Chicago Magazine - 09.2019

TAB LE

42 CHICAGO | SEPTEMBER 2019 Photography by JEFF MARINI

1 MOCHI CREAM
AT J.SWEETS

Could there be any sight
finer than row upon
tidily organized row
of Technicolor mochi?
The ones from this pur-
veyor inside a suburban
Japanese supermarket
are lighter than what
you’ll find in the freezer
at your typical grocery,
and they’ve got tasty
fillings in flavors like
caramel macchiato and
raspberry mille-feuille
(complete with bits of
flaky pastry). $2 to $2.50.
Mitsuwa Marketplace,
100 E. Algonquin Rd.,
Arlington Heights

2 PANCAKES

AT SUSHI -SAN

The cooks here whip

lots of extra egg whites

into their pancake batter

and then pour it into ring

molds on the griddle to

create unusually tall and

uniform pancakes that

stack up prettily. A driz-

zle of black sugar syrup

sweetens the deal.

$8. 63 W. Grand Ave.,

Near North Side

3 MATCHA

CHEESECAKE

AT IZ AK AYA MITA

This twist on the

dessert-case classic

involves infusing a stan-

dard cheesecake base

with green tea and then

cooking it gently in a

water bath instead of

baking it. Doing so puffs

up the dessert to souf-

flé-like proportions and

gives it a cakier texture.

$9.50. 1960 N. Damen

Ave., Bucktown

4 MILK BREAD

AT KUMIKO

It’s like the world’s most

decadent French toast:

super-squishy Japanese-

style white bread toasted

with loads of butter,

then coated with sugar

that gets torched to a

caramelized crisp. It’s all

topped with fermented

honey ice cream and

black truffle shavings.

#luxury. $8. 630 W. Lake

St., West Loop

5 TAIYAKI

AT MINI MOTT

These soft-serve

treats come in an ever-

changing array of fla-

vors — blueberry and

vanilla with pepper-

corns are two recent

offerings — but really,

it’s all about the ador-

able fish-shaped waffle

cone, which is made in-

house daily in a custom

cast-iron mold. They’re

almost too cute to eat.

$6. 3057 W. Logan Blvd.,

Logan Square

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