The much anticipated Soda& Swine along with its counterpart Polite Provisions is now open. Doors opened to the public last night, Monday, for the restaurant and bar’s soft launch including family and friends were welcomed earlier in the evening. I passed by around 9 and the place was packed for the pre-launch.

The menus include dozens of draft options including beer, wine and spirits, as well as the signature sodas—think sarsaparilla, chai cola and orange cream, to name a few. Oh, and virgin options too.

Soda and Swine boasts simple small plates along with a meatball concept (you choose the meatball type, sauce, cheese and style for a total DIY dining approach), salads, sides and pies.

The place is beautiful with dark wood, comfy seating and lots of candlelight. If I were in Chicago, I’d say it resembles Gilt Bar and Maude’s Liquor Bar, brainchildren of the Windy City’s Brian Sodikoff and not too shabby (incidentally the force behind the food here comes from former Chicago Ria chef Jason McLeod, as reported by SD’s edition of Eater back in November). Surely once it gets in gear it will be a North Park/University Heights destination for San Diego’s finest foodies. Review coming as soon as I can get in the door!

Soda and Swine menu: click here.

Polite Provisions menu: click here.

Polite Provisions/Soda and Swine

30th and Adams / University Heights / San Diego

City Provisions is not new to me, but its North Center location makes it a bit of a hike for anyone who works downtown. That means: It might be new to YOU! Plus, it has received a lot of praise and general street cred for people who know about it (ahem, TimeOut Chicago’s Top 100 list).

If you do have the occasion to be on the North Side around lunch time, this is your place. It doesn’t even matter who you are. If you like food that tastes good and is good for you, go here. (And the wait is pretty much non-existent when compared with, say, my other other downtown favorite, Publican Quality Meats.) The caterer-turned-retail lunch shop is a relatively no-nonsense deli counter with some of the most inventive staples in the city.

Also, its big, wooden shared tables, self-serve water station and cute jars of fresh flowers are pretty darn pleasant.

Have a taste for sriracha egg salad? (Happens to be JUST how I like mine.) Or a curried veggie wrap on whole wheat tortilla (shown)? There are usually soups and specials, too, and there are always cookies and other treats, a coffee bar, and Chicago-based foodie finds like honey, dressings and other accoutrements. City Provisions prides itself on the best ingredients that are local, organic and in season.

You will not find a $5 Foot Long here but you WILL find the best $12 sandwich you will have this summer.

City Provisions

1818 W. Wilson / North Center / Chicago

This teeny tiny (emphasis on tiny) sushi spot west of Western on Chicago Ave. is a gem. Yes, you will have to spend $15 on a cab getting there from downtown, but it is well worth the distance for the little morsels of sushi and sashimi this place dishes up for the six or so tables it fills.

It is kind of Antique Taco-meets-Japanese in terms of the decor and feel… The adornments are adorable, making this a great date spot (as my friend Trevor says, this would be a good fourth date spot once you know the person well enough to spend the evening with him or her “on an island”) or a place for a small girls dinner.

None of the tables here has more than room for about four, and there are ample bar stools for anyone wishing not to make a reservation but instead to pony up and watch the chef prepare his tasty creations.

Do not miss the maguro pearls or the flaming tuna. Oh, and it’s BYOB. Our table of four set us back a collective $100. Seriously? What’s not to like.

Kai Zan

2557 1/2 Chicago Ave. / Humboldt Park

Each time I visit California, I become a little more infatuated with the ubiquitous “acai bowl.” Yes, there are a few acai applications here (Protein Bar includes the berries in some of its blended drinks, for example), but for a breakfast/lunch/snack staple so simple, it’s shocking we don’t have something that resembles the goodness of Swami’s Cafe’s very own (Encinitas, Calif.).

Whether or not you believe in the acai’s antioxident benefits, the bowl is made from frozen acai berries, blended like a thick, still frozen smoothie, covered in sliced banana, granola, shredded coconut, frozen raspberries and bee pollen. (Bee pollen is another thing Chicago hasn’t quite caught on to, unless I’ve missed something.)

Does anyone know where to find an acai bowl in Chicago? Why are we so behind on this?

Swami’s

1163 S Coast Hwy 101 / Encinitas, Calif.

This weekend, my friend Robin and I ran the CARA FirstMerit Bank Lakefront 10-Miler. We did the run as a fundraising effort for EGBOK Mission—an organization that is important to us both. EGBOK is devoted to connecting young adults with their potential as hospitality professionals. Currently, the organization is working with students in several countries in Asia, and we decided to run for their education.

We are happy to say we reached—and surpassed—our fundraising goal of $2,000.

What does this have to do with food? you might ask. Well second to our EGBOK contribution, the best thing about race day is the glorious post-run brunch that follows. I wanted to pick a place that is tried and true, and since we were already up at Montrose Harbor, we decided to go the extra mile (literally) and make it an M. Henry morning.

If you don’t know if, M. Henry is a brunch spot in Andersonville. It is reasonable, delicious and byob. I could eat M.Henry’s black bean cakes every morning. I might even try it, if it weren’t for the sometimes long-ish wait that can happen outside of M.Henry. Luckily, we arrived by 10 am and our party of six sat right down.

My recommendations: bring champagne if you are in the mood for a mimosa. M.Henry has big carafes of OJ that are great for mixing. You can never go wrong with the Latina Omeleta or Black Bean Cakes. The breakfast sandwich is another highlight.

However, word to the wise: if they are serving breakfast bread pudding (shown with berries) that is a must. Get it for the table, or for yourself. It is worth the “extra mile.”

Also, I am happy to hear that M.Henry has opened a sister spot. M. Henrietta! Located at Granville and Broadway, I’m thinking this might have had something to do with our minimal wait time…

M. Henry

5707 N. Clark / Andersonville / Chicago

No reservations / BYOB

Not the greatest picture BUT this was one of the easiest and most healthy dinners I have made in a long time. Even though I have been making a lot of Trader Joe’s mentions lately, it should be noted that everything in this recipe was purchased at TJ’s and the whole darn shopping list totaled around $15. Riley and I had it for dinner and then lunch the next day.

Here’s what you need:
-Brown rice (1 cup uncooked)
-Sliced mushrooms (one package)
-Shredded carrots (or you could easily shred whole carrots)
-Firm tofu (one pack)

-Eggs

-TJ’s Gyoza dipping sauce (or any other Asian sauce you’d like to try)
-Haricot verts (or plain green beans)

Here’s what you need to do:
-Cook the rice with a pinch of salt. Cool, or serve warm.
-While rice is cooking, in a single “man-pan” or all purpose wok/pan, cook the mushrooms with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of Adobo seasoning or just plan salt and pepper. Cook until soft. Set aside.
-In the same pan (no need to wash), heat 1/4 inch of water and blanch half a pan of green beans. Cool and cut into quarters.
-In the same pan (again, as-is!) cook 1/2 pack of shredded carrots in a drizzle of olive oil and about 2 T of gyoza dipping sauce for flavor and spice. Set aside to cool.
-Cut 1/2 of the tofu to desired shape/size.

Once the rice is done, take off heat. In same wok-style pan, cook two eggs, sunny-side up. While eggs are cooking, scoop rice into bowls and fill with veggies and tofu. Serve egg on top. Drizzle gyoza dipping sauce and sriacha for flavor and spice. Add sprouts, green onion, any other veggies you like. Nutritious and delicious.

It took me two tries to “get” Native Foods. I understand the vegan concept and even have an appreciation for it. Seitan (wheat gluten) and tofu made to look and taste like meat are fine by me, but please, season them! Seeing the abundance of faux chicken, burgers and chili on the menu, I expected things to be spicy—and not the hot kind of spicy, but the kind that actually just has flavor to it.

Not exactly.

My advice here? Order carefully. On my second visit, I skipped the “gyros” and chili fries and went straight for the seitan nachos and a bowl of African peanut soup. The soup was delicious and creamy and very well seasoned. Hard to mess up nachos (but oh, how it has been done)… but they were adequately covered in beans, Native “cheese,” tomatoes, cilantro, guac and beef-looking crumbled seitan.

The drinks here are a highlight with tasty watermelon and lavender flavor accents. Also, it is a lot of food. With all of the different meat-free options, you might find yourself wanting to order twice and taste a few things. Proceed with caution: portions are not a problem here.

Oh, and now with three Chicago locations (Loop, Wicker Park, Lakeview) it doesn’t look like this California offshoot is going anywhere.

A final note: why is it so hard for Chicago restaurants that outwardly tout how healthy they are to include nutrition info on their posted (or even just printed) menus? New York is doing it… you’d think it would be an elective option for places like this one. Vegan doesn’t necessarily equal healthy

Native Foods Cafe.

1023 West Belmont Ave. / Lakeview / Chicago

It’s five o’ clock somewhere comes to mind at this seaside Mexican joint in Cardiff by the Sea, California, just north of Solana Beach off the South Coast Highway. (“Roadside” also comes to mind as it really is not much more than a highway turnoff.) But oh, what a pleasant surprise. We visited on Friday at 2 pm and braved the 25 minute wait in the tiny bar area, but in looking around at the fellow diners (not a face to be found without shades and sandals; even in April) and realizing that almost every one was trying a margarita from Las Olas’s all day (until 6 pm) happy hour menu (which runs $3.50-4.00), it began to make sense.

The porch seating is fantastic with a lagoon view and the entire place is a stone’s throw from the ocean. The porch seating is definitely worth waiting for.

Oh, and the food. This is the exact kind of American-Mexican food that Southern California does best. Lots of salsa, cheese and avocado with chile rellenos, carne asada and carnitas options to fill your burrito, tacos or enchiladas.

Definitely set aside a few hours of a sleepy afternoon here. Also: order a side of serrano peppers to spice things up. It’s not the spiciest Mexican food, but a few hot peppers will change that…

Sidenote: Last time Riley was there, he saw Orlando Bloom. Must be a good sign?

Las Olas / 2655 South Coast Highway 101 / Cardiff by-the-Sea

First food stop in Del Mar, California: The Brigantine. There are fish tacos everywhere here, but this one is somehow set apart from the rest. The fish tacos come in several varieties: mahi mahi, fried white fish, sword fish or fried shrimp. While the crunchy, fried house version is delicious, today I opted for the mahi mahi—flaky, grilled mahi with spiced mayo and Brigantine slaw.

One of the pluses of this place, which has several San Diego-area locations, is the fact that the tacos come on a single corn tortilla that actually stays in one piece all throughout the eating process. Even the second taco, even when splashed with a healthy amount of lime juice. Still stays together. It’s a lot more than I can say for most corn tortillas…

The other plus of the Del Mar location: The view. Go for porch seats and overlook a sunny lagoon that abuts the Coaster train tracks and Del Mar Race Track. It is picturesque, pleasant, and if you come for lunch, you might end up staying through cocktail hour.

The Brigantine

3263 Camino Del Mar / Del Mar / San Diego / California

Finally organizing New York photos and foodie notes. Saturday night, I had the utmost pleasure of eating pizza, pasta and other Italian staples at Franny’s in Brooklyn. It’s a fairly unassuming place; casual, with a bustling bar and dim lighting. But there is nothing dim about the food here: Napoli-style pizza with doughy bubbly crust and some of the most well-prepared pasta I have had in a long time.

The menu here is not elaborate, but everything is perfectly prepared. White and red pizza options offer many vegetarian possibilities as well as a few meat-zas, but whether you prefer your pizza with meatballs, clams or plain old buffalo mozzarella, everything here hit the spot. (Thanks, Sara, for the recommendation!)

We enjoyed one of the three pasta dishes Franny’s offers: spaghetti cacio e pepe. The spaghetti, al dente perfection and the cacio (light Italian cheese) and pepe (ground black pepper) so simple but so tasty. Italian food is not meant to be complicated and this place gets it right.

Go before the crowds set in around 8.

Franny’s
295 Flatbush / Brooklyn / New York