Eating my way across Chicago

A lot of people travel for the culture. They love to see every museum and church in the places they visit. I enjoy those things, too. But my true passion when I visit other cities, other countries? The marvelous built-in-the-age-of-craftsmanship architecture.

Well, that and sampling the foods the areas are known for.

The soul mate and I celebrated our 40th anniversary last weekend. Originally, I planned to throw a big party, but the more I thought about it the more I realized I didn’t want to spend my commemoration making sure everyone else was being taken care of. So we discussed it and decided to go somewhere for a long weekend instead.

We considered New York or San Francisco, because those are always fun towns. But then we decided to go to Chicago and see if my cousin Colleen and her husband Dave could join us for part of the trip. They’re two of our favorite people in the world and when they come to Seattle where Colleen’s dad and brother still live (as well as sundry other relatives and friends) there are usually so many people wanting a piece of their time that we’re lucky if we get two or three hours for just the four of us.

The weekend turned out to be all I could have hoped for. It was mellow, fun and rich with laughter. Steve and I always travel well together and it was such a bonus to have an entire day and a half with Colleen and Dave. We walked the town, shopped a little, and spent happy blocks of time in bookstores and coffee shops.

And, my, oh, my, the food!

Chicago is known for its deep dish pizza and we went to Giordano’s Friday to sample its famous stuffed pizza. We had to wait about an hour, but, man, was it worthwhile! The place is a madhouse of too many people waiting in too small a space (it was cold outside) but it was organized chaos. You place your order ten minutes after they put your name on the list, so that when you finally do get a table, you only have to wait about five minutes before your meal is delivered piping hot. We ordered a large pie and had them split the toppings—half veggie for me and Colleen, half meat and mushrooms for the guys. And I’m here to tell you, that baby was so tasty it could make a grown woman cry.

Colleen and Dave headed home late Saturday afternoon and the soul mate and I planned to go somewhere elegant for our anniversary dinner. Except, neither of us was really in the mood to do elegant. You know how sometimes you feel like dressing up and doing the town and other times you don't? Well, we really didn't. W'd been on the go all day and skipped lunch and we were hungry and didn't feel like stuffing our shirts. Steve had read about this tavern-restaurant called Twin Anchors that's been in business in Old Town since 1932 and is reputed to have the best barbecue on the north side. We decided to give it a try and hiked the couple of miles from our Gold Coast hotel.

It was...perfect. This was another joint that gets lines out the door, but we beat the rush and were immediately seated in a corner booth. The decor was far from fancy but the food was spectacular. Steve ordered their signature rack of ribs and the meat literally fell off the bones and wasn't overpowered by the sauce. I had giant prawns in the shells and they were messy but sublime. We shared main courses and side dishes alike and our delightful waitress Surass brought us a complimentary piece of caramel-drizzled, candle-topped cheesecake when we'd finished.

Many towns have restaurants like the these--places where the locals go and the tourists, if they're lucky, stumble upon. If you ever come to Seattle and like seafood, I'd recommend Ama Ama's. It's spendy but worth it. Or if you want fabulous Mexican food and don't mind the fact it comes with zero ambiance, you can't beat Taquaria Guaymas in West Seattle.

So, tell me. If I were to come to your town, where would you recommend I eat?