Thursday, February 26, 2009

Most of the time when I'm watching a food tv show that concentrates on a specific city or style of food (The history of pizza, Chicago, etc) and I personally know enough about the place to have an informed opinion, I end up annoyed and frustrated, which means I start talking to the magic box.

Why didn't they go to this place? What about that other, better place? Why do they immediately go to the tourist trap? Nobody that lives in Chicago goes there unless they are carting around visitors. I hate Gino's East. Giordano's is so much better for deep dish. My pockets hurt. I want my bottle.

After the whiny 5 year old takes a break, I usually end up getting sucked into the entire episode and wishing I was eating at Palermo's or Chi Tung. However, lately the tv programmers have been hitting home runs in my little culinary world. Anthony Bourdain's Chicago No Reservations was simply out of the park. He set the tone as one in opposition to the standard tourist slog.

Diners, Driveins and Dives visited Nick and Vito's on the southside of Chicago. I really do miss their pizza -- very thin and not greasy at all. It's almost like inhaling a cracker.

Man V. Food is my guilty pleasure in the lot. It's usually disgusting, but the host is pretty affable and his joie de vivre is exciting. His St Louis show had him attempting, and failing, to take down 5 milkshakes at Crown Candy. I've had the pleasure of eating their once, and I think I had either the monster blt or something smothered in chili. I do know that I had a chocolate shake, which was just perfection. The place was delicious and legit it every way possible. Maybe that is the root of my inability to avoid getting a shake every time I eat at the Snow City Cafe?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's called the heart stopping BLT. Mmmm...bacon. Sad to say but I've only been to 1 of the 3 restaurants he featured. It's good to have goals, I guess.

By the way, many heartfelt congratulations!

Chris said...

Thanks!

Babe said...

And we diverge...Gino's East is about 1000 times better than Giordano's.
I am going to Silver Palm for the pork fest of a sandwich next week and the pizza place up north sometime in April because Mama needs to detox before hand. Went to Vito and Nicks recently...pretty good but quite the haul for me.

Chris said...

Ginos vs Giordanos...It's all about Palermos in the end anyway

Wayne Allen Sallee said...

Hey, Chris. Funny how you typed it Nick & Vitos, that was always my big line I used in stories. There are people who lived on the same block who called it Nick & Vito's regardless of what the neon sign said. (I could cut through the alley across the street to get to the joint), and I'm surprised there never was some blowout in the 3900 block of 84th Place involving a husband and wife arguing over the name. My pockets hurt, indeed.

Palermo's is the best, but I'd have to go with Giordano's before Gino's East.