Chicago Restaurants

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BOYD was my roommate, we walked from where we lived near the Fireside Bowl to eat at Arturo's AND NEVER DID IT AGAIN.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:35 (twenty years ago) link

I like the place where you have to put in an order for a pizza about three days ahead. That place is good.

― @d@ml (nordicskilla), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:35 (twenty years ago) link

the only things i miss from living in Chicago are Zoom Kitchen and Corner Bakery

― JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:36 (twenty years ago) link

Ok, I just printed out this thread (27 pages). I'm going on a restaurant tour.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:37 (twenty years ago) link

BYODaquiri? Drugs? Dildo? DanPerry?

― oops (Oops), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:37 (twenty years ago) link

JaXoN I miss Br@nd0n, who worked at Zoom Kitchen, yeah.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:38 (twenty years ago) link

WAIT SARAH I HAVE NOT MENTIONED RIVER KWAI YET!

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:39 (twenty years ago) link

I meant Drugs.

ha ha, I should take a blender with me. "Excuse me, could we please be seated by an outlet? Thank you."

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:39 (twenty years ago) link

hstencil, Please tell me about this r.k.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:39 (twenty years ago) link

This thread is making me so hungry. I think we can knock off 3 or 4 of these restaurants tonight.

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:40 (twenty years ago) link

River Kwai = cccccraaaazy Thai-ish place on Belmont. If you're gonna go, make sure you're not grossed out by unsanitary conditions and that you have a lot of time to kill. So weird, but so worth it.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:41 (twenty years ago) link

Joel, that's how we met huh?

he was a cool guy, but in classic Jerry Seinfeld fashion, he only knew me for a few weeks to a month and he asked me to help him move. i couldn't say no, but it hindered our friendship. haha. it didn't, but he disappeared soon after that.

― JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:43 (twenty years ago) link

Wait, is River Kwai the one that's only open from like midnight to 5 AM??

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:44 (twenty years ago) link

I'm fucking starving right now. I just had sushi and baby carrots for lunch.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:45 (twenty years ago) link

I STILL GET WEIRD FUNNY EMAILS FROM HIM. I MISS THE DUDE (we met randomly at that Schematic show at Hothouse).

hahahaha I knew jaymc never got KWAI-ed.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:45 (twenty years ago) link

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:47 (twenty years ago) link

So, if I am grossed out by unsanitary conditions, how should I prepare myself? I guess I could take those drugs.

Yeah, I don't care. Our kitchen is pretty unsanitary too.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:48 (twenty years ago) link

DUDE I GOT KWAI-ED WHEN YOU WERE STILL SLUMMING IN KALAMAZOO (or something)

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:48 (twenty years ago) link

the whole genius/beauty of River Kwai is you can actually pretend you're on some junk boat on the Mekong delta or something, complete with weird sights and smells (and back in the old days, occasional gunfire).

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:49 (twenty years ago) link

Haha, "slumming in Kalamazoo": when my friends in college insisted on going to this working-class blues bar on the west side of town, "cuz they just know how to have a good time there, maaan."

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:51 (twenty years ago) link

I'd rather go to a working-class bar in Kalamazoo than Flash Taco.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:55 (twenty years ago) link

I'll flash your taco.

Don't worry - that's just an expression, nothing personal.

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:57 (twenty years ago) link

― NA (Nick A.), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:58 (twenty years ago) link

actually that would make more sense if you were flashing your own taco, but hey whatever floats your boat.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 20:59 (twenty years ago) link

In retrospect, the blues bar (called Mr. Wonderful's!!!) wasn't a bad place at all, and I probably wouldn't feel so self-conscious these days as I did then.

Flash Taco's still good, though. Except they use fucking Cheez Whiz on the nachos.

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:00 (twenty years ago) link

I am so incredibly hungry right now. And I will admit to missing Flash Taco desperately: drunk, crowded, cheesy, or whatever else, the Enchiladas Flash never failed to have me making embarrassing groany noises while I ate.

The point to BYOB, by the way: CHEAPNESS. Four individual glasses of restaurant wine: $24-36? Bottle of same wine from the liquor store that is always less than four doors down: $12.99. Plus $2 corkage fee, but whatever. I was a huge fan of all those nicer UkVillage BYO places -- for a while there I was actually enjoying dining with large groups of friends.

― nabiscothingy, Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:00 (twenty years ago) link

(If you flash your taco, I'll put cheez whiz on your nachos.)

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:01 (twenty years ago) link

Nitsuh!!!

― jaymc (jaymc), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:01 (twenty years ago) link

"got my cheese whiz boy?"

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 20 May 2004 21:04 (twenty years ago) link

ooh, i haven't suggested my two faves from my old neighborhood. orange for breakfast (although i went when i was back and it's totally popular now and have to wait-- which was ok because then i could go to chicago comics)

and my real favorite place that i went like every day...damn, what's it called? i'm too hungover. it's on clark at the triangle where it hits um, sheffield? it's open really late, has loads of yummy veg food, does milkshakes, does breakfast all day and night, and they don't care how long you stay. and a jukebox. it was like a restaurant made for me. i'll think of the name in a minute, i'm sure. does anyone know what i'm talking about?

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 21 May 2004 11:53 (twenty years ago) link

My favorite place, which I think is gone now, was Shanghai Minnie's on Broadway @ Surf. - I used to eat governor chicken 3-4 times a week.

Does Lulu's in Evanston still do the appetizer brunch on Sundays?

― dave225 (Dave225), Friday, 21 May 2004 11:57 (twenty years ago) link

ah! the pick me up cafe. that's it. i think. (darn ireland!)

― colette (a2lette), Friday, 21 May 2004 12:09 (twenty years ago) link

Pick Me Up Cafe is indeed good. A good after-show favorite.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 21 May 2004 12:47 (twenty years ago) link

This thread is making me miss Garcia's at Western/Lincoln/Lawrence, and Spoon Thai a little south on Western, both in my old neighborhood and both cheap and delicious. I miss Chicago.

― sgs (sgs), Friday, 21 May 2004 12:53 (twenty years ago) link

Is that in Linc0ln park? If so, I think we've been there.

So, anyway, we went to TECALITLAN. It was dark in there! And my cheese enchilada was tough. But my margarita was fantastico. :-D
So was the salsa. mmm...

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Friday, 21 May 2004 12:54 (twenty years ago) link

It was thoroughly average. I ate about 6 pounds of refried beans. But the margaritas were good and strong, and we walked there.

― NA (Nick A.), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:00 (twenty years ago) link

Tecalitlan, as noted upthread, has gone downhill in recent years.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:03 (twenty years ago) link

sgs is talking about Lincoln Square! I've heard good things about Garcia's, yes. When I first moved to Chicago, there was a strange little man that I temped with for a few weeks (at the megalithic offices of Ameritech, he was this pale guy who stood 5'5" and wore vintage clothes and smoked and was into weird old bands I'd never heard of -- and his name was Leon!!) who photocopied me pages from the phone book that listed his favorite restaurants. Garcia's was one; this Israeli place on Devon was another. Sadly, I've been to neither.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:07 (twenty years ago) link

Sarah and Nick, did it take y'all forever to get your check? No matter how much Tecalitlan changes, some things stay the same.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:12 (twenty years ago) link

Yes!

― Sarah McLusky (coco), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:15 (twenty years ago) link

I liked Pick Me Up a lot before I actually lived here, when I didn't know any neighborhoods in Chicago besides Wrigleyville. It does have good food and a great jukebox and it's open late, late, late. But it's also fairly expensive, and it often gets so crowded on weekends that they rush customers in and out. Which might be fine if you're just going there after a Metro show for a bite, but it's definitely not my favorite coffee shop for sitting for a while and reading.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:16 (twenty years ago) link

yeah so one of these days chicago burrito fap ok? maybe next week?

i don't remember the names of any mexican places, i just know them by sight. there are so many...

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:16 (twenty years ago) link

Yes! I think our table was the only table in the nonsmoking section that our waitress was covering, and she kept going over the smoking section but not checking on us. It was like 20 minutes after we were done eating before we got the check!

Oh wait, we've been to Pick Me Up, the first time we visited. It was pretty good.

― NA (Nick A.), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:16 (twenty years ago) link

Amateurist, check the Chicago FAP thread, you numbskull.

― NA (Nick A.), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:17 (twenty years ago) link

Pick Me Up is good for an occasional after-show shake but yeah there's even stuff in the general proximity that I'd choose first, food-wise. Like the Chicago Diner.

― hstencil (hstencil), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:18 (twenty years ago) link

there's a chicago fap thread? is there something planned?

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:21 (twenty years ago) link

Uhm. I want to eat every meal of my life at Chicago Diner.

― NA (Nick A.), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:21 (twenty years ago) link

When can we have another Chicago FAP?

― NA (Nick A.), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:22 (twenty years ago) link

I wish I actually liked Chicago Diner more than I do. I mean, I like that's it OMG I CAN ORDER ANYTHING ON THE MENU! but I've yet to have a really, really tasty meal there. Oh wait, I had some gazpacho a couple years ago that was the best gazpacho I've ever had. Okay, then.

― jaymc (jaymc), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:23 (twenty years ago) link

chicago diner is kind of lame, actually, imo.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 21 May 2004 14:25 (twenty years ago) link

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