Smoked Salmon Entree from Figs LaGuardia

Item Purchased: Smoked Salmon Entree
Location Purchased: Figs LaGuardia / LaGuardia Airport / Flushing, NY
Price: $18.99 + tax
Date Purchased: 02/02/07

Review: When inside of an airport, I expect to pay too much for too little of something that isn't too good. This is why my girlfriend and I decided to try the fanciest looking place in LaGuardia while we were there. One, two, three, knock out! Figs totally pulled the carpet out from underneath my expectations. If you ever find yourself inside of LaGuardia Airport with a few hours and about thirty dollars to kill, I urge you to make a bee-line for this unassuming food court feast factory!

For about two thirds of what I would pay in Chicago for a comparable dish, I received a substantial chunk of fish that was expertly seasoned, smoked, blackened and served atop a pan-continental salad of baby spinach greens and cold cous cous. From the moment I took the first bite of this meal, I didn't want it to end. The fish was perfectly cooked, with a moist inner flesh and crispy outer carbon casing. Both the salmon and the salad were prepared with a mild vinaigrette which accented each individual element's flavor and served to bring the entire entree together.

Never... I say, never did I think I would find something this delicious and this reasonably priced in an airport food court.

Rating: 4.75 / 5

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Blackened Catfish Fillet with Brown Rice & Smoked Gouda Mac N' Cheese from Handlebar

Item Purchased: Blackened Catfish Fillet with Brown Rice & Smoked Gouda Mac N' Cheese from Handlebar
Location Purchased: Handlebar Bar & Grill / 2311 W. North Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $11.75 + tax

Review: If you are reading this review from inside of Chicago city limits, stop now and get over to 2311 W. North Ave. to try this amazing piece of food yourself! (unless you are at O'Hare, because that ridiculous tendril of the city limits shouldn't really be considered part of Chicago anyway)

Catfish is everywhere in the Midwest. It's one of the few types of fish that you can catch in this area and serve fresh virtually year-round. As with most other foods that are so widely available, there is a lot of poorly prepared catfish to be had in this city. I suppose the fact that Handlebar's menu is pescetarian gives them a slightly better chance of being competent seafood cooks, but even that is no sure bet. Take a chance, however, and you will find this blackened catfish dish to be one of the better fish dishes to be found in the city. Not only is the fish itself of solid texture and consistency, but the combination of flavors used to prepare it are worthy of any four star restaurant.

Served without lemon or sauce to accompany it, this confident charred fillet has a slight citrus flavor cooked into it, a fragile smoky crust and a barbecued spiciness that could put most grilled land animal flesh to shame. Instead of dissolving to much in your mouth as most catfish does, the texture remains and you find yourself chewing something substantial and worth far more than its price tag.

The entree comes with two side dishes of your choice. Because fish usually doesn't fill me up, I chose the carb-full brown rice and Handlebar's specialty... Smoked Gouda macaroni and cheese which, for me, is a prerequisite for eating here. Though I finished everything on my plate, I could have ordered a lite salad and still walked away clutching my satisfied belly, which was full of flavor and amazement when I walked through the entrance I plan on walking through much more often.

Rating: 4.75 / 5

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Filete al Ajillo from La Condesa

Item Purchased: Filete al Ajillo from La Condesa
Location Purchased: La Condesa Restaurant / 2230 S. Ashland Ave. / Chicago, IL
Price: $10.99 + tax

Review: Knowing what I know about the inner workings of the Chicago restaurant industry (a little bit), I savvy myself smart enough to know that any fish entree you pay $10.99 for is most likely frozen and not fresh. I'm no fish snob, but I do believe that fresh is better than frozen and that frozen fish doesn't usually end up tasting exceptional. La Condesa provides an exception to this rule with their Filete al Ajillo.

On this menu, this dish is simply described as a grilled fillet served with special sauce. Not many gringos would take a chance on something like that at an authentic Mexican restaurant, but then again, there aren't many gringos like me.

The grilled fillet is catfish and it comes so smothered in a spicy red sauce that you may think that the waitress brought you a shallow soup instead of fish at all. Don't worry... It's there and it's grilled to perfection. The red sauce has a subtle head, but finishes with a hearty kick that other spicy red sauces could take notes from. If the fish isn't enough to fill you up, the rice, beans and salad will be.

Amidst all of this delicious greatness, you may find it easy to forget to try the best part about a meal at La Condesa... The handmade corn tortillas. Unlike most corn tortillas, La Condesa's handmade wraps have the consistency of Indian naan that has been flattened a bit more thoroughly and flavor unlike anything that would be expected from a dietary staple.

La Condesa, itself, isn't a fancy looking restaurant. In fact, if someone blindfolded you and brought you there, you might think it was a Pizza Hut. Judging by the floor plan and architectural features of the place, I would bet money that the building used to be a Pizza Hut in a past life. Now, La Condesa is one of the best Mexican restaurants in the Pilsen area with friendly waitstaff, live musicians and prices in the mid-range that will seem high until you taste the skillful dishes you receive there.

La Condesa... You may just be seeing a whole lot more of me in the near future!

Rating: 4.5 / 5

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