Big Bowl | December 3, 2011

60 East Ohio Street  

Chicago, IL 60611

http://www.bigbowl.com/

Miller-Stein Ranking

Our food experience | 4.3 Buckeyes

Quality | 4.2 Buckeyes

Cost | 4.3 Buckeyes

Character | 4.0 Buckeyes

Beverages | 4.5 Buckeyes

Service | 4.5 Buckeyes

CFA Weekend in the Windy City

Photo from http://www.gogobot.com/big_bowl-cedar-chicago-restaurant

Pomegranate Ginger Ale

Rum and Cider

Dumpling Noodle Soup

chicken or vegetable dumplings with noodles, vegetables, tasty chicken broth

Vegetable Pad Thai with Tofu
fresh asian vegetables, tofu

Stein and I ventured up to Chicago for the weekend so he could take his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam, a test, that once passed, allows growth in the industry he is studying to become a part of.

The night before the test we were looking for somewhere not too fancy or expensive to grab a quick bite. We attempted to get pizza from Lumonatti’s (a well known Chicago deep dish pizza hot spot), but were deterred by the 40 minute wait. We wandered the street for a bit and happened upon Big Bowl, an Asian fusion style restaurant with a fast paced hip atmosphere.

After a 10 minute wait, Stein and I were seated close to the windows in the front portion of the restaurant. As the line for a table increased the atmosphere became quite tense with the crowds of people just steps from our table.

The restaurant had a vibe that seemed to be attracting to the younger crowd; loud music, bright lights, lots of seating. There was a food bar towards the kitchen that seemed to be an interesting option. It appeared that patrons would select items from the food bar and the kitchen would stir-fry your selections right then and there.

We were quickly greeted by our attentive waiter with a great sense of humor. Stein and I weren’t shy and ordered our drinks right away. Stein went with the special, the rum and hot cider which came in a clear mug and was steaming. The cider was wonderful; the apple taste with the strength of the rum complimented each other excellently. The rum wasn’t overpowering but still added the needed kick to the drink. I went with the pomegranate ginger ale which was a recommendation by the waiter. The pomegranate was excellent, not too sugary and the ginger melded well with it. Once I got toward the bottom of the drink the ginger got stronger almost to the point of overwhelming, but the drink was still delicious.

The vegetable dumpling noodle soup caught my eye so I ordered a small soup before dinner. The soup was good; the dumplings were rather large and tough to eat in one bite but were enjoyable. The noodles were thick but the absorbed the broth nicely.

Because it was our first visit to Big Bowl we were treated to a peanut sauce and vegetable wrap which was a nice way to start the meal; a taste of what was to come.

In the mood for noodles, Stein and I both selected the vegetable and tofu pad thai. Our waiter was quick to bring our dinner. When the meal arrived I almost gasped, there was enough pad thai on my plate for four people. Not discouraged by how much food there was, Stein and I dug in. The flavors in the pad thai were very interesting. Typically Stein and I are used to a sweetness in pad thai. This dish was different; the noodles had a lemony acidity to them, very different. The vegetables in the dish were a little on the al dente side which wasn’t incredibly appealing. I finished about 1/8 of my dish and Stein wasn’t able to finish his either. We made sure to ask for a box seeing that we could have enough food for dinner the next night.

Once all was said and done, Stein and I enjoyed our dinner and the atmosphere the restaurant provided. We had great service and agreed that we would likely come back, but probably try something new on the menu.