I'm so excited about our upcoming plans! Please use this post to submit your favorite Chicago lunch spots. If we're ambitious and focused, we should be able to hit two spots per day on Friday and Saturday, and possibly one on Sunday. (thoughts on this?)
Ms. LaChoi will develop an online survey for everyone to vote on their favorites, with the top five represented at this year's first ever What's For Lunch conference!
This post can also serve as the General Conference Discussion Clearinghouse.
Happy Lunching!
34 comments:
Any Chicago lunch list must include Potbelly, but we may have to make an executive decision on wether or not it is worth a visit since it has gone national.
Dipso what is that fantastic lunch spot where they carve the sandwiches in front of you?
THE BERGHOFF!!
Gourmet Pantry/Picnic in Millennium Park.
Berghoff seconded.
Hot Dougs, obviously.
Billy Goat.
Definitely the Berghoff. And although it is not a lunch place per se, a trip to Garrett's for the carmel and cheese corn mix has to be included.
Wait, they mix cheese AND caramel? Ew. Why would anyone do that?
My only request is that we do Hot Doug's on a day when we can get the duck fat fries, and that we have a burrito seminar. With extra sour cream.
Burittos can be had after or during one of the heavy drinking seminars.
Harold's
Gold Coast Dogs
Pizza somewhere
Ok, I'm done.
ethics, I felt the same exact way until I tried it, and now I am hooked. Hooked, I tell you. The perfect mix of sweet and salty. You have to at least try it.
I second Harold's.
Penny's Noodles.
Well, I'll try anything once. But cheese corn is so good; and caramel corn is so good. I just can't be sure about them together. Like, do they mix them after they've been cheese-ified and carmelized or do they dump cheese and caramel over the whole lot?
Oh, and on the Potbelly issue - I don't know the answer to this, but if Potbelly in Chicago is substantially different than Potbelly 1/2 block from my office then we should go; if not, I say skip it.
But what about this Jimmy John's that you all speak of?
Gold Coast dogs may cover it, but we need to make doubly sure that the dog place chosen has cheddarburgers and really obnoxious cheese fries as well. Is Weiner Circle more appropriate?
And we also need a place with Italian beef/combos and the eggplant parm sandwich. Ricobene's keeps popping in my head, but it's been a while since I was a Chicagoan.
I guess we have to have some deep dish but I could live without it. I know CSR loves Pequod's.
I'd be okay with skipping Potbelly, but the non-DC/Chicago folk may take offense. Jimmy John's is great but is another that is widespread across the Midwest. Jade I may fight you on Penny's...
You don't like Penny's? I love the Lad Nar with beef.
As far as Pizza, Chicago always gets the press for deep dish, but it is my experience that it is strictly for the tourists, and I personally don't care for it.
Weiner's Circle is after the bars, not for lunch.
The chese and carmel corns are mixed after, and it is fantastic. I want some right now.
Portillo's for the combo's.
csr, I'm not sure where you get your ideas. I feel that many half truths and lies of ommission have been propagated among you Michiganders.
And, I'll take this moment to mention that this blog is supposed to be Semi-Anonymous. (I'm looking right at you, csr)
Pequods! I was going to say that, but I wanted it to come from someone else. It's not exactly the real traditional "chicago-style" that you think about. The carmelized cheese! Oh my.
I've kind of sworn off of Jimmy Johns. I met Jimmy John once. He was the brother-in-law of the owner of the Texas Star Fajita Bar. I waited on him, actually. He was an a-hole to me, big time. I don't know where to weigh in on the Potbelly's matter.
Ol' Northside Dipso used to do Penny's all the time. Ever have Penny's crunchy pad thai? Your jaw hurts for days. I'm going to stop short of seconding it, but I wouldn't take it off the board.
Did I just flip flop?
Will this affect our plans?
Chicago Smoking Ban Ok'd
csr, I got nuthin' but A game.
Does anyone know if I can get Jimmy John's in Pittsburgh? If so, I'll check it out when I'm home.
Hot Doug's, of course. Murphy's on Belmont & Racine does a good dog too. Never been a big fan of Gold Coast. Weiner Circle is only for late night dining and cursing.
La Pasadita for burritos. Part of the fun is figuring out which one has the sour cream. There's three tiny La Pasadita restaurants on the same block just south of Division on Ashland, one on the east side of the street and two on the west side (labelled La Pasadita #1, #2, and #3 respectively). They each have their own quirks (and quirky cooks) and I can never remember which one has the sour cream. Usually because I'm shitfaced when I go there (surprise).
Here's a trifecta for you, which should be followed by a nap:
Start at Potbelly's on Clybourn & Webster and split a sandwich with someone. This is your appetizer. Then head next door to Flounders for the french dip with garlic fries. Now go two doors down to Pequod's and finish off your lunch with some thin crust (which is pretty damn tasty if you're not a fan of the pan).
Somebody keep a defibrillator handy.
Are there other WFL'ers that smoke besides Jo and I?
Rico and Dipso will be joining us outside, and by the end of the night I'm sure we will have recruited a few more of the reformed smokers...(I'm looking at you CSR).
And yet, I did sign the ban petition and wrote to my alderperson in support.
flip
Am I reading the article wrong, Jo - does it not say they have 2.5 years to comply? Is it really going to affect us in the Spring? (by us, I mean all of you - but I am a strong supporter of smoking, even though I don't do it myself)
And, didn't the DC Council just approve a ban here? I heard the mayor bitching about it this morning.
"The ban takes effect Jan. 16. Smoking is allowed in freestanding bars and taverns, and within 15 feet of any restaurant bar, until July 1, 2008. A tavern is defined as an establishment that earns at least 65 percent of its revenues from liquor sales."
This is Chicago. Any tavern that doesn't earn at least 65% of sales from booze will still find a way around the law.
The whole air purification thing is also just begging to be fucked with.
A bar down the street from me just went non-smoking. Doesn't seem to have had any effect on their business.
2 1/2 years means they will start banning it tomorrow!!! Smokers will riot in the streets! Thank God I'm just a casual social smoker. Jade and Rico might burn a car or something circa MSU in the '90s.
DC's big concern with the ban is that it's taken years to get people to come back to the city for their recreation, and now, they're going to ban smoking, with the fear that it will drive people back out to the burbs.
I have to say, if it didn't hurt business in Dublin, I think everyone will be okay. But, while I like the fact that I can be out all night and go to work in the morning and not have to worry about my odiferous hair, I am fundamentally against these kinds of bans. They make me want to smoke.
Of course, I'll be headed to Richmond this weekend - which is still very Tobacco oriented. Last time I was there, we were eating at a place that was the size of my living room, and everyone was smoking (with one hand) and eating (with the other). Being desperately hungover, even the smokers were a wee bit nauseous. We ate our ham and eggs and got the hell out.
I know it's only December, and this could be my excitement getting the better of me, but, I'm wondering if we shouldn't choose a date sooner, rather than later. I don't know about everyone else, but my schedule fills up at an alarmingly fast rate, so the sooner I can get this on the books, the better.
Are we thinking April/May? Is it warm by then?
ok, i'm summarizing the list of food places so far:
1. berghoff
2. gourmet pantry/picnic in millennium park
3. hot dougs
4. billy goat
5. harold's
6. gold coast dogs
7. weiners circle
8. murphy's
9. garrett's (caramel & cheese popcorn only)
10. penny's noodles
11. jimmy john's
12. potbelly
13. pequod's
14. la pasadita
15. flounders
this is gonna be tough, but a good survey shall be made of this, believe you me.
It just seems remiss to me to have a list of places to eat in Chicago without having one of the big steak houses on the list. How can you experience Chicago dining without a big old piece of meat? [Insert your own dirty joke.] My personal favorite is The Chicago Chophouse. I know it is indulgent for a lunch choice, but I just can't not mention it.
How late do you work, ethics? Please tell me you weren't at the office until 10:30.
I see no reason not to indulge in midwestern beef while in the midwest. There's always dinner to consider.
I was at work late last night, but by 10:30 I was home. My 16 hour days are over for the year.
Instead, I'm sitting on my ass on my couch on a Thursday watching mtv.
I'd like to add that LaChoi and I were discussing having a full on lunch survey along w/ this Chicago lunch venue survey.
Any and all survey question suggestions are welcome!
1. berghoff
2. gourmet pantry/picnic in millennium park
3. hot dougs
4. billy goat
5. harold's
6. gold coast dogs
7. weiners circle
8. murphy's
9. garrett's (caramel & cheese popcorn only)
10. penny's noodles
11. jimmy john's
12. potbelly
13. pequod's
14. la pasadita
15. flounders
16. chicago chophouse
1. berghoff
2. gourmet pantry/picnic in millennium park
3. hot dougs
4. billy goat
5. harold's
6. gold coast dogs
7. weiners circle
8. murphy's
9. garrett's (caramel & cheese popcorn only)
10. penny's noodles
11. jimmy john's
12. potbelly
13. pequod's
14. la pasadita
15. flounders
16. chicago chophouse
17. nick's pit stop
and the list keeps on growing...
1. berghoff
2. gourmet pantry/picnic in millennium park
3. hot dougs
4. billy goat
5. harold's
6. gold coast dogs
7. weiners circle
8. murphy's
9. garrett's (caramel & cheese popcorn only)
10. penny's noodles
11. jimmy john's
12. potbelly
13. pequod's
14. la pasadita
15. flounders
16. chicago chophouse
17. nick's pit stop
18. fat willy's rib shack
1. berghoff
2. gourmet pantry/picnic in millennium park
3. hot dougs
4. billy goat
5. harold's
6. gold coast dogs
7. weiners circle
8. murphy's
9. garrett's (caramel & cheese popcorn only)
10. penny's noodles
11. jimmy john's
12. potbelly
13. pequod's
14. la pasadita
15. flounders
16. chicago chophouse
17. nick's pit stop
18. fat willy's rib shack
19. big horse lounge (for massive burrito consumption
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