`Round up the usual suspects.” One of the great lines of cinema. Also a useful description of most “Welcome to Chicago” lists, which understandably steer newcomers toward the tried-and-true, never-fail aspects of the city.
With the Democratic National Convention about to start — and, we imagine, more than a few newcomers in town — we decided to round up the unusual suspects. Following are our slightly offbeat suggestions to frequently asked dining questions. With any luck, they’ll give newcomers and natives a fresh idea or two.
WHERE TO GO FOR RIBS
Ask for barbecued ribs and likely recommendations include Carson’s Ribs, Blackhawk Lodge and, on the South Side, Leon’s. But come with us to Smoke Daddy, 1804 W. Division St., a vintage neighborhood bar-jazz club that is producing barbecue good enough to set the tone deaf to humming. While Smoke Daddy’s ribs are not permeated with smoke and spice as deeply as the best Memphis soul-cook ribs, they are good. The music, jazz or blues, begins between 9:30 and 10:30 evenings except Wednesday and Sunday.
PIZZA
You can’t go wrong by visiting Pizzeria Uno (where Chicago-style pizza was born), or longtime institutions such as Lou Malnati’s and The Original Gino’s East. But another uniquely Chicago pizza is sold at Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder Co., 2121 N. Clark St., whose quirky pizzas (cooked in the manner of a pot pie, and upended on your plate) have been drawing crowds for nearly 25 years. For those of you looking for a little history, the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place across the street, although the famed garage is long gone.
A GREAT HOT DOG
The names of hot dog emporiums that hungry locals bark out include Demon Dogs, Gold Coast Dogs and Fluky’s. But to defy a pair of Chicago traditions, step down into the famous Billy Goat Tavern, 430 N. Michigan Ave. (lower level), and order a hot dog instead of a “cheezborger.” Other customers will regard you suspiciously, but the hot dog, cooked on a flat grill in the East Coast fashion instead of steamed, and scantily topped with only chopped onion, mustard and green pickle relish, is a perfect companion to a cold draft beer on an August day or night.
CELEBRITY WATCHING
There’s no telling where the better-known delegates might be spotted, but Michael Jordan’s Restaurant, which is closed to the public this Monday through Wednesday after 4 p.m., is a good bet all year long, as is celebrity-magnet Planet Hollywood (and, if it ever opens, Spago). Our advice is to ditch River North and head to the resurgent Rush Street area, where restaurants such as Gibsons (1028 N. Rush St.), and Carmine’s (1043 N. Rush St.) get their share of the rich and famous.
SEAFOOD
You don’t need an ocean coast to lay claim to great seafood — just a busy airport, which is why Chicago has plenty of Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf seafood year-round. Upscale choices for seafood include Shaw’s Crab House (for years Chicago’s best), Catch 35 and, on Navy Pier, Riva. The most offbeat choice, however, is Lawry’s the Prime Rib, 100 E. Ontario St. Though the specialty is prime rib, executive chef Jackie Shen creates one seafood entree each night, and it’s invariably a winner.
CHICKEN
Ask for Chicago’s contributions to the art of gastronomy and a dish called chicken Vesuvio will be high on the list. Containing roasted chicken, garlic, potato and herbs, it is featured at restaurants such as Giannotti, Gene & Georgetti, Rosebud and Harry Caray’s. But the best chicken, garlic and potato combo in town is French. The creation of chef/owner Jean-Claude Poilevey for his tiny Bucktown bistro, Le Bouchon, 1958 N. Damen Ave., it consists of half a free-range chicken, pan-roasted with six or eight cloves of garlic and fresh thyme, served with a bacon- and onion-lacked potato cake.
GREAT STEAKS
Befitting its largely inaccurate meat-and-potatoes reputation, Chicago abounds in top-quality steakhouses, including Morton’s of Chicago, The Saloon and the Chicago Chop House. But you can find a great steak at Gordon, 500 N. Clark St.; Gordon Sinclair gets his hand-cured steaks from Summerfield Farms in Virginia, and says Thursday’s shipment always sells out by Saturday — though he’s bringing in extras for lunch and dinner during the convention. And in the suburbs, Bob Chinn’s Crab House, 393 S. Milwaukee Ave., in Wheeling, is famous for fresh fish yet puts out a quality steak as well.
LATE-DINING SPOTS
In a town that stops eating and drinking much earlier than Frank Sinatra would have you believe, those who need a late meal in the north Michigan Avenue area often are directed to Mrs. Park’s Tavern, 198 E. Delaware Pl., and those who prefer liquid refreshment migrate to Set ‘Em Up Joe, 22 W. Elm St. But if traffic from the United Center to downtown is heavy, consider going north to the Bucktown neighborhood and dropping in on popular Club Lucky, 1824 W. Wabansia St., where the drinks and the food from the traditional Italian menu are well-made and enjoyable, and the kitchen stays open until 11 p.m. (midnight on weekends).
DINING WITH A VIEW
For all its skyscrapers, Chicago doesn’t have many restaurants that offer a view. There’s Everest, of course, for the expense-account crowd, and The Signature Room on the 95th, in John Hancock Center, and Riva, on Navy Pier. One of the prettiest views in Chicago, though, is from the rooftop patio of Affair, 212 N. Canal St., which overlooks the Chicago River from Wolf Point toward Michigan Avenue.
FOR A QUIET NIGHT OUT
Quiet dining is on the decline in Chicago. Restaurants these days are designed to be noisy, which to some people connotes popularity and energy. For a little peace and quiet, an obvious choice is to go to a sparsely populated restaurant; trouble is, empty restaurants often don’t have wonderful food and don’t stay in business very long. However, some places, such as Nick’s Fishmarket and The Ritz-Carlton Dining Room, manage to keep quality high and volume low. Two less-obvious choices would be Entre Nous, the fine-dining French restaurant in the Fairmont Hotel, 200 N. Columbus Dr., and Printer’s Row, 550 S. Dearborn St., which strikes a fine balance of low noise, high-quality food and a relaxed atmosphere.
ITALIAN DELI SANDWICHES
Another Chicago creation is the all-meat Italian beef sandwich dipped in hot broth. It’s done to perfection at Mr. Beef, and Al’s No. 1 Italian Beef. But those who prefer their Italian-style sandwiches with cold cuts and vegetables, and may have to eat them late, should direct themselves to funky Bar Louie, 226 W. Chicago Ave. Large, well-made sandwiches such as the Vesuvio Melt and the Caesar await, along with the Luigi, a steak sandwich topped with a vegetable garden, and New Orleans-style muffalettas. To drink: pristine martinis, draft beers or wine from Italy. And the place stays open until 2 a.m. during the week, 3 a.m. weekends.
WHERE TO GO FOR BUGS
Admittedly, we don’t get a lot of requests for this one. Politicians are allergic to bugs, especially the kind used by government informants at the shuttered Counsellors Row restaurant. But another way to shut a few mouths with a bug is to squeeze into Salpicon, the fine Mexican restaurant at 1252 N. Wells St., and order a plate of chapulines. These are salt-cured grasshoppers that have been deep-fried. Salpicon also serves more conventional fare including fine renditions of wild mushroom soup, tostados, chile-infused chicken and pork tenderloin. And there’s the possibility of a grasshopper cocktail for dessert.
