The Dro Show : restaurant review

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I’m on a mission to check out all the vegan spots in Chicago! On my latest foodventure, I traveled to The Chicago Diner in the Lakeview/Boystown neighborhood on Halsted street before going to see the long awaited Black Panther movie ñ

The Chicago Diner has been around since 1983 despite the naysayers informing Mickey Hornick and "Chef Jo" Kaucher that a meat free restaurant would never work. The duo ignored the scoffers and decided to go for a vintage theme mirroring classic diners of past decades and the rest is history. The menu features meatless delights from seitan burgers to vegan pancakes and even has gluten free options on certain dishes.

Upon my visit, the place was packed! Definitely not a slept on restaurant. The wait was about 35 minutes, but honestly the food was definitely worth it (keep in mind this was a fairly warm Saturday night too).

The Truffle Mushroom Lentil Loaf plus a side of Sweet Potato Fries. Great meal and finely seasoned. I'm a big lover of mushrooms and since I've been on my vegetarian turned vegan journey, I've always wanted to have a bite of mushroom loaf in remembrance of my meatloaf eating days.

Chile. This dish broke the mold! When I was a meat eater, I never checked for steak like that, unless it was chopped into a taco. So with that stated, I definitely didn't care for Country Fried Steak. This beautiful dish here is Country Fried Steak made from seitan and my goodness, it was delicious! Drenched in gravy with a side of sauteed veggies and mashed potatoes, this has got to be one of the best vegan dishes (other than my own food!) that I've tasted in months.

I sat at the bar for my dinner, so it definitely gave me a genuine old school feel. Next time, and yes there will be a next time, I definitely want to try some of the desserts!

There are two TCD locations

Rating: 9.5/10

The Chicago Diner is located at 3411 N. Halsted, Chicago, IL 60657 in Lakeview open from 11am-10pm from Mondays to Thursdays, 11am-11pm on Fridays, 10am-11pm on Saturday, and 10am-10pm on Sundays, 773-935-6695

The Chicago Diner is located at 2333 N. Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647 in Logan Square open from 11am-10pm from Mondays to Thursdays, 11am-11pm on Fridays, 10am-11pm on Saturday, and 10am-10pm on Sundays, 773-252-3211

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Southern food will always be one of my favorites. Since going vegetarian and eventually vegan, it's been harder to find good Southern food that still has the same flavorful, hearty, down home that I know and love. Wishbone Restaurant is a very popular Southern restaurant here in Chicago and it's been on my list of restaurants to dine at for a few years now. I wish I would have visited during my meat and cheese eating days to get a taste of their jambalaya and macaroni and cheese, but it's all good.

Wishbone was opened by Chef Joel Nickson in July 1990 on Grand Avenue. Two years later, another restaurant was opened at 1001 W. Washington in the West Loop neighborhood. Back in the 1990's, the West Loop (especially near Lake Street in the Union Park area) was well known for being an area heavily populated with industrial warehouses and factories. To this day there are still old industrial buildings surrounding the neighborhood. Wishbone was an OG restaurant that set up shop in a perimeter unusual for a restaurant, especially a 170 seat Southern food restaurant. Today the area is well known for the culinary spots since the district has blossomed throughout the decades.

I visited the Lakeview Wishbone randomly on a Saturday night. It was pretty slow and empty that evening which I had no problem with being that I was exceptionally hungry. I sat down and admired the whimsical artwork and decorative pieces that adorned the walls and even the ceiling. Warm colors of burnt reds, oranges, browns, and cool purples and blues stained the walls. The motto of the spot is "Southern reconstructed cooking" which not only means there's a healthier remix to traditional dishes of the American South, but also to the aesthetic. I enjoyed the decorations plentiful.

The service at Wishbone was fine. No complaints, friendly waiters and staff. For dinner, I ordered the Black Bean Cakes which is gluten free and vegan friendly. As a matter of fact, Wishbone has quite a few gluten free and vegan friendly dishes on the menu. My dinner didn't take too long to be prepared. I ordered sweet potato fries and sauteed spinach on the side. The black bean cakes were divine, especially with the mango salsa that came on the side. Definitely a very "South of the border" touch going on here. I enjoyed my meal, but I do wish there was more. Seeing that Wishbone has "tweaked tradition for a healthier take on Southern cuisine", I Figured that the establishment would be serving meals in serving sizes. Despite that, the food was fulfilling.

I didn't get much of a Southern cuisine vibe from my meal at Wishbone, but I did thoroughly enjoy the black bean cakes and I appreciate the effort of the food being healthy. I'd like to visit Wishbone again, specifically at the West Loop location and try more vegan/gluten free dishes.

Rating: 8/10

Wishbone Restaurant is located at 1001 W. Washington, Chicago, IL 60607 in the West Loop open from 7am-3pm on Mondays, 7am-9pm Tuesdays to Thursdays, 7am-10pm Fridays, 8am-3pm & 5pm-10pm Saturdays, and 8am-3pm Sundays, 312-850-2663

Wishbone Restaurant is 3300 N. Lincoln Avenue, Chicago, IL 60657 in Lakeview, open from 8am-3pm Mondays to Wednesdays and 8am-3pm & 5pm-9pm Thursdays to Sundays, 773-549-2663

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I had the pleasure of visiting Majani Vegan Restaurant this past summer. This visit was while I was still vegetarian, but I had always loved eating vegan dishes too. I found out about Majani through an acquaintance on Facebook and had to make a trip to the South Shore neighborhood. Majani was founded and owned by husband and wife duo Tsadakeeyah and Nasya Emmanuel and officially opened in their current location earlier this year. The couple, who are residents of South Shore, had spent years catering vegetarian food and decided to open up a vegan/vegetarian restaurant in their own backyard. On their website, they stated that they grew tired of having to leave their community in order to enjoy a healthy meal which is why they wanted to open the restaurant in the location.

In an interview with DNA Info, Tsadakeeyah, who grew up in a vegetarian diet based home due to religious beliefs, stated that he had dreams of owning his own restaurant since 2006. He and his wife even hope to expand to Englewood and to the West Side. The food is a mix of soul food, African, and Caribbean influences with a vegan/vegetarian twist and there are even a few gluten free options too. The restaurant still offers their catering services as well.

Majani is absolutely lovely inside. Unfortunately I didn't take enough pictures of the exterior, but it had a modern, industrial design with an exposed brick wall, African printed decoration pieces, including an African print column adjacent to the window, and gorgeous wood tables. There's even a display case full of sweet treats for your post dinner dessert under a chalk board menu.

I started off with a salad (with the restaurant's house made dressing), vegetable soup, and cornbread. And my GAWD. The cornbread was absolutely scrumptious. Since I've gone vegan and gluten free, it's been hard finding soul food style cornbread. It's gluten free and dairy free of course, and tastes just like good ol' Southern hot water cornbread. Honestly, I think this was my absolute favorite dish from the restaurant so far.

For the main course, I feasted on the Eggplant Parmesan dinner (made with cashew cheese if my memory serves me correctly). This meal came with a side of mixed veggies and string beans. On the side. As a side dish, I had the sweet potatoes which came with the restaurant's homemade bbq sauce. A mixture and tangy and sweet and could give Open Pit a run for their money.

The most unique part of the dinner was the vegan hot wings, which is made out of cauliflower. I had always wanted to try these because I've heard many wonderful reviews about this dish. Also smothered in Majani's bbq sauce, I made the decision that this was my next favorite after the cornbread.

I'm still more than pleased with my visit to Majani. For my next visit, I'd like to have a classic, downhome soul food meal with macaroni and cheese, greens, that delicious cornbread, and black eyed peas. My mouth is watering just thinking of it! I think Majani is an amazing addition to the South Shore neighborhood so that residents will have better access to healthier options. I'm hoping and praying the couple decides to expand in other underserved areas in the city. Much success and blessings to the Emmanuel family.