Feb 20 2009
You Are Where You Eat -or- Chicago Cuisine
Fodor's Chicago 2009
Proper congratulations and looks of awe are in order: I flew from Boston to Chicago and from Chicago to Boston with no delays, no cancellations, and no angry TSA officials–in February. Quite a feat in my book, given Boston’s recent proclivity to sudden snow storms and O’Hare’s almost constant state of behind-ness.
I was in the Windy City (which is rather windy, no matter where the nickname actually came from) for a writer’s conference. Despite seeing such amazing writers as Marilynne Robinson and Alexandar Hemon read, it’s needless to say that most exciting part of this conference, like any, happened outside the actual conference hotel. And consistent with my usual style of travel, it happened inside restaurants and bars.
There were two items on my to-consume list that I decided I must have before allowing myself to leave the city: deep dish pizza (of course) and a locally brewed beer. Fortunately neither was difficult to find. My second night there a group of conspicuously out-of-place, nerdy writers (myself included) went to Pizano’s, a cozy pizza place with walls covered in Chicago paraphernalia. This is where I was reminded why it’s occasionally called a “pizza pie.” We ordered three small deep dish pizzas, which was plenty for the five of us. The simple cheese and basil pie being nearly an inch deep, I broke my hands-only rule for pizza and used a knife and fork.
I satisfied my second demand the next night at The Exchequer Pub. This too was easy–I just picked the tap unfamiliar to me. The long white goose’s neck stuck out noticeably: Goose Island’s Honker’s Ale. Despite its amusing name, the writers and I declared it delicious, pitcher after pitcher. I was Chicago.
Read more: Alexandar Hemon, Beer, Chicago, Food & Wine, TravelLlalan specializes in all things Ohio, but has funny stories from all over the US and Canada, plus a few snort-inducing ones from Thailand. And not only does she read books from around the world, she also samples beers in as many languages as possible. Favorite style: the multi-national American Double IPA.
