Dine. Drift. Dream.

Calumet Fisheries is

a sidewalk picnic,

byob,

delicious smoked shrimp,

a little bit of trouble,

my favorite fried clams,

water views,

an adventure.

Calumet Fisheries.  3259 E 95th Street.  Chicago, IL.

Starting a purge of cell phone photos/reliving summer.

Aberdeen Tap* is my new favorite neighborhood bar, granted I have to drive/bike to get there- but we can’t all be so lucky as to have great beer/great food within walking distance of home.  Especially when you live as close to downtown as I do.

The menu at Aberdeen is pretty simple:  appetizers, salads, sandwiches, grinders and bangers.  The also have some pretty good creme brulee of which then tend to run out.  The price is fair, and the beer list is UN-F*CK-ING believable:  Saison Dupont, Allagash on draft, a Three Floyds here, Tripel Karmeliet there… if you’re a beer fan you’ll be in heaven.

And the piece de resistance, as photographed above, the fried mac and cheese balls… you aren’t at TGIFriday’s anymore…

*Best enjoyed with good friends.

Aberdeen Tap.  440 N Aberdeen Street.  Chicago, IL.

I had long heard about the King of the Chicago Deli scene, Manny’s.  And although it’s right down the street from me in the South West Loop, I had never made the half mile trek. 

Basically, some part of me knew that once I had a taste of their Pastrami there’s a possibility I would never be able to stop.  I’d get home from work every night and head to Manny’s, packing my gullet full of delicious fatty meat.  Maybe at some point I’d lose my job, because I’d need it for lunch as well and it’s a hour commute for me each way… sooner or later my employer would catch on to my 3 hour lunches and let me go.

I went, I ate, I conquered.  It was everything I imagined (sometimes a hard feat).  Next time I just want a bag of potato pancakes.  Or two.

Manny’s Delicatessen.  1141 S Jefferson.  Chicago, IL.

I have a love hate relationship with Japonais.  The restaurant is incredibly overpriced and full of types of people who love overpriced restaurants (that’s the nicest way I can put it).

BUT, Japonais is by far one of the best places in Chicago to have a bachelorette party dinner— the drinks and food are fantastic, the atmosphere lounge-y and upscale and the staff never frowns at a photo request because they’re used to endless tourists/celebrations/celebrities. 

Must order:

- Spicy Mono Maki

- “The Rock”

- Madako Kimo

I never harbor hard feelings when prices warrant the occasion.

Japonais.  600 W Chicago Ave.  Chicago, IL.

Kuma’s Corner doesn’t need another ringing endorsement, so instead I’m going to give you some tips to ensure you enjoy your visits as much as I do.

• Go with a buddy, just one, so you can wait for bar seats.  This little tip turns a 2 hour wait into a 15 minute wait.
• Sunday evenings and weeknights help the wait, and weekdays should be capped off with craft beers and GIANT BURGERS anyway.
• The homemade potato chips are better than the fries.
• The macaroni and cheese may be the best thing of all.

Kuma’s Corner.  2900 W Belmont Ave.  Chicago, IL.

I love an oyster.  I remember the best oyster I have ever eaten, it was at the Borough Market in London a few years ago and they charged a single euro.  Now I pay $3 an oyster in land locked Chicago and none come close to that Borough find.  

While researching dining options in San Francisco three words caught my eye, “oyster happy hour”… COULD IT POSSIBLY BE?!  Mondays and Thursdays at 5pm Hog Island Oyster Company has half priced oysters, a dining establishment known for their fantastic oysters.  I had high hopes. 

We headed down to the ferry building and arrived about 5 minutes after 5pm, let’s just say we were at the END of the line.  A long line.  After about a half hour wait we were close enough for bar service and the subsequent 15 minutes passed much faster than the last (there is also a single good beer and wine option priced for happy hour, we tried each). 

Finally, we sat and ordered 8 oysters, we devoured them… and… we then immediately ordered 8 more.  They were JUST what I dreamed they’d be, salty, fresh, the perfect bite… and at $1.35 an oyster, I can’t imagine a better deal anywhere.

Hog Island Oyster Company.  1 Ferry Building #11A.  San Francisco, CA.

Our Pacific Coast Highway roadtrip was an interesting culinary adventure, we focused on local favorites at lower pricepoints than our usual in Chicago.  I’ll post a later blog with a full run down, but Dynamo Donuts in San Francisco warrants an individual note.

We stopped at Dynamo on a Friday morning, I’m pretty sure the lines are long on the weekend based on a few comments I overheard.  But on a Friday at 10am we were served almost immediately.  The service looked to be walk up, and the coffee is self-serve on one end of the counter.  Since we were heading out of town to start our trip to LA, we went a little overboard and got 6 donuts to enjoy over the course of the day.  Even over 6 hours, the 6 donuts were a little much for the two of us (in volume only).  I recommend the caramel de sel, maple glazed bacon apple and vanilla bean.  The coffee is tasty as well and they actually had soy milk. 

The website confirms that the donuts are made from “organic, sustainable, local ingredients whenever possible”- something that’s becoming more important to me and I think pretty much explains how something as simple as a donut can be elevated to this level.  Love Dynamo!

Dynamo Donuts.  2760 24th St.  San Francisco, CA.