mark922

I have loved Gene & Georgetti's since I was a little pisher and my grandfather took me there. You really can't go wrong there. I am also a fan of Chicago Chop House, but I think G&G has better atmosphere (read: martinis). On the other hand, I'm going to dinner tonight with a group from out of town and they picked the Chop House. I'll report back in the morning. Yeah, yeah, I know...Tim's come and gone. I just like talking about meat.

Chris, Why wouldn't the clam roll be a proper sandwich? Of course, it fits the bill!

Okay, I'm a few years late to the party, but if you like the Doner, I would recommend you try the shawarma at Phoenician Deli on Westheimer jet past Wilcrest. OH, and the best barbecue beef is at Luling City Market on Richmond. Of course, vote for the world's best sandwich has to be the Italian beef, dipped, with hot and sweet peppers at Mr. Beefon Orleans in Chicago.

Steve, You have lousy timing (or I have lousy timing). My son and my wife have both been sick for the last ten days, and I have been working extra hours. It's been 10 days since we last went shopping, and the shelves are pretty bare. ButI'll follow aong on the klatsch and share some ideas for what to do with ingredients as questions and comments come up. Mark

So many sandwich places these days forget the importance of a really good pickle. Indeed, many don't even give you a pickle any more unless you ask.

I've been to Paco's Tacos (43rd and Archer) many times over the years and while I definitely like it, it doesn't hold a candle to Nuevo Leon. It's not bad, but not really in the same league. And they're pretty different types of places. Paco's is a taqueria. NL is a restaurant. For the onions-and-cilantro-only taqueria treatment, I definitely prefer La Pasadita, which has 2 locations, across the street from each other, on Ashland Avenue. Paco's Tacos 4311 S. Archer Ave. Chicago, IL 60608 (773) 247-1613 La Pasadita 1142 N Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60622 (773) 227-2203 La Pasadita 1141 N Ashland Ave Chicago, IL 60622 (773) 278-0384 Tio Luis 3856 S Archer Ave Chicago, IL 60632 (773) 843-0098 Taco Bell various locations throughout Chicagoland =R= ← There are numerous El Famous Burrito locations both throughout the city and in the suburbs, and it's my favorite little Mexican dive chain. They offer two sizes of burrito, incase you don't feel the need to eat something bigger than your head, and the tacos are great. You can get you choice of onion and cilantro or lettuce, cheese, and tomato for most varieties of taco.

That's it. I'd forgotten about Vogue Drapery. No, not Bennisons. I think it was a German bakery, but I can't remember the name. Meiers? Maybe that was the name. The location's definitely the right one. Has it gone out of business altogether? I remember Blind Faith, and although I'm sure there are plenty of good bakeries amongst those mentioned here, I can't think any of them do a bread pudding like the one I used to get at the place on Main street. I've never been able to find or replicate anything close to it. [edited to clarify stuff....] ← I remember a Davidson's bakery in Evanston, but it's been forever since I've been up that way.

1. Wild Tuna in Naperville. The best sushi in the Chicago area. 2. Heaven on Seven. The original one on Wabash. 3. Manny's. 1/2 pastrami 1/2 corned beef, matzo ball soup, extra pickle. 4. Volare on St. Clair at Grand. Try the gnocchi or the osso buco. 5. Carlos' in Highwood.

I was there Thursday night, and all I can say is "wow." I have been to what I thought were fairly authentic Chinese places before that claimed to be Szechuan, but what I had here was a whole new level. The dumplings with roasted chili soy were incredible. The depth of flavor in the roasted chili made me seriously contemplate a second order. I also tried the Dan Dan noodles. I will shudder henceforth at the mention of P.F. Chang, the only other place I had ever ordered this dish. I feel like what I imagine someone who had been fed fish sticks all his life might experience after his first taste of braised black cod. My last dish was the prawns stir-fried with asparagus, diced pork, and chili. It was sublime. The shrimp were huge, plentiful, and not even slightly overcooked. The asparagus was not something I had encountered in Chinese cuisine before, but it stood up better that I would have guessed against the fiery onslaught of the chili-garlic sauce. I can't wait for my next trip to New York.

Is Sage still open? Also, are there any other updates?

True, true - the Malnati's used to attend the church that I used to attend. We would, needless to say, have their pies a LOT after church. It is a "fresher" (home-made?) approach to pizza than most of their competitors'. A good pie, surely, but not my favorite in Chicago. ← I had a Malnati's half sausage/half pepperoni last night. When I go to Valhalla, I want my war canoe filled with Malnati's pies to see me on my voyage.

Yes, there's lots of good stuff. This is not your father's Grand Rapids. The Green Well Naya Restaurant Bloom (Chowhound thread) Marie Catrib's (local GR web site) Bistro Bella Vita Tuscan Express (restaurant.com info) San Chez and Mezze Leo's Zeytin (Turkish food -- Chowhound thread) The Heritage at GRCC is closed next week, otherwise I'd highly recommend it. There also are various Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, etc., restaurants. Where will you be staying? Will you have a car? I'll be glad to provide more specific info and/or personal opinions and recommendations. Just ask... ← Thanks, Alex. You've given me a lot to choose from. I'm going to be at either the Amway Grand or the JW Marriott. I will have a car. I would be very interested in a good Vietnamese restaurant.

Rosen Bakeries, a local bakery, supplies most Chicago area dog joints with their buns, as well as selling a mighty fine rye to the delis in town. They offer a wide range of products to the consumer market as well.

Now my Italian sucks, but even I can read that it says sfincione is Siclian pizza. I also think you've misconstrued a few things I said, but the original post is there for people to read so I won't rehash it. In any event, how would you define pizza? It seems to me that the only definition that would say that deep-fried double-crust pizza is "not very far removed at all" from pizza, but that one should be mystified by labeling a thick-crust pie with a lot of tomato sauce and cheese as pizza -- that this could only make sense to an American -- is a closed-loop definition that runs "pizza is whatever is made in Italy and called pizza, and nothing else." Then again, even that definition doesn't really work, given that sources like Gambero Rosso are taking a much more ecumenical view of pizza: Well, I probably wouldn't say Chicago-style pizza is light (I'm not calling it deep dish, because it's not always baked in a pan). But I still maintain that it's an affectation to say "why do you call this pizza" -- that those who take a harder line than Gambero Ross doth protest to much -- and that Italians are not actually mystified by Italian-American pizza variants. Some may not like them, some may want to protect the term pizza in various nationalistic ways, but their brains are advanced human reasoning organs and they can easily see why Americans call these products pizza. ← With all due respect, you and Kinsey have managed to find a pizza debate that is even more tiresome than "sausage or pepperoni?" In Chicago, the only real question is "deep-dish, stuffed, or thin crust?" All have their adherents and, to be universalist about it, there is no one right answer. Each one is pizza, just as surely as a sub, hoagie, hero, wedge, bomber, and po-boy are all sammiches. For me, the sould of the pie is found at Lou Malnati's. The crust is thicker than New York style, the cheese sits atop it to keep the juice from the tomatoes (for God's sake, not sauce, just tomatoes) soaking in, and you choice of topping, sprinkled lovingly with oregano, parmesan, and maybe just a touch of sugar to soften the tang of the tomato. Just shut up and eat the pie.

Is there anything to eat in Grand Rapids that doesn't come from a chain? I am not being snarky. I am going to be in town for several days starting next week and I have never been.

Is there anything to eat in Grand Rapids that doesn't come from a chain? I am not being snarky. I am going to be in town for several days starting next week and I have never been.

Is there anything to eat in Grand Rapids that doesn't come from a chain? I am not being snarky. I am going to be in town for several days starting next week and I have never been.

Sorry. I kept getting a Server errror message.

I am pleased to say I thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Vancouver. In particular, the dim sum at Imperial was a delight. The seafood tower at Blue Water in Yaletown was incredibly fresh and offered an impressivee variety. My clients and I had a genuine feast. I also had a great meal at Azia. The variety of different cuisines offered a chance to take a culinary trip through Asian cuisine, with each region's flavors offered up authentically and exquisitely prepared. The one place I found to be a bit uninspired was So.cial. The oysters were a bit milky, and our main courses were prepared competently, but seemed to lack inspiration. I do give them credit for propducing a very good charcuterie plate, though. Thank you, Vancouver. I hope to return soon.