The perfect is the enemy of the good - Good for its location

The perfect is the enemy of the good - Good for its location
-or- "I know it's not the best, but it's right here!"
India House, El Burrito Mexicano, and China Kitchen

I love LTHForum for a lot of reasons. This is a site of people who care passionately about food and want to share that love with others. It's also the local food gossip mill, my first stop for food porn, and a repository of new adjectives to describe the same tastes and textures. But, one of its faults is that it has a tendency to pass over good options nearby in favor of transcendent options elsewhere. At first it amused me that the first answer to "What's the best Chinese food in the loop" is "Go to Chinatown", but now I kind of see it as an area for improvement. I realized this morning that three of my favorite places (counting quality AND location) are virtually unmentioned on the forum and wanted to try and change that. I want to emphasize that none of these are destination places; it's their convenience for young city dwellers that may make them of interest.

India House (59 West Grand Ave, Chicago IL)
We all know what India House is not. It's not the most authentic, nobody would mistake it for homemade, the flavors are not as sharp as somewhere on Devon with fresh spices every day. But when you wake up on a weekend morning slightly hung-over from the previous night (sorry, Mom!), it's a taste of heaven without the schlep up to the far north side. India House is a finely dressed restaurant. White tablecloths (though they're frequently covered with a discrete sheet of butcher paper), neatly polished silverware, and an attentive waitstaff with near telepathic abilities to tell when you're ready for the next course. The lunch buffet, which I highly recommend, is 15 or so different dishes (usually Amer-Indian standards) presented in copper warming trays with an Eastern flair. By the time you return to your table, there is a basket of warm naan and a frantically steaming plate of tandoori chicken waiting for you at the table. The dishes range in quality from so-so to pretty good, with nothing exceptional (particularly because of an overall lack of spicy heat in the dishes). A first plate of sample-tastes is recommended before really choosing your meal. There are a number of desserts available as well, but I can rarely manage more than a taste after the lunch options. The best part is that an entire lunch buffet is less expensive than a single dish at the Clark location of Hema's Kitchen. The experience as a whole reminds me of what an Indian Buffet in Las Vegas would look like.

El Burrito Mexicano (936 W Addison, Chicago IL)
I was taking improv classes near Wrigley Field and in and out of the neighborhood multiple times a week right around dinner time. A full meal was not important, in fact, I usually wanted just a-little-something. (a-little-something (n): A Jewish Grandmother's term meaning a small amount of non-sweet substantive food, not to be confused with a snack. For example, "Grandma, I already ate before I came over!" "Well, just have a-little-something.") El Burrito Mexicano is located just to the east of the 'L' stop. The place is not the most clean, there is usually one pesky fly flitting around when you eat there. But you can have a quick meal, just have them wrap up a $1.80 soft taco to go, or a much more complete meal. They have the standard burrito fillings: asada (my favorite, especially when it's slow), pastor (eh), chorizo, and I believe chicken. If you eat in, grab a table and enjoy the gratis chips and salsa. They make a remarkably good pico de gallo as well as salsa verde and roja (rojo? the red one). Again, in comparison to a mediocre competitor, you can get a real Mexican style burrito, refried beans, rice, chips, and salsa for less than a similarly sized gringo-wrap at Chipotle. That's right, this is one big burrito, but if you slip the counterman a dollar, he'll wrap up the other half for you. Avoid towards the end of a Cubs game (gets absolutely swamped starting almost as soon as the 7th inning stretch is over) or late on weekend nights (not only will you not like the company you keep, the quality of the food decreases remarkably).

China Kitchen (3463 N Clark St, Chicago IL)
Chicagoist recently had a story where they were trying to find one good Chinese place on the north side in a column called "Convince Us". There was no clear consensus and no winners. So, set your expectations for this place low and you won't be disappointed. This doesn't sound like a recommendation so far, but the rest of the stretch of Clark from Addison to Belmont is a gastro wasteland populated with Big 10 bars, inedible pizza and Subway. China Kitchen is constantly open, always near empty, cheap and reliable. It is a sitdown restaurant, probably 8-10 2-tops and a couple 4-tops, but it does a brisk take-out business. Almost every time that you enter, there will be a cop sitting at a table watching tv. I don't know why. They serve an orange chicken somewhere between traditional and American (ie a sweet sugary sauce but with rind) and a nice pan-fried noodle. I recommend the potstickers, filled with an unidentifiable meat but a savory delight of salt, grease, and just a hint of MSG. Avoid the lemon chicken, fried clumps of chicken drowning in a neon yellow sauce. It's perfect if you want to sit somewhere quiet for a bit between activities in Wrigleyville or if you're craving American Chinese. I do not know if there is a traditional Chinese menu hiding under the American one; next time I'm in, I'll have to ask.

muddpuddle wrote:But, one of its faults is that it has a tendency to pass over good options nearby in favor of transcendent options elsewhere.

Respectfully, a counterpoint:

What you consider a fault, I consider a strength. LTHForum shows me that I don't have to settle for good, when the perfect isn't that far away. If you want to read about "good" food, there's plenty of media outlets that will provide you a list. I come to LTHForum to find out about the really special stuff.

eatchicago wrote:

muddpuddle wrote:But, one of its faults is that it has a tendency to pass over good options nearby in favor of transcendent options elsewhere.

Respectfully, a counterpoint.

I would agree. From my perspective, it you want good Chinese in the loop, it would be a disservice to not point you to Chinatown, altough my real response might be to send you on a trip on the Brown line to Spoon Thai.

Certainly the diversity of contributors living and sampling food in different neighborhoods (towns, states, countries...) is a strength, and I am always excited to hear about places nearby, but its easy to get around the city, so why not open up others to the best that the city has to offer?

wak wrote:

eatchicago wrote:

muddpuddle wrote:But, one of its faults is that it has a tendency to pass over good options nearby in favor of transcendent options elsewhere.

Respectfully, a counterpoint.

I would agree. From my perspective, it you want good Chinese in the loop, it would be a disservice to not point you to Chinatown, altough my real response might be to send you on a trip on the Brown line to Spoon Thai.

Certainly the diversity of contributors living and sampling food in different neighborhoods (towns, states, countries...) is a strength, and I am always excited to hear about places nearby, but its easy to get around the city, so why not open up others to the best that the city has to offer?

Myself...I lie somewhere in the middle. Do I want to know about the best of the best, wherever they might be in the city? Yes. However, sometimes necessity and proximity is going to rule over wanting the absolute best of everything. Say I want a decent soft taco or burrito and am somehow trapped in the Wrigleyville area--I now have a mental note of where to go in that instance. Conversely, say I have time to spare and want the best Chinese handmade noodles--I'll be heading out to Katy's.

I think any knowledge anyone has to share about their go-to places--be they the best-of-the-best or good for other reasons, such as convenience--should be welcomed.

I think there is a need for both types of information - the good restaurants and the "best" places. This is ignoring the fact that many people disagree on the "best" places and may consider them only good. And I think that LTHforum is big enough for both types of restaurants.

I'm also somewhere in the middle. I love to know where to find the absolute best version of whatever food I'm craving, but I'm often "stuck" geographically, and I want to know what my options are in a given neighborhood.

For me, LTH is a community of like-minded palates, if that makes sense. Sure, I could go to a site like Yelp or Metromix and read the nearly-incoherent reviews of some middling place, but I'd rather know more about a place than just "THIS PLACE ROX!!!1! BEST CHIKEN FINGERS EVAH!!!!" If I can read a review that discusses the strengths and weaknesses of even the most mundane spot, written by someone who I know understands good food in the same way I do, I feel better prepared to find something I'll like.

Incidentally, I agree about China Kitchen. Really quite good for what it is.

I ordered from China Kitchen a couple months ago when I was housebound and craving American Chinese. Delivery was remarkably quick (under 20 minutes), and the food was surprisingly tasty (I've often been disappointed by American Chinese delivery options in my area). I tried the General Tso's chicken, the chicken fried rice, the pork lo mein, and the egg roll. General Tso's was all white meat, which is probably a downside for many on this site, but it was in a good version of the sauce, with tons of very fresh vegetables. The pork lo mein was nicely smoky and porky, again with lots of fresh vegetables. I was less enthusiastic about the egg roll--it contained a pureed mush of unidentifiable meats and vegetables, and I prefer the contents to be larger, more identifiable chunks of ingredients.

All in all, I was pretty happy with my choice, and I'll be ordering from there again next time the craving hits me.

wak wrote:

eatchicago wrote:
Respectfully, a counterpoint.

I would agree. From my perspective, it you want good Chinese in the loop, it would be a disservice to not point you to Chinatown, although my real response might be to send you on a trip on the Brown line to Spoon Thai.

That certainly takes the counterpoint to a new level. Only a LTH'er, when asked where to get Chinese in the loop, responds by directing you to Thai in Lincoln Square!

It's always worthwhile to expand the database with info on local neighborhood places that may or may not be good choices when you're in the area. Man cannot live on Spoon alone. Thanks, Muddpuddle, for three good reviews.

In the pre-interweb days I used to travel a lot and I kept a database of restaurants in different cities. There were two ways to get into my database; either the place was exceptionally good or exceptionally bad. My thinking was that you can find middle-of-the-road food by shooting a dart at the Yellow Pages or reading the tourist literature they handed out at the hotel, so there was no need to keep track of it.

My feeling is much the same here on LTH. I'm really only interested in the exceptional places (good or bad).

muddpuddle wrote:[the rest of the stretch of Clark from Addison to Belmont is a gastro wasteland populated with Big 10 bars, inedible pizza and Subway.

That's the common wisdom, but I disagree. African (Moroccan, Ethiopian and Nigerian), Japanese, Korean greasy-spoon diner, upscale Mexican, Nicoise-ish, trattoria, at least one "Irish" bar with a good kitchen and Irish food, enchiladas potosinas, Indian, and more. That's all on one short stretch of Clark. Now, granted, most of the larger, louder, more obvious places are as you describe. But once the boys of summer are gone and tumbleweeds blow down Clark, that stretch provides many decent options in a compact space. The fact is, the strip is so very dense with bars and restaurants, the good-or-better get lost.

GardenofEatin wrote:"THIS PLACE ROX!!!1! BEST CHIKEN FINGERS EVAH!!!!"

I really want to see this as a forum tagline. Ironic, biting, perfect.

Mike G wrote:Man cannot live on Spoon alone.

Well, actually I think I could, but I know what you mean.

JeffB wrote:

muddpuddle wrote:[the rest of the stretch of Clark from Addison to Belmont is a gastro wasteland populated with Big 10 bars, inedible pizza and Subway.

That's the common wisdom, but I disagree. African (Moroccan, Ethiopian and Nigerian), Japanese, Korean greasy-spoon diner, upscale Mexican, Nicoise-ish, trattoria, at least one "Irish" bar with a good kitchen and Irish food, enchiladas potosinas, Indian, and more. That's all on one short stretch of Clark. Now, granted, most of the larger, louder, more obvious places are as you describe. But once the boys of summer are gone and tumbleweeds blow down Clark, that stretch provides many decent options in a compact space. The fact is, the strip is so very dense with bars and restaurants, the good-or-better get lost.

Going to LTHForum instead of trusting my eyes has let me to the same conclusion: Matsuya (Japanese) is on my next-to-try list.

Matsuya
3469 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60657

Not to rip on you city-dwellers, but this argument could not hold more true for some of us suburbanites. We're surrounded by miles and miles of chain restaurants with only a smattering of decent, independently-owned places within a 10-15 minute drive.

I often find myself with this dilemma: "Oh, man. I could really use some decent Mexican. But I don't want to drive 30-40 minutes to Amanacer..." (mmmm, Amanacer...) Consequently, I'll either end up doing one of three things: a) not eat Mexican. b) Make something myself. c) End up at the mediocre Mexican joint near my house. Eh.

Sometimes I find myself extremely jealous of the fact that you city-dwellers are SO CLOSE to such a great variety of good food. I mean, I suppose you all could make the same argument: that sometimes it's a good 30 minute ride on the el to get to something transcendent, but, still.

What I'm amazed at is how great the spread of mediocrity is in the suburbs. Do we really need another Mimi's Cafe or an Al's Beef? Do suburban diners just have bland palates? Why do places like the Olive Garden consistently have lines our their door while excellent places like Biaggio's end up closing their doors?

Sorry to digress, but I guess I just wanted to say -- it could always be worse. (This is what I trade off to have a yard, I suppose. )

GreenFish wrote:Why do places like the Olive Garden consistently have lines our their door

Last night, I walked by an Olive Garden. Indeed, the line was out the door. From a distance, I thought the people were leaving, but as I neared I saw that no, they were patiently waiting to be allowed in.

By the way, it was this Olive Garden.

GreenFish wrote: (This is what I trade off to have a yard, I suppose. )

Of course, with a yard you can grow your own food..

LOL about the Olive Garden. Not that I can say that I'm surprised. Tourists are often drawn to familiarity. And authentic Italian!

(Wait -- sorry, I think I just choked on myself saying that.)

Of course, with a yard you can grow your own food.

Yes, in theory, this is an excellent idea. And maybe one day I will! For now, I live off the stuff my mom gives me from her garden, haha.

GreenFish wrote:LOL about the Olive Garden. Not that I can say that I'm surprised. Tourists are often drawn to familiarity. And authentic Italian!

That line or rather those lines reminded me of an aritcle in USA Today in which Marcella Hazan goes to Olive Garden to taste their 'authentic' Italian food and reviews it. It's quite funny. I love it that she feels the need to console herself with Jack Daniel's.

GreenFish wrote:Sometimes I find myself extremely jealous of the fact that you city-dwellers are SO CLOSE to such a great variety of good food. I mean, I suppose you all could make the same argument: that sometimes it's a good 30 minute ride on the el to get to something transcendent, but, still.

What I'm amazed at is how great the spread of mediocrity is in the suburbs. Do we really need another Mimi's Cafe or an Al's Beef? Do suburban diners just have bland palates? Why do places like the Olive Garden consistently have lines our their door while excellent places like Biaggio's end up closing their doors?

Greenfish, if it makes you feel any better, I saw a sign today at Lincoln & McCormick announcing the construction of a new Panda Express to open there. Mediocrity in dining is not the price of suburban living, it is an unfortunate reality across the city as well. I can hardlly complain about my lot, living a block and a half from Spoon as I do, but that Panda Express sign made my heart sink.

I was kind of craving their sticky-sweet orange chicken the other day.

Like at the porno shop, if I see you there, I won't acknowledge you and you don't acknowledge me.

Josephine wrote:I saw a sign today at Lincoln & McCormick announcing the construction of a new Panda Express to open there. Mediocrity in dining is not the price of suburban living, it is an unfortunate reality across the city as well.

I'll console myself with the thought the intersection of Lincoln/McCormick is mere blocks from the 'burbs.

Josephine wrote:...I saw a sign today at Lincoln & McCormick announcing the construction of a new Panda Express to open there. Mediocrity in dining is not the price of suburban living, it is an unfortunate reality across the city as well. I can hardlly complain about my lot, living a block and a half from Spoon as I do, but that Panda Express sign made my heart sink.

Man, I was going to post that in "Openings and Closings, Comings and Goings" (noting its proximity to Solga and Little Quiapo.) What a bizarre location, right?

Mhays wrote:Man, I was going to post that in "Openings and Closings, Comings and Goings" (noting its proximity to Solga and Little Quiapo.) What a bizarre location, right?

Not really when you consider Old Country Buffett and Hong Kong Buffett are within a stones throw, not to mention Popeye's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and a few others I am most likely forgetting.

I'd add to the list of very close, meaning walking distance, reasonable options Hoanh Long, not to mention the hot dogs at Home Depot, a secret vice of mine.

Enjoy,
Gary

Up here in the far northwest suburbs, we call it a 'culinary wasteland'. And this certainly is not to disrespect the restauranteurs that open their doors day after day in this environment. It is what it is.

The problem as I see it is twofold. First, for the most part you don't have the ethnic variance up this way to support, say, an Afghan or Vietnamese restaurant. They'd be belly-up within a year, much like Babu Bat's ill-fated Dream Cafe on 'Seinfeld'--"...but nobody came!". Educated palates are at a premium. Indian food is considered avant-garde. So, without the inherent customer base, in the newly-built strip malls, in-lots & outlots, you'll see a proliferation of Applebee's, Friday's or Olive Gardens, for financial reasons more than anything else.

But most disconcerting to me is the laissez-faire quality of the cuisines in the area. No passion coming out of the kitchen whatsoever. I'll try an osso buco, for example, at a just-opened restaurant and think 'hey, maybe we've got something here'. Next visit a couple weeks down the road, same dish, and it's just fair at best (or do we say 'meh'?). Growing pains, maybe, but I think the unevenness of the kitchen is that they only do what they need to do to get by, and unfortunately up here it's enough.

Sorry to make this a vent-o-rama. LTH continues to be an oasis.

Okay, this thread has made me want to post about my own all right neighborhood places. This is what I eat when I'm off the LTH clock (and on the real work clock). This is my secret lunch life.

Kitsch'n-- the tuna melt at Kitsch'n is pretty good; open faced, caramelized cheese on top, sweet potato chips. I also like the chilaquiles a lot, though I ordered a mole dish from the specials once that was a disaster.

Riverview Tavern-- makes a very respectable bar burger, pretty good beer list of popular microbrew names (Goose Island, Fat Tire, Brooklyn, etc.) The salads are surprisingly well conceived for a bar, too. I actually have a secret menu item here. They make a teriyaki chicken sandwich (which uses a nicely burnt-edged grilled chicken breast) and a chicken with marinara-and-cheese sandwich (which uses a deep-fried breaded chicken cutlet). My brilliant innovation was to order the marinara and cheese with the grilled chicken breast. Much better. Someday it will be named for me.

Thai Linda-- above-average Ameri-Thai, but still firmly within that genre, has a $6.95 lunch special which I have sometimes. Basil chicken, pad thai, none of it earthshattering but all of it competently fresh and clean tasting.

Costello's-- This family-oriented sandwich place has never gotten any LTH love, and order classics like Italian beef or the (turkey) reuben and it'll be easy to see why. However, some of the sandwiches they just invented, not copied badly, can be pretty decent. I get a Smokin' Turk (smoked turkey with cheddar), Heartland or an Italian grinder. Also the chili is pretty good, similar to the old veggie chili at Jacob Bros. Bagels. Given a choice between here and the Jimmy John's down the street...

Village Tap-- Riverview has pretty much replaced this as my go-to bar for a quick sandwich (not least because Village Tap is not open for lunch). Hamburgers and such were all right, I liked a sandwich called a Monterey or something that had chicken and ham, but the fries went from freshcut to frozen/battered some years ago. Surprisingly good: falafel and hummus.

Kitsch'n on Roscoe
2005 W. Roscoe St.
Chicago, IL 60618
773-248-7372

Riverview Tavern & Grill
1958 W Roscoe St, Chicago, IL
(773) 248-9523

Thai Linda Cafe
2022 W. Roscoe St.
Chicago, IL 60618
773-868-1020

Costello's
2015 West Roscoe Street, Chicago
773.929.2323, fax 773.929.2372
also in Lincoln Square

Village Tap
2055 W. Roscoe St.
Chicago, IL 60618
773-883-0817

Josephine wrote:I saw a sign today at Lincoln & McCormick announcing the construction of a new Panda Express to open there.

A mere 7-months after it opened I finally tried Panda Express, not just the Lincoln/McCormick, but first time overall at Panda Express.

Not bad for fast food* no overt chemical preservative taste, not horribly over salted, no overly bright flavors from excessive use of msg, crisp was reasonably crispy and, surprisingly, individual flavors, as opposed to one greasy salty overload of, say, pizza hut, came through.

Now don't get me wrong, it will be at least another 7-months, if then, before I hit Panda Express again, but for drive through fast food it was edible.**

One thing that always surprises me when I have national chain fast food, which is not often, is that it's comparatively expensive for what you get.

Enjoy,
Gary

*Damning with faint praise
**More damning with faint praise

G Wiv wrote:One thing that always surprises me when I have national chain fast food, which is not often, is that it's comparatively expensive for what you get.

Ain't that the truth! I think pretty much the only advantage of most quick-service restaurants is that they serve their food relatively quickly. The quality isn't there, it's not cheap, so really all you can expect when you go to a place like that is that your food will come at you fast.