How it all began.
I've been maintaining a list of my favorite restaurants, bars and coffee shops in Chicago for years which I'd share with clients, colleagues and friends. For years the list was primarily focused on what at that time was my own somewhat limited footprint in the city. It favored Andersonville (which is a lovely place to dine and shop, one of my most favorite neighborhoods in Chicago) and a few other spots which I had been lucky enough to come to know by word of mouth.
This was my first Major Plus list:
- Lula Cafe
- Jin Ju
- A Tavola
- Piccolo Sogno
- Sunshine Cafe
- M. Henry
- Masouleh
- Taste of Peru
- Hopleaf
- Cumin
- Tanoshii
- The Publican
- The Bristol
- Hot Doug's
- Ante Prima
- The Coffee Studio
- The Long Room
- Kopi Cafe
Since then I have made it a point to expand my drinking & dining horizons and to document my dining & drinking adventures via Twitter with pics and what I consider my signature focus on being positive, or at least as much as possible. Being real but leaning heavily towards positivity. The eating frenzy often left bits of bacon and shards of sourdough in my hair… While I managed to squeak out a few 140 character or less reviews, leave maybe a 'Tip' or two on Foursquare I never really wrote as much as I would have liked about these often inspiring experiences… so now I am embarking on a this, my new food blog. As someone who has tremendous attention to every detail, I really want to capture more of my experiences to share with others.
This year, in 2013 I focused a lot on what's happening with Japanese cuisine, robato grills, sushi and with all the new independent breweries, a scene which is positively exploding. I had lots of help from a handful of favorite sources determining where to go and what to try, EaterChicago, LTHForum, The Local Beet - Chicago Edition, Tom Keith's Hopping Around column, Mash Tun - a Craft Beer Journal and of course, Twitter. So I set out to investigate the likes of Yusho, Slurping Turtle, Yuzu Sushi & Robata Grill, Kai Zan, Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar, Katsu, Kabocha and Kamehachi... and a couple, Arami and Sumi, remain on my must-do list for 2014. I also got swept away discovering amazing restaurants and bars that were either new or had been around a while but I'd not been to yet… Nightwood, Balena, Pleasant House Bakery, Maria's Packaged Goods, Mott St., Ruxbin, Billy Sunday… to mention a few. I've met lots of great new friends and 'tweeps' along the way and been astounded by the graciousness of many chefs (in particular Matthias Merges of Yusho and A10 Hyde Park, Chef Chao at Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar, Jason Vincent at Nightwood and Roy Choi or LASon whose new book you simply have to have!); business owners (especially Art and Chelsea Jackson the chef/owners of Pleasant House Bakery); 'Drink Folk' - the cocktail/bar program directors (Alex Bachman of Billy Sunday and Yusho), sommeliers, cicerones, bartenders, bar-backs, ice carvers; servers (every single one at M. Henry); and I have had a blast meeting other customers… So much goodness!
Soon I will be announcing my favorite dishes, places, wines and beers from 2013, I hope you'll visit It's A Major Plus again soon!
