The GP wrote:SGFoxe-

I would suggest that a stop at the Panaderia Ayutla (6963 N Clark St),
Paleteria Monarca (6955 N. Clark St) or Dulcelandia (6718 N. Clark) would be more fitting with the theme of the North Clark-A-Thon II. Anyone of these places would offer some interesting sweets, part of the menu that I don't think has been covered.

Others may chime in with different thoughts.

-The GP

I really like the cocoleche paletas at monarca and some of the helados (but I'm not sure they are open with the temperatures what they are right now)

at dulcelandia, the "sevillano" cajeta dulce de leche treats are pretty nice, not so much the ones with coconut. They also have tubs of non commercially packaged cajeta for purchase that I'm pretty curious about.

at Salamera, in the past I've been enamored of the alfajores, but since they've reopened they haven't been up to past standards. I did have a taste of a black bean dessert that was interesting, similar to the filling of sesame balls at chinese dim sum/bakeries

germuska wrote:Here are just some things that have come up elsewhere...
Gorditas from El Chorrito or El Pueblito
Pastor from El Chorrito
Ceviche, Octopus or anything else from La Cazuela de Mariscos

Personally, i wouldn't mind more Shrimp Empanadas from Las Islas Marias, and that was all we had from there, so it's almost not fair to count them out if there's anything else worth getting from the menu.

I could probably come up with more suggestions, but I'm sure others can too...

I think a couple of interesting things at chorritos are the tacos de pata and the tepache (though not every one likes it)

it also seems that the signature dish at islas marias are the langoustines. One order is a pretty fair number of critters.

totally agree on both the pulpo and ceviche from cazuela

I wasn't at NCAT I did dona lolis get coverage?

zim wrote: I wasn't at NCAT I did dona lolis get coverage?

Yes. Quesadillas de Huitalcoche and Flor de Calabaza, if I documented it correctly.

GWiv has a picture of the huitlacoche here.

GP

I thought the theme was North Clark a Thon -- not Latin America on North Clark a Thon --

Big Buns & Pita to the best of my recollection is in the same cultural cuisine as the deli on Foster at Clark ...

I do not know my way around a Latin American menu

If the deli won't pass muster, I won't feel like going

You tell me if I'm in or out

Sonja

SGFoxe wrote:GP

I thought the theme was North Clark a Thon -- not Latin America on North Clark a Thon --

I do not know my way around a Latin American menu

It seems like you could sing up for banadir (somalian) or asmara (eritrean), as far as it being latin american oriented - it kinda follows from the choices the neighborhood/street offer, I think.

SGFoxe wrote:I thought the theme was North Clark a Thon -- not Latin America on North Clark a Thon --

Big Buns & Pita to the best of my recollection is in the same cultural cuisine as the deli on Foster at Clark ...

I do not know my way around a Latin American menu

If the deli won't pass muster, I won't feel like going

You tell me if I'm in or out

Sonja

Allow me to step-in and help allay some confusion. Even though I'm not really involved in this event, I do follow it closely.

This event, like the First NCAT is designed to explore the neighborhood along north Clark, roughly between Devon and Touhy. This is pretty well outlined in the first event and in the list of places that germuska suggested for this event.

Middle Eastern Bakery, while very good, falls significantly outside of the neighborhood that this event is focused on. Check up-thread here to see the list of target locations.

Best,
Michael

We live very close and would love to attend -- two of us if we can get a sitter. And we can bring whatever is needed.

Thanks!

Here's another Sunday recap for the upcoming event. There's still time to join in. Since this is being hosted at a private home, I think it would be nice if people could have an RSVP in ahead of time; I'll be out of town next weekend but will try to tie the bow on Monday so that the hosts can contact people with directions and we can finalize "coverage".

Sonja, re your concern about being unfamiliar with Latin American food, here's your opportunity to learn more! If you would like to choose a restaurant where the food is something you know better, maybe Grande Noodles is an option, or you could select beverages from "Rogers Park Fine Wines and Beer", or perhaps you could "go in" on one of the Latin restaurants with someone and get a more personal introduction... Or you could meet Cathy2 at Harold's and pick up the Red Velvet Cake that has caught the attention of Zim and d4v3 and let the rest of us see if they're "on to something." There are just so many options...

I assigned Los Niches (to the French Couple) and Taste of Peru (to d4v3) just to put names against restaurants. If you guys decide you want to swap or something, it's all fine with me.

Here's a question: given that a few folks still haven't "signed up" for anything, would it be better to "double up" on less restaurants instead of aiming for complete coverage? I just don't think we need to hit every taqueria on the street, and at some places, there's probably a surfeit of worthy stuff on the menu. That's not to say that I don't think there are any worthy places left unclaimed...

Attendees ( 19 )
The GP + Mr. X - (Hosting, beer)
germuska (Asmara)
Cathy2 (Harold's)
chapulin + rgl201 (Los Niches)
GAF
SGFoxe
ChgoMike
messycook + Mr. Cleanup (Beverages)
Zim - (Cafe Salamera)
Hellodali - (Big Buns & Pita)
nr706 + 1 (Caracas Grill (arepas), home brew)
d4v3 (Taste of Peru)
Josephine
zoz + 1

Target Locations (North to South)
Lunt
Supermercado Roman: Clark and Lunt
Taqueria Hernandez: 6983 N Clark St
Panaderia Ayutla: 6963 N Clark St
Paleteria Monarca: 6955 N. Clark St
Harolds Chicken Shack #44: 6952 N. Clark St. (Cathy2)
Dona Lolis Quesadillas*: 6924 N Clark St
La Cazuela de Mariscos: 6922 N Clark
Pratt
Rogers Park Fine Wines and Beer: 6733 N. Clark
Dulcelandia: 6718 N. Clark
Taqueria El Pueblito: 6712 N Clark
Cafe Salamera: 6653 N Clark St (zim)
Big Buns & Pita: 6649 N Clark St (Hellodali)
Las Islas Marias*: 6635 N. Clark St.
Grande Noodles: 6632 N Clark St
Los Niches: 6619 N. Clark (chapulin + rgl201)
Taste of Peru: 6545 N. Clark St. (d4v3)
Asmara: 6511 N. Clark (germuska)
Taqueria El Chorrito: 6404 N Clark St
Devon
Deluxe Diner/Maria's Subs: 6349 N Clark St
Caracas Grill: 6340 N Clark St (nr706)
Banadir (Somalian): 6221 N Clark St.

*These places had some representation at NCAT v1.0 and may be considered lower priority

I'm sorry to have to cancel on the North Clark-a-thon, but I now have a work event I have to go to that day. Hopefully someone can grab the Big Buns (and Pita) assignment that I had.

I can do that.

Hi,

Has a time been decided for Saturday?

I have a conflict, of my own doing unfortunately, so Josephine will be bringing the Harold's Chicken on my behalf. I'm hoping things are still kicking when I get finished with my other event, then come running over.

Regards,

Has a time been decided for Saturday?

I scanned through the thread and realize that a time was never definitively stated. From what I recall, we were shooting to convene around 1 PM. Germuska will confirm with his final wrap-up.

Hello,

I am sorry we have to back out last minute - sudden trip to my parents in Buffalo, NY.

Have a great time!

Hey, all:

just got back from a long weekend out of town -- lots of LTH to catch up on!

I'll go back and do a final recap of who's coming later today or tonight, but I wanted to suggest that we start before 1 pm -- don't want anyone tempted to eat lunch before the big event! I think I had said noonish somewhere above, so I'd say let's try to be arriving at noon; that should help people get to restaurants a little ahead of any lunch rush -- I know Harold's can be kind of busy at that time.

more after I get caught up on all the miscellany...

Regrets -- can't go

Sonja

I made arrangements to pick up arepas and a few other things at Caracas Grill Saturday at 12:30. The owner (I forgot to get her name) agreed to make a few, usually off-the-menu types. Looking forward to it.

it would be great to get more info now, approx. numbers, a definitive time, and where we are meeting - it would make making arrangements with the restaurants a lot easier.

zim wrote:it would be great to get more info now, approx. numbers, a definitive time, and where we are meeting - it would make making arrangements with the restaurants a lot easier.

yeah yeah yeah... i'm still kind of digging out after a long weekend out of town, but here's a quick edit/recap of the state of affairs. I guess this is the final guest list. zoz, ChgoMike, now's the time to pick a spot!

Attendees ( 15 )
The GP + Mr. X (Hosting, beer)
germuska (Asmara)
chapulin + rgl201 (Los Niches)
GAF (Big Buns & Pita)
Zim (Cafe Salamera)
nr706 + 1 (Caracas Grill (arepas), home brew)
d4v3 (Taste of Peru)
Josephine (Harold's)
ChgoMike
zoz + 1
Cathy2 (later)

Target Locations (North to South)
Lunt
Supermercado Roman: Clark and Lunt
Taqueria Hernandez: 6983 N Clark St
Panaderia Ayutla: 6963 N Clark St
Paleteria Monarca: 6955 N. Clark St
Harolds Chicken Shack #44: 6952 N. Clark St. (Josephine)
Dona Lolis Quesadillas*: 6924 N Clark St
La Cazuela de Mariscos: 6922 N Clark
Pratt
Rogers Park Fine Wines and Beer: 6733 N. Clark
Dulcelandia: 6718 N. Clark
Taqueria El Pueblito: 6712 N Clark
Cafe Salamera: 6653 N Clark St (zim)
Big Buns & Pita: 6649 N Clark St (GAF)
Las Islas Marias*: 6635 N. Clark St.
Grande Noodles: 6632 N Clark St
Los Niches: 6619 N. Clark (chapulin + rgl201)
Taste of Peru: 6545 N. Clark St. (d4v3)
Asmara: 6511 N. Clark (germuska)
Taqueria El Chorrito: 6404 N Clark St
Devon
Deluxe Diner/Maria's Subs: 6349 N Clark St
Caracas Grill: 6340 N Clark St (nr706)
Banadir (Somalian): 6221 N Clark St.

*These places had some representation at NCAT v1.0 and may be considered lower priority

First off, I don't think I can get food from Taste of Peru, and get somewhere by noon. They don't open until 11:30 and their kitchen is notoriously slow. Maybe we should shoot for between 12:30-12:45?

Secondly, I hope somebody does sign up for La Cazuela. If not, I think I would rather get food from there than TOP, because I think it is better. If somebody does volunteer for La Cazuela, we should coordinate dishes, so we don't end up getting the same things (Although a comparative pan-american ceviche tasting might be fun) At any rate, I think I might go with Arroz con Mariscos from TOP, unless there is an interest in Lomo Saltado instead.
--dave

For all confirmed attendees, I have PMed you location information. If anyone else decides they would like to jump in, please PM me and I will reply with the meeting location. For those driving, the final destination is near Clark and Lunt (just east and north, respectively.) Parking can be a challenge, so at least you know your final coordinates.

Let's target 12:45 - 1:00 to gather. That is not an unreasonable Saturday lunch time in my book.

Looking forward to tasting the treasures of North Clark!

d4v3 wrote: If somebody does volunteer for La Cazuela, we should coordinate dishes, so we don't end up getting the same things (Although a comparative pan-american ceviche tasting might be fun) At any rate, I think I might go with Arroz con Mariscos from TOP, unless there is an interest in Lomo Saltado instead.
--dave

hmmm, I was thinking of bringing cevich as well as a few sandwiches, from salamera - bad idea?

zim wrote:hmmm, I was thinking of bringing cevich as well as a few sandwiches, from salamera - bad idea?

No, that would be great. I am eager to try Norca's Ceviche. I was just worried that we might end up with a bunch of similar dishes since there are so many mariscos-centric venues on the list. That is why I can't decide between Cesar's paella or peruvian beef stew. If somebody else is bringing a rice and seafood dish, I will go with the stew.

I await news of Clark-a-Thon II with great anticipation!

Really sorry I could not make it, though I'm sure a very good time was had by all.

Muchas gracias for germuska organizing and The GP and Mr. X for hosting. Excellent time, best part was the company ... that's said about nearly every LTH event, but it's true, and certainly applies to this afternoon.

I came with my jeans (one Jean from LA, the other Jean from NC) and they both proclaimed Norka's jibarito as the winner, but it was all good.

The assortment GAF brought from Big Buns and Pita was amazing, and I especially liked the two dishes from Asmara. Too many other good things to comment on.

I'm just sorry my food showed up late. When we first got to Caracas Grill, we found the cook outside the locked door, shivering. He remembered that we had placed an order for pickup, but he didn't have a key. Ultimately, the owner showed up, said over the phone she'd lost our order. We were able to go back about an hour later and pick up arepas and empanadas. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to make the (highly recommended) pane jamon - apparently a traditional Venezuelan Christmas dish of a bread with a spiral of ham and raisins baked inside.

Suffice it to say I didn’t need much dinner. I don’t know what Mary did with all the leftovers.

That's still more open than I've ever seen Caracas Grill!

Others may disagree, but I think the arepas and empanadas at Caracas Grill are worth the occasionally uncertain hours. Also - one lesson I learned - the phone number on the sign outside has been disconnected - the real phone number is 773-262-9900.

Thanks to all who participated, the second round of North Clark-a-Thon was a great time.

Alas, once again I have demonstrated that I am a woefully inattentive photo-documentarian. I pretty much failed to get any human shots, and I also forgot to keep tabs as some later dishes arrived after I shot the initial spread. Not to mention the relative quality of the shots. But anyway, here's some visual documentation:


Asmara: Vegetarian Combo and Tibsie Derho



Café Salamera: Sandwiches



Café Salamera: Ceviche


Taste of Peru: Paella and Beef Stew



Harold's #44: Wings



Harold's #44: Livers and Gizzards

A little after I took these shots, GAF arrived with a handful of things from Big Buns and Pita as well as some sweets from Dulcelandia, and the French Couple arrived with food from Los Niches (I quite enjoyed the pork ribs, although they were very salty). And as Tom noted above, some arepas and empanadas from Caracas Grill came later. Someone brought some food from Grande, but I never did figure out exactly what it was.

It was also nice to have some Bell's beer (smuggled in, I believe, by our hosts) and Tom brought a nice variety of his home brew too.

I suppose if one were to be precise about it, this event may not really qualify as a "thon" -- it didn't have as much of the adventure feeling. But it was still quite fun to share food and hang out with LTH'ers, and there was a real bounty of good eating to be had. "Thon" or not, I think there's promise in this format of event alongside the other things we do.

I had suggested the "pot luck" format, rather than the traditional "thon" style. I think that it probably worked well for February, but I must confess that I missed learning about the texture of the street and its life. Once the weather breaks, it's back to the street en masse.

germuska wrote: Someone brought some food from Grande, but I never did figure out exactly what it was.

Why, it was Sweet Potato Maki and Mussaman curry, of course! I'd never had that particular curry before, but found it enjoyable. It was a compromise, as we can never decide between us which curry to get - he prefers red, while I go green.