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Chicago Q

I can’t say that I’ve ever sought out barbeque in Chicago but recently I had a hankering for some slow cooked meats. Doing some research I landed upon Chicago Q. Chicago isn’t the place I think of when I think about having good barbeque. I tend to think first of Texas then maybe to Kansas City but almost never do I think of Illinois let alone Chicago.

Anyway, I stopped by Chicago Q early on a rainy Saturday night. The place was pretty much empty which to me either means it is not good or I showed up way too early for the dinner rush.

I ordered the ”Flight” from the Low and Slow section on their menu as well as some wings and cornbread. I had mashed potatoes as my side with the flight.

The Flight from Chicago Q

The Flight is served with three meats. Pulled chicken, pulled pork and chopped brisket. You also get to select one side. The mashed potatoes were amazing and came in this nice little cast iron skillet. I also had a piece of corn bread which was a little bit too dry for my liking but not horrible. With enough butter it was pretty good. All of the meats were fantastic. I wish the portions in the flight were slightly larger. I would have liked to see a little bit more meat and less potatoes personally. The chicken wings were dry rub, cooked perfectly and had just the right amount of heat for my pale complexion.

Overall, the food here is great. The drink menu is spectacular and the service was top notch. The barbeque itself will never compare to that of Texas or Kansas City but when I have the desire to consume smoked and slow cooked meats this will definitely be one of the places I visit in Chicago again.

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Galit

On North Lincoln Avenue in Lincoln Park Chicago sits Galit. A small restaurant across the street from Lincoln Hall. This James Beard award-winning Mediterranean restaurant serves a chef’s tasting menu to each of its guests. The menu is made up of five courses.

For the first course, the Hummus course I had the traditional “Tehina” hummus which was served with their delicious bread.

Tehina Hummus
Galit’s Bread

The second course, called “Salatim” consisted of some more amazing spreads as well as vegetables and some assorted pickled vegetables.

Spreads and vegetables

The hummus course and the Salatime course are served at the same time and the portions are perfect for two people.

After the first two courses came the Mezze course. I ordered the Iraqi Kubbeh Halab which was lamb in a crispy saffron crust served with dill leaves. The flavor in this small dish was amazing.

Iraqi Kubbeh Halab

For the main course, I chose to have the Turkey Shawarma. While the flavor was great I do believe that the meat was slightly overcooked. The char on the ends gave the whole dish a very strong burned taste to it. The shawarma is served on top of a pea puree and accompanied by orange blossoms which make a really great pairing.

Turkey Shawarma

For dessert, I had to get the Turkish Coffee Ice cream. Not your traditional coffee flavors here and I highly recommend it.

Turkish Coffee Ice Cream

Galit was a great date night spot with the chef’s tasting menu. All of the portions were great and the value for the evening was great. I would return to this restaurant if they created a new menu for me to try in a heartbeat!

Galit Website