The Windy City (Part 2)
As
you probably already know, there are many things to see and do in Chicago, but what we really want
to hear about is the food! Am I right or am I right?! Although we were only in
Chicago for a couple nights and did not get to eat a lot of places, the places we
did try were phenomenal. I will tell you about them plus a few other hot spots
that people are talking about and worth checking out when in town.
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| Outside Giordano's on Rush and E. Superior |
Now,
everyone knows you can go just about anywhere and get a pizza. And as a matter
of fact, the pizza will most likely taste great. But until you try an original
stuffed deep-dish pizza in Chicago, you’ve never really had pizza. I will start off
with the place I cannot wait to go back to the next time I happen to be
anywhere near Chicago. That place is called Giordano's! It is quite frankly the
best pizza I have ever had. It takes about an hour to cook this monster of a
pizza that you have to pre-order it prior to being able to be seated in the
restaurant, which is not a bad thing. There are other menu items such as pastas
and salads among other Italian specialties that you can order once you are
seated at your table, but what you really want is the pizza. Trust me. I
ordered a small cheese pizza with pepperoni that fed 1-2 people. And boy, were
they right about the portion. The pizza came in six monstrous slices about 3-4
inches thick. One thing about this pizza pie is that you must eat it with a
fork and knife. Good luck trying to eat it the ‘old fashioned way’ with bare
hands! I was only able to eat half of it before I was totally full and
satisfied. I only know of one guy that could probably eat the whole thing. Maybe. I'll create
an arbitrary star rating system and this is a 5*/5* kind of place. Hit it up if
you’re ever in Chicago.
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| Pre-order before you sit! |
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| The monster! |
The
second place we went to one evening was a Thai restaurant called Star of Siam.
We’ve never had Thai food before and I was a little leery about going here when
our hotel’s front desk told us to check it out. It was less than a five-minute
walk to it and I am glad we tried it. It was kind of late for dinner, so when
we got there, there weren’t many people in the place. The setting was nice with
an awesome wood beamed ceiling and the seating very Asian. It was nice and
relaxing. The menu was a little overwhelming since I did not know what to
order, as are many other Asian restaurants. So many things to choose from! I
reverted back to order the 'Pad Preow Wan', which is just sweet and sour chicken.
The food was prepared quickly and came out as family style as most Asian joints
are. I’m not going to lie to you. This was probably the best plate of sweet and
sour chicken I have eaten to date. The sauce was amazing. The food was also
very cheap. If you are ever looking for a quiet dinner at a local Thai place,
this is the place to go. It is located on E. Illinois St. in the River North
area just a block from the Red line subway station at Grand. I’d give it a
4.5*/5*.
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| Seating at Star of Siam. |
Now
I know this next restaurant is located in many places other than Chicago, but if
you’ve never eaten at Cheesecake Factory, you need to. I won’t spend much time
reviewing it since it is not authentic to Chicago, but the menu is immense and
everything is good there. The location was pretty cool too as it is situated on
the ground floor of the Hancock Tower, which is the sixth tallest building in
the United States. Check it out and save some room for dessert. The cheesecake
is awesome. It’s a 4.5*/5*. You can find their locations here.
The
last place we tried before we headed back to the airport for our return flight
was a quick lunch stop near our hotel in River North at O'Callaghan's. We both
got burgers and fries. There was nothing special about the burgers but the
waffle fries were seasoned perfectly. (If only Chick fil A had these fries!) If
you’re in a pinch and can’t find a better spot or just want a quick meal then
check this place out. I’d give it a 3.5*/5*.
There
are countless other places to dine at when in Chicago, but we weren’t able to
eat at them all of course. Some of the other well-known spots around town are:
-Pizzeria Uno -(first place to make a deep dish pizza). You can also enjoy this place at multiple locations around the nation.
-Girl and the Goat - Stephanie Izard, the 'Top Chef' season 4 winner opened this restaurant recently with the menu consisting of vegetables, fish and meat
-Joe's - Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab
-Coco Pazzo/Coco Pazzo Cafe -"...Chicago's authority on
Tuscan inspired Italian dining. Encompassing both traditional and
contemporary ingredients and techniques, you'll find our seasonal dishes
a pleasure to experience."
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| Photo courtesy of starofsiamchicago.com |
Of
course there are many, many others and you may be exploring randomly and walk up on
the best place you’ve ever eaten at unintentionally. And that is always a good feeling.
I
was planning on including hotels in this post, but for the sake of length I
will do a part 3 and separate it out nicely and talk about accommodations and
locations to stay at in the city. Hopefully you are enjoying and getting good
information out of these posts and keep reading!
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