Got in town yesterday for a wedding that is happening this weekend and I've never been here before.

Which Harold's is really the shit?

Any blues I should def check out?

Something cool going on I should go to?

I'm taking whatever suggestions you got

I got a transit pass and I'm ready to roam

Is a good area to explore and wander around. It's like a mashup of South Street and Northern Liberties.

Santullo's is okay for slices. Emporium Barcade is right down the street. I like that they have the old school Donkey Kong.

Authentaco is right around the corner, good Mexican food. They make their tortillas onsite. Dusty Groove is also over there for the music heads and crate diggers.

Gibson's steakhouse is dope, and the deserts are off the chain. The Rush Street area is also cool to wander around.

Giordano's is the obligatory tourist pizza spot, but Lou Malnati's is better to me. The one on Rush Street is pretty tight.

North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach are both cool for walking around. I think the Air & Water Show is this weekend. Fighter jets flying around. Sorta boring to me.

Pearl's Place on the South Side got the soul food game on lock. The sweet potato pie is ridiculous. MacArthur's is okay for soul food. I think Pearl's is a bit better.

Smoque is the big spot for bbq. There's another place called Rub's Backcountry that is dope, but kinda far. Still dope barbecue.

There's a bar and cheesesteak spot called Monti's. The husband and wife team are real Philadelphians. They are real cool, but their prices are high as a kite. It's also in an out of the way neighborhood.

there are at least 3 maybe 4 locations - most of them near the Red Line.

The one on Belmont Ave is okay.

But the one on Sheridan and the one in Greektown are awful. They should be ashamed to call that swill 'cheesesteaks'.

i haven't bothered w/Monti's b/c it's too inconvenient and i'm not pressed to have a more 'authentic' cheesesteak than PB's.

It's the worst deep-dish pizza in the city, but Black Chicagoans can't stop recommending it. I'm convinced that people who've actually had real Chicago deep-dish and still hate it have probably only had Giordano's.

it's fine for Chicago-style pizza.

plus it's 'authentic'...b/c actual Chicagoans eat there. LOL. so if one wants to have an 'authentic' Chicago experience one can get it eating @ Giordano's. LOL

other fine spots for Chicago-style pizza:

Pizzeria Due (Uno is also fine but is usually more crowded possibly b/c many ppl don't understand they're the same place)

Lou Malnati's (snobs say it's the best Chicago-style pizza in the city and i tend to agree)

Gino's East (snobs clutch the pearls and decry this joint as a tourist trap. whatever - it's Chicago-style pizza and there's nothing wrong w/being a tourist)

on some 'insider' shit (*eyes roll*) i'm partial to JB Alberto's in Rogers Park. but it's not worth a special trip. the other joints i listed are all centrally-located and/or have multiple locations in the area. they'll do.

When I first moved there, I tried Giordano's and declared that I didn't fuck with deep-dish. Tried it again, and wrote deep-dish off. It took another whole year before I tried deep-dish again, and I enjoyed it from EVERYWHERE but Giordanos.

b/c Chicagoans tend to dig it.

i have had better Chicago-style pizza and it's not my first choice pizza joint but i don't turn it down when offered. it gets the job done.

Let's turn that down....It is overrated, yes....But trash?

FOH....lol

You're right, Black Chicago definitely recommends Giordano's more often than not because...

1. It's a franchise.
2. The restaurants are actually on the south side. They'll probably also recommend Italian Fiesta, Beggars and Connies.

But based on your reply, I just don't think you like Chicago style pizza, which is fine too.

to come...and was higher than Fat Charles ass

my cohort wasn't feeling it at all

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"Sometimes I contemplate moving to a warmer place, then the lake and skyline give me a warm embrace" © Common

Anti-gentrification, cheap alcohol & trying to look pretty in our twilight posting years (c) Big Reg


Get 25% off www.karmaloop.com w/ rep code JR9103 |
Nike, G-Star, Herschel, Adidas (Men's & Women's clothing)

Art of Pizza is dope, too.

if you're not attending you may wanna avoid the lakefront from Navy Pier to Montrose - walking, jogging, biking or driving. b/c it'll be packed w/about 1 million ppl or so.

Everything tasted better there than at the three or four other ones I tried.

I would also recommend trying Ricobene's breaded steak sandwich.

It got called the "best sandwich in the world":

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/03/ricobenes-chicago-best-sandwich-in-the-world-breaded-steak

I dunno about all that, but it's definitely good.

I also highly recommend Analogue for brunch:

http://www.analoguechicago.com

Their fried chicken sliders are amazing.






Shit, now I wanna go back there. Thank goodness for Frontier and there >$100 round trip specials.

just find a hot dog stand. they're all over the city.

i dunno if you're familiar - Chicago-style hot dogs have odd toppings that work somehow. it'll come w/tomato, pickle, onion, relish, mustard, sport peppers and celery salt. you can have them put ketchup on it and snobs will faint. whatever - it's your hot dog. do what you will.

for real though - the hot dog joints are all over. most of them also serve Italian beef sandwiches - i'm not a fan but Chicagoans swear by them. i'd have one dipped (they dip the whole sandwich in au jus). maybe you won't. (and yes, the cheesesteak is the superior sandwich by far) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_beef

Cafe Boriquen or anywhere else that sells them.

Are Saturday and Sunday.

and go to the beach

If you got time, hit me

inbox

If so, where's a good spot?

I'm staying by O'Hare Saturday night and in Hyde Park Sun-Tue

this ain't Ibiza.

I don't know,
I'm asking the Chicago faithful myself

With peppers and onions and stuff

it's fine entertainment if one enjoys seeing Black women being exploited for money by hurling insults at drunk white ppl who get off on being able to hurl insults back at them. yay. the food itself isn't worth the trip. it's not bad but the food isn't what makes the place notable - it's that entertainment.

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"Sometimes I contemplate moving to a warmer place, then the lake and skyline give me a warm embrace" © Common

Jim's is a walk up window. No seating.

Jimmy's is in the heart of the hood/barrio, but I like that. And it's right down the street from a bomb ass burrito spot called Birria Heuntitan. Dope burritos.

Western & Milwaukee (I think).
Old time ice cream shop.
Very small, but you get a lot of ice cream for the money.

And I'm going to suggest Portillo's only because it's been YEARS since I've had some, and I miss it. Burgers, hot dogs, polish, fries, etc.

and intense! i took my parents there for ice cream and we weren't prepared for the amount we were served. we loved it. lol

I think that was his name.
Dude turned me on to this pizza spot on the north side.
CHANGED MY LIFE! Chicago style and it was amazing.
I'm saying north of Fullerton (that's all I know ha ha).
And they delivered.

I'm online looking for it now cause I'm going to be home soon.

EDIT: FOUND IT!

ART OF PIZZA!
http://artofpizzainc.com/

THIS spot and Lou Malnati's are the best in Chicago.

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"Sometimes I contemplate moving to a warmer place, then the lake and skyline give me a warm embrace" © Common

Events this weekend: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/EventSearch?id=landing&narrowByDate=This%20Weekend


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sometimes I contemplate moving to a warmer place, then the lake and skyline give me a warm embrace" © Common

http://www.anorangemoon.com/

Most definitely out of my price range, but I'd love to see what they have (and how they've styled it) all the same.
Their apartment was featured on Apartment therapy not too long ago and it made me gag. Très Dope.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ty-and-lynnes-soulful-midcentury-chicago-studio-house-tour-215546

https://www.facebook.com/events/1393859640941603/

Anti-gentrification, cheap alcohol & trying to look pretty in our twilight posting years (c) Big Reg


Get 25% off www.karmaloop.com w/ rep code JR9103 |
Nike, G-Star, Herschel, Adidas (Men's & Women's clothing)

it would be greatly appreciated

D'Angelo and The Roots are performing.

D

Saw that Lenny Kravitz is performing tonight
Add-2 release party Saturday

Btw...on the music side
If anyone has a suggestion of someone spinning a good house set somewhere
That would be great

http://www.deephousepage.com/

Forums then Chicago Parties

That's a start.

It's Labor Day Weekend tho...you gonna have to try real real hard to fuck up.

Also....names to check on Facebook

Sean Haley
Sean Alvarez
Sean Owens
Sadar Bahar
Fathom DJ
Duane Powell

Those are a few that always have events going on...all spin dope shit.

Alvarez is spinning at the Promontory tonight with Tone B Nimble 9pm to 2am...that's going to be dope as shit

D

I ran across that event tonight and had it as a possible
Good to know it's official

Also found this joint that I put on file
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-imzK9WkNpcQ/VeVEFWSYkeI/AAAAAAAAGq8/6get-jw3sJE/s1600/11895295_10153007995116121_6493153236884901117_o.jpg

Sucks that Robert Glasper is sold out tomorrow