chgo36's Profile
Italian Beef - downtown
Believe it or not, but I think Portillo's has the best IB downtown. I feel it is better than Al's or Mr. Beef by a long shot. Give it a shot!!
Tourists Seeking Unusual Chicago Food Spots
One last place if you have a car.....Cemitas Puebla
http://cemitaspuebla.com/
You probably have never heard of a cemita but it is out of this world....great place for lunch...you will not be disappointed.
cheap but good food on kauai
Duane's Ono Burger might be the most overrated food establishment in HI. We stopped by around 11:30 am and there were approx 12 people either seated or waiting for food. It took them over 30 minnutes to cook approx 10 orders, and remember the burgers are about McD thin, could grill them in less than 3 minutes...it must have taken them the other 27 minutes to fry some precooked fries. Very overrated burgers to say the least and to wait was crazy. While we waited at least 5 groups of people did not order when the woman taking orders told them it would be at least 45 minutes. I know the folks in HI are laid back but this is nuts. They would be out of business in 30 days anywhere else.
Maui - Maui Tacos, Sansei and Merriman's
Maui Tacos...ate lunch there last week and I thought they were very weak. I have had much better fish tacos in Chicago and the closest large body of water we have is Lake Michigan.
Four Seasons Maui Spago
Wow.....we just had dinner last week at Spago and it was the best overall dinner experience I have had in years. the service was unequalled by any place in Maui let alone many other places of note. The food was exquisite and they have a very nice wine list. You might have caught them on an off night
Dining On Maui [Very Long]
Bill,
Just got back today and could not agree with you more on Mama's. I had also read the reviews that were all over the map but we had a great dinner.
The best meal of the trip was at Spago, The service was top notch and the food even better. We had a bottle of great Pinot from a small winery where the owners used to make wine at Flowers. I cannot remember the name but loved it so much that I am calling Spago tomorrow to get the name of it.
suggestions for waikiki, maui
KA,
Here are a couple places close to where you are staying. We just got back this morning from Maui.
Breakfast: Kihei Cafe - On the main drag in Kihei, very rustic casual places and prices are reasonable, at least for Maui.
Dinner: Cafe O Lei - close to above located in a strip mall near a Denny's but does a nice job with local fish. The also have sushi which was excellent but I tend to like Sansei better for sushi.
Matteo's - Across the street from the Shops at Wailea. They have a very simple menu, mainly pizza and pastas but the food is great and priced fair. The owner used to be the chef at the Four Seasons. We sat at the bar and ate and Lorenzo who is from Italy and the owners good friend took great care of us. Try the pasta bolognese.
napa wineries - timing advice please
Have you ever been to Sonoma? My wife and I go to Wine Country twice a year and rarely go to Napa anymore.Check out the Russian River and Dry Creek areas...I guarantee you will be happy. Also, you might want to look into renting a house near Healdsburg, cheaper than a hotel and more fun with a group
Who has the best Hot Giardiniera Peppers?
The Marconi brand is my favorite...they have several from mild to hot....watch out, the hot will be extremely fiery. Bari Foods on Grand avenue makes some pretty nice ones too.
Smoque BBQ - Report
I ventured to Smoque for lunch last week and had a great meal. I have been there 3-4 other times with good results. I had the pulled pork platter with mac & cheese, fries and cole slaw. The M&C was very good, hot but too small a portion IMHO. The fries were perfect, crisp not greasy. The only complaints I have are relatively minor....using those stupid little ketchup packets is crazy, why not invest in some real bottles, and the cole slaw was also pretty weak.
All in all pretty decent barbecue, not in the class of Memphis but worth a try.
chicago - state street area
You might consider Blue Water Grill....pretty hip and good seafood. Shaw's Crab House is always reliable and has sushi, great oysters and is still fairly hip. Avec is also nice but not a great place for a business dinner due to the communal seating.
Fresh Turkey for Thanksgiving - where to order?
Gepphert's on Halsted and Armitage will have fresh turkeys.....give them at least a week's notice. Have had them several times and they are great....especially if you brine them for a while.
Anteprima
My wife and I had a great dinner here last week. The place was very busy, fairly noisy but that seems to be the mode recently in new restaurants. We had some appetizers that were good, mostly antipasta etc but not remarkable. Then on to the pasta course......WOW....I had the orriechiete with lamb sausage and dandelion greens and it may have been the best pasta dish I have ever had and I like pasta!! My wife had a fresh home made ravioli with a orange butter chile sauce which was very good too.
For our entree we split the NY strip which is different then the norm, seasoned with rosemary and olive oil and cooked perfectly medium rare. They have an all Italian wine list and either the waiter, ours was Chris and he was great, or the owner who works the room can help you with your selection.
All in all one of the better meals I have had in a while! No reservations and no real bar to sit so come early or put your name in and take a walk in the aera.
New pizza place on Grand
Coal Fired is open!!! The pizza is great, in MHO, better than the others mentioned in the same realm. It is currently BYOB with a simple menu, pizzas and a few salads. I was lucky enough to have a chance to sample it the week before they opened and could not wait til they got the approval to open to the public. I went on Day 2 and it was better than I had the previous week. They were much busier than expected so the service was a bit slow but they will fix it quick. Will be back on a regular basis!!
New pizza place on Grand
This will be open soon. They are waiting for inspection. Two partners, one from the East Coast and the guy who will run it is Jay, who is a bartender at the Matchbox. From what I have heard, his pizza recipe is great even when he cooks it in a home oven. I have been waiting for 9 months for this place to open since it is 4 blocks from my house...
Excellent Chicago Italian
Try La Scarola...not stuffy, I think he does chicken dishes better than anyone. I usually order one of the specials. Great Gnocchi....grilled calamari and the sausage and peppers are very good.
Thanksgiving Pie....any suggestions?
Thanks for the help....I found a great place, Tipsycake, around 1000 N California. Bought a Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie, a Pumpkin and a German Chocolate 6 layer Cake. Picking them up next Weds.....will let you know how they taste.
Thanksgiving Pie....any suggestions?
As usual I wait for the last minute to look for pies but I know the Chowhounds will help me out. Looking for your usual Pumpkin, Pecan, Apple varieties? Willing to travel anywhere in the city for the right pie.
