Big Ed's

On Saturday, Greedy Eater 2 and I went to Big Ed's BBQ restaurant in North Chicago, IL. North Chicago is about an hour north of the city of Chicago. I've been to Big Ed's before and had a good experience, but Greedy Eater 2 had never been.

As soon as we walked in the door, we could see and smell the smoke from the grill. It was an awesome smell. Greedy Eater 2 ordered the half slab of ribs which came with two sides. The sides ordered were cole slaw and macaroni & cheese. I ordered the 2 piece catfish meal which came with fries and a drink.

Greedy Eater 2 liked the ribs so much, that they needed a private moment to savor the taste. There was a good amount of meat on the bones, which is always a good thing.

When I've went to Big Ed's in the past, I've ordered their rib tips. So this time I wanted to try their catfish. The catfish was one of the best fried catfish I've ever had. I liked it better than my mom's fried catfish. It was nice and hot, and it had a really good seasoning. The fries were nice and hot, and were just the way that I like them.

By the time we left there, we were full. A good happy full. The food was worth the $20 we paid. I will keep going back to Big Ed's and I'm sure Greedy Eater 2 is a new fan.

If you're ever in the northern suburbs around Gurnee, IL, you won't be too far from Big Ed's.

Hayashi - CLOSED

Update: Hayashi closed in March 2013.

This past Friday, Greedy Eater 2 and I went to Hayashi for sushi. We have eaten at Hayashi at its old location on Currency Dr., and we also frequented Fuji (old Baker's Square). We always thought both restaurants served good sushi, and our experiences at their hibachi grills weren't bad either. Now that Hayashi has moved to Fuji's location, we wanted to check it out. We always sat at the sushi bar at Fuji's, so we did the same this time. It's pretty cool seeing the chef make the sushi right there in front of you. Plus you can ask the chef sushi questions, etc.

We decided to just order sushi and skip getting an appetizer and a salad; however, the chef insisted we try the house salad since he made the dressing and it was new. Compared to the dressing on the salad at the old location, the dressing at the new location tastes much better. It's a little more creamier. I was also pretty proud of myself that I was able to eat my salad with chopsticks and not make a mess.

We ordered three sushi rolls: Golden Boy Roll, Mango Martini, and Tekka Roll. The Golden Boy consisted of shrimp tempura, cucumber, smoked salmon, mustard sauce.  The Mango Martini consisted of crab and cucumber, with mango sauce on top, and it was lightly fried. The Tekka roll was raw tuna rolled in rice and seaweed. All three rolls were good. The sauce on the Golden Boy and Mango Martini were not overpowering. Once we were done eating the three rolls, we ordered Hamachi Nigiri (i.e. yellowtail sushi). This was my first time trying yellowtail. It had an interesting taste.

As always, Hayashi didn't disappoint when it came to the food and service.