Chris.Derecola

Writing reviews for places you went to six months ago is an interesting exercise in recall. Once upon a time, I would devote a post to each and every establishment we visited in Chicago. Those days are not long gone, but since I’ve written this post over the span of several months it’s gonna be a bit fragmented. I’ll try and touch on the things that stick out in my mind and what my overall impression of the places were. I have a feeling I’ll get into it and make this post way longer than it should be, but I don’t want to break any hearts if I don’t. Anyway…

Hot Doug’s -This is one of the places I was really looking forward to visiting. Unfortunately, they closed for a three week vacation the day we arrived so I didn’t get to sample the seemingly wonderful duck fat fries. Sad.

Tierra Caliente – Tacos Al Pastor is like the Mexican version of gyros. I’ve never been a HUGE Mexican food fan, but that’s because there is so much bad Tex Mex in this world. Who knew real tacos could be so delicious with so little toppings?

Guanajuato – Carne Asada done right. I’m a big spicy food fan and this was pretty spicy even for me. The star of the meal, however, was the horchata. The giant white container of creamy white liquid is a bit intimidating, but the drink was delicious. It sounds gross, but it’s like drinking ice cold, watered down rice pudding. I loved it.

Map Room -We met Mike late on a Sunday night, after we had a fairly ridiculous dinner at L2O. The bouncer asked us where we came from, since were so dressed up, but that’s all that was made of our unusual visit. The place was pretty empty, but it reminded me of a great corner bar to meet up with friends and drink the night away. Their beer selection was fairly awesome and despite clearly not belonging, we somehow fit in. I’m glad I don’t have a place like this in walking distance.

Hopleaf Bar – Their beer menu is absolutely ridiculous, especially if you’re into trying every Belgian beer in existence. For what was essentially a neighborhood bar that has tables and a two page menu, the food was impressive. It’s really hard to go wrong with a sausage platter, which was the best dish of the night. The mains weren’t nearly as memorable, but that might be due to the numerous high ABV beers I’d had. All the patrons seemed local and considering it was after dark on a Monday night, I’m surprised at how packed the place was. I have no idea if Hopleaf is a typical Chicago neighborhood eatery, but I think it speaks well for the city.

The Publican – I love pork and therefore I love The Publican. This was another dinner with Mike, who I believe described the restaurant as one of his all-time favorites. Their menu reads like a foodie’s wet dream, which makes it tough to narrow down your selections. The three most memorable things about the night were the crispy pig ears, the head cheese and Mike not realizing the hot waitress was hitting on him. We didn’t drink nearly as much beer as I thought we were going to, but I blame all the pig we ate. The choices were certainly there were we willing. The community tables is an interesting idea, but I’m not sure it’s for me. Thankfully we had one of the penned in booths; an improvement that still had me feeling a bit claustrophobic. I could see how people wouldn’t like the atmosphere, with the hustle and bustle, but the food makes it all worthwhile.

L2O – I’m not really sure one can write a review of the Tatami Room dining adventure because it’s one of those things you have to do for yourself. Nineteen courses of some of the most elegantly prepared and delicious food I have ever experienced is not something easily described in text. Countless plates of cooked and raw fish, wagyu beef,  smoked salmon, scallops, lobster, jalapeno sorbet… all great… and the list goes on. The private bamboo lined room was romantic and our kimono-clad waitress was extremely pleasant and knowledgeable. I can’t say the cost of the meal was something I’m proud of, but life is about experiences and our dinner there was definitely one you talk about for a long time. I don’t think I would have ever recommended a five hour dinner to anyone, but I’m recommending this one.

[Included below is a scan of our menu. You can also find pictures of all dishes but one in the Derecola Archives.]

Part of the reason we went to Chicago was for the food scene. I’m happy to say it did not disappoint, although I think knowing a local gastrophile helped us out tremendously. The fare is really a lot more down-home than I expected, although considering the roots of the city, isn’t surprising. Somehow, the city manages to make eating both comfortable and experimental at the same time… if that’s possible. It really is one of the better food cities I’ve visited and I’d recommend it to everyone.

As you may have heard, we visited Chicago for a long weekend about a month ago. We were looking for a place that was relatively easy to get to and wouldn’t break the bank. I’d never been, plus I have a friend who’s been living there for a few years, so it actually was a pretty easy choice. Ironically, I am somewhat guilty of not exploring my own country as much as I have others, so I was looking forward to learning more about Americana Metropolita.

It’s probably worth noting that I’ve never been much of a city person. I’ve been to New York a few times when I was younger, and I’ve lived in close proximity to DC and Philly, but I could never see myself living in a large city. I like exploring the urban landscape and I can certainly appreciate the convenience of having so many great things close by, but I can never seem to escape that penned in feeling. Other than a few cool cities in other countries, I’d never really been to a US city and thought “I think I could live here… at least for awhile.”

Chicago is one of those places where I think I could live for a couple years. I’m feeling kinda lazy, so let’s take a look at a bulleted list of the things I like about the city.

• The Food – Chicago has a reputation as a great food city. Many of the travel and foodie sources extol it as a big city food destination without the attitude and that’s fairly spot on. There are certainly a lot of tourist traps downtown, but with a little insider knowledge we had an excellent food experience. The food is very much inspired by the blue-collar, meat-packing history of the city and we found that it was hard to go wrong. I’m going to devote a post to all the places we went and what we ate, so I don’t want to divulge too much here.
• The People – Everyone in Chicago seems to be operating a few notches lower on the uptight scale than folks on the east coast. It doesn’t feel like a big city and it’s a world away from NYC, which was a nice change of pace. People seem to be in no real hurry to do anything and meals are events to enjoy, rather than a time for sustenance consumption.
• The Place – Chicago seems a lot more neighborhood than city. There are obviously a ton of skyscrapers along the river, but there is a lot of urban neighborhood sprawl surrounding them. I know there are similar things in DC and the like, but something about Chicago was very old-world, salt-of-the-earth. Everything in Arlington just seems so gentrified by comparison and life in outer-Chicago is a world away from cookie-cutter Ashburn.
• The Buildings – I guess if any city in America gets a mention about the buildings, it should be Chicago. I spend a decent amount of time in DC and because of the height limit, I’m just not used to really tall buildings. I caught myself getting distracted by looking up really high a few times. The architecture there (it was my original major in college, ya know) is extremely varied and worthy of any photographer’s attention.

So yeah, Chicago is a pretty cool city. If it isn’t on your list of places to see, you should definitely add it. Regardless of your interests, there is bound to be something to entertain you.