My Chicago bucket list.

Leaving Chicago. Perhaps not for good; after all a journey is never over until you return. But for a long time.

Where am I going? The Rotten Apple. Home of billionaire mayors (still no hizzoner, our penchant for corruption, nepotism and machine politics would make the Sons of St. Tammany blush), bullshit baseball teams (even if I do hate the Cubs), an anemic crime rate (a good thing I suppose, but further proof that NYers are hypes) and well, decent if overpriced food.

I decided to make list of must-hits before I leave. Don't tell me I can find better, or even comparable versions of the following in NY. That's not the point. Instead, the goal is to reconnect with my great and often earliest food memories in this city.

1. D'Amato's.
An eye-opening slice for a 6th grade Habibi. I thought pizza was Tombstone and Chuckie Cheeze up to this. Sourdough torpedo required as well. Best European style bread this side of the Atlantic.

2. Salam.
Change of management, tasteless remodeling and issues with quality aside, I can't leave Chicago without one last hummus and shawerma. Extra green hot sauce on the side.

3. Harold's Chicken.
Kennedy, King and other FCs in NY's outer boroughs can't hang. They may have street cred, but I'd rather have Harold's fried chix on my white bread. Half dark with hot on the side.

4. Ghareeb Nawaz.
Patron saint of the poor, Sayyid Nawaz fed me through thick and thin. The $3.99 chicken biryani is heavenly enough to convert me to Sufism.

5. Pho 888.
My first and favorite Pho in the city. And still the best Pho I have ever had.

6. Honey 1 BBQ.
Turns obedient Muslims into swine scarfing, red-eyed unbelievers. Tip N' Link nearly took me to the brink.

7. San Soo Gab San.
Yes, K-Town and Flushing put out some mean prepared grub, but SSGS is still my favorite for live-coal BBQ, which in any city is few and far between.

8. D'Agostino's on Southport.
My favorite Chi-style pizza, and also one of the first restaurants I ever ate at. Ketchup-sweet sauce brings the cracker crust and utility mozzarella into beautiful, formica focus.

9. Barwaqo Kabab.
A recent favorite. I don't believe there are many (or any) Somali restaurants in NYC. Goat chops with spicy tomato sauce and aromatic rice give you a taste of Muqdisho without the artillery fire.

10. Mexican.
No reason to explain. Maxwell St., Mixteco Grill, Birria and brain tacos are all on my radar. God help me I will miss abundant, awesome Mexican food in NY.

Look. NYC ain't all that bad. I hear that they have decent pizza and apparently they know a thing or two about Sushi. I look forward to contributing as much NYC intel as I can on LTH's beyond Chicago land thread.

Thanks for reading,

Habibi

8. D'Agostino's on Southport.
My favorite Chi-style pizza, and also one of the first restaurants I ever ate at. Ketchup-sweet sauce brings the cracker crust and utility mozzarella into beautiful, formica focus.

Well said! (Others too, but everybody's dissing old school thin these days, glad to see it defended... realistically.)

Nice list, and good luck in your new hardship posting.

Your local insights will be missed - if there is still time, maybe we can get a whole goat event organized and posted somewhere, or just let us know if you need more ordering power for a departing revisit to anything on your list.

Santander wrote:Your local insights will be missed - if there is still time, maybe we can get a whole goat event organized and posted somewhere, or just let us know if you need more ordering power for a departing revisit to anything on your list.

Agreed. I'd also like to shake the hand of the man who clued me into Gucci Mane. BRRRR!

Though you prolly had no idea how much, your Devon intel helped me out quite a few times.
Even though we really disagree on the quality of the gyros paratha from GN, your other recs have been stellar, and most helpful. Thanks so much. I'll be looking fwd to your reports on Jackson Heights.

Santander wrote:...if there is still time, maybe we can get a whole goat event organized and posted somewhere

Or calf. That post put Cambodia up high on my list of places to visit.

I'm living around the corner from Honey 1, and would happily meet you there for some tips and links, but if you've never been, swing by Uncle John's for your last tip 'n link combo in Chicago. Honey 1's may corrupt Muslims, but I've seen vegetarians scarf the grease-soaked white bread at Uncle John's.

I look forward to your reports from New York.

-Dan

Don't despair, NYC has great Deli's (Russ & Daughters) of which Chicago and environs have none.
Rao's for Italian but you can't get a reservation.
The ever popular Peter Lugers continues to delight carnivores.
Thin crust pizza reigns supreme.
Good luck-Dick

dansch wrote:Honey 1's may corrupt Muslims, but I've seen vegetarians scarf the grease-soaked white bread at Uncle John's.

I believe this was a pescatarian.

Moral of the story: Honey 1's may corrupt Muslims, but Uncle John's corrupts everyone. But why choose? Let's play two.

Back to fasting and atoning.

gastro gnome wrote:

dansch wrote:Honey 1's may corrupt Muslims, but I've seen vegetarians scarf the grease-soaked white bread at Uncle John's.

I believe this was a pescatarian.

I'll leave the question of whether fish counts as a vegetable, and hence she is really a vegetarian, up to the reader. Suffice it to say, that's some tasty pig.

-Dan

It'll be great to have you joining the other ex-pat LTHers living here in NYC, Habibi! Enjoy everything on your bucket list, then come here and explore all the places that make New York such a vibrant and amazing place for food.

Mike G wrote:

8. D'Agostino's on Southport.
My favorite Chi-style pizza, and also one of the first restaurants I ever ate at. Ketchup-sweet sauce brings the cracker crust and utility mozzarella into beautiful, formica focus.

Well said! (Others too, but everybody's dissing old school thin these days, glad to see it defended... realistically.)

Nice list, and good luck in your new hardship posting.

Mike,

Glad to know that we see eye-to-eye here. As junk food goes, I'll take run of the mill cracker style to run of the mill deep dish any day. At least I won't need an enema after polishing off a few slices of the former. Hardship posting indeed. Where am I gonna get gyroburgers, beef/sausage combos, mother-in-laws and other Chicago heart-stopping specialties in NY?

Santander wrote:Your local insights will be missed - if there is still time, maybe we can get a whole goat event organized and posted somewhere, or just let us know if you need more ordering power for a departing revisit to anything on your list.

Santander,

Would love to do a whole animal. I've been chasing around a rabbit in my grandmother's backyard (beat that NY!!). When I catch it, it's rabbit molokhia time. Seriously though, I was thinking of hitting up Zaragoza before I go. I figure its as close to whole animal as I will get. I will post something on the events board and see if anyone is interested.

Khaopaat wrote:

Santander wrote:Your local insights will be missed - if there is still time, maybe we can get a whole goat event organized and posted somewhere, or just let us know if you need more ordering power for a departing revisit to anything on your list.

Agreed. I'd also like to shake the hand of the man who clued me into Gucci Mane. BRRRR!

"Iced out, drinking a cold soda, chillin' in the AC, jumpin' out the igloo....BRRRR!!!" - Gucci Mane.

seebee wrote:Though you prolly had no idea how much, your Devon intel helped me out quite a few times.
Even though we really disagree on the quality of the gyros paratha from GN, your other recs have been stellar, and most helpful. Thanks so much. I'll be looking fwd to your reports on Jackson Heights.

Seebee,

Same goes for your great Indian food tutorials. I'm convinced that my raita is better, but I will give your recipe a go and report back. Also, your lowdown on South Asian snacks (you too Khaopaat) did wonders for expanding my snacking horizons (as well as my waistline).

dansch wrote:
I'm living around the corner from Honey 1, and would happily meet you there for some tips and links, but if you've never been, swing by Uncle John's for your last tip 'n link combo in Chicago. Honey 1's may corrupt Muslims, but I've seen vegetarians scarf the grease-soaked white bread at Uncle John's.

I look forward to your reports from New York.

-Dan

Done, I'm going to Uncle John's fo' sho' before I leave.

Paul SL wrote:It'll be great to have you joining the other ex-pat LTHers living here in NYC, Habibi! Enjoy everything on your bucket list, then come here and explore all the places that make New York such a vibrant and amazing place for food.

I'm looking forward to my life as an Émigré in the land of no alleys. Maybe we can put together an NY event or two in the near future for other self-exiles.

Thanks all,

Habibi

I don't see dessert on there...
Try Bittersweet for anything but the cookies or Hoosier Mama Pie. And Hot Doug's. Take a pass on Superdawg.

Village Creamery.

When I was deciding whether or not to take a job in Las Vegas, they were one of the deciding factors.

Good luck, Habibi. There's always mail-order.

Pie Lady wrote:I don't see dessert on there...
Try Bittersweet for anything but the cookies or Hoosier Mama Pie. And Hot Doug's. Take a pass on Superdawg.

Good point. Glaringly absent from my list was a rendezvous with a good, Chicago style dog. To rectify the situation, I made it to Hot Doug's today. At 3pm there was no line, more than half the tables were empty and service was a breeze. Eschewing my usual order of the foie sausage, I went for two steamed Chicago classics. They really really hit the spot. I think I will have to take a frozen case of Vienna Beef natural casing dogs with me to NY......

As far as a dessert goes, I had to stick to old-school Chicago classics (for me at least). That meant a trip to Lutz today was in order. I picked up one of each Sacher and Black Forest (Schwartwalder) cakes, two of my favorite central-European style desserts. I haven't eaten them yet, but based on past experience, they will go heavenly with a cup of espresso from my shiny La Pavona hand press. I'm consistently surprised that Lutz doesn't get the kind of love on LTH that places like Hoosier Mama and Natalina do. Maybe I'm off my rocker, but I think they put out the best Viennese pastries in the city.

My other dessert stop will have to be Nazareth Sweets on Kedzie. My intense love for them probably has as much to do with nostalgia as it does quality, but nonetheless, when its fresh their Kinafa is heavenly and I've never had anything less than excellent walnut Ma'moul from them.

As regards some of the other spots on my list, highlights so far have included a maiden voyage to Frontera Grill (excellent, but not much better than say Mixteco; Mezcal margarita was out of this world though), good as ever pizza from D'Amato's (corner slices only, please) and one thing I didn't include on my original list: Nehari at Sabri (probably my favorite non-Veg South Asian dish in Chicago).

Thanks for all the recs and well wishes. I am really looking forward to exploring NY's outer hoods, particularly Jackson Heights (South Asian), West Harlem (Little Senegal), Prospect Heights/Flatbush (Carribean) and Astoria (Egyptian-heavy Middle Eastern).

Habibi