That comic strip was written by Chuck Wojtkiewicz and Jimmy Carter.
Chuck still draws comics. Only he gets paid for it now.
We still have the MOFO zone at our house. That's where all of our socks go.
For wine, Binny's is the regional super alcohol store (altough in Illinois you can buy alcohol of any kind just about anywhere). There's one a block north of Roosevelt at 1132 S. Jefferson Street, but that's a ways west of you. I vaguely recall some tasting room type stores right around the Roosevelt station, but don't have a solid memory of names or exact location.
I'm not terribly familiar with restaurants in South Loop, but if you walk south on Michigan Ave from Roosevelt there are a number of new places that have good word of mouth. I've eaten at a Japanese/Thai place, but don't recall the name, and the upscale Irish Pub, Grace O'Malley's, is pretty good a bit further south.
Head north and there are a lot of places. If you like Tex-Mex or Mexican food, the Rick Bayless restaurants Frontera Grill and Topolobambo are very popular and very good (I highly recommend trying the Mezcal margarita, if you're into a smokey taste), around 450 N. Clark. You MUST have reservations for either of these two.
For Japanese, I would recommend Japonais on Chicago ave at the river, they serve a great mai tai, and have an excellent sushi selection. You generally shouldn't need a reservation unless late evening or Friday/Saturday night.
There are a couple of terrific bistros basically across the street from each on State Street. Bijan's is around 630 north, and is one of my favorite places. It's best described as an American bistrou, but the selection is excellent, it has terrific atmosphere, and has had a following of various celebreties in a couple of different incarnations (it closed and moved about 6 ears ago).
A little south of Bijan's is Quartino, which is more Itallian (in a Florence/Tuscany way, not a Maggiano's way). The selection is more seafood heavy, but a good place. The whole strip of state here is full of good places, but if you go too far north you end up in the "Viagra Traingle" (where state and rush come together at an angle, forming the top of the triangle), so-named for all the young women hanging out at the clubs being harassed by significantly older men.
Hubbard Street is a hotbed of great little restaurants. Kevin is one of my favorites, with a menu that changes daily. I haven't been in a long time, so I don't know if reservation are required. Nearby is Andy's Jazz Club if you're into musical accompanyment with a solid Chicago burger. Their signature alcoholic drink, the Blue Note, is tasty and you get to keep the glass. There's a Ben Pao there, along with great Thai and Med-style places I can't remember the names of.
West Randolph has become a great stretch, too. There's a wide variety of different places there, including a Starfish Sushi (also located in Atlanta), Alhambra, and a host of others whose names escape me. At the west end of that strip is the Tasting Room, principally a wine bar, but with decent food.
Speaking of wine bars, Bin 36 next to the House of Blues is a good place, with a huge selection of wines and cheeses.
If you wanted to go a little out of your way for a terrific place, Maza, a Lebanese joint around 2750 North Lincoln, is amazing. It's a hike from where you're at, but only about 3-4 blocks off the Diversy station (which puts it near my house). I can't say enough about it.
Greek is easy - drive into Greektown and head to the Greek Islands, Pegasus or Parthenon, all basically across the street from each other. I typically go to the Greek Islands, but my Greek friends assure me Pegasus (or was it Parthenon? The one directly across the street from Greek Islands) is better.
On the Tapas side, 1492 is really good place in the near North, close to the Mag Mile.
Rhapsody is attached to the Symphony center on the south side of the Loop, and offers excellent prixe fixe meals that vary from night to night (they also have an ordinary menu). They're more of a southern-style American bistrou.
While you're in town, there are two low-key places you should try. One is Portillo's, a regional hot dog chain, but it's the itallian beef you should try, together with a shake. The other is the Billy Goat Tavern of Cub's curse and Saturday Night Live fame, particularly the location underneath Michigan avenue just north of the River, the exterior of which was used to film the exterior of the Mob restaurant in Batman Begins.
So, there's a few thoughts that should give you some ideas.
Last edited by Cavlaw; 11-02-2008 at 09:17 PM.
That comic strip was written by Chuck Wojtkiewicz and Jimmy Carter.
Chuck still draws comics. Only he gets paid for it now.
We still have the MOFO zone at our house. That's where all of our socks go.
Our trip to Fogo is sort of a tradition at this trade show. It's not about quality and much as it's about atmosphere. By the end of the show, I'm looking forward to meat on a sword; could the barbarian in me.
Would love your recommendations on great places to eat, in addition to the places you already listed.
Thanks for all the suggestions, Cavlaw, especially the hot dog place. One of my adult nieces is a hot dog fan so we have promised her a good dog in Chicago. We will definitely consider these.
If you are ever heading to the Kansas City area, please let me know if I can return the favor.
Only 2 days to go until the election! Yippee! My polling place is in the lobby of my apartment building, so it will be incredibly easy to vote. Hypothetically speaking, I could go downstairs when the polls open at 6. I'm hoping the lines won't be as long then.
Can you vote in your jammies? I get to vote at Denny's. I liked it better when I voted at the bowling alley. You could bowl as you waited to vote!
Since Kansas lets you vote early, there have been long lines for that. I'm hoping that the lines on Tuesday won't be as bad.
Only 2 more days to the election means only 3 more days until BillyBreen may break free from EJ and return. ArkieDukie, you and I better get a lot of posts in if we hope to unseat him from the top 10 on this thread before he returns.
Anyone else looking forward to the big SNL Election Eve Special tomorrow night? They've got so much good material from this year alone, it seems like they wouldn't even need to hit the archives. Tina Fey is hilarious as Sarah Palin, and the QVC skit that she did with John McCain last night was a classic - almost as good as the Barack Obama Variety Half Hour.
Glad to see others have taken up the PW'ing mantle