Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria – South Loop, Chicago

7 09 2009
  • 805 S. State Street
  • Chicago, IL 60605
  • (312) 786-1000
  • Website
  • Menu
Lou Malnatis Pizzeria on South State Street in Chicago.

Lou Malnati's Pizzeria on South State Street in Chicago.

No one in the world does pizza like Chicago.  As far as Chicago deep-dish goes, there are three major players.  Giordano’s, Gino’s East, and Lou Malnati’s.  It’s hard to pick a favorite.  They all have their qualities that make them unique.  Whenever I’m pressed for an answer, I sort of stumble around and try my best not to answer the question.  I like all three.

You’ve seen me write about Lou Malnati’s before.  J’s mom has sent me some frozen pizza’s from Malnati’s mail order business.  Other than that, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a Malnati’s pizza. 

After we left US Cellular Field, we headed downtown to get some pizza.  There are several Lou Malnati’s in Chicago.  The original is in Lincolnwood, but there are multiple locations in the city.  I didn’t choose the one closest to US Cellular.  I wanted to go downtown and give my friends, and my dad, a chance to see more of the city. 

The Malnati’s I chose is on South State Street at East 8th Street.  After a little GPS mishap (it was trying to send us to Indiana when I knew the pizzeria was in the South Loop), we found a parking garage right next to the shop.  It was about 6:30 when we opened the door to find a rather large crowd waiting.  Not a good sign.  My buddy found the hostess who told us it would be about two hours.  We put our names in then went for a beer. Read the rest of this entry »

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Categories : Chicago, Illinois, Pizza, Restaurant, Reviews

South Loop Club – Chicago

7 09 2009
  • 1 E. Balbo Avenue
  • Chicago, IL 60605
  • (312) 427-2787
  • No Known Website
  • Menu
The South Loop Club on East Balbo Avenue in Chicago

The South Loop Club on East Balbo Avenue in Chicago

After we left US Cellular Field, our plan was to go out for pizza.  That was the plan, anyway.  The game went pretty quick, so we stayed in the parking lot drinking until a guy in a golf cart came around and kicked us out.  We made our way to the pizza joint and found out there was a two hour wait, so we put our name on the list and went looking for a bar. 

The first bar we came to was the South Loop Club on the corner of State Street and Balbo Avenue.  It doesn’t look like much from the outside and since we’re a bunch of country boys, a bar that doesn’t look like much is exactly what we were looking for. 

The South Loop Club is a typical dive bar only it’s in downtown Chicago.  We had been drinking quite a bit and half the guys had to find a bathroom.  On our way in, we saw a sign that said “No Public Restrooms,” so we turned around and left.  One of the guys went back in to see if that meant there were no public restrooms at all or there were no public restrooms for non-patrons.  Turned out to be the latter, so we went back in and found a table. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Bar, Chicago, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews

US Cellular Field – Chicago

7 09 2009
  • 333 W. 35th Street
  • Chicago, IL 60616
  • (312) 674-1000
  • Website
US Cellular Field on W. 35th Street in Chicago.

US Cellular Field on W. 35th Street in Chicago.

Most guys use their bachelor party as an excuse to go to a strip club.  Most of my friends fit into that generalization as well.  Strip clubs aren’t really my thing, so when my brother asked what I wanted to do for my bachelor party, I didn’t hesitate and said I wanted to go to a White Sox game. 

US Celluar Field is on West 35th Street on Chicago’s south side.  No one I know actually calls the place US Celluar Field.  Most people refer to it simply as “The Cell.”  The old timers still call it “Comiskey” (the original name was Comiskey Park named after the old park and owner Charles Comiskey).  The Chicago media likes to use the name “US Comiskular” (combining US Cellular and Comiksey).

The “new” Comiskey Park was opened in 1991.  They were a year too early.  New Comiskey was built as the ball park of the future.  It had clean lines.  A symmetrical shape and it was quite sterile.  There was really no character.  One year later, when Camden Yards opened, Comiskey’s futuristic styling was already a thing of the past.  The retro look is what actually took off and every ballpark since then has been designed after the success of Camden….not Comiskey. Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, Entertainment Venues, Illinois, Reviews

Wings Around The World – Chicago

7 09 2009
  • 510 E. 75th Street
  • Chicago, IL 60616
  • (773) 483-9120
  • Website
  • Menu
Wings Around the World on E. 75th in Chicago.

Wings Around the World on E. 75th in Chicago.

Back in May when J and I got engaged, the first thing out of my brother’s mouth was, “Where do you want to do the Bachelor Party?”  I chose a baseball game.  I knew right away what I wanted to do. 

Like every other time that I go somewhere with a group of people, my goal is to bring as much local flavor to the party as possible.  We decided on pizza for after the game, but we needed some tailgate food.  BBQ was thrown around as was hitting up a bar near the park, but I eventually found a wing joint not too far away that got rave reviews on Yelp.com and Google.  It had been voted best wings in Chicago and I believe I saw the place on a Travel Channel show (although I can’t remember which one).

Wings Around the World is on 75th Street at South Eberhart Avenue.  It’s strictly a carry-out place with a small store front along the commercial district in this particular neighborhood.  My brother called on Friday to see if we needed to pre-order since we were putting in a pretty large order.  The guy he talked to said no, just call right at noon when they open. 

I was already at J’s parents, so the van of guys picked me up a little after noon in the south suburbs.  Bad news whenI got in the car.  My buddy K had been calling non-stop since noon and there was no answer.  I grabbed my brother’s Iphone and started looking for a backup plan.  Read the rest of this entry »


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Categories : Chicago, Chicken, Illinois, Restaurant, Reviews, Wings