A long overdue review about Peet's in Evanston about my original visit back in November
1622 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
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Short Review:
Pete's is not life Starbuck's, it's actually a nice refreshing throwback to the days when real coffee houses existed in this nation. With locations in 5 states this small chain actually doesn't feel like a chain at all.
Long Review:
Stopped by Peet's Evanston location on a cold blustery day and was a bit overwhelmed by the choices of coffee. This location is extremely quite as there are Northwestern students studying, professors reading, many people writing on labtops, etc... The loudest noise in there is the coffee maker and many times it's the only noise in there.
I ordered a Pumpkin Spice Latte with a Pumpkin muffin. It was very good, approaching Intelligensia's level of quality. The muffin was a decent size for the price and was tasty as well.
The service is good also, the baristas don't rush or bark "next customer" if there is a line. They don't have that rushed retail feel about them either, very relaxed and polite. They also really know a lot about the different types of coffee beans and can answer questions with some actual knowledge. Which can't be said of Starbuck's baristas.
The only slight complaint I have is the atmosphere is a bit sterile. The counter-tops are clean and clear of product displays and this location is big so it the environment can seem slightly cold at times. There are even security cameras hidden in the corner. Despite that this is a coffee chain that I would be willing to return to as they have some very good coffee.
Overall rating 4.5 out 5
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Thai Classic Review
3332 N. Clark Street
Chicago, IL 60657
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Short Review: Went to one of the top Thai places in the city but I may have been expecting too much. Need to back because I love Thai food.
Long Review: We went out in the frigid cold to Thai Classic to meet a couple friends for dinner. I've walked past the Wrigleyville spot a couple of time but didn't know how large it really is on the inside, it looks small and narrow from the sidewalk. In fact, it's easy to miss if you're walking down the street.
When we got into the restaurant it seemed everyone gave us death stares which was very odd but also could have been attributed to our letting the extremely cold wind in. The host was very nice and asked if we would like to sit at a table or on the floor, we opted for a table in the back of the restaurant far away from the front door that lets the cold in every time people enter or leave. (To be fair to the frigid patrons those death stares were more like looks of regret)
We were seated and I opened the menu- there are pictures of dishes on the menu. Like Gordon Ramsey I'm always a bit suspicious of restaurants that show pictures of the food they are going to serve me on their menu due to some bad experiences at those sort of restaurants. I went into alert mode.
The interior is nothing to rave about, this isn't Le Colonial. Just a normal interior with a carpeted floor and with some tables and floor seating around the walls. The front of the restaurant is nicer looking and has wood flooring and a bar but I wasn't going to sit up there with the cold coming through the door.
The El rumbled over head and since it was quite in the back dining area (for now) it got a bit distracting after the second time a train went by minutes later.
We ordered Thai Spring Rolls and Calamari for an appetizer. Despite my advice not to order calamari at a Thai place it wasn't that bad. The Thai spring rolls are cold (this is how many Thai restaurants serve spring rolls so if you order them don't expect Chinese or Japanese spring to come hot from the oven) They were alright also. Just the amount of sweet in the sauce drizzled over it.
It came time to order the main dishes. I ordered Lad Nar- a mistake on my part. From my experience of Lad Nar at Joy's Noodle and Rice. I ordered it wondering if it was any better than the one I had a year ago at Joy's.
Lad Nar is a dish made with wide noodles and either pork or chicken in a gravy. It is a common Thai dish so I wasn't quite expecting what I got. Some of the noodles were a bit too crispy and even burned around the edges and the gravy was too salty. Lad Nar is supposed to be crispy but some of the noodles were downright crunchy. Just like Joy's Noodle and Rice Lad Nar. Before I about to write off the restaurant I tasted everyone else's dish to make sure it was me. Everyone said their dishes were good.
Their dishes were better than mine. Maybe something happened in the kitchen when the cook was making the Lad Nar as the restaurant got very busy very quickly. Maybe this is their variation on Lad Nar?
I gave Thai Classic the benefit of the doubt and decided whoever made my dish was having a bad day because their service is very good.
The waitress was very nice and attentive. Not so attentive that you felt the servers are hovering around the table and refilling your glass every time you take a little sip but just the right amount of watchfulness from a distance kind of attentive.
I will be back to try something else.
4 out of 5 Stars
Chicago, IL 60657
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Short Review: Went to one of the top Thai places in the city but I may have been expecting too much. Need to back because I love Thai food.
Long Review: We went out in the frigid cold to Thai Classic to meet a couple friends for dinner. I've walked past the Wrigleyville spot a couple of time but didn't know how large it really is on the inside, it looks small and narrow from the sidewalk. In fact, it's easy to miss if you're walking down the street.
When we got into the restaurant it seemed everyone gave us death stares which was very odd but also could have been attributed to our letting the extremely cold wind in. The host was very nice and asked if we would like to sit at a table or on the floor, we opted for a table in the back of the restaurant far away from the front door that lets the cold in every time people enter or leave. (To be fair to the frigid patrons those death stares were more like looks of regret)
We were seated and I opened the menu- there are pictures of dishes on the menu. Like Gordon Ramsey I'm always a bit suspicious of restaurants that show pictures of the food they are going to serve me on their menu due to some bad experiences at those sort of restaurants. I went into alert mode.
The interior is nothing to rave about, this isn't Le Colonial. Just a normal interior with a carpeted floor and with some tables and floor seating around the walls. The front of the restaurant is nicer looking and has wood flooring and a bar but I wasn't going to sit up there with the cold coming through the door.
The El rumbled over head and since it was quite in the back dining area (for now) it got a bit distracting after the second time a train went by minutes later.
We ordered Thai Spring Rolls and Calamari for an appetizer. Despite my advice not to order calamari at a Thai place it wasn't that bad. The Thai spring rolls are cold (this is how many Thai restaurants serve spring rolls so if you order them don't expect Chinese or Japanese spring to come hot from the oven) They were alright also. Just the amount of sweet in the sauce drizzled over it.
It came time to order the main dishes. I ordered Lad Nar- a mistake on my part. From my experience of Lad Nar at Joy's Noodle and Rice. I ordered it wondering if it was any better than the one I had a year ago at Joy's.
Lad Nar is a dish made with wide noodles and either pork or chicken in a gravy. It is a common Thai dish so I wasn't quite expecting what I got. Some of the noodles were a bit too crispy and even burned around the edges and the gravy was too salty. Lad Nar is supposed to be crispy but some of the noodles were downright crunchy. Just like Joy's Noodle and Rice Lad Nar. Before I about to write off the restaurant I tasted everyone else's dish to make sure it was me. Everyone said their dishes were good.
Their dishes were better than mine. Maybe something happened in the kitchen when the cook was making the Lad Nar as the restaurant got very busy very quickly. Maybe this is their variation on Lad Nar?
I gave Thai Classic the benefit of the doubt and decided whoever made my dish was having a bad day because their service is very good.
The waitress was very nice and attentive. Not so attentive that you felt the servers are hovering around the table and refilling your glass every time you take a little sip but just the right amount of watchfulness from a distance kind of attentive.
I will be back to try something else.
4 out of 5 Stars
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