aaronsinger

A cousin of mine lived for a year in Zagreb, so I went and visited him--March 2009, I think it was. He said that the Croatians had a love for eating in restaurants that looked like caves, and we went to one just outside of downtown Zagreb, in a quiet residential area. Lots and lots of grilled meats and some excellent red wine. I also remember going to a cafe on the main square in Zagreb and having some of the best coffee I have ever had along with a deliciously indulgent slice of cake (my grandfather whose parents came from Vienna would be proud). Unfortunately I did not get to see Croatia outside of Zagreb, but I was pleasantly surprised by the city, as my cousin said that the capital was rather drab and industrial compared to other, smaller cities and the gorgeous Dalmatian coast. We also went out for some pretty good sushi at a Japanese restaurant in Zagreb--so I guess I sampled some of the countries' fresh seafood there. Just after I left, my cousin and his now-wife rented a car and made the same exact trip you did. And they loved it. Perhaps the funniest memory of that trip was getting off the plane--walking down a flight of stairs directly on to the tarmac--taking a bus into town, and realizing that I forgot to make plans to meet my cousin. I was used to just calling people on a cell phone back in the states, but had no use of it on my trip to Europe (Zagreb being the meat of the sandwich around several days in Paris on either side). Having disembarked the airport bus at the bus station, I asked at a tourist center the directions into the heart of the town, got completely turned around and wandered around near a busy four-lane highway in a somewhat industrial area, before finding my bearings, going into an internet cafe where I e-mailed my cousin, and I waited around in the main square people-watching before he found me.

I don't remember exactly the name of the place, but I remember having a decent taco at the airport in Austin, as well as some good beers watching a Bears game at a bar there.AUS

You're not coming in for the NRA show, are you?

The El won't get you to Hyde Park, although from Congress/Michigan the South Shore line is just a block or two away. Valois is a good diner in HP. There are a number of breakfast spots you could head to in and around the south Loop: Manny's is an institution, a Jewish-deli style diner on Roosevelt/Jefferson (a short cab ride away, or a short bus ride from the Roosevelt El stop). The Bongo Room (1152 S. Wabash) is a trendier place, that also has some huge portions. I had a good meal there before walking over to Soldier Field for a Bears game a couple years ago. Yolk (1120 S. Michigan) is a similar, trendy place, with a bigger menu. Another Chicago institution, slightly farther away but still nearby near the Loop, is Lou Mitchell's, which is a block west of Union Station on Jackson. I also noticed that Mercat a la Planxa, normally a high-end tapas restaurant, is also open for breakfast, although their breakfast menu doesn't look too different from anywhere else.

Clarke's, the breakfast spot? I have only been to the Evanston location and not the busier one on Belmont, but that's a definite skip, it always seemed pretty terrible to me. Not sure exactly what you're looking for, and I think the thread has a good list of places as it is. That said, Chef Paul Kahan has recently expanded his One Off Hospitality (Avec, Blackbird, Publican, Big Star and The Violet Hour) empire with Publican Quality Meats, a combination butcher shop and lunch spot that sounds amazing, though I have not been. They have a good assortment of sandwiches and soup. Smoque is pretty amazing BBQ, off the beaten path on the NW side (though if car-less, it's an easy walk off the Irving Park Blue Line stop). Maybe not quite as good as Smoque, but still pretty damn good, is Rub BBQ in West Rogers Park. Donuts have become the new it thing, or so it seems. Donut Vault in River North and Donuts Done-Rite, run out of Petterino's in the Loop, are two new popular places selling gourmet donuts. Of course, there is always Rick Bayless' empire: Topo, Frontera, and his fast casual spots Xoco (which is always good, and breakfast there is often overlooked; their mexican hot chocolate and churros are delicious) and Frontera Fresco (found on the 7th floor of Marshall Field's, I mean, Macy's). Also, if you get out into "the neighborhoods" there are lots of good "ethnic" eats; lots of great taquerias all around the city, many good Indian/Pakistani spots along Devon Avenue in West Rogers Park, and other little places I love such as La Unica in (Edgewater?), which has good cuban sandwiches and other caribbean items. And then there are the various hot dog and hamburger places: the famous Hot Doug's; Kuma's Corner, which reminds me of one of my favorite Yogi Berra lines ("No one goes there anymore, it's too crowded); as well as a number of places in my native Evanston--Bill's, a great old-school burger stand; Wiener and Still Champion, which has a big menu for a hot dog stand and has the best corn dogs I have ever had; and Edzo's, a burger place that is somewhat reminiscent of Ray's, as they offer multiple sources for their ground beef, they grind their own meat, and they make both thin "griddle" style burgers as well as the larger pub-style burgers. I wish I could recommend a good place for deep-dish pizza, but I don't know what's good anymore. All of the better known places are very disappointing to me; although I have yet to try Pequod and Burt's Place, the latter of which has always gotten good acclaim (and, again, off the beaten path, in north suburban Morton Grove).

http://www.npr.org/2012/03/10/148307299/chef-rick-bayless-plays-not-my-job He was recently on the NPR game show "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me", promoting 'Cascabel', which opens in a week at Looking Glass Theater, a pretty well-known and respected theater company (I remember going there on a field trip in junior high or high school to see Mary Zimmerman's production of Ovid's Metamorpheses). http://lookingglasstheatre.org/content/box_office/cascabel This sounds like a rather bizarre experiment. Although maybe it is not that strange, considering Next sells "tickets."

Didn't open to the greatest of reviews. That's in in the pedway [at least from Eng's description] of the retail failure known as Block 37 doesn't help things, either.

Hopleaf is three blocks or so from the Red Line El; Berwyn stop. It reminds me of the old Yogi Berra line, "No one goes there anymore; it's too crowded." I do remember once eating dinner there in the backroom, and seeing an actress dance around while warming up on the stairs behind the Neo-Futurists Theatre, most known for the daily show "Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind", which has been running for over 20 years. I need to get to Map Room one of these days. Small Bar has three or four locations now. Not a destination, but it is a good soccer bar. Where are Jerry's Sandwiches and De Pasada? Never heard of 'em.

Both are open for lunch. I've been to Frontera for dinner, never have been to Topolobampo, but I loved my dinner at Frontera a number of years ago. The two share a kitchen, and as I understand it, Topolo is more upscale and they have a possibly more 'adventurous' menu. If you don't have time or don't want a full sit-down lunch, Xoco is next door, a new "fast-casual" concept from Bayless. I was there once in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday, so the lines weren't bad at all, but lunchtime on a friday would likely be pretty crowded. They're all easily accessible to sightseeing eras or whatnot, just a few blocks off the red line el [Grand Ave], or a short cab ride from River North hotels. Frontera and Topolobampo have the same entrance on Clark, while the entrance to Xoco is around the corner on Illinois.

Joy Yee's has a pretty crazy variety of bubble tea, too. Several dozens of different options. As for the food, the menu is very long, with all sorts of southeast asian and chinese dishes. I've never really been wowed by the food there [i've only been to their Evanston location, as I am from Evanston and now live nearby], but never had anything awful, either. Not really a destination place for out-of-towners, I'd say, except to get the bubble tea to go [at the Chinatown locale, there's usually a decent line for just that]. They also opened a Japanese-leaning somewhat more upscale place in the upstairs of their Chinatown location, but I've read rather mixed reviews about the new place.

Wouldn't that mean it would become it's own separate city? They are already separate entities. Then, the City of Fairfax would be surrounded by a separate, different Fairfax City?

Have been there a couple sundays in the past month for trivia. Haven't had the fried chicken myself, but friends said it was good. Tried their mac n cheese, which is excellent.

I had a great brunch here a couple weeks ago. I had a 'grits casserole' [it sounded strange, but worked out well] and my friend had chicken and waffles. Both were excellent. I should go the lounge once or twice before moving back to Chicago in three weeks.

You're thinking of the Circulator, you can use smartrip cards and what not, even though it's not wmata bus [although I believe the service is run by wmata]. They don't stop directly in front of the Foggy Bottom metro exactly, but you can pick them up just a block or so away on Penn Ave.

That's odd, because in IL cashiers in grocery stores have to be 21 to scan alcohol. Or as a barback, maybe?

I feel like I should've heard that song before. 2Pac and Nas' "Thugz Mansion" reminds me of it. Sometime tonight, I'll tip back the only drink I have in the house [Wasmund's Whisky] and listen to Rhymefests' mixtape Man in the Mirror.

Good to know, thanks! Only went there once on a cold winter's night for a bowl of beef noodle soup, one of my favorite dishes to warm up with.

You can get toppings? Why have I never done this before?

I was having lunch with some friends in Pentagon Row, went bowling, then we decided to go to Dairy Godmother around 6 [thankfully, not much of a line then]. Had no idea about the world's most famous White Sox fan visiting my neighborhood today. Oh well. Too bad it'll be packed for awhile.

I don't really have a problem with some places having a dress code, just depends on the establishment. I do remember in the mid-90's my sister wasn't allowed into a Dave and Buster's because she was wearing jeans.

Express Your Hell?

Yeah that really doesn't seem like it's worth it, and I live in Del Ray. What interests me the most is what Bombay Curry Company's $20 'ultimate platter' is. Good Indian takeout.

Sad. I'm moving back home to Evanston in July, thankfully that location isn't closing.

Wow, okay. I only moved to Del Ray last summer.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that might be where she gets them from, but that's a completely baseless assumption because they're practically next door to one another.