Introduction and Welcome to Chicago (Pt. 2 Dining Out)
June 22nd, 2005 by Leo Klein
If at some point you start getting hungry during your stay in our fair city, I highly recommend that you concentrate on the three principle food groups making up the traditional Chicago Diet: Deep Dish Pizza, Ribs and Polish Sausage. Though at first glance, this may not seem like the healthiest combination, just remember that you’ll be leaving in a few days and so will probably avoid the worst consequences of indulging in such fare.
The problem is in order to get to the best places, you have to be willing to travel. I mean the best place I know for Ribs — at least on the North Side — is Smokin’ Woody’s on Lincoln and Berteau (the tips are heavenly). Ditto for a Polish (notice we omit the word ’sausage’) where I make a monthly pilgrimage to a trailer marked “Maxwell Street” on Diversey and Damen. Even my favorite pizza place is a neighborhood joint called “Renaldi’s” on Broadway just north of Diversey.
Closer to downtown, you’ve got Twin Anchors which is a great neighborhood place at 1655 N. Sedgwick. They do a pretty good baby back ribs — just make sure you order the original sauce! On the Polish front, Portillo’s on Ontario and Clark is okay. For pizza, Gino’s East on Wells and Ontario and Pizzeria Uno a couple blocks east are pretty good.
(If anyone knows of good places near downtown, please help me out here!)
Where downtown excels is great places to eat for lunch. Lawry’s Prime Rib on Ontario just west of Michigan has a fabulous lunch menu till 2pm (weekdays only). My favorite is the 10 oz. “Lawry’s Cut” with mashed potatoes and spinach (don’t forget the spinach) for around $20! Another great place is the Stand-up bar at Berghoff’s on Adams and State. Great four-dollar sandwiches — corned beef and bratwurst, etc. Berghoff’s is also good for din-din.
Whatever you eat, make sure you’re got enough room left for Garrett’s Popcorn! People say, you have not lived till you’ve seen Paree. That is incorrect. You have not lived till you’ve had a bag of Garrett’s Caramel Corn! People wait in lines for this stuff — and rightly so.
To wash this all down, remember that Goose Island is the local brew. There are a number of varieties. You’re free to sample all 14 (depending on availability). My personal favorite is Honkers.
Lastly, once you’ve eaten, drunk and entertained yourself to your heart’s content, remember that Chicago is also a great city just to get out and walk around in. State Street and Michigan Ave., the lakefront and beaches — from the Field Museum to North Avenue — you’ve got some of the best walking areas in Metropolitan USA. In a matter of days, if not hours, you’ll find yourself wishing that ALA had its convention here every year. Enjoy it while you can!
June 22nd, 2005 at 2:39 pm
(shameless plug)
If you’re looking for more restaurant tips, check out the site my coworker and i threw together for folks at our library who’ve never been to chicago (we’re both Chicago natives). it is a big long list of restaurants and taverns around and about Chicago, mostly downtown and up north: http://uoregon.edu/~ebreak/chicago.html.
June 22nd, 2005 at 3:18 pm
There’s also quite a bit on the Unofficial ALA Wiki: http://meredith.wolfwater.com/wiki/
June 22nd, 2005 at 3:42 pm
Eliz Says: (shameless plug)
Great list, Eliz. Alas, Demon Dog is no more. They closed down (just last week) to make way for an expansion of the El Station at Fullerton.
Also, thanks for mentioning Al’s No.1 Italian Beef (1079 W. Taylor St. ) and Manny’s coffee shop and deli (1141 S. Jefferson St).
June 22nd, 2005 at 4:20 pm
In Praise of Deep Dish Pizza (which in Chicago is an emotional thing)
I took this out of my orignal draft — out of fear that things were getting a bit too long. But I did so intending on adding here as a comment:
There are several chain restaurants offering Deep Dish Pizza most of which I would avoid. That said, Gino’s East on Wells/Ontario and Pizzeria Uno a couple blocks east are pretty good (though crowded). Deep Dish Pizza was invented in Chicago but it’s firmly rooted in Italian tradition. Anyone who claims otherwise ought to spend a bit more quality time walking the streets of Roma and Napoli (say, Pizza Rustica).
In Chicago, Deep Dish is a true feast and when done well, beats the pants off of that flat, cracker-like creation known as “thin crust”. My personal favorite, as I ready mentioned in my post, is a neighborhood joint called “Renaldi’s” on Broadway just south of Diversey. I’ve recently heard good things about Pequod’s Pizza on Clybourn and Webster though I haven’t been able to get there yet. In any case, my personal favorite at any of these places is cheese and sausage.
June 22nd, 2005 at 4:36 pm
I’d be curious to hear if anyone has vegetarian/vegan suggestions for restaurants around the conference area.
Here is just a generic partial listing of places in Chicago (with maps — not all are near the conference area), but if people know good places that would be great.
June 22nd, 2005 at 5:29 pm
Again: Too. Many. Thoughts. Must… Concentrate!
I live in the Loop, so I’m biased. But that’s where most of the conference action will be, so I feel justified. This is a sort of stream-of-consciousness walking tour of some of my favorites from McCormick Place north to, say, the Newberry Library…
Evergreen in Chinatown. 2411 S. Wentworth. Easily accessible from McCormick Place (#21 Cermak bus) or downtown (Red Line to Chinatown stop). Very good; inexpensive.
Firehouse, 14th & Michigan. Pricey, but great food and an excellent wine list. And yes, it’s really in an old firehouse!
Giocco, 13th & Wabash. Somewhat noisy, but great food. Mid-range to pricey.
Bar Louie, Dearborn Station (Polk at Dearborn). Great food, relaxed atmosphere, historic locale. North from here on Dearborn is Historic Printer’s Row, where most of the printing industry in Chicago thrived until about 1910.
(I should say at this point you’re due west of the Hilton on Michigan - co-conference hotel - give or take a block…)
Dearborn Street Oyster Bar, 409 S. Dearborn. Great seafood without Nick’s Fishmarket prices (don’t ask…). The only reason they don’t yell out “NORM!!” when I walk into this place is because my name is Rob…
Russian Tea Room, on Adams between Michigan & Wabash. Pricey and crowded on nights when the CSO is playing, but it’s the best Russian food you’ll find anywhere near the Loop.
Miller’s Pub on Wabash just north of Adams. Best ribs you’ll find in the Loop, for my money.
Trattoria #10, 10 S. Dearborn. Consistently the best Italian food in the Loop.
Atwood Cafe, in the Burnham Hotel (State & Washington). Tiny room, but the food is great, and you’re in one of the best examples of Chicago architecture (beautifully restored) around.
Over the river, on Michigan…
Bandera at 535 N. Michigan. Grilled meat is the specialty, but there’s something for everyone on the menu. Generous beverages. Fills up early.
Bijan’s, 663 N. State. Bugers, pasta, etc. Not too expensive, open very late.
Cafe Luciano, 871 N. Rush. If you’re partying on Rush and you feel like Italian, the food here is somewhat more authentic than Carmine’s. Just my bias. Plus move while you still see it; Luciano is scheduled to be torn down for yet another high-rise condo development.
Bistro Zinc. 1131 N. State. Great food, less pricey than Brasserie Jo (59 W. Hubbard — out of the way and pricey, but wonderful!) and/or Cyrano’s Bistrot (their spelling, not mine…) at 546 N. Wells. While we’re on the French thing, there’s also Kiki’s Bistro at 900 N. Franklin (pricey, but the food is worth it!).
But now we’ve gone north of the Newberry… and my mental feet are tired. All of these places are open for lunch and dinner, none of them will break the bank (though none of them are really downscale), and I’ve purposely left out chains (McCormick & Schmick’s) and “star” places (Tru, Frontera/Topolobampo) you can read about elsewhere.
June 22nd, 2005 at 5:39 pm
Rob, this is a masterpiece!
June 23rd, 2005 at 9:59 am
Sayat Nova! Jeez, how could I forget Sayat Nova? I’ve been going there for nearly 20 years! Just east of Michigan Avenue on Ohio St. Armenian. Some great vegetarian entrees, too!
And Greektown! West of the expressway on Halsted, between, say Washington and Congress. A little out of the way, but if you’ve got to have Greek there are several wonderful places on this strip. Santorini is my favorite, but I also like Kosta and Greek Islands. Rodity’s is a little worse for the wear, but the food is good.
Okay, I’m stopping now, even if there are several dozen more places I’ve forgotten!
June 29th, 2005 at 5:14 pm
[...] Just so you don’t think my life revolves completely around pizza, ribs and polish sausage, I thought I’d mention a few things that have caught my eye and where I think we’re headed: [...]