Q-Tips Reviews

PEGGY NOBAERT CHILDREN’S/ADULT NATURE MUSEUM – 2430 N Cannon Dr., Chicago, IL 60614, b/t Fullerton Ave & Lake Shore Dr West in Lincoln Park, (773) 755-5100, naturemuseum.org

Mrs.Q says: What a great museum in a City of a number of great museums.

The Museum is easily reachable by bus and free parking can be had on Cannon Drive. Luckily the meters haven’t gotten here yet so street parking is still free here. You could easily see most of the Museum in two hours depending on the age of the children you bring along. The Butterfly Exhibit is an exhibit that Children & Adults will enjoy. They offer Thi Chi and Yoga in the Garden area. Have a room to eat lunch, if needed. Wonderful Museum for children – very hands on for the little ones, and room for strollers. A coat room for checking in your items. They offer special times when they feed the Turtles, release of the Butterflies – check on times when you enter. Also have classes for Composting 101, special Teen, Children & Family Programs. The Q’s have never been here before because we thought it was for children only – not so. The Butterfly exhibit is a wonderful exhibit for all especially if you are six years old, then it is magical.  Go and enjoy!

SHEDD AQUARIUM – 1200 S Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL 60605, (312) 939-2438, sheddaquarium.org

Q-TIPS SAY: If you you have not been there in awhile, SEE IT! Check out these exhibits: Amazon Rising, Caribbean Reef, Jellies, Abbott Oceanarium, Polar Play Zone, Waters of the World, At Home on the Great Lakes and Wild Reef. We saw and enjoyed. And also the Dolphin Show.

Mrs. Q says: Have heard negative comments about the Shedd Aquarium being an expensive venture.

1. Check out the FREE DAYS for Illinois residents – Bring an ID and get to see the main exhibits for FREE.
2. Any SPECIAL EXHIBITS that are offered on the Free Days are at a Discounted Price.
3. Save expensive parking fees by taking PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION – the El or Bus.
Mrs. Q says it may not be all FREE but it is Chicago-on-the-cheap or at least cheaper.

Mrs.Q says: After spending the day looking at fish, crabs, dolphins, whales, yes even the pregnant whale, we had to go eat some fish at Shaw’s Crabhouse.

SMAK TAK – 5961 N Elston Ave, Chicago, IL 60646-5504, 773-763-1123 www.smaktak.com

Q-TIPS SAY: A neighborhood restaurant, clean, large servings, not very big restaurant and a good but limited menu. SMAK TAK offers a “Special of the Day” for $15.99 which includes bread, butter, soup, potatoes, meat, salad & dessert. It is a BYOB, which we did not know and no bar. They have one server and, I assume, one cook. Mr. Q started with the Beet Soup and his Entree was the Pierogi – cheese,& potato, sauerkraut, meat, plum. They were good but never got any meat or plum pierogis. Mrs. Q had the Chicken Noodle Soup,(clear not salty broth) her Entree was breaded pork cutlet with mushrooms, potatoes and salad. Mrs. Q says: The sides they offer are potatoes, but only had mashed potatoes and the salad was a choice between cucumbers with sour cream or beet salad. She enjoyed her meal.

PS They seem to not answer the phone when they are very busy – we called to make sure they were open on Memorial Day and no one answered. So we drove by and they were open.

Shish Kebab – pork, bacon, onion, salad, potatoes $12.99
Breaded Pork Cutlet – with mushrooms potatoes, salad $11.99
Ground Veal Cutlet – with mushrooms potatoes, salad $12.99
Baby Back Ribs, – (in bbq sauce)/ pork, homemade bbq sauce, potatoes, salad $11.99
Breaded Chicken Breast – potatoes, salad $11.99
Broiled Chicken Breast – potatoes, salad $11.99
Chicken Liver With Onion – potatoes, salad, $13.99
Fish – white fish, tilapia $14.99
Hungarian Style Pancake – gulash, mushrooms, potato pancake, onions, tomatoes, peppers $11.99
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls – potatoes, salad $9.99
Hunter Stew Old Polish Style – shredded cabbage, veal, sausage, potatoes $8.99
Potato Pancakes – served with cream and apple sauce $9.99
Pierogi – cheese & potato, sauerkraut & mushrooms, sweet cheese, meat, blueberry, plum, cherry, strawberry
$12.99
Loin – with peach fried potatoes, salad $8.99
Grilled Sausage – in old polish style $7.99
Potato Dumplings – $10.99
Silesian Dumplings – $7.99
Chicken Sandwich – $8.99
Chicken Fingers – potatoes, salad $3.50
Soup $5.99, Tripe Soup Warsaw Style – $7.99
Sweet Cheese Blintzes (3) – $1.50
Hot Tea – $1.50, Coffee – $1.75, Beverage – pepsi, coca cola, sprite, iced tea and more $2.50
Juices – $1.99

THE IMMIGRANT – Ewa Cybulski (Marion Cotillard) and her sister sail to New York from their native Poland in search of a new start and the American dream. When they reach Ellis Island, doctors discover that Magda (Angela Sarafyan) is ill, and the two women are separated. Ewa is released onto the mean streets of Manhattan while her sister is quarantined. Alone, with nowhere to turn and desperate to reunite with Magda, Ewa quickly falls prey to Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix), a charming but wicked man who takes her in and forces her into prostitution. The arrival of Orlando (Jeremy Renner) – a dashing stage magician who is also Bruno’s cousin – restores her self-belief and hopes for a brighter future, becoming her only chance to escape the nightmare in which she finds herself.

Q-TIPS SAY: Decent story line but drags on in sections. Definitely not a comedy. If you feel you want to see it, RENT IT!

ROY’S – 720 N State St., Chicago, IL 60654, (312) 787-7599
http://www.roysrestaurant.com

Q-TIPS SAY: The Q’s decided to finally use our gift card from American Express for Roy’s. Roy’s was not bad it was just average. NOT WORTH THE PRICE. Roy’s is part of a chain. The ambiance and service is good but they have a few too many people hovering and waiting to take your plate even tho the restaurant was not crowded.

Tho the drinks were good at the price of $12.50 ea and we shared the Lobster Dim Sum – Including our entrees the bill came to over $100.00. Mrs. Q had the Tempura white Seabass – She will never have Tempura Fish again, that is just not how you make Seabass or any fish. Mr. Q had the short ribs- they were decent. Mrs. Q says: Next time “I want a decent drink and seafood”, she will go to another chain, like Bonefish, which is a chain and more reasonably priced and decent food, service. The ambiance might not be the same but so be it. She was looking for something on the menu that was similar to the Hawaiian POKE she had in Hawaii, but alas, not to be found. Aloha Roy’s, the Q’s will not be back. Went to their sister restaurant FLEMING’S Steakhouse in Sarasota Fl and were not that impressed with them either- Ruth’s Cris Steakhouse is is much better.

CHEF – Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen — and zest for life and love.

Q-TIPS SAY: Great, fun movie – see it. NO VIOLENCE, SWEARING, NAKED PEOPLE, DRUGS, ALCOHOL, ETC. – JUST AN ENJOYABLE MOVIE. Some of the audience actually clapped at the end. Mrs. Q says: Yes, you can take grammar school grand kids/older kids to see this. It has nothing in it that they haven’t seen/heard already (unless they live in a cave). CHEF shows us, in a good way, how computer savvy the young people are compared to some of the adult population. The movie has humor, good looking food, lessons on good relationship building, good actors, and sound track. It is just a fun movie for adults and 7 year olds and up. Don’t go hungry because you will be starving by the end of the movie.

RED APPLE RESTAURANT or Czerwone Jabluszko – 6474 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL 60631  b/t Devon Ave & Imlay Ave in Norwood Park, Phone number (773) 763-3407     www.redapplebuffet.com

Q-TIPS SAY: Food is just ok. Have not been here in a couple of years and the food now average.  They offer a long salad, entree bar and dessert bar.  Don’t know how much early lunch costs but you certainly get your money worth. MRS. Q SAYS: The restaurant is clean, ok service & they clear your plates in a timely fashion. They also offer a soup (soup of the day and another choice) at the beginning.

One newspaper article said one of the Red Apple Rest. is going to close – not sure which one.  They accept CASH ONLY – they have an ATM machine on the premises.

Ivan Locke (Hardy) has worked diligently to craft the life he has envisioned, dedicating himself to the job that he loves and the family he adores. On the eve of the biggest challenge of his career, Ivan receives a phone call that sets in motion a series of events that will unravel his family, job, and soul. All taking place over the course of one car ride, LOCKE is an exploration of how one decision can lead to the complete collapse of a life.

Q-TIPS SAY: So you think doing the right thing is noble but one never thinks your entire life will change. See it but as a rental. The movie takes place in his car on the cell phone. Mrs. Q says: An interesting idea, the cell phone idea, but I really wanted more at the end of the movie.

BAD WORDS Mr. Bateman stars as Guy Trilby, a 40-year-old who finds a loophole in the rules of The Golden Quill national spelling bee and decides to cause trouble by hijacking the competition. Contest officials, outraged parents, and overly ambitious 8th graders are no match for Guy, as he ruthlessly crushes their dreams of victory and fame. As a reporter (Kathryn Hahn of We’re the Millers) attempts to discover his true motivation, Guy finds himself forging an unlikely alliance with a competitor: awkward 10-year-old Chaitanya (Rohan Chand of Homeland), who is completely unfazed by Guy’s take-no-prisoners approach to life.

Q-TIPS SAY: Funny and you will laugh (perhaps we should not be laughing), entertaining, good performance by Mr. Bateman. The relationship between the two spelling bee contestants grows on you. Don’t be drawn into BAD WORDS and bring your children/grandkids because you think it is about The Spelling Bee Contest.NOT FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN because of some of the language, nudity, sex – parents will need to monitor the movie before taking younger ones. Mrs. Q says: Now that I really think about, it it is for “Adults Only.”