Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi

"You are almost ready to be entrusted with the secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup." - Ping

Today's quote comes from one of the nation's most recognizable noodle chefs, the adoptive father of Po, the Kung Fu Panda who captured both the dragon scroll and the hearts of children and parents alike on his way to uncovering the mysteries of the true secret ingredient of life. The Loop Lunch Club did some research of our own this week to find what secret ingredients create the complex flavors at Noodles by Takashi Yagihashi at 111 N State Street.

Devoted readers are probably thinking, "But Sam, didn't The LLC already meet at 111 N State when you tried Frontera Fresco? I'm sure you did because I remember laughing so hard at your Rick Bayliss jokes and sharing your blog with my friends and family." Well devoted readers, you're right. And thank you. The LLC returned to the 7th floor of Macy's to what I mistakenly referred to as a food court. This time around I was informed that Takashi is part of a much more elegant "Food Hall" where the superior quality warrants a more grandiose designation but you still here the staff yell out, "Number 15! Let's go, let's go!" I'll forego any further distinctions between the atmosphere of our prior visit and this one because that would just be splitting hairs, which is about as useful as splitting tens.

Takashi, seen here maintaining the secrets of his
secret ingredient

Chef Yagihashi, a man I once shook the hand of and helped unload boxes for, is the owner and executive chef of the well established Bucktown restaurant Takashi as well as a new River North location that, unless his middle name is Slurping Turtle, isn't named after him.

Takashi (this is what I'll be calling the food hall location) was the joint selection of the dynamic duo of Steve Lake and Danny Rubenstein, a modern day live action Bert and Ernie. Like the Sesame Street stand ins they've come to represent they do everything together, so it came as no surprise that they both pushed for a new table, both jumped to the front of the line and huddled together mumbling, "G is for Ginger, H is for Hot sauce!"

Henry Ford would be proud

Lake, who led to The LLC at the counter, explained the value added benefit of carrying a Macy's Food Hall customer loyalty card. I'd have two punches on mine if I'd kept it after Frontera Fresco, but alas, I tossed it immediately. Fortunately there wasn't time to mourn for the card as my spirits were instantly lifted by the overwhelmingly efficient assembly line service. Customers begin with a free cookie sample that elicited a chorus of "mmm"s from the Ofman brothers "oh, my, how delicious"s from Dan Spira and Rob Anderson.  After placing your order you find you've been given a thematically apt Asian style tray and pint glass of ice water. Next you encounter a series of utensils and sauces that allow everyone from the expert chop sticker to the novice fork favorer to shovel fried rice into their mouth comfortably.

"This place is blowing Petro's out of the water," said a salivating Dan Ofman. "And we haven't even eaten."

Following Bert and Ernie's lead I
added ginger and corn

My order of pork fried rice deserved to be served in a food hall. The pork was succulent, and much like an M&M it melted in my mouth, though I didn't test it in my hand. The side of pot stickers was pedestrian, though the I did enjoy the pickled cabbage they were served over, which featured a subtle, understated flavor that cleansed the palate as it tiptoed across my tastebuds.

"I like how it's served piping hot," said Lake of his plate of rice. "You know, the way the bowl of rice stays hot."

Bobbo's bob-bowl

When asked about his noodles Rob Anderson sat up and heaved a sigh of remorse. "Pretty bland," he said. Later he'd add some sauces and assure the group that it had improved, though the extra broth, pork, and egg tells me he left unsatisfied. Rob does not like the 7th floor of Macy's.

After having his diet coke refilled for him Dan Spira expressed his appreciation for the service and food by simply and accurately stating, "This is a great food court." So great, in fact, that it's a food hall.

Takashi Notes:

• Despite ordering fried rice Danny Rubenstein announced to nobody in particular, "I'm the mayor of noodles."
• Rubenstein's twitter prowess has garnered The LLC an invitation from Sushi Samba, who asked, "What are you waiting for?" In the event Sushi Samba has a social media intern who may be reading this, we are waiting for lower prices.

Chef Petro's Restaurant

"Punctuality is the virtue of the bored." - Evelyn Waugh

While new Loop Lunch Club member Steve "Late" Lake missed his first day as an official LLCer with his nose buried in an old copy of "Brideshead Revisited," those of us blessed with the virtue of punctuality sat down at Chef Petro's Restaurant at 160 N La Salle for the LLC2's second week. In fact, I was so bored that morning that I arrived early, allowing me to build a rapport with the host, a dead ringer for the dad on Everybody Loves Raymond. Despite his curmudgeonly appearance we had a nice chat about his son the attorney who lived at Bromley Hall. Just like I did! Other than the host's family history I was also able to take in the atmosphere at Petro's, yet another Greek diner chosen by Dan Ofman.

I didn't stop walking to take this picture
but i think you can still tell it's a diner.

The register at the front desk was old enough to be my father, or at least a register my father might have operated a long time ago. Along the walls were brightly painted murals of Chicago's landmark tourist locations and skylines; these also appeared to be unchanged for several decades. The same can be said for the television sets, waitresses, furniture, and customer base. Undoubtedly our group lowered the average age of Petro's inhabitants by approximately (I just pulled out a calculator to produce this number) 4.7 years.

Dan Ofman, Rob Anderson and myself were seated ahead of the remaining LLC members. The host asked for their names to better assist them in finding us. We told him, "Dan and Steve." Later, Dan Spira arrived and reported that the host inquired if he was "Bob or Steven." Spira said no. The host then instructed he "just go to the back."

Petro's is also a 'fresh bakery'. Unless they sold out early it looks like the bake half cantaloupes and plates.

"Look at that neon sign," Anderson said, pointing through the window to a martini glass across the street. "It fills up and then gets drunk!" It then occurred to me that Rob may have been raised in the woods and never seen something like this before, but that seemed unlikely. Just as impressive as the martini sign was the Cadillac Palace Theater, lighting up Randolph Street with its 'South Pacific' Charm. Anderson, while blown away with the exterior view was equally wowed by what he saw inside. "This is a nice interior," he said.

I'll have the W-2 with extra income
and a dependent of hash browns.

Maybe it's just that time of year but looking at Petro's menu I felt a sudden urge to start working on my taxes. This could be attributed to the tight layout and black print, but more likely it was due the pricing. "$10 for an omelet?" I thought to myself in the voice of Judd Hirsch's character from Independence Day. "Oy gevalt. For what do I need with a $10 omelet?"

Though the prices and meals weren't entirely kosher the portions certainly were. Our low talking waitress brought the food to the table and within seconds The LLC erupted with a full spectrum of reactions. "This is a big plate of food!" Ofman said of his ham, cheese, and broccoli omelet. "Holy cow!" He went on. "That's a lot of broccoli!" Across the table a slouching Dan Spira prodded his Greek chicken and rice beneath an unexpected, heavy brown sauce with the unusually ornate cutlery of Petro's, mumbling, "This is...interesting."

Ofman went green. Spira went Greek. Guess which one is never going back.

My omelet, seen here with salt and pepper shakers that, much like newspaper, turn yellow when left our for 30 years.

In the end, my cheeseless omelet disappointed, Spira was unhappy and there was not a lot of positivity around the table. I don't see Petro's making a miracle Marquette run come tournament time.

Petro's Notes:

• Absence of Danny Rubenstein, who was sacked by Jason Pierre-Paul en route from San Francisco.
• Absence of "Situation" Steve Lake, who requested I not mock him in the blog for all the obvious reasons he should be mocked in this blog.
• No ice in the water. Normally a problem, but seeing as it's been three months since I was meant to schedule a follow up dental appointment my maxillary central incisor could use the break.

Goodwin's

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

It wasn't faith that led me down the staircase at 175 N Franklin this MLK day but rather the seductive sandwich smells of Goodwin's Restaurant, the first stop on The Loop Lunch Club's second tour. For me, choosing Goodwin's was a simple decision. It is directly across the street from Perry's Deli, the former LLC Champion, and its name contains the Latin roots "good" and "win" which translate roughly to "Obvious" and "LLC Champion" respectively.

This time around The LLC is down to four members, as Nick Nikitas has moved to the good land of Milwaukee and Crisis Chris Hartemayer just couldn't handle the stress of a once weekly lunch outing. With the limited number of members we have tentatively reduced the tournament to 8 restaurants.

Spira (foreground) fits in with the crowd at Goodwin's.

"I like coming down the stairs," said a winded Andy Ofman who apparently has developed a dependency on escalators. "It adds to the intrigue." This truly was an intriguing place. Once down the stairs customers find themselves in a hybrid of a coffeehouse and dentist's waiting room. There were multiple coffee tables lined with magazines and a shelf running the length of the wall with knickknacks reminiscent of a grandmother's sitting room. Besides what was offered by the stairs and ambiance Goodwin's featured a fair amount of intrigue on its menu. Signature sandwiches are the calling card of the establishment, though as Rob Anderson warned the group, "the wraps are good too. I wouldn't overlook the wraps."

The line we waited in because Dan was late. It moved pretty quickly

The LLC had more than ample time to review the menu while waiting on the arrival of Dan Ofman, who was late due to the incredible attention to detail he has when applying Just For Men's "Touch of Grey" each morning. When he finally showed up he had both the energy to wait in line and the experience to know what to order. Talk about the best of both worlds. I'd hire him.

"Do you want that hot or cold?" This question from behind the counter caught me off guard and I panicked. I went with hot, the better option. Forget Stan Van Gundy, I am the true master of panic. My Rexburg sandwich was great. No, it was better than great. It was excellent. Hot roast beef, turkey, bacon, lettuce, Muenster and Russian Dressing all on a marble rye that was good enough to warrant wresting from an octogenarian. I was almost ashamed of how excited I was to eat the second half while still chewing the first.

My Driver's Ed instructor, Rich Burg, would love my sandwich, Rexburg.

"I really like pretzel rolls," said Dan Spira as Anderson engaged the group in an enlightened discourse on the production values of Jurassic Park. Spira continued, "they aren't featured on many sandwiches."

Arriving as surprise guests after I had completed my lunch were Steve Lake and Danny Rubenstein*. Before saying hello Steve had already begun yelling at me concerning the durability of the tortilla chips compared to the consistency of the guacamole. He was right, they were too flimsy but the quality of the guacamole made up for it.

"I think the addition of salsa to this wrap (right) is extraordinary," Anderson announced to the group. This sentiment seemed in tune with everybody's feelings of satisfaction with their meals and experience at Goodwin's. A great start to the second season of The Loop Lunch Club.

*Not the Danny Rubenstein I grew up with. More likely the one following you too closely on twitter.

Goodwin's Notes:

• Andy Ofman, fresh from Hawaii, did not order the "Maui" sandwich
• An ongoing Scattergories debate resurfaced from about 1.5 years back. 

The Loop Lunch Club Tournament

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so." - Douglas Adams

The Loop Lunch Club Tournament was held this past Friday at the home of LLC Godfather Rob Anderson. This being its inaugural year The LLC Tournament is yet to attract the national attention, sponsorship deals and television audience of its more culturally embedded NCAA and even NIT counterparts. However, that's not to say that our event should be overlooked for lacking the key characteristics of a great tournament. Let's take a look at how The LLC Tournament stacks up.

The Venue: The Superdome? Too big. The Rose Bowl? Honestly, nobody likes southern California. Madison Square Garden? I like my arenas how I like my Chinese food, no MSG. Rob Anderson's apartment? Yes, please! Rob's apartment was as fresh and inviting as the produce section at Dominick's, with plenty of snacks, drinks, and homemade chicken wings to around.

Rob had a special two sided bracket printed at Kinkos. It may look to be 8.5" by 11" but believe me, it's 48" wide.

The Competitors: There was a great deal of parody in the field of 16 as each restaurant had a chance at the title. Over the course of the evening, in neither the winners' nor losers' brackets, was there a unanimous victory.

Scouting Reports: All good coaches have them, so why would the strategic minds of The LLC be any different? Rob and Dan Ofman both produced hard copies of detailed analytical spreadsheets. These notes gave them the insights they needed to make informed decisions. Most notably, Dan Ofman's note on Heaven on Seven: "Post meal vomit".

Fans: We had five at the high point, two of which reluctantly paid attention.

Officiating: The LLC Tournament couldn't have been a success if not for the work of our noble Moderators. The Moderator was responsible for maintaining order, calling votes, and quieting the rabble. Most importantly, the Moderator had to wear a ridiculous hat and drink from a massive plastic stein. Johnny Anderson, Rob's brother, was honored as both the best-dressed attendee and the first ever Moderator.

Yes, that is an octagonal cardboard container of wine. 

Let's take a look at how it all went down...

In the opening round we saw Monk's Pub overcome a strong Pittsfield Cafe and another of Diner Dan's spots, B&B, knock Cellar's Market out of the running. There were two remarkable upsets during the tournament. One was Dan Ofman's stomach, the other was the 5-1 victory for The Berghoff over Kamehachi Cafe (clearly only an upset in my mind). In the debate leading to Perry's ousting Pastoral Crisis Chris encouraged the group to "remember, we're talking about lunch, not dinner." I didn't forget. Here's how the bracket looked after the first round.

Round two brought about some serious excitment with several matches ending in ties. As Rob's rules indicated, the vote would then go to the adoring fan(s). America voted, and with the support of the crowd Monk's Pub and The Marquette Inn lived to see another day. Later, in a showdown between Marquette and Oasis Cafe I was torn, and relied on the single word arguments of the Dans. Mr. Ofman said on behalf of Marquette, "service." Mr. Spira, on behalf of Oasis Cafe offered, "best-" and stopped himself before overstepping the word limit. I voted for Marquette. 

The semifinal match-ups were Monk's vs. Frontera Fresca and Perry's vs. Marquette. In the former, Frontera came out on top as The LLC agreed that at this point of the tournament we had to vote on taste, which Frontera had in spades. Speaking to why he voted against Monk's Crisis Chris had this to say, "The fries disappointed me, and the cola upset me." In the second match Dan Ofman struggled to garner support for his dark horse diner and Perry's walked away with a 5-1 victory in which even Dan voted against Marquette, explaining, "Perry's is better."

The Finals: I was pleased with Frontera Fresca and Perry's Deli as the two finalists (though I had anticipated Kamehachi Cafe could have made a run). Each LLCer struggled with this choice as both restaurants were strong candidates to win it all. Perry's had the giant sandwiches and fun atmosphere, while Frontera had the complex flavors of celebrity chef Skip Bayliss, who promised a special meal for The LLC if his restaurant won. After conducting a "Survival" style vote it was decided by a 5-1 margin. The Loop Lunch Club Champion is....

Perry's Deli!

Congratulations are due to Perry's as well as to The LLC for completing such a monumental journey. I'd like to thank the members of the club for including me in their quest. It was great getting to know you guys. I'd also like to thank the dedicated readership of this blog. No matter how many bad puns, comma splices, run on sentences and overly wordy prose I churned out I received nothing but support. 

Here's a final look at the bracket:

Tournament Notes:

• Luke's was voted as the worst restaurant in the losers' bracket, earning the title of "Donkey."
• Crisis Chris, who scheduled the event for 8PM, arrived at 9:35PM, due to a Crisis.

LLC Party Update

"Hey Bud, Let's Party!" - Jeff Spicoli

The Loop Lunch Club has not officially met since early November. That was back in 2011. Please don't mistake our time off as laziness or lack of enthusiasm, as we all remain as passionate about our mission to find Chicago's best loop lunch spot as we were when our quest first began. This unplanned hiatus has given each of us time to clear our minds and replenish our appetites. Now, with a fresh perspective on lunch, we are prepared to decide on a champion.

The LLC, and all those who wish to witness history, will be meeting this Friday, January 6th, at 8PM to simultaneously decide on and celebrate the winning restaurant. Brackets (see previous post) will be available on site and all those in attendance, as well as those who miss out on the fun, are encouraged to submit their picks.  For more information on where the party will be held, please contact any member of The Loop Lunch Club or comment on this blog with your contact information.

We look forward to your participation and thank you for your continued support of our club. May the best lunch win.

-The LLC, LLC.


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