Plan "B" place for a late lunch tomorrow, and a second stop.

As I have mentioned on another thread my wife, daughter and myself will be heading to Cemita's for a late lunch tomorrow afternoon after a kids b-day party @ the Skokie Chuck-e-Cheese. I am seeking a plan "B" restaurant in case Cemita's is out of food, I am also looking for rec's for a second stop after a "snack" at Cemita's for another sampling of great food with the following qualifications

1) Must be a GNR - I have the list and have studied it daily, but the choices can be overwhelming.

2) Kid friendly - two year old daughter, behaved(for her age) in tow

3) Full Bar/beer - or at the very least BYOB freindly.

4) In Chicago - location does not matter since we have all afternoon/early evening to burn, and pretty much anywhere is on the way home to Marseilles.

I am wanting to try somewhere new to us, with that said a return trip to Tank Noodle(My favorite), San Soo Gap San, Coalfire, & Kuma's(not sure about kids for this spot @ dinner time) are possibilities. Other considerations are Myron and Phils, Renga-Tei, Hae Woon Dae, Tac Quick.

Any thoughts on the places I have yet to go, or any other options that I may have not thought of?

Thank you for any input.

Have you been to:
Lao Sze Chuan?
Honey 1?
Marie's Pizza?
Manny's?

eatchicago wrote:Have you been to:
Lao Sze Chuan?
Honey 1?
Marie's Pizza?
Manny's?

Lao Szechuan - yes
Honey 1 - yes
Maries - no, but I have given this new GNR some thought - beer? liquor?
Manny's - yes

jimswside wrote:

eatchicago wrote:Have you been to:
Lao Sze Chuan?
Honey 1?
Marie's Pizza?
Manny's?

Lao Szechuan - yes
Honey 1 - yes
Maries - no, but I have given this new GNR some thought - beer? liquor?
Manny's - yes

Marie's has a bar and they also have a liquor store attached where you can buy wine and have it brought to your table (minimal corkage). You enter the restaurant through the liquor store.

The place is great for kids.

Freshly-filled cannoli from Natalina seem like a no-lose proposition.

Kennyz wrote:Freshly-filled cannoli from Natalina seem like a no-lose proposition.

do they do anything other than desert type things? I am more of a savory than sweets guy, so I am looking to build on Cemita's with more meat, or seafood.

my wife and daughter may like this option though.

jimswside wrote:

Kennyz wrote:Freshly-filled cannoli from Natalina seem like a no-lose proposition.

do they do anything other than desert type things? I am more of a savory than sweets guy, so I am looking to build on Cemita's with more meat, or seafood.

my wife and daughter may like this option though.

all dessert, iirc.

It would involve a slight change in plans, but since you will be near Skokie, Elephant Thai is just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Chuck-E-Cheese. BYOB, child friendly, great food. There is a great ice cream shoppe right across Devon that could serve as your afternoon snack/dessert.

Elephant Thai
5348 W. Devon
Chicago, IL

CM2772 wrote:It would involve a slight change in plans, but since you will be near Skokie, Elephant Thai is just a hop, skip and a jump away from the Chuck-E-Cheese. BYOB, child friendly, great food. There is a great ice cream shoppe right across Devon that could serve as your afternoon snack/dessert.

Elephant Thai
5348 W. Devon
Chicago, IL

thank you, looks good. An attempt @ Cemita's is a definite, and traveling back to Skokie would not be much of an effort at all. I'll add this one to the list for sure.

For your plan B place:

The Brown Sack is about 4 blocks north of Cemitas Puebla, definitely kid-friendly, I don't know about BYOB (you could call them today and ask).

Papa's Cache Sabroso is also pretty close to Cemitas Puebla 12? blocks east, 4 blocks south), definitely BYOB and also kid friendly.

Xni-Pec isn't THAT far either (go south to the Eisenhower, take it west to Laramie exit). Full bar, very kid friendly...

All these places have great food, needless to say!

If your plan B stop is a bit of a skip across town, I recommend stopping at newly crowned GNR Jimmy's, about 1/2 mile from CP, for a dog and fry to make your trip a little sweeter.

Jimmy’s Red Hots
4000 W Grand

I don't know where the Chuck E Cheese in Skokie is located, but Khan's BBQ at Devon and Western should be in range... while it doesn't have a bar, you could get some chicken boti and biryani to go!

jimswside wrote:

Kennyz wrote:Freshly-filled cannoli from Natalina seem like a no-lose proposition.

do they do anything other than desert type things? I am more of a savory than sweets guy, so I am looking to build on Cemita's with more meat, or seafood.

my wife and daughter may like this option though.

Pasticceria Natalina is a carryout-only pastry shop, all sweets no savories.

I'd suggest Xni-pec also.
Full bar, plenty of snacky things to share. And it's DIFFERENT.
Sol de Mexico has small plates as well, but you could share some of the entrees.

mchodera wrote:I don't know where the Chuck E Cheese in Skokie is located, but Khan's BBQ at Devon and Western should be in range... while it doesn't have a bar, you could get some chicken boti and biryani to go!

Khan has been on my list for a while, and I have attempted to go there a couple of times, that parking situation on Devon is ridiculous. As for carryout, I dont know how edible it would be after the hour and a half drive home(if it would make it that long with its tempting smells).

I have a designated driver(wife) for the trip home, so I am really looking forward to having a few cocktails(tequila neats, and beer), with my meal(s).

seebee wrote:I'd suggest Xni-pec also.
Full bar, plenty of snacky things to share. And it's DIFFERENT.
Sol de Mexico has small plates as well, but you could share some of the entrees.

I am not sure I can talk my wife in to two "mexican" style food stops in one day, although it could be the theme for the day.

She is from the Philippines, and is really pushing for Vietnamese, Korean, or Thai.

jimswside wrote:

seebee wrote:I'd suggest Xni-pec also.
Full bar, plenty of snacky things to share. And it's DIFFERENT.
Sol de Mexico has small plates as well, but you could share some of the entrees.

I am not sure I can talk my wife in to two "mexican" style food stops in one day, although it could be the theme for the day.

She is from the Philippines, and is really pushing for Vietnamese, Korean, or Thai.

Hai Woon Dai wouldn't be a bad stop at all for Korean. It's near Kahn, but it has its own parking lot and they serve alcohol. Hai Woon Dai, Elephant Thai and Renga-Tai all would be great stops, but I'd recommend going to one of those first and then moving on to Cemetas Puebla. It's a more direct driving route. Doing it the other way, you'll wast a lot of time and gas due to traffic and doubling back.

Hae Woon Dae
6240 N California
Chicago, IL 60659

thanks steve,

Renga-tei, good for kids?

as for gas & time, its all good, I obviously like driving, and gas was $1.76/gallon this morning when I filled up the truck.

Sparky at Renga-Tai It's like a diner, just Japanese. We love Renga-Tai.

However, Brown Sack is kid-friendly, as is Papa's - even though neither is Asian in any way, neither will be similar to Cemitas Puebla (I can't speak from experience with Brown Sack, but Papa's is it's own Puerto Rican/Caribbean thing.)

jimswside wrote:Khan has been on my list for a while, and I have attempted to go there a couple of times, that parking situation on Devon is ridiculous.

We go to Devon (and Khan) frequently and never have a problem parking. The secret is to park on Western. There's always a spot within a block or two north or south of Devon.

Enjoy your eating day.

Best,
Michael

eatchicago wrote:

jimswside wrote:Khan has been on my list for a while, and I have attempted to go there a couple of times, that parking situation on Devon is ridiculous.

We go to Devon (and Khan) frequently and never have a problem parking. The secret is to park on Western. There's always a spot within a block or two north or south of Devon.

Enjoy your eating day.

Best,
Michael

thanks for the tip, Ill keep that in mind for the future, the couple of times we tried to go it was February, or early March, and I didnt want to walk a long distance with our daughter when she was younger.

I am thinking I have narrowed the second stop down to Renga-tei, Hae Woon Dae, or Tank Noodle. Unless a dark horse pops up.

Thanks for all the input, and help.

Jim

I only know what kind of restaurants that you like based on posts that I have read but I think that i can pretty safely say based on your love of all things steak that you will love GNR winner Myron & Phil's. It is great for a meat lover like you, sufficiently different from your average steakhouse to be a unique experience, lots of other options including seafood, in the vicinity of Skokie and GREAT for kids. It isnt cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Khan is great, but don't count on bringing in your own booze.

I can confirm that Khan's does not allow you to bring in alchohol.

Tried it out last week - loved the food. We'll probably do carry-out the next time so that drinks can still be had.

eatchicago wrote:

jimswside wrote:Khan has been on my list for a while, and I have attempted to go there a couple of times, that parking situation on Devon is ridiculous.

We go to Devon (and Khan) frequently and never have a problem parking. The secret is to park on Western. There's always a spot within a block or two north or south of Devon.

Enjoy your eating day.

Best,
Michael

I can confirm this. On most days, we can even park a few steps away from Khan, at the meters just past the taxi stand on Western.

Also, Khan is definitely, definitely not a place to bring alcohol.

We will make another attemot at Khan some day in the future

Based on availability we are going to try one of the following in order of preference after a "snack "of a cemita atomica, and some pork tacos off the spit @ Cemita's.

1) Renga-Tei
2) Hae Woon Dae
3) Tank Noodle

Thanks for everyones help, and input.

Most places mentioned will get a visit as we strive to go to as many GNR's as possible.