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amos wrote:Great Lake pizza in Andersonville is by far the best pizza I've had here in Chicago. I had given up on grabbing a pizza dinner until this place opened.

Definitely smokes most thin crust places. I think sopressata and crimini? Lovely.

Pequod's used to be a dingy, smoky place plastered with pictures of customers and hockey memorabilia with no bullshit staff slinging beers and pizzas from a plywood bar, not to mention a whole different crowd. Then it burned down and the owner rebuilt it as TGI McScratchy's. The food is the same and I'll eat in there once in a great while because the pizza is so goddamn good fresh out of the oven.

The staff used to fuck with the customers no end. One night, a group of 6 or 8 was eating around midnight. They had a good half a dozen empty bottles of Chimay on the table and the bartender was clearly getting tired of them. They asked him to change the music from whatever metal was playing - someone yelled out "Billy Joel!" - which blasted for the remainder of the evening at deafening volume while he vacuumed under the table they were eating at. They sang along.

One night, a woman in a Vail t-shirt screamed over the Slayer that she'd love to come there more often if they'd turn the music down. He smiled and nodded. She left.

It was one of my favorite places to be in Chicago.

placeholder wrote:You had me until I read:

Marsupialized wrote:dumping house

the beningans thread reminded me of this and i wanted to add a recent awesome discovery: La Oaxaquena

Neighborhood: Irving Park
3382 N Milwaukee Ave
(between Karlov Ave & Kedvale Ave)
Chicago, IL 60641

i had a stupid good snapper al mojo y ajo (or whatever it is). whole fish head and all that was sliced up in awesome little squares, so that the frying action crisped the skin and outsides, yet made for super easy breaking off into great bite-sized portions that were flaky and great underneath. wife had the cornish hen in mole. amazing. and only $8.50.

went back a second times for tacos and the Oaxacan torta - also fantastic. i also tried a margarita the 2nd visit - eh, stick to the beer. this place rules. mexican, but totally different than regular mexican. more in the fonda del mar vein, but cheaper/more family vibe.

it took forever to finally try this place out, but when i ate at alinea (mentioned at the beginning of the thread) the same waiter who loved shellac told me this was his favorite place to eat when not eating at fancypants super-expensive restaurants. can't believe it took me this long to check out.

there looks to be some newly opened metal bar right next door too, haven't checked that out.

similar vein / neighborhood, check out La Humita - i think i like La Oaxaquena a little better, but trying a humita is a fun dining experience.

Mark Hansen wrote:

turnbullac wrote:

Mark Hansen wrote:My current favorite hot dog stand is Paradise Pup in Des Plaines. Love their dogs, and they make their own absolutely awesome Italian beef, and make their own giardinera as well.

Was paradise pup on Diners Drive-Ins and Dives?

Yes.

I went to Paradise Pup for the first time on a Saturday about a month ago. I have driven past it many times, but I had never gone there before because it closes at 5:00 p.m. and is closed on Sunday. The very next day after going there for the first time, I was watching DD&D, and the first diner was Paradise Pup. I think it was an older episode, but I'm not sure.

Every time I try to go there now, if you don't get there first thing, you wait in line for quite a while, as it is usually snaked out the door and around the building.

I used to work on Touhy in Des Plaines, and we'd hit this every once in a while for lunch. OUTSTANDING burgers. You should try the burger next time...I will disclaim slightly by adding that this was about 20 years ago...the line was ridiculous back then too.

Anyone got a line on what the best pot pie in Chicago is?

This old retired fireman that hangs out where I used to work would talk about the pot pies at the LeSabre Restaurant at Montrose & Damen. I've never been there, and that's the first time I've heard or thought about pot pies since I saw The Breakfast Club.

Pot pies are amazing, if it's on the menu it's typically what I go with. Sadly, I haven't found anything close to what I had at home as a child.

The one at Silver Cloud is decent. There's some extra ingredient, like ginger or something, that really makes it. The one at the Blue Line, not so good.

I just ate Lem's for the first time in a few months.

311 E. 75th.

They're making the best pork barbecue in the world today.

Perfectly done, perfectly to my tastes.

Very nearly made me cry.

amos wrote:Great Lake pizza in Andersonville is by far the best pizza I've had here in Chicago. I had given up on grabbing a pizza dinner until this place opened.

I'd like to find out more about this organic/all natural pizza place.

From what I read, there are only 8 seats at it's one and only table. The pizza is small and cost $22. However, this is a great pizza place? I'll give them a chance first thing when I'm back in Chicago, but it's just not adding up. More info please!!

Also, what does organic have to do with pizza? This reminds me of the time I went to a all natural Chinese place using only the "freshest organic" vegetables and no MSG. It was the worst Chinese food I've ever had.

BadComrade wrote:I once had a really nice pot pie at that Harmony Grill place next to Schuba's (that they own). 2nd time I had it, the insides tasted like someone spilled a cup of water in there. I think the waitress was trying to cover for the cook that night, though.

Hey - coincidentally, I just hopped on this thread to post about Big Jones (5347 N. Clark), which (full disclosure) is a new-ish place co-owned by my good ol' buddy Mark, and Paul who I understand was the main guy over at Harmony Grill for quite a while there...

Anybody else been to Big Jones yet? My brunch today was fantastic. I would love to recommend to you all to try the the first (and only) dish I've had there (so far): Eggs Glennadene (I knew I had to order this, as I immediately recognized that it was named for Mark's mother!)

Pan-fried eggs, grilled multigrain bread, Wisconsin Swiss, Niman Ranch ham, and Creole olive salad

Damn - I had never thought to put olive fixin's on eggs before - but I will in the future, as it was all kinds of awesome. And a Turbodog to wash it down was the icing on the cake.

So yeah, this is me kind of plugging for some friends' establishment, but in all sincerity those of you in the area and/or familiar with Paul's previous work at Harmony Grill might really want to check this place out.