In the Neighborhood
Custom House500 S. Dearborn | 312-523-0200
rrr Don’t go to Eleven City Diner expecting the fast, brusque treatment you usually find in a traditional deli. Dinner service on a recent visit was slow (though not interminable) and polite to the point of approval seeking: a staffer made a special trip to the table to find out if the egg cream he’d made was up to par. (Yes.) Despite its unnerving lack of attitude, Eleven City offers other traditional trappings—there’s a pie case up front, and matzo ball soup, knishes, and tuna melts on the menu. But as an all-day-breakfast fan, I chose the huge and excellent challah French toast topped with strawberries, bananas, and coconut—”I’m going to have to get in on that action” was a fellow diner’s response. They don’t skimp on desserts here: the root beer float comes in a glass three fists high, and I struck ice cream as soon as I stuck my spoon in the foam. On the other side of the restaurant is a deli counter stocked with sandwich fixings for carryout customers. Maybe they’re ruder over there. —Anne Ford
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
F 7.8 | S 6.7 | A 8.0 | $$$$ (11 reports)Italian | Lunch: Monday-Friday; Dinner: seven days | Sunday brunch | Open late: Friday & Saturday till 11:30
Mercat a la Planxa638 S. Michigan | 312-765-0524
rrr Designed by local architect Douglas Garofalo, this minimalist South Loop sushi place has two walls of floor-to-ceiling windows. Behind the long sushi bar, chefs in black baseball caps cut fish, roll maki, and greet customers. The menu at Oysy (pronounced oh-EE-she and meaning “delicious”) is distinctly value conscious, with most nigiri priced under $6 for two pieces and most maki under $7. Ten grilled dishes come in at $10 and under, among them toro steak with ponzu sauce and spicy radish, Chilean sea bass in garlic-black bean sauce, teriyaki eel, and octopus with miso sauce. Tempura options include soft-shell crab and baby squid and come with homemade soy, sesame, or garlic sauce. An interesting chef’s special is the Emerald Maki: sauteed scallops rolled with asparagus, cucumber, green tobiko caviar, and a spicy sauce. At lunch the bento boxes are a good deal; a choice of entree—like perfectly grilled white tuna with a yuzu vinaigrette—comes with several pieces of maki and tiny portions of tofu salad, orange tempura shrimp, and Japanese pickles, all for $12. —Laura Levy Shatkin
