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#70 – Banh Mi at Saigon Sisters


2011
10.02

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The Classic Banh Mi

The Classic Banh Mi

Today we’re looking at banh mi, the Vietnamese sandwich with French influences. Take a baguette, load it up with ham, pate, pickled veggies, and jalapeno and you’ve got yourself one heck of a sandwich. The best banh mi is fresh with a nice crispness to the bread. Luckily, when I am in need of banh mi Saigon Sisters is only a few blocks away from work and the only banh mi you’ll find within miles of the Loop.

Better than Ba Le, Nhu Lan, or other imitations, Saigon Sisters in the best in banh mi north side or south side. Once you’ve stepped inside Saigon Sisters, check out their chalkboard menu but go straight for the classic and you won’t regret it. I like a dab of Sriracha on my banh mi and the classic served on a fresh baguette will be the perfect banh mi for lunch. Layers of ham and a generous layer of pate makes for a perfect downtown lunch that won’t knock you out. Here is a sampling of banh mi from @saigonsisters:

Haute Dog Banh Mi

Haute Dog Banh Mi

The Haute Dog features all-beef hot dog served on the same fresh baguette with tomato, mayo, some mint, and pickled daikon (radishes for the uninitiated). I haven’t had hot dog in a baguette since I was in Germany, so the Haute Dog passes the test.

Meatball Banh Mi

Meatball Banh Mi

Do you like meatball sandwiches? Add some Vietnamese flavor and you’ve got yourself the best of both worlds.

Beef Pho

Beef Pho

Saigon Sisters also has other goods that’ll whet your appetite if you ever deviate from the banh mi mastery. The first time I went with a coworker and we ended up eating a banh mi and bowl of pho apiece, promising us an instant trip to sleepiness, particularly when you throw a bao or two in.

Pork Belly Bao

Pork Belly Bao

You really can’t escape Saigon Sisters without trying a bao or two or three. These little guys have the jalapeno, daikon and I love the pork belly the best. A delightful side snack when beasting the best banh mi in the city. Stop in at Saigon Sisters to get your banh mi on, and if you’re chained to your desk you can always call and have them deliver or cater your next company lunch!


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#69 – Dinner at Isla Pilipina


2011
08.26

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Living in Albany Park, it’s a short hop and a skip to Lincoln Square. Weekends and most nights will have a line, so it’s best to make a reservation lest you wait outside for too long. Located in the middle of a strip mall across the street from Burger King and next door to Caesar’s Pizza you’ll see people going about their business carrying brown bags or cardboard boxes probably not noticing that some of the best food in Lincoln Square is sitting right in front of them.

Dinner is sometimes best highlighted by four simple letters: BYOB. At Isla Pilipina bringing your own supply is no problem as long as you don’t spend five hours sitting. While BYOB fare is always hospitable, you’ll find plenty of people enjoying Filipino dishes on every table.

Whether you’re having dinner for two or in with your own personal army, Isla Pilipina will find a way to whet your appetite. Browsing the menu you’ll see appetizers, noodles, veggies, rice dishes, entrees, seafood, and dessert. The craziest thing I saw on the menu was some spaghetti with ground beef, hot dog, served over fried chicken which I’ll have to check out the next time I’m there.

Grilled Pork

The best thing I had was the marinated grilled pork served with a vinaigrette. Soaked in marinade for over a week, likely best eaten with a bowl of rice, this giant plate of meat will make you feel like you’ve been grilling outside and enjoying the fruits of your own labor. Don’t forget to get some shanghai lumpia or calamari as appetizers.

Lumpia Shanghai


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#10 – Chicago’s Best Street Fest: West Fest


2011
07.13

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Posted in Music, Party, The List | 1 Comment »

@djjohnsimmons

@djjohnsimmons

If you’ve ever been to Chicago in the summertime, you know our streets and calendars get stacked with an endless array of neighborhood street fests that combine local shopping, food and of course, live music. You’ll find West Fest in the second week of July between Wood and Damen on Chicago Avenue. Like most street fests, you’ll have to pay your $5 suggested donation that benefits the West Town Chamber of Commerce and roll through past the barricades to get your hand marked.

Once inside, you’re free to roam to the rock stage on one end or the DJ staged on the other. In between, you’ll find food vendors, boutiques, and even a few bar patios on the way east. An endless stream of people with dogs, kids, and friends inevitably means you will run into people (whether you want to or not). Most years I try to check out both stages and some of the vendors but this year I got to West Fest and the music was slammin’ so I just had to rush past all the vendors and check out @djjohnsimmons at the turntables.

I first heard John “Break It Down” Simmons at a Halloween party a few years back. I was sleepy and ready to go home but at about 3am, I heard the music kick it up three notches and had to get my dance on. I looked over and saw the wizard at work spinning the hot tracks and keeping people on their feet. The hardest working man in Chicago, you’ll find him spinning his craft all over the city on any given night.

West Fest

@SmallbarDst at West Fest

West Fest transcends your local neighborhood street fest, it is an experience and it is the city’s best street festival of the year. Why is West best so spectacular? Just like going to a great party, you know you’ll run into friends you hadn’t planned on seeing. Every year I run into friends I haven’t seen in ages and this year was no different. Another trend I’ve noticed the past few years at West Fest is that if my friends get too tired and all go home, all I have to do is walk twenty feet and I’ll run into another friend I didn’t expect to see! That’s when you know you and everybody else is in the right place and the right time.

@blucu hard at work

@blucu hard at work

There’s a simple rule with West Fest – when the sun goes down the crowds roll in and everyone is dancing! Some friends of mine booked early (ahem ahem @haterface @allaboutkelli @cassidycody @funnybunnytoes) and missed out on the best part of West Fest. As the crowds start gathering up, you best lock yourself a spot to either sit back and relax or get up and get your dance on. Luckily, I ran into some old friends and had a seat on the patio of Tecalitan.

West Fest Crowd

West Fest Crowd

With Chicago legend Derrick Carter bringing the people off the curb and onto the street to dance, I had to get off of the patio and make my way to the front. Using light taps to get my way through, I found the quickest path curbside wading through an endless sea of people and empty bottles of water. Pushing through, eventually I made it all the way to the front speaker at full blast. Knowing full well the price of getting to the front was going to be eating some decibels, I slicked my way across and got all the way to the front to see and hear one of Chicago’s world class DJ’s giving it all to the hometown faithful. Nothing says Chicago more than house music outdoors at the best street fest all year. Take it from @blucu:

Derrick Carter

Derrick Carter

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#68 – Check out a Cubs Rooftop


2011
07.05

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Down the Line Rooftop

Down the Line Rooftop

Thanks to a recent coupon promotion, I was able to snag some cheap rooftop seats and get a chance to see what all the hubbub was all about. I was a bit worried since I got to the gate and there was a line that was stretching too far even though it was an hour before the game. Someone let me know that I was in the line for Skybox on Sheffield and was relieved when I found myself in a much shorter line and quickly up the steps to the rooftop.

Some rooftops, if you don’t get there in time, chances are you’ll be stuck standing all game or watching the game on TV from the second floor. Luckily, I got in line early enough to skip losing out on the game of musical chairs. Seating options included bleacher style risers, a few couches, and some metal patio setup but they were all taken save the risers.

Rooftop Seats

Rooftop Seats

The risers weren’t bad considering the heat and the food and drink flowed even before the game started. The lines for food were longer than the line for drinks which didn’t make much sense, but the lines moved along fairly quickly. Food selections included burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, brats, chicken sandwiches and chips. The burgers were grilled by the dozen without much attention as they were all frozen and there was plenty of food to load up on before the game began. Beverages included Anheuser-Busch products, Miller offerings, Corona, Heinken, and wines. There was apparently dessert on the second floor but I was too busy hanging out on the top where the real fun was.

Rooftop Seats

Rooftop Seats

Sitting in Wrigley, it would always seem that the view from the rooftops would kind of suck given the distance and extra street everything was behind. Surprisingly, I found the view quite acceptable because even though everything was so much farther away, the height of the seats made up for the distance, you could still see almost everything going on in the stadium.

Second Floor Window

Second Floor Window

All in all not a bad value proposition and a way better financial deal than one you’d get from the stadium across the street depending on how much you ate or drank. With rooftop seating offering an acceptable vantage point, it made the unlimited food and drink more of a bonus than the main draw, however I can easily see why other people might have it the other way around.


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5411 Empanada Food Truck


2011
06.13

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Get your empanadas! 5411 Food Truck is here!

5411 Empanada Food Truck

One of the great things about working downtown is the ability to catch a few of the city’s new food trucks dishing out their daily goods during lunch hour. Like a flash in the pan, these trucks pick a location and distribute their delights until it’s all gone. Walking from my office over to Merchandise Mart, I spied a suburban sandwich truck, a half-block long line for 5411 Empanadas, or a short line for cupcake food truck. With a long line I figured the food must have been good and waited through the heat.

Once I got to the front of the line the ordering began, I decided on beef, BBQ chicken, ham & cheese, and caramelized onion. Once I got the goods, I dashed back to the office to discover what all the waiting was about.

Beef empanada

Beef Empanada

The beef: Packs good texture in this pocket of empanada with beef and some extras. I really have to say I always enjoy the texture of the empanada and 5411 does a great job baking on the truck with rack upon rack of empanadas.

BBQ Chicken Empanada

BBQ Chicken Empanada

This empanada had sauciness that was a refreshing change of pace from the beef. Inside were hunks of chicken and the BBQ sauce wasn’t overwhelming in flavor. Some pulled pork or brisket empanadas would be a dream come true!

Ham & Cheese Empanada

Ham & Cheese Empanada

The ham & cheese empanada was by far my favorite. Though small in stature this cheese-filled empanada really justified the long wait in line. Every bite was cheesy, all the bits of ham were formidable and if you like ham and cheese with anything, empanadas are something worth trying.

Overall a good treat and fun hunt downtown for 5411 Empanadas. Half of the hunt is the novelty and the other half is trying some food that you won’t find anywhere else downtown. Would I try some 5411 again? Absolutely, just let the temperature cool down a bit or I’ll have to get there earlier to avoid the long line!


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