seebee wrote:After thinkin for a while, I came up with one. Johnnie's Beef. IMO, the beef itself is nothing special in any way. You add one of those charcoal grilled snausages, however, and my whole stance changes to "that's pretty special." The beef on its own, however, doesn't really do much for me at ALL.

I'll second this nomination, mostly because I remember what Johnnie's Beef was 10 - 20 years ago. The beef sandwich, while still well seasoned, is a pale imitation of the circa 1995 sandwich that made visits to the mom-in-law a desirable experience.

I experienced the diminution of the sandwich throughout the past 12 years, and I won't patronize them anymore.

And I'll stand in defense of the Manny's Corned Beef and Pastrami - I've partaken in the 2nd Avenue Deli's versions, and I think Manny's is at least in the same league. So is Max's in Highland Park.

And my wife never understood all the love Patty's Diner in Skokie received. We argued at length about it - I loved it, and she thought it was just OK.

(//Hijack : There is a place in Indianapolis that serves a magnificent corned beef sandwich, Shapiro's, at 808 South Meridian Street. I used to go as a kid, circa 1965, and adored it. I went back 35 years later, and it was as if the place was locked in time. But the sandwiches were just plain good. Best macaroons ever! //End Hijack)

FoodSnob77 wrote:I'd take a zingermans reuben or pastrami over Manny's anytime but sadly here in Chicago there aren't any Deli's I've encountered that can match Manny's, or even be in the same universe as Zingermans.

I've been to Zingerman's, and if this topic were extended to overrated restaurants outside of the Chicago area, Zingerman's would be on my list. There are some great Jewish delis in the Detroit area, but IMHO Zingerman's isn't one of them.

If you like a Jewish deli that can not only do an excellent pastrami or corned beef sandwich, but also has great stuffed cabbage, knishes, and chicken pot pie, then you should really try Steve's Deli in River North here in Chicago (as well as its original location in Bloomfield Hills).

HI,

Maybe over on a Detroit thread, you could list your favored Jewish deli's. It would be interesting to seek out on a future visit.

Thanks!

Regards,

rfleisch1 wrote:(//Hijack : There is a place in Indianapolis that serves a magnificent corned beef sandwich, Shapiro's, at 808 South Meridian Street. I used to go as a kid, circa 1965, and adored it. I went back 35 years later, and it was as if the place was locked in time. But the sandwiches were just plain good. Best macaroons ever! //End Hijack)

I have often joked that Shapiro's is the best deli in Chicago.

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nsxtasy wrote:

Tim wrote:Since there is no easy access to GNR's,

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If you mean access to the list of GNR's, there's a link in the first line of my post above yours, and it's also easy to find the list by going to the GNR discussion forum on the LTH site. If you mean something else, I'm not sure what.

First, I try not to read the postings of insiders who enjoy demonstrating my ignorance. Second, I was typing my inquiry at exactly the same time that you were typing yours; in other words, your information was not available when I made my posting.

Finally the Board Index shows no listing for any "GNR discussion forum on the LTH site." In any event, I was looking for the announcement or listing of winners, not discussion.

...and what did I do?

I went to the Board Index and opened the "LTH Forum Great Restaurant Awards".
In my ignorance, I assumed that these restaurants would be listed in the announcements.
I cruised through the announcements and found no alphabetical listing.
I also found no forum set up for a pocket chart as was available in the past.
I did not peruse the discussions, stupidly assuming that would not be the announcement.

But, as you enjoy demonstrating, I am ignorant. I'll look forward to your continuing humiliation. Thanks for making my day!

Tim, I think that you might be overreacting just a bit.

But to the point, I, too, miss the absence of a GNR pocket chart. I found those incredibly useful.

nsxtasy wrote:If you like a Jewish deli that can not only do an excellent pastrami or corned beef sandwich, but also has great stuffed cabbage, knishes, and chicken pot pie, then you should really try Steve's Deli in River North here in Chicago (as well as its original location in Bloomfield Hills).

nsxtasy, we sure have different tastes. I live near Steve's Deli in River North and find it shockingly bad. The bagels are hard and not at all the right texture. The rest of the items, to me, are no better than mediocre. I am always apologetic when I have friends staying with me and i bring food home from there for breakfast.

Bagels are not a strong point at Steve's. The other items I mentioned are.

You're welcome to your opinion. I still think Steve's is terrific.

Tim wrote:I was typing my inquiry at exactly the same time that you were typing yours; in other words, your information was not available when I made my posting.

According to the time stamps on the posts, yours was posted seven hours after mine. It didn't take you seven hours to write yours, did it?

Tim wrote:Finally the Board Index shows no listing for any "GNR discussion forum on the LTH site."

Yes, it does. And apparently you found it:

Tim wrote:I went to the Board Index and opened the "LTH Forum Great Restaurant Awards".

Thanks for the clarification!

Tim wrote:Finally the Board Index shows no listing for any "GNR discussion forum on the LTH site." In any event, I was looking for the announcement or listing of winners, not discussion.

We apologize for any confusion. The GNR Forum lives here:

LTHForum Great Neighborhood Restaurant Awards

It's the first forum in the Resources section, which is the 3rd section from the top when you view the Board Index.

The top 2 threads in that forum are:

List of Great Neighborhood Restaurants by Cuisine
&
Alphabetical List of Great Neighborhood Restaurants

Thanks,

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for the moderators

bjt wrote:Longman & Eagle. Went their for our anniversary and everything was over-buttered & over-salted (and I have a huge off the charts salt tolerance). We both drove home feeling rather urpy from the too-much-ness of it. Besides our heads were ringing from the noise level. I did laugh and say to my husband as we drove north, "Well, it's official that we're old farts, because that food was too rich and the joint was too loud."

bjt

I think consistency is a particularly problematic area for them. I live nearby so often go in for a sloppy joe or a snack with my drinks (and occasionally I'll pop for an entree) and have found myself disappointed in the preparation of the food many times (pretzel left in the fryer too long, not ok...cold appetizers, not ok). I've had some really great meals there, don't get me wrong...

Darren72 wrote:

Kennyz wrote:...I go to Bari occasionally because they carry a fantastic aged balsamic vinegar that I can't find anywhere else...

Which balsamic do you like?

La Vecchia Dispensa. It's available from other sources by mail order, but I suck it up once every couple of years and get a bottle at Bari.

Really seems like the full list should be above the announcements. Kinda buried underneath a lot of pretty outdated announcements.

gleam wrote:Really seems like the full list should be above the announcements. Kinda buried underneath a lot of pretty outdated announcements.

So, you're saying the order of the threads is overrated?

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If we can't have a pocket chart, I would certainly like a list of GNRs with addresses and phone numbers, arranged by areas of the city (i.e., the equivalent of the pocket chart in a larger size): something that I can keep in the car.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

gleam wrote:Really seems like the full list should be above the announcements. Kinda buried underneath a lot of pretty outdated announcements.

So, you're saying the order of the threads is overrated?

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I adjusted these threads so that they now appear as announcements at the top of the GNR Forum...so, a wee bit easier to find.

Thanks,

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for the moderators

What a great topic! Here goes:

Honey 1 a mediocre BBQ spot if there ever was one, and the whole ordering process was far more difficult than it should be.

Sweets and savories may be dead, but I'll pile on, just a really bad meal there.

Avili estaitorio, it's ok, but nothing special

Hot Doug's - an hour wait? Really?

Prairie Grass.

And now for two I'm sure to get grief on:

Carlos: been living on it's reputation for years, and I wonder if it ever deserved such acclaim

The Publican: The only thing that set this place apart was my waiter's halitosis

milz50 wrote:The one I never really understood was Casa de Isaac. It's not a GNR anymore, however.

I only ate at Anteprima once, but was really disappointed. I'd be willing to try it again if I found myself in the neighborhood.

I didn't get Casa de Isaac either. On the other hand we had a couple of outstanding meals at Anteprima and at reasonable prices.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I adjusted these threads so that they now appear as announcements at the top of the GNR Forum...so, a wee bit easier to find.

That's much better. I had the same issue as Tim, expecting to find the GNR list at some obvious location on the top of the page, but having to dig a little further to find it. This makes much more sense (to me, at any rate.)

Anyhow, with the Hot Doug's comments--I've been lucky. Almost every time I've been there, I've been no more than fifth in line. It took me about five visits before I saw the legendary lines everyone talked about, and no way in effin' hell was I going to stand in that line for a hot dog. That said, it's about as good as a hot dog stand gets, in my opinion, both in terms of product and the welcoming personality of the owner. I understand the love for Hot Dougs much more than I do Kuma's.

Binko wrote:Anyhow, with the Hot Doug's comments--I've been lucky. Almost every time I've been there, I've been no more than fifth in line. It took me about five visits before I saw the legendary lines everyone talked about, and no way in effin' hell was I going to stand in that line for a hot dog. That said, it's about as good as a hot dog stand gets, in my opinion, both in terms of product and the welcoming personality of the owner. I understand the love for Hot Dougs much more than I do Kuma's.

Here's what I don't get: how is a long wait an indication that the restaurant is overrated? A long wait is something no one likes, but does the fact that it's tremendously popular (and thus likely to have long lines) make the restaurant overrated?

GAF wrote:If we can't have a pocket chart, I would certainly like a list of GNRs with addresses and phone numbers, arranged by areas of the city (i.e., the equivalent of the pocket chart in a larger size): something that I can keep in the car.

Dream on, next you'll expect there to be an iPhone/smartphone app that allows you to see all the GNR's near you in list or map view with just the touch of a button anytime.

I can really only think of one GNR that pretty much misses for me every time, Honey 1. I used to enjoy it for the links & tips but after making the pilgrimage to Uncle John's, I really can't think of ever going back to Honey 1.

Board favorites that I didn't enjoy -

1. Chilam Balam - It's in a basement, it's BYOB and they throw pickled onions on everything. All our dishes were a complete miss. In my opinion Chilipan is doing a similar thing and ten times better.
2. Sable - Sweet on top of sweet on all dishes. Sent other friends there to get a second opinion and they disliked it also. Though the Manhattan I had was one of my "best things of 2010".
3. Prairie Fire - So-so food and even worse service. Server forgot to charge us for an $80 bottle of wine and it wasn't even because he was trying to work it for a tip. Felt bad for taking eight out-of-towners there.

Octarine wrote:

GAF wrote:If we can't have a pocket chart, I would certainly like a list of GNRs with addresses and phone numbers, arranged by areas of the city (i.e., the equivalent of the pocket chart in a larger size): something that I can keep in the car.

Dream on, next you'll expect there to be an iPhone/smartphone app that allows you to see all the GNR's near you in list or map view with just the touch of a button anytime.

There is a Google map with all the GNRs charted out on it. You can bookmark it and create a shortcut to it on your phone:

Google Map of LTHForum.com Great Neighborhood Restaurants

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David Hammond wrote:

Binko wrote:Anyhow, with the Hot Doug's comments--I've been lucky. Almost every time I've been there, I've been no more than fifth in line. It took me about five visits before I saw the legendary lines everyone talked about, and no way in effin' hell was I going to stand in that line for a hot dog. That said, it's about as good as a hot dog stand gets, in my opinion, both in terms of product and the welcoming personality of the owner. I understand the love for Hot Dougs much more than I do Kuma's.

Here's what I don't get: how is a long wait an indication that the restaurant is overrated? A long wait is something no one likes, but does the fact that it's tremendously popular (and thus likely to have long lines) make the restaurant overrated?

You'll get no argument from me.

Octarine wrote:

GAF wrote:If we can't have a pocket chart, I would certainly like a list of GNRs with addresses and phone numbers, arranged by areas of the city (i.e., the equivalent of the pocket chart in a larger size): something that I can keep in the car.

Dream on, next you'll expect there to be an iPhone/smartphone app that allows you to see all the GNR's near you in list or map view with just the touch of a button anytime.

http://www.tinyurl.com/GNR-Map

pizano345 wrote:Server forgot to charge us for an $80 bottle of wine and it wasn't even because he was trying to work it for a tip.

Sounds like great service to me

stevez wrote:

Octarine wrote:

GAF wrote:If we can't have a pocket chart, I would certainly like a list of GNRs with addresses and phone numbers, arranged by areas of the city (i.e., the equivalent of the pocket chart in a larger size): something that I can keep in the car.

Dream on, next you'll expect there to be an iPhone/smartphone app that allows you to see all the GNR's near you in list or map view with just the touch of a button anytime.

http://www.tinyurl.com/GNR-Map

Remember these things take time and/or money to create.

stevez wrote:

Octarine wrote:

GAF wrote:If we can't have a pocket chart, I would certainly like a list of GNRs with addresses and phone numbers, arranged by areas of the city (i.e., the equivalent of the pocket chart in a larger size): something that I can keep in the car.

Dream on, next you'll expect there to be an iPhone/smartphone app that allows you to see all the GNR's near you in list or map view with just the touch of a button anytime.

http://www.tinyurl.com/GNR-Map

Dang, whooshed you AND Ronnie:)

stevez wrote:

Octarine wrote:

GAF wrote:If we can't have a pocket chart, I would certainly like a list of GNRs with addresses and phone numbers, arranged by areas of the city (i.e., the equivalent of the pocket chart in a larger size): something that I can keep in the car.

Dream on, next you'll expect there to be an iPhone/smartphone app that allows you to see all the GNR's near you in list or map view with just the touch of a button anytime.

http://www.tinyurl.com/GNR-Map

I am a simple man with a simple phone. All I ask for is a sheet of paper that lists GNRs by neighborhood with addresses and phone numbers, like the old pocket chart. The Tinyurl site doesn't seem to have addresses, for what it is worth. Perhaps this is a DIY project.

Dlongs wrote:

pizano345 wrote:Server forgot to charge us for an $80 bottle of wine and it wasn't even because he was trying to work it for a tip.

Sounds like great service to me

LMAO. As a minor investor in the place I strongly disagree!

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