Chad K.'s Profile

It is probably not fair to judge a restaurant within days of its opening, but we happened to visit this newest addition to Streeterville twice in the last two weeks and I couldn't help but say something about "Niu."

Niu is a Japanese and arguably Asian fusion restaurant located adjacent to the AMC River East 21 Theatres in the space vacated by "Max & Benny's." For those who frequented the deli of yore, Niu started with rather decent surroundings (which never really fit the deli/diner stereotype) and tweaked them a bit. Gone are the walk-up deli and behind-the-glass kitchen area; now those spaces are occupied by a-place-to-be-seen-from-the-street lounge and a sushi bar. The front of the restaurant, lounge, and bar areas visually work but the rest of the place seems a bit sterile, especially in the back, but I suspect that will change over time.

People don't always go to restaurants for the surroundings -- they go to eat. In our first two encounters, we opted to go for the maki and were not disappointed. We tried the "Salmon Delight" of salmon, scallops, crab, lemon, and avocado; "Diablo" roll of shrimp tempura, scallops, crab, and eel sauce; and the "Sexy Mexican" that blends shrimp, spicy crab meat, avocado and jalapeno into a single tasty roll. Quite honestly, the maki was wonderful and being not the usual fare, a treat to order and taste.

From a service standpoint, Niu is still getting its sea legs, so right now I'd have to say service is shaky and knocks my rating down a bit. The staff is friendly, but they're still figuring out how to run the place and not everyone is fully up-to-speed on the whole Japanese concept. In time, service should get better.

Will we go to Niu again? Sure. Niu reminds me of the other neighborhood Japanese restaurant, Kamehachi, and if all of the pieces come together, Kamehachi may have a real competitor in Niu. Until then, we'll just have to eat and see.

As Kathy and I were wandering about looking for a place to eat, we stumbled across Dave's and that was bad, very bad. You see, we're addicted to music. Aside from having the radio dial fixed on Q101 for the latest in new music or surfing European Internet radio stations for global trends, our iPods are filled with nearly every genre of music, from classical, jazz, and surfer instrumentals to hip-hop, rock and alternative. On a day-to-day basis, we feed our mainstream addiction with iTunes or ripping our piles of CDs, but there's something really special about vinyl -- something so special that I replaced our entire home stereo system and are moving to having not one, but two hifi turntables (one new and one vintage). But I digress...

We collect rare, limited release, and simply odd vinyl such as an original 1983 pressing of New Order's "Blue Monday" on Factory Records (Fac 73) in the original die cut floppy disk album jacket, Joy Division's "Still"  (Fac 40) from 1980, or more current items such as My Chemical Romance's "Famous Last Words" on a 7" square single (yes, square). Why? Well, because they're unique -- music as both aural and visual art.

Back to Dave's -- as I said, we stumbled in and started looking around. First and foremost, Dave's is not some hack used music shop. It is a place for people who are serious about vinyl. Second, there's a lot of inventory in a small space and it could take days to go through it all. We didn't have that kind of time, but we did do a little exploring and within minutes, we left with a few things. To give you a sense of the quality of Dave's collection, we walked out with a virtually untouched West German "direct metal master" pressing of Depeche Mode's "Some Great Reward" on gray vinyl. When we got home, we dropped the needle on the pristine record and dropped our jaws. The playback was sonically like nothing we'd ever heard. We know this album and it sounded like an entirely new release with amazing stereo separation. This pressing had to be what was recorded in the studio in 1984; the CDs, MP3s, cassettes, and ordinary vinyl of this album don't even come close.

So that's why one buys vinyl and why one goes to Dave's. If you love music and have a collector instinct, stop in (and stop in, and in, and in...).

For the better part of human history, food has been central to both stability and change. In periods of stability, food brings people together and creates community -- whether it is in one's own kitchen, a food court in a mall, or an exclusive restaurant. In times of change, the food can alter one's perspective, create an opportunity, or topple a government. I never imagined that a new restaurant could energize my hometown, knit it together, and trigger a change that will forever reshape the town. I doubt that's what Brian and Barb Lunde had in mind when they opened the Buffalo City Grille, but that's what happened.

Under the guidance of Eric Kehr, noted restaurant consultant whose history includes developing restaurants on the East Coast, the Buffalo City Grille is Jamestown's first attempt a true upscale dining in decades. Located in what was once known as the Zappas Building and now recognized as the Nierling Block that has framed the east side of first avenue since 1911, the Lundes and Kehr have created a true gem by uncovering and exposing a piece of the city's history in a dining atmosphere that is more Chicago than rural America.

Once you're seated it is hard to tell you are in Jamestown at all. The dining area with 14' ceilings is on two levels and wrapped in huge glass windows. The lounge is separated from the dining area by a historic brick wall that features two massive archways. The wall (and building, for that matter) is a rare piece of community history as the brick was made by the local company owned by Anton Klaus, one of the founding fathers of Jamestown. In that sense, the restaurant is uniquely Jamestown and the Lundes and Kehr skillfully built upon that.

Atmosphere alone does not make a high quality restaurant as it is also defined by two other things: food and service. The food is, well, amazing. This is not some small town short-order steak or dinner place, nor is it only a venue for special occasions. The Buffalo City Grille is a place to get a fantastic meal of the caliber that is often reserved for the most urban and upscale areas of a large city. I enjoyed an entree of bison fillet mignon with sweet potato fries (I'm a sucker for anything sweet potato). I asked for the bison to be prepared the "right way" and the chef delivered; it was so tender and flavorful, and quite honestly, it was magnificent. Not since my visit to Arstiderna in Malmo, Sweden (http://www.arstiderna....), where I first tried reindeer, had I experienced an entree like that. By the way, it was nicely complemented by the French red wine I selected from their fully stocked wine cellar (yes, a wine cellar in Jamestown). Oh, and the vodka martini I had in the lounge before dinner was on par with most of my favorite martini places in Chicago. Bravo!

For only being open a few weeks, service was reasonable and considering the community has not had a restaurant of that level in, well, anyone's memory, it was far above Jamestown standards. Service was certainly not at a major metropolitan level and shy of the new upscale standards of Fargo, but I suspect that it will get better over time, the impact will be felt throughout the city -- not just at the Grille, and will change the community's understanding of good service.

What struck me the most about the Grille is that it is a place for everyone. While I was having dinner with my parents, the president of Jamestown College (http://www.jc.edu) was finishing his meal with his wife and guests, families were enjoying a night out, and four teens came in after working at the local grocery store to enjoy dessert and share conversation. Couples, families, students, executives, and visitors all feel welcome at the Grille making it that stable and comfortable place for the community.

Obviously when I look at the restaurant within the context of Jamestown, I'm blown away by the Buffalo City Grille. The cuisine is superb and once the staff are up-to-speed, I can't imagine what it will be like -- only it will be great. As I said to Eric Kehr after our meal, "I never imagined spending over $100 on a meal in my hometown." He appeared concerned until I added, "it was worth every dime." He immediately smiled and shook my hand.

Whether we like it or not, virtually every air traveler today has to deal with O'Hare either directly by flying through it or indirectly by having flights delayed because of it. Controversy swirls around O'Hare like the winds across its five runways and to anyone not from Chicago, it appears to be the center of all air travel headaches. Lost in all of this anger and disgust is the airport itself. O'Hare is a reasonable domestic airport (that, admittedly, can frustrate even the best travelers when transferring between flights) and a less-than-spectacular international gateway for the nation. That said, it turns out that it is one of the better  terminal hub airports around and a good airport for Chicago.

As a terminal airport, O'Hare ranks rather high as it is a good place to start or end a flight. There's nothing quite like having two major airline hubs (American and United) all under one roof. With relative ease, one can catch a direct flight to almost anywhere. For those not staying in Chicago, changing flights through O'Hare is another matter. Regional traffic control ("Chicago Center") seems to be rather content to hold flights for any lame reason and more often then not, planes sit on the ground because of air traffic routing problems around bad weather elsewhere in America. With that in mind, catching a connecting flight can be an adventure even if there is not a cloud in the sky. It appears to not be related to too many flights or bad ground control; the delays appear to be rooted in paranoid and miserable centralized air traffic control. Thank you, FAA. Air travelers across the U.S. really appreciate it.

For international travelers, O'Hare's newest terminal, terminal 5 (concourse M), is home for a wide range of international airlines. From Air India to Varig, one can jump on a flight to nearly any major hub in the world. As far as an amenity-filled international terminal that we have come to expect, terminal 5 has a long way to go. Passenger shopping options and food services are just plain bad. There is not enough room in the terminal waiting area for the number of passengers that have to pass through the security checkpoint, the food options are worse than most failing food courts, and there is a complete lack of shopping. I find it amazing that people have a hard time believing that someone thinks international travelers are content to sit in a pen and wait a couple of hours for a flight. If given the option of staring at a hamburger or shopping for knickknacks, most would choose the latter. Frankly, there are more things to do in a shopping mall in a small town in Montana on a Sunday than in terminal 5 on any day. If I were to change something about O'Hare itself, it would be terminal 5.

London's Heathrow and Chicago's O'Hare are much alike; they are functional beasts that have grown to an enormous size and connect virtually anywhere in the world with somewhere else. Because of this growth, the facilities have been reshaped, redesigned, and re-engineered well beyond what the original planners could have ever imagined. It is in O'Hare's flexibility that makes it stand out. Most older facilities have been either entirely transformed (Minneapolis is a great example) or replaced (like Denver) because they could not adapt to the rapidly changing needs of air travel. O'Hare, on the other hand, has evolved and not required a complete replacement to meet the needs of each decade of flight. Instead, its terminals are periodically refreshed with the latest amenities, gate areas are constantly being adapted to new aircraft, and expansion plans are continually redrawn to reflect future needs as seen from that moment. In a sense, O'Hare refuses to become old like New York's LaGuardia or Seattle-Tacoma. Only recently has O'Hare begun to show its age and as always, plans are on the books to fix that. Runways need to be reconfigured to move traffic more efficiently and some additional gate space is required. Beyond that, future plans are just that: plans. O'Hare, like Heathrow, will always be the target of criticism, but will continue to evolve and deliver as only that airport can.

Let me start off by saying that I don't like Denver's airport. Period. There, I've said it. For a new, "thought-out" design that is supposed to be the best of the breed and represent what should happen if an American airport could start over, Denver fails as a terminal and marginally succeeds as a rather bland transfer airport.

Where should I start? Well, let's take a stroll through the poorly envisioned ticketing-to-gate process. The check-in counters are undersized, lack standing space, are cramped, and with the low ceilings overhead, too claustrophobic. Once ticketed, the poor signage throughout the terminal building leaves people wondering where they should go next.

Continuing on the odyssey, As laid-out, the security checkpoint in the lower level is far too small and just plain bizarre. Who thought escalators that end at a tight turn into a tiny holding pen was a good idea? Before September 11, the traffic flow through security was bad, but considering the enhanced security measures at US airports, the design is even more inadequate. There is not enough room between the escalators to have additional security screening stations, so ridiculous lines are inevitable as undoubtedly one of the stations will be unavailable at any given time. That, in my opinion, is simply poor planning and a major failure of the architects, not the later tenants or the Transportation Security Agency. There was no margin designed into the space to handle any change in security measures, and given an airport is a 50 year structure, changes should have been taken into account.

Once through security, the majority of flyers will need to head out to one of the satellite concourses. Personally, I hate shuttle trains between concourses, so that is a huge blow against the train-based people-mover system. And what's up with the spinning propellers, anyway?

Continuing our trek, why didn't the escalators that take passengers up from the train to the gate areas extend further down each side of the concourses rather than popping up in the middle? Ever heard of minimizing walking distances?

With so much attention paid to the airport by the Department of Transportation, why is there not a rail link to Denver itself? Frankly, mass transit access to the airport is just plain awful and is an absolute embarrassment. By the way, who cares about a big terminal building with food and shops outside of security? All of the passenger action happens on the concourses these days (and those days when the building was designed) and people don't want to leave security once they have passed through it. Why bother with such an antiquated idea in the first place? Didn't they just recreate Stapleton? Oh, and why are there not hotels directly connected to the terminal? I guess a taxi ride for a few miles into the middle of nowhere is better, especially if you enjoy depending on others getting you to the airport on time in a place known for snow and lots of it.

Despite my comments above, all is not lost for Denver. In its role as a connecting airport, Denver scores much higher in my book. It is fairly easy (but can be time consuming) to change planes, aircraft can move freely about the tarmac, and the runways practically wrap around the terminal buildings thus minimizing taxi time. It couldn't be much better for someone trying to make tight connections (except, of course, if your plane is at the wrong end of the concourse - in that case, the concourses are just too long - or if you have to take the stupid train between terminals). Denver is not a bad place to kill time if your flight is delayed. Shopping is pretty good, people watching is particularly fun (East meets Midwest meets The West meets California). The food is rather average and of fairly common airport fare these days - at least in the United terminal.

And finally, don't try to fly to DIA because it does not exist. The proper airport code for Denver International is DEN. If you haven't noticed, information on the airport itself can be very confusing since the locals interchange DIA with DEN, brochures refer to the airport as DIA, and some Websites use both. Given that DIA is incorrect, I wish Denver would get it right and call the airport by its official code, DEN. Then again, what should I expect -- the airport is not right, so why should the airport code be correct?

In summary, I'm glad I didn't design the airport, and I'm really happy that I don't have to depend on it. In my opinion, the architectural firm should be ashamed.

Fargo is no London Heathrow (in fact, the duty-free shopping area of Heathrow's Terminal 3 is larger than the entire Fargo airport), but it is a modern facility that sets the stage for this growing, dare I say, metropolitan area. People are often wary of rural airports, and Hector is one that does not fit the rural mold. It is what a gateway airport should be -- a positive experience for travelers of all types that both looks forward and reflects the community it serves.

Almost three decades ago, the city of Fargo, North Dakota, took a chance and dared to gamble on the future. At the time, the three cities of Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead, MN, had a combined population of about 100,000 people. The local visionaries predicted that the area was destined to grow and as a result, the three cities and surrounding area would need a new airport to meet the future needs. The decision was made to build entirely new facility, rather than renovate or update the old terminal building. Twenty years and twice the population later, Fargo has a gateway airport that is perfect for an up-and-coming urban region, and shining example of how a "new" airport should be designed.

The terminal embodies what I personally value in a terminal airport: wide-open check-in area that doesn't suffer from overcrowding, an equally open and convenient baggage claim area, a reasonable security space appropriate for the size of the airport, and above all, a welcoming, crisp, and clean atmosphere. In addition, one has to appreciate the fact that the airport authority resisted the temptation to turn the unmistakably modern Hector into a rural community airport by tossing aside the architect's vision and making it "homey" and "country." The terminal has aged quite well.

On one of my trips through Fargo, I took the opportunity to study the terminal design and was struck by thought put into it. Unlike most community regional airports that are built on ground level with the notion that no large aircraft will ever land there, Hector has one upper-level concourse that consists of four modern urban-terminal gates separated by a common security access point. Each gate either has or can be fitted with a jetway, and there is more than ample seating around the gate area. In thinking about the design, it became apparent that the architects must have had expansion in mind because the concourse area is truly a hallway that can be extended at either end and in nearly any direction without upsetting the traffic flow of the check-in and baggage claim areas.

This raises the question: why would a city 30 years ago go to so much trouble to build such a large facility? I think much of the reasoning was based on vision that understood not only the future of the community, but the assets the airport had outside its door. First, Fargo has a very long runway that can accommodate 747s. The reason for the length is that the F-16s (and prior to that, F-4s) of the North Dakota Air National Guard are (or were?) stationed there, so the runway must be long to handle the military aircraft. Second, the airport is within landing distance of Minneapolis and has, at times, hosted diverted aircraft including transcontinental flights. Third, land was available. Like Denver, I believe they opted to take advantage of the open land around them and start over, spread out, and do what seemed right rather than trap themselves in. Finally, someone along the way decided to separate private aviation and cargo from commercial passenger needs, and by moving the passenger terminal rather than the other way around, private and cargo aviation would be unaffected, thus minimizing local commercial costs and improving passenger service at the same time.

All of the speculation aside, I have to recommend Fargo Hector to anyone who travels, and especially those who are tired of the "small airport" syndrome. Hector will restore one's faith that even in a smaller community, big ideas can happen, survive, and thrive.

Who says we need a third airport in Chicago? Those who do must not have flown in and out of Midway lately. Midway is the overlooked gem that is well worth rediscovering. It is a prime example of a good domestic airport.

It is hard to imagine what the old Midway looked like or how it operated. Aside from the runways, Midway is entirely different and bears no resemblance to the original terminal. The redesign involved the construction of a new arrivals and departures hall east of the original structure, and the original airport was flattened to make way for state-of-the-art gates. The innovative design separates the insecure areas from the secure ones, linking them together by a single sky bridge across Cicero Avenue. There's no architectural statement building here, the outside is purely functional. The impressiveness is left for the interior where the passengers are (and care).

With the insecure areas separated from the secure ones, the design should be perfect in a post-September 11 world. It is almost right, but misses the mark a bit. TSA has never quite figured out how to manage traffic through the sky bridge. Once you walk through the bridge, there is a major traffic snarl at the metal detectors and x-ray machines. Compounding the traffic problem is that the sky bridge is a two-way path for passengers, thus taking up valuable space that could be better used security screening.

Once beyond security, the planners really thought about what passengers do in airports -- wait around for flights. And because of that, Midway boasts an incredible food and shopping court with an astounding array of Chicago-based and Chicago-themed businesses that are located in the main traffic path beyond security. In addition, each concourse is dotted with shops and food establishments throughout the space that are easy to spot, not too crowded, and convenient to the gate areas. In fact, the airport is as much of a shopping mall as it is an airport. If only O'Hare's international terminal, Terminal 5, had something like Midway's layout. It would be a gold mine.

The concourses are wide, bright, and spacious. Even though there were a lot of passengers moving through the area, the airport does not feel crowded or cramped. Gates are a reasonable distance apart, walking distances are manageable, and the moving walkways make sense. Again, the architects and planners got it right.

All in all, Midway is fantastic, and has great connections to the city via the CTA's Orange Line. In my opinion, the Orange Line is the best way to get into the city, and besides, you'll avoid the miserable traffic that is the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). Simply follow the signs (and I do mean follow -- the station is a bit of a hike through the parking garage), pay your fare, and hop on. It will take you to the Loop in no time as an added bonus, and gives you fantastic views of the city, especially if you sit on the left (west) side of the train. Ride it downtown to Randolph Street, hop off, and you'll be at the doorstep of Marshall Field's (okay, Macy's on State, but no one in Chicago would call it that).

Fly into Midway and you'll be in the center of it all.

Small, cute, rustic, and a wonderful place to see all of the private jets available for purchase today. Visit the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport for a complete downplayed yet upscale flying experience that is reminiscent of a roller coaster at a large amusement park.

Does any of that make sense? Well, yes. Aspen's airport is small -- in fact, very small. It has a whopping two gates (maybe three, I couldn't really tell) and yet has a busy schedule of hourly flight traffic in and out of the Roaring Fork Valley. The airport itself is cute in a tiny, mountain resort kind of way as it is very rustic, or at least rustic-like. Not exactly my taste in airport design, but for its location in Colorado it is what one would expect and it is executed quite nicely.

Although it is not a modern airport in any way, the entire package works and it doesn't miss a beat on amenities. The airport check-in areas seem right-sized for the traffic and airport type, the baggage claim has enough room to move around, and the rental car desks are conveniently located to both the baggage claim and nearby car lots. Walking around can be a little strange within the building as there are a lot of small corridors between various areas and one has a tendency to get disoriented -- not lost -- just disoriented. I think a lot of that has to do with the enhanced TSA security procedures, so at one time the airport probably worked better.

Private jets -- lot's of them. The tarmac is littered with virtually every kind of small to medium-size private jet made. You can see aircraft from Lear, Gulfstream, Bombardier, etc. in the latest sizes and colors. You know you are someplace different when all you can see out the window are millions upon millions of dollars in personal flying pleasure.

Ah, the roller coaster ride. This is a mountain airport located in a valley just beyond the continental divide. Need I say more?

(FYI: The airport is scheduled to close for two months starting April 2007 for runway reconstruction. It should reopen in the summer.)

If you're "up" on Michigan Avenue, you'll never find this place. However, if you're down below on Grand Avenue and heading west from the Marriott hotel, you'll want to definitely stop in for good sushi and creative maki all within a relatively relaxed, but still edgy Japanese "fusion" atmosphere.

Although there are a number of sushi restaurants in Chicago, Oysy is a bit different. The key emphasis is on special maki. Yes, it has all of the other Japanese sushi staples, but the maki is something to experience. I'm not only talking about  the taste of the maki or the combination of excellent flavors, but rather the presentation. A green turtle roll looks like a turtle when it arrives at your table. Dragon rolls, well, look like Asian dragons. I've seen patrons whip out their cameras and snap pictures of their meals and struggle with deciding where to start eating as to not upset the balance of the presentation. That said, the taste follows the presentation and is a feast for the taste buds as well as the eyes.

Presentation is a big deal at Oysy, so be prepared to stop conversation and take in the visual experience of your meal. If you have to wait, wander over to the bar and take in the Japanese television. I know it is on a video loop, but still worth the watch.

As is the case with most Chicago sushi restaurants, you mileage will vary. The chefs need time to prepare the maki and that is key to a quality experience Oysy. If it is busy you may not get the best Oysy has to offer and Oysy's best tends to show at night rather than at lunch.

Located in the middle of nowhere nearly 12 miles from Aspen up Castle Creek Road is one of the most fabulous local restaurants in the Roaring Fork Valley. The Pine Creek Cookhouse is a truly Colorado mountain dining experience that is worth the trip.

The Cookhouse is literally in the middle of nowhere somewhat beyond the ghost town of Ashcroft. Nowhere, of course, is a relative term -- it is actually a log cabin situated in the middle of pristine mountain valley. The drive seems infinite as you climb the mountain to reach the restaurant. Once there, you discover that the atmosphere is nature's brilliance mixed with a hunting and ski lodge. You might think it is a kitschy mountain place until you remember that this is the real thing -- not some cabin in a strip mall parking lot.

Nature's splendor is the backdrop for this place, so the food has to measure up to the amazing natural surroundings. I've enjoyed both elk and caribou, had distinctly upscale salads that were more East Coast than West, and capped evenings off with slices of homemade pie. The food is definitely as memorable as the scenes out of the dining room. If your lucky, you might even catch a deer looking at you through the window. Now that's worth a sip of great wine (yes, it has a good wine cellar, too).

This is a place where old Colorado meets upscale Aspen. Make a reservation and head out on the trail to the Pine Creek Cookhouse. By the way, the Google map is not accurate. Visit Pine Creek's website for accurate directions.