Squid Squid
Azul

Azul

1177 N. Elston Ave., 60642 Chicago, United States Of America

Fish • Brunch • Seafood • Terrace


"To start, our greeter was fantastic. First impressions were positive; it seemed like a lovely bar and restaurant with excellent service and even better outdoor seating. The lakeside patio offered a beautiful view of the Chicago skyline, and we were welcomed with a pleasant complimentary drink. Unfortunately, the menu was disappointing as it relied on a scan code to explore its offerings. The cocktails, however, were the highlight of the experience. We ordered an appetizer that was decent—Fried Calamari—though it could have been improved with a thinner batter. The chips and salsa were just alright, and I found it frustrating that there was a $7 charge for them, which I feel should be complimentary in Spanish or Latin restaurants I’ve visited. For our main dishes, it felt like we were putting together a seafood boil mix without everything being served together. The house sauce was tasty and flavorful, but the garlic sauce was quite unpleasant; it tasted like weeks-old minced garlic mixed with oil, salt, and pepper. As for the pricing, everything seemed relatively reasonable until we saw that half a pound of king crab legs was priced at an astonishing $75. I went ahead and ordered it, hoping it would be juicy or offer something special, but it didn’t live up to expectations. While their house sauce was good, it didn’t justify paying $75 for a single king crab leg cut in half and served with it. Overall, I would rate this place a 2.6 out of 5, and that’s being quite generous. There isn’t much that stands out about this restaurant other than its lakeside view."

Rockin' Baja

Rockin' Baja

2104 W Oceanfront, Newport Beach I-92663-4327, United States

Tapas • Lunch • Mexican • Seafood


"It was a Sunday morning and we planned to meet some of our motorcycling friends for lunch. We originally made reservations for 12:45, but got down there earlier. They were able to seat us immediately. Fortunately, our friends got down there early enough to get a parking space because if they hadn't, parking is a mess there at the pier area. So we sat on the patio, which was nice, but kinda had an alleyway feel to it. Quite a bit of foot traffic, but not much of a view. The table they sat us at was pretty small. It had a bucket in the middle with napkins, utensils, and salt/pepper. There was no way 4 drinks, 4 large plates and everything else would fit on that small table. We had to ask for an extra chair to put the bucket and a few other things on. We ordered the Tequilla shrimp appetizer that was awesome. They also brought out chips with three different kinds of salsa that were also pretty good. I had the Tres Amigos Tacos, which were three tacos...one carne asada, one shrimp, and one lobster. Those were all very good as well. My g/f had the lobster fajitas tacos, She said her's were very tasty and she liked them. We got there early enough to beat the lunch crowd, so they were not busy. Our food came out pretty quickly and was all very hot and fresh. It may be weird, but one of the ways I generally rate service is by my drink glass. Today I had water, and I had to ask several times for a refill. I like the waiter/waitress that sees a half full glass and either refills it, or at least asks if you'd like a refill. Overall, this was a very nice lunch experience. I'd go back, but I'd like to try the Old Town San Diego location next time."