Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Finds
Taste of Thai
Thai restaurants are to Chicago what Chinese restaurants are to many
other American cities: ubiquitous, affordable, and perfect for a quick
meal that offers a taste of the exotic. If you've never tried Thai,
Chicago is a great place to start. Good introductory dishes are pad thai
noodles topped with minced peanuts, or the coconut-based mild yel-
low curry.
Arun's
(p. 158) and
Erawan
(p. 135) are the city's reigning gourmet
interpreters of Thai cuisine, but many other low-key places are scat-
tered throughout the residential neighborhoods. Most entrees at
these spots don't go much beyond $10. A staple of the River North din-
ing scene is the bright and airy
Star of Siam,
11 E. Illinois St., at North
State Street (
&
312/670-0100
).
Amarit,
a few blocks off the Magnifi-
cent Mile at 1 E. Delaware Place, at State Street (
&
312/649-0500
), con-
sistently delivers top-quality noodles, curries, and Thai iced tea, even if
the decor runs toward the shabby.
Thai Classic,
3332 N. Clark St., at
Roscoe Street (
&
773/404-2000
), conveniently located between the
busy Belmont/Clark intersection and Wrigley Field, offers an excellent
all-you-can-eat buffet on weekends, if you want to try a taste of every-
thing. While wandering the Lakeview neighborhood, a good stop is
the
Bamee Noodle Shop,
3120 N. Broadway, at Wellington Street
(
&
773/281-2641
), which offers a good selection of “Noodles on
Plates” and “Noodles on Bowls,” as well as a number of soups and
fried-rice combinations.
(he apparently hung out here on swings through town in the 1960s). It's a totally
unpretentious place with a long mahogany bar up front and a modest dining
room in back with red Formica-topped tables crowded close. Of course, you
don't need anything fancy when the ribs—the fall-off-the-bone variety—come
this good. Even nonmeat eaters may be swayed if they allow themselves one bite
of the enormous slabs of tender baby back pork ribs. (Go for the zesty sauce.)
All of this means that you should prepare for a long wait on weekends. Ribs and
other entrees come with coleslaw and dark rye bread, plus your choice of baked
potato, tasty fries, and the even-better crisp onion rings. For dessert, there's a
daily cheesecake selection.
1655 N. Sedgwick St. (1 block north of North Ave.).
&
312/266-1616.
www.twinanchorsribs.com. Reserva-
tions not accepted. Main courses $9.95-$20; sandwiches $6.75-$8.75. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Thurs
5-11pm; Fri 5pm-midnight; Sat noon-midnight; Sun noon-10:30pm. Subway/El: Brown Line to Sedgwick.
7 Wrigleyville & the North Side
For restaurants listed in this section, see the map “Dining in Lincoln Park, Old Town & Wrigleyville” on p. 150.
The area surrounding Wrigley Field has a long history as a working-class neigh-
borhood. But Wrigleyville quickly gentrified as developers built new town
houses and apartments. And with that affluence has come several popular restau-
rants spanning a range of culinary offerings and prices.
