Sweet Willie

Been to PI more than a few times. Good food, however I think they are moving down in quality. Not raising prices might be nice on the pocketbook, but does not say much for maintaining higher quality ingrediants or improving/changing an item. I really enjoy Pita Town, located at 9001 N. Milwaukee Ave (just north of Dempster), Phone: 847.965.7202.

Not splitting hairs at all, that is one of the approaches I used when I used to sell a brand of kosher dog against Vienna. While the fact that Vienna is not true kosher, but "Kosher-Style" does not make a difference to me, as the Vienna dog is a great dog. Elsewhere in the country being aware of Kosher-Style vrs Kosher is very important as other Kosher-style brands are not the quality that Vienna is.

My wife and I are deli nuts, we LOVE deli food. So much so that we blew off reservations at a supposedly good Portuguese seafood restaurant Ferreira Café to eat a Chez Schwartz’s one evening. While one probably can’t explain smoked meat, I’ll try. Think a not very peppered pastrami w/a slight corned beef brine flavor. There, simple as I’ll make it. Oh, the cut of beef is the brisket. We dined at two of Montreal’s most famous smoked meat restaurants. First was Schwartz’s, a tiny (6 table and a counter) diner. Schwartz’s consisted of old sweaty men serving and slicing Montreal’s deli gold, smoked meat. Nothing fancy, ancient counters. We sat down at the counter and ordered. One is give a plate w/vinegar cole slaw and a pickle. Slaw was good, pickle could have been crisper. I order a sandwich; I’m asked fat or lean. Fat of course because fat is where the flavor is. Wife orders a combo smoked chicken and lean smoked meat plate. We both order cherry colas to wash down the food. The fat meat is cut from the deckle or lifter or (myriad of other names for the flap of meat above the brisket), yes it was fatty, but what good flavor and the fat kept it moist. A most enjoyable sandwich. I noticed that as my wife was eating the smoked chicken sandwich first, the lean smoked meat became dry. I did not think the lean had near as much flavor as the fat meat did. Smoked chicken was ok, but nothing special. Fries were good and greasy. Thank God we walked almost everywhere. A couple days later we had Ben’s for lunch. The location we went to is a much larger operation than Schwartz’s but still stuck in the 50’s in term of decoration. Waiters wear white shirts w/black bow ties. Ben’s meat had much more of a corned beef flavor to it and was not a peppery as Schwartz’s. The bite of Ben’s smoked meat was very mushy as well. While a good sandwich, I definitely give the nod to Schwartz’s. Best smoked meat (according to the Montreal Mirror) 1. Schwartz's (3895 St-Laurent, 842-4813) 2. Dunn's (892 Ste-Catherine W., 866-4377) 3. Ben's (990 de Maisonneuve W., 844-1000) 4. Nickels (various locations) 5. Main (3864 St-Laurent, 843-8126) Some other Montreal smoked meat places that were not mentioned but that I read about or saw: Wilensky’s, Snowdon, Rubens, Lesters.

concerned me as well, I'm just the messenger in this case.

I did see them, but the casing was cellophane (sp)????!!??? Do they make hot dogs w/natural casing?

Montreal Bagels, best in the world that I know. These bagels beat anything I’ve had in the states anywhere (yes NYC that includes you). I did a side by side taste test w/both plain and sesame bagels from two of Montreal’s famous bagel bakeries, St. Viateur and Fairmount. All bagels were purchased w/in 5 minutes of each other, all were still warm from getting out of the oven. Hands down the winner was St. Viateur. The St. Viateur bagel was more dense and chewy, had a more rich wood fire flavor to it. The sesame bagel from St. Viateur was an epiphany for me, that good! Fairmount should not hang their head, their bagel is head and shoulders above anything in the US. According to the Montreal Mirror, the best bagels in Montreal are: 1. St. Viateur (263 St-Viateur W., 276-8044) 2. Fairmount (74 Fairmount W., 272 0667) 3. REAL Bagel (4940 Queen Mary, 737-8841; 6160 Côte St-Luc, 484-3323) 4. Dad's Bagels (5732 Sherbrooke W., 487-2454) 5. Yagel Bagel (Décarie Square, 738-4231; 2075 St-Louis, 748-9016; 6579 Somerled, 489-5250)

I’m sorry to say that I did not try any Poutine as well while in Montreal. What is poutine? best as I can tell it consists of a plate of fries, cheddar cheese or cheddar curds and gravy. I do like to try a dish that is “local” which I think I’m safe in saying that poutine is a “local” Québécois dish. Best poutine (according to the Montreal Mirror) 1. La Belle Province (various locations) 2. Lafleur (various locations) 3. McDonalds (various locations) 4. Green Spot (3041 Notre-Dame W., 932-2340), Burger King (various locations), Valentine (various locations) (tie) 5. Tie: Mondo Fritz (3899 St-Laurent, 281-6521); Shed Café (3515 St-Laurent, 842-0220) Honourable mentions: Rapido, Chez Claudette, New System, Décarie Hot Dog, Patati Patata.

Caribe's beach is nothing special, really. If I had to choose between the two you mentioned, I would choose Rio Mar. Why? While not as close to Roosevelt as El Conquistador, it is close enough, plus as mentioned above, staying at the Rio Mar allows decent/easy access to El Yunque (rainforest), Luquillo Beach (wonderful, just don't go on weekends when it is PACKED w/people), pretty close to San Juan and its restaurants/sights. El Conquistador is not worth the $ IMO.

Agree with the first statement about the Hilton Beach, but not the second, as have enjoyed swimming/the beaches at the Marriott & El San Juan. To give more info on places to stay, I really need more info, are you looking for a large mega brand (Marriott, Hilton) type stay, B&B, Beach, etc. etc. etc. Being a foodie and having been all over Puerto Rico, I thought I would post my notes on dining. In Old San Juan: Chef Marisoll, 202 Calle de Cristo. Contemporary. I had a curried chicken w/papaya and cilantro YUM! Amadeus, Calle San Sebastian 106. Caribbean, but w/a gourmet twist. Just next door to Amadeus is El Patio de Sam. A busy, but fun place for drinks. I would not recommend the food. It is across from the Church de San Jose where there are usually some festive happenings, which are fun to take in after dinner (at Amadeus!). One of our favorite restaurants is newcomer The Parrott Club at 363 Fortaleza. Very, very, very good PR and Caribbean food. Also live music at night. Very lively atmoshpere. Brunch: IMO, hands down it is the sunday brunch at the Caribe Hilton. What a spread! In Condado Area: Los Faisanes, Avenida Magdelena 1108. International. Being lovers of great pheasant (Faisanes) dishes, Los Faisanes always has at least two on the menu. Never disappoints. Ramiro's, Avenida Magdelena 1106. International/Spanish. While the service is great, we've never been bowled over by the food at Ramiro's. Although most others we've talked to have. Just a personal opinion I guess. Chayote, Avenida Miramar 603 (Olimpo Hotel). Puerto Rican/Seafood. Always very good!!! Compostela, Avenida Codado 106. Spanish. We like Compostela over Ramiro's anyday!!! Urdin, Avenida Magdelena 1105. Seafood/PR. Had a divine dish of Halibut w/a chutney of raisins and bananas over it. AJILI MOJILI, Calle Joffre 6. If you want to try Puerto Rican food as the Moms of Puerto Rico cooked it, try this restaurant!!!! WE ALWAYS EAT HERE, EVERY TIME IN PR!!!! Very fun and good value. Anything w/the Ajili Mojili sauce (a very garlicky chili salsa) is awesome. In Isla Verde: While we have stayed at the El San Juan, we have never really enjoyed the food or thought it was a good value, seeing the tremendous other restaurants in San Juan. So I can't recommend anything here......EXCEPT!!! goto the open air rooftop bar at the ESJ, get a magarita and have guacamole made tableside. Very yummy and great views. In El Yunque/Luquillo Beach: I highly recommend driving to El Yunque Park. It is the only rainforest in the US park service. Great hiking. Afterwards wash yourself off in the ocean at Luquillo Beach, just don't go on weekends when it will be packed!!!! The good eats are the various bungalows along the beach (not in the beach park, but down from the beach area) you'll see when driving twoards the beach park. The various grilled meats and empanadas go great w/the cold Medalla beer. In Ponce: The only restaurant we've eaten is La Hacienda/La Cava de la Hacienda which is located in the Ponce Hilton. Good International cuisine, but pricy. a better bet is to drive 20 minutes West to the following: In Guanica: One of our favorite places to stay (and eat) on the south side of the Island is the Copamarina Beach Resort whose Ballena's restaurant is very good. Service is slow here, but the food is well worth it. In Rincon: Rincon is 8 miles north of Mayaguez on the West side of PR. The Horned Dorset Primavera Hotel. This is THE best hotel in PR for couples (no kids under 12 allowed). It also has one of the most beautiful and delicious dining rooms in all of PR. Well worth the drive and $$. La Paguera: La Paguera is located on the SW side of PR. If you should find yourself there on a dark night. Make sure to do two things. Eat at the Parador Villa Parguerra, which serves seafood in a traditional PR manner. the fresh fish is ALWAYS pleasing. After dinner, find the local boats that take you to Phosphorescent Bay. Once there, the tiny bioluminescent organisms in the water light up when disturbed by the swimmers. A very amazing sight and real fun being on the water at night.

Great price for a great property in San Juan. Being a foodie and having been all over Puerto Rico, I thought I would post my notes on dining. In Old San Juan: Chef Marisoll, 202 Calle de Cristo. Contemporary. I had a curried chicken w/papaya and cilantro YUM! Amadeus, Calle San Sebastian 106. Caribbean, but w/a gourmet twist. Just next door to Amadeus is El Patio de Sam. A busy, but fun place for drinks. I would not recommend the food. It is across from the Church de San Jose where there are usually some festive happenings, which are fun to take in after dinner (at Amadeus!). One of our favorite restaurants is newcomer The Parrott Club at 363 Fortaleza. Very, very, very good PR and Caribbean food. Also live music at night. Very lively atmoshpere. Brunch: IMO, hands down it is the sunday brunch at the Caribe Hilton. What a spread! In Condado Area: Los Faisanes, Avenida Magdelena 1108. International. Being lovers of great pheasant (Faisanes) dishes, Los Faisanes always has at least two on the menu. Never disappoints. Ramiro's, Avenida Magdelena 1106. International/Spanish. While the service is great, we've never been bowled over by the food at Ramiro's. Although most others we've talked to have. Just a personal opinion I guess. Chayote, Avenida Miramar 603 (Olimpo Hotel). Puerto Rican/Seafood. Always very good!!! Compostela, Avenida Codado 106. Spanish. We like Compostela over Ramiro's anyday!!! Urdin, Avenida Magdelena 1105. Seafood/PR. Had a divine dish of Halibut w/a chutney of raisins and bananas over it. AJILI MOJILI, Calle Joffre 6. If you want to try Puerto Rican food as the Moms of Puerto Rico cooked it, try this restaurant!!!! WE ALWAYS EAT HERE, EVERY TIME IN PR!!!! Very fun and good value. Anything w/the Ajili Mojili sauce (a very garlicky chili salsa) is awesome. In Isla Verde: While we have stayed at the El San Juan, we have never really enjoyed the food or thought it was a good value, seeing the tremendous other restaurants in San Juan. So I can't recommend anything here......EXCEPT!!! goto the open air rooftop bar at the ESJ, get a magarita and have guacamole made tableside. Very yummy and great views. In El Yunque/Luquillo Beach: I highly recommend driving to El Yunque Park. It is the only rainforest in the US park service. Great hiking. Afterwards wash yourself off in the ocean at Luquillo Beach, just don't go on weekends when it will be packed!!!! The good eats are the various bungalows along the beach (not in the beach park, but down from the beach area) you'll see when driving twoards the beach park. The various grilled meats and empanadas go great w/the cold Medalla beer. In Ponce: The only restaurant we've eaten is La Hacienda/La Cava de la Hacienda which is located in the Ponce Hilton. Good International cuisine, but pricy. a better bet is to drive 20 minutes West to the following: In Guanica: One of our favorite places to stay (and eat) on the south side of the Island is the Copamarina Beach Resort whose Ballena's restaurant is very good. Service is slow here, but the food is well worth it. In Rincon: Rincon is 8 miles north of Mayaguez on the West side of PR. The Horned Dorset Primavera Hotel. This is THE best hotel in PR for couples (no kids under 12 allowed). It also has one of the most beautiful and delicious dining rooms in all of PR. Well worth the drive and $$. La Paguera: La Paguera is located on the SW side of PR. If you should find yourself there on a dark night. Make sure to do two things. Eat at the Parador Villa Parguerra, which serves seafood in a traditional PR manner. the fresh fish is ALWAYS pleasing. After dinner, find the local boats that take you to Phosphorescent Bay. Once there, the tiny bioluminescent organisms in the water light up when disturbed by the swimmers. A very amazing sight and real fun being on the water at night.

Manny’s for sure: http://www.mannysdeli.com/ Manny’s still looks like it is from the 40’s with trays that you grab and run along cafeteria style in front of your choices. The plate lunches are very good (fond of the lamb shank and smelts), but I usually head to the middle of the counter to grab a corned beef on rye. Don’t worry, it is perfectly acceptable to take your tray and bypass those waiting for their plate lunches if getting a sandwich. I just had the oxtails over kasha, incredible. This is a special on Thursdays. Kaufman’s is good, not great. Kaufman’s Bagel and Deli 4905 Dempster, Skokie (847) 677-9880 Everyday 7am-8pm Tony’s in Edison Park for muffalettas for sure. My new favorite corned beef and pastrami is from the following: I decided to stop at the Romanian Kosher Sausage Company on North Clark as well. I've passed by numerous times, but this time was in the mood for some good corned beef to take home for lunch on Saturday. First it was a friday afternoon, lots of Jews shopping before Shabbat, very busy, a rabbi was behind me in checkout w/his own purchases. I asked for a lb of corned beef, as an old woman behind the counter was slicing my order I asked if it the corned beef was prepared here. "of course, everything here is ours!" good I said, just asking. "a man last week took fifty 1lb packages of our corned beef w/him...back to New York" I said that is a good sign. She was not kidding, this stuff was incredible and I don't think that it was because I have not had corned beef in awhile. I'm looking forward to the turkey breast pastrami made from real turkey breast. I also purchased a couple veal chops for the grill. Had the turkey pastrami and veal chops over the weekend. Grilled the veal chops w/a little balsamic vinegar, garlic mashed redskin potatoes and a salad of green leaf/romaine w/wasabi dressing (from True World Market). YUM I really like the turkey pastrami, wife thought too much seasoning. bought some Romanian Pastrami last Friday. Had a sandwich of it this weekend. The Romanian Pastarmi does not have as much pepper as traditional pastrami but has a HUGE garlic kick, it was sooo good. Romanian Kosher Sausage Co. 7200 N. Clark Chicago, IL 60626 Phone: (773) 761-4141 Hours: Sun. 8 a.m.-3 p.m.; Mon.-Wed. 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thur. 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Closed Shabbat.

Agreed! Johnnie’s Beef 7500 W. North Ave, Elmwood Park 708-452-6000 AND there is a Johnnie's opening up on Golf Road in Arlington Hts soon.

You do now, I love Lou's but really don't like many others. Lou's crust is buttery, crispy and has a hint of cornmeal. The sauce is chunky and tart. Sausage covers the whole pie. Again, I love it. On a side note, sausage is only popular as a pizza topping in the near Chicago regional area. Everywhere else in the US, pepperoni is the #1 topping. I do not like most of the other deep dish pizza joints though.