Why I Oughta...

I walked through a food hall kind-of-place in Singapore and saw these birds hanging in the front of one of the places.  I'm sure it is delicious.  But....All I could think about was this scene that runs at the end 1 of A Christmas Story : 1. [I say *end* of the movie, but like a lot of you, I watch this movie in constant repeat format on Christmas Day and the end blurs with the beginning - you know how TBS rolls the credits in a tiny format in the corner???] ↩

I mentioned in my post about our visit to Louis' Lunch - the home of the hamburger sandwich - that we also hit up another foodie-important stop while we were in New Haven.  That was Frank Pepe's Pizzeria Napoletana.  Or "Pepe's" as the locals call it.  There is a style in New Haven and there are a series of places that you can choose from.  According to Eater, this is serious business . There is pizza, and then there is apizza. New Haven-style pizza is the latter; a hotter, crispier, and dirtier descendant of Neapolitan style pie. What ribs are to Kansas City, cheesesteak to Philadelphia, and crabcakes to Baltimore, pizza is to New Haven. Why New Haven?  Again, Eater : At the turn of the twentieth century, New Haven became a popular town for Italian families who settled in the United States during the country's diaspora. Neighborhoods such as Wooster Square became home to many displaced southern Italian families primed with palates that appreciated ...

I found myself in New Haven Connecticut recently and had a little bit of time to take in some of the local flavors.  That meant two stops for specific foods.  The first of which is Louis Lunch - which the Library of Congress states is the place of the first hamburger in Americ a.  The other is another New Haven spot, but I'll post about that on a different day. I've seen this place on the Food Network and you probably have come across it too, if you watch food-related television.  This is the place with the upright, cast iron broilers.  Here's a clip from Man vs. Food that shows off all the details. Alright...now that you're acquainted with the place, I'll tell you the story of our visit.   We were staying at a hotel on the edge of the Yale campus and it was raining so we hopped in an Uber and pulled up to the front of this place about 1:30 pm.  After the lunch crowd.  I think both the rain and the time of day worked to our adva...

I've hit thirty in the [ coaster collection ] here on the blog with the posting and sharing of this coaster from Cadence Kitchen & Co in Downtown Downers Grove.  This is the second in a row of Downers Grove joints on the coaster collection with the most recent one being Alter Brewing Company back in August .  I took this photo on our third visit to Cadence Kitchen and each of them have been nice meals and experiences.  Each of them also was on a date night with Nat, so those meals tend to be a bit more relaxed.  One other thing about this one:  I took this photo of the coaster at the bar - that's where we sat.  At the corner seats of the bar actually.  After a night at SMG meeting the teachers.  From the sounds of it, we're going to have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to upscale dining/bar options in Downtown Downers Grove soon with the eminent opening of Pierce Tavern this fall.   If they have custom coasters, I'll b...

Here comes #27 in the [ coaster collection ] here on the blog.  This one is from a place called Enzo's Hideaway and Tunnel Bar - which happens to be down in Disney Springs.  And being as such, this one marks the 10th coaster that came from a Disney property as part of the collection.   The most recent Disney-related one was from the Abracadabar.   The other Disney ones are varied and include this one from the Boathouse , the Flying Fish restaurant , the Skipper Canteen , Raglan Road restaurant in Disney Springs, the Disneyland Hotel and Walt Disney World resort hotels as well as the *new* Walt Disney World resort hotel version . We had dinner down at Enzo's Hideaway recently and I'll give it a mixed review.  Cool place.  But, slow service and just ordinary food.  Cool coaster, though.

Here comes #24 in the [ Coaster Collection ] here on the blog.  This one from Pint Brothers Alehouse, located inside the Marriott Denver Tech Center.  The last one I added was the Arlo Hotel in NYC and the full collection is here .   There's a trend here:  the most recent coasters are all from hotel stays.  This isn't a hotel exactly, but is a restaurant *inside* of a hotel.  Full coaster collection here .  And the first coaster ever posted - which wasn't part of a collection per se, is this Illini/Coors Light coaster that featured the 'new' Illini branding with the curved angles on the inside of the Block I.  For the record, the "collection" is just a digital artifact here on the blog.  I don't actually *have* the coasters.  I horde too much stuff to start to pick up coasters and bring them home. 

Can we talk for a minute about Ted's?  Ted's Montana Grill.   Have you been?  This place might be my favorite chain restaurant in the world.  We don't go there very often - in fact I bet I've only been to Ted's about 10 times total - but it has quickly risen to the top of the rankings for me.   Here's my love letter to Ted's: ### Dear Readers: If you haven't been to Ted's Montana Grill, give it a try in your local restaurant rotation.  Sure, when we're going out for burgers we go to the Country House far more than we go to Ted's.  But, when it comes to chain restaurants ( Ted's has close to 50 locations by my count , so it qualifies as a chain, right? Why do I love it?  Simple: 1.  Crushed ice 2.  Wikkistx 3.  The bathroom setup Let's start with the crushed ice you serve with your water, sodas and Arnold Palmers.  Crushed ice.  Such a nice touch.  Why don't more restaura...

This is the 19th piece added to the official Coaster Collection here on the blog.  Is 'added' the right term?  Curated?  Included?  I'm not sure, but as the official head of curation, I'm just going to go with 'added'.  The coaster you see above comes from a place called The Dutch downtown in SoHo, NYC.  We went there for a few after work beers and a giant seafood tower.  Full coaster collection posts can be found here . 

A few days ago, I posted a photo of the Playboy Club and Resort in Lake Geneva that is on display at Pier 290 in Williams Bay that is part of a pretty great memorabilia and photograph collection inside the restaurant.   They also have some artifacts from the golden age of Lake Geneva including this massive sign that they have in what appears to be the stage/band area.  There wasn't a band playing on the day we went to Pier 290 for lunch, so I went over and took a look at this hand-painted wooden sign.  It features "26 miles of shore line" and proclaims that "The best way to view beautiful Lake Geneva is by boats of Geneva Lake Excursion Corp".  Looking at the map, it appears that the Geneva Lake Excursion Corporation had two locations - one of which is in the very location of Gage Marine in Williams Bay where the Pier 290 restaurant is located.  Wonder if they just *found* this piece on location?  Or if they rescued it and brought it back to...

What was Wok 'N Fire just six months ago is now an empty restaurant as Bok Choy has announced their closing in the Elmhurst City Centre.  The sign thanks customers for 15 years of support and asks them to visit the Addison location.  We only visited Wok n' Fire once during our 10 years in town and didn't make it into Bok Choy, so this is hardly a loss for the dining scene for our family, but it is a shame to see another place go in the City Centre.  New places have come ( Red Arrow Tap Room ) and are on their way ( Beerheads ) but we'll just have to add this to the long list of "So Long..." posts here on the blog about vacancies in the Elmhurst City Centre. A few of the most recent: So Long, Theatre History Society of America So Long, Salseria in Elmhurst City Centre So Long, Cold Stone In The Elmhurst City Centre

If you walk by the Salseria on the east side of York Street right in the heart of the City Centre, you'll come across a few signs announcing the closing of the restaurant including the one above and the one below that say "See you Soon" and "Thank you Elmhurst for 12 great years". They also herald a new concept coming to the location:  Victory Meat and Seafood. When I came across the news of the Salseria being closed, I had to ask Nat how many times we went there.  The answer?  Just twice. And both times, I guess we didn't love it.  But other folks must have, right?  No way a place survives for 10+ years without being pretty good? The new place is going to feature " 5-varieties of fresh Oysters daily ", so it will be a bit different and will likely fill a need in town, but because they're going to be opening in August of this year, we'll have to think about coming back as 'tourists' to the Elmhurst City Centre. So long,...

Over the weekend, I stopped into the Aurelio's takeout location in Downtown Downers Grove while I waited for the Babe to emerge from the basement setting for a birthday party at the Tivoli Lanes right next door.   When I was there, I came across three things:  First was this art glass piece above that is right when you open the front door.  Hadn't noticed it before, but I really like it and it seems like this belongs in one of their *real* restaurants.  And, by 'real', I mean a sitdown place.  This one in Downers is just a takeout joint.  Sure, they have 3 tables and sell (sadly) slices, but it isn't a restaurant, at least to me.  (Also, the fact that they are selling pie-shaped slices is a bummer, right?  I mean...Aurelio's is a tavern-cut pie by nature.  I get that they're trying to sell slices, but being a pizza crazy person, I don't like to see the bastardization of a tavern-cut pie.   Why not 'big squares'?) Anyway, on to the s...

This is the 17th coaster added to the 'coaster collection'.   You can see the whole archive here .  This is from The Betty where we went for a 'too cool for school' cocktail while we waited for a table at Duck Duck Goat. The Betty is a pretty big place so we found a spot to hang for a while and drink our craft cocktails like the cool kids.  We weren't out of place, thankfully, because Nat, her sister and her mom were there to class our group up.

Back late last year, we had dinner at Raglan Road in Disney Springs and it.was.awesome. We were down there with Nat's folks and they really love a good Irish pub.  They seek them out when they're traveling.  Because we're always eager to try new things on our Disney trips, it seemed perfect to head there and give this place a try.  I had ZERO expectations.  And was totally blown away. They had live entertainment and some incredible dancing on a few different stages.  And there's customer participation.  They invited some kids to go up on stage and if you know my kids, you know that the two girls are sooooo different.  One is bashful and very deliberate.  The other is up for just about anything. So, without much encouragement, up the Bird went on stage.  And she danced!  She was the youngest of all the participants, but that didn't stop her.  Afterwards, she got a few stickers and this sweet certificate recognizing her for d...

In a bit of a bummer, the MOD Pizza place on St. Charles near Route 83 is closed up and gone.  This place was right next door to the big hockey store on the south side of the road.   I covered the opening of the store back in September of 2015 and I really liked the place .  I guess that the people of Elmhurst voted with their wallets and decided to support other places. The sign in the window claims that they 'moved', but we know better, right?

It has been a few months, but I'm now adding this Boathouse coaster to the Coaster Collection here on the blog .  We ate outside on the pier and I had a preetay preetay preetay great Wedge.  This place has been opened in Disney Springs for more than a year but this was the first time we found time to head there and try it out.  Nat tells me that there's a Gibson's connection, and that's what explains the Wedge and the giant desserts. This is just the 13th in the Coaster Collection.  Figured it was far better and less pack-rat-y to take a photo of them than to actually (as my instinct is) horde them.

Recently, Nat endured a little trip up to Wheeling with the express purpose of trying the 2nd location of Superdawg .  We went to the original back a few years and after hearing about how the Wheeling location had a bigger dining room, I wanted to go.  And...it was delicious. We all had our own Superdawgs - lounging inside their boxes - 'cushioned in Superfries' and the kids always get a kick out of a meal in a box.  Of any kind.  Their own little special box of food. The Superdawg in Wheeling feels a bit different than the original location, but the food was the same.  Nat isn't a huge hot dog lover, so I'm grateful she went along on the journey. And who doesn't love the rooftop wieners that adorn both locations??

Add this beauty of a mug to the collection from the Bavarian Lodge in Lisle.  But, before we talk more about the mug/glassware, can we say a word about this place?  We had never been there before.  But, we took the three savages with us and decided to try an early dinner one night.  And... I... Loved... It! Loved the place.  Loved the food. We ordered the pretzels and they might have been the highlight.  Also went with the schnitzel and a knockwurst along with a side of kraut.  All-in, German-style.  Loved the schnitzel, didn't have room to take on much of the knockwurst. And when we were there, Nat's brother's favorite brewery - Stone Brewing - was doing a takeover of the lodge's taps , so we both enjoyed a few of those, which was nice. Here's a few pics of the Stone takeover menu front and back: And here's my beautiful partner in life hoisting one of those tasty beers in the gorgeous mug that's part of the 'pinched collectio...

Last week, I posted a little update to the new restaurant coming to the Elmhurst City Centre right across the street from the York Theatre .  At that time, I didn't know the name, but today we do: One Fifty One Kitchen and Bar.  There's that new sign you can see above hanging on the fence if you walk by the site and you can check out their site here .  The url is 151 Elmhurst, so maybe that's how people will type it when they search for the location instead of [one fifty one Elmhurst]?? The sign proclaims:  An exciting new restaurant concept celebrating the bounty of the Midwest.

If you head down York Street through the City Center, you'll see this construction site that is just north of BW3 on the east side.  Directly across from the York Theatre. There's an interior gut going on as they transform the former Cocomera into the Elmhurst Craft Kitchen and Bar (or some other name!) as well as an exterior facelift. I posted about this place here on the blog back in February and I heard that they were planning a big out front on the sidewalk outdoor seating section, so the facade work is likely to make it a bit more inviting?  Based on the looks of things, they're a ways away from opening, so I'm thinking that this will be a fall opening at best?  Should be a nice addition to the City Centre and we'll be sure to give it a proper shot with the kids once it opens.