Chicago

Hidden beneath the Addison El stop at Wrigley Field are several excellent eateries, including Bacci's Pizzeria.

Yesterday, my friend Joe and I caught a Friday afternoon ballgame. I was late getting off work, and so we were in a hurry to grab a bite before heading in to the ballpark.

Now, despite having attended hundreds of Cubs games, I had never eaten at Bacci's before, but that will be a condition that won't soon be repeated. To find Bacci's, just take ten steps out of the Addison Red-Line stop toward Wrigley. In big red letters, you'll see a sign for Bacci's Pizzeria.

Duck past the ticket brokers and pretty girls trying to lure you into the Dugout, and climb the stairs. Inside is a dimly lit neighborhood joint that is intended to cater to both the residents of Wrigleyville, as well as the masses of Cubs fans that descend upon the park on gamedays.

The menu is fairly simple. I think there were four pizzas to choose from, Sausage, Pepperoni, Cheese, and maybe mushrooms. A massive slice of pie and a soda are $5. At least, that's what the hand-markered sign says, and I was sort of surprised they even had a cash register. But, the owner pushed the one button, the cash drawer opened, and my twenty found a home next to a massive stack of fives. (Note: I'm not saying this happens often, but I did have an issue where I didn't get my change. I had to say something to the owner who asked me: "How much did I rip you off for?" I laughed and said $10, and he smiled as he handed over two fives and an apology.)

Now for what you care about: The Pizza slice was HUGE and tasty. Sure, I've been to New York and had a slice of New York Style pizza... this ain't no New York style. This slice was like three times the size of a New York piece. This was like a Texas, or maybe even an Alaska-sized slice. Anyhow, I had not eaten breakfast and was famished, but I didn't even finish my slice... and I don't not finish food when I buy lunch. Sure, it was terribly greasy, but the sausage was awesome! On taste alone, I'll give it 5 stars. On fitting into my diet? Probably 1... ya know, there's a lot of calcium in that cheese.

Cozy Noodles n' Rice at 3456 N. Sheffield is my favorite Thai place in the city. And when I say Thai, I really mean Pad-Thai, because pad-thai is one of the greatest dishes on the face of the earth, and it's the only dish I ever order when going out to a Thai place.

Located about 100 yards from Wrigley Field, Cozy has seating for about twenty people, and there's typically thirty in the place. Every square inch that isn't filled up with diners is packed with seemingly random trinkets and signs, which give the place a claustrophobic, but adventurous environment. (Click for the Official Cozy Website)

Aside from the aforementioned pad-thai, Cozy also has a drink called Bubble Teas with little Tapioca balls at the bottom. The Bubble Tea doesn't taste at all like tea, but more like a smoothie that takes on the flavor of your choice. My favorite is Mango, but the Bubble Tea also comes in Honey Dew, Coconut, Plum, Red Bean, Green Tea, and Taro.

Also, if you're ordering for two, you'll generally have spent enough to qualify for the free crab rangoon (orders over $18 as of this writing). Make sure to ask about that, because the crab rangoon is excellent. There are also a few other coupons available by clicking here.

And finally, as a special bonus. If you get their takeout (or delivery), the containers they use are really quite nice, and I keep mine to use as tupperware.

Torben Review: 5 stars out of 5. Oooh I want some Crab Rangoon after writing this.

I'd just finished my meal at Chicago Chop House, and remarked to my friend. "This is Chicago." Now, it's not 'Chicago' in the touristy sense of the word (such as the Rock 'N Roll McDonalds located about a block away, nor in the hip hidden sense of the word (such as the gem, Humboldt Pie Cafe), but in the mainstream Chicago kind of way.

Chicago Chop House is located at 60 West Illinois Street (between State Street and LaSalle Avenue) in Chicago's River North neighborhood.

My meal was a business lunch. We were wishing a departing co-worker good luck, and so we came to dine around the noon hour. From the curb, I was a little dismayed by the large 'Chicago' sign that indicated this might have been a bit touristy. (The neighborhood is an interesting amalgam of the best restaurants in the city and the ridiculous tourist traps. For every Fogo De Chao and Cafe Iberico, there's a Rainforest Cafe, Rock N Roll McDonalds, or a Portillos.) However, once inside the converted brownstone, there was no mistaking the real ambiance of a genuine steakhouse.

The seating areas are on two floors (at least). There was a large bar on the ground level, and a larger seating area on the second floor. The tone is set by hundreds of photographs from Chicago's history. On the stairwell, I caught site of Cubs and Bears memorabilia. Upstairs, there was a wall of fame with 1800s era photos of all the meatpacking moguls. (One of them looked like George Clooney.)

When the waiter came to take our order, we missed out on the opportunity to enjoy their massive wine list, as this was an actual business lunch, but one need look no further than the back wall of the room to see a large selection of wines.

As we perused the menu, we joked about ordering the 96 oz. porterhouse, but the $105 price tag on that slab of cow was a little steep for the expense report, so most of us stuck to the lunch menu. (The typical dinner entree looked to be about $40 - $50.)

The lunch menu was significantly less expensive than the dinner menu. Most entrees were below $25 and only fractionally smaller portions than the dinner menu. I ordered an 8 oz. fillet mignon with a price tag of $18. On the dinner menu, a 10 oz. fillet mignon was listed as $31. When the food came, the most appetizing meal looked to be my co-workers steak salad, which was a salad with a large steak sitting in the middle of it. Now that's how you do a steak salad!

For sides, I can report that their table bread is excellent. It's served warm, and was very popular. My steak came with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. The potatoes were light, fluffy, and certainly not made from a mix. The gravy was excellent, and I don't generally care for gravy with my mashed potatoes. Finally, the onion rings were also pretty good.

If you're planning a trip to the Chicago Chop House, I'd encourage you to also consider Fogo De Chao. It's a block away, similarly priced, but I feel the meat selection at Fogo is much better, and I prefer sampling all of the different types of steaks, rather than selecting one piece of meat.

Torben Review: 5 stars if I were only evaluating ambiance, and taste... and since I didn't pay for my lunch, I'll give it 5 stars. If I were paying myself, it would get a 4 star rating as I can think of a few other places where I would rather go for a ritzy meal.