like last week's post, there is much discussion and debate about who
serves chicagoland's best italian beef. well, these cousin's grew up on
al's italian beef on taylor street and we agree with al that it is #1!
more...
there's a reason al's has been around since 1938. order the combo.
unlike mcdonald's, a combo doesn't mean the sandwich comes with fries
and a coke. at al's a combo is italian beef AND italian sausage on one
roll. don't forget to super-size ("big" in al's speak). we prefer the
hot peppers but both hot and sweet are great additions. complete
awesomeness! you can't go wrong with them separately either. don't
forget to "lean" when eating as theses sandwiches are juicy!
while anytime is a great time to go to al's, summer is especially good
as mario's italian lemonade stand is across the street and open from may
to september (since 1954). a cool, refreshing slightly sour lemon ice
(other flavors and treats too) is a great way to finish any meal!
Al's Beef
1079 West Taylor, Chicago
1079 West Taylor, Chicago
tell us what you think - original jim's or express grill?!
1250 South Union, Chicago
1021 West Armitage, Chicago
814 West Randolph, Chicago
did you know that hawaiians consume more spam per capita than any other state in the country? while we aren't adding this canned, precooked meat product to our diets, try the musubi simply for its uniqueness. aloha is known for its traditional hawaiian "plate lunches" like the chicken katsu, a boneless, skinless filet breaded in panko, fried and served with a sweet and tangy dipping sauce. (splurge on the white meat for an extra 45¢.) we had the katsu combo, which came with thinly sliced bbq beef in addition to the chicken. (we'll be going back for more of that beef!) then there's the loco moco, two hamburger patties, two eggs and brown gravy. did we enjoy our meal? absolutely. did we eat enough for four people? as usual, yes, but lito's empanadas is less than half a block north and they serve choco-banana and apple cinnamon empanadas for dessert. no words, the pictures say it all. stay tuned for their savory empanadas and clark street, part four!
Lito's Empanadas
2566 North Clark, Chicago
we tried many things on our visit as the food just kept coming (thank
you david, PJ & sol)! from a spicy cheese dip with chips to chicken
wings to onion rings to salad (yes, a salad) to chicken sandwich to
burgers. serious burgers. "the warden" stuffed with cheddar and topped
with fried leeks, shallots and truffle oil; "the fat elvis" topped with
bacon, bananas and peanut butter (really and it's good!); and the
"flight risk" of three mini burgers - buffalo, portobello and bbq. wow,
almost had another coronary just writing this! all worth trying.
western avenue has some great food going on so check this place out if
you are in the 'hood.
1024 North Western, Chicago
some
"friers" (as our followers are affectionately known) have asked when we
plan to visit any of chicago's growing number of food trucks. well,
hopefully this post will satisfy their and your mobile food fetish
needs! more...
last weekend, the institute for justice hosted "my streets, my eats - a
mobile food symposium & meet up" at the university of chicago. the
event invited panelists, aspiring food truck owners and passionate
foodies to discuss the mobile food industry, its history and the laws
preventing chicago from having as vibrant a street food scene as New
York, Austin or Los Angeles. after a morning of panels, everyone
gathered in the parking lot where more than a dozen food trucks served
up lunch. while the panels were fascinating, we know what our followers
want, so on with the food (truck) porn!
links to food trucks at the meet up:
also, please check out these people and organizations working to promote the mobile food industry: the street vendor project; association vendedores ambulantes; heather shouse.
it isn't chicago-style and it isn't the best pizza you've ever had.
what it is, though, is a really good slice, served up by nice people,
at a great price. we also had the new york roll (basically a calzone)
with pepperoni, sausage and mozzarella baked in dough with a side of
marinara. mighty tasty and filling! more from this culinary-endowed
stretch of clark street to come...
(note from the cousins: we expected this post to cover more than just
cafe luigi. unfortunately for you, but fortunately for us, as we rolled
ourselves from the pizza and calzone, we just couldn't do another
shoot. more next week as the clark street saga continues.)
2548 North Clark, Chicago
korean bbq tacos - sesame-chili shrimp in particular. korean ribeye
steak "banh mi" sandwich with pickled daikon and carrots. kimchi fries
with pork belly and melted cheese. the interior is unassuming but the
food is over-the-top delicious. more from this culinary-endowed stretch
of clark street to come...
2568 North Clark, Chicago
"phil's special" (as this sandwich(?) is so innocuously named) is the creation of chicago fat phil. "always charred never steamed" is their motto and phil and his partner dave from lockdown bar & grill are serving up some of the best char food in town! char dogs, char polish, char burgers and char-grilled salami sandwiches. a single burger not enough? ok, order the "double fatso!" did we mention the fried shrimp po' boy? how about the two-pound fatso's po' boy challenge? this cousin just drooled on his keyboard.
2258 West Chicago, Chicago
website
queso fundido, guacamole, braised pork belly taco, beer battered talapia
taco, etc. etc. etc. we love this place year-round, but stay tuned for
our summer post to see why we'll be downing many a michelada on damen
this summer. la mas fina!
1531 North Damen, Chicago
we loved the chilaquiles. we loved the breakfast sandwich. we loved
the bacon and waffles. we loved the pumpkin muffin. i think you know
where we are headed. we loved this place! open space, nice and bright,
friendly service, plenty of room to park your stroller (if you have
one) and great food. what more do you want!?
3120 North Lincoln, Chicago
the menu has enough seafood selections to eat three squares and not
repeat. enough cereal choices to do the same (check out the cereal
wall!). clam chowder to die for, a lobster roll that's the real deal
and dessert that will have you wanting someone to roll you to your car.
go to this place and go again. the cousins only had a quick lunch but
will be returning for dinner and brunch.
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE IMAGES...
1820 West Montrose, Chicago
website
CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE IMAGES...
1820 West Montrose, Chicago
website
you will notice from some of the pictures that our table is a mess. the food came out so fast and was so good that we never quite got our act together to take "pretty" pictures. we had chips & guacamole, appetizer of chalupas, tacos, two specialty cemitas (atomica alone is worth the trip), mexican coca-cola and flan. we will return and try some other menu items, at least that is the goal as there's no guarantee the atomica won't pull us back in (update: we did return, and it did!).
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3619 West North Avenue, Chicago
website
the menu is enormous but we ordered the house specialty, beijing (think
peking) duck. you must call in advance to order and it is worth every
penny. they carve the duck table-side, serve it with bao, plum sauce,
carrots and scallions, make duck fried rice from smaller pieces of meat,
make duck soup from the carcass and finish with fruit sorbet and
fortune cookies. this dinner easily feeds 4 people (or two hungry
cousins) and we can't wait to return with more people so we can try
other dishes.
5039 North Broadway, Chicago
we had brunch items - pork hash (still dreaming about it), breakfast
poutine (kind of a canadian version of fries & gravy with a poached
egg), grilled cheese with tomato soup and even a salad (at least it had a
poached egg, cheese and bacon)! this owner and chef know what they are
doing!
1039 North Western Avenue, Chicago
the bbq smell first hits you in the parking lot and it only gets better from there. ribs (st. louis & babyback), pulled pork or chicken, beef brisket tacos...this place has the goods. if you are lucky, pork belly pastrami won't be sold-out when you visit because it is as incredible as it looks. traditional sides are good but make sure you save room for a chocolate chip cookie or two or three (only $1 each). simply awesome...view.eat.enjoy.
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we love great food. we love great photography. hopefully you, our reader, will find that we take great photos of great food!
