Coup de Thai

-Grubbing in Chicago
Modern Southern Thai Food in Lakeview

Thai food continues to ascend in Chicago right now. You may remember back in March when I posted about a hot new Thai restaurant from NYC that opened a location in the South Loop. Well today we’re going to check out a hot new Thai restaurant from California that opened in Lake View East.

Recently Opened in Lakeview East

Coup de Thai comes to us from Los Gatos California (homebase of Netflix). It opened at the end of July and started gaining buzz almost immediately. We visited on a Friday night in the beginning of August and the entire neighborhood was buzzing with people from all walks of life and that spilled over into the restaurant. Coup de Thai describes themselves as a modern southern Thai restaurant - it’s currently byob but that may change. The menu is smaller and made up of two sections 1) The Opening Act and 2) Center Stage. When I visit a restaurant like this I like to find menu items that stand out in terms of dishes you don’t really see elsewhere and I found a couple immediately in the ‘Dragon Balls’ and the ‘Tom Yum Ceviche’. First out were the Dragon Balls which are described on the menu as “spicy chicken balls fried with mint, shallot, green onion, cilantro, kafir lime leaves, and salad.” This appetizer is actually at the center of a lawsuit with their California location that alleges this dish was too spicy and caused permanent damage to a customer - sounds a bit like a Karen’s claim but I won’t pretend to know the whole story. What I do know is the version served at this location was far from spicy. They were nicely spiced and I liked the fresh herbs that came with them and the dipping sauce too but they weren’t spicy at all. Though the Tom Yum Ceviche was a different story completely. Shrimp gets the ceviche treatment with tom yum ingredients resulting in a bold and sour and super spicy dish. We also tried the ‘Golden Shrooms’ on our waitresses rec and those were also good. I liked the use of enoki mushrooms and the tangy chili sauce that came with it was excellent.

Appetizers at Coup de Thai

I counted about five Southern Thai dishes on the menu including Khua Kling which is a spicy dry fried curry consisting of ground chicken stir fried in a homemade southern Thai style red curry paste with lots of fresh herbs mixed in. When they say that a dish is spicy here they’re talking spicy like you would find in Thailand. Real deal heat. If you don’t like spicy there’s options like Shrimp in Noodle Claypot which is one of my favorites going back to the first time I tried it at the Floating Market in Bangkok. Coup de Thai makes theirs with firm black tiger shrimp and glass noodles tossed with ginger and onion and served in a piping hot claypot. I love the different textures this dish gives off.

Shrimp Claypot Noodles at Coup de Thai

Since they just opened on our visit there wasn’t much info out there about what to get but the Crab Curry caught my eye as it’s a pretty typical southern Thai dish and I had read somewhere that all the curries are made from scratch so it seemed like it would be something worth trying and that it was. The menu describes their crab curry as jumbo lump crab meat with wild betel leaves simmered in a homemade turmeric curry which doesn’t sound all that spicy but this was one of the spiciest (and most pleasurable) dishes I’ve ate of late. It took me back to a famous stall in Bangkok where we ordered the stir fried crab with medium heat and it was just about the spiciest thing we ever ate but we couldn’t stop eating all the luscious crab which was the same story with the crab curry at Coup de Thai which comes filled with chunks of soft and succulent crab. This dish will either blow your tastebuds through the roof or have you gasping for breath while grabbing for your water - it won’t help. If you can handle the heat you’ll be taken to levels rarely reached with Thai curries in Chicago. 

Southern Crab Curry

Coup de Thai
2932 N Broadway
Chicago, IL 60657
(224) 236-2636
Website

Art's Drive-In

-Grubbing in Chicago
Greek Food and Banter in Bucktown

The corner of North and Elston is kind of a no man’s land in terms of the area and the neighborhood. It’s Lincoln Park according to the signs on the light pole banners but Google says it’s Bucktown. Really the only time people ever found themselves in this area would be when we went to Stanley's Fruits and Vegetables which was a retirement home for produce that closed suddenly in 2019. There was also Art’s Drive In located across the street from Stanley’s but it too closed abruptly when a fire blazed thru the building in 2022. Well the more things change, the more they stay the same. Stanley’s remains gone for good (the building was razed) but Art’s Drive-In is back and better than ever. Note: If you’re going to a concert at Salt Shed this is your spot to grab a bite before or after the show. 

Locals Favorite in Bucktown

Before the fire Art’s was a prototypical Greek owned Chicago style fast food shack. You could get breakfast, lunch, or dinner there and the menu had everything from pancakes to Greek salad to their signature skirt steak sandwich. There used to be a ton of spots like Art’s all across the city but these Greek owned fast food diners are starting to fade away as time goes by (many retired and or moved to Glenview). Enter Alex - new owner of Art’s. Alex is a Greek American Chicago guy whose wife’s family used to run Art’s. When the family decided they wouldn’t be reopening after the fire, they worked out a deal to have Alex take it over. It’s a perfect match as Alex is quite the character and these type of spots always seemed to be run by characters back when I was a kid. Not only is Alex a hoot but he’s a passionate food person who’s serious about putting out a quality product. He refuses to do gyros because he’s not a fan of the factory made cones. Though he has plans to put a made from scratch souvlaki on the menu. The fries are fresh cut and he uses beef tallow as his oil while the hash browns are also made from scratch. Both the cheesesteak and the chicken parm cutlet are covered in Cooper Cheese and the cheese fries get the Merkt's Cheddar treatment. When in-season he uses strawberries from Michigan in the milkshakes which are made the old fashioned way. Same goes for the donuts which are fried fresh on site and topped with delicious homemade frostings. 

Fresh Cut Fries

On my first return visit to Art’s I was immediately greeted by Alex like I was a longtime customer. We hit it off like we had known each other forever. Actually we know some of the same people as Chicago really is the world’s largest neighborhood. Alex grew up on the Northwest Side where his grandma ran a Greek bakery and grocery store called Hellenic located at 6056 W. Diversey. It was there where he would develop a passion for cooking as he often helped her in the kitchen. For my first meal here I had to try the skirt steak sandwich that helped put the previous iteration of Art’s on the map back when it first opened in 1967. I wrote a post about it in 2018. Honestly I’m not a big steak sandwich guy but the skirt steak at Art’s swayed me a little more towards their side. It was more tender than I remember most steak sandwiches to be and had a nice hot/cold element going for it with the lettuce, tomato, and grilled onions. The bread isn’t a typical Turano roll either so that was nice. It’s tough to go wrong with any of Alex’s sandwich creations - every one I’ve tried has been super satisfying. 

Skirt Steak Sandwich at Art's Drive-In

I knew I liked Alex right away when I asked about the Italian beef sandwich and whether it was made on site or pulled from a bag and he almost seemed offended I would ask. No hormone filled bagged beef here. Alex takes the time to roast his own fresh chunk of bottom round which is sliced on site and seasoned with a unique sweet tasting gravy that gives it a flavor unlike any other Italian beef in town and that’s exactly how it should be. Italian beef shouldn’t taste exactly the same from spot to spot. 

Italian Beef at Art's Drive-In

Art’s Drive-In opens at 6am Monday-Saturday and at 8a on Sundays making breakfast a big part of their day. It also makes Art’s a popular stop with the city’s working class just like the original iteration of Art’s was. Honestly I’m not the biggest breakfast guy. Usually my first meal of the day is lunch and sometimes it’s not until dinner believe it or not. But on one of my early visits I asked Alex what I needed to try the next time I stopped in and he was quick to tell me the pastrami. He was adamant that if I was there in the morning I needed to try the pastrami, egg, cheese on the burger bun (it’s served on French bread otherwise). If later in the day he insisted I try the pastrami burger which he told me is an ode to La Jolla, the neighborhood in San Diego where his dad lives. Alex and him often get pastrami burgers when he’s down there so he went ahead and put one on his menu here. 

Pastrami, Egg, and Cheese

Both the pastrami breakfast sandwich and the pastrami burger are delivered via an incredible bun that Alex has baked for him off site. Each of the top and the bottom bun are studded with black and white sesame seeds and they’re soft but sturdy enough to carry the load be it it thinly sliced extra peppery pastrami with egg and cheese or a fresh all beef patty grilled to order with the same pastrami plus lettuce, tomato, onions, and cheese. These made me wonder why pastrami hasn’t caught on with Chicago style fast food the same way it has out in Southern California. The only thing I would do different is I prefer when a breakfast sandwich comes with a runny yolk so I’d ask for that next time.

Pastrami Cheeseburger at Art's Drive-In

Art’s also makes for a great dinner destination with some super fresh Greek forward dinner plates. If it’s a nice day he has patio seating and it can be really chill to just sit outside and watch the cars ride by. I did this a couple weeks ago on what was a hot and muggy evening so I wanted to get something refreshing and a Greek Salad with skirt steak was the perfect call. As you should know this far into the post - all salad the dressings are made on site. The pork chop plate was equally satisfying with the hash browns being the perfect match for two Greek seasoned pork chops grilled to order. 

Greek Salad with Skirt Steak

Pork Chop Dinner with Hash Browns

I don’t think I’d had Biftekia before I tried it at Art’s one night when I was looking for something a bit more substantial and Alex told me I was having that for dinner. Biftekia are savory, herb-infused beef patties, similar to hamburgers but traditionally served without a bun. They’re kind of like a Greek version of Kofta. At Art’s you get two healthy sized discs of Biftekia served with rice, bread and salad making for a complete meal. You owe it to yourself and to Alex to go have a meal at Art’s. I can’t recall a restaurant with a similar setup where the owner was as passionate and welcoming as Alex is. Skip the hot dogs at Home Depot down the street and have one here - just $5.99 with fresh cut fries. 

Biftekia at Art's Drive-In

Art's Drive-In
1333 W North Ave
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 500-2787
Website

North Side Taco Crawl

-Grubbing in Chicago
Five of a Kind: North Side Tacos

Anyone that says you have to go to Pilsen to get good tacos is seriously misinformed. As are the people that say you have to go to Little Village. Every now and then I’ll see a comment that says as much if not worse - something like you can’t get good Mexican food on the North side. Seriously where do these people get their information? Not from me obviously as I can tell you right now that the gap between the north and the south side isn't all that wide when it comes to good Mexican food. 

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Birrieria Zaragoza (Uptown)

Let me just go ahead and make my case right from the jump. Birrieria Zaragoza on the south side is often mentioned among the city’s best Mexican restaurants and rightfully so - it's one of Chicago's best restaurants period. But did you know they also have a North side location? You can find it at Broadway and Lawrence right next door to the historic Green Mill Lounge. It opened back in 2023 and right now it’s the only place in town you can get their incredible goat tacos on made to order corn tortillas - the south side location suffered a fire and is temporarily closed. I’m pretty sure the menu at their Uptown outlet is the same as it is in Archer Heights so you can get their incredible steamed and slow roasted goat meat with or without bones or in taco form. The goat tacos with an order of their warm salsa molcajate is one of the top tacos in town. Heck it’s one of the best bites in town too. They also make a great quesabirria but the taco de cabeza might be my favorite thing on their menu right now. If the idea of eating head meat turns you off I bet if I told you it was Vaca Frita (fried beef) you’d love it as it tastes like that or corned beef hash to me. It’s really flavorful and pairs so well with their pungent corn tortillas and Mexico level salsas. I wish their south side location a speedy recovery.

Taco de Cabeza at Birrieria Zaragoza

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Edgewater Tacos (Edgewater)

Next we head even further north to Edgewater which is where you’ll find my favorite fish taco in all of Chicagoland. Edgewater Tacos has been around for a little while now and it’s become a bit of a neighborhood staple as their walk up window (no indoor seating) stays pretty busy throughout the day. It’s far north side location makes it a bit of a journey coming from Logan Square but it’s one I make a few times a year for their terrific tacos de pescado. There’s nothing special about them as far as prep or ingredients. They do a simple version using fresh fried beer battered cod, lettuce, tomato, and chipotle mayo on a warm corn tortilla and they’re perfect every time. Honestly I don’t get anything else here - I was a bit underwhelmed with their other options when I first tried it but that was a while back. I can’t get myself to try anything else these days when it’s the fish tacos I constantly crave.

Fish Tacos at Edgewater Tacos
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Pan Artesanal Bakery (Logan Square)

Pan Artesanal is a neighborhood favorite for pastries. People line up on the weekend for boxes of baked goods including their best in show cinnamon rolls - I haven’t found a better one in Chicago for whatever that's worth. But when I last visited I was greeted by a little street stand setup offering Oaxacan antojitos in the form of tacos, quesadillas, and tlacoyos. All the masa for these is handled by hand and cooked on a hot comal by a couple Mexican grandmas. Large toasted corn tortillas fresh off the comal are filled with a handful of guisado options of which I tried the potatoes, the mushrooms, and the shredded flank steak with poblano peppers. These are really in a league of their own as far as their style goes as you won’t find anything like them elsewhere in the city. Con todo which means “with everything” includes lettuce, onion, sour cream plus Oaxaca and cotija cheeses. I don't get here often as they’re only open on Saturday and Sunday but the online menu is still showing the tacos.

Tacos at Pan Artesanal
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Las Pueblitas Tacos (Albany Park)

Chicago isn’t a big taco truck town like LA. I see more of them up in Milwaukee than I do here, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have them, we just don’t seem to have a ton of good ones. Also many come and go which makes it rough to find a reliable one. That said my favorite taco truck in town can be found most nights in a parking lot at 3737 W Lawrence in Albany Park. Los Pueblitas is a family owned taco truck that has been parking in that lot in the evening for a couple of years now and it’s developed a really nice following over that time. The term “street tacos” is so overused and misused too but not with this spot which serves up real street tacos in the form of slightly greasy corn tortillas filled with finely diced meats like steak and chorizo which get mixed together to make the Taco Campechano. Like most real deal street tacos these are served with cucumbers, radish, limes, salsa. 

Tacos Campechanos at Los Pueblitas Taco Truck
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No Pasa Nada (Mayfair)

If you’ve ever rode or walked past the corner of Lawrence and Kilbourn (just west of Elston) you may have noticed an out of service car repair garage with a permanent food trailer sitting in the lot. That trailer once housed a hot dog stand circa 2012 but it had sat empty the last decade or so. I’d pass by occasionally hoping something new had opened but it sat vacant until No Pasa Nada recently set up shop. No Pasa Nada is a one man operation ran by Isaac from Jalisco. The menu isn’t much bigger than the work force with a couple of Tacos al Carbon options including carne asada and al pastor plus a cheese quesadilla and guacamole too. Tacos al Carbon refer to the meat being grilled with live fire which Isaac uses for both his steak and trompo meat. The steak is done on a traditional charcoal grill while the pastor is cooked on a charcoal rigged trompo which he had made by Jalisco’s Best in Bridgeview - they make equipment for taquerias and taquizas including taco carts, discada discs, salsa bars etc. Isaac has a unique way of marinating his sliced pork meat and I encourage you to go try it and ask about it for yourself. This is definitely the style of setup you typically come across in Mexico and the tacos reflect that too. They’re smoky and spicy and clearly made with care. He says he’s going to stay open thru winter but there’s something therapeutic about eating tacos on the street during the summer twilight hour so don’t wait too long to go get some real deal tacos al carbon.

Tacos al Carbon at No Pasa Nada
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See ya next time @chibbqking

Eating BIG in Joliet

Eating like a local:
Regional food specialties
- Eating and Exploring the City of Steel

So I finally have enough stops in my Joliet folder to make an ‘Eating Big in Joliet’ post which I’m posting this week. For those of you wondering what the hell there is to do in Joliet well I’m not going to debate you on that but I’ve found myself down this way now and then for a variety of reasons including going to The Old Joliet Prison famous for its appearance in The Blues Brothers. I’ve also gone down there to visit the historic Joliet Iron Works site which was once the second largest steel mill in the United States and well worth spending a couple hours at. It ceased to exist in the 1980’s before the Forest Preserve District of Will County purchased the property in the 1990’s as a way of preserving a piece of history. There’s also The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie which was established in 1996 on the former Joliet Arsenal and is the first national tallgrass prairie in the country. It’s a cool place to hike, ride a bike, and maybe eye a semi wild bison or two. They were reintroduced to the landscape in 2015 as a prairie restoration experiment and it seems to be doing well though I heard some of its funding was cut by DOGE even though that whole stunt spent more than it saved. But all of these things can make for a fun daytrip if you’re looking to get out of the house and enjoy Illinois. But you’ll also need somewhere to eat and that’s where this report may come in handy. Please note that there won’t be a trip to Merichka's Restaurant due to the fact I haven’t had a Poor Boy steak sandwich there since I last posted about them HERE. Also it appears as though Andy & Sophie’s is still open but from what I heard Andy is no longer there as he and his wife Sophie sold and retired. One last note: it looks like the old downtown Joliet legend Chicken-N-Spice is closed for good. 

Pics from Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie 
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Home Cut Donuts

Every city with a similar stature to Joliet seems to still have a thriving old school donut shop. Home Cut Donuts is that spot in these parts. They first opened in 1966 and they still stay open for 24 hours a day. I’ve been thru a few times and each time I was there they were frying donuts in the back resulting in a still warm product. Based on my visits these are some of the better donuts in the state. 

Donuts at Home Cut Donuts
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Sabor A Mexico

According to AI approximately 33.5% of the population in Joliet identifies as Hispanic or Latino. This translates to roughly 50,510 people and tons of taco options. Tortilleria Sabor A Mexico is a lowkey one stop spot for all your taco needs. They make and sell thick corn tortillas on site and also package up their made on site salsas and have fillings like Nopalitos a La Mexicana which is cactus prepared with green chile peppers, white onions and red tomatoes. They’ll also make tacos for you right there using their delicious warm corn tortillas. The specialty of the house is a taco with cecina (dry cured beef), refried beans, and cheese and two of them will kill your hunger for the rest of the day. 

Tacos at Sabor A Mexico
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Taqueria Los Paisanos #2

I’m pretty much done with quesabirria but I’ll tell you what, sometimes it really does hit, as was the case with the “Queca Birria” at this 37 year old taqueria in Joliet (though this is their second location). They make birria de res estilo Jerez (beef) and stuff it into a flour tortilla layered with queso and crisp it on a hot flattop before adding a big scoop of guacamole to liven it all up. Damn were these good and so was everything else at Taqueria Los Paisanos including the “Ballenita” which is a fried Gordita stuffed with discada (beef, bacon, ham, chorizo) and topped with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, avocado, and pinto beans. Even the Taco de Arrachera was better than most spots but the real find was the little section of Burritos La Palma on the menu. The bean and cheese tucked into a wafer thin toasted flour tortilla was a pinnacle normally not reached in the Chicagoland area. All the salsas are top shelf too and chips are fried fresh making this one of the top spots to stop and eat in Joliet. 

Lunch at Taqueria Los Paisanos #2
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Nena's Cantina

Back when I was in the video poker machine industry I found myself out in the southwest suburbs fairly often. Lots of old school bars out this way and pretty much all of them have video gaming machines. One of my favorites was this corner tavern located in a totally residential area. The type of place you probably wouldn’t enter (or even know about) if you weren’t from around this way. The interior has since been updated but the menu at Nena’s Cantina remains the same as when it opened in 1983. They have the most unique tacos in town one of which is a creamy pork and beans filling. The other is a steak and potato the latter of which are French fries which is something you see served on tacos in Mexico City now and then. They’re both guisado like in texture and come served on toasted flour tortillas. I don’t know if there’s a Texas connection but both the food and atmosphere here feel like a roadhouse in some Texas border town. Beers are served ice cold and cheap and they have all the big brand Mexican cerveza imports making it a favorite of locals in the area. English is the second language among customers but the daughter who runs it will take very good care of you. 

Tacos at Nena's Cantina
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Joe's Hot Dogs

Joe’s Hot Dogs is a classic Chicago style hot dog stand with an incredible neon sign. Joe was the son of Sicilian immigrants. He grew up on Taylor street where he worked at a hot dog stand before meeting his wife who was from Joliet. They got married and settled in Joliet where Joe and Mary opened a hotdog wagon in front of their home. A few years later, the first Joe’s Hot Dogs stand was built next door and remained open until 1992 with the current location opening in 1964. Joe’s is currently ran by his granddaughter Jill who doesn’t seem to have changed much including the prices. I tried a tamale in a bun which is an old school Chicago food item you don’t see too often anymore. 

Tamale in a Bun at Joe's Hot Dogs
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Hey! Hot Dog

Hey! Hot Dog has been serving up their signature chili dogs, BBQ sandwiches, and homemade root beer since 1959 with their current location having opened in 1978. I stopped in here years ago and decided to return last summer for the first time since then. It’s a drive thru only operation and if you visit toward the end of summer they also have a sweet corn stand as the longtime owner has a farm. The chili sauce used on for the dogs is good. A standard hot dog includes ketchup, mustard, relish and onions but no ketchup for me please. I’m not sure what brand of hot dog they use but I don’t think it’s Vienna Beef but it works well in a traditional way as chili dogs tend to be made with cheaper wieners. 

Hot Dogs at Hey! Hot Dog
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Ace Drive-In

Ace Drive-In is another retro Joliet joint, complete with car-hop service and frosty mugs of homemade root beer to boot. It’s a seasonal operation with a history in the area going back more than 75 years having first appeared in 1949 - the current owners are now in their 42nd season. The original building was actually moved from another location in Joliet to the once vacant farm land where it still sits today. Customers pull in and out all day, some of them in their vintage vehicles, for a variety of items such as their Sliced Beef Poorboy. Sliced Italian roasted beef is placed in a hoagie with a few pepperoncini. It’s a good sandwich but I still prefer an Italian beef. Ace Drive In also does a Cubed Steak Poorboy like the one you’ll find at Mericka’s and other places in the area. For those wondering there’s no connection between a Cubed Steak Poorboy and the Po Boys popular in NOLA and beyond. The only similarities they share is the origin of the name poor boy referring to somebody that can only afford a sandwich. Oh and the Black Cows (root beer with vanilla ice cream) at Ace Drive-In are outstanding.

Sliced Beef Poorboy at Ace Drive-In
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Rax

I’m fascinated by regional fast food, even if it's mostly average, and even more so by forgotten regional fast food. Back in its heyday Rax Roast Beef (originally Jax) had 500+ locations across 38 states. It was born in Springfield, Ohio in 1967 but is now down to just five independent locations with three of them in Ohio, and one each in Kentucky and Joliet. Rax was famous not just for their roast beef but also their throwback baked potato salad bar but it was drive thru only during my visit circa Covid-19. The quality is a step above Arby’s but that’s not saying much. Nonetheless I have a bit of a guilty pleasure for old school roast beef sandwich spots like Rax -  they’re a dying breed. 

Roast Beef Sandwich at Rax
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Maurie's Table

I often get asked if I ever eat at places that I don't like and of course I do - but not all that often. When you’ve been to as many restaurants as I have you develop a knack for finding the good ones. I can usually tell by looking at online reviews (mostly thru the pictures but also commonly mentioned dishes and every now and then an informative review) and menus if a place is worth stopping in at. I had a bad feeling about Mauries Table but my cousin really wanted pizza and we were right there so we went in. First off let me say that I loved the 1970’s vibes and there was a real energy here as it was packed on an early Sunday evening and that’s what gave me a little bit of hope for the place. But the people that eat here must have a childhood connection bc the pizza isn’t good. We got the signature deep dish and it might as well have been a Red Baron Pizza or some other trash from the freezer at Jewel. The crust was awful and the sausage wasn't much better but at least the beer was cold. 

Deep Dish Pizza at Maurie's Table
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Dari Delite

Capitalism and the corporate world have made almost everywhere feel the same. There’s fewer and fewer independently owned places but you can almost always count on there being an old school, seasonal ice cream stand no matter what town you’re at in the Midwest. I wrote about some of them in Illinois HERE. Joliet is home to an old Dari Delite which is a name associated with many different ice cream establishments across the country, primarily from the mid-20th century. Some of them were part of a chain while others were independent businesses that adopted the name. I couldn’t find much on the history of the Joliet Dari Delite but it’s currently for sale for $375,000 if anyone is interested.

Dipped Cone at Dar Delite
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See ya next time @chibbqking