'm glad to have so far been to zingerman's, forest grill, toasted oak, shangri la, sharaku, kitchen hanzo, supino, slow's, etc. and liked these places nothing is like NYC, Chicago, SF. as for chicago, so far this is what i've had this trip... Thursday Lunch: Purple Pig Dinner: MK Friday Breakfast: Jam Lunch: planned to try Bari Dinner: reservations at Takashi, may walk over to Hot Chocolate for dessert Saturday Breakfast: M.Henry Lunch: maybe Frank n Dawgs Snack: maybe Floriole Dinner: late reservations at North Pond Sunday Brunch: reservations at Sprout Early dinner: Avec walk-in

Wow so duffy left avenues and the place closed? Sad though not entirely surprised. We went at peak hour and the place was half empty, the decor was bland and the clientele seemed quite old. The food and service was fantastc. We actually transplanted to michigan a couple months ago for work. Dont get me started on that. We are going back home to NYC next week though. As far as our itinerary for chicago goes what is MK and Takashi like? I am strongly considering swapping them out for L2O or Tru or Les Nomades. As for chinese, My GF is chinese and we are returning to NYC next week for her brother's wedding so we'll be in for some chinese meals, both a dinner and surely a dim sum. As for mexican i did think xoco was decent and we are familiar with topo and frontera but i think we will prob pass on that style. Detroit has a decent mexicantown although its not pretty and theres the possibility of gettng shot. What we do have in our area in michigan are solid casual japanese places and decent new american (though not inventive nor exceedingly fancy). We havent had high end french in a while. We are probably going to have an italian meal at Torrisi when we go back to NYC, if theyre even open as I hear they are moving the deli counter out to their new spot. The last memorable meals we had before we left NYC were at Brooklyn Fare, Eleven Madison Park and Blue Hill at Stone Barns. The first being excellent but not quite to the level of our previous visit, the second being very good and better than our first visit, and the last being better than our previous visit and truly extraordinary. Try to follw that sentence. Anways, I digress. So budget is typically not to exceed approx $150pp without wine. What do you guys think I should do?

In addition to Les Nomades, Tru and Trotter's... L2O and Graham Elliot are in the mix as potential replacements for MK, Takashi, North Pond and Avec. That is, assuming we dont get off the waitlist of Alinea or Girl and the Goat and some random person doesnt give us a spot at Schwa.

Well I'm gonna be back in Chicago. Super excited to return. My girlfriend is going to be at the Birth World Congress. We'll be around Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday. Last time we went to Avec, Avenues, The Publican, and I dined solo for lunch at North Pond. She really wants to go back to Avec. She still claims to taste the chorizo-stuffed medjool dates. Ahaha. It was pretty awesome. I kinda want to bring her to North Pond since the setting was nice and their food was warm, comforting and very well-executed. These are the tentative plans.... Let me know what you think. I have my car this time. Not sure if I should just leave it in the hotel lot the whole time. Breakfast/Brunch ideas Jam M.Henry Sprout for Sunday brunch (reserved) Lunch ideas (I might be solo quite a bit) Kuma’s Corner Grahamwich Hot Chocolate Bari Nhu Lan Dinners Thursday: MK (reserved) Friday: Takashi (reserved) Saturday: North Pond (reserved) Sunday: Avec (as an early walk-in around 5:30) We are on the waitlist for Alinea and Girl and the Goat. I wasn't even close to getting a reservation at Schwa. I dont understand their reservation system, probably never will and sadly will probably never experience that place. We both want to try a different restaurant than Avenues despite the fact that we loved it. Some other ideas I had were dinners at Les Nomades, Tru and/or Trotter's. What are your opinions? Should I swap out any of my dinner ideas with the ones I listed just above here.

Yeah really unfortunate about their damages. I only read your post just now. I had already gone over there that morning via subway around 10 am to find it closed due to the flooding you mentioned. We decided to head over to Hot Dougs from there since it seemed sort of accessible. We walked about 10 min over to California avenue. caught the bus northward but California ave was closed down due to flooding. we sat in re-routing traffic for a while and then arrived at Hot Dougs to find them closed as well. Total bummer. We ended up taking a cab over to Art of Pizza since it was sort of nearby and we just wanted to put something in our stomach. Anyways thank you everyone for your input. Heres the places we went to and the dishes we had. ------------------------------------- Avec, Thurs dinner for 2, ~945pm, No wait but a nearly packed, Took the last unoccupied table, Noisy but tolerable. Chorizo-stuffed Medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce Seared hanger steak with roasted tomatoes and radicchio Wood-oven roasted pork shoulder with cannellini beans, summer squash and cherry mostarda The chorizo-stuffed dates were delicious with very balanced flavors. Spicy, smoky, sweet. We found the hanger steak to be ok but nothing memorable. The pork shoulder was perfectly executed, soft as butter, very comforting and enjoyable. Too full for dessert. ------------------------------------- North Pond, Friday lunch solo, ~115pm, Immediately seated at my reservation time in front sun-filled room, All tables full but quiet atmosphere. Poached egg, warm piccolo farro with bulgher, green and gold zucchini, roasted black trumpet mushrooms, Banylus syrup Braised rabbit, fresh egg paparedelle, blackened tomatoes and cipollini onions, lovage, pignoli nuts, parmigiano reggiano Apricot and sage chutney, apricot foam Brown butter waffle, caramelized peaches, anise sorbet, cinnamon whipped cream, crumble Every course was fantastic. Beautiful plating. Lots of ingredients but really harmoniously coming together. The first course was warm, creamy and earthy. I knew the meal was going to be good. The entree was also a hit. The apricot pre-dessert was very refreshing and an unexpected surprise for me seeing as I didnt know this course was coming. The dessert was also great. Very playful. ------------------------------------- Xoco, Friday afternoon snack for 2, ~430pm, About a 10-person line of patrons to the counter. Pepito torta: Braised shortribs, caramelized onion, artisan Jack cheese, black beans, pickled jalapenos Cubano torta: Smoked pork loin and bacon, black beans, avocado, artisan jack cheese, chipotle mustard No complaints here. Tortas were a bit messy but totally tasty. I preferred the Cubano but I think I'm also obsessed with bacon. ------------------------------------- The Publican, Friday dinner for 2, ~830pm, Immediately seated at our reservation time, Full house, Very noisy. Nectarines, burrata, pecans, balsamic Spicy pork rinds Pork belly, eggplant, rapini Roasted chicken, summer sausage, frites The nectarines were sweet, the burrata could have been a bit softer and creamier. I didnt care for the pork rinds but my GF liked them. The pork belly dish was the best course. It was plated with more precision and was very good. The chicken was also very good, huge portion. Too full for dessert. ------------------------------------- Art of Pizza, Saturday late morning snack for 2 following the epic fail brunch attempt at Lula Cafe and hot doug fail thereafter, ~1100am. Empty. Sausage pan pizza by the slice, 1 slice each It was ok. We were starving. My GF thought it was slightly better than Pizza Hut. That can't be a compliment though I dunno what Pizza Hut tastes like. ------------------------------------- Portillo’s, Saturday afternoon lunch for 2 right after the pizza, ~1200pm, Really busy, Factory-like, Kinda fast-food like to me. Hot dog with mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickle and peppers, poppy seed bun Chili cheese dog Strawberry shake I really enjoyed the Chicago style hot dog. Definately better than our Shake Shack Chicago style dog. ------------------------------------- Avenues, Saturday dinner for 2, ~6pm, Immediately seated at reservation time, Gracious welcoming, Half-filled room and remained that way. Namaste: zen green tea liquor, Bacardi O, passion fruit, lemonade, Sprite Jet Li: Patron silver, pear puree, cranberry juice, ginger ale Amuse: caviar, meyer lemon gelée, liquid brioche, egg yolk crumble, brioche bread Italian herb bread Goat’s milk butter, meyer lemon olive oil emulsion, herbed oil emulsion King crab, wild steelhead roe, kalamansi, lemon mint Sweet corn, charred husks, finger limes, coriander blooms, coconut dome, cilantro noodles Warm pretzel Wild alpine char, brandade, pommery mustard, fennel blossum Grains, seeds, nuts, amaranth veil, puffed, sunflower Acquerello risotto, black figs, chanterelles, oxalis Elysian lamb loin, hibiscus, sweet curry, nasturtium Whole wheat waffle, coconut, basil, lime Wagyu, pistachio, black truffle, spring onion Passion fruit, tapioca, rosewater, lemon balm Strawberry, thai black pepper, mascarpone, opal basil blossums Dark chocolate, saffron, honey, bergamot Mignardises Impeccable service. I've never been asked before if I would prefer a different colored napkin. HaHa. The food was ridiculously good. We did a tasting and added supplements. Duffy's signature king crab dish was flawless, bright, refreshing. Sweet corn dish was also great with funny use of pop corn playing off the cool sweet corn soup. The grains, seeds, nuts course was gorgeously plated and delicious. The lamb and curry pairing was a new flavor profile for me that I really enjoyed. A truly great meal.

I guess I shouldn't say molecular per se. I really just want to experience flavors that will be memorable and that are new to me but still "taste-accessible." But I also really dont want to leave hungry. I've had great meals at Blue Hill at Stone Barns which I figured Vie is kind of like. Plus I intended on going to North Pond which I assumed was similar in its philosophy of farm-to-table, market-driven, etc. one would experience at Blue Hill Stone Barns or Vie. Everest seems to be Alsatian which is surely delicious however our last fine dining meal we had was at The Modern which is Alsatian. It seems Avenues would be favored over L2O but I'm surprised theres only 40 or so reviews on yelp for Avenues but hundreds on other high end spots.

Everyone, thank you so much for your advice. I appreciate the transportation help as well. My girlfriend just told me that she might be able to make it for lunch on Friday so I've made a reservation for North Pond. I think if she can't make it I enjoy the meal alone. As for that last night thats all that's left undecided. L2O or Avenues. Or some other great high end meal other than Alinea or Schwa as I couldnt secure a spot. My girlfriend and I have had many fine dining experiences in NYC and elsewhere but we've never had an ultra-modern / molecular meal. We've had fine Italian quite frequently whether it be at Scarpetta, Marea, Maialino, etc so I'm not inclined to dine at Spiaggia. I need to let L2O know today if I'm not planning to attend otherwise I'd have to take a financial penalty. It is nice to be stuck with these decisions though,

Thanks everyone for your detailed replies! I think the latest plan is... Thursday Dinner Try Avec regardless of our late arrival on Thursday. If we can get seated or have a bar spot than great. If not we may seek a nearby alternative spot as you all have mentioned or just go over to a Tony Hu place. My girlfriend is Chinese and we can also enjoy a good Chinese meal. Friday Breakfast I was actually referring to Lula Cafe. Sorry about that. I'm going to hop on the M Blue line as I am a few blocks from there and take it to Logan Sq. Friday Lunch As for my lunch alone on Friday it will probably be a whim decision as to whether to hit up a sandwich place like Xoco via walking from my hotel or taking the 134 bus to North Pond. Friday Dinner For dinner Friday we have reservations at Publican which is walking distance. Saturday Breakfast We are staying at a different hotel at that point near north side. If we don't rent a zip car I thought to take the 22 bus to M Henry. It seems a little far but I love a good breakfast. Saturday Lunch It's really up in the air. It doesnt seem like we'll be able to arrive at Hot Doug's prior to their opening and I dont think I can bear waiting in line for 90 minutes. So I might need some alternate hot dog rec's. We'll be near north side as I said. I only know of Portillo's. My girlfriend is intent on hitting up a deep dish or stuffed pizza place. Or possiblilities include Art of Pizza and Lou Malnati's. Saturday Dinner We are still wavering between L2O and Avenues. Sunday We're on our way back to NYC.

Brief trip to Chicago: Itinerary feedback requested I'm a NYer coming to Chicago w/ my GF this Thursday night through Sunday early AM. Wanted to get a mix of great Chicago food and a high end dining experience. FYI, I may rent a car. I was hoping to snag a seating at Alinea and/or Schwa but I was unable to do so. Here's what I planned: Thurs night arrival. May be 9:00 Would like to try Avec. If unable to be seated may try one of Tony Hu's restaurants. Friday Breakfast. Lulu's. Lunch. Maybe North Pond or Blackbird. Leaning towards North Pond b/c I anticipate visiting other Paul Kahan places this trip. North Pond seems like a romantic setting but I'm actually doing this meal alone. She'll be at an interview. If I end up without a car I might just walk over to Xoco for a torta and churros. Dinner. We have reservations at The Publican. We like meat. We dont mind noisy. I think we should be ok. Saturday Breakfast. M Henry. Lunch. I had in mind some sort of self-directed foodie tour. Art of Pizza or some other Chicago pizza place. I'm leaning away from Spacca Napoli b/c we have a lot of neopolitan places in NYC w/ Motorino, Keste, Lucali etc. Would love to try Hot Doug's but fear the line. I hear Portillo's is good but I'm thinking I'd be missing out if I can't get to Hot Doug's. Dinner. I have somewhat late reservations at both L2O and Avenues. I am sooo torn about which place to eat at. Both seem to be boundary pushing modern cuisine. Both are run by talented chefs. The fact that L20 is fish-centric and Avenues is not doesn't swing me one way or the other. I considered Trotter's, Everest, Spiaggia and the like but somehow it came down to these two. Sunday Early AM flight back to NYC. Just looking for your thoughts, comments, etc. Thanks.