Although I’m still a newbie in town, I knew enough to show them the good eats.  I had to prove to them that the Windy City is more than just deep dish pizza and hot dogs.  Their time in the city was short, and the food time line was downright ambitious and aggressive.  Would we be able to hit up all the places that was on the agenda…or were our eyes bigger than our stomachs?

The Agenda
Friday started out a tad slow.  Kurtis and Stu starved themselves before arriving Friday afternoon and I think it worked against them.  The first meal was deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s and it might have been too much.  By the end of the meal I think I saw Kurtis have trouble breathing and Stu’s eating pace slowed down to a crawl.  So far, this food fest wasn’t looking too promising.  Despite the slow start, Saturday was going to be redemption day, and I think any foodie would approve of our Saturday eating schedule.  Soon after we finished a meal, we were on our way to the next.  We had to hit up 6 destinations on Saturday and had to logistically spread out our meals so that we would have room for steak at Gibsons by 10pm.  Rest and relaxation wasn’t on the agenda, but we did manage to sneak in a power nap around 6:30pm.

Tragedy Strikes!
There was an unforeseen event that took place.  Kurtis developed a full blown case of plantar fasciitis on Saturday afternoon and ended up limping around for the rest of the trip.  I think he wanted to request a wheelchair when he arrived at the airport.  Rather than help a friend in need, we kicked him while he was down and gave him the nickname of “The Broken One,” which by the end of the day, he had earned the new title of “The Gimp.”  Still, he was a trooper and continued on the food expedition despite the pain.  Ah, Advil does wonders.

The Timeline

Friday 5:22PM – Deep Dish Pizza at Lou Malnati’s

Stuffed Spinach Bread

The “Lou” with Sausage

Look at all that beautiful cheese!

Friday 11:28PM – Late Night Dinging at  the Silver Palm

Louisville & Nashville Onion Rings

Canadien Pacific´s Smoked Meat Sandwich - Hickory smoked corned beef brisket with grilled onions and gruyere cheese on pumpernickel.

Dan Palm’s Three Little Piggy Sandwich – Double Smoked Ham, Pork Tenderloin, Bacon, Gruyere Cheese, Onion Rings  & a Fried Egg.  As seen on Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations!

Three Little Piggy Cross Section Goodness

Saturday 11:41AM – Breakfast at The Original Pancake House

Buttermilk Pancakes

Corn Beef Hash

Eggs Benedict with Potato Pancakes

Vegetarian Baked Egg White Omelet w/ Cheddar Cheese

Saturday 12:41PM – Asian Buns at Wow Bao

BBQ Pork and Thai Curry Chicken Baos

Saturday 3:38PM – Gourmet Hot Dogs at Hot Doug’s (After 1.5 hours of waiting)

The Dog – Chicago-Style Hot Dog with all the trimmings: ’nuff said.

Sweet and Savory Rattlesnake Sausage with Berry-Rum Sauce and Serendipity Cheese

Antelope Sausage with Roasted Garlic Mustard and Goat Cheese

Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Sel Gris. Also seen on No Reservations!  It was worth the wait.

Duck Fat Fries

Saturday 5:45PM – Ribs, Baked Beans, and Chili at Twin Anchors.

Chili

Rack of Ribs w/ Zesty BBQ Sauce and Baked Beans

Saturday 9:09PM – Japanese Sake Bar and Eats at Murasake

The Sake Bar Display

Wasabi Raw Octopus – We should have ordered more than one.  We were fighting over this!

Fugu (Blowfish) Fin Used For Flavoring the Warm Sake. It’s lit on fire a number of times and dipped in the sake.  Then it soaks in the sake for a minute. Remove the fin and drink the sake.  Your tongue might go numb.

Takoyaki!  Octopus Dumplings!

Cheesy and Crunchy Chicken Yakitori

Spicy and Crunchy Chicken Yakitori

Saturday 10:30PM – Steak at Gibson’s

The Night’s Selections – Look at that Australian Lobster Tail in the back!

Gumbo - Good on it’s own, but even better with bread.

The Chicago Cut – Prime 20 oz Bone-In Ribeye

Sunday 11:00AM -  Breakfast at Fox & Obel Cafe

More Pancakes!

Keeping it Simple w/ Bagel and Chive Cream Cheese

More Eggs Benedict!  How’s the heart doing?

Weight Gain Imminent
I can’t even begin to comprehend how much weight we gained over the course of 2 days.  By Saturday night, every one looked like they were 5 months pregnant, and by Sunday morning, we were so sick of food.  We definitely took a toll on our bodies, but this was probably the best food weekend I have ever had.  I’m still feeling pretty bloated.  Great food and great friends, is there anything better?

~ Kin

Chicago is a mecca for food lovers, even in the towns located near the it.  The city is so diverse and has so many dining options that it’s bound to satisfy the hunger of even the most finicky eaters.  It seems like there’s something for every one here.

These pictures of just some of the eats that I have been indulging in.  By the way, I had a Chicago Hot Dog from Portillo’s last night at around 12AM and it must have been the most delicious hot dog I ever had.

I’m getting hungry just looking at these!  Can you identify any of the items in the pictures?

~ Kin

Today was my second day of the “Getting to Know Chicago” trip. With the apartment hunting behind me, I can finally focus on exploring the city and try out some eats while I’m at it. So far, I’m enjoying the vibe that the city is giving off, but the wind chill and the cold makes it really tough to breathe in a breath of fresh air. None-the-less, the idea of living in the heart of the city is very exciting.

I started the day a bit late. Windows Vista decided to install an automatic update around 3:00am even though the machine was in hibernation mode. The update failed and caused my laptop to go into a reboot loop. After spending most of the morning troubleshooting and recovering the system, I was ready to head out for breakfast.

I decided to try out the cafe at Fox and Obel Food Market. In the hierarchy of food markets, it stands one notch above other stores such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. It was located only a mile away from my hotel, so I decided to take a power walk and check out Michigan Ave on my way there. By the time I arrived at the market, my legs were burning and I was gasping for air. That’s what happens when you haven’t worked in months and stay home to play video games all day.

Once inside, I walked through the aisles and perused the items to get a sense of what the store was about. I wasn’t blown away by it, but it did remind me of a food market called Market Basket in Franklin Lakes, NJ. I’ve been to Market Basket many times in the past and this doppelganger in Chicago certainly has the same feel. I made my way to the cafe towards the back and ordered the Cobb Egg White Omelet.

The omelet took a little while to come out but it was really well cooked. With the grilled chicken, applewood smoked bacon, scallions, and avocado in the mix, it turned out to be a great power breakfast and helped restore some energy and gusto that I had lost during my brisk mile-long walk. The portion was generous, and the eggs were cooked very well. The egg whites were neither burnt nor runny, and the ingredients were well distributed.

I liked the place. The cafe has a nice atmosphere for getting some writing done or for casual conversations. I also like how this place is two blocks away from my new apartment.

The next stop was Chinatown.  I heard it was the second largest in the US and since I’m Chinese, I had to visit it.  I have to say, Chicago’s Chinatown is pretty clean, in fact it was too clean to be called Chinatown.  My lunch destination was Lao Shanghai.  It had received pretty decent online reviews and I looked at the menu online before I went.  The fancy and well put together menu gave me pretty high expectations of the place.  Sadly, the food and the restaurant didn’t meet any of them.

Upon entering, I saw an old Chinese couple just finishing up their meals.  In my mind I thought, “Ah, old Chinese people are eating here, this place must be good.”  The size of the restaurant was smaller than I had expected, and while the walls were elegantly decorated, I couldn’t say the same for the tables and the floor tiles.  Each table had a white piece of parchment paper covering the white tablecloth underneath and it reminded me of the Macaroni Grill.  I had the weird sensation of asking the waiter for crayons.  The floor tiles clashed with the rest of the decor.  It was something more suited for the bathroom.  Ok, on to the food.

The first dish I ordered was the xiao long bao, or Shanghai soup dumplings.  Since the place is called Lao Shanghai, I figured it would be fairly decent.  The dumplings came out in a bamboo steamer and boy, was I ready to dig in.  As I lifted the lid, I noticed the dumplings were a bit undersized.  Is the shrinkage from the cold weather?  As I took the first one out of the steamer, I noticed that the wrapper was a bit on the thick side.  Taking a bite, I thought to myself, “where’s the hot, steamy, mouth-blistering broth?”

Look closely at the picture above.  Do you see any broth?  Just barely.  All in all, I was extremely disappointed with the dumplings and I would compare them to store  bought brands.  There’s a restaurant by where I live in New Jersey and it’s far better than what was served at Lao Shanghai.  Damn, Chicago – 0, New Jersey – 1

The next dish that came was the Braised Pork Belly in Preserved Bean Curd Sauce.

I was expecting something like the picture shown in the menu, but instead out came this gelatinous mass that was a little too heavy on the red food coloring.  After brushing off the thick red sauce, the pork belly that was revealed underneath was actually quite tasty.  After downing all that pork and pork fat, I realized that I didn’t really taste any of the bean curd that it was braised in.  I don’t think I’ve had that much pork fat in a while.  I felt like a pork slut afterwards.

Next was the seasonal Tong Cai greens stir-fried with garlic.  This dish was fresh, the flavor was just right and didn’t have the overpowering taste in garlic.  All in all, a job well done.

The forth dish I ordered was the Beef Short Ribs in Chef’s Special Sauce.  Odd, I didn’t find anything special about it.  The short ribs were dry, a bit chewy, and way too salty.

I thought the food at the restaurant to be average.  Maybe I went into the restaurant with high expectations and high hopes.  There’s nothing that really distinguishes this place from all the other Chinese restaurants I have eaten at.  Even though the place is called Lao Shanghai, a good number of dishes are not Shanghainese, but in fact remind me more of Cantonese cooking.  On a lighter note, the price point will do little damage to your wallet.  Each lunch portion I ordered hovered around the $4.50 mark and the portions are more than enough for the average person.  If you’re looking for an authentic Shanghainese Restaurant, this place isn’t it.

The day ended with a bit of sunshine.  I took a pretty lengthy subway ride and walk to Sunshine Cafe in Andersonville.  It’s a small restaurant and it specializes in home-style Japanese cuisine.  There’s no sushi to be found here, and that’s quite alright with me.  The menu might seem run-of-the-mill, but don’t let that fool you.  The Japanese Chef has perfected the craft of Japanese home-style cooking.  The food is simple, yet wholesome and delicious.

I’m a sucker for handmade dumplings, so I had to order the pan-fried gzoyas.  The spicy dipping sauce that came with it really made the dish harmonious.

Next up were the potato croquettes.  Perfectly shaped and fried, there’s no better way to eat a potato.  They paired nicely with the tonkatsu sauce.  I would come back to the cafe just for these babies.

Finally, the tonkatsu made it’s way to the table.  Perfectly breaded and not greasy, this was a real treat.  In fact, I savored it.  By the end, I was too full to move, even breathing was difficult.

The food was served by a little old Asian lady in an apron.  She reminded me of my grandmother, except my grandmother just sits on the couch and watches Chinese dramas all day long.  Sunshine Cafe has been around for 15 years.  The owner used to have a sushi restaurant in the area, but she got tired of it and decided to do home-style cooking instead.

I know there are many great restaurants in Chicago such as Alinea and other gastro pubs.  But it’s not fun to go to those places alone.  Those dining experiences are best shared with friends.  Time to make new friends!

Fox and Obel
401 E Illinois St
(between New St & Park Dr)
Chicago, IL 60611

Lao Shanghai
2163 S China Pl
Ste 1F
(between Princeton Ave & Wells St)
Chicago, IL 60616

Sunshine Cafe
5449 N Clark St
(between Catalpa Ave & Rascher Ave)
Chicago, IL 60640

If Top Chef is not one of your favorite TV Shows, you are missing out. New episodes of Top Chef airs on Bravo every 10pm on Wednesdays.

~Boon