Favorite Chicago-Area Eateries?

[shippyshippy]

Hey hey,

I'm going to be up in CHI in two weeks for a few days. I haven't been back since 2010, so I'm pretty out of touch with the dining scene. I know there are plenty of natives, current and past residents and regional folks on here, so if you'd be so kind, please tell me where to stuff myself.

No limit on pricing or ethnicity/style. Bonus points for any gems between downtown and Westchester, where I'll be staying with friends.

After some brief searching, I will probably want to check out Hopleaf Bar, a French- and Belgian-style spot with an excellent, excellent beer selection. Both menus look great. http://www.hopleafbar.com/#home

Thanks for any recs you may have!

 

[chicago]

Where is Westchester?

Ann Sathers is great breakfast and Swedish food in Lakeview

Glenn's Diner has great seafood, it's in Lincoln Square

Right across the street is Margie's Candies which is one of the best and oldest ice cream shops in chicago

Eataly is a 3 story Italian food Mecca downtown with a wine bar, espresso bar, nutella bar, gelato bar, and about 5 restaurants inside

 

[shippyshippy]

I had to take my friends' address out, but around the pin drop on the map:

 

[chicago]

Damn, dude. That's like an hour outside the city.

 

[shippyshippy]

God damn, really? It looks far away up close, but when you zoom out to show Omaha for scale it doesn't seem so bad. To Mapquest!

 

[Darkknight]

I use to live in Westchester, it actually use to be 35 minutes from Chicago but with all the construction, it could be an hour now.

Can't help you with places around Westchester but I'd go with what she said above.

 

[shippyshippy]

Where is Westchester?

Ann Sathers is great breakfast and Swedish food in Lakeview

Glenn's Diner has great seafood, it's in Lincoln Square

Right across the street is Margie's Candies which is one of the best and oldest ice cream shops in chicago

Eataly is a 3 story Italian food Mecca downtown with a wine bar, espresso bar, nutella bar, gelato bar, and about 5 restaurants inside

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm trying to be realistic about how many times I'll be eating out during the trip, so each stop much count! I'm going to be near-ish Lincoln Square that Saturday evening, and I enjoy ice cream/sweets, so Margie's could be the ticket.

But holy crap, I may have to hit Dusek's for brunch on Sunday:

http://dusekschicago.com/

 

[chicago]

I mean, that looks good and all but Ann Sathers got cinnamon roll French toast. Besides, there's something wrong about fine dining chicken and waffles lol

 

[Wally West]

I think you have to get some deep dish pizza while you are in Chicago.

 

[shippyshippy]

I mean, that looks good and all but Ann Sathers got cinnamon roll French toast. Besides, there's something wrong about fine dining chicken and waffles lol

Now that's a French toast I can "fucks wit." But hey, posh chicken and waffles are where it's at! I once had the dish at Euclid Hall in Denver, where the chicken part was chopped chicken and duck confit that was breaded and fried in the same mini-square that the waffles are made in. Then, the chef sliced those and the waffles in triangular halves, stood them up and ran a drizzle of syrup and some cream-based sauce across it and topped with toasted nuts. I mean, god damn. But at the same time, the ol' standard is also very delicious, of course. I guess it just depends on if I want to spend $9 or $20, haha.

And Wally, I'm not sure if pizza will be on the menu, but I have a deep (and thin) love for a fine pie. I was actually thinking about shipping some half-baked pizza from La Casa in Omaha to my friends' place for the after party on Saturday (we're going to see Phish play at Wrigley that night). I grew up blocks from the original location, and they make suuuuper tasty Neapolitan-style pizza. They cold ship across the country. And I would love to treat them with a taste of Omaha for the bed, pool, booze and other fun stuff that they'll be providing that weekend. Less than two weeks! Woo. Work has been trying to kill me, lately, so this trip will be quite the treat.

 

[shippyshippy]

Man, I remember going to the Ralph Lauren restaurant off Michigan Avenue many years ago (like, 2008). It was the first and only time that I've had steak diane. If I remember correctly, the waiter or some front-of-house guy came to our table with a portable cart that had a single burner and pan. He presented a thinly-pounded/tenderized beef filet and proceeded to cook it rare with god knows how many delicious glazes and seasonings. Good god, it was so good.

I don't fine dine as much as I used to, but I still love to when I can. My favorite place in Omaha was burned up this past winter.

http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/com...ion_9424269c-b82b-11e5-be14-7bf9c73bdd60.html

 

[chicago]

I mean, 20 bucks for chicken and waffles is like paying 50 bucks for a hot dog, but I feel ya.

The deep dish pizza is a tourist thing. The majority of natives only eat it when their out of town friends visit

But Paisanos on state and Madison has good deep or thin and blue moon on tap

 

[maniactickler]

Shippy, make sure you bring a firearm for your safety!

 

[chicago]

I doubt he's going sight seeing in gang turf

 

[shippyshippy]

I'm a southie at heart, so I'll be making sure the streets run red that weekend. Man, that sounded pretty tourist-y. I'm doomed!

 

[shippyshippy]

I have friends staying in Wicker Park for the shows that weekend. Any good spots in that area that you could tell me about?

 

[chicago]

I haven't been to many. Id avoid Native Foods, Hipster overpriced shit. But I've been meaning to try a soft shell crab sandwich from BIG & little's for a while now.

There's also a super cool arcade bar around there called Emporium.

 

[shippyshippy]

I've heard about Emporium! I love arcade bars (I'm a bit of pinball nut), so if it's near me at any point that weekend I will be sure to check it out. Crab sandwiches also sound good. I'm trying to cook at home for every meal between now and then so I can go nuts on vacation. Yay, food (and good beer)!

 

[chicago]

https://youtu.be/I3Um7jJaUdQ

Clip from their first location, but I believe the owners split time between both now so quality should be consistent

 

[shippyshippy]

I must say, that is the kind of place you look for when you're on a trip to a new city or town. A charismatic hole in the wall. I'm in! The po'boys and burgers (and fries!) look pretty damn good.

My chances of hitting some of these spots are even greater, since I have an extra vacation day to use as a technicality at work.

 

[chicago]

Nice I'll be there end of the month myself. Cant wait. Nothing better than summertime Chi

 

[shippyshippy]

The forecast looks pretty mild compared to what Omaha is like right now, so I'm pretty excited about that. It's been pushing close to 100 for a week here, and humidity time is nigh. Ugh.

 

[shippyshippy]

It's almost time to rock and roll, folks! I plan on arriving around 5 a.m., so I think I'm gonna go to Ann Sather for a little breakfast and to see the sunrise in the city. I'm pretty sure I'm bringing a camera along with me, so I'll hopefully get some cool shots. I don't plan on going full-tourist with photos, but a morning session will be nice to add to the portfolio and collection.

 

[shippyshippy]

Has anyone heard of Kuma's Corner on Belmont? This weekend they're having a 3 Floyds tap takeover and burger party. I love 3 Floyds' beer and burgers are also nice, so why not?

 

[chicago]

Kumas Corner is always packed with Hipsters. Id go to Kumas Too on Diversey instead