Thanks for stopping by. Welcome to
It's A Major Plus. This is where I write about my dining and drinking adventures.
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
Then… my friend Jose came to visit me one spring and we had a fun, long weekend dining at many fine establishments, licking our fingers, snapping pics and literally smelling the roses - well, tulips - you get the gist. He taught me some ways to improve my photography and set me up with a twitter account. Things have not been the same since.
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!
I've chosen Andersonville, where it all started for me, one of my favorite neighborhoods for the first meet up. So Bi Bim 'Bap' on over to Andersonville for dinner at Jin Ju. Jin Ju is a fantastic, fun place with a great menu of Korean cuisine and fabulous sojutinis! Among my favorite dishes are the Sang Sun Jun and Mandoo (fried or steamed) appetizers as well as the Kim Bap and of course their Dak Gan Jang! For an entrée, while I have tried everything on the menu, I simply die for and am unable to steer away from their Dol Sut Bi Bim Bap, probably because it's served in a sizzling hot stone pot!