What I Ate During My Year in Chicago ✈️

Bored on the plane, so let’s recap my year of eats in Chicago: 🍣 Itoko – T0-level hand rolls! Appetizers and rice dishes were just okay, but the tuna bowl where you wrap your own nori was insanely good — still dreaming about it. 🇫🇷 La Serre – Gorgeous restaurant. French food leans sour (not my favorite), but the duck dish tasted like Peking duck… though if it tastes like Peking duck, why not just eat Peking duck? 🍢 Ikigai – Rice dishes were average, but their grilled skewers (chicken, gizzard, heart) were absolutely top-tier! 🌮 Tzuco – South American? Not big on sour flavors. Each dish had small issues — the braised beef was tender and amazing, but the tortilla it came with was meh. 🇮🇹 Olio e Più – Average-good Italian. Ordered a super fragrant fish that reminded me of Hunan-style pan-fried crucian carp… but again, why not just eat the original? 🍣 Sushi San – Above-average Japanese. The beef rice bowl was incredible (a bit oily though). Sushi was forgettable. 🌿 Aba – Mediterranean — loved it! Hummus with pita was heavenly, and the roasted kale + tender braised meat were great. Dessert was awful — skip it. 🇰🇷 Soban Korea – Best Korean near Northwestern! Planning to make it my tech class lunch spot next year. 🍱 Went to two other Japanese spots – Both average, but their taiyaki ice cream dessert was T0-level delicious. 🍖 Trivoli Tavern – Solid Italian. The pork shank was fall-apart tender — overall a bit salty though. #MissHomeCooking #Foodie #FoodDiary #HungryNow ✈️🍜💭