Supper Club...Big Star.

Big Star was Alicia's pick. It is a gourmet taco place in Wicker Park. It took over the Pontiac Grill location over a year ago and has a similar layout with the large patio out front but they completely remodeled it so it no longer looks like a parking lot and the bathrooms are not even close to the disgusting mess they used to be. Inside, all the booths are made of wood and the bar takes up most of the space.
The best part of this Supper Club was the fact that the weather was so great that we actually got to spend our dinning experience outside, on the patio, in the sun. It was a little taste of summer!
You know a place is good if before they are even open, there is a line to get in. I am sure the great weather helped contribute to the popularity.
The menu is simple, tacos and tostadas. There are a few appetizers as well. We started off with the Queso Fundido. MELTED QUESO CHIHUAHUA, RAJAS POBLANO, HOUSEMADE CHORIZO, FRESH TORTILLAS.

Alicia and I also started our afternoon with a Big Star Margarita...HERRADURA PLATA, SAN LUIS MEZCAL, LIME, ORANGE CURACAO, while Josh and Jason started off with a shot of the day and a Red Rocket Amber Ale. The Margaritas were good! Strong but good. I, and the rest of the table ended the afternoon with cans of Bombshell Blonde Ale, which may be the best beer in a can I have tasted.

The tacos were good! I had a Tacos De Panza...CRISPY, BRAISED PORK BELLY, TOMATO GUAJILLO SAUCE, QUESO FRESCO, ONION, CILANTRO and a Tacos Al Pastor...MARINATED, SPIT ROASTED PORK SHOULDER, GRILLED PINEAPPLE, GRILLED ONION, CILANTRO . I loved the pork belly taco. It had such great flavor. The al Pastor taco was really good but I REALLY REALLY enjoyed the pork belly.

I had intentions of ordering a fish taco as well but got so full from the Queso Fondido, margaritas, and tacos that I just couldn't find room to fit 'em in. Josh and Alicia had the fish tacos and they got a thumbs up.
Big Star was a great pick! It has a great atmosphere, great menu, good tunes and great drinks. It's not going to have a problem staying busy, especially in the summer with a patio like that. Josh and I had never been there and it was a great first impression. Stay tuned for round 4 of The Supper Club! It's Josh's pick next!

Zak's Place

My husband, Josh, is currently the Chef de Cuisine at Zak's Place, a hidden suburban gem in Hinsdale. Also, the place where Josh and I held our wedding reception. What a great night, filled with A LOT of great food.
Since I do have a food blog what better entry then my husband's restaurant? This past weekend myself and our "Jamaica" friends, Dan and Julie, went to Zak's and had a very special meal that Josh hand picked for us. There were 5 courses and 4 desserts. Not to mention the drinks. I was stuffed and had to be rolled out of there, or at least I felt like I had to.

Our first plate was steamed muscles...one of my favorite dishes of all time. Nothing like melted leeks, white wine, garlic, butter and cream to perfect the dish. Great broth for bread dipping too!

Following the muscles Josh sent out one of my favorite Zak's dishes, Zak's potatoes. They are large wedge cut potatoes fried, with white truffle & parmigiano-reggiano. I seriously could lick the plate. Nothing is more decadent than truffles!

The third plate was my top pick of the night and is not on the menu....yet! It was a lamb lollypop with blue cheese and roasted asparagas and red peppers. It was a combination I could have never thought of. Blue cheese and lamb??? Oh, but it worked so well! Not to mention the fact that up until I met Josh, I would not eat lamb. I just didn't like it. Turns out, I just never had it cooked right. This lamb had the perfect herb de provence crust and a sauce that brought everything together. I have been bugging Josh to make this for me every night since without any luck.

We were given a lovely little pallet cleanser after the lamb lollypop. A grapefruit sorbet! What a great dish itself. It was bright and clean without being as tart as a grapefruit. It has inspired me to make an "adult" summer dessert. Grapefruit Semifreddo Granita!
The fourth dish of the night was a surprising combination of Lobster and passion fruit risotto. I expected to be a lot sweeter than it was consdering lobster is sweet and I assumed that passion fruit was too but the passion fruit added a certain acidity to the dish that leveled it out and brightened up a lot of the flavor. It made it seem not so rich. I think the three of us licked the bowls clean.

Our next dish is a Zak's Place must have. All the times that I have been there with various friends and family someone at the table always gets this dish and ravs about it. I must admit, it is DAMN good! The Chocolate braised short ribs. Yes, I did say Chocolate! They are braised for hours in a chocolate sauce and served over white truffle orzo. You would think that the dish would be sweet just because of the word chocolate but chocolate can be very savory. It reminds me of a mole sauce. It is so tender that I am not sure why they serve it with a steak knife because you honestly don't need it and the orzo that they serve it with is perfect because it is so light and fluffy but not heavy like a rice. It's a must try when you head to Zak's after reading this blog.
On to desserts....there were a lot! They filled our table with Crème brûlée, bread pudding, a trio of chocolate that consisted of chocolate mousse, chocolate truffle, and chocolate ice cream, and just to be funny they served us my very own red velvet cupcake that I had made the staff the day before. It was hilarious but with all the other desserts, I couldn't bare to eat my own cupcake!

It was a great foodie night. I am grateful to be married to such a talented man, though my waistline may not be so grateful. LOL!

I highly suggest you make your way out to Hinsdale to enjoy a great meal, great staff and great atmosphere. It is well worth it!


Zak's Place
112 South Washington Street
Hinsdale, IL 60521-4110
(630) 323-9257