u/LeadingLead6470

Costco baguette, Kewpie mayo, and this year’s harvest of Big Rainbow and Black Krim tomatoes. Finished with pink sea salt, black pepper, and olive oil.* *chef’s kiss

In search of rice, chicken/gyro/lamb, lettuce, tomato, white sauce, and hot sauce. Maybe some fries, too. My favorite from a previous trip to NYC was Mido's Halal. I would go to the Halal Guys in Skokie to scratch my itch but their quality has gone down in recent years. What's your favorite version on the north side or northern burbs?

Finally recovered from the great hornworm attack of 2026 and starting to thrive. Happy days!

These buggers usually go after my tomatoes but this one had a taste for yellow serranos. At least I caught him before he could do more damage.

Year 3 since I put quart sized transplants in the ground. Trimmed back lat fall and this year’s new growth is close to 4’ tall. They’re really hitting their stride!

Here’s my take on their latest menu, Vol. 3, this past weekend. We were celebrating my birthday and I was quite excited for this meal after reading so many positive reviews. Canapés were a great start and the flavors and creativity really came through in their one bite takes inspired by Japanese egg salad, okonomiyaki, and a high noon tea sandwich.

Where the menu stumbled for me were the oshizushi hand roll offerings as each of the five courses was served with a shiso leaf as the vessel for the hand roll instead of nori. Shiso has a strong flavor that made it difficult to taste the actual proteins, sauces, and rice in each course. Perhaps it was chef’s intent to feature shiso as a primary element in a composed bite but my palate was simply overwhelmed with that one flavor after so many courses. The okonomiyaki croquette in the opening canapés was also served on shiso, so I was surprised to see it featured once again.

The menu finished strong with a somen course with a rich and creamy miso broth that one might think is tonkotsu but is actually vegan (made from caramelized soy milk). Desserts included some of my favorite bites from the night, including the strawberry soft serve and a hojicha nutter butter with the mignardises.

Service was great and so was the overall vibe. I love how music is part of the overall theme of the restaurant, too. It’s just a shame that one green leaf becomes my takeaway from the experience. I see their hand rolls used nori in previous menu iterations so I’m hoping that makes a come back. Unless you really like shiso, in which case go make a reservation!

Here are some pics from dinner:

1. Canapés
2. Sashimi (madai with strawberries and fennel)
3. Hand roll presentation
4. Hand roll #1 - chu toro
5. Hand roll #2 - fjord trout
6. Hand roll #3 - king crab with uni supplement
7. Hand roll #4 - Australian lamb
8. Hand roll #5 - anago
9. Somen
10. Strawberry soft serve
11. Mignardises

Picked up the HH Grain to Glass Rye, price was too good to pass up.

Was actually at the facility for my daughter’s volleyball tournament when I happen to see this beautiful set of blues on the other side of the building. Would’ve brought my sticks had I known these were here!