Eating in Downtown Chicago

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: Downtown Dining

After 17 years of almost nonstop posting I don't think it's hyperbole to say that I've covered more ground than most when it comes to food in Chicago. If there's an interesting place to eat in one of the city's 77 designated community areas I've likely stopped in there at some point. We've taken deep dives into places Hegewisch and the West Side and have gone up and down Howard Street over the years. But if there's one area of the city that's been under covered on here that would be the Downtown area. There's a few reasons for this including not going down there too often in part due to there not being a ton of interesting or under the radar spots to check out. But these days I find myself downtown on a regular basis and every now and then I'll go check out a spot while I'm down there and today's post is a collection of some of those spots. Downtown isn't a neighborhood - it's an area made up of a few neighborhoods. It most certainly includes Streeterville and the Loop and according to some it also includes River North and the South Loop but the former is also considered the Near North Side while the latter is kind of new as far as the neighborhood as a whole goes. Today's post will include spots from River North, the Loop and Streeterville. All of them are within a 20 minute walk from each other and could come in handy if you find yourself downtown in need of something to eat.  

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Jian

Mall kiosks and food court stalls aren’t dead yet, in fact they may be making a comeback thanks to Asian spots of all sorts setting up shop and bringing crowds of hungry customers in. Chicago's original Jianbing house is located in the basement of Block 37 where it shares a kitchen with a bubble tea brand. I've stopped in here a few times to grab a classic jianbing which is a popular street food crepe in China that rivals any and all handheld breakfast items. A thin crepe-like pancake made from flour batter and mung bean are spread on a griddle and topped with egg, scallions, cilantro and savory sauces like hoisin and sweet bean paste and it also includes a crunchy element like fried wonton strips or a Chinese donut. It's all folded or rolled into a convenient and flavorful wrap. Jian serves a bunch of different varieties which can include bacon, ham, spam or even fried chicken but I'm a fan of the original version which doesn't include any meat but is known for its contrasting texture of a soft and eggy exterior with a crispy and savory interior. Jian has been packed both times I've gone which was in the morning so be prepared for a short wait as these are made to order. 

Jianbing at Jian
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Oasis Cafe

Next up is a spot that evaded me until this past summer when I decided it was finally time to try this place that many people who work in the Loop swear by. Oasis Cafe is one of those spots that is very well known by people that have worked in the Loop but not so much by the outside world. The first thing that's always mentioned about this place is that it's located in the back of a jewelry store under the train tracks on Wabash. It's a cool setup but if I'm being completely honest it's a pretty standard Middle Eastern restaurant which isn't meant to be a shot at this place or the people who like it. It serves a purpose for people that lunch in the Loop and don't want to eat cheap fried food but also don't want to drop $50+ at a trendy sitdown spot. Oasis Cafe is a great option when you need something fresh and reliable that wont break the bank. I've been in a couple times now and enjoyed a falafel sandwich and Kushari which is a Wednesday special. The kushari at Oasis Cafe is a mix of brown lentils with rice and sauteed onions, served with salad and your choice of meat. It's a hearty plate of food and it'll hit the spot if you have a taste for Middle Eastern cuisine but it's not destination dining. Though many swear by the Moroccan Chicken which is served on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

Kushari at Oasis Cafe
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Gus' Sip & Dip

Gus' Sip & Dip feels a bit out of place in River North but it also feels like a throwback to the city’s past. It's a slick but unpretentious spot brought to Hubbard Street by the mighty Lettuce Entertain You restaurant enterprise. It feels like a blast from the past in terms of its dark and lively dining room paired with a menu of timeless classics. The cocktails here are also a throwback at just $12 each and there's quite a few to choose from. All that said it's the French Dip that got me thru the door. I'm a born and bred Chicagoan so I'll always take the Italian Beef when it comes to sliced beef sandwiches but every now and then a French Dip can really hit the spot and I had heard very good things about the one served at Gus' which they label as "The Original Wagyu Beef Dip" and it comes with cups of whipped horseradish and au jus plus a $25.95 pricetag. It's not cheap but it is a filling sandwich loaded with rare sliced prime rib sitting in between thin and crisp Spanish pan de cristal bread.

Wagyu Beef Dip at Gus' Sip & Dip
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Shang Noodle & Chinese

Chinese food continues to ascend in Chicago and it's starting to become readily available in the Downtown area as evidenced in our first stop and now our next stop - Shang Noodle. The Streeterville outpost is one of three Chicagoland locations. They're all known for their modern looks and some pretty good Chinese and Taiwanese food including hand-pulled noodles, dim sum, hot pot, and even a few Korean-Chinese dishes too. They have booze and vegetarian and gluten free options so you can go with a group and shouldn't have any problems finding menu items for everybody to eat. I've been in a few times and each visit was much more satisfying than the other spots on the block would've been. I very much like their Hong Kong style Beef Chow Fun which is served dry with a decent amount of wok flavor and well seared beef that's tender with just the right amount of chew. 

Beef Chow Fun at Shang Noodle
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Magnolia Bakery

We head back to Block 37 where Magnolia Bakery brought their famous classic American style desserts to Chicago from New York City. People from all over the world are attracted to this "small-batch bakery" for cupcakes, cookies, and their nationally recognized banana pudding. I'm a big banana pudding fan so I do find myself stopping in from time to time for the best banana pudding north of the Mason Dixon line. Actually I used to think this was the absolute best but then I went to Alabama and found there’s way better. That said they make a very tasty batch for a corporate brand.

Banana Pudding at Magnolia Bakery
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BONUS STOP!!!


The Walnut Room

Last year around this time I dined with my family at The Walnut Room. My mom, dad, sisters, brother and spouses were joined by my nieces and nephew on the 7th floor of Macy's on State which most of us knew as Marshall Fields. The historic restaurant was the first in a department store and is known for its beautiful Circassian walnut paneling, Austrian chandeliers, and a massive Christmas tree displayed each holiday season. It's a big tradition for Chicagoans and it was actually pretty fun going back for the first time in forever. I went in thinking that the famous Mrs. Hering's Pot Pie was really just a frozen Marie Callender's but I was mistaken as it's made there though no bottom crust. It wasn't a memorable pot pie but I cant remember any that were but it did hit the spot in a throwback way. 

Mrs. Hering's Chicken Pot Pie at The Walnut Room
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Chicago Sweatlodge

-Grubbing in Chicago
Sauna Food in Portage Park

Today’s post is a bit out of the ordinary, even for this blog. But I’ve been out of the country the last couple weeks thus I haven’t been eating out a ton in Chicago with the exception of a couple spots I hit up before we left for South America. One of which is a place that few food publications have gone before - the Chicago Sweatlodge. Now there's a good reason for this in that the Sweatlodge is a sauna that happens to have a grill. Though the main reason for our visit was to spend some time sweating we also ended up eating dinner there and this is how it all went down, albeit in a rather reluctant way. 

(SORRY NO PICS)

The idea to go here came from my friend who took me and a few others one day after work. It wasn't the worst idea as it was one of the first colder days of the Fall with both rain and wind in the picture. That said I wasn't sure what to expect going to one of these spots as the closest I've come to visiting a sauna was the locker room at Lakeshore Athletic Club where you could never get too comfortable with a bunch of old guys trancing around eating apples with their stuff hanging out. So I didn't really have high hopes but I'm always down for an adventure. We pulled up to what looks like it could be a Portage park corner tavern and it kind of is but this isn't your typical neighborhood tavern as there's a cover charge to enter. You pay and trade your license for a key to a locker plus towels and sandals if needed. We paid and made our way into the locker room which was quite small and full of Eastern Europeans. After wiggling and waggling my way into my swimsuit and managing to get all of my belongings stuffed inside my locker I hit up the wet and dry saunas for about 45 minutes but decided to skip the cold plunge which consists of a bunch of naked guys jumping in and out of what's basically a full body bath. Not for me so I took a shower, put on my clothes, and made my way to the bar. 

Rehydrate in the Chicago Sweatlodge

The bar / restaurant is called Rehydrate which sounds like a place you would visit in Boystown, not that there's anything wrong with that! There's about 8-10 sets of tables and most of the people there are joined by a few friends, some are playing card games and others are eating, none of them have anything on except a towel covering their torso and everything directly below it. I'm not going to lie the first thing I wondered was whether or not this place was up to health code standards as far as none of the customers having shoes or socks or even shirts on but I didn't think about it much past that. I ordered a can of Sapporo and then another plus a Chebureki which is a deep fried turnover stuffed with minced meat and onions. It's a popular street snack in former Soviet aligned counties. The version here is made with both pork and beef and comes served with sour cream. I enjoyed it for what it was which is basically an Eastern European empanada. I was tasked with doing most of the ordering and I had to explain to our group that Eastern European food is unique but maybe not for the reasons you want it to be. There's not a ton of spicing used when it comes to this type of food but I still ordered pretty well starting with a salami salad. Nothing to fancy but this was fresh and filling and a good start for a group. I also got us a plate of the homestyle potatoes made with sliced and fried potatoes tossed with mushrooms, onions and sour cream. I suggest adding some steak sauce too.

Appetizers at Chicago Sweatlodge

Moving along my friend who brought us all there insisted on getting a couple soups which he claimed were great so we tried the chicken and the seafood soup and I wouldn't call them great but they were pretty good. My seafood soup had a nice tasting seafood broth going for it but was a bit light on the seafood and the seasoning. Even a few dashes of Old Bay would've gone a long way. The potato pierogi was pretty standard ns lacking the fragrant fried onions that all the good ones come with. A plate of chicken kebabs was most hurt by the lack of seasoning and it didn't help that it was breast meat either. The fried fish was tilapia which can be rather tasteless but it was well breaded and the lemon gave it some good flavor but again it needed some sort of seasoning or even better some mild sauce. I thing I really liked was how you could order pitchers of fresh squeezed juices which is rare enough that it stands out. Overall it was an interesting experience. I think it was a bit too crowded but I did enjoy both of the saunas about as comfortably as one can in a situation like that. The food wasn't bad but it's not the main reason most of the people are here - it serves a purpose rather than a plan. 

Dinner at The Chicago Sweatlodge

Chicago Sweatlodge
3500 N Cicero Ave
Chicago, IL 60641
(773) 202-1777