Magnificent meat at mEAT

When I saw a deal for a restaurant called mEAT, it didn't take me long to figure out what they specialize in. What I didn't know was they way they serve their delicious meats: on skewers. Not only does this new restaurant serve up gourmet skewers, but they also cook up some amazing appetizers, sides, and concoct some cocktails that will leave you full, satisfied, and wanting more.

The Vibe

mEAT is located on Chestnut street in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago. Its great location in the shadow of the John Hancock building attracts many of the shoppers and tourists of the downtown area.

To get to the restaurant, enter through the main entrance to the building, and go up the short flight of stairs on the left. The building itself is home to luxury apartments, with this gem of a restaurant on the street level.

The interior of the restaurant was a bit dark when I arrived with my boyfriend on a weekday evening. There were booths, and high tables to sit at, as ell as a bar. Since the sun was shining outside, and their patio looked so welcoming and inviting, we opted to eat outdoors. This allowed us to enjoy some of the first warm summer days in Chicago and people watch as we ate our meal. The vibe of the restaurant is classy but still relaxed, with upscale kebabs but a down-to-earth atmosphere.

Our waiter was friendly and took the time to explain the menu to us as this was our first time dining there. The service was also fast; I never felt like we had to wait long in between ordering, receiving our appetizer, and our main course (even though we over heard they were short staffed).

The Food & Drink

Our meal at mEAT began with complimentary kale chips made by sautéing kale leaves in olive oil with a little garlic salt sprinkled on for flavor. I had never tried them before, but decided to branch out and expand my tastes. The chips tasted exactly like dried leaves with a little salt (my boyfriend was not fan). The bites with more of the garlic salt were tastier, and I continued to nibble on them until our waiter came to take our order.

At mEAT, the food is meant to be shared among diners. The best way to order is to pick an appetizer, a few skewers and some sides and share them among the table. My boyfriend and I decided on a crab ragoon flatbread to start, beef tenderloin tips and bacon wrapped chicken for our skewers, and fondue mac & cheese for a side.

The crab ragoon flatbread came with crab, scallions, cream cheese and sweet chili sauce all piled on top of a long crispy crust. It was a welcome remix to one of my all time favorite asian dishes! We quickly devoured it and eagerly awaited the arrival of our meat.

Next up was the main meal! The waiter brought out a rack and hung up our skewers of the beef tenderloin tips and bacon wrapped chicken. The beef was incredibly tender and yummy after being cooked in soy sauce and burgundy wine, although we never got to choose how we wanted it cooked. It turned out to be a little pinker than my boyfriend and I would have liked, but was delicious regardless. The bacon wrapped chicken was also amazing: crispy bacon on the outside with perfectly cooked chicken inside it, as well as the welcome surprise of jalapeños and cream cheese. Omg yum!

For our side we ordered fondue mac & cheese which came with rigatoni pasta, applewood smoked bacon, peas, garlic, white pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, two types of cheese (cheddar and gouda) and was topped with panko bread crumbs. It was incredibly rich and cheesey; so much so we couldn't even finish it and had to take the rest home (which was no problem with me!).

In addition to the unique way of serving their food on skewers, mEAT also serves up some pretty interesting drinks, many of them twists on the classics. One example is the ‘Magic Margarita,' made traditionally but with a flavored ice block. As the ice melts, the flavor of the margarita changes. How fun!