A Cure For Lethargy and Winter: Have Food Delivered To Your Door!

This is nothing new. Ordering pizza for delivery. Big whoop, right? Wrong. Incorrect. This is in fact a true gift from the culinary gods, especially living in the vast food haven that is the city of Chicago. We’ve had a remarkable winter thus far. Cannot complain. Most Chicagoans are tough as nails anyway, making the best of whatever the lake effect wind blows our way. We spend many days hunched, wrapping our coats tighter around our shivering bodies, lowering our head to avoid the wind, keeping our eyes down at the ground so there’s no tripping, slipping or falling. It does a number on our posture and on our moods. This winter we’ve been fortunate enough to look up, to de-layer, wear less, smile more. We’ve been gifted some windy, snowy days to remind us what normal winters entail, and then we receive a few days of warmth and sunshine to melt any crankiness away. On those “average” days, when the wind howls and the temperature drops, I recommend you park under your electric blanket (if you don’t have one, give yourself the gift or have an awesome mom give it to you like mine did, especially in a cold winter), call one of the great places listed below, pop in a good flick and wait for pleasure to be delivered to your door.

If I had to give thanks to 5 things beyond what truly matters, beyond my amazing family and friends, beyond my health and lasting happiness, my dreams, values, yoga, yada yada, I’d most certainly put pizza on that list. I love almost every version of pizza, even some frozen varieties. I love creative and bizarre pizzas (see Dimo’s, formerly Ian’s). I love Chicago style (Pequod’s!). And I love good ole NYC style cheese pizza. And for that, I won’t go anywhere else but Gigio’s. Even my enthusiasm for food and writing cannot bring adequate words to page to describe the simple yet exquisite delight that is this pizza. To me, and roughly 15 people we share pies with from time, Gigio’s is perfect. I cannot fathom a way to improve it. The original location is in Evanston, a charming suburb on the north-side of Chicago. Sometimes I wish I grew up there. I know some genuinely unique and wonderful people who emerged out of Evanston’s streets and they all know and love Gigio’s as well. They now have a location on North Broadway, in Uptown. The location is nothing special, not nearly the nostalgic experience I feel when visiting the Evanston shop, but either is remarkable for delivery or take-out. I highly, highly recommend! And now I’m craving it. One large cheese feeds our three large mouths very well. Nod to the spinach, pepperoni and sausage as well. Delectable. Sinful. Just like I like it. $16.55, little over $20 for delivery. For stellar pizza, that’s a fine deal in my book. They deliver til 2 am on the weekends and accept credit cards. Easy as a scrumptious, savory pie! 4643 N. Broadway St.  Chicago, IL 60640 (773) 271-2273

Almost everyone in this expansive country grows up with the luxury of pizza delivery. In the burbs it’s not always the greatest, but when you’re a kid, you could give two shits. Bread, cheese, hot, without effort, sold. Beyond the joy that is receiving quality pizza on a cold winter night is the sheer miracle of receiving Chinese food via the same transmission. If only we didn’t have to get off our asses and pay the poor sod braving the cold to bring food to a bunch of lazy sloths. Small mercies. For this, I recommend Mark’s Chop Suey on Halsted. I’m a gargantuan fan of wonton soup. Something compels me to order it regardless of my level of hunger, time of day or what entrée I’m pairing it with. And at Mark’s, all soups are very satisfactory and are beyond our normal Chinese fast food equivalents. I’ve a barrage of meat and veggie dishes, usually accompanied by both friend rice AND lo mein, I have no shame. You really cannot beat their dinner box deal’s. For one, you receive an egg roll or two crab rangoons (I love both, but who can pass up a crab rangoon? You shouldn’t. They’re crazy awesome.), choice of beef, pork, chicken or veggie entrée and a side of fried rice for $6.95. They deliver until 11 pm and are closed on Mondays. Slurp up some noodles and enjoy! Delivery Area: Division (1200 North) to Devon (6400 North) California (2800 west) to Lake Michigan (773) 281-9090

Here’s where I go back to some old favorites and recommend you order delivery now and then walk or ride your bike for a visit once it warms up. Or now, if you’re not a wimp like me. Panes is by far my favorite sandwich place in Lakeview. From the baked fresh daily bread, their refreshing sides and vegetables, quality deli meat, truly unbelievable cookies and even better prices, we order Panes probably twice a month. $5.95 a sandwich. Cash only so beware. They close at 9 so order early. 3002 North Sheffield Avenue  Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 665-0972

Crisp’s wings are truly unbelievable, large, perfectly executed and well worth the $8.95 for 5 price. I love their bowls and fried mushroom app too. They close at 9 as well are closed all day Monday. I’ve made the wretched mistake of craving them so intensely I have tunnel vision and want nothing else, all to call and find out it’s fricken Monday! Curses. Don’t make that mistake. Delivery Area: Lake Michigan to 2000 W Damen 1600 North (North Ave) to 4000 North (Irving Park). (773)-697-7610 (773)-697-7611

Despite my pension for pizza and cookies, I do enjoy eating healthy foods most often, just not late at night on the weekend’s. This next choice is a real American munchie craving, one you cannot sweat too much because of calories or fat, just enjoy it. When I have a hankering for BBQ and the energy of my dog Bear, I’ll call Risque Cafe. No, it’s not a strip club/buffet combo like it sounds, or like you’re used to, it’s an oddball concoction of whiskey and craft beers, and some damn fine BBQ. I love fried pickles. Theirs are speers, bursting with salt and flavor, piping hot, and excellent. Their pulled pork is juicy, tender, smokey and tangy and is paired with fantastic baked beans, surprisingly well made cornbread (I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, I live in the land of corn and more corn!), and an unnecessary side salad. What was even better, what I will order every single time from now on, is their F*ck Fidel sandwich, a meal and a sentiment most can get behind. Pulled pork, ham, swiss, fried pickles and mustard. Oh my f*cking god, mind-blowing, heart exploding, stomach challenging, taste buds in ecstasy. Toss it down with some crispy fries and you’re in for a good night’s sleep. Eat in moderation, as a treat. I can’t emphasize this enough. Sandwiches range from $7-10 and are served with fries or tots. This is a bit of a tease because Risque does not deliver, BUT, if you are enjoying a night in with someone, I highly recommend the “I buy, you fly” method, order it to-go, it’ll still be fresh when it gets home. 3419 N Clark Chicago, IL 60657 (773)-525-7711

Rounding out our countries visited is a trip to Mexico, or the gift of Mexico visits you! Azteca de Oro is a consistently well reviewed, healthy, unassuming establishment on Clark Street, just north of Wrigley Field. I truly enjoyed every dish, every staple ingredient, and every margarita I’ve ever had, at authentic Mexican restaurants. An important distinction. Azteca is BYOB if you want to bring some friends and enjoy the food right after it’s prepared, but succumbing to our lethargy as we often do, we thought it best to receive this meal via carrier. Our tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and tortilla soup held out magnificently. Another home-run. Most entrée items run from $6-9, with the larger, more adultish choices being over $10. They’re open late and deliver their beautifully fresh and delicious food at warped speed. Enjoy! 3731 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60613 773-857-6565

A good night awaits you with any of these above and beyond delivery and carry out joints. At each, the hardworking staff provide genuine care in preparing every dish and delivering with optimum freshness. Living in the city, I personally walk miles a day. I love it. I can walk to most of my friend’s houses, take an elevated train and bask in the glory that is Chicago’s architecture, its vintage and modern beauty, its endlessly fascinating population and it’s infinite possibilities in memorable cuisine. Sometimes I need to rest these old bones while I watch the snow blow by, next to my radiator and my pups, in one of Chicago’s many great neighborhoods. Wherever you live, find the goodness. You can get bogged down with the sameness, the plain, the weather whoas and the distracting weirdos. Or you can embrace it for its totality and extract every bit of positive you can. If you live in Chicago and you complain about it, move. May sound harsh, but if you’re bored or unhappy it says more about you than it does the city. If you can’t plainly see the good or it’s not thrusted upon you on a silver platter, then do some work and find it. You deserve it. Have some great nights in!

Work hard. Play well. Live vibrantly and Eat even better. Masticate each bite thoroughly. Swallow with gratitude. Happy Eating.

Hone, Challenge, Evolve your Urban Belly

Last night I ate amazing food again. I do it on the reg (how annoy is the shortening of already easy to pronounce words? I suppose it would sound silly if I said I eat well on the regular, I eat good food regularly. There. On the reg is more fun, carries more humor, coolness. I like English. I eat damn good food on a regular basis! Boom. ). But seriously, I like food, a lot, and meals have always been the highlight of my day, the key to unlocking a good memory (my Mom or a friend will say “what were you/I/they wearing?” how the hell do I know? Was there food? Did I eat it? Did I enjoy it? Then maybe I’ll recollect whatever bullshit we’re conjuring up.), and the barometer for how well I’m living, have little to do with money and much to do with nourishment, feeling full inside and out. Eating well is a key to living a quality life and throughout my travels and personal quests to find more, how I eat has evolved tremendously. You leave home and you eat like shit for a while until you figure out a groove. Unfortunately, middle America and small town, USA are sincerely lacking in culinary exploration, healthy options and independently owned restaurants. Finding that spot in your area will be the exception, not the rule, and by all means eat at that special place until your heart is content and belly is warm, but I must urge you to branch out from Chili’s and the countless half-assed chain restaurants and do the necessary research or drive the required miles to find it. And if you live in or around Chicago, you must scrape the black frozen gunk off your car, shovel the snow out from behind your tires, gun it backward so you don’t get stuck and then gun it forward so you gain momentum and race out of your suburb and into the urb (short for urban: see ‘reg’ discussion above) for some Urban Belly.

I walked 6 blocks and took the 77 Belmont bus to California avenue, got off and walked a few blocks south of Elston to the tiny parking lot where Urban Belly rests, wafting savory, East Asian fragrance into the crisp Chicago air. When you do not have a car or loads of money to take cabs everywhere, certain restaurants can be a chore. I recommend you share a cab with friends, score a ride with someone you trust, and/or suck it up, pay the $2.25 and make the trek to whatever this neighborhood is. It’s beyond worth the effort getting there. It’s near previously reviewed favorites, Hot Doug’s and Kuma’s. Urban Belly’s interior is clean, modern while also feeling rustic, dimly lit, with long wood tables for you to share your meal with groups of people you love and people you’ll soon come to like. Eating is most definitely a community experience and similar to my other favorite place with a similar set up, Crisp, you’ll find yourself engaging and negotiating with folks sharing a similar appetite as you finagle your way into a seat, atop the beautiful wood-carved, short stools surrounding each rectangular table. You order at the front, take a number and then hopefully find your seats.

Their menu is broken down into Dumplings, Rice, Noodles and Sides, with 4-5 tantalizing items in each bunch. During my first trip, we ordered a side of kimchee, made seasonally so the spices and textures vary depending on the time of year, but the quality is always top notch, the spice just right and the flavor out of this world. There was none left once our entrees came, which takes a surprisingly short amount of time. I’m a whore for Udon, a thick, girthy noodle resembling some beautiful combination of a spaghetti noodle and partially characteristics of a dumpling you might find in the south, accompanied by chicken. They’re almost as thick as my pinkie, which is fairly alienesque but thick enough that you can imagine. They soak up flavor, are smooth and long with the ideal consistency and texture. Both times I ordered a noodle dish that included Udon and I do not regret it. Last night I had the #11: Udon, Shrimp, Coriander and Sweet Chili Lime Broth. It also comes with excellent oyster mushrooms (easily removed for you crazies who don’t like them) and these must-be-experienced-to-be-fully-understood bread dumpling balls, soup’s answer to the salad’s crouton. They round out the bowl of goodness perfectly. My partner in consumption ordered the #10: Soba Noodles, Bay Scallops, Oyster Mushrooms and Thai Basil Broth. The Soba is brown, thinner, with a nice hearty texture also ideal for soaking up flavor. The broth is so beautiful, dark hues with green residue floating to the top, providing such a unique and memorable flavor, you just want to drink it.

I saved half and literally ate the other 4 hours later before I went to bed. I craved it again that quickly. These are dishes we all love; noodles, rice, dumplings, but set up on such a creative building block and executed with flair, truly taken to the next level. You’ll love it and although the menu and ingredient list is short, the end result tastes so extraordinary, decadent even, that a casual dining experience just catapults to a special occasion because of the unbelievable escapade happening in your mouth. I read about Urban Belly in an airplane magazine once. It spoke of head chef, Bill Kim and what an impeccable product and experience he’s giving Chicagoans, and how he’s showcasing this cuisine in a new light. It is worth the trek and worth the cost (the portions are pretty generous, but noodle dishes run from $11-13, rice and dumpling $7-9 and sides a reasonable $4-6). I could eat there weekly and would if I was close and had unlimited funds. Instead I prefer to make it a treat, earn my keep and get amped for another satisfying adventure sampling Chicago fare. You gotta come to this city.

You should also be aware of owner and chef, Bill Kim’s other Chicago eatery, Belly Shack, located on 1918 N. Western Ave and showcasing an awesome Latin/Asian fusion. I had an amazing Asian meatball sandwich with rice noodles, bean sprouts and mint in a warm pita. Man, I need to go back there pronto, satisfy the craving before I go crazy. Both Urban Belly and Belly Shack are open for lunch and dinner, Tuesday through Sunday, closed Mondays, coincidentally the day I’m always craving it. They’re conveniently B.Y.O.B. and are very vegetarian friendly. I’d give each a whirl when you have a mo (short for moment, see ‘urb’ above).

A lesson I’m learning is it’s not always fruitful for me to be the person who eats the most in one sitting. It never occurred to me that I was doing that, I wasn’t engaging in some sort of competition or urging myself to finish every meal or eat more feverishly than everyone else, but I certainly let my eyes fool my stomach and let my unconsciousness fool the rest of me. I now eat much more consciously, whether it be in which establishments I choose to support, the food I choose to purchase and bring home, or how I enjoy the meal itself. I’m living much more present, not in a rush to finish my food for fear it’ll be the last time I eat and therefore I must eat before someone else takes it away, and certainly not shoving hordes of ingredients down my gullet in such a way that I barely recall the meal. I want to savor it, enjoy it, masticate, swirly it around my mouth to fully experience every flavor and then wash it down with some water to give my esophagus and digestive system a break, a little thank you from it’s host. Our bodies are machines. We must treat them as such. Challenge it, but only so far. Honoring the food you’re eating will make overall dining more enjoyable for you and easier on your body.

Eat quality. Chew adequately. Swallow carefully. Rinse. Repeat. Enjoy.

Travel with me to the Korea of the East and West at San Soo Gab San and Crisp!

I’d love to visit South Korea, far away from that dangerous border, only to experience the people living in fairly normal happiness and success, and mainly to eat their food. I love kimchee! Yum! Spicy, refreshing, crunchy health bowl. I down that shit by itself, but adding it to a noodle bowl or some Korean spiced meat dish ain’t too shabby either. My trek to the East won’t happen for about 18 months, so until then I take advantage of my abundantly populated city, and head north to Korea-town, for some kimchee and about a billion other delicious items. I had a memorable evening, barefoot, with some of the best people I know at San Soo Gab San. A few Sundays ago we gathered a collection of weirdo food enthusiasts and embarked north, out of our comfort zone and into a spiced heaven. There were 7 of us. We nailed down a table ahead of time and when we arrived, we simply removed our shoes and sat comfortably around a rectangular table similar to a Japanese steakhouse, take away the cook-top and add two holes for future grill space, where you and your cohorts can sizzle your seasoned meat and veggies to perfection, with the polite guidance of the very helpful employees.

The menu is overwhelming and difficult to understand. It helps to go with someone who’s been before. Keep it simple and order from the back of the menu, for groups of 5 or more. Each of you select your chosen meat, including familiar selections like beef and chicken, and more adventurous choices such as octopus and pork belly bacon. Being no bullshit eaters we opted for a few safe choices and a few risks. The risks always pay off, and this was no exception. The octopus and pork belly burst with flavor and provided us all with surprising satisfaction. Korean seasoned beef and chicken were crowd pleasers as well.

For $21 you receive an individual bowl of excellent miso soup, the kind that tastes and feels home-made, not boxed or mass-produced; and 37 other items to throw into a big leaf of fresh lettuce, dip into a variety of sauces and shove down your ever-widening throat. We rarely knew what we were eating and then as we chewed we slowly figured it out and ended up loving every single little bite, yearning for more, and getting it. The amount of food we racked up in the end was embarrassing, and very American, even for Korea. We left with burst pant buttons and I’d say a 16 week along food baby. Delicious, funky, worth it.

Sometimes I want to travel to Korea, and other times, I just prefer to find Korea-town, or find that modern twist of Korean-American cuisine; something a foodie like myself came up with to make Korean food accessible and exciting to people beyond just the open-minded and adventurous, but to those who simply love bowls of rice and flavored meat, sandwiches and soups, and at an affordable price. That is something no rational human can resist. And for this, I take you to Crisp!

At the junction of Southeast Lakeview and Northeast Lincoln Park, you’ll find Crisp in a narrow space on the west side of Broadway, a street lined with delicious food, particularly fare from East Asia. I could eat Italian and Mexican food every single day of my life. And I pretty much do. Sad but true, my digestive tract is consistently busy processing pizza and tacos. But Asian food, and I’m including falafel pita, curry, pad Thai, chow mein, brightly colored meat, chili pepper, sprouts, dumplings, sushi, and any dish with rice or noodles I CRAVE, with an angry, forceful capital C! 10 of us were collectively sharing in that special craving and we set the intention to satisfy it as quickly and as well as possible.

I walked in and felt immediate panic. Crisp is similar to many gourmet fast food favorites (I’m trademarking FFF and others. Watch out Rachel Rae!). You order up front and then pray to the omnipresent culinary gods for a seat to open up. Having this food delivered would be amazing, but mostly I prefer to eat something fresh, with chopsticks (and truthfully, I suck at chopsticks despite hoovering their food on a regular basis so I only use them in public to quell my American, white guilt.), right there where the magic happens. So 10 is a challenge. You’re immediately becoming a mathematician as you calculate the number of available seats with how many in your party and how many waiting. It’s a mind fuck of a problem, especially if you’re hungry. Being the slightly competitive friendly eater that I am, I utilized a trick my parents learned me long ago. Casually chill out next to a table of nice looking people and ask if you can take their seats when they’re finished, no rush of course!

And with a bit of patience and ingenuity, we’re in. We’d been smelling scallions and chili pepper and meat for minutes now, so we were so ready. I parked my ass in the spot I’d previously assigned in my head and then almost as quickly got back up to order my highly anticipated meal. I ordered 5 wings of the Crisp BBQ flavor, my hunk of man love deciding on 5 spicy hot, and we collaborated on a Seoul Steak Bowl (pronounced soul for those ignorant in Geography and English), a mixture of Korean flavored beef, over perfectly cooked, seasoned rice. I tried the Seoul Sassy wings along with the two of ours and every single one was worth dirtying my face and disgustingly licking every single one of my alienesque fingers. We all cannot wait to go back.

I have truly special friends. I’m including my family members with whom I also share a friendship. It’s the #1 thing I’m grateful for. A close second are food and comedy. My life is full of a sandwich with those ingredients and I could not be happier. My career hasn’t brought the success I hope for yet and I haven’t seen nearly what I want or experienced what I hope to, but I’m supremely grateful and content because of the sandwich I’ve made to fulfill my life. I hope I’ve been a supportive and fun ingredient for you, or that you have your own version of a life sandwich (this is getting bad, all my metaphors and mottos involve food).

Explore your relationships and your taste buds. Enjoy.

Want to have a humorous, comedy/food rapport with me? Then write mastic8onthis@gmail.com

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