Zippy's Profile
Best Chicken Vesuvio in Chicago?
Some of the best I have found at either Rosebuds, Downtown or on Taylor St...and at Giannotti's on North River Road in Schiller Park.
Absolute best burger in Chicago?
The Dunlays 1/2 price burger is great- however, if I were to pay full price for the burger I would feel ripped off. The burger tastes great and if you ask they will even grill the onions for you. However the portion of meat served is pretty small.
We go the the Logan Square location.
Hamburgers vs Pub Burgers
I worked at Hackney's back in 1968- yes back then they deep fried the burgers- for obvious health reasons, they stopped that practice many many years ago.
It was disgusting how they did that, people would rave at how juicy the burgers were, it was actually grease, not juice.
Smoke Daddy
I was just at Smoke Daddy this weekend- Got the rib sampler meal for about 20 bucks. A great display of the baby backs, tips and spare ribs.
I think the baby backs win as the best, however it was nice to have the variety, and it is really too much food for a normal person to eat, so there are actually 2 meals there if you are not a pig about it.
Last I heard, the people that own Dunlay's in Lincoln Park and Logan Square are the owners here. The sauce was great, 3 to choose from.
I also go to Honey One on Western, they have the best sauce, however I find the ribs to be more fatty than meaty.
Favorite Apple Orchard?
I suggest Cranes Apple Orchards in Fenville, MI. A nice weekend getaway, spend the night in South Haven or Saugatuck.
Good apple picking, and a great pie pantry. There were more IL plates in the parking lot on Columbus Day than an other vistors.
Not sure what the status is of the apples after the snow they got there last week. Either way, they will have apples to sell, and you can't beat the pie they sell.
The Orginal Lou Mitchell's- on Jackson
Just came back from breakfast on a very casual Saturday AM at The Original Lou Mitchell's.
There are signs about saying, "Voted # 1 breakfast in Chicago". Who voted? I thought it was terrible as breakfast goes.
Upon entering the restaurant, we were seated right away, and not offered any of the famous donut holes nor Milk Duds, no loss, perhaps that is only offered up when there is a line.
So my group of 8 (different 8 then my Morton's post) sat around for about 10 minutes before I had to ask a waitress if we could be served.
Once we got waited on, the service was good, however the food was mediocre at best. I had simple bacon and eggs, which came with their version of home fries. The potatoes were slightly warm and soggy, the eggs were not that thermally hot, and cooked OK, for basted eggs, but some of the white part was actually too brown, as in overcooked, on the verge of being burned. (this food had been sitting around before it was served)
They do offer the customary orange slice and a fat prune prior to the main course, which was fine, after the meal, some soft serve ice cream was also presented.
They only offer orange marmalade and grape jelly for the Greek toast, I did ask for an English muffin instead, sorry no muffins, but settled for raisin toast. My wife requested strawberry jam, which they did have, but seemed to be a hassle to get.
And their famous cup of coffee, I found to have a bitter taste.
This is not my first time at The Original Lou Mitchell's, but perhaps my last. There are many breakfast places around town that are much better than this place. The glory days of the 20's 30's 40's 50's 60's 70's 80's & 90's are over. Too bad, with such longevity, they haven't kept up on what was once a very good thing.
Morton's Steakhouse
Went with a group of 8 people to Morton's Steakhouse on West Wacker Place.
What a huge disappointment. First off, it was hard to understand the waiter, he was Hispanic with a thick accent. Noise level in the room was also high.
Speaking of high...oh my, the prices for everything were sky high, as expected. How the average American can afford to eat out at a place like this is questionable, or any of the other downtown steakhouses, prices really do not vary from the high end places.
That being said, for a 36 dollar Cajun ribeye, I would expect perfection. Was not to be. This steak that should have been full of flavor was tough like shoe leather and boring. Another person ordered a steak medium rare and it was medium well, sent it back, the next piece of meat was raw in the center.
Salads and side orders were good. Nothing special. I don't mind eating out at a high end place, I just thought Morton's left a lot to be desired. Table of 8, the bill was 620 dollars. The next time I want a great steak, I will go to the Paulina Meat Market, buy it and cook it myself.
Chicago Firehouse?
This is one of the Mayor's favorite places. It is also close to his home, so that could be why he likes it.
I was there a few years ago, cool place, a bit on the high priced side. Food was good enough.
One tv report said, the Pres had a Chicago steak, while another report said he had Texas Style BBQ ribs.
Can't trust what you hear or read sometimes.
French Fried Shrimp
There was a place in South Haven, Mi called Jensens. They had the best fried shrimp that I enjoyed thru my early years.
The place is still there, but not the same as it once was. In Chicago, I did find that Hagens on Montrose near Central is pretty close to those childhood taste sensations.
Anywhere in the Chicago area that is making good french fried shrimp?
