With two kids under 3 at home, nights out are few and far between for Jeff Badders, chef de cuisine at Bodegón in Hotel Madrid. So when he and his wife find the time, they make it count and head to Morel because “it’s perfection every time,” he says. “The staff is relaxed but on point and the décor is so comfortable... Personal favorites are the duck liver mousse and any dish highlighting the house-made merguez sausage.” And when it comes to busier nights, takeout is the best answer, especially from Pho Viet on the South Side. “This place reminds me of the restaurants that lined the west banks of New Orleans: no glitz, no glam, just great flavors at a more-than-reasonable price,” he says. Pho with tripe and Vietnamese crepes with crispy edges and nuoc cham for dipping make Badders “a happy off-duty chef living the dream.”
Morel
430 S. Second St.
414-897-0747
Pho Viet
5475 S. 27th St.
282-8852
