Amata's Profile
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Is Racine too far away? Danny's Meats in Racine seems to have it (also takes online orders): Glædilig jul! :-) |
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Have you tried Erickson's Deli in Andersonville? It is a Swedish shop but they do carry products from other parts of Scandinavia. Erickson's Delicatessen & Fish |
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Destination dining in South Bay? Hello Bay Area hounds, It's been a few years since I've visited your board but I wanted to post a quick note to thank you all for your (as always!) comprehensive lists and opinions. My brother and sister in law have recently moved to Mountain View. As a Christmas present for them I'm putting together a gift basket of my own devising (my own Scandinavian holiday baking plus various treats from Chicago and nearby) and thought I'd throw in a couple restaurant.com certificates to places near Mountain View, since restaurant.com is currently offering 80% off on $25 certificates. Of course most of the places on the restaurant.com list sound completely pedestrian or dreadful, but by scanning the comments in this thread I was able to pick out a couple places that I am sure my brother and sister in law will enjoy -- Spicy Leaves in Los Altos and Shiok in Menlo Park. (Nha Toi is also listed on restaurant.com but given the rumor that it may have closed I didn't risk it.) Anyway, thanks again for providing such rich data. And if any of you are looking for stocking stuffers, a $25 certificate for $2 or for $3.50 is hard to beat! :-) [NB: You may have to sign up for their email list to get the 80% off offer.] |
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Healthy Food Lithuanian closing Dec. 15 I am sorry to report that one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago will be closing next week. Gina, the owner of Healthy Food Lithuanian, has decided it is time to retire. There are only a few more days to enjoy her amazing Lithuanian specialties, including kugelis and koldunai (meat dumplings), and her fabulous homemade pies. Here are the hours: (The restaurant has ordinarily been closed on Mondays but will be open on Dec 14, the next to last day of operations.) I heartily urge you all to get down to Bridgeport for a visit to Healthy Food while you still can! Healthy Food Lithuanian Restaurant |
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good groceries on a student budget The main grocery chains here are Dominick's and Jewel, both terrible. For less expensive and better quality meat and produce we try to go to ethnic groceries, especially Mexican, as much as possible. Near your side of UIC the closest would be La Casa del Pueblo, on Blue Island just south of 18th. I think there is a UIC shuttle bus that runs along 18th that you could take. On Taylor Street there's a butcher, Nea Agora -- we've only gotten lamb there, I guess, but it's excellent for lamb! Look for D'Amato's Italian bread in the shops on Taylor. Up in Greektown Artopolis has a lot of breads, most very good. You might enjoy exploring Randolph Street west of Halsted -- a number of the wholesalers there sell to retail customers as well (produce, Italian, etc). |
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Another great recommendation, Richard -- I hope your posts inspire some new chowhounds to explore La Villita. One question -- you say no mamey "of course" -- but I saw plenty of mameys for sale at Cermak Produce on Saturday. I think they should continue to be available in Chicago through mid September or so. Do you think some of the artisanal helado/nieve makers might offer mamey during this season? |
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Since you are looking for "Corner Bakery style" how about the Corner Bakery on Dearborn between Monroe and Adams? :-) |
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re: Prairie -- Prairie has closed. Custom House is now in that space. ----- |
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Richard, thanks for a wonderful essay and for highlighting the raspado vendors on 26th St. I look forward to the next installment! Amata |
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I CANNOT EAT DAIRY PRODUCTS!!! You might also want to check out Crofton on Wells, a new-American spot which always includes a few vegan selections on the menu: ----- |
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I CANNOT EAT DAIRY PRODUCTS!!! "When in doubt, you can always go to an Asian restaurant." I agree: do you want recommendations for Chinese and Japanese places? (By the way, Opera, which is fusional Chinese, has a separate vegan menu.) You should also be able to eat most things on a Middle Eastern menu, and many items in a Mexican restaurant. Are you interested in those cuisines at all? |
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Hi Eat Nopal, and Morton too, bon voyage to both of you! When I left the Bay Area the one thing I particularly missed was Burmese food. Perhaps Honolulu has Burmese places among all its other Asian strengths, I don't know. My other suggestion would be La Ciccia, for Sardinian -- not easy to find elsewhere in the country. E.N., any source for nixtamal in Honolulu? :-) Amata |
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Hi kare raisu, My family and I had a Duranguense lunch today at a little spot in the Gage Park neighborhood (Southwest Side) recommended by RST. I posted a report in the thread where RST mentioned it, and here's the link: You're right that there are many people in the Chicago area from Durango -- so many scorpion stickers on the backs of pickup trucks! I'd like to explore the restaurant options more. I'm sure RST has more to add on this topic as well... |
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The Mejia brothers and their Morelia-style "gaspacho" RST wrote: The ice cream at "Cafe-Chocolate Ice Cream" (this is the formal name) is neither homemade or even Mexican: the product is Edy's and signs offer coke floats, banana splits, milkshake etc. A list of "desayunos" offer chilaquiles, huevos al gusto, nachos con queso, hamburgers con papas etc. Another list however lists "Gorditas y Burros estilo Durango" tiny delicate handmade gorditas (smaller than the gorditas of the Bajio) or burritos (homemade flour tortillas; small logs-nothing at all like your north-of-the-border burritos) stuffed with -Chile pasado con queso (remember this special kind of dried chile? the chile vendor from Maxwell Street gave you a bag of this when we visited a couple of years ago) In addition "menudo con grano estilo Durango" could be had on weekends!" We ordered one of each type of burrito listed on the chalkboard: requeson con rajas, cuajada con rajas, chile pasado con queso, carne deshebrada, and picadillo (we went with rojo, didn't sample the verde). Probably two of these compact burritos would be a good lunch serving per person. (We ended up with 6 altogether for two eaters, L opting for a hot dog (!)) I especially liked the slightly smoky taste of the chile pasado. And the cantaloupe agua fresca I had was excellent, too. Oh, also a chamoyada for dessert... :-) The women running the place are terrifically friendly and we had a nice chat about the food and ingredients (many brought in from Durango weekly). We asked about the chicharron prensado (pig skin with meat, pressed and dried) that you mentioned in your post and they realized they had left it off the chalkboard that day. To remedy the situation they brought out spoonfuls for us to taste (all we could manage after eating all the other burritos!) It was delicious and we'll have to get back again soon to have it in a gordita or burrito. They also encouraged us to come back for the menudo, available, as you noted, on Saturday and Sunday. But for the menudo you have to get there early: they said it sells out by 10 am. ----- |
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Great Food in Wrigleyville- Is My List Complete? Hi Liz. I know Chapel Hill very well and I think your boyfriend will find that Wrigleyville feels like a bigger version -- lots of people partying and drinking beer while cheering on the local team. :-) (not that there's anything wrong with that!) Wrigleyville has a lot of restaurants, some pretty good but others that stay in business because of their location... TAC, on your list, is really excellent though. Be sure to ask for the Thai menu translated by Erik M, and also check the board for daily specials. Other places you might want to add: Matsuya, an old standby for Japanese; the Duke of Perth, for fish and chips and scotch, Tango Sur, Argentine on Southport. Here's an old thread asking about the same neighborhood. It's a few years out of date so check that everything mentioned is still open. I hope he will get out and explore as many other neighborhoods as possible, too -- having a restaurant as a destination is a good way to do that. Here's a link to a list of places that might help him get started: |
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Student Moving to Chicago from New York Do you know yet where you will be living? Near UIC, try an Italian beef with hot peppers at Al's (the original one on Taylor, not the franchises which reportedly are terrible), or at the Patio further west on Taylor. From May 1 to mid-September you can follow the sandwich at Al's with an Italian "lemonade" (=ice) at Mario's across the street. Conte di Savoia, on Taylor between Bishop and Laflin, is an excellent Italian deli. It's worth the walk to get a sandwich made here rather than at one of the chains (Jimmy Johns, Subway, Potbelly) around campus. I definitely second Pilsen for Mexican food. Do a search here also for reports on the food at the Maxwell St Market, held Sunday mornings on Canal north and south of Roosevelt. The bagel situation here is fairly grim, unless you can get someone to drive you up to NY Bagel and Bialy on Touhy in Lincolnwood (open 24/7). But you are not far from Manny's, for pastrami and corned beef in a bare bones cafeteria atmosphere. ----- Patio Restaurant New York Bagel & Bialy Manny's Coffee Shop & Deli Conte Di Savoia European Spec |
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Back to Chicago for 2 months - need recs From Belmont/Clark I would recommend going a little further north on the Red Line L to TAC Quick at the Sheridan stop for excellent Thai food, or to the Argyle stop for Vietnamese (and Chinese at Sun Wah. though they are currently on vacation until July 16). Near Halsted and Armitage I've enjoyed cupcakes at Sweet Mandy B's on Webster. More general suggestion: try using Google Maps. First get the map for the intersection of Halsted and Armitage. Then click "search nearby" and type in "site:chowhound.com" Of course, you'll need to follow up by clicking on the actual posts, since the place may have been discussed as being particularly bad! Or the post may be a few years old and the place has since gone out of business. I'd also recommend doing this search technique with "site:lthforum.com", which is another great resource for Chicago food. |
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Great report, thanks! I'm amazed that the kids with you were able to go as long as they did, and I'm glad you enjoyed Laschet's and Maxwell St, etc. Too bad about your experience at Venus, though. Undercooked eggplant is definitely not good. Did you have the regular saganaki, or the halloumi saganaki? Also, here's a link to a thread with pictures of food at Palace Gate, which might help you put names to dishes... |
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I don't really understand Mexican food... Hi Melanie, hi E.N., Eat Nopal, you may have seen this already, but you guys might enjoy reading RST's lengthy thread on paleta places etc over on the Chicago board: I've learned a lot from it about escamochas, "gaspacho" and other treats. |
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The Mejia brothers and their Morelia-style "gaspacho" Richard, thanks, I didn't know anything about escamochas at all, I'll keep an eye out for them now. I really like the idea of the mini-paletas! There are always so many flavors that I want to try... I know what you mean about the paleteria places as wholesalers. Last summer L and I stopped in at the one on Kedzie across from Cermak Produce (another one serving Albany Park) and the proprietor was startled to see us. It was really more a staging area for all the little carts. He also wanted to make sure I understood that the paleta I was ordering (pepino) was picante... :-) (L, boringly, just had an ice cream sandwich.) Regarding the convergence of Italian ice places and nieves, I agree. I miss Cafe Frieda in my neighborhood, which served Italian ice in various flavors catering to Mexican tastes. And have you been to Dave's Italian Ice on 18th St? I believe the proprietor there is not Mexican but has adapted to the changing neighborhood with coco, tamarindo, etc. |
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The Mejia brothers and their Morelia-style "gaspacho" Richard, thanks (as always) for generously sharing your "discoveries". I'm particularly intrigued by the Duranguense burros and the brand new Cheli's. It'd be great to have a place that could fill the gap left by Kappy's... |
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P.S. Since this is a holiday weekend, it might be worth calling places to confirm that they will be open on Sunday... |
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That's an impressive list. But, with your recent deletions, you've got a long stretch of walking between Greektown and Resi's with no stops. Maybe you should solicit ideas for stops along that stretch (most direct route would be walking north on Halsted to the Fullerton/Halsted/Lincoln intersection, then northwest on Lincoln. Here are two ideas: Bari Foods/D'Amato's bakery. On Grand a few blocks west of Halsted. Bari makes excellent sandwiches in the back of the grocery store (my favorite is a simple one: prosciutto and fresh mozzarella). D'Amato's next door has Italian cookies, slices of "bakery" pizza, perhaps arancine too. I think Bari is open till 1 on Sunday and D'Amato's till 2. Further north: El Mercado Meat Market at the corner of Southport and Grace is an Argentine grocery with empanadas for sale by the register along with wonderful alfajores (cookies). I'm sure others can provide other ideas for that stretch as well. And, by the way, another German place on Irving Park Road with great beer is Laschet's Inn -- and if you want an appetizer to go with that beer get the hackepeter at Laschet's (beef tartare served on rye bread with capers and chopped onion). Laschet's is essentially across the street and a half block west of Resi's. Have fun! |
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The Mejia brothers and their Morelia-style "gaspacho" Hi Richard, no, unfortunately that tiny ice cream place is gone (as you sadly predicted a while back, their business plan was not workable...). The only storefront place I know of for chamoyadas is that paleteria down in Brighton Park (Tropicale, on Archer near Kedzie), where they spell it chamollada, as I recall. I remember you didn't like the ice cream there all that much, though. |
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First time in Chicago - how to narrow it down?? Well, I hope others with first-hand experience will add their comments, but here are places I've heard good things about in West Town. (I guess I'm more likely to head to Pilsen if I go out for coffee..) My first choice would be Cafe Ballou (if I were near Western Ave), said to be quaint, Euro-style, and welcoming with a lovely Ukrainian owner. If I were instead a little further east I would head to Sip and its outdoor back patio, if I were on Grand Ave. If I were on Chicago Ave. I would choose between large, funky Mercury or more upscale Swim. Please report back on coffeehouses that you try! ----- Sip Coffee House Mercury Cafe Swim Cafe |
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The Mejia brothers and their Morelia-style "gaspacho" Greetings, Richard, it's so nice to see one of your long and amazing posts here again. I look forward to hearing more about chamoyadas. :-) Re: estilo Morelia: Is it your impression that the Michoacanos are mostly on the north side of Chicago (carnitas specialists aside)? |
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First time in Chicago - how to narrow it down?? A few suggestions in the neighborhoods of West Town: Papa's Cache Sabroso on Division, a block and a half west of Western: fantastic Puerto Rican roast chicken (pollo chon) and a good place to try a jibarito (supposedly invented in Chicago). They are closed on Sunday. Several other Puerto Rican places are further west on Division. Habana Libre on Chicago a couple blocks east of Ashland. Good Cuban food, BYOB. Podhalanka on Division just east of Ashland is the closest place for Polish food (soups like zurek (white borscht), pierogi, potato pancakes, beef with horseradish sauce). They close early (8 pm?). Very cheap. Irazu on Milwaukee a block or so southwest of Western: Chicago's only Costa Rican restaurant. The oatmeal shakes here have a cult following. Another very inexpensive place. A more upscale spot (entrees in the $15-25 range) is West Town Tavern, a neighborhood spot putting out excellent new-American food. It's on Chicago Avenue, not far from Habana Libre. ----- West Town Tavern Papa's Cache Sabroso Podhalanka Habana Libre |
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Six months? Already? (Part1...) Hey E.M., we miss you in Chicago. Thanks for the great post -- an instant food guide. You've got me curious to look for tejuino around here now.... |
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The food at O'Hare is pretty dismal, unfortunately. I actually would recommend bringing something from downtown and having a "picnic" once you are through security. I see from the thread below that you will be at the Renaissance Hotel on Wacker. There's a good place to get sandwiches and/or bread, cheese, pate near your hotel: Pastoral, on Lake just east of Wabash. It'd be about 3 blocks from your hotel. ----- |
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Austin Chowhound looking for Veggie meal I think Green Zebra would be ideal -- vegetarian* small plates, by a James Beard award-winning chef, a short cab ride from downtown and it's open on Sunday. *Almost all vegetarian. Looking at the current menu I see one fish dish on the dinner menu and a crab dish on the Sunday brunch menu. ----- |
