Chicago Dining

One of the things I hate is going to a city only to be taken to a tourist, or worse yet, chain dining establishment. In what I believe to be a true sacrifice (especially if they become too busy for me to eat there anymore), I offer up my very favorite Chicago eateries.

Quick Tips:

If it is a Friday or Saturday night, you may want to make reservations if unwilling to wait for your dinner. Definitely make reservations for major holidays.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around Chicago is by driving your Vespa. Okay, just kidding. In all seriousness, take public transportation. Bus route and el route maps direct from your location to your desired location complete with travel time may be obtained at www.yourcta.com click on Trip Planner at the right upper hand under Travel Information.

During the summer, you can walk through the window and into a heavenly meal. Specializing in crepes (thus the name), this establishment, run by the French guy who lives upstairs with his somewhat shy dog, looks like a hole in the wall, but don't be fooled. The smoking section is located in the front, but walk past the kitchen for the non-smoking section and, if you're lucky, the garden. You can't go wrong with ANYTHING you eat here, but please don't pass up the Shrimp Bisque if it happens to be the soup of the day (and trust me, you want it to be). Go hungry - it is wrong, very wrong, not to have room for a dessert crepe. Keep in mind that both dinner and dessert crepes will cover your plate. Top recommendations:
Dinner Crepes - broccoli and cheese for vegetarians, seafood or coq au vin for carnivores
Dessert Crepes - creme anglaise Directions: From downtown on public transportation, take the no. 36 Broadway Bus to Diversy. La Creperie is just north of Diversy across from the Century Mall (a good place to watch indie/foreign language films).

Anna Maria's (located just south of Irving Park on Broadway across from the BP station) will soon be moving to the corner of Clark and Montross. My husband and I have decided that Anna Maria makes the closest thing to the food we actually ate in Italy. They serve an excellent Chianti (available by the glass) and Chianti-Sangiovese blend (available by the bottle only). I've never been disappointed by the specials (presented in handwritten form on an index card) or by the Rigatoni Al Forno. My husband regularly gets the Shrimp Diablo. The desserts are excellent. The waitors are very friendly and knowledgeable, recommendations are always well-made. Directions: Currently from downtown take either the Red Line (El) north (train will say Howard) to the Sheridan stop. Turn left coming out of the station and walk towards Irving Park (next road). Turn right on Irving Park and walk approximately two blocks to Broadway. Turn right on Broadway after crossing street. Anna Maria is on your left. Alternatively, take either the #145, #135, #136, or #148 bus to the corner of Irving Park and Clarendon. Walk one small block to Broadway (going away from the direction the bus came). Turn left onto Broadway without crossing the street.

This is a Middle Eastern/Persian eatery that serves a huge amount of food for your buck. When you walk into an ethnic eatery and see individuals of that ethnicity present in proliferation, you're usually in for the real thing. Thus is the case with Noon O Kabab. When they list rice as coming with it, they mean "we're going to give you a huge plate of rice as big as your entree". I enjoy the vegetarian eggplant plate but they are known for their kabobs (thus the name). Definitely order the dill rice and remember that they will do a half order of dill rice and regular rice together. The fresh feta and hummus is excellent. Directions: This restaurant is located just south of the Kedzie stop of the brown line.

As food courts go, you can't beat Food Life, located in Watertower Place. Take the escalators up from the ground floor from the Michigan Avenue entrance. Now go to the escalators to the left and go down a floor. Welcome to the Food Court to end all food courts. Grab a Food Life Card and go to any of the individual stations (Asian, wraps, Mexican, salad bar, soup bar, desert bar, Italian, etc.) and you never have to worry about settling for what your friend wants to eat again. Expensive as a food court goes, you get actual food instead of typical fast-food fare. If you're in the mood for a nicer sit-down meal of typical American fare, try the Mighty Nice Grill in the back of the food court.

While they do have a menu with food on it (which is perfectly acceptable), the real reason to go to Zephyr is for the ice-cream sundaes. Just ignore the rest of that menu and go directly to the back page. Sundaes all have their own names. It won't say on the menu, but there is a small sundae (two LARGE scoops of ice cream with same toppings as it's big brother). You can also request that the standard vanilla ice cream be exchanged for pistachio, strawberry, chocolate, or butter pecan. Be prepared for a wait in summer. Directions: From downtown take #145 Wilson bus northbound. Exit bus at Ravenswood stop and you will be right across the street.

Okay, here's the skinny: you can go to the tourist Heaven on Seven at 600 N. Michigan, or you can eat at the one all the locals are eating at. In the Garland Building on Wabash in the East Loop, you will find the original location of Heaven on Seven, which actually isn't the original name but refers to the heavenly Cajun-style meal that awaits you on the seventh floor. I believe the original name, still on the door, is something unobtrusive like Garland Coffee Shop. If you're into hot sauce, here is the place to find it in almost any form you can imagine. And when they tell you a sauce is hot, they do mean it.

Here's the catch: you can't eat here for dinner except for the first and third Friday of every month, and they aren't open on Sundays.

Mon-Fri 8:30am-5pm
Sat 10am-3pm
IT IS BUSY DURING LUNCH and YOU WILL WAIT IN THE HALL FOR A SEAT. Don't let this disturb you, as you will be well rewarded for your efforts.