where would you go ?

Okay, so I'm flying into ORD tonight (~7:30p) for a quick 2-day trip. I recently joined the forum since these quick trips will be recurring, and y'all are a bunch of intrepid eaters that I can extort some good tips from.

Problem is, I just can't decide what I want to eat when I land. Don't want it to be too far off the path from ORD > hotel downtown (Hilton), but a little venture is fine.

Where would you go if you were making that drive ?

I've only been able to come up with a couple of ideas that sound appealing:
- jibarito at Salamera
- cubano at Unica

I did the chicken boti at Khan BBQ last time I was in town, so maybe I should venture out of the Indo-Pak cuisine this time.

Those Bosnian (?) sausage pita sandwiches look great but I forget where that place is located (will have to check).

Btw, I'm not limited to "sandwiches", these treats just sound very appealing right now.

Thanks,
Nab

Hi Nab, welcome to LTH.

Unfortunately Cafe Salamera seems to have closed, at least for the time being. But the jibarito sandwich can be found at several Puerto Rican places, all close to the highway you'll be coming in on. The place I usually recommend to folks, Papa's Cache Sabroso (on Division a couple blocks west of Western) is unfortunately closed on Sunday. Maybe other folks can help you out with a spot in that neighborhood that's open this evening.

La Unica is not particularly convenient for your drive into town. (And I'm not sure about their hours.) How about something in a neighborhood on the northwest side? Albany Park, around Kedzie and Lawrence, has great Lebanese and other Middle Eastern food. Further west and northwest are a number of excellent Korean places. And some of the city's best Thai restaurants are near Lincoln Square (Lincoln and Western). Any of those sound possible?

Amata

You seem to be looking for a place close to the O'Hare downtown driving route. One to consider is:
Taqueria La Oaxaqueña
3382 N. Milwaukee
773-545-858
It's a favorite Mexican place of many on this Board, (look it up in the Great Neighborhood section) and if you do a Mapquest, you'll find is just a few minutes drive from the highway. You get off at Addison, going West, and then turn south (left) on Milwaukee) If you're in sandwich mode, they have great torta's, but the rest of the menu is great. Call to see their hours on Sunday.

Jonah

All of those sound possible. Except maybe Thai, which I've had enough of lately.

I'm open ears/eyes.

Thanks, Amata.

Rudy's Taste is open Sunday nights, there are a number of posts about it. And it even serves jibaritos (though that's not necessarily what I'd have).

So I stopped by Rudy's Taste for a quick bite. The menu looks interesting, and certainly requires some additional manpower to sample several dishes. Not having said manpower, I settled for a cubano, tamales, and a horchata. Very nice folks there, and the one guy (Rudy?) brought out another menu which had many more items on it. Only problem is he brought it out after I had ordered. I think I would've tried this other app that was described as being similar to a tamale but with potato (paches?).

Anyways, I'm thinking I probably ordered wrong at this place. Cubano was okay, but the roast pork wasn't roasted enough, and the strongest flavor in the sammy was the cheese. Not bad though, and it certainly hit the spot after not having eaten in many hours.

The horchata was actually very good, if a little on the watery side.

Looking forward to tonight's dining, which I haven't decided on yet. Working in Oak Park today, so I may decide to stay in the nabe.