KUBO- the house of food on Belmont’s Theater District.

[rating=4] We are on Belmont quite a bit! The two theater buildings on the street account for several stages and many theater companies call Stage 773 and Theater Wit “home”. Since we are there a lot, we have eaten and had a drink at Kubo, across the street, but despite knowing their menu is a Filipino-American one, for most of our visits, it has been either an appetizer or a burger. While they are enjoyable and tasty, we have never explored the Filipino side of the menu.

Our grand-daughter, Caitlin, who was in town for the week is half Filipino, so Jane and I thought, why not do a tasting on the part of the menu that was new to us and that our culinary school graduate ( well, almost) would help us with. Kubo is the name given to the smaller ( and larger) huts that are all over the tropical Philippines. The restaurant has a picture of one unit on its back wall and if one looks at the building that houses Kubo, as they come from the parking lot in the rear, one might think that the side of the building looks a bit like the one on the wall.

The appetizers were the Chicken Eggroll, skinny ground chicken served with a sweet chili sauce. These are a crunchy outside and a zingy flavor. We also had a Caesar Salad with a house dressing that has an added shrimp paste, adding a new flavor sensation to an old friend. We also had a veggie egg roll that was delicious and while I knew it was veggies, it tasted like meat.

For our entree’s  :The Kansi Soup- beef shank sour soup filled with veggies and added flavor from the Jackfruit. The broth was meaty in flavor and the veggies as tasty as can be ( and healthy as well). We also had their  Pork Ribs Adobo ( a famous Filipino specialty served with rice and for the third item, pancit canton.

For our desert- each of us had a Turon a la mode- deep fried ripe plantain, sweet jack-fruit and vanilla ice cream. A beautiful presentation and flavors that will take your breath away. Caitlin noticed that they had Filipino ice cream on their menu, so we had one brought to the table. This is a creamy purple yam ice cream that has a unique flavor- sweet but with no aftertaste. Another fine presentation.

We did watch other meals come from the kitchen to other diners as we enjoyed our Filipono dinner, and I saw some good- looking fish dinners. I know that their crab cakes are delish ( I have had those before a play) and the steak looks mighty good. Jane and I have had the burgers in the past- very American , of course, but also a tatsy dish.

Kubo is a welcome addition on the street. They have a solid menu at affordable prices and are handy for the theatergoers attending the two neighboring venues.

On week-ends, they do Saturday and Sunday brunch menus from 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. with drink specials as well as egg and pancake dishes. On Mondays- Beer, Burger and Fries  $15 (where can you find a special like this? and on every evening BUT Friday and Saturday- three course meals at $26 ( great selection to choose from).

To see the entire menu visit www.kubochicago.com

Kubo is located at 1232 West Belmont Avenue in Chicago ( parking in rear) call 773-857-1408