Pete Oldtown's Profile
Cheap Casual Dinner?
You should be able to eat for $20 a person at Iberico with ease. And even get some sangria in the bargain. Dishes are around $4.50 to $9, apart from paella, which is around $12 or so, depending on type. While it IS tapas, the servings are actually pretty generous and about two dishes, perhaps three, per person will fill you up. I live nearby and go there quite often, and in my experience, dinner for 3 with a pitcher of sangria is about $50 before tip. The pulpa a la plancha (grilled octopus with potato) is a must. The specials menu is a bit more expensive than the regular menu, but almost always worth it in terms of both quantity and quality.
On weekends, go early. The place gets slammed by 7 or so.
The Clark St. Ale House is right around the corner, too. Great beer and a nice back garden. If you're young and can handle the crowds, the Division St. strip of bars is about four blocks north and a couple of blocks east.
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Iberico Cafe & Bar
737 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654
Family Visiting Chicago for Cirque du Soleil in July -Help w/ ideas
Since you have young kids, I'd suggest Xoco for a late lunch or early dinner. That way you avoid the crowds and get a taste of what Rick Bayless does best at a bargain price. It's very informal; you get a table assignment, then go through a cafeteria line to order, get beverages and pay, then get shown to your table. The food is great and very approachable for kids. It's basically meal-size soups and sandwiches, but all made with authentic, incredibly tasty ingredients, and the most expensive thing on the menu is about $13 or so. I almost never get past the pork belly "soup," a light tomato broth with complex spicing, chewy noodles, some sort of mushroom, greens and several slabs of perfectly cooked pork belly. It's not spicy, just delicious.
There really isn't all that much near United Center for dining. However, the whole West Loop area is a short cab ride away and has a bunch of the best restaurants in Chicago, including the new Girl and the Goat, Stephanie Izzard's place. She won Top Chef a couple of years back and most deservedly. Her food is awesome and there's plenty of stuff on the menu kids would like. You'll need reservations.
Most places here with a great view make you pay for the privilege, often in quality of food or in kinda staggering prices. Everest is probably the best bet if you really want the view, but me, I'd just take the kids to the top of the Sears Tower and find your food at ground level.
Chinatown would be great for the kids and we have several really good restaurants. I really like Lao Beijing, which has nearly the same menu as its sister Lao Sze Chuan without the mob scene on weekend nights. Both are inside the Chinatown outdoor mall, a pretty colorful place that's great for people watching. The kids might really like Joy Yee's, across from Lao Beijing. It's food is a bit bland for my taste, but it has great noodle dishes and seafood. It's famous for its bubble teas and smoothies, and it's very kid-friendly.
The boat tours are a lot of fun. You get the architectural and historical information, the kids will just think it's cool. And don't miss the U-boat at the Museum of Science and Industry. It costs extra, but is well worth it. You get to take a full tour of the boat, and the film about how it was captured and later transported to Chicago is really terrific. I'd also suggest the Chicago History Museum at Clark and North. Interactive, kid-friendly and lots of cool stuff. Trains to climb on, exhibits about how the original settlers lived and so on. It's rarely overcrowded (unlike Museum of Science and Industry) and to me, more informative and more fun. Great souvenir shop too, with interesting stuff you won't see elsewhere. When my daughter was younger, we spent a lot of time there and it turned her into a history buff. If the timing is right, you might even get to see the rarely displayed bed Lincoln died in, along with the dress (blood spatters and all) that Mary Todd Lincoln was wearing that night. They really have an amazing collection. It's right on the edge of Lincoln Park, so you can walk up to the zoo (free) after. And perhaps eat at the North Pond Cafe in the middle of the park.
Hope you all have fun.
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Lao Sze Chuan
2172 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60616
North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614
Lao Beijing
2138 S Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60616
Joy Yee
1221 W 33rd Pl, Chicago, IL 60608
XOCO
449 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654
Girl and the Goat
809 W Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60661
fried chicken with "Seoul"
I've been there a couple of times. It's good and the prices are pretty decent. I would not include it in the list of the best in America. Not even close. I think the chicken at Stanley's on Lincoln Ave. is the best around here, but Crisp is pretty decent. Since all they do, more or less, is chicken, it better be.
Sunday afternoon football...and good food
I'd recommend Goose Island Brewery on Clark near Wrigley Field. Good food, fresh beer, lotsa TVs. It's fairly basic food, but it's good. I like the fish and chips, but everything I've had there was good.
Urbanbelly
I just saw the place mentioned on that Food Network show, The Best Thing I Ever Ate (spicy edition). The guy was raving about the Hominy, Kimchi and Spicy Pork Broth noodle soup. I've been meaning to try the place out, now it's No. 1 on my list.
Italian restaurant in a house?
This might be it.
http://www.riccardotrattoria.com/restaurant.htm
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=sears+tower&layer=c&ie=UTF8&om=1&cbll=41.877819,-87.636887&cbp=1,392.28109985743725,0.5,0,-49.67133655879495&ll=41.880362,-87.636201&spn=0.005584,0.01133&z=17
Throwdown with Bobby Flay staged?
I like the show despite Bobby Flay, who seems not arrogant but slick and facile to me. But he really can cook. But what I like is being exposed to small, independent and often artisan purveyors. He did one about an Austin truck serving, I think, Asian-influenced tacos and it showed how to find out online where the truck is every day. The food looked ridiculously good and the next time I'm in Austin, I'm THERE.
Someone can make a bundle if they figure out a way to index all these regional type shows. Business travelers would probably pay a buck or two to view all relevant shows about their destination. After you travel for a while, the idea of even considering eating in a hotel restaurant is so repulsive. It's all frozen food, butter and dull food from Sysco. Unless, of course, you're at the really great hotels.
For instance, the Athenian Diner in Pike Place Market in Seattle has dish called clam hash. I'd love to see Bobby try to beat it.
Anyway, he gives exposure to people who would not get it otherwise. And I think that is the main goal of the show (apart from ratings, of course). And they're timeless. They can be rerun for as long as the restaurant or cook is in business.
I don't see any downside to this show. You meet some charming and creative people and see the techniques they use to create delicious food.
Pasta Price Fixing
Like a lot of things, this might be corn's fault. Although it's moderating, farmers who formerly planted wheat switched to corn to cash in on record corn prices (despite rising production). Ethanol is tanking with lower oil prices, so corn is on the way down, which means that probably people will start planting wheat again.
That doesn't meant they aren't price-fixing, of course.
Is anyone else appalled by "Worst Cooks in America?"
I hated the first show, but the second was far better. Some of them are actually learning something. The two winners actually did a decent job on some relatively complex dishes.
I'm going to hang in with it.
Some of these people are never going to learn, but it's obvious that if you pay attention, you CAN learn something. As the really horrible ones (like the waitress with the ripped stockings) get eliminated, we might get to see something really interesting.
Requiem for a (ridiculous) restaurant
Its food actually used to be pretty good back in the 80s, but it's been bad for a long time. Those mirrored corridors were very strange, though.
Curb Salt Use - Yay or nay?
I have had chronic kidney stone problems for decades. I got put on all sorts of diets and nothing worked. When I cut out salt and soft drinks, along, unfortunately, with many green leafy vegetables, my health improved within a year.
That said, I don't think we should be telling restaurants how to season. Packaged food is different. For instance, I like the Tortilla Crusted Fish dish that Lean Cuisine sells. It's pretty high in sodium, so I eat it only once in a while.
It's amazing how quickly you lose your taste for salt. I really can't eat most fast food now; all I taste is salt. In fine dining situations, though, the salt is used wisely and appropriately. Someone who knows how to cook also knows not to let salt overwhelm the flavor.
Last Restaurant Standing is back
My first thought is that the mother and son produced a good dish. But really, they had weeks or months to think about their concept. It would have taken five minutes of rehearsal. Even if it was total BS, they could have said SOMETHING.
I thought the contest in running fast food chains was extremely interesting. I can't remember anyone's name yet, but the two guys who ran the Asian restaurant look like winners to me. They work together really well.
Football Playoffs and Sunday Brunch
Stanley's on Lincoln. Incredible brunch featuring excellent fried chicken plus the usuals. Get there early if you want a table near the TVs. The line goes out the door otherwise. They also have some sort of bloody mary bar, but I haven't tried it. The chicken is amazing. And the bacon. The rest is just average stuff: biscuits and gravy, omelets, fruit, waffles with fruit toppings, etc.
Phil Stefani's 437 Rush
Same here. It was about five years ago and it was delicious. Expensive, but the veal chop I had must have weighed a pound. I had a simple pasta side and some asparagus, and, IIRC, crabcakes as an entree. I think I had a berry tart for dessert.
It was a really good meal. But pretty expensive. I'd compare it to Harry Carey's, which has a very similar menu. If I had to choose, I'd pick Phil over Harry.
Tapas & Small Plates in Chicago
I concur with Emelio's. I prefer Iberico, but the night my daughter won a full college scholarship I was in the mood to splurge. And it was worth it. It's not cheap and I thought the paella was just mediocre, but the rest was great. And the service was excellent and personal. I went to the Clark/Fullerton location and would go back. But it cost us over $100 for what would have been $50 or $60 at Iberico.
I know some people must suspect I work for them, but I don't. I just really like the place. I haven't been there since Halloween, when all the employees were in costume and I had an amazing meal.
They only offer them as specials, but if you ever see grilled oysters or squid ink pasta casserole on the menu, pounce. Two of the best dishes I have had anywhere.
beer+fries+atmosphere+north side=where?
Second Shaggy. I love Hopleaf.
I'd add Goose Island (either location). Pretty good food ( the fish and chips is very good) and not much sports. It's like Monty Python's spam, eggs, sausage and spam. It has less spam than the spam, spam, eggs, spam, sausage and spam.
Get a table in the back or near the windows and you'll hardly notice the TVs.
And you get fresh-brewed beer.
Need to find a dinner place that is both carni and veg friendly
Cafe Iberico has great veg options. The grilled baby artichokes, the goat cheese in tomato, the grilled veggie platter are all dishes I order often. They also have chopped salads and several other tasty veggie dishes. We had a pre-wedding party with about 20 people, five of whom were vegetarians, and everyone loved it. And it will be less than $30 pp with sangria. Unless you drink a LOT of sangria.
There are usually a couple of veggie options on the specials menu too.
Here's the main menu.
http://www.cafeiberico.com/menu.html
Steak & Italian recs near Fairmont Hotel
I'd go for Volare. It's old-school, and delicious.
It's walking distance if it's not below zero and it's a nice walk. You have to walk downstairs from Michigan Ave. (east side, or your right as you walk up Michigan) at Grand. You'll see Volare from the bottom of the stairs. One of Chicago's hidden treasures, IMO.
It's kinda loud, with big parties sharing family-style food. But the food is delicious. And they're open 7 nights.
http://www.volarerestaurant.com/
Best Chicago Seafood on a Budget?
I've only eaten at McCormick & Schmick in Baltimore and DC. The Baltimore one was pretty darn good. DC was bland and under-seasoned on some dishes, very competent with others.
I've always thought that national chains were pretty consistent, but this one ain't.
One suggestion for travelers on a budget. Order a few appetizers. They do them well, and you'll get a good meal for a bit more than an entree.
I would not recommend it for a birthday dinner at all. It's an after-work joint more than fine dining.
Your advice about Oceanique was spot-on. It's been a pleasure to see even fine-dining spots coming up with creative ways that allow the hoi polloi to have a bit of luxury in hard times. My jaw dropped when I saw the $20 lobster special, which they advertise on their window. I was at the sushi joint next door, but would have changed plans had Oceanique been open.
And it is a beautiful place.
Favorite dishes for less than $10?
I stole this from the NYC board. I used to live there, but long ago and the new restaurants are completely unknown to me.
I'm sort of cheating, because these dishes are only on the specials menu once in a while. But my two favorites are both from Cafe Iberico. Grilled oysters (4 big ones) with a sauce that seemed to be mushroom based for about $4.50 and Squid-Ink pasta baked with squid and scallops (about $8, but enough for two).
Also, banh mi on virtually any good place on Argyle. My favorites are the BBQ pork and the classic, layers of ham, pate and roast pork. I'll cheat again add the Beijing Duck special at Sun Wah, just to the right as you get off the Red Line train at Argyle. It's $30, but easily feeds three or four.
Check out the NYC one, which is now two years old. If I end up in NYC anytime soon, I will print it out and try as many as possible.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/390555
Where do you take visitors to Chicago?
It depends on the season and where the friend is from, but during summer, I like to go to Argyle, get a bag of banh mi and then chomp on them while wandering through Lincoln Park. Most of my friends are from smaller towns on the East Coast and have never had them before. If they're from DC or some other place with good Viet food, of course, I think of something else.
We generally end up at Frontera (depending on the cash situation) and I always take people to Cafe Iberico. Tapas is something Chicago does well that isn't all that common on the East Coast. My nephew, who visits every year, absolutely loves Iberico and it's a great place to relax, drink some sangria and get to talk for hours.
I skip the deep dish. East Coast pizza is mo bettah. Getting a Chicago-style dog at Wrigley is a lot of fun. That was my first Chicago food experience; I was on a layover at O'Hare back when they used to have the hot dog carts in the bars, and they were awesome.
Forbes Luxe 11
I'll give them credit for French Laundry, but basically this was a show for investment bankers with trophy wives.
Forbes Luxe 11
How can I put this? The worst food porn show ever? A bunch of bimbos from Forbes telling us all about these ridiculous restaurants serving stuff made with gold and caviar and wagyu and charging a thousand bucks for a pizza and $5000 for a burger and clueless rich morons willing to pay the stoopit prices.
A whole new level of gauche. And in this economy, it's offensive on so many levels. The first couple of places were charging $1,000 and up for, basically, steak and potatoes. And some ceviche at one, and some lobster at the other.
Then 10 courses with white truffles. Truffles are a nice occasional treat, but 10 courses? Ridiculous. $3000 per person.
A meal on a bungi platform? Where you have to hire the chef, the food, the wine, and pay $25,000 (minimum) just for the platform?
Like I said, offensive on many, many levels.
There was one kitchen table thing at the Ritz in Paris that wasn't over-the-top offensive. It is the one place so far where the food and interpersonal experience was more important than a gimmick.
This just smells of Steve Forbes. Guache, cheap, and in the words of Handsome Dick Manitoba, "to me, quantity IS quality."
Revolting, and I hope there is no Part 2 for this disgusting display of ignorance.
Your fantasy Iron Chef episode
Batali v Bayless. Batali is without doubt my favorite, but after what Bayless did on that Masters show, it would be great to see what he could do.
Comments on Cafe Iberico
You ordered the wrong dishes, apart from the goat cheese. Their paella is not good, except the specials. They are bland and overcooked. And I love the place. One of the best things I have ever had was their noodle paella, with squid ink and scallops. It was a special and I haven't seen it since.
The strategy there is to order the pulpa a la plancha (octopus with fries) and then go to the specials menu. I had a special one time that was grilled oysters with some sort of green wilted vegetable and a delicious sauce. One of the best dishes ever.
I really recommend avoiding fish unless it is on the specials menu. I had some skate one time that was inedible.
There's great food there. You just ordered wrong. The cold plates are pretty nice, particularly the serrano ham and manchego cheese plate and the chilled artichoke and the chopped salad. On the main menu, I really like the pork skewers with a refreshing salad of onion and cuke and parsley.
I seriously recommend sticking to the specials menu, other than the dishes I have mentioned.
My daughter demanded a paella one night. I said, um, that is not good. But it was her party, not mine, so I ordered it. She said, I should have listened to you.
Any good TAPAS in Chicago?
It depends on what you want to spend. I love Cafe Iberico, because I'm not rich and I get insulted at high prices for small plates. I always guess the price before I look at the check and it is always lower than I expect. And their sangria is exceptional.
Sangria, on Weed St. and North Ave., is pretty good but way overpriced. They have a happy hour, but their sangria is terrible and way expensive. Still, half-price tapas is a deal.
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Iberico Cafe & Bar
737 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654
Cafe Iberico
N Lasalle St Chicago IL, N Lasalle St Chicago, IL
Good Italian Restaurants In Chicago
My fave is Volare, just off Mich. Ave at, I think, Illinois. You have to walk downstairs to the east. It's oldstyle, but very, very good. Shrimp and veal, in particular.
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Volare
201 E Grand Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Italian Beef - downtown
I like Luke's across the street from the Sears Tower. I might be influenced by their amazing fries.
Thanksgiving Lunch
Nsxtasy is right. I'd go for the Original Pancake House (several locations, the one I go to is at Clark and Wisconsin or thereabouts). IIRC, they're open 365. And their food is excellent. It's all breakfast food, but their huge apple turnover, or whatever it's called, is amazing. And they have great bacon and coffee.
Heading to Chicago from San Francisco
For Indian, Hema's Kitchen is great. It has two locations, one at Clark and Fullerton (fairly close to you) and one on Devon (about as far north as you can go and still be in Chicago). The Clark location is fine. All hand-ground spices and not too expensive. The service is not that great (they hire teenagers), but the food is great. I particularly like the lamb curry, but everything I have tried was terrific.
A new place, Han 202, offers a fusion five-course dinner for $20 that is terrific. And about right for a kid with a good appetite. They are small and fun courses.
You're walking distance from Cafe Iberico, a tapas place at Chicago and LaSalle. Pretty festive and I suggest the pulpa a planco (grilled octopus with fries on a plank) and most things from the specials menu. Something for everyone.
Blackbird, North Pond and Lula Cafe are probably similar to what you like in SF. You can hunt them up, but they are mid-priced Chicago places that specialize in local, seasonal food.
Since you have kids, try Sun Wah Bar-B-Q where you can get a Peking Duck feast for $30. It's sliced tableside, then the carcass and legs are turned into fried rice and duck soup. That's $30 and it will feed three or four.
I'll just reinforce...I LOVE Hema's Kitchen. Its menu is more limited than most of the Devon St. restaurants, but what they do, they do well. If you want the Devon St. experience, though, just walk along the street and when you see a place packed with Indians or Pakistanis, go in. There are a lot of restaurants that serve cheap swill.
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Cafe Iberico
737 N Lasalle Drive, Chicago, IL 60654
North Pond
2610 North Cannon Drive, Chicago, IL 60614
Iberico Cafe & Bar
737 N La Salle Dr, Chicago, IL 60654
Hema's Kitchen
2411 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60614
