Vettel Dubs Jade Court as One of Chicago’s Best Chinese Restaurants

Is Chicago’s best Chinese restaurant actually located in University Village? Phil Vettel thinks it’s a real possibility. Jade Court is giving Chinatown a run for its money with well-executed dishes that excite. “Intriguing, complexly seasoned” florets of cauliflower are tossed with dried chiles, dried shrimp, shallot, and garlic, while “perfectly scrambled” eggs are embedded with stir-fried shrimp. BBQ pork jowl is “deeply satisfying,” and the $35 Peking duck stars “beautifully pink” slices of meat. Factor in other specialties, like typhoon lobster that’s been stir-fried and deep-fried, and Vettel says Jade Court is “home to the best Chinese food [he’s] had in a long, long time.” [Tribune]

Mike Sula finds temporary relief from dreary Chicago in the form of Hawaiian plate lunches at Aloha Wagon. The takeout counter cooks up items like barbecue chicken thighs, Korean-style pork butt, and beef patties covered in beef-onion gravy. It’s hearty fare and digging into it “requires you to immediately get moving once finished, lest your plodding metabolism finish you.” Spam musubi — processed pork over nori-wrapped rice — is “sustaining enough in its own right” while the signature aloha burger slathered in teriyaki sauce is a “just as satisfying as the plates.” For dessert, pineapple-coconut cheesecake with a buttery cookielike crust provides a “similarly substantial finish.” [Reader]

Gibsons Italia strikes gold in a “stylish, unfussy setting with a knockout river view” according to Ariel Cheung. Gibsons Restaurant Group’s latest opening “diverges and, in some ways, improves upon the original.” The “world-class” selection of steaks includes “silky slivers” of wagyu sirloin, Austrialian bone-in filet mignon, and short rib brasato. Fresh pastas “flesh out nicely with the addition of a protein” but “also work plenty well on their own,” and creamy risotto topped with “plump, tender” scallops is another “can’t-be-missed dish.” Lunch also offers many of the same items and is “lighthearted and easy to love.” Overall, chef Jose Sosa is delivering a “refined but relatable” experience that “refuses to be overshadowed by its sibling eateries.” [Modern Luxury]

Torali Italian-Steak isn’t the easiest place to find “but it’s worth seeking out,” writes Joanne Trestrail. The Ritz-Carlton’s 12th floor restaurant features “opulent modernist décor and sophisticated menus focusing on steak and Italian dishes.” During lunch hours, the “ritzy” lineup includes a filet with black truffle butter and a burger “jazzed up” with mortadella and fontina. “Delicate” yellowfin crudo with shaved sunchoke is equally impressive, and polenta fries with taleggio fonduta “is fun but staggers with richness; a few forkfuls go a long way.” It’s not just the food that’s compelling, either; the inviting atmosphere and natural lightning of the space means guests “might be reluctant to leave.” [Crain’s]