Ted Fetch '09 and food (but mostly food)
Thanksgiving is upon us and I, thankfully, will be heading back to Ohio for a week or so. Requiring even more thanks will be my means of conveyance, as stalwart pals Tom and Joe and brother Tim will be making a foray deep into the heart of the windy city (and then out again--I live on the north side) to pick me up. But not before they spend around a day sampling the manifolds joys of Ted's Chicago.
Let me italicize that for effect:
Ted's Chicago.
Exciting, isn't it?
So much to see. So little time. And a microcosm of this is simply trying to pin down our myriad food options. As culinary host, I take my responsibilities seriously, and I am still not quite used to living in a place where picking a restaurant isn't a Pyrrhic exercise in lesser evils and dashed dreams. Man, I miss Oxford! (Although, to be brutally honest, I'm sure I will be picking up a SDS sub while I'm around next week.)
Anyhoo, food! Glorious food! The mind reels. Let's go through the list.
Well, to start there is Royal Thai right down the street, which is, morsel for morsel, also probably the single best place to eat in my immediate area. Actually, there are quite a few great Thai places around where I live, any one of which would be The Best Thai Food I've Ever Eaten(TM), were it not for the blazing intensity of Royal Thai. The lunch special is to die for and the Tom Kha--a spicy, rich, coconut milk soup filled with goodies--is a standout and unlike anything I've ever had before. The only problem with the lunch special is that the shrimp tempura isn't on that menu, which makes me sad, as it's second only to the shrimp tempura I had in New York for intense tastiness.
Pizza is a must, of course. Apart Pizza (located right next door to Royal Thai and indicating that there is a culinary feng shui or something at work on that street) is my usual jam (watch them hand-toss those mothers!), but it's a high-quality, New York-style thin-crust pizza, and it's hard to resist the siren song of Chicago-style.
So, if you want crazy, eccentric Chicago styles, there are several options, but I vote for The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. I went there with a bunch of folks a few weeks ago and I immediately became a convert. We waited about 90 minutes (granted we were a huge party) and yet we all agreed that it was worth it at the end. A classy local place with history (the St. Valentines Day massacre took place right across the street) and soup-Nazi-esque charm. The method they use to seat patrons can best be described as impressionistic, they only take cash, and you'd better like one of the two varieties (meat or vegetarian) of pizza they offer--which is a fantastic, if wacky, personal deep dish they call "a pizza pot pie"--because they make them to their specifications, not yours. But, the thing is, you will like it.
If it's more of a hamburger kind of night, there is always The Grafton, the local Irish pub. Great burgers (may I recommend the James Joyce, with bacon and a fried egg? Yes, I went there, as I do not fear death) and tasty fries. I look forward to trying the fish & chips myself when I next visit. The Grafton also has some cool atmosphere. The last time I was there, a traditional Irish band was playing and after they finished, several clearly authentic Irish friends of the band took turns serenading the bar with rousing, bawdy drinking songs.
Best part: When a drunk chick came up to them later and asked, "So, where are you guys from?", one of the thickly-broughed lads replied, without missing a beat, "Australia."
Awesome.
That's hamburgers. What about hot dogs? Chicago has a huge hot dog presence, after all. A friend of mine, for example, rhapsodizes every time I see her about a place called Hot Dougs, a wildly popular gourmet hot dog emporium that offers everything from classic franks loaded with spicy mustard, onions and relish, to duck sausage trimmed with foie gras and truffles. Have to try that some time.
On Tuesday, before we set out on the six hour trip back to Ohio, obviously we're going to need a big breakfast to keep our strength up. And when it comes to A-list breakfast, Ann Sather, home of giant waffles and exquisitely puffy omelets, is always a good choice. Ann Sather's menu has a strong Swedish influence, so be prepared for Swedish waffles and Swedish pancakes. Do not be afraid! Man, I only wish Blade was coming so he could give us his expert opinion during tasting and judgment.
Even better, Ann Sather is located on Belmont, which is where the cool kids live (note: I obviously don't live there; I live where the cool kids move to in ten years after they get jobs and start families), and the street is often a trip from a people-watching standpoint. Belmont acts as the demilitarized zone between the working class Irish neighborhood to the south, the artist enclaves and college kids running east-west, and Boy's Town, Chicago's gay neighborhood, to the north.
A *trip*.
Belmont is also a couple blocks away from Mark's Chop Suey, a seemingly dingy hole in the wall that never-the-less serves egg rolls which are solidly in the running for the best I've ever tasted.
But we have to get full at some point, right?
Let me italicize that for effect:
Ted's Chicago.
Exciting, isn't it?
So much to see. So little time. And a microcosm of this is simply trying to pin down our myriad food options. As culinary host, I take my responsibilities seriously, and I am still not quite used to living in a place where picking a restaurant isn't a Pyrrhic exercise in lesser evils and dashed dreams. Man, I miss Oxford! (Although, to be brutally honest, I'm sure I will be picking up a SDS sub while I'm around next week.)
Anyhoo, food! Glorious food! The mind reels. Let's go through the list.
Well, to start there is Royal Thai right down the street, which is, morsel for morsel, also probably the single best place to eat in my immediate area. Actually, there are quite a few great Thai places around where I live, any one of which would be The Best Thai Food I've Ever Eaten(TM), were it not for the blazing intensity of Royal Thai. The lunch special is to die for and the Tom Kha--a spicy, rich, coconut milk soup filled with goodies--is a standout and unlike anything I've ever had before. The only problem with the lunch special is that the shrimp tempura isn't on that menu, which makes me sad, as it's second only to the shrimp tempura I had in New York for intense tastiness.
Pizza is a must, of course. Apart Pizza (located right next door to Royal Thai and indicating that there is a culinary feng shui or something at work on that street) is my usual jam (watch them hand-toss those mothers!), but it's a high-quality, New York-style thin-crust pizza, and it's hard to resist the siren song of Chicago-style.
So, if you want crazy, eccentric Chicago styles, there are several options, but I vote for The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Co. I went there with a bunch of folks a few weeks ago and I immediately became a convert. We waited about 90 minutes (granted we were a huge party) and yet we all agreed that it was worth it at the end. A classy local place with history (the St. Valentines Day massacre took place right across the street) and soup-Nazi-esque charm. The method they use to seat patrons can best be described as impressionistic, they only take cash, and you'd better like one of the two varieties (meat or vegetarian) of pizza they offer--which is a fantastic, if wacky, personal deep dish they call "a pizza pot pie"--because they make them to their specifications, not yours. But, the thing is, you will like it.
If it's more of a hamburger kind of night, there is always The Grafton, the local Irish pub. Great burgers (may I recommend the James Joyce, with bacon and a fried egg? Yes, I went there, as I do not fear death) and tasty fries. I look forward to trying the fish & chips myself when I next visit. The Grafton also has some cool atmosphere. The last time I was there, a traditional Irish band was playing and after they finished, several clearly authentic Irish friends of the band took turns serenading the bar with rousing, bawdy drinking songs.
Best part: When a drunk chick came up to them later and asked, "So, where are you guys from?", one of the thickly-broughed lads replied, without missing a beat, "Australia."
Awesome.
That's hamburgers. What about hot dogs? Chicago has a huge hot dog presence, after all. A friend of mine, for example, rhapsodizes every time I see her about a place called Hot Dougs, a wildly popular gourmet hot dog emporium that offers everything from classic franks loaded with spicy mustard, onions and relish, to duck sausage trimmed with foie gras and truffles. Have to try that some time.
On Tuesday, before we set out on the six hour trip back to Ohio, obviously we're going to need a big breakfast to keep our strength up. And when it comes to A-list breakfast, Ann Sather, home of giant waffles and exquisitely puffy omelets, is always a good choice. Ann Sather's menu has a strong Swedish influence, so be prepared for Swedish waffles and Swedish pancakes. Do not be afraid! Man, I only wish Blade was coming so he could give us his expert opinion during tasting and judgment.
Even better, Ann Sather is located on Belmont, which is where the cool kids live (note: I obviously don't live there; I live where the cool kids move to in ten years after they get jobs and start families), and the street is often a trip from a people-watching standpoint. Belmont acts as the demilitarized zone between the working class Irish neighborhood to the south, the artist enclaves and college kids running east-west, and Boy's Town, Chicago's gay neighborhood, to the north.
A *trip*.
Belmont is also a couple blocks away from Mark's Chop Suey, a seemingly dingy hole in the wall that never-the-less serves egg rolls which are solidly in the running for the best I've ever tasted.
But we have to get full at some point, right?