Eating near Sherman and Fuller Parks

Hi:

In the next couple of weeks I need to visit two south side parks for a freelance gig. One is Sherman Park at 1301 W. 52nd Street and the other is Fuller Park at 331 W. 45th Street. If anyone has any suggestions on places to eat near either of these parks, I'd certainly appreciate it. I'm game for anything. Thanks!

bjt

Hi bjt,

Near Sherman Park: search here for La Cecina on 47th (also the posts from the 47th St -athon some years back).

Between the two parks: Amelia's (Mexican; there's a thread on it somewhere)

Other places not too far from Fuller Park: Kevin's Hamburger Heaven on Pershing, and Pearl's Place (soul food) at Michigan and Pershing.

have fun!
Amata

Thanks, Amata, this is perfect. I'm going to go to check out Pearl's (after scouting out Fuller Park) for lunch tomorrow. The only soul food I have ever had before was McArthur's on Madison, so I'm looking forward to it very much. Might do Amelia's & Sherman Park next week. I'll report back, thanks again.

bjt

Sherman Park, designed the Olmsted brothers and Daniel Burnham, is one of the finest smaller parks in Chicago. It's a shame you won't be seeing it in full leaf. The view of the twin spires of St John of God Church seen from Garfield Blvd, over the pond, through the willows, was one of the most beautiful vistas in the city. Unfortunately the church is being dismantled to be rebuilt in a northern suburb.

It looks like you already have good recommendations for places to eat. You should at least drive by the corner of 51st & Racine, a block north of Sherman Park, to get a laugh from the competing signage at the two Joe's Grills almost across the street from each other. The one on 51st seems to be Korean owned so you could get a breakfast of bulgogi and eggs if that appeals.

If you're around 43rd & Ashland at lunchtime you might consider a hearty meal at Stanley's Tavern, the last remnant from "whiskey row" across from the old stock yards. This well-maintained old bar still serves home-cooked plate lunches to the area's workers. Not many like it left any more.

You've already eaten at Ramova, right?

Rene G:

You are a very intuitive gent. I am going to these parks because I've got a writing gig with the Cultural Landscapes Foundation out of DC. They are hosting a "What's Out There?" weekend in June and I'm writing the copy for families. My job is to point out the intriguing designed and natural elements in each of the 22 spaces. Selfishly I just wanted to eat at a place nearby the parks like I used to do, but am now thinking that I will include a "box" for families that tells them where they can enjoy food at locally owned places. Kind of like a GNR for families with kids going to new hoods. Thank you Amata & Rene G. (and lthforum!)

bjt

Oh and yes, I've been to Ramova but knew nothing of Stanley's, sounds like my kind of joint.

bjt

I had way too much fun on the south side on Wednesday. It made me totally fall in love all over again with this city and (gushing) this forum.

I started at Fuller Park in the morning and my "research" was pretty much done at 10:30 am. I had two girlfriends lined up to meet me at Pearl's Place (thanks Amata!) at noon. So that meant I had an hour and a half to fill/kill. So I took ReneG's advice and made my way to Stanley's. I actually drove from the eastern, historic entrance of the old stockyards at 43rd & Halsted and headed west toward Ashland. (Had to jog around a bit at some point but it all worked out.) And then I found myself at 43rd & Ashland looking at a brown building on the corner. And it was . . . Stanley's!

I knew I couldn't actually eat anything but I just wanted to go in and well, suss it out. So I did. And when I walked in the bartender greeted me warmly. I blurted "Um, I can't eat here today but now that I know this is where you are, I'll be back soon." He smiled at me. I liked that the room was warm and on each table was a small bowl of potato chips. I asked about a menu but he pointed to the chalkboard behind me. They just have one special & one soup each day. On my visit it was roast pork with gravy & homemade mashed potatoes. Soup was mushroom & barley. Sigh. I thought of calling my friends and re-directing them to Stanley's but I also wanted to check out Pearl's Place.

I still had some time left, so I headed up Ashland to Filbert's. A place I have wanted to go to since moving back here in 2000. That's more than a decade of longing! It was amazing. Trippy. Old school. I have to speed up my review as I have to read to my boys but everyone should go to Filbert's. The bottles go for 50 cents each. You have to get a case and that will set you back $10. If Dennis is there as he was when I walked in, he'll give you a history lesson about the operation and the neighborhood as well.

Then I headed over to Pearl's Place. It was all that me and my girlfriends wanted: We were greeted and treated with much warmth for our entire calm, easy, meal. Ou waitress Dee & the guy behind the buffet happily explained things and answered a bunch of questions. Sarah had the jerk chicken with dirty rice, good heat and meat falling off the bone. Allison had the lunch special which was a cup of seafood gumbo with a turkey sandwich. She wanted the gumbo and settled for the sandwich as if it was a consolation prize but then it came. The gumbo was rich and smoky but the turkey sandwich blew us all away, this was turkey carved off the bird: thick juicy both dark and white meat. Phenomenal. I had the chicken pot pie. Dee our server who was sweet and took good care of us rolled her eyes when I asked if it was good. "Crazy good, it's all from scratch!" And so it was. About the size of a football. A gravy that was sweeter than I am used to but I think that means it wasn't killing the flavor with salt, eh? I adored that the veggies weren't cooked to death and the crust was flaky and produced many sighs. I was only able to eat one-third of it. But my husband happily ate the other two-thirds for dinner. "Where in the world did you get that pot pie?" he asked me. A good sign to be sure.

I really liked Pearl's Place. I'll be back and it seems like a great place to take my family that visits from Colorado and sometimes they say want soul food. It's easy to get to, not too loud, a really big menu (including the buffet) and everything we had impressed us.

We finished with Sweet Potato Pie. Glorious. All about the sweet potatoes and maybe butter, sugar but not much else. With more of that crazy good crust. (Don't want to know if it's made with lard - la la la.)

Thanks again to Amata & Rene G. I hope to go back to Stanley's early next week or the week after.

bjt

Thanks for the wonderful report back, bjt! I'm so glad you enjoyed Pearl's Place. By the way, their peach cobbler is marvelous, too.

Hmm, Pearl's Place. I stopped going when they turned it into a buffet (early on, they weren't quite there yet--or perhaps I was very late on a day when the cooking was very early), but it looks like I need to get it back on my rotation. Thanks for the report.