Sorry Joy Yee, You're Just Not Cozy Enough

Forgive the title of this post. It's horrible, but I couldn't resist.

There are many noodle places in Evanston, but Joy Yee certainly gets the most attention. With their gargantuan menu with big pictures, humongous entrees served in hollowed out pineapples, huge fruit drinks with disgusting black tapioca balls at the bottom, the place is always packed. And when I say packed, I mean packed. You could barely slide a paper doll between the tables. When they closed down to renovate and expand into the space immediately next door, there was speculation that the crowding would ease up. I predicted there would just be more tables incredibly close to each other. I was pretty much right.

I like Joy Yee's food, and it's kind of fun, and they do make a great Thai Iced Coffee which would be on my list for my last meal on death row, but there's a little, mostly unsung, noodle place a few blocks down that I would much rather spend my time and money in. I'm not sure how I missed Cozy Noodles & Rice for so long, but I'm glad I finally found it. I'm pretty sure I've blogged about it before, but I'm going to do it again. It's like a family friendly Joy Yee without all the flash. The walls are adorned with kitsch - old lunchboxes, pez dispensers, bobbleheads, etc....but somehow they manage to come off as more of a wierd collection than an attempt at retro-cool. That's neither here nor there for me personally, but Linnea loves looking at it all. The menu is considerably shorter than Joy Yee's, but it has all the noodle shop staples plus some specials, and I'm yet to have a bad dish. Their Thai Iced Coffee is also excellent and they also have a selection of fruit freezes, though I'm not sure about the tapioca.

Tonight we were sat in the smaller room for the first time, along with a few other families (possibly a birthday party?), which made me feel comfortable and not overly concerned about Linnea's volume or penchant to wander around. Linnea really enjoyed the fact the tables in that room were old sewing tables that still had the wheel and the foot pedal. We had the spring rolls which are unlike any I've had anywhere else - I'm not even sure what's in them. Rather than the rice paper the wrap is a thicker spongier material, and fillings are thicker too - tofu or something, all drizzled with a very sweet sauce. I get them whenever I go, and Linnea even likes it. I ordered the Bammee noodles and the waitress tried to talk me out of them, giving me the sense that I was too white for this dish, which only solidified my resolve. They turned out to be ramen type noodles with very good BBQ pork, peanuts, and a couple pieces of crabmeat (imitation I'm sure). It wasn't bad but the noodles were too sweet. We also got Yakisoba noodles with tofu and carrots, which Linnea loved and I liked too. Linnea was in a good mood and willing to try things, including the tofu, which she liked. The service was very friendly and prompt, but not rushed, though the food came very quickly. Though we didn't get it tonight, they have great mochi too (something I'm pretty sure Joy Yee doesn't have).

This is probably one of the most family friendly restaurants in Evanston, though you might never suspect it to be. My daughter loves the food and the atmosphere, and it's great to be able to take her some place where grilled cheese isn't an option.

Life in A College Town

I was ready to enjoy my favorite brunch this morning at Dixie Kitchen, my favorite Evanston restaurant. Wanting to read I was a little grouchy about being seated right against a group of four college students when there was plenty of room elsewhere, but was relieved when I saw they were paying their bill as I was sitting down. Got to enjoy a mostly peaceful breakfast until another group was seated at that table and I looked over and it really looked like the same people who had been there before. I then heard them explain that upon leaving the restaurant they had sought a place to go drinking (it was about 10:15am when they left) and, surprise surprise, couldn't find anywhere open at that time, so they returned to Dixie Kitchen, which was ready and willing to accomodate their early morning alcohol needs. Sounded like they were in town for the NW football game, possibly with the other team as they didn't seem to know the area very well. I did my best to block out their fascinating discussion of which lite beer they like best...

2 Great Meals

What a good of eating. First, I made my second ever trek out to Hot Doug's Sausage Superstore and Encased Meat Emporium to gather lunch for the office. I can't say enough about this place. This is the second time we've faxed in a large order for pick up - both times the orders were ready when we got there, and the staff was incredibly friendly. When you're going to a hot dog joint that serves the likes of " Blue Cheese Pork Sausage with Creamy Pear Sauce and Smoked Almonds" you almost expect a certain level of pretension and stand-offishness from the staff. This is Chicago after all. But no deal. Nice folks. Both times too the orders have been perfectly assembled without a single condiment mistakenly missed or added.

And the food? Oh man....I never thought I could like any kind of "encased meat" so much. Both times I've tried one of their pricey weekly specials. Last time it was a Ribeye sausage with swiss and horseradish sauce ($7). It was wonderful. The sausage was flavorful - the toppings a great match. Today it was Duck Sausage with citrus mustard, tilsiter cheese (I don't pretend to have a clue what kind of cheese that is), and mandarin oranges ($7). This one, while still very good, wasn't perfect. The mustard was a bit too much and completely overpowered. When I got to the end of the roll I finally got a mostly unadorned bite of the sausage and discovered it was excellent on it's own, making me wish I had actually tasted much more of it. Other folks in the office have ordered a nice cross section of items from both the regular menu, and the weekly specials - including $1.25 hot dogs, $3 beer soaked brats, chicken sausage (The Shawon Dunston), and others. No complaints - not a single one. Many positive remarks.

The only caveat I would offer is in regard to their much ballyhooed "duck-fat fries". They're only available Friday and Saturday and are $3.50 for a large helping. We did a side by side comparison between the DFF and the regular handcut fries and couldn't really discern a flavor or significant texture difference. The regular fries are great - save yourself $1.50 and skip the duck fat.

The place is a bit off the beaten path, though not far off the Kennedy. No dedicated parking, but both times I've been there (weekday lunch hour) unmetered street parking was available nearby. The first time I was there, there was a line out the door and it was about a 10 minute wait (I was then informed that having faxed my order in I could have bypassed the line). Today there was almost no line when I arrived, but by the time I left there were about 5 or 6 people waiting to order. There is a moderate amount of seating, though the first time I was there it seemed people were experiencing short waits for a table.

Dinner tonight was also excellent. We went to the Celtic Knot in Evanston. This was my 3rd time there, and the best food I've had there. I always have a hard time choosing as so much on their menu sounds great, but I went with the Stilton Burger tonight and it was the best I've ever had. The Stilton was perfect - very flavorful, but not overly pungent, along with a good amount of carmelized onions and mustard. The steak fries that came with it were also very good.

Jennifer had the "Celtic Collection" which is a sampler plate with fish & chips, corned beef and cabbage, and lamb stew. She was very happy with all of it. I was quite fond of the horseradish sauce that came with it and kept dipping my fries in it.

Service wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. Our waitress seemed to be the only one in the dining room area and while everything was fine and happened in a timely manner, there were no smiles or pleasantries at all.