slurping turtle.

we all know that i am mildly (read : extremely) obsessed with top chef. and this most recent season of top chef masters was no different. so let's just say i was more than excited to see chicago chef takashi yagihashi in the line up.

takashi-san (as his fellow cheftestants referred to him on t.c.m.) has not one, but two restaurants in chicago ... yea, we're one lucky city.

it's taken me all year to get to these fine establishments ... josh and i are scheduled to go to takashi (in wicker park) coming up in november ... so my first stop was slurping turtle, located on hubbard street in river north, which "strives to recreate ... chef takashi's childhood culinary experiences in japan, the essence of japanese comfort food." yup. pretty much amazing.

here's what i had :

cherry tomato bincho :

 with a balsamic glaze.

a perfect little starter bite. delightful.

tofu noodle soup :

rice noodles, shio base broth, silken tofu, kabocha squash (subbed out the non-vegan whole wheat ramen noodles ... & no japanese mushrooms for me!).

 the team at slurping turtle was awesome and so nice to completely modify this dish for me. i mean, the noodles are an easy substitution ... but they also cut out the mushrooms from this "tofu mushroom" soup. and let me say, i am so glad that they were so accommodating because this noodle bowl was so so so so tasty. hot & steamy, crazy good flavor and a huge portion ... the perfect meal for a rainy chicago evening.

slurp shot !!! :

 mmm.slurp.mmm.

alright, beyond the super yum food ... the most exciting part of this trip was that chef takashi was at slurping turtle that night !!!!! thrilling to say the least. (no, i am not being sarcastic.) i absolutely love a chef sighting ... and seeing top chef masters fan favorite takashi was ah-mazing!

if you haven't already ... get to slurping turtle now. delish!