With the ghouls and goblins once again sinking into the shadows, the time of the turkey is almost upon us. It’s my favorite time of year as we head into the Chicago winter because those quiet nights at home under a blanket are comfortable and familiar. Curled up with my cats, a movie, a book, or a handsome guy, nothing compares. Except maybe good food.
This is one of the best times to have brunch at North Pond in Lincoln Park. The leaves are going to be gone pretty fast, so watching them fall as you dive into a plate of their delicious pancakes is heavenly. And they have this cinnamon and pumpkin ice cream thing that is to die for.
It’s also time to eat with your hands, after, of course, you wash them first. If you’ve never been to Ethiopian Diamond, you are missing on a really fun food experience. Order a bottle of honey wine and get one of the big sampler platters. The stews come served on injeera, which is like a giant sourdough pancake. You break off pieces and use them as utensils. Not only is it fun, the food is really great, and any of your crazy veggie friends (I know no sane vegetarians) will be happy with the selections too.
Somehow I seem to forget about good Italian food far too often. I’m not sure if I’m numbed from pizza or what, but I’ve made a point of trying to have a good Italian dinner out on the town at least once a month, if not more often. Right near the gigantic Bank One building in downtown Chicago is Italian Village. You can’t miss the sign on Monroe. It’s actually three restaurants, but The Village on the second floor is my favorite. If the wait is long, the bar is kind of wild and fun to hang out in. Make sure you order one of the specials with the paired wine. And have a glass of Limoncello with dessert.
Who doesn’t like a warm fire on a cold day? There’s tons of hot fire indeed if you head out to San Soo Gab San for Korean BBQ, at the corner of Western and Berwyn. Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about this place. I love it so much that the folks from Check Please put me on their show. This is one place for which you have to be a bit adventurous, but it’s 100% worth it. Get an order of thinly sliced beef, Bul-Ko-Gi, and an order of chicken spicy, Dak-Kal-Bi, and grill it yourself over a real charcoal BBQ at your table.
Along with the meat come about a million small dishes of different veggies, various forms of tofu, a couple different styles of kimchee, and whatever else is prepared that day. If you’ve never had REAL Korean before, San Soo Gab San blows nearly every other Korean place out of the water. But be warned: the food tends to run on the spicy side, and you may be grilling at your table. So don’t bring anyone who can’t handle a kick in their food, and don’t wear anything nice because you’ll leave smelling like a campfire and cooking meat. MMMmmmm…cooking meat!
Hungry in 4/4,
Peter Mavrik
peter@windycitytimes.com