Illustration: David Heo
MADE IN CHICAGO: FOOD & DRINK
Best riff on Mediterranean cuisine other than Chicago-style pizza
Flaming Saganaki
Yeah, the Italians invented pizza; but thanks to the name, everyone knows who’s responsible for the beloved plate-load of excess known as Chicago-style pizza. Similarly, while the Greeks gave the world fried cheese (usually haloumi), it took a Chicagoan—Chris Liakouras of The Parthenon restaurant in Greektown—to add a dash of brandy and a whoosh of theatricality, with a spurt of flame and a cry of “Opa!” More than half-a-century later, Chicago’s role in unleashing this flambéed favorite remains largely unknown, because no one thought to dub it Chicago-style saganaki. (Robert Rodi)
Best contribution to the barbecue arts
The Weber Kettle
It may be a legacy of our days as “Hog Butcher for the World,” but Chicago-style barbecue lives even after the Chicago stockyards are long gone—squaring right up against other BBQ capitals like Memphis and Kansas City. But Chicago gave the grilling arts something those cities never did: the iconic twenty-two-inch Weber kettle, invented in 1952 by George Stephen Sr. and still the industry leader. (Robert Rodi)
Best food stand to get three signature Chicago foods
Jim’s Original
The hot dog is a signature Chicago food, and you can get that at Jim’s Original, but you can also get two other Chicago original foods: the Maxwell Street Polish and the Pork Chop Sandwich. The Maxwell Street Polish originated at Jim’s when it was located at the Maxwell Street Market, starting in the 1930s, and it’s a hefty garlicky sausage, set in a bun, loaded with griddled onions, mustard and optional sport peppers. The Pork Chop Sandwich is a whole bone-in chop, with the same toppings as the Polish, to be eaten by gripping the bone through the bun and gingerly eating around it to avoid potential dental damage. (David Hammond)
1250 S. Union, jimsoriginal.com
Best Chicago-born condiment for perking up a boring sandwich
Giardiniera
Giardiniera is an all-purpose Italian-American condiment, made of peppers, celery and other vegetables, like Italian sottaceti, but with olive oil instead of vinegar. You get a good dose of giardiniera if you order your Italian beef hot, and Chicagoans put this spicy condiment on everything, including pizza, eggs, turkey sandwiches, you know, everything. Caputo’s Market & Deli (2400 N. Harlem) in Elmwood Park has an excellent selection, but at some smaller Italian grocery stores like Serrelli’s Food Market, 6454 W. North, you can pick up house brands, which reveal new ways to prepare this classic. (David Hammond)
Best Chicago-born Puerto Rican sandwich
The Jibarito
As a non-native Chicagoan, I had eaten steak sandwiches and dined on plantains, but when I stepped into a Cuban restaurant and saw the jibarito for the first time, my mind was blown. Such a simple substitution, yet so satisfying. I thought that this was Cuban genius, but I was told it came from Costa Rican cuisine. But this treat of thin, char-grilled steak and garlicky mayo, tomatoes and lettuce between crispy planks of smashed and fried plantains came to prominence in Humboldt Park in 1996, at a Puerto Rican place, Borinquen Restaurant. To delicious hometown ingenuity! (Lauren Knight)
Best homegrown awards show
The Jean Banchet Awards
Award shows: You love them or you hate them. And award shows can be a slog, even for the nominees. The Jean Banchet Awards, Chicago’s homegrown food and restaurant celebration, acknowledges this and takes its own approach. Led in the last few years by Michael Muser of Grace (and soon, Ever) fame, their show has become an essential party for the local industry, full of fun, inside jokes and playful roasting, but never lacking the foundation of respect that underpins the Chicago restaurant community. (Lauren Knight)
FOOD & DRINK
Best place to bring your out-of-town relatives who just want to eat deep dish pizza
Giordano’s
Take them to Giordano’s. Any Giordano’s. Their pizza is the most palatable to people who haven’t eaten deep dish before or are a fan of a particular flavor. Giordano’s crust is the most buttery, their cheese the most stringy in a good way and their sauce is just sweet enough to suit most palates. But don’t forget to warn your out-of-towners that the deep dish pizzas take a while in the oven. It’s not Domino’s. (Amanda Finn)
Best place to bring your in-town friends who want anything but deep dish pizza
Dog Haus Biergarten
Vegan and vegetarian options? Check. Decent happy hour specials? Check. Fun atmosphere with room for groups? Check. Over-the-top specialties worth many return trips? Triple check. Dog Haus Biergarten in Lincoln Park brings Chicago-style hot dogs to a new level. Not only do they have tasty meat substitutes, but they use sweet King’s Hawaiian rolls for their dogs and hamburgers. I didn’t know my hot dogs were missing the savory deliciousness of King’s Hawaiian all these years. Hot dogs will never be the same, especially if you try the Cowboy. (Amanda Finn)
2464 N. Lincoln, 773.935.3647, lincolnpark.doghaus.com
Best contemporary take on the Swedish bakery
Lost Larson
Everything at Lost Larson looks exactly right: cool and refined, but you want to sit and stay a while. The shop has the kind of decorum that will keep you from—understandably—wanting to press your face against the glass display case and feast on pastries, cookies, cakes and bread, all of which make you consider how much is a reasonable amount to spend on all these confections. Everything about the Andersonville bakery and cafe is modern, but woven through with unmistakable Scandinavian roots. If you’ve ever fantasized about running off to Denmark or Sweden, Lost Larson just might tide you over for a moment. (Jenny Dally)
5318 N. Clark, 773.944.0587, lostlarson.com
Best “secret” home food pop-up
Matt’s Veal Parm
Matt’s Veal Parm is one of our foodie city’s best secret foods, or as secret as you can be with a website and social media channels. The hyped veal pops up at his Wicker “Parm” apartment on occasional Saturdays. Sign up, buzz your way in and walk three flights to enter a friendly community oozing and smelling of veal-and-eggplant sandwich love. Place your order, grab a beer (donations accepted or BYO), sit on the couch, look at his records, books and Knicks memorabilia before Matt’s neighbors dig into simply and perfectly prepared fried cutlet sandwiches—with cheese, sauce, extra sauce if you please—exhale and smile. (Bart Lazar)
Mattsvealparm.com
Best artisan-inspired donut spot
Smack Dab
They’re vegan. They’re homemade. They’re never the same. Donuts at Smack Dab in Rogers Park are not only as savory as they are sweet, but they’re also harbingers of good fortune throughout the year. Did you know that SmackDab donates proceeds to charitable organizations? They recently donated five percent of weekend sales of vegan and vegetarian options to protecting the Amazon. Even not-so-daring eaters enjoy Smack Dab donuts. While two of the three flavors rotate daily, “cinny shug” (cinnamon sugar) is always there if you aren’t feeling the fruity concoctions of the day. Personal favorite? Coldbrew or chocolate donut. (Amanda Finn)
6730 N. Clark, 872.241.9111, smackdabchicago.com
Best new restaurant that was a pop-up
Superkhana
As Bombay Breakdown, chefs Yoshi Yamada and Zeeshan Shah spent years preparing “Indian-ish food that’s not typical in Indian restaurants across the US… or in India” at atypical times, places and events. Crazy hybrid stuff, like psychedelic grilled cheese and Saag paneer Naan with Wisconsin beer curds. Thanks to the collaborative and supportive contingent of the Chicago food community, Jason Hammel of Lula came into the picture. It took more than a year, but now and Pao, like their spicy chicken concoction—we have Superkhana International—a friendly, fun, no-BS exploration of street food in a nonexistent country. Bring a group to try it all. (Bart Lazar)
3059 W. Diversey, superkhanachicago.com/
Best place to avoid Cubs fans in Wrigleyville
Osmium Coffee Bar
If you need to escape the Cubs fans on the Red Line, the Cubs fans in Wrigleyville, the Cubs fans who forgot that baseball season ended, or just avoid sports in general, hide out at Osmium Coffee Bar. Osmium’s baked goods and kickass Dark Matter Coffee will keep you content through the sports seasons and beyond. The atmosphere is chill, the staff is happy to give a recommendation for beverages and you’re unlikely to encounter aggressive sports people. Or the aggressive phone-talking business folks at Starbucks. Not every season is a good season to be a Cubs fan, but every season is a good season for Osmium. (Amanda Finn)
1117 W. Belmont, 773.360.7553
Best gizzards you’ve ever eaten
Virtue Restaurant & Bar
You’ve probably never eaten gizzards, the muscled cluster in the gut of dinosaurs and their descendants that grinds food before digestion. Gizzards in the wrong hands are rubbery and not tasty at all. At Virtue, a relatively new entrant to Hyde Park dining, Chef Erick Williams shows us how good this neglected organ can be. Soft and tender, his chicken gizzards are full of flavor and if you’ve never had this prehistoric offal, a platter of gizzards at Virtue is the best possible place to start enjoying them. Maybe next you’ll try pancreas and thymus. (David Hammond)
1462 E. 53rd, 773.947.8831, virtuerestaurant.com
Best place for brains and a nice chianti
Café Marie-Jeanne
At Café Marie-Jeanne, caviar toast is as at home on the menu as foie gras is on your breakfast sandwich. Odes could be written about the tomato jam slathered onto their burgers, and butter is key: drenching biscuits, smeared on radishes, you name it. The food is unfussy, which is not always the way to describe a place where you can order calves brains a la carte. The most welcoming element of the Humboldt Park staple is how recognizably Chicago it is: the molded ceilings and simple wooden furnishings make for an ideal cozy retreat come winter, and the flower-lined patio is perfect for cool summer nights. Truly delicious food and an unpretentious setting—the perfect recipe for a neighborhood spot that is bound to make you a regular. (Jenny Dally)
1001 N. Humboldt, cafe-marie-jeanne.com
Best place to drink coffee like a travel agent from the sixties
C.C. Ferns
C. C. Ferns is small with a low ceiling and low lights—and good luck finding a seat come the mid-morning rush. But none of these things can be counted against the Humboldt Park coffee shop. Just a few steps from the intersection of California and Augusta, a pleasantly mint-green entryway gives way to an interior paneled in dark wood and decked out with a hodgepodge of mid-century furniture and vintage travel posters. Come for the coffee and stay for the atmosphere—Don Draper meets Midwest travel agency in a space that’s ideal for a first date or a weekend morning study session. (Jenny Dally)
2806 W. Augusta, 773.384.2547, ccferns.com
Best pasticceria for pasta made under the direction of an Italian pastamatrix
Tortello
When Dario Monni and his wife Jill Gray opened up Tortello’s in Wicker Park this year, they wanted to be all about pasta. Dario, a native of Sardinia, knew there was only one way to teach his staff to make pasta like his grandmother did; he brought in a Puglian woman—Lilla Simone—to spend time with his staff. Was Signora Simone a good teacher? Si, certo! In the window of his shop, throughout the day, Dario’s crew hand-make pasta in all shapes and sizes, drawing crowds which, attracted by the unbelievable dexterity of the pasta makers, sit down at the no-reservation restaurant to enjoy some of the best pasta in the city. (David Hammond)
1746 W. Division, tortellopasta.com
Best falafel in a jewelry store
Oasis Cafe in Wabash Jewelers Mall
Tucked inside Wabash Jewelers Mall past the diamond earrings, gold watches and engagement rings, Oasis Cafe will materialize. With a long line for a simple menu, this Mediterranean spot moves quicker than it looks, delivering consistently delicious falafel, hummus and shawarma. (Tanner Woodford)
Wabash Jewelers Mall, 21 N. Wabash, 312.443.9534
Best gross-out original Chicago treat
Peppermint Stick in a Pickle
There are few limits to the gastronomical experimentation of Chicago’s young. The Peppermint Stick in a Pickle, popular on the South and West Sides, is a prime example of street innovation with materials purchased at a gas station. Start with one of those pickles that come in its own plastic bag, bite off the tip and slam in a peppermint stick as far as it will go. Then you eat it. There are Youtube video instructions, if any are needed and musician Vernon Garrett wrote a song about it called, wouldn’t you know, “Dill Pickle and a Peppermint Stick.” (David Hammond)
Best Place to Sneak in a Quick Hot Dog After Work
Art’s Drive In
If you like your hot dog on a poppy-seed bun with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato wedges, pickled sport peppers and a dash of celery salt—then this is the place. With over forty years in business, Art’s Drive In serves breakfast, deli and specialty sandwiches and dinner plates all day. (Tanner Woodford)
1333 W. North, 773.489.0099, artsdrivein.com
Best restaurant for zero-proof cocktails
Roka Akor
During a brief period of sober curiosity, I sampled the non-alcoholic offerings at Chicago bars and restaurants. The lamest of the lot would serve a virgin mojito or a low-effort excuse that involved removing alcohol from the recipe, a move that had the unintended consequence of making me miss alcohol even more. The best zero-proof cocktails were constructed of interesting ingredients and designed to stand on their own as delicious beverages. We were most surprised by the thoughtful no-alc offerings at Roka Akor, which have the heft of their alcohol-bearing brethren and satisfied—almost—as much. (David Hammond)
456 N. Clark, 312.477.7652, rokaakor.com
Best reason to start drinking soda again
Homemade sodas by Same Day Cafe
Homemade sodas are usually too bitter or too sweet. The sodas made at Same Day Cafe taste just right. With flavors such as Tusk at Dusk (basil and lime), On the Beach (lime, grapefruit, and jalapeño), Sentimental Lady (orange, rose and phosphate), and the Flipside (blackberry, ginger and lime) at three or four dollars a pop, these sodas are the perfect complement to their delicious sandwiches and sides. Same Day Cafe is BYOB, so the sodas can also be added to the alcoholic beverage of your choice. (Isa Giallorenzo)
2651 N. Kedzie, 773.342.7040, samedaycafe.com
Best inducement to visit all the restaurants you ever meant to
“Lost Restaurants of Chicago”
Greg Borzo’s “Lost Restaurants of Chicago” is a compendium of regret-inducing obituaries. So many wonderful restaurants—Schaller’s Original Pump, Won Kow—that are no more, though they live on in the gustatorial reveries of Chicagoans. If you never indulged at these lost places, you never will. But the pages of Borzo’s book, stuffed with photos of these now-shuttered restaurants, will, if nothing else, encourage you to go to those places still on Chicago streets that you always meant to visit but still haven’t. If you don’t go soon, you may never have a chance. (David Hammond)
Best place to enjoy a Mother-in-Law
Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots
When the great Anthony Bourdain visited Chicago’s Fat Johnnie’s Famous Red Hots on “No Reservations,” he pronounced the Mother-in-Law “wrong in so many ways,” starting with its name. This dish, supposedly so-called because it, too, may give you heartburn, is a Chicago corn roll tamale in a hot dog bun, dressed with chili, tomato slices and pickle. And mustard, if you want to go nuts. (David Hammond)
7242 S. Western, 773.633.8196
Best restaurant for fine dining for the most reasonable prices
Aboyer
From a single Winnetka location, Chef Michael Lachowicz runs a fine-dining triple threat: George Trois, Silencieux, and Aboyer. All show the hand of a master chef trained in the French tradition, and Aboyer offers the extra benefit of being reasonably priced. Entrees are in the $20-$30 range, and if you can find a better version of Chicken Galantine or Suffolk Lamb, let me know. (Hint: you can’t.). Aboyer is a casual, easygoing and comfortable place to enjoy extraordinarily well-made and high-value dishes. (David Hammond)
64 Green Bay Road, Winnetka, 847.441.3100, georgetroisgroup.com
Best place to chow down and learn tango
Artango Bar & Steakhouse
Artango is an Argentinian restaurant in Lincoln Square with a stage and performance space that accommodates musicians and, on weekends, tango dancers. After you enjoy your dinner, sit back and watch traditional tango, but also modern interpretations of the form. It’s fascinating to witness how the dancers at Artango stretch and reimagine the traditional tango in even three-person configurations. There are regularly scheduled free tango lessons. (David Hammond)
4767 N. Lincoln, 872.208.7441, artangosteakhouse.com
Best fine dining in the South Loop
Acadia
The adage about location being the most important consideration about real estate is undeniably true. Acadia is one of Chicago’s premier fine dining locations. Ryan McCaskey’s kitchen turns out seasonal, New American dishes that outshine the best being offered a few miles north—and his work has been recognized by Phil Vettel’s four stars, two Michelin stars and a Jean Banchet award. But Acadia is off the main path for those select Chicago diners who can afford a tasting menu that brushes against $200, which is unfair. Please, do your best to correct this injustice: eat at Acadia. (David Hammond)
1639 S. Wabash, 312.360.9500, acadiachicago.com
Best view from a bar in Chicago
Cindy’s
There are bars with good street views like Skylark and bars with good aerial views, such as Signature Lounge on the 95th, but the grandest, best view from any bar in the city is from Cindy’s. Cindy’s capacious, vaulted hall with huge windows and a balcony overlooking Millennium Park is where you want to bring out-of-towners to wow them with our city… or just to remind yourself just how beautiful your Chicago can be. (David Hammond)
12 S. Michigan, 312.792.3502, cindysrooftop.com
Best spot for smoked shrimp
Calumet Fisheries
It takes planning and effort to make it down to Calumet Fisheries, that little white shack with the brick walk-in smokers out back, the place that’s been sitting next to the Calumet River since 1948. But if any restaurant outside the Chicago city limits deserves a destination drive, this is it. We adore the smoked salmon, especially the garlic-pepper variety, and if you’re a fan of shrimp, get them smoked at Calumet Fisheries. These shrimp actually taste like shrimp, rather than that weird taste of poached cellulose common to commodity shrimp. Calumet Fisheries serves the real deal; kissed by smoke, they may not only be the best in Chicago but the best in the Midwest, maybe the United States… or, you know, maybe the known universe. (David Hammond)
3259 E. 95th, 773.933.9855, calumetfisheries.com
Best place to eat paella
Black Bull
There’s a lot of fine paella in Chicago, and like all enduring dishes, paellas reflect the preferences of the chefs. At Black Bull, Chef Marco Campos does his version not with the usual white rice but with squid-ink infused bomba rice that is then studded with scallops, calamari and Carabinero prawns. These large deep-sea prawns are dark red, impressive looking, robust in flavor, a spectacular contrast to the black rice and well worth the four-dollar upcharge. (David Hammond)
1721 W. Division, 773.227.8600, blackbullchicago.com
Best Italian-Polish fusion food in Chicago
Maddon’s Post
There aren’t many places to taste Italian and Polish food together on one plate, which is surprising, in that Chicago is home to so many Italians and Poles. Maddon’s Post, a joint effort from Spiaggia’s Tony Mantuano and the Chicago Cubs’ recently deposed Joe Maddon, fuses those two cultures in dishes like a platter of Italian and Polish sausage as well as kielbasa and clams. (David Hammond)
1191 W. Waveland, 773.269.5370, maddonspost.com
Best Possible Place for an Impossible Burger
Café Brauer
You don’t have to look too hard to find pretty miserable preparations of the Impossible Burger, the vegetable-based, meat-like patty on a bun. Maybe chefs are not yet sure how to prepare this relatively low-fat, no-meat burger. At Café Brauer on the Lincoln Park lagoon, they know what they’re doing, serving the Impossible Burger, with the crisp “crust” found on the best smash burgers, and a deep flavor that may convince you to give up beef, enhance your health and save the planet. (David Hammond)
2021 N. Stockton, 312.742.2400
Best burgeoning neighborhood to have a beer… or two… or ten
The Chicago Brewing District
At the southern edge of West Town, in the storied Kinzie Industrial Corridor manufacturing district, a few minutes walk from the Harlem-Lake Green Line stop, is a shimmering oasis for lovers of Chicago craft beer. This West Side stretch is home to breweries that cover the spectrum of brews, from Goose Island and their forerunner Fulton and Wood location to newcomers focusing on classic styles, like the freshly opened Midwest Coast. On Tour, Burnt City, All Rise… all names that perk the ears of Chicago beer nerds, all close at hand. So, raise a pint… or more! (Lauren Knight)
Best place to taste the rainbow when you’ve outgrown Skittles
Rainbow Cone
The signature snack at The Original Rainbow Cone Ice Cream Shop is, appropriately, the Rainbow Cone, a thin cake cone stacked with layers of chocolate, strawberry, a vanilla called Palmer House and pistachio ice cream, topped with orange sherbet. It’s sloppy as heck to eat—which is why you can get a paper shield on the cone to protect your mitts from drips—but the flavors work together deliciously. You can customize; for instance, chocolate and orange sherbet is called a “Halloween,” but you can craft any combination. (David Hammond)
9233 S. Western, 773.238.9833, rainbowcone.com
Best lard-fried pork in Chicago
Carnitas Uruapan
Does pig meat cooked for hours in its own fat sounds too rich? Then think of this classic Mexican preparation as a pork confit; it’s essentially pork prepared the same way as the classic French duck confit. In Pilsen, there are many carnitas makers, but our favorite is Carnitas Uruapan. You’ll swoon over delicate threads of super-rich pork. Check out the irreverent cartoons on the walls and signage of cannibal pigs cooking other pigs in a pot, as well as machete-wielding man hunting down carnitas-to-be. (David Hammond)
1725 W. 18th
Best duck in Chicago
Sun Wah BBQ
We first visited Sun Wah at the turn of this century, when it was in a small space on Argyle around the corner from its current cavernous yet homey digs. Winner of a James Beard 2018 American Classic award, Sun Wah is where to go for duck done up right in multiple ways, all delicious and served in an atmosphere of come-as-you-are casualness. Duck can be a little stringy and chewy; at Sun Wah, you will never bite into anything less than tender perfection. (David Hammond)
5039 N. Broadway, 773.769.1254
Best place for an after-dinner spanking
Hofbräuhaus
You’ve heard, perhaps even enjoyed, the postprandial stroll—the after-dinner walk—but how about the post-prandial paddling? At Rosemont’s Hofbräuhaus, you can enjoy delicious pork sausage and butt, and then get your own butt tenderized by one of the German beer hall’s muscular sausage maidens. (David Hammond)
5500 Park Place, Rosemont
Best drag shows in Oak Park
Dining With The Divas at Hamburger Mary’s Show Lounge
We met the most beautiful woman in the world at Oak Park’s Hamburger Mary’s. When she whispered her name—Angel LaBare—in her sultry voice, we were smitten. Angel hosts a show featuring lots of other beauties, in cowgirl and mermaid outfits, right across from St. Edmund Parish. (David Hammond)
Fridays and Saturdays, 155 S. Oak Park, Oak Park, 708.445.0272, oakparkbeer.com/events/event/dining-with-the-divas-2
Best old-timey Chicago restaurant that isn’t The Berghoff
Miller’s Pub
The Berghoff still has the magnificent murals, oak paneling and menu harkening back to an earlier Chicago. Miller’s Pub, on the other hand, doesn’t shoot for grandeur, even after a million-dollar renovation completed in 2018, the first since relocating to this location in 1989, just a workingman’s vision of postwar luxe dining. Its original location around the corner on Adams was a destination haunt of Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Harry Caray, Jimmy Durante, the first Mayor Daley and Bill Veeck. Located under the El tracks, the place still has big-shouldered personality and a brand of gruff class. (David Hammond)
134 S. Wabash, 312.263.4988, millerspub.com
Best Alpine inn in the shadow of Parson’s Chicken & Fish
Table, Donkey And Stick
Its almost off-puttingly whimsical name falls in the background after discovering Table, Donkey and Stick and its delightful echo of an Alpine inn just off Logan Square. The inspiration is a Brothers Grimm story about three siblings who leave home to apprentice for a carpenter, a miller and a turner. “The carpenter pays the first brother with a table that magically sets itself with rustic delicacies, which is promptly stolen by a wicked innkeeper,” as TDS’ site regales the meaty myth. “The miller gives the second brother a donkey that shits gold coins at the word ‘bricklebrit.’ The innkeeper robs him too. The third brother receives from the turner a magical stick which beats the innkeeper until he returns the table and donkey.” And somehow from that, proprietor-sommelier Matt Sussman orchestrated these unique and slightly sinister delights. The always-fragrant castle of charcuterie, working with local farmers and whole animals where possible, winner in September of its sixth consecutive Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide, devises seasonally driven dishes from the European mountain cuisines, including France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Slovenia. There are lots of food establishments in my Twitter feed, but any and every dispatch from their menu (@Tabledonkeyinn) stands out: picture “Dry aged beef, grit croquettes, carrots, black truffle”; “beautiful porchetta di testa from a heritage American Guinea Hog”; “House bratwurst, corn spaetzle, petite herbs.” Better: taste them. There’s no room to talk up Sussman’s intense and precise wine selection, but consider the Monday night specials that recently included six-dollar beef bourguignon burgers. (Ray Pride)
2728 W. Armitage, 773.486.8525, tabledonkeystick.com
Best place to float your tamale boat
Parky’s Hot Dogs
A tamale boat is a Chicago corn roll tamale, prepared with either Tom Tom or Supreme Tamales, submerged in a cup of chili. I’ve had tamale boats at a few locations, and my favorite version comes from Parky’s. The secret is the in-house chili, tasty enough to balance out a relatively bland tamale, topped with sport peppers, raw onions and cheese. Recently, as we were enjoying our tamale boats, a guy stumbled through one of Parky’s glass windows; we helped him up from all the broken glass, an ambulance came, and we finished our tamale boats, appetites unabated. The tamale boat is that good. (David Hammond)
329 S. Harlem, Forest Park, 708.366.3090
