Cardozo's Bargain Basement Lunch

Cardozo's is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It's the perfect get-away from all types of shitty Chicago weather. Wood-paneled, Christmas-light-covered basement bars are my favorite. But what makes Cardozo's even better is the classic diner fare and free appetizers at happy hour.  

From here at our place of employment, City Hall, Cardozo's feels like an extension of the 9th floor, you got your gold-chain, baseball-cap-wearing permit expediters, suited up zoning attorneys, secretaries with feathered hair, and the occasional day-drunk County employee. 

Before 2000, most veterans of the Loop happy hour scene will tell you Cardozo's was smokiest bar in Chicago. There was a blanket of smoke so thick you could make out with your coworker none of your other coworkers could see you.

But those days are behind us, and the 6'6" yellowed stucco ceiling has been scrubbed back to white. 

This afternoon Erik and I went in with a $20 Groupon (highly recommend; get it here while valid) and my $5.99 bolognese spaghetti special was slightly better than expected! I love ground beef and canned tomatoes -- no sarcasm. Erik threw caution to the wind and ordered the London broil. It wasn't bad either! Now that he's convinced the place no longer harbors a stale cigarette-butt smell (he hasn't been in since the early '90s), we will definitely be going more often.

Rating, each category out of 5: 

Taste           * * * 
Value           * * * * *
Atmosphere  * * * * *
Service         * * *  

Cardozo's Pub, 170 W. Washington (at LaSalle) Links: Yelp, Chicago Bar Project Review

Russian/French/Creperie/Bistro

Get your classic Russian/French cuisine right here! (I guess that's a thing?) We've been meaning to review Crepe Bistro for ages, but we haven't been there in ages. It’s an oddly shaped restaurant with high ceilings and big windows facing the Wells Street el. Since it opened six years ago it’s gotten cozier- if still a little odd. The food is simple and made with fresh ingredients. I remembered loving the tomato basil soup so much last time that my eyes skipped right over the borscht on the menu! ME! 

For my $8 lunch special I chose the coq au vin crepe (with mornay sauce and swiss cheese) and a crock of tomato soup. It was delicious and almost too much food. Quite a deal for the price. Erik's florentine crepe was pretty much the same thing but with spinach. His side of fries was topped with fresh dill and lightly sautéed garlic. It was so Russian it felt like I was back in Irkutsk. I've only been back from my Siberia trip a couple months, and I've been craving all things (mostly food) Russian. My Russian Federation radar is still pretty keen, though anyone would notice that owner-guy was wearing some VERY pointy shoes, and our waitress looked Buryat or Mongolian. (She's actually from Kyrgyzstan!)

Happy hour here seems like a great idea- even though their drinks are all sugar and vodka and end in tini (clementini anyone?). They do have a vodka flight that could be good, if there's anything interesting in stock. Also, Baltika beer is alright. 

We've been informed there's a live accordion player every Friday evening.

This place's aesthetic transports you straight to motherland. Sometimes Russian techno music videos blast from some satellite tv station, just like every single place of business in all of Russia.

As Erik said, "When your server is from Kyrgyzstan, you are certainly dining at the most exotic of all the Loop lunch options."  

We highly recommend checking this place out, just cut the 'bistro' decor some slack and enjoy this Russian take on French food. 

Rating, each category out of 5: 

Taste           * * * * 

Value           * * * * *
Atmosphere  * * * 
Service         * * *  

Links: Yelp, Crepe Bistro Website, NYTimes article about Kyrgyzstan

Pizano's Pizza

"This is an above ground marinara swimming pool- FOR RATS!" Jon Stewart's pizza rant last week was nothing short of brilliant, except maybe the casserole line he stole from Anthony Bourdain. I'm still chuckling about Chicago being so cold we might have to crawl into our stuffed pizza to keep warm. 

Since then a truce has been forged with khaki wearing rich guy Mr. Malnati and the Daily Show. Sorta like when Jon agrees to disagree with a Fox News pundit. Sure, we're both better and "more real" than California, but this isn't over. Chicago is too fun to provoke because Chicagoans have a terrible sense of humor about Chicago. As Phil Rosenthal wrote in the Trib last weekend of The Daily Show episode, "It would be nice to report that Chicago was able to separate legitimate criticism from piffle. Nice, but impossible." Chicago needs to chill out.

Back to pizza. The fact is, I am my father's daughter and, "he's never met a pizza he doesn't like." I like to think I'm a tad more discerning. When I'm in NY I will not go to Sbarro because it's the closest pizza joint to our hotel (God, DAD! What is wrong with you!!??). 

Erik, Benet and I go to Pizano's almost every Friday for a deep dish spinach and garlic. When Jon Stewart describes Chicago Deep Dish is like, "tomato soup in a bread bowl," something went very wrong with that pizza. A good Chicago Deep Dish crust should not be soft and bread-y such as the soggy mess you get at Gino's East. It should be crispy, almost crouton-like. The well-oiled pan should lightly fry the dough. It can be buttery or not, dusted with cornmeal or not, but it should never be lifeless. 

Photo from Serious Eats

As far as comparing Chicago Deep Dish to Chicago Deep Dish, we could go on for PAGES, so I will keep it brief and in the context of what's available downtown at lunchtime: Pizano's is THE BEST. I have worked at Eduardo's, Lou Malnati's, and Rozzati's, and no one does deep dish as well as Pizano's. The crust is buttery, if you like that style, and the cheese isn't excessive. The spinach still looks and tastes like fresh spinach. The garlic brings out the best flavors in every ingredient. My favorite part is the sauce- it's just stewed tomatoes, beautiful, bright, partially intact tomatoes. It's so good, Jon Stewart, I want to drown in it. In fact, we request extra sauce every time, which the kitchen hates, and one time we figured out why. Extra sauce completely throws off the structural integrity of the pie. Do not doubt that Pizano's knows what its doing. Serious Eats agrees with me, "The pure tomato flavor is so good that I was left craving more." Full article here: Finding Religion at Pizano's Pizza and Pasta.

Best friend of the lunch blog Benet Haller would like to add, 
"I like many different types of pizza and have no predisposition to favor the deep dish....but Pizano's is the best deep dish I've had for a few reasons: 1) it's not too deep 2) the crust is amazing 3) the cheese and other ingredients are noticeably fresher than other deep dish joints."

"Pizano's is really great no matter what you call it." - Erik Glass

Rating, each category out of 5: 

Taste           * * * * *

Value           * * * * *
Atmosphere  * * * 
Service         * * * * * Tip: pre-order your pizza when dining in to save time.

Links: Yelp, Pizanos

Revisiting Frango Mint Cafe

An exaggerated story around the Gustafson household is that my grandmother Janis Selmarten used to board an outer-drive bus every day to shop the sales at Marshall Field's. For a short time she was a dress designer for Leslie Fey, and managed to be fashionable on a budget up until her late 70s when she finally stopped wearing nylons and high heels. My first CTA bus ride at about age 3 was with her, to Marshall Fields of course, and to this day I still think riding an articulated bus is a treat. Up until her death in 2002 the only Christmas gift she would accept (she hated gifts and cameras and being the center of attention) was a box of Frango mints.

I always feel her spirit in Field's building, even though it has become progressively less glamorous since Macy's took over. Back when it was still Marshall Fields, I was a regular at the Frango Mint Cafe. I liked to eat alone and imagine her looking out the same windows to a 1970s Chicago below. 

Today though, Erik and Aaron joined me. And the question is: why don't we come here more often! Across the way from the Seven on State cafeteria (where 20 min lines are not atypical), the cool semi-circle Frango Mint Cafe booths sit nearly empty. My soup and half sandwich was everything you want from a cafe lunch: chicken chili in a vaguely Mexican style including a cilantro cream swirl, and a slightly sophisticated chicken salad sandwich with pesto and whole pistachios. There's even free refills on their strong black current iced tea.

Erik ordered the well-toasted grilled ham and cheese with a side of perfectly firm potato salad. Aaron ordered a 1990s Chi-Chi's-style taco salad in a shell. 

I can't say enough good things about this place! Here's one more- this place is one of the rare, high-quality, affordable restaurants where lemming hour does not exist! So if you have to eat at noon, head to the Frango Mint Cafe and save room for dessert. 

Since their menu is not online: 

Rating, each category out of 5: 

Taste           * * * * *

Value           * * *
Atmosphere  * * * * 
Service         * * * 

Links: Yelp

Harry's

Ah Harry's. It hasn't changed since I worked in Monadnock building in the late 90s: same adorable Korean couple taking your order, same 80s font on the posters, same generous helping of iceberg lettuce on every sandwich. 

Erik and I both got the hot pastrami with 'everything'- mystery white cheese, mealy tomatoes, green peppers, julienne sliced onions, and crispy iceberg lettuce. The bread is well-toasted and soft, but the pastrami was barely a step up from Jewel's. I like my pastrami on rye with yellow mustard so after the first two bites I couldn't stop thinking of all the other, better, pastrami sandwiches I could be eating. At the very least, I wished the weird half-melted processed cheese was mayonnaise. 

"It's like Mr. Sub but more expensive." - Erik Glass

That said, we love the space, the service, and just plain hanging out in the Monadnock building. It was a delight to stare at the Fisher building through the Chicago-windows on a drizzly day. We'll probably be back.

Rating, each category out of 5: 

Taste           * * 

Value           * 
Atmosphere  * * * * 
Service         * * * *

Links: Yelp

Third Floor over Yonder (Closed)

I love Wabash Avenue. Under the girders of the El walk a mix of impatient jewelers, disaffected SAIC kids, clueless tourists, and crispy critters (Erik's term for the especially rough-looking homeless). Three of my favorite lunch joints reside there- Heaven on Seven, Oasis, and The Pittsfield Cafe. 

Not many restaurants can succeed above street level, besides maybe Tilted Kilt, but I hope Yonder is one of them. Going through the "Mallers Building" at 5 S. Wabash is a fun treasure hunt that ends in a theater tech nerd's pastoral breakfast dream.

Photo from Eater.Com

Yonder is brought to you by the Wishbone people, so you'll find the some similar soul food staples like jambalaya and cornbread muffins.
Shown below under purple theater lights and in the shade of the 'bacon tree' are the black bean cakes, mac and cheese, and a side of greens (though the greens look poop-brown in this light). Looking equally unappetizing below is the brisket. Though fatty, it was quite succulent and flavorful.  

Tips: Always get the mac and cheese as a side and don't skip the unsweetened iced tea. It's not too watery, not too bitter. Enjoy the fried egg clouds and pretend you're in the book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. 

Rating, each category out of 5: 

Taste           * * * *

Value           * * 
Atmosphere  * * * * (Extra credit for featuring multiple Spuds Mckenzie dogs!)
Service         * * * *

Links: Yelp, Yonder Website

Dillman's in River North

So many expensive floor and wall treatments, so little time!  

After we were brought to a dark corner and seated in cushy club chairs around a big, low table, my first thought was, should we just get cocktails and forget lunch?  Then I saw the cocktail menu. $14 for a Negroni? It has three ingredients! The gin wasn't even specified! 

Half a corned beef sandwich was more than a full meal, as it should be, but I'm not sure it was any better than Perry's Deli. The potato pancakes were tasty, but almost over-fried. 

"Dillman's- bringing New York prices to Chicago." - Erik Glass

I guess they have to pay for this ridiculous build out somehow. (Photo via Eater.com)

Rating, each category out of 5:

Taste           * * * 

Value           * * 
Atmosphere  * * *
Service         * * * *

Links: Yelp