South Side Saturday - This Saturday, Oct 3, 11am

So, I've spent essentially every weekend since May biking and eating for this little side project Hellodali and I have, and what do I want to do with the first Saturday I have off in what seems like forever? Well, bike and eat, of course! Inspired by the success of the South Side Caravan, recommendations from PIGMON and the fact that the South Side is a huge gap in my food knowledge, I've decided very last minute to do my own little tour this Saturday.

I'm still figuring out biking logistics, but I invite any LTHers with a South Side appetite this weekend to join me by car/public transit/bike at any/all of my stops. Right now, I think I can realistically make (i.e. fill my tummy with food from) three stops (oh so hard to narrow down!). Below is a tentative itinerary. Once I finish bike routing, I may have to adjust times just a little. I'm still trying to figure out if I can fit in a hot dog at Delicias Mexicanas, in which case the hot dog will be at 11:00, and I'll push everything back by 45 minutes.

Join me if you can. This is just one of several fall South Side explorations I hope to do. I welcome feedback on my stops for this weekend and suggestions for future stops.

Birria @ La Barca - 11:00am
4304 W 26th St
Chicago IL 60623
773-522-1450
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=20252

Ceviche @ El Abuelo y Yo - 12:30
3752 S Kedzie Ave
Chicago IL 60632
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=11921

Chili @ Ramova Grill - 2:00
3510 S Halsted St
Chicago IL 60609
(no dedicated thread...yet)

Delicias Mexicanas (tentative; would be before birria)
4148 W 26th St
Chicago IL 60623
773-522-5009
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=25811

Perhaps you can post your cell phone (or pm it). I might join you for one or several, but it will be useful to know where you will be.

Since my number is Fork and the Road's number...847-529-5790.

I'll also likely tweet updates.

I've gotten some questions from people who may join me on bike. Here's my route map. I'm using Ride the City for the first time, which was a suggestion from eatchicago. I feel pretty good about the route and feel like I could tweak it if needed once I'm down there. I would be open to leading if there are other riders. I'll be coming from West Town and am happy to meet up with any cyclists coming from that general area.

(BTW, you can ignore Mandarin Kitchen on my map, which is a long-shot possibility for hot pot adventure if somehow I have stomach room after a hot dog, birria, ceviche and chili.)

If it wasn't for my dentist appointment, I'd be right there with you.

I'm always up for a biking and eating - count me in.

Based on your current routing, a stop at The Great American Cheese Collection might make sense while cruising along 47th. The thread about their Saturday open house piqued my interest, and I just read piece from Sula in the Reader about fig salami, which looks delicious and is apparently available there in addition to all of the cheese.

-Dan

Can you clarify the current order of restaurants planned for Saturday.

dansch wrote:Based on your current routing, a stop at The Great American Cheese Collection might make sense while cruising along 47th. The thread about their Saturday open house piqued my interest, and I just read piece from Sula in the Reader about fig salami, which looks delicious and is apparently available there in addition to all of the cheese.

Awesome! I could use some fig salami for a dinner I have this weekend, and it is on the way.

GAF wrote:Can you clarify the current order of restaurants planned for Saturday.

Sure. I still welcome any feedback from people thinking of joining us on bike or by car or other means. I'm happy to adjust times and/or order of stops. The more, the merrier. Here's what I'm proposing:

10:30am
Birria @ La Barca
(w/ optional Sonoran hot dog from Delicias a block away)
4304 W 26th St
Chicago IL 60623
773-522-1450
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=20252

12:00pm
(We need to get here before 1)
Great American Cheese Collection
4727 S Talman Ave
Chicago IL 60632
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=16190

1:30pm
Ceviche @ El Abuelo y Yo
3752 S Kedzie Ave
Chicago IL 60632
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=11921

2:45pm
Chili @ Ramova Grill
3510 S Halsted St
Chicago IL 60609
(no dedicated thread...yet)

I don't know if it seems crazy to have birria at 10:30 in the morning (and I need to check that they'll be open), but we have to get to the Great American Cheese Collection by 1pm. I welcome any suggestions for making this more logical--as I have us doubling back (a short distance) for ceviche after cheese.

I'm also stuck in the habit of timing these things for groups of 15 usually novice riders, so I realize I've probably over-budgeted time. That said, these streets by bike will be new to me so I'd like to take in the scenery and have enough time to account for potential traffic of which I don't really have a sense.

Just a bump. Despite the ominous clouds, South Side Saturday is still on. We may be running about 15 minutes late, but anyone is welcome to join us at one or more stops. Just give me a call if you want to check on our location. 847-529-5790

Sharon

Thank you to GAF, dansch and BryanZ for joining me on my first South Side Saturday yesterday. Apart from the whole (literally) hitting the pavement thing, I had a really good time and feel more inspired than ever to continue to explore the South Side and its food.

There were many highlights yesterday. The shrimp empanadas at Abuleo y Yo were the best of any kind of empanada I've had in a while, and though 2 spoonfuls proved to be sufficient, I'm happy to be able to say I've now had a "mother in law" (from John's, a last-minute addition to our itinerary). The biggest surprise from South Side Saturday was the Great American Cheese Collection. Thank you to LAZ for bringing this place (and the Saturday tastings) to my attention and to dansch for adding it to our schedule. As GAF said, it's an impressive GNR-caliber resource that deserves a lot more attention.

South Side Saturday #2 (may be South Side Sunday) is already in the works. I'll post about it soon.

Sharon

I was particularly impressed by La Barca, which had exemplary birra, as well as being very welcoming. I also enjoyed the tepache (fermented pineapple juice), although - as noted elsewhere - the tejuino (fermented masa) is an acquired taste. Because of happy_stomach's spill we were running a bit late, we didn't get a chance to try a Sonoran hot dog. Next time.

The Great American Cheese Collection and John's (for a mother-in-law) (47th St., one block west of Talman) about about a block-and-a-half apart. A memorable one-two punch.

Thank you, Sharon, for arranging this mini-thon.

Thanks to happy_stomach for organizing this event. I had a great time meandering about with BryanZ, GAF and Sharon, sampling a number of delicious eats.

I posted some shots from our travels in the various establishments' respective threads - Hoosier Mama, El Abuelo y Yo, Great American Cheese Collection, Birrieria La Barca and the Mother in Law thread.

-Dan