Monday, July 26, 2010

Chi Town and the Food, Baby! The Food!

I had to include this picture. I HAD been riding a bike, and I HAD been wearing a ball cap, and it WAS 94 degrees and 85% humidity.  I didn't care. I know I look awful, but this is how I felt about everything we ate.  Yes, I realize it's ice cream with hot fudge.  Yes, I really did eat it. (And licked Brad's hot fudge cup clean as well, I might add.) But people! It was Haagen Dazs.  It was "cookie dough explosion."  It was vacation.  (And it was regretted almost as quickly as it was ingested. Ask Brad about that.)

When we lived in Chicago from 1992-95, we were poooooor students.  We never ate out.  Ever.  I vowed to rectify that this trip.  Boy, did we ever.

Chicago is famous for its pizza, and I highly recommend trying it.  Edwardo's in Hyde Park had supremo bruschetta (which I am going to attempt to replicate this week) and their thin-crust pizza was excellent.  Giordano's had good bruschetta and their stuffed spinach pizza has the world's best crust.  I'm drooling just thinking about that pie . . .

We found a few cafes along the way where we had turkey burgers and crusted salmon (Sweetwater on Michigan Avenue--best burger I've ever had, seriously), and grilled cheese and fried parmesan/potato chips (at Artist's Cafe also on Michigan--also on my replicate list--add two different cheeses, a slice of tomato and sprinkle with fresh basil--yum!).  Ben Pao downtown just north of the river had Chinese food that . . . I just can't describe to do it justice--wide rice noodles, homemade soy sauce, fresh plum sauce, and steamed gyoza (filled dumplings otherwise known as potstickers when they're fried).

I'm not a big foodie--I eat to live.  But I wish I'd had a few more days to expand my horizons just a bit.  If you're ever in Chicagoland, these are my picks.


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15 comments:

  1. Food seems to make a trip more interesting. What fun for you to go back and remember all that happened in the big city. I will never forget when we took that taxi for a block and a half because the wind in the Windy City was more than we could handle on that October day. What fun memories you must have had.

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  2. Once in a while it's so much fun to let loose and try lots of different things, get ideas, throw caution to the wind.....
    It looks like you had a grand time!

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  3. If you need a good recipe for bruschetta, try the one at www.rookie-cookie.com, (check her index to find it). We love it! My husband will seriously eat that and nothing else for a meal.

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  4. We had so much fun the few times we were in Chicago.
    Now if we could just do it without the kids!!!:)
    Enjoy the day

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  5. Ah, all this talk of food makes me miss the large variety of food we can find back in the States. I think you've pretty much sealed the deal on getting me to visit Chicago now. Maybe when E is older...

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  6. The most AMAZING part of this post for me is: Eat to live? Not a foodie?

    I WANT TO BE NOT A BIG FOODIE!!!

    (And popping in from Kristen's blog :)

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  7. Yum... and every sense you add to the memory cements it even firmer into your mind! Sounds so fun!

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  8. I am so jealous! My husband purchased us a trip to Chicago for our anniversary! We were scheduled to leave this coming Friday, but as sometimes happens, life got in the way and forced us to cancel this time. This post makes me want to go so badly! Glad y'all had fun and the food has my mouth watering!!!

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  9. Dave is from Chicago, and we lived there the first three years of our married life. They have the best food ever! Well, except for San Francisco.

    ;)

    PS. Looks like a great time!

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  10. I should have had a snack before I popped by. You are so my kind of lady. I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. Sorry you felt regret after the Haagen Daaz.
    We are off to Quebec for our summer trip and I can't wait to discover all the little french cafes and such.
    I need to go have lunch now....
    Dana

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  11. Well, I was hungry before I read -now I'm just plain STARVING! I've been to Chicago, but not for many years. I do remember the food was phenomenal. There are so many good places to eat in this country -just not enough time...

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  12. I had to read that sentence several times.....not a big foodie. I wish I was NOT a big foodie...but I am a HUGE one! Anyway, glad you're enjoying your time in Chicago! See Oprah?

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  13. GREAT photo Jen!! And the only ice cream I can eat with hot fudge...coffee. Boy would I love one of those right about now. :)

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  14. I was stranded in Chicago once due to a freak snowstorm. We didn't really take time to try the local cuisine.

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  15. haagen-dazs schmagen-dazs. get yourself some blue bell. read about it here: http://www.smartassdirect.com/2010/04/n-is-for-neopolitan.html.

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