Dear Chicago, your food is so delicious. From the high to the low… I’m always excited to visit and always return to Boston 5lbs heavier. Thankfully I have in-laws and dear friends who live in Chicago, and at least once a year I get to put on a few Windy City pounds. Thank you to my Chicagoan sister + brother-in-law, Adriane and Anthony for putting this round up together. ~ JHill
1. TACOS With the sizable hispanic community in Chicago comes a plethora of delicious South American cuisines. Rick Bayless has made Mexican famous, as has the ultra-hipster Big Star in Wicker Park, but we prefer the corner places such as the El Milagro Tortilleria.
2. GIARDINIERA …because that’s what an Italian Beef is really all about. At least, it better not be for the cooked to death beef and soggy bun. Ew. Maybe that’s the East Coast talking. Like to pickle? Here’s a great recipe from the NYT.
3. GARRETT POPCORN Out here, popcorn is sold everywhere. The classic cheese and caramel combo is equal parts so – so Midwest and so, so delicious. Garrettpopcorn.com
4. PACZKIS (Pronounced, loosely, ‘punch-kee’). Basically the best jelly doughnut you’ve ever had. This was one of the first truly Chicagoan (by way of Poland) items we ate in the city.
5. DEEP DISH PIZZA Pequods. That’s it. Forget Unos. This is it– super fresh, oozy, slightly burnt crust at a no frills joint near Lincoln Park/DePaul Campus. Many will disagree. They are wrong. Pequodspizza.com
6. HALF ACRE DAISY CUTTER PALE ALE The darling of Chicago… A perennial from brewers located smack dab in Lincoln Square on the North Side. halfacrebeer.com