Last week in Chicago was a really good dose of time to get to know the city, especially from a more insider aspect since I was hanging with my brother out on the Northwestern side of the city. I thought I would have some initial issues with the early Mid-western eating cchedule (dinner at 6pm) but thankfully with events and my peeps lifestyle, I always seemed to be eating on a Chilean Schedule (breakfast at 9am, lunch at 2pm, dinner at 8:30-9pm).
Chicago is a MAJOR foodie city. People take food seriously from ethnic joints to the Chichi experience. Luckily, the first night, I hooked up with some local foodies at Les Dames dinner and followed their recommendations to discover some awesome spots.
Here’s my round-up for this trip:
Taqueria Amigo Chino, Irving Park US$5-10
This greasy neighborohood taco shack packs them in for crunchy tacos al pastor in massive portions. There is never an empty table at this local joint where Mexican families chow down on enchiladas, burritos, whole fried fish, and frothy glasses of horchata. Since no human stomach could possibly handle all this food, the waitresses will gladly doggy bag the other half of your order. Not bad, not the best tacos al pastor I ever had, although anything after 15 hours of plane food tastes pretty damn good.
Empanadas 5411, Hyde Park/Delivery US$5-10
These Argentine-inspired empanadas were freaking sublime, actually better than many I have had in Argentina. The secret? The baked dough that was crisp but not greasy and inventive stuffings were killer like barbecued chicken, classic salteña, spinach and ricotta, mushroom. This accompanied the wine tasting at the Booth School of Business. They only do delivery but these are so tasty, you could easily polish off a dozen of these for any location.
Sweet & Savories, Lincoln Park US$30
The local press called this spot a “foodie gem” for inexpensive upscale cuisine. We hosted the Les Dames dinner here and I would agree the restaurant was no frills nice and was all about the food. Textures, flavors, and accents really worked here. The chef paired all the courses with our wines so we went from a salmon ceviche with papaya to avocado-lobster soup, lavender-charred steak over bean-pumpkin potage, and olive oil cake with dulce de leche ice cream. Yum.
Urban Belly, Roscoe Village US$15
OMG! Focusing on Korean and Pan Asian food, this place just rocked my tastebuds. Order at the front of the store for “Fast (gourmet) food” and grab a seat at one of the glass covered picnic tables. Their specialty is big bowls of noodle dishes like the Thai basil-soba-scallops-oyster mushrooms, homemade kimchee, and playful dumplings stuffed with foie gras. The dishes range from piquant to spicy-as-hell. Thankfully, lots of free water to put out the flames.
NoMi, Park Hyatt Chicago US$15-30
Dimly lit with chestnut-hued hard wood floors, marble table tops, and picture windows overlooking sweeping views of Michigan Ave and the John Hancock building, NoMi feels low key but sophisticated with impeccable taste. If you have a group, reserve their communal table in the wine cellar. Order up their naughty dirty martini, made with Grey Goose and rimmed with black truffled salt. Two olives stuffed with gorgonzola seal the bliss.
Opart Thai, Western Brown Line US$15
Located right at the Western stop on the Brown line, this little restaurant is pretty authentic, inexpensive and tasty. Simple but not a hole in the wall, I decided to depart from my usual standards and try a new noodle dish (number 50 on the menu but blanking on its Thai name right now). It came tossed with obviously homemade thick rice noodles, cabbage, brócoli, shrimp, basil, and chili sauce. Man, if only I lived within range of delivery of that kind of place…I would never cook Thai at home.
Jamablee Juice (salad), West Loop US$10-15
Slim pickings for a quick lunch in the West Loop (so I discovered) other than chains serving up (processed food) like Au Bon Pain and Potbelly sandwichs. Even at Au Bon Pain, I could not get just olive oil, vinegar, or lemon juice, all prepared dressing full of chemicals and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup, the US lives on this, but I digress). I luckily found this simple neighborhood juice bar serving up smoothies, shakes, crunchy salads with real dressing and lots of veggies. By far, a big salad was more expensive than the sandwiches, fries, etc. This just blows my mind how vegetables are a “luxury”. At least I could find them.
House of Glunz, Old Town
Dating back to 1888, this is one of the oldest wine shops in Chicago, a sort of historic monumento-shop. The focus is on wines from all over but the funkiness of the place with original shelving, anticues, and old Bordeaux wines (try the 61 Latour or 98 Petrus) is charming. Worth a stop by.
Spice House, Old Town
The sweet scent of cumin, paprikra, chili, and crushed spices wafts in the air. It tingles your nostrils and takes you away, like Marco Polo, to foreign lands. Dozens of varieties of pepper, chili powder, curries, dried herbs, sea salts, tender crystallized ginger. Depending on your mood it can be overwhelming or inspiring; a cook’s dream. I was in a state of overwhelm when I got to the salt section. The black Hawaiian stuff was the prettiest (but salty) and the truffle salt was my favorite. Unfortunately, not willing to risk it with finicky Chilean customs to bring it back.
Lula Café, Logan Square US$20
Be prepared to wait but it is worth it. Scrumptious, hip, young, and cool. The waiters are chill, the service is swift, and the food is fresh, perfectly balanced, and totally sublime. Brunch is king with a weekend rotating menu where dishes like eggs benedict atop a pumpkin-sage-mascarpone bread pudding with arugula rule. Mimosas and Bloody Marys free flow from the bar as does the coffee, if you need it. One of my favorite spots on this trip as of yet.
Café Orchid, Addison Brown Line US$20
Going to a Turkish restaurant for me is like traveling to an exotic land where I can only recognize a handleful of plates but I am hard-pressed to order ANYTHING I don’t like (similar to Indian or Moroccan). Intense, concentrated, condimented with spices, but not spicy, these lush tastes are fit for a sultan. We started with the sampler tray (hummus, ezme, babaghanoush, tabuli) and moved onto lamb filled raviolis in yogurt; lamb; grilled veggies; and the most succulent charred eggplant ever. BYOB and with tip after baclawa for dessert, was US$20. If I lived nearby, I would be there e-v-e-r-y weekend. A trip to Turkey must be in my near future. I am officially OBSESSED with Turkish cuisine.
Maproom, Bucktown
Specializing in hundreds of beer, this is one of Bucktown’s local watering holes where you can try any beer to your heart’s content: ales, pale ales, Belgian beers, lagers, scouts, you name it. Loud rock music and a drinking scene makes this go off on the weekends.
Just Grapes, West Loop
The dream of the young and energetic Don Sritong, Just Grapes concept RULES in wines: hand-selected wines (many boutique wineries) from US$10-30 from all over the planet from South America to France to the US, Europe and Australia/NZ. You can taste in the shop or sign-up for one of their weekly tasting classes to really beef up your tasting skills (ok, ok, I did teach a South American wines class there, so yes, it’s a plug for this cool shop). Prices are same if not better than Binny’s and Sam’s.
As I write this, the two spots I didn’t make it to on this trip that have to wait for my next jaunt to Chicago is Chilam Balam (modern Mexican small plates), The Gage (old school digs meets new Irish cuisine off Michigan Ave), and Moto (the newest cutting Edge dining).
Loved it. Happy dining and thanks to all the Chicago foodies for guiding me to some great eats.
