Southerners coming to Chicago

Hi!
We are coming to Chicago for a conference in early March. We are staying in the theater district downtown. It is a Main Street conference which deals with neighborhood revitalization so we are always looking for local spots that may not be well known to normal visitors. Being from Atlanta we are trying to do research on what Chicago is best known for so that we don't miss anything.
Thanks ahead for any tips!!

A good spot to begin - viewtopic.php?f=28&t=21684

So, what is Atlanta known for, particularly? We don't want to steer you toward things you can get at home... Chicago's iconic foods, which you don't necessarily have to get, are deep dish pizza, hot dogs, and less well known outside of Chicago, Italian beef sandwiches. We also happen to have lots of good Mexican (actual Mexican, with regional differences, as opposed to just border food/Tex-Mex) and Thai, and have historically been light on authentic Italian and Chinese, though we do have good examples of both (it's not like NY or San Fran, though). Are you willing to take public transit (say yes) or take a cab to get to some places? The theater district is probably not your best neighborhood for good, interesting hole-in-the-wall, though you certainly can get good food around there. It just won't be our most neighborhoody.

leek wrote:historically been light on authentic Italian and Chinese.

This is all relative, of course. maybe not "much" Chinese compared to a handful of West Coast cities or a ton of regional Italian compared to, I guess, NYC, but compared to the rest of the country, I don't agree. Particularly as a former Southerner who has spent considerable time in Atlanta, I wouldn't scratch either cuisine off any lists for Chicago options.

Regonal Mexican and Thai are the stock answers and still worthwhile. Eastern European, Balkan, Korean, Greek and Inadian-Pakistani are other interesting foods in abundance here that I wouldn't realy associate with Atlanta.

i used to travel to Atlanta quite a bit and two things I could never find..good pizza and good chinese..you owe it to yourself to find a good pizza place (a search on this forum will pull up many ) and make a visit (or two) to Greektown on Halsted

You will also be just a short cab ride away from Chinatown, which is a very fun place to shop and an incredibly great place to eat!
There are many great bakeries where you can get wonderful chinese pastries,
Feida comes to mind, and just three doors down there is another one whose name escapes me at the moment.
You can also eat at "little" Three Happiness restaurant (which our board is named for)
(Don't miss the salt and pepper shrimp)
And if you're around on the weekend you can get wonderful dim sum there for brunch.
They don't do carts, even better, you order them from the menu and they come freshly made for you.

"Little" Three Happiness is great, but I wouldn't recommend it for dim sum. For non-cart based dim sum I much prefer Shui Wah.

Shui Wah
2162 S Archer Ave
(312) 225-8811

Atlanta beats the hell out of Chicago for barbecue, so I'd stay away from that. But Chinatown, Greektown, Mexican, Thai, you can't go wrong.

How about a taste of Chicago? As I reciently posted on another thread and would apply here...

Panther in the Den wrote:Appetizers at Take Me Out - Lil Hotties Chicken Wings
Main Course at Honky Tonk - Rib Tips and Brisket Sandwich (with the band practicing in the back room)
Dessert at Kristophers - Tres Leches Cheesecake

Chinese, American and Mexican in a charming Chicago neighborhood. This is what Chicago is all about.

Take Me Out
1502 W 18th St, Chicago
(312) 929-2509

Honky Tonk BBQ
1213 W 18th St, Chicago
(312) 226-7427

Kristoffer's Cafe & Bakery
1733 S Halsted St, Chicago
(312) 829-4150

Lbridges -

I see you are coming in March and that is the month the Water Taxi is begins service. If you're willing to bundle up, you could get an inexpensive tour of the river and then dine in Chinatown. You can ride the Water Taxi from the boarding area on the Chicago River at Michigan Avenue to Chinatown for $2 one way or $4 for roundtrip/all day pass (2008 pricing when the Davoodas did this).

http://www.chicagowatertaxi.com/

It's one of the great deals of downtown Chicago, IMO. With some Google mapping in advance, you could print yourself a walking map to Little Three Happiness and other LTHForum-approved eateries along the way.

Davooda

Hi!
We are up for any public transit and anything that is awesome! We are known for soul cooking, grits and every street named Peachtree! Oh, and don't forget the Varsity Drive-in and The Alamo bar.

leek wrote:So, what is Atlanta known for, particularly? We don't want to steer you toward things you can get at home... Chicago's iconic foods, which you don't necessarily have to get, are deep dish pizza, hot dogs, and less well known outside of Chicago, Italian beef sandwiches. We also happen to have lots of good Mexican (actual Mexican, with regional differences, as opposed to just border food/Tex-Mex) and Thai, and have historically been light on authentic Italian and Chinese, though we do have good examples of both (it's not like NY or San Fran, though). Are you willing to take public transit (say yes) or take a cab to get to some places? The theater district is probably not your best neighborhood for good, interesting hole-in-the-wall, though you certainly can get good food around there. It just won't be our most neighborhoody.

This sounds awesome! We used to have an UNO's franchise in NC that we ate at. It was good but we don't want a chain. What is better in Chicago for pizza?

irisarbor wrote:You will also be just a short cab ride away from Chinatown, which is a very fun place to shop and an incredibly great place to eat!
There are many great bakeries where you can get wonderful chinese pastries,
Feida comes to mind, and just three doors down there is another one whose name escapes me at the moment.
You can also eat at "little" Three Happiness restaurant (which our board is named for)
(Don't miss the salt and pepper shrimp)
And if you're around on the weekend you can get wonderful dim sum there for brunch.
They don't do carts, even better, you order them from the menu and they come freshly made for you.

lbridges30 wrote:This sounds awesome! We used to have an UNO's franchise in NC that we ate at. It was good but we don't want a chain. What is better in Chicago for pizza?

You have no idea how thin the ice is on which you tread

(Not that any of the potential fireworks would be directed at you, of course, but pizza is one of the subjects that tends to get a little... heated... around these parts.)

Though I'm not a fan of Uno's period, one thing I think everybody here will agree upon is that we consider the chain locations outside of Chicago to be AWFUL. So if you're at all interested in deep dish, know that you definitely haven't had it, despite the pedigree.

Personally, I'm in the camp that says skip deep dish unless you're dead set on it. There are far more compelling ways to use your meals. But if, by pizza, you mean a broader definition, check out Spacca Napoli for full-on Neapolitan and Coalfire for a variation thereon... both widely beloved (though there are always detractors). There are others I'm sure folks will jump in with.

trpt2345 wrote:Atlanta beats the hell out of Chicago for barbecue, so I'd stay away from that. But Chinatown, Greektown, Mexican, Thai, you can't go wrong.

This, surprisingly, is not true. Georgia beats the hell out of lots of places north of Kentucky when it comes to BBQ, but the city of Atlanta is not particularly well-known as a BBQ town. Name the great Atlanta BBQ institutions. Unlike Memphis or Raleigh, say, not much jumps out at you. That said, anyone living in or near ATL has easy access to good BBQ, so it wouldn't be my first choice in Chicago either.

I'd look at the Polish, German and Balkan GNRs for something really different -- in addition to the others mentioned. And Manny's.