Places I'm surprised aren't Great Neighborhood Restaurants

Thinking about the GNR nominations and past award recipients, there are a few places that I have to go back to and make sure to post enough about them to put them on the next round. In particular, a couple of local chains that are just too classic to ignore:

Lou Malnati's, Lincolnwood - Uno's sold out, this is the place that's really Chicago's pan pizza progenitor. Burt's will probably get the argyle plaque this time, but I keep going back for Lou's great crunchy crust and slab o' sausage, including a personal-size from the Mt Prospect carry-out location tonight. Lou's gets a fair amount of love here, surprisingly more than Gino's East.

Carson's Ribs, River North - This is where I learned to eat ribs, and to refuse ones you could shake off the bones. Actually, I've never eaten at the River North, but the only other remaining enclave is Deerfield, which is still too new to be a classic. Sadly, the places we of Jewish extraction would go to indulge in trafe on Ridge on the north side, and on Niles Center in Skokie are gone. I lived across the street from the one in Skokie for a year. On a warm summer day with the 3rd-floor walkup windows open, there were days when you just couldn't not buy a slab for dinner. Maybe it isn't the kind of real deal as Honey 1, but it's one of those traditions I won't give up. Besides, you can't get chopped liver at any of those other pork havens, and most of them my mother probably wouldn't step into.

Superdawg - Kitsch, real old-fashioned drive in, and a darn good, though pricey dog... it's a classic. Not that it's overlooked, but probably worth a nom

Maybe I'm overly nostalgic tonight, probably these places are too well-known to need a neighborhood-style award, but I thought this worth a mention.

So, Chicagoland... what have you forgotten about until now?[/b]

Another reason to recommend Lou Malnati's is their heart. They opened a store in Lawndale after the King riots to train and employ local residents.