Contemporary American in Lincoln Park: Perennial Virant

Om Nom Gastronomy is back! After a seven month hiatus I am attempting to resurrect this blog, which has, to date, been my outlet for random ramblings about food and an excuse to practice semi-creative writing.

I was doing so well before I took my long, long break, too - I had even pre-written some posts that I just never got around to publishing. Below is a restaurant review for Perennial Virant - a restaurant which I dined at in January, 2012 (likely none of the dishes I ate there are on the menu anymore and thus this review will be wholesomely useless to all readers who are still here after the blog went into polar bear hibernation mode).

Well, here goes nothing - it's good to be writing again, even if it's just a small re-intro!

Perennial Virant

Cuisine: Contemporary American
Location: 1800 North Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL
Price: $$$ 
Food: **** 
Service: **** 
Overall: **** 

Brunch in North Shore: Walker Brothers Pancake House

Cuisine: American/ Brunch
Location: 153 Green Bay Rd., Wilmette, IL
Price: $$
Food: ****
Service: ****
Overall: ****
 
There’s something just so comforting about brunch – it starts with basic staples, like French toast or pancakes if you’ve got a sweet tooth, or eggs and potatoes if you’re more of a savory type. Add in proteins like bacon and sausage, throw in a slice of toast, some OJ and coffee (or Bloody Marys and Mimosas, if you’re in the drinking mood), and you’ve got a meal that is almost impossible to mess up. It’s so easy to you can whip up all of the basics in your own kitchen, yet the communal nature of fighting off a killer hangover to drown the poor decisions of last night in greasy food like syrup on a stack of pancakes never fails to bring people out for the tried and true tradition of Sunday brunch.

In the immediate Northwestern area alone, both Clark’s and Le Peep serve brunch food within walking distance of campus – yet that doesn’t stop hordes of college kids and Evanston residents alike from flocking to Walker Brothers Pancake House on Sunday morning.

XLB in Taipei: Din Tai Fung/ 鼎泰豐

Cuisine: Chinese/ Dim Sum
Location: No. 194, Sec. 2, Xin Yi Rd., Taipei, Taiwan
Price: $$
Food: *****
Service: ****
Overall: *****


Every time I have a friend soliciting food suggestions in Taipei, the very first place I point them to is always one and the same – Din Tai Fung, so they have a chance to experience the world famous Xiao Long Baos (XLBs).

Just how good is this place? The Hong Kong branch received a Michelin star in 2009, and the original Taipei store was named one of the ten best gourmet restaurants in the world by NY Times in 1993. All this, for making the most amazing XLBs known to mankind.

Grilled Meat in Taipei: Ying Bao/ 鷹堡

Cuisine: Meat
Location: No. 5, Lane 160 Sung Chiang Rd., Taipei, Taiwan
Price: $$$$
Food: 3.5*
Service: ****
Overall: 3.5*


Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a carnivore? To look at the lush green foliage around and think, well that looks absolutely disgusting, if it’s not the flesh of an animal I have no intention of putting it in my mouth? That, apparently, is the basis on which Ying Bao operates.

I first heard about this place over the summer, but ran out of time to make it to the restaurant. When asked what kind of food Ying Bao served, my dad’s response was simply, “meat.” So when the opportunity struck to dine here for dinner with some family friends, I eagerly anticipated the experience.