ExtraMSG, as you have undoubtedly gleaned from biddingfortravel.com, you can almost certainly book a priceline.com "name your own price" 4-star hotel in their Loop/Millennium Park region for less-than $100 per night.

The upside to that location is access to public transit and cultural activities. More often than not people winning hotels in that priceline location are awarded the Hyatt Regency, a mammoth and slightly weird place, but recently redone in upscale corporate chic. It's not exactly in the loop, but some rooms probably have nice river and/or lake views.

It's been tough, actually. People in March were getting the Swissotel for $60/night. But there have been few if any success stories in May. The only one so far was like $150/night for a 4*. I've tried up to $105 without success. If April is any indication, then it appears people are generally doing better as their dates approach, possibly as hotels open up inventory to Priceline. However, at a couple hotels, their online systems say Sunday and Monday are booked up, whereas the rest of the week is open. Here's my thread:

http://p070.ezboard.com/FAILED-NMA-LP-4 ... 4513.topic

We're staying at the Hyatt Regency on the company's dime nights other than Sunday and Monday.

To get back on topic: tacos!

probably of little or no help, with regards to 'specifics' here, but...

your 'query' brings to mind what a wonderful culinary corridor (with a short hop west of lake shore/ marine drive) chicagoans and its visitors, can enjoy...

in descending order, starting at devon avenue - pick an east/ west street to get off at, and you'll find great...

indian, viet namese, mediterannean, german, north and south (continental) beef emporiums, greek, italian, chinese, and mexican - gastro delights.

interspersed between, are african, swedish, japanese and an unsorted, global hodge podge of other 'ishes', 'eses' and 'anses.


chicago is a great food town.

Non-food idea - in case you happen to be in the vicinity and have an hour or so (less) to kill, would be the Chicago cultural center. Great building and architecture and there are free guided tours of the building (that last 30-40 mins or so). Or you can wander round Millenium park which is right nearby.
Not too far from the Hyatt Regency.

And although you did want the inverse - here's a good way to find places mentioned on LTHforum that are close to a specific address.
Mapping LTH
Alternately, once you have a location on googlemaps, type LTHforum in the 'find businesses' tab and see what pops up.

Of course, if you're staying at the Lincoln Park Days Inn, you're only a few steps from the Lincoln Park Zoo (one of the last free zoos in the nation), and on the way, you could stop into R.J. Grunts. Not so much for the food, but for the historical significance - it was Rich Melman's first restaurant, which spawned the LEYE empire, which (loosely, at least) includes such stellar places as Everest and Tru.

R. J. Grunts
2056 N. Lincoln Park West

extramsg wrote:I'm torn on Spacca Napoli. I love pizza. I love Neapolitan style pizza. But then, we have three very good places here in Portland, two of which use all wood ovens (Nostrana and Ken's Artisan Pizza) and one (Apizza Scholls) is better than them both despite using electric (at 800 degrees).

Unless you find yourself having a serious jones for Neapolitan style pizza, I think you can probably safely skip Spacca Napoli. It's good, but not any better then the pizza at Nostrana (in my experience, at least) And it's several notches down from Apizza Scholls IMO (although it's a different style of pizza, so...) Not that it's bad, but not something you can't get back home.

Having said that, Avec is pretty similar in concept to Nostrana (and places like it) menu-wise, but I think it's worth checking out if you happen to be around there and in search of a meal (mind you, it's been about half a year since I last ate there.) As earlier mentioned, it might be a good place to go on your first night, esp. if you end up staying in the loop. It's pretty hectic, though. Not sure if that's a problem.

If you do make it to Devon, I agree that Khan's BBQ is a must.

extramsg wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions. Is that museum the same as this one:

http://www.extramsg.com/modules.php?set ... _album.php

Either way, it'll be on my list. I'll put Xni-Pec at the top of the list, too, if nothing else for a "snack" of panuchos and papadzules.

Yes, it is the same. And since it has been clarified that one cannot get directly from Midway to Chinatown, that lessens the utility of my other suggestion. Oh, well, I tried.

Been really busy trying to get ahead on some billable hours and deli stuff and haven't done as much planning as I should. I need to figure out Sunday night, though. We get in to Midway around 7pm-ish, I think. So we'll probably be checked in by 8:30, I imagine, perhaps 9pm.

One suggestion that has interested me is Avec. Certainly seems like good food. However, it's also a style of food that's ubiquitous in Portland's finer dining. So then again, it's not that exciting for me. But it's open on Sunday, open late enough, and it's probably something my wife would like.

But I'd love to get a rec for something more "Chicago" or rare (for me). But it has to be open relatively late on a Sunday and be reasonably close to Lincoln Park. We're up near Diversey the first two days at the Days Inn. A 15 minute cab ride seems reasonable.

It might be closer to a 20 minute cab ride, but GNR Winner San Su Gap San is open 24/7. We had an excellent dinnerthere just the other night.

Two morning/bakery ideas you might want to condsider:

Argo Georgian Bakery (for fresh baked bread and hachapuri)
2812 W. Devon Ave.

And a new favorite:

Pasticceria Natalia (for Sicilian pastries)
5406 N. Clark St.

I ended up calling through the GNR guide on the trip from Midway to find out who was open when. (Loosely stated hours would be a great addition to the guide, as well as correcting Al's phone #.) Gave my wife the options and we chose the one that was closest: Sticky Rice.

Got the crispy catfish salad, banana blossom salad, gang hung lay, and kanom jiin gang kai. Tried to order the kanom jiin num pla, but about halfway through the meal we were told they were out. Also tried to order the northern Thai sausage, but they were out. We did arrive 30 minutes before closing, so stuff like that was to be expected. I forgot to ask about the green curry roti dish. Dang. I am a total roti hound.

We both really liked the banana blossom salad. No astringency and the blossom had a texture like a more toothsome artichoke heart. I enjoyed the gang hung lay immensely -- gingery, meaty, earthy, slightly tart and sweet. The pork was very tender. Too Indian-y for my wife, though. Those "darker" spices don't do much for her. Catfish salad was nice, though the accompaniments were a little .... feh. But the crisped catfish was light and crisp and not too greasy. Dressing was very tart, which worked well. My wife liked the kanom jiin more than me. To me, it was just a typical American green curry over some bun noodles. I really don't like sweet peppers and Indian eggplant in curries much at all. I think they throw off the flavors a little and I don't like them much on their own. It was intense, but a little flat. I had to ask for some lime. I'm not accustomed to getting kanom jiin without any accompaniments, either. It was fine, but I was hoping for something else. A good meal, though.

btw, I'm strongly leaning towards Devon area explorations on Wednesday if anyone wants to join me for lunch, crawling, snacking, or whatever. Anybody want to offer a top 5 dishes on Devon?

extramsg wrote:Anybody want to offer a top 5 dishes on Devon?

Two of my favorites.

Sabri Nehari - Charga Chicken

Khan BBQ - Chicken Boti

Khan B.B.Q
2401 W Devon
Chicago, IL 60645
773-338-2800

Sabari Nehari
2502 W Devon
Chicago, IL

Charga Chicken is a big whole fried chicken with a knife sticking out of it. It has a certain charm, but not enough to fly across the country to eat.

Khan BBQ is an excellent suggestion, and the chicken boti would head the list of fine things to have.

extramsg wrote:Anybody want to offer a top 5 dishes on Devon?

Argo Bakery: Hachapuri
Khan BBQ: Chicken Boti
Sabri Nehari: Nehari
Usmania: Haleem, Chapli Kabab, Mutton Biryani
Udupi Palace: Malai Kofta
Hyderabad House: Mutton Biryani, Chicken 65 (only available on weekends)
Ambala: RIP

Mike G wrote:Charga Chicken is a big whole fried chicken with a knife sticking out of it. It has a certain charm, but not enough to fly across the country to eat.

Mike,

"Fly across the country" specifically to eat Sabri Nehari's Charga chicken, maybe so, maybe so. But certainly if one is in Chicago, and looking for the best on Devon, Charga chicken qualifies as a Top 5 in my book.

Taking the liberty of quoting myself "But good as the foregoing may be, what draws me back time after time is charga chicken, marinated, coated in chickpea flour seasoned with garam masala, deep-fried till crisp, then doused in a vinegary hot sauce, topped with cilantro, slivered ginger, and onions, and served in a tent of aluminum foil with a knife sticking out of it. Crunchy, juicy, hot, spicy--it's like a gigantic Punjabi buffalo wing."

Only five...

To the list above:

- Moroccan combination, bureks and cigars at Hashalom

- Samosa chaat or paranthas at Sukadia

- 10 layer cake at Three Sisters, also at Three Sisters keep on poking around for whatever has been made, various Russian home cooked stuff

- Kickel - Levinson's Bakery

We hit Bombom and Garrett's today (along with the Art Institute, Millenium Park, Magnificent Mile, and Hancock Observatory).

We both really liked Bombom's cafe in the loop. My wife got the Zapoteca (cecina, avocado, cactus, cheese) and I got the Yucateca (cochinita pibil, pickled onions, avocado, cheese). We both especially liked the Zapoteca. The cecina was delicious -- slightly salty, tangy from lime, meaty, and tender enough. The cactus and grilled onions added a nice flavor and worked well with the melted cheese, slathered beans, and avocado. The cochinita pibil in mine was tender and complex tasting. The combo with the pickled onions is classic and everything else worked as well. The sandwiches aren't big and just come with some mediocre chips, but they're good sandwiches. I'd like a heartier roll, too. Horchata was sweet but good. Tres leches was fine, but nothing special.

Everybody here knows Garrett's and I still enjoy it even if it is touristy.

Hi,

What's on Tuesday's agenda? I know Wednesday is Devon.

Regards,

Still figuring out Tuesday. I think we'll do an architectural boat tour, but the question is whether to do it early or late and that all depends.

I'd like to hit Manny's and tomorrow might make the most sense for that, though I imagine I'll be tossing a lot of food.

Mainly, though, I'd like to show my wife some of Chicago's Latin neighborhoods and foods. I was thinking about Pilsen, perhaps La Villita, and Humboldt Park. I was thinking about Taqueria Puebla, Papa's Cache Sabroso, perhaps a lechonera, and maybe Xni-Pec for dinner. I don't know for sure, though. Like I said, I didn't plan well.

Did have a very good meal with Erik et al tonight at TAC Quick. I especially liked the lime cooked shrimp, the curried crab, the kanom jiin, and scallion pancakes.

The lime cooked shrimp were tender, not off-flavored at all, very bright and garlicky with a pleasant leaf of mint on top for some herbal aroma.

The curried crab reminded me of a slightly sweet rendang with shredded crab mixed into a dry curry with veggies. The crab meat in the legs was very nice, sweet, and juicy.

The kanom jiin was much better than Sticky Rice's last night and actually reminded me a lot of Pok Pok's version in Portland, which shouldn't be surprising since both remind me of what you find on the streets of Thailand. I wish I could have all the accompaniments -- chopped little pieces of long beans, basil, pickled greens, and bean sprouts -- on the side to be added in the quantities and combinations that I enjoy, but I understand the economics and necessities of a restaurant with American health codes. Nice textured, subtle curry. Wasn't a fan of the fishballs used. A little too dense and fishy with an almost fermented flavor. Noodles could have been more toothsome, but they'll always suffer in comparison to the true kanom jiin. Still, though, this would be a good version in Thailand and it being one of my favorite dishes I was glad it got added in at the last minute, even if it meant missing another of my faves, the gang hung lay.

I was surprised I liked the pancakes. Usually not one of my types of things. They were well crisped on the outside, not greasy, and filled with chives? scallion greens? The sauce was very interesting, tasting of dark soy, I would guess, with an almost molasses quality and an almost fermented aroma.

We also got:

* satay: tender, slightly charred, nice peanut sauce
* som tum: classic version with long beans, salted crab and dried shrimp; nicely spiced and very fresh; a good version, I just eat this A LOT.
* sweet and sour soup with whole prawns: great broth; shrimp were a little chewy and fishy I would say, but made a great presentation.
* sartor curry: beans were a little more astringent than I'm used to, though I was getting used to it; really nice curry surrounding them though -- almost a dry curry with lots of earthy spices but also some brightness.
* omelette: nicely cooked thin frittata with fried garlic and scallions. Moist, and with a little sweet sauce covering it, a nice balance to some of the other intense dishes.
* tamarind: just plain sweet tamarind to break open and finish the meal; simple but delicious.

Thanks Erik! I enjoyed meeting everyone and gabbing about food.

We walked around after for a while and down Clark and decided to give my wife a taste of her first Chicago dog at Wiener's Circle since they're so close to us and we're moving tomorrow. Too early for the abuse, but not too early for a char polish with onions, pickle, tomato, mustard, neon green relish, and celery salt. Their buns are pretty cheap and fall apart much too easily. The tomato was very pink. But the meat was good, nicely cooked, and the dog as a whole is tasty. I don't think it's better than the Chicago style hot dogs we can get at a couple places in Portland, but.... We also tried some cheese fries. I read somewhere that they were the best thing on the menu. I disagree. The cheese sauce tasted like it came from a box. It left a powdery residue on your tongue and tasted -- well -- bad. The Cheez Whiz they use in Philly or at baseball parks is better. The fries were okay. They're of the overcooked to get somewhat crispy variety. which tend to be a little greasy. I guess they're liked more for the ginormous portion.

Mainly, though, I'd like to show my wife some of Chicago's Latin neighborhoods and foods. I was thinking about Pilsen, perhaps La Villita, and Humboldt Park. I was thinking about Taqueria Puebla, Papa's Cache Sabroso, perhaps a lechonera, and maybe Xni-Pec for dinner. I don't know for sure, though. Like I said, I didn't plan well.

Pilsen as well as the area where Papa's Cache Sabroso (was there Saturday, the chicken was great!) are densely packed with places to look at. While Taqueria Puebla and Papa's are not far from each as the crow flies, they parallel streets separated by a park, then a hike or a brief bus ride.

Xni-Pec is all by itself geographically. While I guess Xni-Pec is approachable by public transportation, a ride would sure help. Making it your dinner destination is wise. If you are with someone with car, then a quick stop to see Depot American Diner may interest you.

Regards,

Hey, I'm in a big hurry and don't have time to respond to the people who PM'd me about tomorrow on Devon. I'm planning on getting down there around 11am and exploring for a few hours at least. I'll try to respond to everyone this evening when I return, but it will be late. If you want to call me and see where I am tomorrow you can get me at:

5O3.thr33 ate 1.zero for thr33 niner

The cheese sauce is made from real cheddar cheese (solids stay that way, as in the Velveeta commercial), which is the problem, though many, many people love it. It's what you expect when you order cheese fries in Chicago, and whiz would be offensive to the natives here. I'm not a fan. Pretty good on a burger, tho.

To whether you can get the same or better elsewhere, sure, probably. It's a hot dog, and Vienna ships the dogs and condiments everywhere. But it's the fact that there's a one-off beef stand (or taco stand) on every corner selling surprisingly consistently good product that's the thing.

Interesting that you single out the chive pancake -- in Chicago,, they are ubiquitous. I mean every Ameri-Thai place has them, many worse than TAC's, of course. Your mention of it makes me assume, surprisingly, that these things are not all over the place in Thailand. That happens when a cuisine takes on a life of its own locally. (E.g., the Jibarito, which my good friend and life-long San Juan resident has never heard of.)

JeffB wrote:Interesting that you single out the chive pancake -- in Chicago,, they are ubiquitous. I mean every Ameri-Thai place has them, many worse than TAC's, of course. Your mention of it makes me assume, surprisingly, that these things are not all over the place in Thailand. That happens when a cuisine takes on a life of its own locally. (E.g., the Jibarito, which my good friend and life-long San Juan resident has never heard of.)

Come now, Jeff, the accompanying sauce is light years beyond any other I have tried in this town. And, that is to say nothing of the handmade dumplings themselves, which are a virtual anomaly anywhere in the U.S.*

At any rate, don't fault poor Nick for his ordering foibles. I am the one that composed the menu, and, admittedly, I am still rather new to this whole Thai food thing.

Addendum: Like many of the street foods found in modern-day BKK, these dumplings are originally of Chinese origin, and in certain areas they can be had in abundance, whether steamed or fried.

E.M.

* By that I mean to say that the vast majority of the Thai restaurants in the U.S. purchase and prepare prefrozen, commercial chive dumplings.

The cheese sauce is made from real cheddar cheese (solids stay that way, as in the Velveeta commercial), which is the problem, though many, many people love it. It's what you expect when you order cheese fries in Chicago, and whiz would be offensive to the natives here. I'm not a fan. Pretty good on a burger, tho.

Perhaps, but that sauce at WC SHOULD be offensive to the natives. Any decent chef can make a mornay that doesn't taste like paste. If they're making a sauce from real cheese, then they should be able to make it so that it doesn't taste like it's from a box (read: pasty, powdery, starchy, blech) or they should use plain cheese, or still better than what I got, use whiz.

I committed 7 deadly sins today -- only it was the same sin over and over again: gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, and what was that last one? oh yeah: gluttony.

It started out innocent enough. We headed over to Manny's. I wasn't expecting much but was pleasantly surprised. We got a pastrami reuben, roast beef on onion roll, cheese blintz, and a diet Dr. Brown's black cherry. The guy behind the counter was great -- attitude, but always in a fun-loving way that made you think you were being hassled by your goofy uncle.

The pastrami wasn't bad. Better, I'd say, than most and better than the midtown places in NY. It's sliced on a slicer, but relatively thick and is tender enough to work that way. Not very smoky and pretty salty and sweet, but it's the real deal. The portion was ridiculously huge. The use of a panini press, though, complete with grill marks was just weird.

Latke was too eggy and greasy and not crisp, but better than many that I've had in delis -- actually better than most that I've had in delis other than ours, but I'm very partial to a latke that is very crisp and almost entirely potato.

Blintz was premade, including pre-pan-fried. Blah, but fine. Cheese seemed more like cottage than pot and was a bit sweet.

Roast beef was cooked nicely, but lacked seasoning. Salt really helped. Some slices were a bit stringy and tough for the thickness it was cut. Love that it was cooked truly rare. Liked the pickles. Had a nice crisp crunch to them, but a little flat tasting.

I think Manny's is worth being proud of. It's not GREAT deli from what I tried, but it's respectable.

Then we went over to the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen. Love that place. Afterwards we walked up 18th, visited Bombon and Birreria Reyes de Octolan. The cake we got was beautiful, but just decent tasting. I think there stuff lacks intensity and flavor. It's gorgeous, but the pleasure of the tongue doesn't live up to the pleasure of the eye. This one had mango on top and the mangos were flat tasting too. The chocolate they were using was very plasticky. Perhaps it's just the cakes.

After that, we headed over to Humboldt Park and the Paseo de Boricua. Walked that and had a "snack" at Papa's Cache Sabroso of a jibarito with arroz con gandules and some maduros. Maduros were a little overcooked on one side and undercooked on the other. My wife still liked them, but they're one her absolute favorite things to eat. The arroz con gandules was more like Mexican "Spanish" rice with pigeon peas than what I've had in PR. There, the rice is simpler, firmer, and richer tasting. The jibarito was really good. Such a great sandwich and the parts individually were executed well. The meat was thin, tender, nicely crusted, and well seasoned. The cheese was melty and creamy. The "bun" was crisp, but tender inside and slightly garlicky. I wish they had mofongo.

Walked through Humboldt Park and got some ice cream from a little cart: Helados de Coco. Aptly named. Got a cup of syrupy, gooey coconut ice cream/sorbet for $1.50. Not good.

Back to the hotel to pick up a gift for Alan and Erik -- they'll have to let you in on it and grab some cash before "dashing" off to Cicero and Xni-Pec. Only, Xni-Pec wasn't open. Got a call from Alan that they were unexpectedly closed. He picked us up at the CTA station and we met GWIV and headed down to Vito & Nick's with a brief stop at Chuckie's (that's right, isn't it?) I liked the Italian beef at Chuckie's but I think the meat/jus is a little underseasoned. I think the sausage was cooked pretty poorly -- burnt, a little bitter, and dry. Fries were okay. I think a combo is a mistake there and the sandwich was better with just beef. I'm torn on whether I like the gardinera there or not. The hot is made with jalapeno slices.

Vito & Nick's was my intro, really, to Chicago thin crust. We got a sausage/onion/garlic and a pepperoni/garlic/basil. The former was better than the latter. The basil was dried. The sausage had a strong fennel component and was slightly sweet. The garlic overpowered the sauce, but it added a nice component and offset the sweetness in some ways of the sausage. I don't think the onions are necessary. The sauce is very simple. I would guess it's something like canned tomatoes and salt and nothing else, just pureed and put on raw or very lightly simmered. It's thin compared with the cheese and everything. The edges were good. For me, this pizza is first about the crunch, which is my favorite texture. The sausage combo had a good flavor overall, but was undercooked as you moved inward. If this was crunchy all over, I think I would have really liked it.

On the way back we hit Mario's. I love how refreshing their Italian ice is, I think largely because it's not very sweet. I got watermelon and lemon. Both just tasted like you had frozen the fruit and chopped it up. My wife got the pineapple, which was tasty, too. Alan got the banana, which personally I don't think works as well and I prefer in an ice cream, I think. Maybe because of the texture of bananas themselves is creamy.

We got a quick nightcap at Jim's Original for a polish with onions, mustard, and peppers. Fries were crisp and decent. Sausage was tasty with a nice snap, semi-course grind, sweet and garlicky meat. Well-charred which I appreciate. I'd like truly caramelized onions, but they were fully cooked. I'd also prefer a bun that was more substantial for such a substantial and tasty sausage. This sausage was a definite step up from WC.

So that's it, except for whatever I get out of the vending machine for my midnight snack. (It's midnight back home.) 12 courses for tomorrows dinner? I can't wait.....

Okay, for those that were interested in meeting, I'm heading to Khan's at noon, apparently when it opens. Don't know what I'll be doing before that or after that for sure. I'm sure I'll spend a few hours on Devon, though.

but the pleasure of the tongue doesn't live up to the pleasure of the eye.

I thought I was reading a report from the Maxwell Street Market for a minute there...

Great reports, extramsg!

I thought I was reading a report from the Maxwell Street Market for a minute there...

That would be eyeBALL.....

extramsg wrote:I committed 7 deadly sins today -- only it was the same sin over and over again: gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, gluttony, and what was that last one? oh yeah: gluttony.

Quite a day, impressive!

We were on our way to Vito and Nick's South on Pulaski, passed Chickie's, so I called an audible. Chickie's is in my top 5 Italian beef in Chicago, though, as Extramsg says, the Italian sausage is nothing to write home about. It's my opinion, unlike Al's or Johnnie's, which cook the Italian sausage over live coals, one should always stick with straight Italian Beef at Chickie's.

Vito and Nick's was only running at 70% last night, still good, but not great. Extramsg, his Left-Coast origins showing, ordered a pie with basil, at which point I immediately asked the waitress if the basil was fresh, fully expecting her to respond in the negative. She said Yes, and they sell quite a bit. (Ha, sure they do )

Suffice to say when the pie came it was coated with dried basil which imparted a slightly bitter taste to the pizza. The sausage, garlic and onion, which is my favorite thin crust combo, was good, though neither pie was cooked well done/crisp on the bottom as we asked.

I tapped out at that point and and the three of them went on to even greater heights of the 7 Deadly Sins. I must admit I am impressed with Extramsg and Lisa's energy and enthusiasm as well as Alan's (Jazzfood).

Enjoy,
Gary

Vito & Nick's
8435 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago
773-735-2050

Chickie's
2839 S Pulaski Rd
Chicago, IL 60623
773-277-2333