Tapas Bar » Chicago Bites

The Purple Pig – Chicago Bites Podcast #160

Posted by Tammy

Apr 152010

Spring peas, faro and mint | The Purple Pig

This lovely Spring medley was a welcome choice on the menu.

Despite being located near the Mag Mile, The Purple Pig is a welcome neighborhood-y addition to the area. There’s a lot for meat lovers to enjoy on this menu, but those seeking lighter fare won’t be disappointed either. Join us as we review our recent visit to Chicago’s latest pig-lovin’ establishment.

(17.7 M)

Show Notes:
00:00 – 04:25 Location & “Pig Barrel” Ambiance
04:26 – 05:21 Who should go
05:22 – 07:25 Picking through the menus
07:26 – 09:37 Cured Meat and pacing
09:38 – 11:55 Faro and stinky cheese
11:56 – 14:09 Fried and grilled
14:10 – 16:47 Dessert
16:48 – 19:16 Ratings and sign-off

Cured meats are an excellent choice at this restaurant.

The Purple Pig
500 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-3777
(312) 464-1744
Get directions

	Bridget’s Ratings	Tammy’s Ratings
Food Quality	4	3
Value	4	4
Service	5	4
Ambiance	5	4
Overall	7	7

Price per person: $50

Related Chicago Bites reviews:
The Bristol
Publican

Online buzz about The Purple Pig:
Chicago Food Snob
Chicago Reader
The Cured Ham

What do you think of The Purple Pig? Drop @chicagobites a line on Twitter and let us know!

Desserts are served in little piggy bowls.

We have more photos from The Purple Pig on Facebook.

Mercat a la planxa Chicago Bites Podcast #121

Posted by Tammy

Oct 062008

The baby squid and pasta combined to make a divine dish.

We had the opportunity to see Chef Jose Garces at Gourmet Chicago last week. We were so delighted by his cooking demonstration that we decided to drop by his restaurant for a sample of what he cooked up. The octopus was mighty tasty, but how did the other dishes stack up?

(12.8 M)

Show Notes:
00:00 – 02:18 Dying to try the octopus
02:19 – 04:04 Other appetizers
04:05 – 05:03 Best mojitos evaaaaah
05:04 – 06:15 Getting to dinner and cheese
06:16 – 08:24 Baby squid and other horizontal delights
08:25 – 09:50 Dessert
09:51 – 12:00 The insides
12:01 – 13:56 Wrap-up and sign-off

Two preparations of baby octopus, one by Chef Jose Garces and the other by his restaurant on the right.

Mercat a la planxa
638 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60605
Get directions

	Bridget’s Ratings	Tammy’s Ratings
Food Quality	4	4
Value	4	3
Service	3	3
Ambiance	4	3
Overall	8	7

Average price per person: $70

Online buzz about Mercat a la planxa:
Refined Palate
Sky full of Bacon
The Stew

Chef Jose Garces preparing octopus at Chicago Gourmet

Bull-eh-dia’s Tapas Bar Chicago Bites Podcast #104

Posted by Tammy

May 052008

Solomillo a la Parrilla -- the beef was tender, but the potatoes lacked character.

In the mood for some tapas? You could take the Brown line train to the newly renovated Southport station and walk to the revamped Neybors spot to enjoy the latest offering in Chicago, Bull-eh-dia’s Tapas Bar. Will this newcomer hold up to the city’s stiff competition for tapas cuisine? Listen in to find out.

(18.1 M)

Show Notes:
00:00 – 01:22 The pleasures of Southport dining
01:23 – 02:39 Accessibility conundrums
02:40 – 05:01 Baseline tapas dishes & drinks
05:02 – 08:36 The ups and downs of tapas
08:37 – 09:53 A tapas history according to Bull-eh-dia’s [Wikipedia's article on tapas]
09:54 – 11:47 Thoughts on service
11:48 – 13:10 Ratings and sign-off

Bull-eh-dia’s Tapas
3651 N. Southport
Chicago, IL

Bridget’s Bull-eh-dia’s Ratings:
Food Quality: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 3/5
Overall: 5/10

Tammy’s Bull-eh-dia’s Ratings:
Food Quality: 2/5
Value: 3/5
Service: 3/5
Ambiance: 4/5
Overall: 4/10

Average price per person: $30

One of the best seafood dishes on the menu were the scallops.

Online buzz about Bull-eh-dia’s Tapas Bar:
312 Dining Diva
Yelp

The Calamares a la Plancha, while tasty, were also were served with too much oil.

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