Sunday, May 06, 2007

A Delicious Tag

Anonymous Blogger tagged me with a meme that is spreading through the blogosphere like wildfire, so I have to do it before all the people I want to tag are tagged by someone else.

The rules:

1. Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you.
Include the city/state and country you’re in.
Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Lulu (Chicago, Illinois, United States)
Chris (Boyne City, Michigan, United States)
AB (Cave Creek, Arizona, United States)
Johnny Yen (Chicago, Illinois, USA)

2. List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.

3. Tag 5 other people (preferably from other countries/states) and let them know they’ve been tagged.

1. Hong Kong Buffet
Okay, so it's a buffet. But it's easy to eat healthily there-- salmon, lean chicken, lots of vegetable choices. My son and I love it.

2. Jury's
Full disclosure: I work at this place. But it hasn't diminished it for me. I went in there one night over seven years ago to eat, and was so impressed I left an application. Two weeks later, I was working there.

This place was started in 1979 in Lincoln Park by Pete and Dan, two double brothers-in-law-- they're married to two sisters. They moved the place up to the Lincoln Square neighborhood right before the neighborhood got "hot." They were wise enough to buy the building.

The food is, overall, great. They don't do nouveau cuisine-- the portions are good. Particular favorites of mine: lemon-caper butter salmon; the "Summer Salad", with either blackened chicken or blackened shrimp; grilled calamari.

Before I found out I had celiac disease, I enjoyed the pasta dishes, including one with grill chicken, sun dried tomatoes and broccoli, cooked in garlic and olive oil. The Reubens are to die for, and we're known for our burgers.

The staff is friendly-- I enjoy working there. Blogger Phil is a co-worker. The staff turnover is glacial-- that's a sign that it's a good place to work. I was there for nearly five years before I was finally not "the new guy."

We have tons of regulars, many of whom we are on a name basis with. Our Alderman, Gene Schulter is a regular, and Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich used to come in all the time when he was a congressman-- his office was right down the street.

Co-owner Pete is quite the wine affionado, so we keep a nice selection. On the weekends, there are great deals on those wines-- some are half price.

3. The Lincoln Restaurant
This place has been at it's location, Lincoln Avenue and Irving Park Road, for as long as I can remember. The area around it has gentrified, but the Lincoln keeps on doing what it's doing for decades-- good food, good service at reasonable prices.

The restaurant, in keeping with it's Lincoln theme, names a lot of its dishes after Lincoln-related things-- particularly the civil war.

My favorite dish is a skillet with potatoes O'Brien, a bunch of vegetables and cheese, topped with basted eggs-- all for $6.95. They have great breakfast, lunch and dinner menues.

This is another place where there's virtually no staff turnover-- again, a good sign.

It's a favorite of my son's, too, which is ironic, because I think that he saw a ghost in the place a couple of times when he was very young (2 1/2 year old or so). I'll post about that soon.

4. Chicago Joe's
If you've ever seen Wayne's World, you've seen this restaurant-- it's one of the places Wayne and Garth pass at the beginning as Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" played. I liked the place even before it was in the movie. In particular, their Sunday brunch is a favorite. The buffet has smoked salmon, poached salmon and grilled vegetables, baked chicken and various salads-- it's a real treat.

5. Tango Sur
I've only been to this Argentinian restaurant a couple of times, but it's a sentimental favorite: Kim and I had our first date there.

It's actually really good-- we had a dish for two that's a big steak, with potatoes and a salad.

Since it's across the street from a school, they can't get a liquor license, but that's okay-- they're BYOB.

The service has always been excellent, and it seems busy all the time, always a good sign in a restaurant.


I'm tagging Kim, Bubs, Dale, Skyler's Dad and Dead Spot On The Web.

17 comments:

Andi said...

Ugg, reading everyone's answers is making me huuuungry. One "u" just didn't begin to describe the hungry.

Splotchy said...

I ate at Jury's a couple years back, perhaps I inadvertently met you!

Yay for the Lincoln restaurant. I love the whipped cream they put on their milkshakes.

One odd thing to note is that they have live comedy there (as the "Lincoln Lodge") as well. I saw Neil Hamburger and Bill Dwyer there as part of some sort of Chicago comedy festival. Also, as far as I know, they still host the College Of Complexes at the Lincoln (though I have never actually attended one of these).

Okay, I'll stop now!

Dale said...

Tasty answers. Sorry. I'll think about this a little and post on it. After I eat.

Foofa said...

I haven't been to any of those places. I'll have to try!

Nicole said...

Tell me about this tag spreading so quickly! I'm having like the hardest time trying to keep up!!! thanks for doing the meme..the places sounds great..Jury looks like a place worth visiting!

ps if you know of anyone else doing the tag please do send me a message so I can put you guys in the updated list...hope you had fun with the meme

Joe said...

Mmmmm MMMM. Tasty!

I wish I'd gotten tagged about 20 years ago, I would've had a lot more favorite restaurants. I don't go out as much as I used to. Still, I can think of a few places. I better get to work.

Barbara Bruederlin said...

This meme is just about killing me. I may just have to go stand in front of the fridge for a while.

lulu said...

The Lincoln is one of my favorite places to go when I need to grade papers. You can get a booth and spread out. The only thing I don't likee is that they charge for refills on soda.

I love this tag. Checkout nicole tan's site and see when all of the other taggies like to eat. It's nice to have dining options in Korea.

GETkristiLOVE said...

I'm going to have to check a couple of these out when I go to Chicago to visit my dad.

Johnny Yen said...

Andi-
It had the same effect on me. To make matters worse, I worked my second job (my waitering job-- I'm also a teacher) all weekend, and didn't have anything to make a lunch with. Fortunately, the custodian grabbed me some excellent chicken tacos at the little taqueria down the street, bless his heart.

Splotchy-
It's possible-- I'm six feet tall, blonde haired, and talk way too much.

I forgot to mention the Lincoln's great soft drinks (and beers) that are available in liter+ steins!

The only College of Complexes event I went to was one in which I spoke, along with Chuck Hall, a Lincoln Brigade vet. Slim Brundage, the founder, was a fascinating guy. I first heard of him and the College of Complexes when I read his obit in the Tribune back when he died, in '89 or 90. I think they still do it at the Lincoln. Wish the Dil (sic) Pickle was still around, though.

Dale-
I look forward to your answers!

Natalie-
You won't be disappointed.

If I remember correctly, you're a vegetarian. If you go to Jury's, you have lots of options: the Portabella Sandwich, the Bruschetta Sandwich (I really miss being able to eat that one!), the Bruschetta itself, and they can make the Summer salad and the caesar salad with grilled portabella.

Nicole-
I did have fun with the meme. And it is spreading fast. People love talking about their favorite restaurants almost as much as they like talking about their kids.

Bubs-
You still did pretty damned good.

Too bad the meme limited it to local places. Maybe you can post about that-- favorite places in New Orleans, Memphis, etc. of yours.

Barbara-
Of all days to do the meme, it had to be one when I didn't bring a lunch.

Lu-
Can't you get the sodas in those big liter+ tankards? I thought I'd done that before-- hangover cure-- two liters of diet Coke and one of those skillets slathered in hot sauce and ketchup.

Kristi-
If you and sv are in town, let us know-- Kim and I live a five minute walk from Jury's and would love to meet you guys there. We might even be able to muster up the troops-- Bubs, etc. and get a little blogger tippling gathering going.

SamuraiFrog said...

Oh, man, I haven't been to the Lincoln in years, and now I really need to go. I'm so hungry now!

deadspot said...

Mine's up. I decided I'm going to have to cheat and do a second post about favorite vanished eateries. The Nighthawk in Charleston is definitely going to be there.

I may have to put the Falcon at ISU, just so I can tell the story of our many hungover mornings there and our "Who Has the Filthiest Silverware?" contests.

Anonymous said...

The Rubin at Jury's has been bad the last two times I ordered it.

Anonymous said...

No visit to Chicago is complete for me without a trip to California Street (I think) for a steak burrito. Chipotle could learn a thing or two from most of those joints. $4 gets you nothing but seasoned steak, cheese, and sour cream in a fresh tortilla with a side of pickled carrots, cauliflour, and jalapenos-mmmmm! Eat one after a late night at the blues clubs, and you'll wake up hangover free (almost).

Anonymous said...

This is weird. I think I have posted a comment before but it seems to be not here.

Anyway.. as I say before, I never tried any Argentinian food before and I would really love to visit Tango Sur.

Hehehe Lincoln is a wanna visit place too.. woo... I'm drooling

Thanks for doing the tag ya :D

Dale said...

Finally managed it Johnny. I was nowhere near as descriptive as you but that doesn't mean I'm not dying for some delicious dish now.

Mark Base said...

OK, I'm sold. When's the next flight out of Scandinavia?