Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10
family. In fact, everything on the menu
is supersize. Most steaks ar e more than
a pound, and the full pasta dishes weigh
in at over 25 ounces. ( You can also get
half-portions, which ar e still plentiful.)
You're expected to shar e dishes, pass
things ar ound, and tr y a little bit of
everything. See p. 133.
•
Best A sian F ood:
I f y ou eat at
Big
Bowl,
6 E. Cedar S t., at R ush S treet
(
&
312/640-8888
), at the beginning
of y our visit to Chicago, I guarantee
you will make a r epeat visit befor e you
leave. The food here is addictive. From
noodle soups to pad Thai (try the tofu
and veggie version), your kids will find
tons to lo ve her e. Each child gets a
small bo wl of white rice, and cray ons
upon being seated. The restaurant bus-
tles and kids will blend right in with the
activity. Make sure to grab a handful of
individually wrapped for tune cookies
on your way out! See p. 128.
•
Best Hot Dog:
Gold Coast Dogs,
159
N. Wabash A ve. (
&
312/917-1677
).
This River North fast-food stand serves
up the authentic item, meaning a
ingredients atop delectably sweet crusts.
Lou's fan base is so enamor ed that the
restaurant has even instituted a popular
overnight mail-or der business to get
expatriate Chicagoans with a deep-dish
jones over the hump.
•
Best Fast Food:
Even though you're in
the hometown of McDonald's, our vote
goes to
foodlife
in Water Tower Place,
835 N. M ichigan A ve. (
&
312/335-
3663
), a food cour t ex emplar with
everything from Asian noodles to pizza
to smoothies. See p. 129.
•
Best B runch:
Cajun and S outhern
cooking is in store for you at
Wishbone,
1001 W. W ashington Blvd. (
&
312/
850-2663
). Primitive art, bright colors,
and a bustling cr owd make this a gr eat
place for kids. A div erse cr owd, fr om
Harpo S tudios emplo yees (O prah is
headquartered right around the corner)
to businesspeople in suits and ad agency
types, fr equent the place. F or br unch,
try the salmon cakes. See p. 122.
•
Best G irls' D ay O ut:
Can 't help but
notice those dar k r ed bags that girls
carry like badges of honor up and down
Michigan A venue? They come fr om
American G irl P lace,
835 N. M ichi-
gan Ave., on the first and second floors
of Water Tower Place Mall (
&
877/247-
5223
), which also featur es a cafe. Call
well in advance for breakfast, lunch, or
afternoon tea r eservations, or simply
take your American girl and her doll to
the stor e for a war drobe makeo ver, a
photo session, or a visit to the hair salon
(dolls can ev en hav e their ears pier ced
here!). See p. 123.
•
Best B oys' N ight O ut:
What red-
blooded American kid doesn 't lo ve
baseball? Catch a ballgame at Wrigley
Field or U.S. Cellular F ield, then head
downtown to
Harry C aray's,
33 W.
Kinzie St. (
&
312/828-0966
), one of
Chicago's most flambo yant eateries,
filled with uniforms, helmets, car ds,
and photographs. B e sure to check out
1
Vienna All-B eef F rank slather ed with
mustard, gr een r elish, chopped onion,
sliced tomato, hot peppers, and celer y
salt. Your kids might be brav e enough
to ask for and receive ketchup, but as an
adult, I wouldn't risk the disappr oving,
raised-eyebrow look you'll get from the
counter staff . You can r ound out the
meal with cheese fries, made fr om
Idaho potatoes and topped with a gen-
erous glob of Wisconsin cheddar . S ee
p. 155.
•
Best P izza:
I n the to wn wher e deep-
dish pies w ere born, Chicagoans take
their out-of-town relatives to either
The
Original G ino's East of Chicago,
633 N. Wells S t. (
&
312/943-1124;
p. 136), or
Lou M alnati's P izzeria,
439 N. Wells S t. (
&
312/828-9800;
p. 154), to taste the r eal thing: mouth-
watering slabs of pizza loaded with fresh
