Dmnkly

Yeah, I know, it really comes across that way. My guess is the sit-down interviews with them were before they went shopping, and at the store they decided they'd better throw some in there or risk getting eliminated. There's even a clip at the store where this conversation takes place (very quickly and quietly): Antonia: Can we really mix Polish and chorizo? Lisa: They're very similar. But there are a lot of other quotes that are very confusing. Like I say, the first time I watched the show, I also thought they cut the Polish completely. It was only after seeing the recipe that I dug a little bit, and in subsequent viewings, you can see where the confusion arises. But it's clear from a lot of quotes that they used both Polish and chorizo. And I've got a screenshot -- there are two different types of sausage in a hotel pan in front of Antonia while they're prepping, clear as day. I may have... uh... even called the Halsted Whole Foods to confirm that they sell a house-made coarse Polish sausage, as the second sausage in Antonia's pan looks like a pretty coarse grind. They do. (Hey, I've got rankings to post on Monday... nobody's going to accuse me of being less than thorough :-)

They did use Polish sausage. They just buried it. Polish sausage was listed in the recipe along with the chorizo. Ted and Tom made comments about how they "downplayed" the Polish sausage and "didn't really focus on" the main ingredient. While they're doing their prep work, you can see two different types of sausage in the hotel pan in front of Antonia. They expressed an awful lot of contempt for the challenge and intentionally tried to bury the theme, so I don't know that it's much better. But for those who are hardliners about the rules, it looks like Polish sausage was on the plate. (I was also under the impression, on first viewing, that they'd left it out completely. It's really not clear from the editing.)

My experience with bubble tea is fairly limited, but I'm also a fan of Saint's Alp, across the street to the south. It's an outpost of a Hong Kong chain.

One more, for the beer nerd in you: Hop Leaf is a spot that serves an absurd number of Belgian beers. Absurd. And they have some pretty damn good food, too. Short walk from the Berwyn stop on the red line. The only problem is that the place is a fricking zoo. If you want to eat, get there very early or wait forever. If you do go there, pop into Pasticceria Natalina a few blocks north for amazing Italian pastries. Pasticceria Natalina is a little inconsistent about their hours, so it's a good idea to call and check.

Oh... also... I know DC has some decent Chinese and for the most part there's no reason for you to do Chinese in Chicago, but Chicago's Chinatown is another easy El stop, and Lao Sze Chuan is really, really, really spectacular. I've been to China 40 times or so on business, and it's one of the precious few places in the States that makes me feel like I'm eating over there. Favorites: Sliced Beef and Maw Szechuan Style - Cold appetizer Szechuan Spicy Rabbit - Cold appetizer Ma Po Dofu - Recommended with ground pork supplement Lamb with Pure Cumin Powder Xin Jiang Style House Special Dry Chili Prawns with Shell And these last two aren't Sicuhan, but they're so damn good, I'd call them both must-haves: Tony's Chicken with Three Chili - AKA Chicken Crack Shrimp with Mayonnaise Sauce - Loses 80% of its awesomeness within three minutes of hitting the table. Eat immediately.

Okay... non-IB recs: You mention Thai. You'll read about it everywhere, but don't even think about Arun's. I assume that won't be an option anyway since you're trying to keep the nut down, but just in case it ever came up as an option -- forget about it. I've heard great things about Elephant Thai and Sticky Rice, but I haven't been to either yet. I'm having a really hard time breaking away from Spoon Thai (not to be confused with Thai Spoon) and TAC Quick. And, bonus, both are easily accessible by El and inexpensive. Spoon is right by Lincoln Square, just a couple of blocks from the Western stop on the brown line. TAC is practically under the Sheridan stop on the red line. Just watch the Cubs schedule. The Sheridan stop is just one away from Addison (Wrigley Field), so if you try to get in or out before or after a Cubs game, the trains will be packed to the gills and you might have trouble. At either place, ask for Erik's menu (he's a pal of mine who translated the Thai menus at a lot of the Chicago places, and he's the one who turned Jonathan Gold onto Jitlada Thai in L.A., if you're familiar with that story). Some favorite dishes: Spoon: Kài Thâwt - Marinated fried chicken with tamarind dipping sauce Néua Tàet Dìaw - Thai-style beef jerky Plaa Sôm - Fried sour fish. Wasn't on the menu previously, but I've heard rumors she offers it to those who ask now and again. If you're feeling brave, call a week ahead and ask, and maybe you'll get lucky. It's worth it. Phàt Phèt Mũu Pàa - Spicy stir-try with wild boar Sâi Kràwk Isãan - Grilled Isaan-style pork and rice sausage Nãem Khâo Thâwt - Deep-fried rice salad with pressed ham <-- DO NOT SKIP Phàk Bûng Fai Daeng - Water spinach with fermented yellow bean sauce (call ahead) Also, if you call ahead, they might do green curry with fish balls for you -- highly recommended. TAC Quick: Kài Thâwt - Marinated fried chicken with tamarind dipping sauce Sâi Kràwk Isãan - Grilled Isaan-style pork and rice sausage Tôm Sâep - Sour Isaan-style soup with beef offal Phrík Kà-Pì Plaa Thuu - Fermented shrimp dip with grilled mackerel and crudite Khaw Mũu Yâang - Grilled pork neck Crispy On Choy - Tempura-fried water spinach, minced chicken, poached shrimp, mint <-- DO NOT SKIP Krà-Phrao Kràwp Khài Yiaw Mûa - Deep-fried holy basil with minced chicken and preserved eggs Sômtam Puu Maa - Papaya salad with fresh blue crab Phàt Phèt Plaa Dùk - Stir-fried catfish with green curry Kũay Tĩaw Reua - Spicy rice noodle soup with beef. INTENSE. Both are outstanding. I couldn't recommend one over the other. If you're dying for a tiebreaker, TAC tends to be more consistent than Spoon, I think (I've had off nights at Spoon). Not that you need a third Thai option, but if you do, Aroy Thai is just a couple doors down from TAC, and doesn't get the respect it should. I've only been there once, however, and don't have a favorites list compiled. Further photos and descriptions of some here. Also, you should probably get some Mexican. You don't need to do Frontera or Topolobampo for incredible Mexican. There's a horde of great regional Mexican spots that are nice for sitting down but inexpensive. I'm not as well-versed in these spots, sadly, so you might want to comb LTH a bit. For cheapy hole-in-the-wall Mexican, you could cruise down to Pilsen (18th Street stop on the blue or pink lines) and hit Birrieria Reyes de Ocotlan and Carnitas Uruapan. On the fringe of Wicker Park, you have Carniceria Leon and La Pasadita within a block of Ashland & Division. La Pasadita isn't amazing, but it's very good for carne asada -- only hit the grubby little shack on the east side of Ashland, not the two sit-down restaurants on the west side (yes, they have three locations on the same block). Carniceria Leon IS awesome, pretty much all around, but in particular for Al Pastor. It's a little taqueria tucked into the back of a small grocery. Or, you can go to my old favorite haunt. Cemitas Puebla is either a MAJOR hike, or not too bad of a cab ride. 2.5 miles west of North/Damen/Milwaukee on North Avenue (south side of the street). Cemitas Puebla is really special. The specialty is, of course, the cemita. I recommend the milanese. Crisp milanese, fresh avocado and cheese, house-pickled chipotles, and papalo if it's in season, all on a beautifully toasted sesame roll. I'm sure they're out there, but I've never had a Mexican sandwich that's a quarter as good as these. Also awesome are the chalupas and tacos arabes and orientales. It's really, really worth a short cab ride. And it's cheap. Right in the neighborhood and open 24 hours is Arturo's Tacos on the corner of Western and Division, which was my default late-night stop. It's not at the level of excellence as the others, but it's good, cheap short order all night Mexican. Avoid Flash Taco like the black death, no matter how convenient it may be. As for the immediate neighborhood, that's where I lived from 2001 up until last summer. Sadly, while there are a lot of restaurants where you'll be staying, some of them decent, there really aren't any great ones. It's a heavy boozy-party neighborhood that's mostly overpriced/undergood too cool for school midrange (Spring being a good exception). Though it's mega-pretentious and way too cool for its own good, The Violet Hour serves INCREDIBLE cocktails. But if you're a beer guy, I don't know that it will hold much interest. If you do, best to hit them right when they open, sit at the bar, and then bail before it starts to get crowded. Piece does make a nice pizza. For reasons I've never understood, it doesn't travel well. It seems to lose 60% of its deliciousness the moment you walk out the front door. Sushi isn't exactly a strength in Chicago, but if you're just dying for raw fish, I'd say either Bob-San or Mirai down on division, and avoid everything else in the neighborhood. Bob-San for the basics, Mirai for upscale funkiness. If you do Mirai, call ahead and ask them to hold an order of yukke toro for you. It's a marinated toro tartare with quail egg and some other seasonings. It's almost worth stopping in just to have that. Feast isn't anything special, but it's right there and it's solid -- moreso than most of its neighbors, anyway. They do a skirt steak with chimmichurri that's particularly good. Um... anything else in particular that interests you? I could go on, but I figure it'd be best to tailor to your interests. As far as Chicago specialties go, yeah, grab a Chicago-style dog at some point if you can (hit Hot Doug's -- see above). They're ubiquitous, but obviously quality runs the gamut. You may be tempted by Underdogg since it's right there, but don't bother. Don't feel compelled to have deep dish, no matter what anybody says. If you're interested, yeah, it's good, I dig it. But you shouldn't feel like you're missing anything if you don't have it.

Okay, that narrows the field a bit :-) The tough part about IB is that the best places are on the outskirts of the city. Here would be my recs for IB near Wicker Park, in order of preference: Tore's - It's either a good hike (1.6 miles from North & Damen) or a very short cab ride. Very good, very consistent, does the sandwich justice. It's my favorite spot near the city core. Incidentally, if you're walking up Western to get there, you pass Honey 1 on the east side of the street, which is exemplary chicago-style BBQ (we do, surprisingly, have our own style). The pitman, Robert Adams, runs a wood-fired aquarium smoker. Honey 1 is all about the tips and links combo (sauce on the side highly recommended). Otherwise, I don't think there's a compelling reason to use up a vacation stop on it, but the tips & links are very much a Chicago thing, Adams nails them, and they'd make a great appetizer for an Italian Beef :-) On this same walk, you'll also pass Quenchers. Horrible name that's totally misleading about the character of the place. I haven't been and I'm not a beer nerd, but folks I know who are and whom I trust swear by the place. Al's - You can hop on the blue line right in Wicker Park, and it's a short walk from the UIC-Halsted stop. Al's is always a tricky one for me. Theirs is a little atypical, and it's a love it or hate it kind of place. It's not my style, but many folks I know who are no less obsessive about IB and whose tastes I otherwise respect greatly swear by it. So I recommend it a little higher up the list than my personal preference. It's more spicy and less sweet than most of the other IB spots. And the atmosphere is quintessential greasy grungy Chicago beef stand. Do NOT go to any of the satellite Al's stands. They're universally awful. The original on Taylor street only, if you decide to go that way. Also nearby, if you really want to destroy yourself, are the Maxwell Street Polish stands: Jim's Original and Maxwell Street Express. They're both on Union right along the highway (they were moved from Maxwell Street when UIC expanded). The Maxwell Street Polish is another Chicago thing, though lesser known than some others. It's just a good grilled polish sausage with mustard, griddled onions and sport peppers. If you go there, don't agonize over which place to choose. If you're a Futurama fan, it's basically like choosing between Jack Johnson and John Jackson. Portillo's - I feel a little dirty putting a chain on the list, but they turn out a good, consistent beef (consistency being notoriously hard to come by at beef stands). It's a solid 7 out of 10 every single time, and it's almost textbook. There are better and more interesting to be had for sure, but it's more worthy than chain-haters would like to admit, and it's a good baseline. It's right in River North (just west of North Michigan Avenue) and easily accessible by El. Mr. Beef - A few years ago, this would have been my number one recommendation, absolutely, hands down, no question. Now, I'm scared to send first-timers there. When they're on, they're better than everybody else I've mentioned here. And again, quintessential Chicago beef stand -- right down to the Elegant Dining Room. But in the last couple of years, they've become wildly inconsistent. I've had tens and twos just days apart. I'd hate for you to get a lousy sandwich on your first try, and it's a crapshoot with them these days. Jay's - I list this one only because it's really close to where you'll be staying. It's on North Avenue just a few blocks west of Damen. It's not bad, it's just at the lower end of the upper echelon, as it were. Better to hit Jay's than escape Chicago without trying an IB, but I put this one dead last for a reason. If you find yourself thinking about Jay's, just spend a few bucks on a cab and go to Tore's. Incidentally, not that I expect you'd even consider it given the insane distance and difficulty reaching it by public transporation, but there's a downhill alert on my old favorite, Chickie's. New owners. Drop in quality. Don't bother. I've written about all of these more extensively via the link Synaesthesia provided above. Non-IB recs shortly.

I'm awake!.... er... here! Are you going to have access to wheels, or is it public transportation only?

Hey, that's great news! I've very much enjoyed Henry's recent writing at City Paper, and I hope maybe this'll help to kickstart the Baltimore board a bit (not that I've been much help, lately).

Grounds for immediate elimination, says I!

I'm averting my gaze since it seems the discussion is headed in that direction, but I sincerely hope people aren't publishing future elimination information in a public thread -- for those crazies among us who, you know, prefer to save the ending for the end.

I think you underestimate people's willingness to do whatever they have to do to get on television. That said, I didn't think the show made any big secret of the fact that they contacted people ahead of time. In fact, Lee Anne talks about it in detail in her blog on the Bravo website, and Padma says on the show, practically with a wink and a nudge, that "a lot of families will have supplies that they bought especially for tomorrow". I realize it's a matter of interpretation, but I never got the sense they were suggesting these were surprise visits.

From September 2001 (when I returned to Chicago) to June 2007 (when we moved to Baltimore) I saw just shy of 200 games at Wrigley, and while I feel comfortable saying there are few who love the Cubbies and Wrigley more than I do (though Ron Santo certainly springs to mind), I'm willing to concede concessions superiority to any other major league stadium purely on say so. The grub is not a strength (though the grilled hot dog and sausage carts aren't bad). Looking forward to April 26th :-)

Don't save it too much. Though the number of courses be huge, the size of most of them be quite small -- smaller than most tasting menus. You want to be hungry, of course, but if you go in ravenous I think it'll drive you nuts.

I pulled the reverse jpschust, having recently moved here FROM Chicago, so hopefully I can be of some help as well. Jonathon's suggesting of Blackbird is an excellent one, ditto hitting Spring after the Violet Hour (this, presuming you're looking for midrange excellence and not ethnic eats). And while his brunch suggestions are good ones if you're looking for traditional brunch, that can be had anywhere and strikes me as a missed opportunity. I know you nixed Asian, but there are some truly exceptional Thai places in Chicago, should you reconsider. I personally wouldn't consider a trip to Chicago complete without grabbing an Italian Beef sandwich at some point (deep dish and the Chicago-style dog are the better known of the Chicago signature gutbusters, but the Italian Beef is where it's at.) Of course, Italian Beef stands aren't long on atmosphere, so if you're looking for a relaxing sit down, that's not so much going to be the case. Most have seating, but these places are, for the most part, greasy little holes -- part of the charm. If that's of interest, I can run those options down for you in exhaustive fashion. Or hit Hot Doug's (www.hotdougs.com). You'll wait in line, but it couldn't be more worth it. Check out his menu on the website. You can get one Chicago-style dog and one of his daily specials and kill two birds with one stone. It's totally unique and fantastically awesome. Plus, on a Saturday, he'll be doing the duck fat fries. More coming... I need to think a bit...

Katz's is really wonderful, but the pastrami is very, very different. It's very thick, moist, warm, hand cut and -- much to my surprise -- much more subtly flavored than Attman's. There's a level of artistry in Katz's that I don't get from Attman's, but I love 'em both for what they are. And I do love Attman's.

Man, there's no bigger fan of pork than me, but swine has absolutely no place in a dog. ('Course, I'm from Chicago, so take that for what it's worth :-)

Stay at home dad here (working nights) with a 14-month old son. Even setting aside hygiene issues for a moment (just because they're cute doesn't mean their poop is any less capable of transmitting bacteria and disease), I'd NEVER do this for the same reason I won't hold a loud cell phone conversation or wear a lot of strong cologne (not that I do anyway) in a restaurant. It disrupts others' dining experience and it's rude. Would somebody changing a kid in the next booth bother me personally? Probably not. But just because I'm okay with it doesn't mean I think it's in any way reasonable to expect my fellow diners to be okay with seeing and smelling my kid's crap. I understand "you gotta do what you gotta do", but in 14 months despite frequently dining out I haven't, and I suspect if you feel you need to do THAT, you aren't looking hard enough for an alternative. We've gotten a little acrobatic at times in the bathroom or headed out to the car, but I've never subjected anybody else to his changes in a restaurant. I can't imagine what would make that a necessity, and I think it's just rude and inconsiderate. Regarding changing tables in restrooms, I love them and I appreciate it when restaurants install them. And ladies, I have a LOT fewer of them to work with than you do, believe me. But good golly, the LAST thing we need is more legislation telling restaurants how they can and cannot run their business. If it's easier for me to bring the kid and change him without a hassle if need be, I'm more likely to return. They can choose to act or not act accordingly. End of story. I don't have a right to change my kid wherever I want, I don't have a right to a changing table, and I don't have a right to disturb other diners. This means I go out to eat a whole lot less and to different places than I used to, and yeah, I hate it. But as far as I'm concerned, that's just part of having a kid. He's worth it.

Can't say... haven't had it. My flavored vodka sampling is FAR from comprehensive. The list of flavored vodkas I haven't tasted dwarfs the ones I have. So I'm probably low on the list of people you should be listening to :-)

On this subject, Joe, bouillibasse is one of those dishes I've never tried, mostly for fear that what I'll be getting is some lame slapdash distant cousin of the good stuff, and I'd hate to sully my first taste with something that isn't worthwhile. It is, however, at or near the top of foods I'm dying to try and I'd love to find somplace that does a faithful and delicious -- if not quite so transcendent -- version. I'm sure there's nothing around here that approaches what you describe, but have you had anything in the area that you think is respectable? I see you list a few... do you have a favorite? Would you hesitate to send somebody there for a first try?

I'm not a flavored vodka fan, but Charbay is my exception to the rule, FWIW.

"H.I. Ribsters"? Seriously? That isn't from a Simpsons episode?

I got this a few years ago. It was a little heavy on sweet, maple bacons for my tastes, but still very good stuff.

Ack! The fates have conspired against me... a conflict has arisen. I'm afraid I'm out.

Still in... looking forward to meeting everybody :-)