Todd tagged me for a meme. I hate memes. But I will do this for Todd. It's about restaurants. And you're supposed to link the other people who have succombed to peer pressure, so here you go:





Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
Ubermilf (Chicago-ish, Illinois, United States)

Now, Chicago and its surrounding suburbs contain many, many wonderful restaurants. I don't get out very often, so my sampling is limited. Bear that in mind as I list my personal favorites:

1. Clara's: Located in a strip mall in a bedroom community, this place isn't much to look at. But oh-my-God is it good. Especially the artery-clogging alfredoes. There's this one that combines garlic chicken with pasta alfredo and then they cover it with mozzarella and put it under the broiler. I'm surprised the American Heart Association hasn't filed an injunction against them yet. There are oodles of great Italian restaurants, and an entire section of the city is called "Little Italy". This one happens to be in my neck of the woods. It is also quite reasonably priced and located near a movie theater for an ideal date night.

2. Vie: Incredibly expensive works of art on a plate. Fresh local ingredients. For special occasions only, unless you are Thurston and Lovey Howell.

3. Emilio's: Pretty standard as far as tapas goes, but it was one of the first in the area and they're pros. We had our wedding reception at La Perla, an Emelio's offshoot. They know what they're doing and they don't make mistakes. Also, not a budget-buster.

4. Yu's: I have the Sysm family to thank for this one. They introduced us to it. Another strip mall gem, this place puts all other "Chinese" food restaurants to shame. They make their own noodles, and put on a "noodle show" in the evenings. I've never seen it. The food is enough of a draw to me. And good mai tais, too. No bland nondescript white or brown sauces to be found, this place has flava.


5. Salt and Pepper: This is a sentimental favorite of mine. I've only been there for breakfast, and only after a night of revelry. I've been there with my friends and I've been there with Dilf. It was yet another "meant to be" moment when we discovered our mutual love of Salt and Pepper as a post-partying destination. They put onions in their hashbrowns. And their omelettes are perfection.


I tag Dr. Sardonic, Tits McGee, Monkey, Melanie and Johnny Pipewrench. Just to piss him off.