I was in chicago for ACUI 2011 and stayed after for a few days. Here’s my brief review of the restaurants I visited.
Burrito Beach – Basically a variation on the Qdoba/Chipotle/Moe’s family. Burrito was pretty enjoyable and they had a special with free guac and chips for a foursquare checkin. Win!
Pizzeria Due – Chicago style deep dish pizza place. However, upon arrival, I realized that this is just a 2nd location of Pizzeria Uno. I wouldn’t have had a problem with this necessarily, except that Pizzeria Uno is a chain that I can visit in NC. On top of that, I learned that apparently the place to go for Chicago style pizza is not Pizzeria Uno but Giordano’s. So why were we here? That being said, the pizza and dessert was pretty ho hum. Maybe you should follow those folks recommendations and go to Giordano’s. Pass on this joint.
Weber Grill – overpriced, average food. Great place to hang out with a fun crowd but not a place that I would go if I was looking to enjoy my dinner. We had salad, entree and dessert and I wouldn’t say that any of them were much to write home about.
Grand Lux Cafe – I actually liked my dinner here, but I wish that I had done the desserts. They advertise this restaurant as “something for everyone” and that’s essentially the problem. The desserts are made to order and thus must be ordered about 30 minutes ahead of time. This alone sounds intriguing, but I was so full that I didn’t go for it. Should have.
Epic Burger – tiny burger joint, but fantastic. High recommend, but not a lot to say about it.
Signature Room – in the Hancock Center. We just went here for drinks but the food sounded pretty good. I’d recommend going up here if you’re interested in the view and not being rushed through.
Yolk – kinda expensive, but one hell of a breakfast. I think we went here every day after the conference was over. I didn’t have anything that wasn’t excellent. I highly recommend the corn beef hash as well as the strawberry orange juice.
Kim and Carlos Hot Dog Stand – this was just a hot dog stand, but I’ve got to comment on the actual hot dog. I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to eat a normal hot dog again after having a chicago style dog. Wow. Just wow. Make your own.
Siam Rice – We basically stumbled on this place accidentally. It’s a beautiful restaurant inside the Loop, kind of hidden from view. I had the Basil Chicken and basically inhaled it along with some jasmine tea. I think everything looked good though and I can’t say there would have been any misses on the menu. Worth checking out if you’re in the area.
Pint – crappy food and expensive beers. I know you can do better than this, Wicker Park. You should be ashamed of yourself.
La Fonda Del Gusto – truly strange dining experience. I spent my entire dinner staring at the picture of a cockfight (see below) on the wall of the restaurant. That being said, the salsa verde that they brought to the table (bam!) was great as was the Tacos al Pastor that I had for dinner. Worth stopping here for dinner in Wicker Park.
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