Homemade :: Dinner & Wine with KDrama

 

bellyQ :: Post Bulls Game Snack

White Wine ($10/glass, $28/half litre) & Rib Tips ($8)

Rib Tips ($8)

maple bbq glaze, sesame, steamed bun

My friends and I just finished watching a Chicago Bulls vs Charlotte Hornets game at the United Center and was looking for a nice place within walking distance to have a drink and a bite to eat while we waited for the post-game traffic to die down. We got to bellyQ at around 9:15pm and had a seat at the bar since the restaurant didn't have any tables immediately available. 

The 6 of us each ordered a snack whilst some of us shared 1/2 a litre of white one. The staff at the bar were super nice and the food came out promptly. My friends ordered the sticky rice ($5), thai chicken wings ($5), crab rangoon ($5), and belly mac ($8), while I ordered the rib tips ($8). I had a taste of my friend's belly mac and it was delicious! I really loved how they combined thai curry and udon noodles into a small snack. I also really enjoyed the rib tips. The ribs were flavourful and tender and the steamed bun was soft. 

Looking through their menu and instagram geotag feed, bellyQ appeared to have an interesting selection of drinks which I would like to try one day. Also when walking into bellyQ, I saw that they had Korean BBQ grills available too. After trying the delicious snacks (which I think are quite decently priced), the pleasant bar service, and my piqued interest in their drink menu and grill, I would most definitely return if I was in the restaurant's vicinity. 

However, when I got home after my meal I realized I miscalculated my total on my receipt (subtotal was $70.72 and intended on tipping $9.60, but wrote $88.32 instead of $80.32 - [for what reasons I made this mathematical error, I have no idea, blame it on the wine]). Due to the mathematical discrepancy, I was going to contact the restaurant just to see what they would enter so I knew what to expect on my monthly statement. I went online and I couldn't find an email to contact the general manager at so I called the restaurant after hours expecting to get a voicemail since it was at around 1:30am. I pushed the extension for the general manger, but her voicemail box was full. Since it was full, I hung up and re-dialed hoping to find another place to leave a voicemail but was surprised when someone picked up the phone. She seemed a little tired and but prompted me to explain my situation. When explaining the tipping error she seemed annoyed and rudely cut me off mid sentence by saying 'we only enter the tip line into the computer'. I replied 'thanks! so to confirm only the tip line will be entered and the total line will not?' she quickly just 'mhmm-ed' me and hung up before I was able to thank her for picking up the phone. I would not have minded if the restaurant took the extra $8 due to my mathematical error, since it was my mistake, but I didn't appreciate the treatment I received on the phone. I understand that my call was quite late, but if the restaurant was closed and it was in the early hours of the morning, they didn't need to pick up the phone. If you did decide to pick up the phone, provide polite and professional customer service. Despite this post visit exchange, I would still recommend bellyQ to friends and would probably return. I'll just make an effort to double check my math before leaving a restaurant.

bellyQ
1400 W Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60607
312.563.1010
website

TÊTE Charcuterie :: Dinner Date with Big !

Small Charcuterie Board ($26)

Dry-Aged Beef Tartare ($16)

smoked ketchup, egg yolk jam, mushroom 'escabeche', mustard blossom

Hamachi Crudo ($17)

yuzu-aji amarillo vinaigrette, asian pear, myoga

TÊTE Charcuterie

1114 W Randolph St

Chicago, IL 60607

312.733.1178

website

Homestead on the Roof :: Labour Day Patio Dinner with Matt, Tristina, and Jess

Summer Panzenella ($10)

housemade sourdough, marinated tomatoes, smoked tropea onions, burrata, preserved kale, burnt leek vinaigrette

Suckling Pig Falafel ($12) 

compressed melon, dill yogurt, pickled jalapeno

Sweet Corn Agnolotti ($14)

chantrelles, roasted tomato jam, grilled squash, pecorino

Egyptian Spiced Mussels ($14)

sumac-infused apples, calvados, spiced pita, house baguette

Tamellini Soave, 2013 ($40/bottle)	Pappardelle ($16) beef short rib sugo, smoked green garlic, pickled ramp

Complimentary Desserts

peanut brittle, jelly, salted caramel, and chocolate cake

Photo of their garden!

Sign is outside, to go in you walk in to Roots Pizza and go into the back and up the stairs!

(Sort of speakeasy style but not really)

The rooftop was an amazing environment to enjoy a cute dinner with friends with a great glass of wine and amazing food. Highly recommend to check out this place when the weather is warm!

The only thing that took away from the entire experience was the service. Food service was great, but the hostess/reservations was where we had the problem. We got there at 7pm, expecting to wait. Hostess refused to let us go up to the bar while we waited for the table because they were "way too packed" and that waiting list for the meal was 2 hours - we would be seated by 9pm. She told us to walk around the block for the 2 hours and come back at around 8:50pm to be seated. Was a little skeptical and went on OpenTable while walking out and found a reservation for 7:30pm. Went back to the hostess to tell her we now had a reservation. She simply stated "oh you must have gotten lucky, someone must have just cancelled" and ushered us to walk upstairs. There was literally 4 people in the bar and 4 empty tables upstairs. My friends and I were appalled in how  "packed" it was. The restaurant did get busy at around 8/9pm but it was no excuse to refuse our entry to the upstairs bar at 7pm when the restaurant wasn't that busy. We ended up finishing our dinner at around 9pm. Long story short: make reservations.

Homestead on the Roof

1924 W Chicago Ave

Chicago 60622

773.332.2354

website