You can always go to Kenny's house for dinner.

-Dan

Wrong/too obvious to suggest Schwa, Alinea, Moto, et al.? Maybe not "bizarre," as such, but certainly unique. What about that living room Uzbek haunt?

seebee wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Just to make sure we’re clear on what this guy considers sufficiently bizarre, in past episodes he’s eaten tarantula, fried bees, maggots, ants, silk worms, mosquito eggs, scorpions and bull’s rectum. Ethnicity is fine and goes with the territory, but I think what’s required here is stuff that would normally be considered virtually inedible by most North Americans.

I could totally be mistaken, but I think for the most part, the REALLY funky stuff is usually in the shows shot abroad. I think the shows vary in levels of bizarre.

Right - and really, does anybody need a steady diet of brains, balls, and bugs? You all know how much I love the off-the-beaten-path stuff, (hey, I managed to get Durian down with no difficulty two LTH Picnics ago) but there does come a point where it's been done. Though I have to admit, I'm still missing one of the triumverate...(I imagine the opportunity will present itself sooner than later.)

Frankly, the best collection of bizarre foods, speaking of the picnic, is usually there... I could see where this could be a logistical impossibility for a TV show, and maybe even for LTH, though.

Conoce Mi Panama on Armitage in Logan Square is the only Panamanian restaurant in the US. Not exactly bizarre but maybe worth noting. The problem is that you could eat a different type of ethnic food almost every day here if you wanted.
I'd probably stay away from the places Bourdain has already featured (Moto, Hot Doug's). Maybe even stay away from all of the obvious places that get so much press anyway (Alinea).
Focus on some chefs that are doing great things with local/seasonal/organic/sustainable ingredients for part of it.
I agree with Schwa - so unique and wonderful - one of my favorite dinners.


I want to be part of a group that gets to eat with him!!! LOVE the show!!!!! I'd totally eat some testicles!!

No thick crust or stuffed pizza please. That stuff is for tourists.

Too bad Bubamara Pizza in Ravenswood is closed. A pizza topped with peaches, corn, and baby octopus would have been a shoo-in for inclusion.

How about the Pork Cheek Bacon box at Bonsoiree? Complete with Ouzo marshmallow.

Well, if you're doing a show on Chicago, the Polish bizarre food I'd have to suggest is czarnina/czernina (duck blood soup.) I have no idea where you can get it these days, but I know Kasia's Deli (2101 W. Chicago) used to have some.

The banter may not be as good as with the lunch truck guys CoolerbytheLake wrote about, but the folks at Tank Noodle offer cow's penis as an a meat choice in their pho. Just went to Tank tonight and this item freaked out my dining companion.

I have to agree that H-mart might be a good choice. Some of the hot and fish-based banchan are kind of daunting, especially in the massive display case where they are sold.

I personally think IB gravy bread is a strange item, but perhaps it's not bizarre.

Did you actually eat it or just see it on the menu? Just curious.

Mhays wrote:does anybody need a steady diet of brains, balls, and bugs?

No...

Mhays wrote:

seebee wrote:

David Hammond wrote:Just to make sure we’re clear on what this guy considers sufficiently bizarre, in past episodes he’s eaten tarantula, fried bees, maggots, ants, silk worms, mosquito eggs, scorpions and bull’s rectum. Ethnicity is fine and goes with the territory, but I think what’s required here is stuff that would normally be considered virtually inedible by most North Americans.

I could totally be mistaken, but I think for the most part, the REALLY funky stuff is usually in the shows shot abroad. I think the shows vary in levels of bizarre.

Right - and really, does anybody need a steady diet of brains, balls, and bugs? You all know how much I love the off-the-beaten-path stuff, (hey, I managed to get Durian down with no difficulty two LTH Picnics ago) but there does come a point where it's been done. Though I have to admit, I'm still missing one of the triumverate...(I imagine the opportunity will present itself sooner than later.)

Frankly, the best collection of bizarre foods, speaking of the picnic, is usually there... I could see where this could be a logistical impossibility for a TV show, and maybe even for LTH, though.

In the New York episode, in addition to some "crazy" stuff, he ate things as bizarre as gefilte fish, mini corn dogs, and beef quesadillas. I think the show is open to all sorts of unique places, even if the food itself isn't so out there. Deep-fried chili and gyros from WASC would probably be right up the show's alley. So would a jibarito and a Wiener's Circle "chocolate shake". It is cable.

Mado? Not too many places seem to straddle the line so well between "normal" items like whole-roasted fish or hangar steak as well as pig brains on toast.

Some unique items in the Chicago area have already been done by Guy Fieri or Anthony Bourdain... but what about
* Char Salami (slab) at Poochies
* Alligator kitch, great smoked meats and fried fish at Captain Porky's (he turned down Fieri because of lack of space to handle crowds, but his new site should be opening soon)
* Truly authentic Thai at a number of places including TAC Quick and Spoon
* Unusual ice cream flavors at Village Creamery

The weekend, backroom picnic-table scenario at El Condor would be as close as possible to eating in a Chi-cuadorian home without actually being invited to a private residence: http://elcondorchicago.com/english/index.html

This would not be "bizarre" food (which, as correctly noted above, is not the sole focus on this show), but it would be unique (I really like the many varieties of maize lining the aisles, some of which I can't remember seeing in any other Chicago location).

I really hope that what ends up getting picked to be showcased doesn't involve eyeballs or testicles. Clearly you can get those in all sorts of places around the world, so what makes them characteristic of the place being visited on the show? Yes you can eat eyeballs at the Maxwell Street Market - and at countless other markets around the world. Eyeballs are bizarre food, but are they Chicago bizarre food?

And what is it with the fascination guys on tv shows have with testicle cuisine? They grimace in pain (and mug the camera for sympathy) when they see them being cut off, and then they feel they must eat them to ... what? demonstrate their virility? This is one aspect of the Bizarre Foods show on Chile that turned me off. The enormous variety of seafood, even very unusual seafood, that Chileans actually do eat - that was good. The bull testicles, that Chileans do not eat, any more than Chicagoans do, that irritated me. Why go to a foreign country to film that, and leave without learning some more things about that country's cuisine, when you could have just gone to Colorado or thereabouts if you wanted to watch someone cut off bull testicles and cook them?

I wanted to add, I really like Andrew Zimmern, I admire his adventurousness, and by and large, I like the Bizarre Foods show. But if the bizarre foods picked are not somehow unique to or characteristic of the place being visited, doesn't it just devolve into eating the same bugs and balls everywhere? I just hope the producers don't steer ( ) it in the direction of the weekly Eyeball and Testicle Show, because I can't see tuning in regularly for that.

Katie wrote:Eyeballs are bizarre food, but are they Chicago bizarre food?

And what is it with the fascination guys on tv shows have with testicle cuisine? They grimace in pain (and mug the camera for sympathy) when they see them being cut off, and then they feel they must eat them to ... what? demonstrate their virility? This is one aspect of the Bizarre Foods show on Chile that turned me off. The enormous variety of seafood, even very unusual seafood, that Chileans actually do eat - that was good. The bull testicles, that Chileans do not eat, any more than Chicagoans do, that irritated me.

Illinois is actually home to four or five turkey testicle festivals.

Josephine said:

The banter may not be as good as with the lunch truck guys CoolerbytheLake wrote about, but the folks at Tank Noodle offer cow's penis as an a meat choice in their pho. Just went to Tank tonight and this item freaked out my dining companion.

This would be truly bizarre as cows are female bovines. Bull or steer penis, quite possibly. If somebody is really interested in trying, the Cermak Produce at 4234 North Kedzie regularly has them in the same cooler as the beef testicles and lips.

Maxwell Street Market is great and would be perfect for the show. I'm a big fan of the Birria and consume. Despite having been re-located twice, it's still an interesting place. Some good bargains too, I got a Griswold #10 Cast Iron pan there a couple months ago for $20 and did some research and it's from right around 1910!

The first meal that came to mind when I heard Bizarre Foods was coming to town is this. Chi Cafe in Chinatown. Start with the fried pork intestine. Followed by Jellyfish. Followed by Duck Tongue. Then, afterwards go into Chinatown Market and look at the live geoducks, king crabs, eels, frogs, or whatever else is in season.

As mentioned many times already, the authentic Thai Food at Sticky Rice, Spoon, TAC Quick, Aroy, Bodhi Thai, etc. is excellent and would be great on the show.

Truly, the most disgusting thing I've ever eaten in Chicago was the mother-in-law, I'd eat the eyeball taco over that any day. But please don't go to the same places Bourdain went to. Hot Dougs has gotten enough attention!

Chicago has so much to offer. Please do your best to make our city proud!

I have to concur with jeff_deff, these were a few of the things I would have suggested if he hadn't already -- duck tongue in X/O sauce is honestly one of my favorite new dishes, and Chicago's Chinatown is full of authentic and truly odd offerings. Chi Cafe is a nice little modern Hong Kong style restaurant. I also love the bakery on Wentworth that has marinated (cold) chicken feet that you can order to go, but I can't remember the name right now.

Perhaps also look into Chicago's new obsession with all parts of the pig, from the offal to the ears and everything in-between.

Two places I've been recently, Purple Pig and Longman & Eagle both had some interesting offerings and are on Chicago's "hot" list right now.

Also had some really great spicy thin-sliced pig ear at the International Mall / food court in Westmont over the weekend. The China Cafe there offers great Taiwanese breakfast items on the weekends.

I have not been there yet, but Irazu [Costa Rican restaurant] has an oatmeal milkshake that's supposed to be awesome. Last time I drove by there, they were packed, so they must be doing something right. They also offer a Cornmeal milkshake. (??)

I think for sure, something in the Mexican category, though, since Chicago has such a great history of upscale and street-style Mexican food. I don't think you can get much weirder than eyeball tacos. It would be interesting to see the juxtaposition between Maxwell St. Market stand food and Rick Bayless's take on it.

Also... while you're at it, you could stop by for a Malort-based cocktail at Bar DeVille. Heh.

Good luck with your research!

Chi Cafe
2160 S Archer Ave
Chicago, IL
312-842-9993

International Mall
665 Pasquinelli Dr
Westmont, IL

Purple Pig
500 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL
312-464-1744

Longman & Eagle
2657 N Kedzie
Chicago, IL
773-276-7110

Irazu
1865 N Milwaukee
Chicago, IL
773-252-5687

Bar DeVille
1958 W Huron
Chicago, IL
312-929-2349

GreenFish wrote:Also... while you're at it, you could stop by for a Malort-based cocktail at Bar DeVille. Heh.

Or how about a bar that is devoted to Malort-based drinks? Such a thing exists, ReneG told me yesterday, but I'm not going to spill his candy in the lobby: we must wait for the landmark post.

It would not be a true Chicago show without one of ReneG's discoveries...

In the unique vein, how about Argo Georgian Bakery.? It's fun to watch their oven in action. Likewise Khan's BBQ. I didn't see mention of Kuma's (did I miss it?) for bizarre burger toppings. Or the variety of fried foods at Weiner and Still Champion (chili bombs, fried gyros, dipping dogs...)

Argo Georgian Bakery
2812 W. Devon Ave.
(773) 764-6322

Khan BBQ
2401 W. Devon Avenue
(between Artesian Ave & Western Ave)
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 465-3269

Kuma's Corner
2900 W Belmont Ave
(between Francisco Ave & Richmond St)
Chicago, IL 60618
(773) 604-8769

Weiner and Still Champion
802 Dempster St
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 869-0100

David Hammond wrote:

GreenFish wrote:Also... while you're at it, you could stop by for a Malort-based cocktail at Bar DeVille. Heh.

Or how about a bar that is devoted to Malort-based drinks? Such a thing exists, ReneG told me yesterday, but I'm not going to spill his candy in the lobby: we must wait for the landmark post.

If it's the place Mike Sula reviewed last year - not so landmark.

spinynorman99 wrote:If it's the place Mike Sula reviewed last year - not so landmark.

Do you mean this: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/shot-of-malort-hold-the-grimace/Content?oid=1098569

(Sorry, don't know why the short link wouldn't work.)

I'm still interested in ReneG's write-up on the topic. And I think a Malort cocktail would be right up Andrew Zimmern's alley.

GreenFish wrote:I'm still interested in ReneG's write-up on the topic.

It's not a landmark LTH post unless it's posted on LTH.

Malört sounds interesting! ... and in the US, a Chicago based drink.

A Swedish Absinthe?

I am half Swedish and have had Akvavit but not this. I will have to give it a try! Thanks!

The Green Mill, a classic in its own rite, serves malort cocktails (there's a big sign behind the bar). That's where I would go if I were shooting a show about Chicago and wanted Malort to be included. That way you can drink your Malort, enjoy some old-school jazz and name drop Al Capone all in one stop.

Green Mill
4802 North Broadway
Chicago, IL 60640-3667
(773) 878-5552

GreenFish wrote:I have not been there yet, but Irazu [Costa Rican restaurant] has an oatmeal milkshake that's supposed to be awesome. Last time I drove by there, they were packed, so they must be doing something right. They also offer a Cornmeal milkshake. (??)

I forgot about the oatmeal shake at Irazu! I haven't had one in many years but they are surprisingly delicious! Great call GreenFish. They also serve a Chicharron dish with Yuca that is great and very unusual. This combination would work great on the show.

Malort is definitely not the tastiest booze. I've had a bottle for many years that I can't quite empty. The only time I really enjoyed drinking it was out of a flask while cross country skiing in Columbus Park. At that moment, it made sense. Otherwise I haven't figured out what to do with it beside use it as a gag at parties. "Here, try this! You'll love it!"

While not prepared food, some may be interested in John's Live Poultry and think it a little bizzare.
The menu at Lao Sze Chuan http://www.tonygourmetgroup.com/ certainly has some bizzare items not normally found on a Chinese menu in the USA.-Dick

jeff_deff wrote:

GreenFish wrote:I have not been there yet, but Irazu [Costa Rican restaurant] has an oatmeal milkshake that's supposed to be awesome. Last time I drove by there, they were packed, so they must be doing something right. They also offer a Cornmeal milkshake. (??)

I forgot about the oatmeal shake at Irazu! I haven't had one in many years but they are surprisingly delicious! Great call GreenFish. They also serve a Chicharron dish with Yuca that is great and very unusual. This combination would work great on the show.


The oatmeal shakes are to die for!! They deliver and are really fast. The veggie burritos, costa rican sandwich, and plantains are all so good also. And it's BYOB and Red & White is right across the street. You have to go GreenFish!