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Friday, August 29, 2008
A Hefty Slab of Mutilated Flesh
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Mr Beef
If you haven't heard of Mr. Beef, I'm not sure you can claim to live in Chicago (and "I'm a vegetarian" isn't an excuse). This is one of Chicago's classic Italian beef joints, one that the city's reputation for good Italian beef was built on. You'll see that immediately just by looking at all the celebrity pictures and press clippings lining the walls. Since this River North lunch spot has been around for decades, don't expect anything fancy, just good Chicago-style food. Once you get your beef, you can pull up a stool at the counter or enjoy it in the comforts of their fine dining room, i.e. long row of picnic tables. The sandwich itself is huge and stuffed with tender beef, perfectly cooked. Mr. Beef does have all sorts of regular grilled sandwiches on their menu, but there's no real reason to order them when you already have perfection in one sandwich.
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
Ice Age
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Margie's Candies
Every good Midwesterner has a soft spot for confection-pushing, packrat grandmas. If the smell of pie crust and mothballs gives you that warm fuzzy feeling, do pay a visit to Margie's, where the interior comes complete with jukeboxes, antique dolls, and teddies that look like they barely made it out of World War I. Established in the 1920s, Margie's looks as though it hasn't changed much over the years, a fact which is eerily reflected in some of the anachronistic wait staff. You can skip the soup and tuna sandwiches, and get straight to dessert. Banana splits made with homemade ice cream and turtle sundaes rank among crowd favorites, and for the hedonistic, Guiness Book-inspired 12-year-olds out there, they’ve even got a special with a half-gallon scoops. It's open late most nights, and best of all, in the ubiquitous Grandma fashion, Margie's doles out free cones to anyone who got an "A" on their current semester's report card.
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Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Cold Comfort Trans-Fat
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The Hot Spot
Hangovers happen to all of us. A few too many tequila shots, far too many bottles of beer, and voila! Welcome to Hangover City, population: you (and your demons). Yet hangovers need not be the crippling destroyers of entire mornings. Nay, Hot Spot provides adequate artillery to combat that most heinous after-effect of "too much fun" the night before. Nestled in a small store with a motif reminiscent of an Easter basket, this small, contemporary diner serves up traditional American-style breakfasts and lunches, i.e. omelettes, reubens, salads, you get the idea. Without question the stand-outs are the steak and eggs and eggs benedict. The portions are beyond epic and one may need a pause to allow one's heart to catch up from all of the gravy, cholesterol and trans-fat goodness that's, ahem, "assimilating with your heart." The variants on the theme that is eggs benedict are traditional (uh, ham?), with skirt steak or with salmon. With a warm cup of coffee and excellent hash browns, it can almost magically quiet the most upset of stomachs, calm the most besotted of nerves and soothe the most gnawing of libation-induced headaches.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Kill It, Grill It, Eat It
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Flub A Dub Chub's
Tucked below street level underneath a psychic's parlor, this hot dog stand is a place you can walk by and never notice. However, you should make an effort to stop by because they cook up a great dog. All dogs are made from Vienna Beef, are either steamed or grilled, and loaded with the traditional Chicago-style toppings (including both cucumber and a pickle). Just don't ask for ketchup on your dog, or you could be added to the Hall of Shame poster of ketchup offenders decorating the wall. They also offer specialty hot dogs, burgers, chicken sandwiches, and vegetarian options. All sandwiches come with fries, so it's great for a cheap lunch or late night snack. To top it all off, the owners are really friendly and love to make sure you're enjoying your food. This is definitely one place that will leave you with a full belly and a big smile.
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Monday, August 25, 2008
Film Snobbery at its Finest
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Odd Obsession Movies
Did you know that there's a Turkish remake of Superman? You'd know about it if you spent some time at Odd Obsessions. This place is crazy—it's home to three birds, one really fat cat, a few employees who would love to talk to you about why Jeanne killed Paul at the end of Last Tango in Paris, and a million or so really obscure movies. My friends complain that the "movie dudes" who work here talk too much about science fiction, but they do know their shit. I mean, without them I would have never seen Charlton Heston in the unbearably terrible Solar Crisis and I wouldn't have learned that Alan Smithee is an anagram for "The Alias Men" used when directors don't want their name attached to a movie. Going to Odd Obsessions is more than picking up a movie for a Saturday night in, it's a learning experience in film esoterics (sometimes elitism too, but who doesn't need more film banter to impress their friends with?).
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Archived Radars |
Beer: English for Beer.
Beer: It may be the world's most popular alcoholic beverage but that doesn't mean you have to be democratic about it. From cask-conditioned to microbrewed, let Jill Jaracz show you a whole new world of fermented yeast.
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