October 2010
4 posts
Goodbye for now!
After months of new dining, drinking, and attraction adventures, it has officially been 52 Weeks since we started this blog. We came up with the idea to try new things in Chicago after realizing last fall that we kept going to the same places over and over again. From only a few followers last year to almost 300 right now, it’s been great to have readers that are genuinely interested in...
5 tags
Del Seoul
Del Seoul 2568 N Clark St., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
Del Seoul.
Ever since it opened only a few months ago, Rob and I have heard nothing but rave reviews about Del Seoul, one of Chicago’s first Korean Street BBQ restaurants. After salivating over the menu, we knew we had to try it out for ourselves. We finally stopped there one weekend night—right before we...
5 tags
Owen and Engine
Owen and Engine 2700 N Western Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Logan Square
Owen and Engine.
During the summer when Anna and I went to City North for a movie, we realized there was an interesting looking building going up on the corner of Western and Schubert. Flash forward a couple of months and that building is now Owen & Engine. The owners of Fat Willy’s Rib Shack are...
8 tags
Shake Shop
Shake Shop 3247 W Fullerton Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Logan Square
Shake Shop.
After reading earlier this week about the opening of a new “rock and roll general store” in Logan Square, Rob and I knew we had to check it out. Shake Shop had its grand opening this past Friday, and although that showed in the fact that they didn’t have a ton of merchandise when we...
September 2010
2 posts
6 tags
Cumin
Cumin 1414 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Cumin (photo courtesy of Yelp/Cesario Moza).
Anna and I randomly had a craving for some Indian food this weekend, so we decided to check out Cumin—a very modern Nepalese and Indian restaurant in Wicker Park—instead of venturing north to Devon Avenue like we usually do. Cumin opened earlier this summer and...
6 tags
Gaztro-Wagon
Gaztro Wagon
This week’s schedule, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: all over the city!
Gaztro-Wagon.
On their website, Gaztro-Wagon describes their food truck as “A curbside solution to your hunger” with “hand-crafted, modern street fare with a focus on seasonal availability and local partnerships.” If all of that and the recent food truck craze that has swept major...
August 2010
5 posts
6 tags
Southport Grocery & Cafe
Southport Grocery & Cafe 3552 N Southport Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lakeview
Southport Grocery & Cafe (photo courtesy of Yelp).
Anna and I have been meaning to try the Southport Grocery & Cafe out and finally had an opportunity to check it out this weekend. This boutique grocery store sells many upscale products for sale, but the real kicker is the fantastic cafe...
6 tags
Black Dog Gelato
Black Dog Gelato 859 N Damen Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village
Black Dog Gelato.
For the past few months, Rob and I have noticed Black Dog Gelato’s name popping in a variety of places, from articles about Chicago restaurants to the Logan Square Farmer’s Market website. When we heard that owner Jessica Oloroso planned on opening an actual store this summer,...
5 tags
The Book Cellar
The Book Cellar 4736 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lincoln Square
Book Cellar.
The Book Cellar is is an independently owned bookstore located in the heart of Lincoln Square. What makes The Book Cellar so unique is the wide selection of wines that are available in their cafe. This means you can browse the book shelves while having your a glass of pinot noir or merlot. If...
5 tags
Original Rainbow Cone
Original Rainbow Cone 9233 S Western Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Beverly
Original Rainbow Cone.
Although we’re technically cheating with this post a little bit since both Rob and I have been to the Original Rainbow Cone before, it’s too much of a perfect summer tradition to not profile on 52 Weeks. For those not in the know, the Original Rainbow Cone is a legendary...
4 tags
Three Happiness
Three Happiness 2130 S Wentworth Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Chinatown
Three Happiness.
Anna and I had a major craving for some Chinese food this afternoon, so we decided to head south to Chinatown for the real deal (or as real as it can get in Chicago). We usually prefer to go to Won Kow when we venture to Chinatown, but today we decided to try Three Happiness and were very...
July 2010
4 posts
6 tags
The Rabbit Hole
The Rabbit Hole It’s a secret!, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: It’s a secret!
Our dining environment for The Rabbit Hole’s July 24th event.
Before you continue reading our review, please visit The Rabbit Hole’s website and read the “What is the Rabbit Hole?” section to bring yourself up to speed on this fantastic dining experience. Done? Okay, let’s...
6 tags
Cafe Mustache
Cafe Mustache 2313 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Logan Square
Cafe Mustache.
Logan Square is flourishing with new restaurants and stores throughout the neighborhood. One of those new establishments is Cafe Mustache, a wonderful new space that is being utilized for art, music, community, and hand-crafted coffee and tea. Cafe Mustache’s coffee is locally roasted by...
6 tags
Boiler Room
Boiler Room 2210 N California Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Logan Square
Boiler Room.
From the first day it opened several weeks ago, Rob and I have been dying to try out Logan Square’s newest bar/pizza place, the Boiler Room. We finally stopped by earlier this week and although we had a few complaints (cash only, too crowded, etc), we were mostly pleased by the latest...
7 tags
3 Floyds Brew Pub
3 Floyds Brew Pub 9750 Indiana Parkway, Munster, IN
3 Floyds.
Anna and I decided to give you a special 52 Weeks in Chicago post that takes place just outside the city in Northwest Indiana. We are both huge fans of 3 Floyds and love that their unique and tasty beers can be found on tap at most of our favorite bars throughout the city, so really it is only fitting we made the quick drive down...
June 2010
4 posts
7 tags
Belly Shack
Belly Shack 1912 N Western Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Bucktown
Belly Shack photo courtesy of MetroMix.
Rob and I had been planning on trying Belly Shack ever since it first popped up in Bucktown last year. Somehow, we found ourselves shying away from it for a little while though, mostly due to its odd menu combination of Asian fusion and Latin American cuisines. This past week,...
5 tags
Royal Thai
Royal Thai 2209 W Montrose Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Ravenswood
Royal Thai.
Tonight, Anna and I finally found a Thai restaurant that reigns supreme over all of the others we’ve tried in this great city. Royal Thai is a family owned and operated restaurant tucked inside the Ravenswood neighborhood, right across the street from Welles Park. They have a very extensive menu...
5 tags
Fontano's Subs
Fontano’s Subs 20 E Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Loop
Fontano’s.
The Loop is pretty limited when it comes to eating options (unless you actually enjoy eating fast food or Potbelly’s for the millionth time). Fontano’s has been Rob’s secret sandwich spot for a several years now and I recently went there with him for the first time. Featuring...
6 tags
DMK Burger Bar
DMK Burger Bar 2954 N Sheffield Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lakeview
DMK.
Anna and I both had a craving for a burger earlier this week, so we opted to try out the DMK Burger Bar in Lakeview. This modern and sleek burger joint is co-owned by MK’s Michael Kornick and Pompei’s David Morton. The menu features a variety of grass-fed beef, turkey, lamb and veggie burgers...
May 2010
5 posts
8 tags
Kouks Vintage Cafe
Kouks Vintage Cafe 5653 N Northwest Hwy., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Norwood Park
Kouks.
Tucked all the way up in Norwood Park is the oddity that is Kouks Vintage Cafe. A combination antique resale shop and coffeehouse, Kouks lures in its customers with a hard to miss exterior, award-winning coffee, and a treasure trove of antique goods waiting to be discovered. After browsing around...
6 tags
Hoosier Mama Pie Company
Hoosier Mama Pie Company 1618 W Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Ukrainian Village
Hoosier Mama.
My family takes their pie making very seriously; maybe it’s a Midwest thing. There is even a long running joke that my Uncle makes better pie crust than my Grandma does. I believe both crusts are superior, but today Anna and I might have found a pie company that could even top...
5 tags
Pho Xe Tang - Tank Noodle
Pho Xe Tang - Tank Noodle 4953 N Broadway St., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Uptown
Pho Xe Tang - Tank Noodle.
Of all the cuisines we’ve tried throughout our lives, neither Rob nor I had ever tried pho before this weekend. For the unaware, pho is a Vietnamese beef and noodle soup. After searching on Yelp for the highest-rated restaurant in Chicago, we decided on Pho Xe Tang - Tank...
5 tags
Farmers Market Garden Center
Farmers Market Garden Center 4110 N Elston Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Irving Park
Farmers Market Garden Center.
Despite their name, Farmers Market isn’t so much a farmers market, but more of a large-scale garden center specializing in flowers like annuals and perennials and other gardening supplies like mulch, stone/gravel, and soil and potting mix. When we first arrived at...
7 tags
Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar
Rootstock Wine & Beer Bar
954 N California Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Humboldt Park
Rootstock.
Rob and I have been wanting to try Rootstock for months now and we finally got around to it this weekend. For those that are not aware, Rootstock is a bar that specializes in unique beers and wines. It was fairly crowded when we arrived around 10:30 on Saturday night, so we were...
April 2010
3 posts
5 tags
Birchwood Kitchen
Birchwood Kitchen 2211 W North Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Wicker Park
Birchwood Kitchen.
Birchwood Kitchen is a counter-service restaurant that is fairly new to the Wicker Park neighborhood (they opened up shop last year). Anna and I were a little disappointed that we didn’t check it out sooner, because it was absolutely phenomenal. Birchwood’s menu features a lineup...
5 tags
Great Lake
Great Lake 1477 W Balmoral Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Edgewater
Great Lake.
Rob and I first became aware of Great Lake last November when a New York Times reviewer called it the best pizza that he had ever eaten in his life. After reading the review and hearing stories of how good their pizza is, we made it our mission to dine at the fourteen-seater, shoebox-sized restaurant. On...
5 tags
The Counter Burger
The Counter Burger 666 W Diversey Pkwy., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
The Counter Burger.
NOTE: There was no post last week due to both of us celebrating Easter/Passover. We hope all of you had a great holiday!
When I first heard of The Counter Burger, I was intrigued with the California-based chain after finding out on their website that there are over “312,120+...
March 2010
6 posts
5 tags
Riverside Cafe
Riverside Cafe 1656 W Cortland St., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Bucktown
Riverside Cafe.
Riverside Cafe is supposed to have an amazing Sunday-only brunch, but Rob and I decided to forgo that for now and try out their lunch menu this past weekend. Based on a recommendation from several friends, we’ve been wanting to try out Riverside for a little while now, especially since their...
5 tags
Nightwood
Nightwood 2119 S Halsted Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Pilsen
Nightwood.
Nightwood is a seasonally focused restaurant that Jason Hammel and Amalea Tshilds—the owners of popular Logan Square spot Lula Cafe—opened last year. Anna and I finally made it to Nightwood for their exclusive Sundays-only brunch this afternoon and we absolutely loved it. Nightwood is very charming...
The Rabbit Hole
Dear Readers,
Thanks for following 52 Weeks in Chicago! Let’s get right to the point. Today, Rob and I read about a new restaurant in Chicago called The Rabbit Hole. It’s a secret supper club that doesn’t publicize its location and requires an invite to be admitted—oh, and did we mention the food looks amazing too? Anyway, we want in. Although Rob and I are both food...
5 tags
Lovely: A Bake Shop
Lovely: A Bake Shop 1130 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Noble Square
Lovely Bakery.
Keeping in theme with our bakery post from last week, Rob and I decided to check out Lovely: A Bake Shop this weekend. We were in the mood for lunch (they serve everything from sandwiches and soups to pastries and coffee), but unfortunately we arrived just as they had stopped serving...
5 tags
D'amato's Bakery (Italian Weekend part two)
D’amato’s Bakery 1124 W Grand Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: West Loop
D’amato’s Bakery.
Anna and I couldn’t help but stop in D’amato’s Bakery after visiting Bari today. D’amato’s is a very authentic Italian bakery that has been in business for many years, which is evident from their monstrous mechanical cash register that...
5 tags
Bari Foods (Italian Weekend part one)
Bari Foods 1120 W Grand Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: West Loop
Bari Foods.
I’ve tried many amazing sandwiches in my life, but the Italian sub I had from Bari this weekend may go down in history as one of the best I’ve ever eaten. Rob and I had been wanting to go to Bari Foods in the West Loop for the past year or so (I’ve never been and he went once about six...
5 tags
Powell's Books
Powell’s Books 1501 E 57th St., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Hyde Park
Powell’s Books.
Anna and I had no idea that Powell’s City of Books—our favorite bookstore, located in Portland, Oregon—originally opened in 1970 in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. After finding this out last year, we decided to head down to Hyde Park this afternoon to check out...
February 2010
5 posts
5 tags
Cafe Orchid
Cafe Orchid 1746 W Addison St., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lakeview
Cafe Orchid.
Rob and I had been on a Middle Eastern kick after visiting an amazing place during our trip to New York last weekend, so we decided to check out Cafe Orchid based on a recommendation from a coworker of mine. This highly rated Turkish restaurant was just what we needed to satisfy our cravings. We shared a...
4 tags
Castel Gandolfo
Castel Gandolfo 800 N Dearborn Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Near North Side
Castel Gandolfo.
Castel Gandolfo is a relatively new brick-oven pizzeria in the Near North Side neighborhood of Chicago. Anna and I don’t normally dine in this area of the city, but we were meeting up with her aunt before catching a movie at River East, which gave us an opportunity to finally try...
5 tags
Metropolitan Brewing
Metropolitan Brewing 5121 N Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Ravenswood
Metropolitan Brewery.
Hello to our abundance of new followers! This is the second of two posts this week since our laziness from last week resulted in no post. Continuing in the apparent brewery theme of the week, Rob and I decided to go on our first brewery tour at Metropolitan Brewery in the...
6 tags
Revolution Brewing
Revolution Brewing 2323 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Logan Square
Photo courtesy of Metromix/Barry Brecheisen.
For months, Anna and I have patiently waited for Revolution Brewing to open up their doors; and this week, they finally did. As one would suspect, the place was packed when we arrived and we had to wait for about 45 minutes to be seated. While waiting, we...
January 2010
4 posts
5 tags
The Bagel
The Bagel - Restaurant & Deli 3107 N Broadway St., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lakeview
The Bagel.
Although The Bagel has been located on Broadway Street in the Lakeview neighborhood since 1992 (with another location in Skokie), Rob and I had never heard of it until recently. For shame, really, because this authentic Jewish deli and restaurant is quite good and reasonably priced. ...
6 tags
Superdawg Drive-In
Superdawg Drive-In 6363 N Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Norwood Park
Superdawg Drive-In.
When it comes to eating hot dogs, Anna and I have a strong allegiance to the ever popular Hot Doug’s; but today we ventured north to Norwood Park to check out Superdawg. This Chicago establishment is family owned and operated and has been in business since 1948, making it one of...
6 tags
Birrieria Zaragoza
Birrieria Zaragoza 4852 S Pulaski Rd., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Archer Heights
Birrieria Zaragoza.
For the unaware, “Birria” is a Mexican goat stew and it also happens to be the only item on the menu at Birrieria Zaragoza, a hidden gem of a restaurant tucked away on the southwest side of Chicago. Recommended to us by some friends of ours, Rob and I knew that although we...
5 tags
KnockBox Café
KnockBox Café 1001 N California Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Humboldt Park
KnockBox Café.
It was a blistering cold day in Chicago, so Anna and I decided to head over to the Humboldt Park neighborhood this afternoon to try out KnockBox Café for the first time. KnockBox is a wonderful, eco-friendly, and cozy café that is situated on the corner of California and Augusta, across the...
December 2009
3 posts
7 tags
Julius Meinl
Julius Meinl 3601 N Southport Ave., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lakeview
Julius Meinl. Photo Credit: Julius Meinl’s website.
Julius Meinl is a Vienna-based company that is a leading manufacturer/retailer of coffee, gourmet foods, and other such products. Oddly enough, they also have two restaurants/coffee shops located in Lakeview and Lincoln Square in Chicago. Tonight, Rob and...
5 tags
44th Ward Dinner Party
44th Ward Dinner Party 3542 N Halsted St., Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lakeview
44th Ward Dinner Party. Photo Credit: Mike Howes.
The 44th Ward Dinner Party is tucked inside the Boystown area of Lakeview and they are known for their grilled cheese. Yes, you read that right. The classic American sandwich is the focal point of the 44th Ward Dinner Party menu. You can build your own...
5 tags
Bentonara
Bentonara 1156 W Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lakeview
Bentonara Sushi.
NOTE: There was no post last week due to both of us being out of town for Thanksgiving. We hope all of you had a great holiday!
After being obsessed with the House of Sushi and Noodles for a long time (and then having several bad experiences there), Rob and I have been in search of a new sushi place for...
November 2009
3 posts
5 tags
Coalfire Pizza
Coalfire Pizza 1321 W Grand Ave, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: West Town
Coalfire Pizza.
Anna and I decided to skip making dinner tonight and opted to try Coalfire Pizza in West Town instead. Coalfire’s claim to fame is serving Neapolitan style pizza, hot and ready from an 800° F coal fired oven. Tonight we started off by sharing a house salad that was huge and delicious, then we...
6 tags
Las Palmas
Las Palmas 1835 W North Ave, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Wicker Park
The bar area in Las Palmas. Photo credit: Las Palmas’ website.
Rob and I have been to Las Palmas many times, but only for their amazing modern, up-scale Mexican cuisine. Rob had eaten their brunch a few years ago and has been telling me for awhile how good it is, so we decided to venture over there and check it...
5 tags
Margie's Candies
Margie’s Candies 1960 N Western Ave, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Bucktown
Margie’s Candies has been serving ice cream and candies since 1921, making it a Chicago landmark. I have passed by Margie’s Candies so many times and never stopped in, so tonight during the 5th inning of game six of the World Series, Anna and I decided to take quick break from the ball game and...
October 2009
7 posts
6 tags
Lincoln Hall
Lincoln Hall 2424 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
If you’re from New York, new venue openings probably don’t excite you much since it happens all the time. But if you’re an obsessive Chicago show-goer like Rob and myself, new venues are an occasion to celebrate. In tonight’s case, Rob and I went to see Ted Leo & The Pharmacists play the...
5 tags
Pequod's Pizza
Pequod’s Pizza 2207 N Clybourn Ave, Chicago, IL Neighborhood: Lincoln Park
When people think about Chicago, immediate thoughts include Bears football, Barack Obama, and deep dish pizza. Everyone knows about well known pizza spots like Gino’s East or Pizzeria Uno, which are fine and all, but tonight Anna and I visited Pequod’s in Lincoln Park to try their deep dish pizza...