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  1.  (1493.121)
    @orwellseyes

    Can you recommend any restaurants or cafes in the area? I'd like to get a cup of cocoa and a decent meal.

    Thanks! :)
  2.  (1493.122)
    Restaurants? In Chicago? Nah....

    Heh.

    Ok, so the convention is in Rosemont, which is just outside the city, right by O'Hare airport. Rosemont is kind of barren, though it's gotten better in the past few years.

    First, here's a good general listing. Everything in Rosemont is about a 5-10 dollar cab ride from the center. Cabs are ridiculously easy to grab around there as it's a hotel/convention space. Walking is good, but, and I'm not kidding, there are places where the sidewalks ends. You end up walking on the side of the road or grass of some hotel. It's an automobile-focused suburb.

    Of that list I'd recommend

    -Gino's East: It's cliche as fuck seeing as this is Chicago and all, but yeah they have fantastic deep dish pizza. The place is very laid back, good to get a pie and beer and relax with people. Dinner hour (7-9) gets a little hectic on weekends, pretty laid back otherwise.

    -Pancakes Eggcetera: Easily the best hangover cure in town. Wonderful breakfast foods of all kinds. Their hours are kind of weird (I think they're only open until 2 or so) but totally worth it. While everyone else is choking down McDonalds McFood for McBreakfast you can have a proper meal. The pancakes are luscious.

    If you're going a bit more upscale (like 30-40 bucks a head) you've got Gibsons, Harry Carey's (you will be sported upon there, it's named for the baseball announcer) and Nick's Fishmarket. All very nice steak/fish/fowl places of somewhat equal quality. I like Nick's a bit better as their fish and lobster are just excellent.

    Just a word about walking around food/snacks. There's a Target about 10 minutes from the convention center. Just tell the driver "The target on Mannheim Road". You can stock up on soda, water, snacks, whatever. The area around the convention center applies a mark-up to EVERYTHING. The gas station charges more for bottled fucking water. Because they know they can. You get a few minutes away and you pay alot less. And of course, the hotels will charge you a kidney for a cup of M&Ms, but that's everywhere.

    If you're going into the city...dear god...your choices are pretty much endless. You take the blue line train in, I've lived right off of it almost my whole life and you can always find a great meal. Anything in particular you'd like to hear about, just ask.

    One general recommendation for the city, Mexican food and Thai. We have some of the best you'll find outside of the motherlands. Most of them are small, family run and pretty cheap, but damn are they good.

    Now I'm hungry.
    •  
      CommentAuthorZ
    • CommentTimeApr 20th 2008
     (1493.123)
    @orwellseyes

    Any noteworthy Thai near the convention center? Italian?

    - Z
  3.  (1493.124)
    Thai food, you're kind of out of luck. There is REALLY good Vietnamese place called Dung Gia in Des Plaines, bit of a trek though.

    If you want good thai you have to head into the city, it's pretty abundant.

    Italian, you have Gino's for pizza, Harry Carey's bills itself as an italian place with Chicken Vesuvio and all that.

    Carlucci's is actually the best Italian in the area. Very expensive, but if you like Tuscan-cooking it's the best you will find. I'd put it up there with anything in the city actually.
    • CommentAuthorNameless
    • CommentTimeApr 20th 2008
     (1493.125)
    We come from the vast frozen wasteland. Wild eyed scavengers of the great land, Alaska, the land of the midnight sun. If you love fish, the flesh of various four legged things and eight months of darkness and cold, it is the place for you. Rarely do we venture from our mountainous habitat, especially amidst the rapid salacious ride we call a summer. If you sit, they will come.
  4.  (1493.126)
    @orwellseyes

    Everything in Rosemont is about a 5-10 dollar cab ride from the center. Cabs are ridiculously easy to grab around there as it's a hotel/convention space.
    This is very good to know - thank you.

    Walking is good, but, and I'm not kidding, there are places where the sidewalks ends. You end up walking on the side of the road or grass of some hotel. It's an automobile-focused suburb.
    Sounds just like home.

    Pancakes Eggcetera: Easily the best hangover cure in town. Wonderful breakfast foods of all kinds. Their hours are kind of weird (I think they're only open until 2 or so) but totally worth it. While everyone else is choking down McDonalds McFood for McBreakfast you can have a proper meal. The pancakes are luscious.
    This, this I must to go to . I keep comparing everyone's pancake's to Kerbey Lane's, based out of Austin. I'd like to see how they match up. Good pancakes are hard to find.

    If you're going a bit more upscale (like 30-40 bucks a head) you've got Gibsons, Harry Carey's (you will be sported upon there, it's named for the baseball announcer) and Nick's Fishmarket. All very nice steak/fish/fowl places of somewhat equal quality. I like Nick's a bit better as their fish and lobster are just excellent.
    Probably not - but thank you for the recommendations though.


    Just a word about walking around food/snacks. There's a Target about 10 minutes from the convention center. Just tell the driver "The target on Mannheim Road". You can stock up on soda, water, snacks, whatever.
    Oh, this information is GOLD. Hell, PLATINUM. I'd be honored to buy you a beverage of choice, if you are in the area. I was just thinking how the hell I am going to eat and not go broke.

    The area around the convention center applies a mark-up to EVERYTHING. The gas station charges more for bottled fucking water. Because they know they can. You get a few minutes away and you pay alot less. And of course, the hotels will charge you a kidney for a cup of M&Ms, but that's everywhere.
    Familiar with that - but not about the gas stations. Thanks for the warning.

    If you're going into the city...dear god...your choices are pretty much endless. You take the blue line train in, I've lived right off of it almost my whole life and you can always find a great meal. Anything in particular you'd like to hear about, just ask.
    Train? As in subway? Heh. I've never ridden on the subway. I can't think of something particular I'm looking for right now, but I will ask if I do. Thank you for the offer.

    One general recommendation for the city, Mexican food and Thai. We have some of the best you'll find outside of the motherlands. Most of them are small, family run and pretty cheap, but damn are they good.
    Those are the best, usually.

    Now I'm hungry.
    Me, too. Thank for you the information, it's really appreciated. The offer of a beverage of choice still stands.

    Spiral
  5.  (1493.127)
    I hate you all... Synth, stuck in the wastelands of Cambridge with no money to even go to Bristol...
  6.  (1493.128)
    Yes, Warren. You should come... come to me!! bwahahahah!

    I live in Chicago, you know... bout time you come and buy me a shot.
    I know just the spot....
    • CommentAuthorMaC
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2008
     (1493.129)
    I will likely be making this journey as well. Have some friends who moved to Chicago a year or so ago that it'd be nice to see. I'm already recovered from NYCC. Can I survive going to two major-ish cons?
    •  
      CommentAuthorEgon
    • CommentTimeApr 27th 2008
     (1493.130)
    The George Bush "Shut The Fuck Up" Stimulus Package arrives tomorrow via direct deposit. Let's see if I can find me a cheap flight out of SoCal.
  7.  (1493.131)
    If you want good thai you have to head into the city, it's pretty abundant.


    Orwell,

    Can you think of any places we might overlook?
  8.  (1493.132)
    @Egon Check airfarewatchdog.com, they had 180 buck flights to Chicago from here, there's bound to be better deals out of SoCal.

    Also @William so any word on the shindig you mentioned at NY?
    •  
      CommentAuthorWordWill
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2008
     (1493.133)
    I recommend everyone visiting Chicago for the con go into the city and visit Hot Doug's for the likes of antelope sausage with apricot-rum sauce and Lancashire cheese. The place is crazy with gourmet hot-dog-like things. Of course, you can also get a delicious, traditional Chicago dog in there.


    Linky, linky: http://www.hotdougs.com/specials.htm

    Now, in exchange, somebody tell me what I should do at Wizard World Chicago. I haven't been to the show in a decade.
  9.  (1493.134)
    @WordWill Well outside wondering around the show floor buying things and meeting people there are the panels. Generally there are at least a few each show I want to attend. On top of that there's the booze.. lots and lots of booze.
    •  
      CommentAuthorstevewallace
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2008 edited
     (1493.135)
    Oh, this information is GOLD. Hell, PLATINUM. I'd be honored to buy you a beverage of choice, if you are in the area. I was just thinking how the hell I am going to eat and not go broke.

    Yeah we're staying in the Softiel; it's one of the hotels connected by hamster tunnel. Anyway we plan on just stocking up the fridge there with bread, sandwich meat and soda's and living off that most of the weekend. I really should have done that in NY this year... food nearly broke me this year. Damn Korean BBQ!
    •  
      CommentAuthororwellseyes
    • CommentTimeMay 1st 2008 edited
     (1493.136)
    JTraub:

    The best Thai in the city is Tiparos on Clark St. . It's on the north side of the city near Lincoln Park/Wrigleyville (where the Cubs lose).

    Fantastic food, really nice atmosphere, pretty affordable. It's not far from my neighborhood. The Panang Nue Curry is simply mind-blowing.

    But the overlooked one might be Penny's Noodle Shops. They're a bit "pan-asian" doing more than just thai, but they still get There are three in the city and one in Oak Park. Great and cheap. The food is very fresh. They load you up on veggies with everything, which is very good by me. I go with the Hot Pepper Noodle and Tom Kha Soup. I'd advise getting it to go, unless you go to the Wicker Park location, they can get a little hectic on the weekends. Luckily they're all in good walking areas of the city.

    If you want something a bit more exotic, try the "little Vietnam" area near Argyle in Uptown.

    There's a place up there that has yet to be really discovered by too many non-vietnamese called "Pho Xe Tang", means "Tank Noodles". It's a big, bustling place, huge tables, always busy any time of day. The best thing, seriously worth coming into the city alone for this, is the Banh Xeo, crispy pancakes with shrimp, veggies and pork skin. All kinds of noodles to go with the traditional Pho soup too. And there's something so fucking cool about a Vietnamese place in the heart of a major American city with this for a logo.

  10.  (1493.137)
    @Orwell

    Thanks much indeed.
  11.  (1493.138)
    @JTraub

    Orwell left out Sticky Rice at Irving Park & Western. It's a northern Thai place and a little different from most thai places but so delicious and you get the opportunity to try a bunch of things you usually don't see (at affordable prices). Last time I was there we had some stinky fruit ice cream, fried bamboo grubs, ground pork intestine, stick rice in baboo shoots, and a curry soup w/ cubed porks blood.
  12.  (1493.139)
    Ah, Sticky Rice is very good indeed. The sausage appetizer there is fucking wild. They do a bit more with fish there too right? I remember they had a curry with Tuna in it that my girlfriend flipped out over.

    Good call Mr. Tacopunch.
  13.  (1493.140)
    The curry tuna is delicious. I think the 2nd best tuna I've ever had. (First is my room-mate seared some tuna steaks and we ate them w/ a vegetable rich noodle dish)

    The Fish Ball curry at Sticky Rice is also the bee's knees.

    I looked at Tank Noodles and I'm going to spend some of my GWB STFU check there for sure.