Some recommendations from me to you
Dude, I’m tellin ya…………
When I was at the WhiteSox game the other night, I was really appreciating the fact that this was the last game I would be going to this year. The boys and I were really enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the ballpark as true fans do. The product on the field sucked…..but the aesthetic qualities were in full force. It put me to thinking about the whole Cubs-Sox rivalry and the whole debate about Wrigley Field and US Cellular Field (which I and a few friends still call Comiskey Park because it just seems right).
Now I’m not here to knock Wrigley Field or the Cubs in this one. I just want to extoll the virtues of US Cellular because both sides in the city squabble refuse to acknowledge the positives of the other. I have a few good things to say about the North Side stadium as well.
While I’m at it, I figured I would just give out a handful of recommendations on some cool places to go and some great food and a few of the other things I feel qualified to speak about………
US Cellular Field can offer these realistic and non-biased benefits over Wrigley Field: WAY better selection of food and WAY, WAY better food overall. Anyone who argues this is just a moron and so biased toward the Cubs that their opinion on anything else is immediately nonsense. I have heard about 99% of Cubs fans admit to this truth. You can get a heaping bowl of corn-on-the-cob shaved straight off the stalk and swimming in butter at US Cellular. Last night the stadium offered 2-fer-1 hotdogs up until game-time. In 39 years, I have never gotten a .10 cent discount at Wrigley Field. I had a vodka and lemonade with my two hotdogs. It’s literally a full-menu restaurant.
The bathrooms are spacious, clean, and basically everywhere. No 50 year-old horse troughs with a line halfway down Waveland Avenue. There’s ample parking and tail-gaiting allowed. It’s just a nice place and a peaceful, comfortable place to watch a ballgame with your girlfriend or family.
But I will give Wrigley Field its kudos too. There is NO better place to catch a daytime baseball game in America than Wrigley Field. The buzz and excitement outside the ballpark is kind of electric. But knowing it’s a Wednesday at 2pm in the afternoon and you’re at the ballpark and sipping a cold beer (which you absolutely CAN’T seem to get at the fabled Murphy’s Bleachers across the street—-not even for $5 per can of Miller Lite!)…..there’s a great feeling to it. And Wrigley does have some good nachos with the jalopena peppers on ’em. I’ll grant them that too.
FOOD:
While we’re at it here, I have to give a strong recommendation to my hands-down favorite wings bar. There is a joint out in Hanover Park, IL that you have to try if you bop into town or live around the area. It is called Time Out West (www.timeoutweststsportspub.com). These guys have the greatest sauce that I’ve ever come across. I’m a big fan of Buffalo Wild Wings’ spicy garlic sauce and Caribbean jerk sauce. And I can’t get enough of Hooters’ buffalo shrimp. But this sauce is unbelievable ! I’m tellin’ ya. It’s a somewhat hot orange sauce with a peppery, blue cheese flavor that just blows you away. Every Friday is .40 cent wing day and scoring 20 of these things for $8.00 is a steal.
Next we move on to some sweet pizza. I’ve been going to Ledo’s Pizza on Mannheim Road in Countryside, IL my entire life. One family owned it for years and years and now I believe it is owned by someone else. The pizza is the same recipe. I might agree with some of my friends in that it may have been slightly better 10-15 years ago under the old ownership. But it is still awesome pizza. Thin crust, kind of greasy, and at its best when its red-hot out of the oven and the cheese is pretty melted.
Got a taste for a burrito? The hands-down champ for me and everyone else I know has always been “Burritoville”; a.k.a Summit, IL.
We used to go there 25 years ago when I was in high school and the keg party had broken up. Eight or ten of us would go at 1AM and there would be a line out the door and going down the sidewalk. Summit authorities used to have to post a cop there to keep things orderly because most of the people were like us…..a little sauced and feeling a little rambunctious (wink, wink). The chief place to go is El Farol on Archer Avenue. There’s six or eight other joints serving up burritos on that same stretch. But El Farol is considered the king of the street. The place is dingy and even intimidating to a first-timer, but the burritos are huge and the meat is good. Not too greasy, but you may get a drop on your shirt. Try it anyways.
MUSIC SCENE:
If you are in downtown Chicago, try and check out Buddy Guy’s Legends blues club at 754 S. Wabash
He’s allegedly been moving from that location for about 6 years now. But at the moment, he’s still in the same place. I believe that he has secured a new spot just one block north and will be moving sometime in 2010. That’s relevant because Buddy plays a full month of shows at the club every January before he hits the road for most of the year. After January, he’s only able to make spot appearances at his own place. But that would mean this January’s shows are the LAST ones at the current location. Seemingly for real this time. Tickets usually go on sale around Thanksgiving for these shows. They have cool memorabilia all over the bar. Oh, and the food at this place is incredible too. The catfish, the jambolaya, okra, everything…….give it a shot.
If you like reggae, check out The Wild Hare on Clark Street. They always book some really sweet bands and the whole scene is hardcore. In October, they have Julian Marley playing there. They have a band that plays there regularly that I’ve seen (and really enjoyed) called Gizzae. I don’t know if it is still there or not, but right across the street used to be another reggae club called Exodus II. You can really have a great night of cool music and culture if you hit this little stretch on Clark.
That’s all I’ll cover for now. I’ll throw out a few more suggestions at a later time. It’s just that suddenly, I have a hankering for some wings and a burrito.