Entertaining Foodie/French Trained Chef for 4 Days...

I'll be entertaining a dear friend and serious foodie for four days later this month and am overwhelmed trying to make a plan about where we should eat! She attended culinary school in France, currently lives/eats/blogs/eats/cook/eats her way through NYC after having done the same in Madrid & Paris for a few years and is one of the few people more infatuated with wonderful food than I am. I'm overwhelmed trying to narrow down a nice diverse list of places to eat lunch(or brunch) and dinner for the four days she's here.

What would your must-visit list or plan be in a similar situation?

Two places immediately come to mind given that you say she is a French trained chef who blogs/eats her way through NYC:
Birreria Zaragoza
La Chaparrita

I'd steer towards the exceptional things that Chicago has to offer rather than things she will say "I can do that better," or "I have had better than that." I'd also seriously think about Tierra Caliente. Big Star too (though I've never been to Big Star- a very trustworthy friend of mine says I should get over the fact that it's a hipster hang cuz the food is for real.)

I don't think anyone who is schooled in cooking can deny that Zaragoza and Chaparrita are special in that you can honestly tell that someone really cares about what they are doing in the kitchen. Sure the food is great, but you can just tell - someone really cares in those places. As someone who has worked in several kitchens, it's really special to come across places like that, where you just know someone is passionate about what they are doing. I think it makes it even more special that both of those places are casual, inexpensive, (but spotless) dives.

I second the Zaragoza/Chaparrita recommendation and would like to add Katy's Dumpling House. I haven't had anything in NYC that lives up to the deliciousness that Katy's serves every time I'm fortunate enough to get out there.

Yes to Zaragoza and Chaparrita -- you might consider a Sunday morning visit to Maxwell Street Market, too.

How about Pleasant House Bakery and/or Hoosier Mama pies?

A serious Thai place?

Lao Yunnan? (Yunnanese restaurants are pretty rare, not sure if there are any in NYC.)

something East European? Smak-Tak for pierogi?

Green City Market?

You know -- I"d bet if she's such a serious foodie/chef that she has places she wants to try. All you have to do is read a bit to know that Chicago is way more prominent in the food news world than it used to be. Ask her what she wants to try....

And take her to Edzo's. and Hot Dog's.

<grin>

I think Taxim is very distinctive and very delicious. Even the reconstructed Greek / Cypriot food I've had in NYC doesn't compare to it, so that strikes me as a good offering in Chicago. Floriole Bakery is a real delight for lunch. If your friend doesn't have a whole-animal butcher she frequents, take her by Butcher & Larder, maybe for a sandwich, definitely for a peak. Urban Belly or Belly Shack are also real favorites of mine for showing out-of-towners some of the casual food energy in town.

Linds--

Send your friend this link:

viewtopic.php?f=28&t=32599

White Castle for some Jalapeno cheeseburgers and an order of the mysterious chicken rings!
(with tongue firmly in cheek and a bow to Mr. Hammond.)

Calumet Fisheries - she's going to be in awe and would probably appreciate an opp to take that stuff home. Triple bagged then ziplocked should suffice for her trip back to NY. Stay with the smoked options and the fried pickles!

Ethiopian Diamond

Devon for Indian

Requisite deep dish and italian beef/hot dog spot?

I really love Mercat A La Planxa and not too sure if there's an equivalent in NY.

Smoque

Arami

I'm an NYC resident who visits Chicago 3-4 times a year.

Are you already on a wait list for Alinea? I like WD-50 here in NYC, but I LOVE Alinea. They probably have a list a mile long for end of June, though.

I'd also take her for drinks at the Aviary, at a minimum. Nothing really like that in NYC.

I'd focus on non-taco Mexican in Chicago and skip Big Star, to play to Chicago's strengths (my last visit to Big Star wasn't that great either).

Consider a Rick Bayless restaurant, as well. We try to fit one in on every one of our trips to Chicago.

Birreria Zaragoza, Cemitas Puebla, etc. sound like good calls, too.

I haven't been to Katy's but it appears they specialize in dumplings and noodles? If the chef spends a lot of time in Flushing (Golden Mall, etc) or Chinatown (Sheng Wang, Lan Zhou Hand Pulled, etc.), it may not make sense.

The pie places sound good to me -- there's only a few really seriously good pie places in NYC (Four and Twenty Blackbirds).

Thai is probably unnecessary if she does Sripraphai, Chao Thai, Ayada, Thailand Centerpoint, or Zabb Elee frequently.

There's actually three Yunnan restaurants in NYC now. Yunnan Kitchen, Yun Nan Flavor Snack, and Lotus Blue (more upscale, Yunnan-inspired). Depends if she has already visited them, I suppose.

You can get Eastern European pretty easily in Greenpoint (Lomzynianka is a popular foodie destination). I'd skip this in Chicago.

I think Hot Doug's is definitely more unique, along side Chicago style pizza, Italian beef.

BBQ, Ethiopian, and Indian might be too, good. NYC is not especially strong in any of those.

I'd skip Spanish. There's very good Spanish tapas here now with Txikito, Tertulia, Casa Mono, Boqueria, etc.

When my French friends are in Chicago, I often take them (the younger ones at least) to one kind of food that they're not going to find in Europe (and not much of in NYC, either), and that's BBQ. There are a variety of possibilities, of course, including Honey 1, Uncle John's, Smoque, Honky Tonk, Barn & Co., etc., although the first 2 would probably be best for takeout, if you want spend an evening at home or a picnic in a park.