A new kind of post....

I have an enormous ego.  I do.  I'm OK with it, though, and am absolutely unwilling to change it.  I tried a while ago, and decided it didn't really suit me. 

I also have an altruistic side that wants to help others as often as I can.  I've burned out opportunities to help others by overextending myself on several projects, which led to neglecting my family, which is a bad thing.  So, I've swung a bit the other way now, and I try to think of family first.  I don't always succeed, but I try.

Anyway - the other day I posted a recommendation on Facebook for a new restaurant in downtown Wheaton.  I chose to dine there that evening as well.  Sure enough, when I walked in, there were 2 parties (one a family and one an individual) who were trying the place based on my advice.  Ego jokes were made, and that's fine, but I believe that I have a fairly good grasp on what is good, and what is not good, and I rarely find instances where people try something I've recommended and heard them say, "well, that sucked." 

Besides.  I'm a fucking critic. 

So.  I decided I'd do a post on some things that are local-ish as a list for myself, and for you.  Try these places if you like, forget them if you like, whatever.  This is a list of my favorite things in the area (most of which are meat/fast-ish food based - you really want to know about salads?)  Therefore, I deem these "Chicago's Best."  I don't drink - so no talk of bars here.  Try these places.  Tell me places I should try.  This is fun.  Fun goddammit. 

Best Thin Crust Pizza:  Barone's in Glen Ellyn.  The sausage with extra cheese is the one to get.  By the way.  Their website is simply bpizza.com.  Like they don't need the rest of the word.  Barone's has taken the entire letter B.  "You want any other B Pizza?  Forget it.  We're the letter B."  And they deserve it. 
 
Best Onion Rings:  Alfie's Inn (again) in Glen Ellyn.  Get a basket of these prior to your meal, and you're on your way to a great night of good ol' fashioned burger joint food.  They tried to open a second location in Oswego, right by me, but the place never took.  Still, in Glen Ellyn, good luck getting a table quickly on a Saturday night. 

Best Burger:  Portillo's double cheeseburger.  Leave it to a hot dog place to make the best burger in town.  But it is. 

Any excuse I can make to take another look at the steak
I ate at Gibsons is fine with me.  Oh my GOD!

Best Steak:  Gibsons Bar and Steakhouse's bone in ribeye.  So far. 

Best Gyros:  Mickey's Gyros & Ribs in Oak Park.  The Gyros Plate Special could kill you.  And you'd love every second of it.  Also...the Big Mickey Burger is pretty damned tasty as well.  Skip it.  Get the gyros.

Best chips/salsa:  Santa Fe in Glen Ellyn's red sauce (not the orange).  Again, Glen Ellyn makes a visit.  There is no doubt I'm a hometown boy, but also, these places have been around an eternity.  There's a reason for that.  I don't like vegetable-y salsa.  The red sauce is just that, it's a red sauce with just enough heat to let you know it's there. 

Best Fried Chicken (local chain):  Brown's Chicken.  It just tastes better.  It does.

Best Fried Chicken (not chain):  White Fence Farm.  Cliche.  So what.  Oh.  Get the corn fritters. 

Most fun restaurant:  David Burke's Primehouse - fun for the flavors, not the balloons.  Get a second mortgage and swing on over. 

Best atmosphere for a restaurant:  Signature Room at the 95th.  Hancock tower.  View of the city like you won't see anywhere else.  Not while eating, anyway.  Romantic, vibrant, and a little "Towering Inferno" - like all at the same time.



Seriously.  Those people never shut up.  Of course, neither do I.



Best place to not hear the music that you paid too much to hear:  The lawn seats on the perimeter at Ravinia.   Too much chatter, not enough speaker.  And, you are a long way away. 

Best venue for a concert (if you're a grown up):  Park West - it would be the Vic if the balcony didn't overhang so many lower bowl seats.

Best venue for a concert (if you're young enough):  Aragon Ballroom.  I'm too old to stand through a show anymore, but this place is beautiful.  And dangerous.  There's a reason for the nickname "Scare-agon Brawlroom." 

Best ballpark:  U.S. Cellular Field - since the re-do.  Not even close.  Wrigley is a dump, people.  Everything about the field is beautiful, but you could blow the rest up and that would be just fine with me.  The Cell is lovely since they added the ornamental iron in the upper deck and changed the seats from blue to green. 

Best French fries:  The Smokehouse in Wheaton.  I'm not sure they're even potatoes - but they are damned tasty, and just the right "feel."

Best off-the-beaten-path food:  Baby Back Blues in Plainfield's pulled pork sandwich with Carolina sauce.  Get the half pounder.  And use only a little sauce. 

Not an actual picture from my kayak.  You get the idea. 

Best place to blow an evening:  A Wednesday night kayak paddle out of Diversey Harbor.  Paddle all the way out to the 'cribs' and watch the fireworks display that happens at Navy Pier.  You're far enough away that (motor) boat traffic is relatively easy to handle.  Nothing like sitting with your ass below the water line in a form fitting boat trying to mess with the Odyssey. 

Best thing to do on a date:  A nighttime handsome cab ride downtown in the falling snow.  Cliche.  And for a reason. 

Best deep dish pizza:  I've got to go with Lou Malnati's.  Two words:  Butter Crust. 

Best Italian beef:  Carm's. 

Best overall restaurant:  Joe's Seafood, Prime Steak and Stone Crab.  If I'm in the city, not doing a steakhouse review, and just want to go out to dinner, this is our place. 

Best thin crust pizza that is NOT Barone's:  Danny's Pizza in Elgin.  This is a weird one.  They do something at Danny's - which is to leave air pockets in the crust - which other places don't do.  So.  You get a bubble or six in your pizza.  Try it.  Maybe you'll understand why I think it's so good. 

Best Burrito:  The steak burrito at El Faro #1 in Elgin.  The place is a dive.  It's dark, it's greasy, dirty, and smelly.  The burrito is unreal.  Just don't put it down, because it will unroll on you.

Best place to get breakfast:  Walker Bros. in Wilmette.  There is no argument here.  Don't even try.  Just get there early, 'cause otherwise, you ain't eating for a while.

Best place for a specialty food:  The popcorn at The Little Popcorn Store in Wheaton.  An institution.

Best time/place to take a kid to the movies:  First showing of any movie on a Sunday morning at Regal Cinemas 30 in Warrenville or AMC Showplace in Naperville.  They generally start around 10, NO ONE will be there, and you still have the rest of the day to do other things.

Best stretch of road to just "drive":  For my money - Rte. 31 between South Elgin and St. Charles.  Because of development, it's not as good as it used to be, but it's still a lovely stretch of road. 

Not an actual picture of Randall Road.  We don't have
Texaco.  Close, though.

Best place to be exposed to "urban sprawl":  Randall Road.  Drive on it long enough, and you'll just be repeating what you've already seen before.  Plus - you can drive on the west side of it from Main Street in Batavia all the way to Kaneville Rd. in Geneva without ever leaving parking lots, except to cross a couple major roads. 

Best food item from a place I can't remember:  There's a place on the northwest side (?) that makes marzipan.  I don't know what it's called, but it's famous.  And the marzipan is spectacular.

Best donut-y style food:  The sugar twists at the Flour Barrel Bakery in Glen Ellyn.  Tell me you don't want another one immediately after finishing the first. 

Best place to stuff yourself silly and not regret a moment of it:  Morton's.  You can't leave hungry.  They won't let you. 

Most overrated food item:  Al's Italian Beef. 

Best Hot Dog:  Superdawg.  Cliche.  Biggest dog, best flavor.  It's the best.  Don't get me wrong, I loves me some Vienna Sausage, but Superdawg has its own recipe.  Also - I've heard nothing but great about Hot Doug's.  I haven't been there.  Yet.  Also, I should not comment here.  I like my hot dogs decidedly naked. 

Best venue to see a performing arts show that my wife insists be included in this blog:  The McAninch Arts Center, College of DuPage.  Call there.  Ask for Amy.  Tell her I sent you.

So there you are.  That's my list.  Try these places/things and tell me I'm wrong about any of them.  Seriously.  I'd like to be proven wrong.