Posts Tagged ‘ Chicago ’

A Taste of Chicago in St. Louis

June 9, 2011
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Nothing says Chicago like a hot, wet Italian Beef sandwich.

Long before drive-thru’s were invented, corner shops in Chicago dished out fast, hot, hand-held meals that still resembled actual food. Chicago expats and fans of the city are familiar with the glorious trifecta: hot dogs, Italian beef and gyros. Don’t be fooled by the Sonic ads promising you a Chicago-style hotdog. Real Chicago dogs are made from Vienna Beef, also known as the blessed afterlife of cows. You can argue good cows are turned into steaks, but until you’ve waited outdoors in blistering -10 degree weather for a train that’s already ten minutes late with nothing to warm you...

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2010 Restaurant Review Roundup

December 30, 2010
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LUNCH Lunch in 30: Maryland Yards has Friendly Staff but Bland Food Lunch in 30: Guajillo Makes the Cut for Fast Casual Lunch in 30: Thai Kitchen Lunch in 30: Off the Grill Lunch in 30: Reynold’s Roadhouse Lunch in 30: Paul Mineo’s Lunch in 30: Balducci’s Winefest Lunch in 30: Banana’s Bar-B-Q Lunch in 30: Katie’s Kitchen Lunch in 30: Sugar Bowl Lunch in 30: Leona’s Lunch in 30: Dotombori Lunch in 30: Thai Square Lunch in 30: Des Plaines Pancake House DINNER Quintessential Nightlife Tries too Hard Cobblestones Has Good Options for Dietary Extremes Ryce Oriental Buffet...

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A parade of potential rooomates, part 4

December 9, 2010
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I’m genuinely amazed how many men confused a roommate ad with a very special form of prostitution where whores pay YOU! I ignored the countless emails from men who let me know that for a mere $700 a month I could do their cooking, clean up after them, and sex them up night. This one snuck past my defenses. He was up in Highland Park, a very wealthy suburb, and said that even though he could afford his own place he really preferred living with other people. Ideally, he wanted to help out a student or young professional who...

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A parade of potential roommates, part 3

December 8, 2010
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$600 all utilities included plus internet and laundry. I want to keep my girls in their childhood home. They’re good girls. I can’t afford my mortgage on my own so I need a roommate. I don’t need you to be my girls mom but I do want to show them a good example of the kind of woman to grow up to be. I want a female roommate who is respectful but has an independent spirit. Be laid back. Don’t be offended by four letter words but don’t use them in front of kids. I don’t need you to...

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November 2010 Article Roundup

December 6, 2010
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November saw my transition from Chicago to St. Louis. Most of the video content is from an ongoing cooking series I filmed with Chef Susan Maddox of Le Titi de Paris in Chicago. DES PLAINES Jimmy’s Restaurant Deeply Disappoints Lunch in 30: Katie’s Kitchen Emergency Presents: Auto Power Vac FLORISSANT ‘The Silent Truth’ Questions Murder Versus Suicide Shop Early, Pay Later Town Trivia: A Time Before English Florissant Photo Scavenger Hunt Early Bird Gets the Gift Eight Black Friday Strategies for Super Shoppers Thrifty Holiday Shopping MARYLAND HEIGHTS Audubon Society Uses Saws for a Cause Lunch in 30: Bandanna’s...

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A parade of potential roommates, part 2

November 19, 2010
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I thought of Evanston as a wealthy surburb. My first experiences there were around the gorgeous campus of Northwestern University and I’d heard plenty of people scoff about the kind of money needed to live there. I decided that while living in schmancy town might mean more expensive rent that would come with a nicer standard of living. That was a compromise I could live with. Plus, Evanston is still just barely on the Chicago train system. It looked like a city where I could drive up north for work but park my car at night and ride the...

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A parade of potential roommates, part 1

November 17, 2010
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Tis the season for people who have never met me in person to criticize me for not giving Chicago enough of a chance. Rather than get into a flame war on Facebook I’m going to address it here at plenty of length and be done with it. There is a Chicago where you park your car and ride the train to work. After a few weeks, you realize the only time you get in your car is to move it for street cleaning or snow days. You don’t need it, because your neighborhood bar is two blocks away (there...

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October 2010 Article Roundup

November 1, 2010
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DES PLAINES Annual Multi-Chamber Business Expo Adds Tasting Event Local Chef Teaches Cooking on a Budget Facebook Fears Seen as Overrated Photo Gallery: Tuesday’s Windstorm Destruction Youthful Energy Helps Design Fun Programs Lunch in 30: Sugar Bowl Lunch in 30: Leona’s Lunch in 30: Dotombori Lunch in 30: Thai Square Six Good Things: What to do in Des Plaines this Weekend Five Good Things: What to do in Des Plaines this Weekend Five Good Things: What to do in Des Plaines this Weekend Des Plaines Weekender Do You Think Des Plaines is Haunted? What’s the Scariest or Most...

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Why people live alone

September 19, 2010
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The best way to entice a lady on Craigslist - send her a photo of your bed

Dear Farouz, Thank you so much for the new photo of your bed. The pink lamps on the night table add such a feminine touch. I respect you trying a different tactic after showing off the massive mirror reflecting the bedset the first time around. I’m touched by your simple words, “Baby i got all you need right here.” You really are one of the classiest gentlemen to approach me in response to my Craigslist roommate posting. Your charms are doled out one sentence per day. I know you’re “a Single Man who needs a cool good female to...

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Commuting from 1980

September 13, 2010
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I’m working in suburban Chicago, but until I find a place to live I’m sleeping a couple hours north in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The awesome Lizz the Librarian spends so much of her workday staring into glowing rectangles that she’s chosen not to bring any home with her. It’s unnerving. I vaguely understand the theory. She’s also a minimalist who makes conscious decisions about the stuff she brings into her life. This explains why her apartment belongs on the cover of Shabby Chique magazine while mine looks like a Victorian library was forced to merge into a Planetarium Gift Shop...

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Fetid End of the Dating Pool

First Contact: Apples and Honey Edition

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It’s time for a special Rosh Hashanah edition of First Contact! Gosh. Who knew the season of atonement and repentance could be so darn...

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