Author Archive
Suburban downtowns vary in size, quality and character. For example, my suburb of Glenview has a rather stagnant downtown, though the village government has high hopes that the new library, which opened this fall, will help bring business in. Most people go over to the Glen instead, which is basically an outdoor shopping center in one of those McMansion-type settlements–new, shiny, upscale, and devoid of uniqueness. Highland Park, on the other hand, has one of the best downtowns in the northern ‘burbs–lots of walkable restaurants and cute boutiques, plus an art-film movie theater to boot.
Northbrook I consider to be somewhere in the middle; it’s nothing fancy, but there are a few culinary highlights, a little store here and there (including WineStyles), an ice cream place, a nice big park and a train station. You can walk to a small but nice variety of restaurants along Shermer Rd., including Little Louie’s Red Hots, Lou Malnati’s, the Landmark Inn and Kamehachi, along with a personal favorite of my family’s, My Pie Pizza.
But when my husband and I are going out for date nights, our favorite local eatery here is a tiny little storefront just north of the railroad tracks, called Trattoria Oliverii. It’s part of a local chain, and it looks quite unassuming from the glass front with the name splashed across (there’s no actual sign). The interior is cozy and rife with what they call Old World charm; in the summer, there are a few tables set up outside on the sidewalk to create patio dining.
Most importantly, the food here is excellent. The bread is crusty and warm, the bruschetta is divine, and Trattoria Oliverii specializes in classic Italian favorites well-cooked and served in hearty, delicious portions. Veal, chicken, pizza, seafood, salads and Italian desserts (tiramisu, cannoli) create a well-rounded menu. My personal default dish here is Scampi Champagne, linguine with shrimp and onion cooked in a creamy Champagne sauce. But I’m often tempted by the specials as well.
There’s no real reason you can’t take your whole family here–we’ve done that, too. But the atmosphere here feels low-key and romantic, making it a pleasant place to take your significant other for a night that won’t break the bank or make you worry about getting back in time for the babysitter. I think of it as the perfect date location for that period in your life when you’re not worried about the game–you’re just looking to relax and spend time with someone you care about in a comfortable place with good food.
Trattoria Oliverii
1358 Shermer Rd., Northbrook
(847) 559-8785
www.oliverii.com
First Time at Harry Caray’s
I know, it’s rather pathetic that I’ve lived in the Chi-Town area for 15 years and never stepped in a Harry Caray’s. Okay, that’s not true. I think I stopped in one once, and it was for an event, and all the food had just about run out, so I didn’t eat anything. Or if I did, I don’t remember it much because it was a small appetizer plate and we were actually going somewhere else afterward for dinner. I don’t remember the actual circumstances. This was in the late 1990s.
Burger and a beer at Harry Caray's
I should note here that Harry Caray’s is an advertiser in the print magazine I work for. This means that, at least for my other job, I’m required to say nice things about Harry Caray’s. What it means for me personally is just that I am familiar with the finer points of the menu, I’ve seen pictures of the place, and I’ve interviewed an owner (actor Jamie Denton) on what it was like to be a waiter at Harry Caray’s Italian Steakhouse back in the day. I won’t deny that this probably has something to do with my desire to visit the place, but it has nothing to do with the fact that the restaurant, very indirectly, helps provide me with a pittance of a paycheck. It has more to do with the fact that whenever I hear descriptions of food I get hungry, and I’ve been exposed to Harry Caray’s descriptions of food more than many.
This past weekend I got a media pass to the Chicago Toy & Game Fair, which is inconveniently located at Navy Pier. So after three hours of shopping and playing, my son and I opted to visit a real restaurant instead of eating concession stand fare. Can you blame me? We finally went to Harry Caray’s Tavern for lunch.
Now, if you know Chicago at all you know that our sporting life is deep, and intense, and a bit nuts. Harry Caray, baseball broadcaster extraordinaire, was all of these things. You have to be, if you’re going to be a Cubs fan. The Navy Pier location of Harry Caray’s is actually relatively new, having opened in March after years of the owners trying to get a foothold at this prime piece of Chicago real estate. It’s full of Harry Caray mementos, imbued with his louder-than-life persona and love of sports. Signed baseballs, jerseys, bats, and other sports memorabilia encased in elegant glass displays give the restaurant most of its personality.
My son’s favorite, of course, was Harry Caray’s head rendered in Legos. He learned a new catchphrase, which he repeated often while we were there: “Holy Cow!” He didn’t know Harry Caray from a hole in the ground before. The brand is still effective.
As for the food, I’ll say it’s not bad. Not bad at all. I chose an item on the menu that the waitress told me would be discontinued in a week or so, a buffalo chicken sandwich and fries. My kid ordered pizza, as usual, and a drink called the Little Slugger which is basically cherry juice-flavored Sierra Mist (quite good, actually, and a treat for him). Not going to say it was the best meal I ever had, but it was actually very tasty. The service was fast, the place wasn’t too crowded for a weekend, and everything was a few steps above your usual family-friendly chain restaurant fare.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that on any given day you’re more likely to see tourists than celebrities at this particular location, but it’s a good addition to the visitor-friendly confines of Navy Pier. If you’re visiting Chicago, Harry Caray’s Tavern is a safe bet because it combines decent food with a good location, family-friendly casualness and loads of Chicago-style character. There is outdoor seating in the warm-weather months, with a nice view of Lake Michigan.
Harry Caray’s Tavern
700 E. Grand Ave., Chicago
(at Navy Pier next to the Chicago Children’s Museum)
www.harrycaraystavern.com/navy-pier/
My Groupon Addiction
Hello, my name is Helen, and I’m addicted to Groupon.
As some of you may know, Groupon is a Chicago-based company, and it started here. For the life of me I can’t figure out what’s in it for the restaurants and retailers that participate, other than extra publicity coming into people’s inboxes. And as for the look-I’m-funny-and-really-clever descriptions that Groupon uses to promote them, well–I usually roll my eyes and wonder who’s writing this stuff. Whenever I get onto craigslist.org I see that Groupon is hiring. Again. I’ve even provided references for a few people so that Groupon would hire them, at least temporarily.
Despite my skepticism and my desire to take a red pen to Groupon’s everyday emails, however, I still get on and buy, buy, buy. In this economy a deal’s a deal, after all, and if Groupon’s offering me a discounted meal at a place I eat anyway, hey, I’m there. I rather like showing up at a restaurant and not having to pay anything but the tip. Even though your resulting discount isn’t THAT big, it at least makes you feel like it is since you’ve paid in advance.
And, as a Chicago-based part-time foodie, I do find a lot of value in learning about new restaurants in my area. If there’s a $5 Groupon for a hot dog place in Evanston I’ve never tried, why not get it? If there’s a Groupon for a vegetarian restaurant in the city my husband might enjoy, I’ll purchase that too. Despite myself, I find that Groupon is making it possible for me to go places I usually don’t think to try. Even writing for a Chicago magazine regularly like I do, there are about 639 restaurants in this area I’ve never heard of. I’m constantly amazed at how many eating places this cityscape boasts that I will probably never step into.
The end result is that I’ve got 17 Groupons bought and paid for, waiting for me to print them out and use them. I like to log into my Groupon account and wonder when I’m going to have time, between working and kids’ activities and various social/family obligations and trying to find a babysitter, to use up any of these deals. Yeah, that’s what I do when I’m not on Facebook.
Oh wait, maybe that’s it? They wait for me to not show up, and they get the money and don’t have to shell anything out to me in return. To date, I have let one Groupon go unused. It was for Par-King Golf, which is a mini-golf place that doesn’t let kids under 12 in at all. WTF? I didn’t read the fine print first, and I couldn’t figure out when and how to go without my son.
So here’s the main reason I use Groupon–I love food, and I can’t always justify dining out otherwise. I HAVE to use up these things by the expiration date, right? So Groupon gives me an excuse to pack my family up in the car and go out to eat. Otherwise it’d be me trying to cook healthy food every day, and that would just be bad.
I think it’s a pretty safe bet that if I write about a restaurant here for the next few months, I probably used a Groupon to pay for my meal. Thanks, Groupon, for adding flavor to my life. At least until the trend dies down and you disappear into the footnotes of e-commerce history.
Act One Cafe is a Class Act
A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend and I decided to try out a new-ish place in Rogers Park, part of Mayne Stage and featuring food created by the guy (Jimmy Madla) who used to play drums for the band Veruca Salt. That certainly gives the place a coolness factor, but you and I know that it’s really all about the food. Fortunately, our whole experience here was good–perfect for two women who just want to relax and catch up on each other’s lives.
I suppose you’d have to call what Act One serves upscale bar food, but it’s really way more sophisticated than this implies. The place was fairly empty on a weekend evening, but the dark wooded decor is elegant and cozy and the presentation of the food is impressive. Our waiter did not know which wine would go best with both my dish and my friend’s–she got the pork Wellington and I had seared scallops Capellini–but he was happy to go back to the chef and get a recommendation that suited us both very well.
We don’t often to go restaurants of a high enough caliber that the chef himself actually comes out to speak to us–it’s never happened to my friend before, so we were surprised and pleased to get that attention this time. It certainly made us feel special, although we were a bit too amazed to say anything both complimentary and profound. My lobster bisque was excellent and a bit on the creamy side, and my scallops had a deliciously light lemon sauce that I could have eaten in bucketfuls. My friend found her pork Wellington to be just slightly too salty, but still very tender and juicy. I was happy to see a vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie on the menu; I’m hoping my husband will return with me one of these days to try it, because he loves Shepherd’s Pie but we almost never see a meatless version he can actually eat. Besides, we never got a chance to benefit from the full bar with more than a few beers on tap. I recommend giving this place a try if you’re in the neighborhood.
Act One Cafe
1330 W. Morse Ave., Chicago 60626
(773) 381-4550
When my kid and I go to the Western suburbs together it’s usually for the Brookfield Zoo, the Morton Arboretum, Cantigny Park or a little shopping somewhere–Oakbrook Mall in Oakbrook or DaNada Square in Wheaton, where we like to stop at Jamba Juice. Once or twice we’ve caught a movie in Oak Park. And I know we don’t even come close to experiencing all the Western suburbs have to offer. For example, I’ve never taken him to the DuPage Children’s Museum. But he still has a couple of favorite places to eat. And since I used to work and live in this area, I fully intend to introduce him to more. And here are our family favorites:
Lucky Strike Lanes, www.bowlluckystrike.com: This bowling alley (yes, it’s part of a chain) is clean and sleek and modern, which makes me happy, and the upscale American-style food is perfect. We haven’t had a full meal here yet, just eaten appetizers and snacks, but I seem to recall an orange soda with vanilla ice cream in it that my husband and son absolutely loved. But part of the reason we like Lucky Strike is location: it’s right across from MagiQuest, which is a cool little place where you buy a wand and let your kids go on magical fantasy adventures–collecting treasure, finding stars, that kind of thing. And it’s in the Yorktown Mall, so I can get some shopping done at the same time. Not that I ever get around to it. Mostly I just look at the restaurants nearby and say, let’s go there next time, and forget the next time we go.
Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse, www.chamagaucha.com: Don’t ask me how this happened. I took my family here right when it opened, to review it for my other writing gig, and both my son and my husband (a vegetarian) loved it. My son, who wasn’t really into the meat part either, took one sip of the lemonade and declared it “the goodest lemonade of all.” My husband loved the salad bar, which has all these amazing artisan cheeses, fruits and veggies. And the side dishes, like polenta and potatoes. I was the only one at our table who actually experienced the “steakhouse” part of the meal, and it was fine. The waiters are really nice to my kid–on our first visit they ran after us to return the stuffed animal he left at the table. So, to my total surprise, this is a family favorite. I’m just glad to find a restaurant with non-American, non-Mexican food that they like.
Cosi, www.getcosi.com: I know, this is another chain restaurant. But even though we have other Cosis much closer to us, we often end up at the one on Lake Street in Oak Park, just because it’s in a vital downtown area. With all the Frank Lloyd Wright homes and beautiful turn-of-the century houses in the neighborhood (not to mention Unity Temple nearby), it’s a good place to walk around and introduce your kids to the concept of architecture. Then we go to have sandwiches on that yummy bread Cosi makes, or salads, and if I can talk my son into it, since he doesn’t like marshmallows, we’ll make smores right at our table with a little tiny fire pit. It’s fast, light and easy food, and at least I can pretend it’s better than going to McDonald’s again. I’m a fan of the buffalo chicken, tandoori chicken, and anything with Gorgonzola cheese in it.
We don’t spend as much time in the Western ‘burbs simply because it’s a bit of a commute. But whenever we do come, we have a great time. And we always find new places to go. Those of you who think only of the city might be surprised at how many cool restaurants, activities, little museums and other places to go there really are in the surrounding suburbs. When you have kids, you’re in a sense forced to experience some of this stuff, and it’s a real eye opener. I highly recommend not limiting yourself to the places the “el” goes. Chicagoland is a big place, and it’s worth exploring to the hilt.
This One’s for the Kids–Chicago Edition
My son and I actually do get downtown a lot, despite my suburban-mom schedule. He does some modeling work, which means that with a day’s notice (sometimes less), we schlep ourselves off to auditions on a semi-regular basis. I also get invited to lots of media previews at museums and such. And since we’re already in Chicago, we like to visit some of our favorite eateries while we’re there. We have come to be rather fond of museum cafeterias–Corner Bakery at the Field and the Museum of Science and Industry’s cafeteria, with its huge selection, are places you may often find us. The Adler’s food area, too, with its beautiful views of Chicago, is a favorite. A lot of our adventures are relatively spontaneous, because we rarely know where we’re going to be with any certainty. It’s all part of the fun. So here’s a list of my kid’s favorite places to eat downtown.
Navy Pier, www.navypier.com: Kids love Navy Pier. We adults who live here tend to think of it as a tourist trap, but there is a reason that out-of-towners and the under-12 set like it here. There are tons of restaurants right on the water, along with little shops like Jamba Juice and a candy store where you stand outside and watch them make things like caramel apples through the glass. Somehow I manage to keep my son out of the McDonald’s; he always wants to eat at the Dock Street Cafe, probably because we’ve been there before, but Charlie’s Ale House, Riva and Harry Caray’s are family favorites as well. We’ve even done a lunch cruise together (he spent most of the time targeting the Tall Ship Windy, which looks like a pirate ship). Next time I’m going to talk him into the Billy Goat Tavern with me.
Eleven City Diner, www.elevencitydiner.com: I’ve written about this diner before here; it’s convenient to the Museum Campus and colorful in that lively way diners are. The servers give kids lollipops, there are Mickey Mouse pancakes, great NY-style pastrami for the adults and homemade phosphates. And you can finish off your visit with a treat from the old-fashioned candy stand.
Metropolis Rotisseria & Annette’s Italian Ice, metropolisrotisseria.tripod.com: My son never remembers the name of this place, he just calls it “you know, the place where I get pasta and Italian ice?” We found this unassuming little neighborhood place while shopping along Armitage one day (we love this little Lincoln Park area, which has 1154 Lill, The Paper Source, American Apparel, a Kiehl’s store, Stinky Pants and more). The kid’s meals come with an Italian ice, the sandwiches are yummy, and the location is right.
Rainforest Cafe, www.rainforestcafe.com: I know, it’s a chain and you can find these restaurants in plenty of other places, but the one at Ohio and Clark St. is just so visible, since so many cars coming into the Loop get off at the Ohio St. exit and you can see the big giant frog head as you pass. I’ve taken my son to see the Hard Rock Cafe and the big McDonald’s right nearby, but he always wants to eat here, at his favorite theme restaurant. What can you do? It’s so much fun here.
Wishbone, www.wishbonechicago.com: One of the talent agencies that represents my son is located right in the West Loop area (where Oprah presides), so when my son wants ice cream after a visit I talk him into coming here for family-friendly Southern comfort cooking rather than the local Baskin-Robbins, also nearby. Personally, I come for the corn muffins and seafood cakes of any kind.
I wanted to add a little place we discovered in Chinatown’s outdoor mall China Square during a few of our trips to that area, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it’s called. Something cute. I can picture the location and the modern interior with clarity, but I’m thinking my son and I need a field trip. We’ll report back if we ever get a chance to figure out what this restaurant was.
Okay, let’s face it. I’m a suburban mom. I drive my kid to soccer and hip-hop dance class; I spend all my money at Target and the Lego Store. When I have a night off I might watch something on Netflix. I usually miss the movies I want to see in the theater, unless they’re suitable for the under-7 set. Much as I love the Chicago foodie scene, I simply can’t participate in it as much as I would like. I am physically unable to travel to cute neighborhoods in the city to try new restaurants on a weekly basis. I don’t have the money, the time, or the metabolism to eat everything I want.
I am, however, one of the lucky ones. I get to hang out with my kindergartener every day after school. I don’t work full time–only when he’s in his morning class, so we do a lot of fun things together in the afternoons. I get sent to media previews of museums, so I can pull him out of his Montessori and take him to the Shedd (like I’m doing Thursday) for special events. We may not get to eat locally every day–we may have to eat McDonald’s way too often. We enjoy family-friendly chain restaurants, such as Moe’s Southwest Grill and Red Robin (because they give balloons to the kids) and anywhere with a TV, and we spend a lot of time at the Rainforest Cafe. But that doesn’t mean we don’t get to enjoy some of the great food Chicago has to offer. So today I present to you some of my five-year-old kid’s favorite north shore places to eat, and family-friendly places not to be missed:
Kevin’s Place, www.kevins-place.com: The main reasons we come to this neighborhood diner (in Deerfield) are for the family-friendliness and great food. Kevin, in my son’s words, is “hilarious.” When he’s around, he takes all the kids’ orders personally. This diner features homemade tortilla chips, homemade applesauce, sweet potato fries to die for, amazing breakfast potatoes and Mickey Mouse pancakes made with whatever you want inside (once my kid ordered Oreos in his). You can get a chocolate milk “Kevin’s style,” which means it’s covered with whipped cream and chocolate sprinkes. The place is decorated in yellow in black checkerboard in front and with a more whimsical theme in back. Kevin is big on manners, so you’ll see that reflected in the decor. There’s a wall of pictures kids drew while they were at Kevin’s, along with two baskets of toys, crayons, gumballs, lollipops and more.
Superdawg, www.superdawg.com: This Wheeling drive-in is super-fun because kids can eat at picnic tables outside, in their cars, or in the restaurant, which is a real novelty for my son in this day and age. No, there aren’t any roller-skates involved, but there are good burgers, excellent hot dogs, hot and salty fries, milkshakes and two giant hot dog statues on the roof.
Willow Festival in Northbrook, at the corner of Willow & Waukegan Rds.: Yes, it’s a big shopping center. Here’s our secret: in front of the Potbelly’s there’s a tiny little courtyard complete with koi pond, waterfall and bridge. When it’s nice out, it’s very pleasant to walk over and get food from Potbelly’s, Meatheads, Roti Mediterranean Grill, Whole Foods, or even takeout from Buffalo Wild Wings and Zapatista (Mexican), then meet in the courtyard to sit and let your kids watch the fish, climb on the rocks, and get into trouble while you relax.
Frontera Fresco, www.fronterafresco.com: While we’re strolling Old Orchard mall doing some shopping or running around on the dragon playground, we always love to stop and get limeade from Frontera Fresco, the small and faster version of Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill that nestles into the Macy’s store here. This fall they’ve got apple cider limeade. My son also loves the mango limeade, and I will occasionally veer from the script to get the iced tea, which is freshly brewed and strong just the way I like it. And the food’s not bad either.
Nibbles Play Cafe, www.nibblesplaycafe.com: My son has grown out of this Wheeling eatery, mostly, but it’s still a great place for parents and tots to go during the day. You pay admission, but then you can let your kids play in the play areas, which are basically themed and contained cubicles with walls at waist-height so you can keep an eye on them from the dining area right in the center of the space. Costumed characters make regular appearances, events take place, and the food is light and decent.
At this point I have to say I fully understand there are lots of kid-geared restaurants, like ones that bring food to tables in a Mickey Mouse train, that you might think I should include here. But I avoid these because the kids are often un-supervised as they run around and play. The last time I went to a place like this, a child wanting to get closer to a train table bit and hit my son to bleeding in three places before I could get to them (and I was watching). Then it took me five minutes in a small restaurant to find the kid’s parents to tell them to control their child. So we don’t count those among our favorites at all.
I’ll end this by saying, I love hanging out with my kid. So if the tradeoff is that I’ve never tried Girl and the Goat or the Purple Pig or Epic Burger, and it takes me three months to chase down the Flirty Cupcakes van, I’ll take it any day. Cheers.
Chicago Gourmet This Weekend!
Last year, the city’s newest foodie festival popped up, at least partially in response to criticism that Taste of Chicago was getting too touristy and crowded. So, now returning for its second year, the more expensive Chicago Gourmet: A Celebration of Food and Wine, is taking place this weekend (9/24-9/26) at Millennium Park. Now, before you get too excited, please note that the $150 general admission tickets and the $175 per person Grand Cru tickets (which you buy on top of general admission) are ALL gone, but there are still some available for the 15-chef “burger showdown,” the Hamburger Hop.
Ah, but if you missed the tickets, all is not lost. You can still consider the Dine Around option, which is definitely better for your wallet and your stomach than say, locating a scalper outside the gates. If you purchase five special prix-fixe meals at participating restaurants during the Dine Around period through Sunday, 9/26, bring your receipt holder attached to all five receipts (available at each restaurant) to registration on the day of the event to redeem a free one-day pass to Chicago Gourmet. A list of these restaurants is available at the website listed below.
Chicago Gourmet features live celebrity chef cooking demonstrations, seminars, food and beer tastings, book signings and more. The schedule includes presentations and parties from local food luminaries like Frontera Grill’s Rick Bayless, Tru’s Gale Gand and Rick Tramonto, Prairie Fire’s Sarah Stegner, Harry Caray’s Paul Katz and Spiaggia’s Tony Mantuano, along with national names like Ted Allen, Robert Mondavi’s food and wine ambassador, and John Terlato of Terlato Wines International. In fact, it would take me way too long to list all the great chefs from all the amazing Chicago restaurants who will make an appearance here, so I urge you to visit the website instead and see which of your favorites are showing up.
I dream of going to Chicago Gourmet, but I’m not lucky enough to have gotten a ticket this year. Well, that gives me plenty of time to save for next year. Visit www.chicagogourmet.org for additional information, and enjoy some of Chicago’s best restaurant at foodie heaven this weekend in Millennium Park.
The Quest for Cupcakes: Flirty, Indeed!
I know one of my fine fellow bloggers on this site has already written about Flirty Cupcakes, the truck-based business that travels Chicago and the suburbs in a baby blue and pink van. If you live and work in the city it’s probably not terribly hard to catch up with the Flirty van. If you’re a suburban mom, whose days are full of busy nothings, it’s a tad more difficult. It’s taken me three months to finally get my Flirty fix.
I first learned about Flirty while writing the “Now Open” section of the Chicago Windy City Guide, one of my other writing gigs. I had long despaired of ever making it to one of the cute cupcake boutiques that are popular among city dwellers, even though I do get downtown occasionally. They’re just not that close to where I’m going, and I do have a five-year-old boy with me. So I thought, this would be perfect, if I could catch up with the Flirty Cupcakes van sometime and try it out. So I followed the business on Facebook.
Follow several months of frustration as I get, every day, updates on where the Flirty van is going to be. Usually in Chicago. When I’m in Chicago, the Flirty van is nowhere close. Once I was taking my son to a photo shoot near the Mag Mile (he does very occasional work as a model) and I decided that afterwards, we’d take a cab to wherever the Flirty van was parked. Well, we ran out of time, but apparently the van ran out of cupcakes and never made it to that stop anyway.
When it does come out to the suburbs on some weekends, I’m way too busy to make it out there. I think I recall one day the Flirty van was scheduled to be at Ikea in Schaumburg, about a half hour away from me. I, on the other hand, was scheduled to be at book club, taking care of a friend’s cat, running some errands that couldn’t be put off, and doing a bevy of other things that just would not allow me to get away. I thought about trying to sneak it in between errands, but just couldn’t swing it.
You know how something small, because you can’t have it, becomes this big thing, this giant obstacle, this great quest? That’s how I felt about Flirty Cupcakes. I’d groan when I realized the Flirty van was parked on the very Chicago spot where I’d stood the previous day. I’d try to shuffle my schedule around so that I could make a Flirty run in the afternoon, which never quite worked. I’d dream about the start of school, when I’d have extra time to get away while my kid is in kindergarten, only to realize that the Flirty van doesn’t get out early enough to allow me to grab my cupcakes and be back in time to pick him up. I’d religiously check every weekend schedule in hopes they’d come out somewhere I could actually be. I posted Facebook pleas to please, please come to Glenview. Or Skokie. Or Evanston. Someplace near me.
But now, finally, my quest is over, and it is successful. Whew! I was volunteering in the western suburbs yesterday, and I knew that the Flirty van would be in Arlington Heights, which is considered to be a northwestern suburb. That means my husband was watching my son, and they were going to be watching the Iowa football game in the afternoon after I was finished with my volunteer gig (with the Brookfield Zoo) so I didn’t have to be back immediately. Flirty Cupcakes was going to be at the corner of Campbell and Vail at 1:15 p.m., and my volunteer shift was over at 12:15.
So after I was done I got in my car, checked my iPad to see that the Flirty Cupcakes plan hadn’t changed, set my GPS and drove through terrible traffic to get to Arlington Heights at about 1:25. As I got there, you can’t imagine my anticipation. Every mile, every landmark brought me closer. I couldn’t believe I was actually going to get my cupcakes! I also needed to get to a bank, although I didn’t see one on my route and decided my #1 priority was to find the cupcakes. So I skipped it. With change, I had $23 in my wallet and I wasn’t sure how many cupcakes I could get for that. I also didn’t know if Flirty Cupcakes would take credit cards.
I finally saw the van, parked right where it should be. I was sure my eyes were playing tricks on me at first, because surely that couldn’t be it. I think I was expecting Big Blue to be bigger and more noticeable, like an ice cream truck playing tinned music. Instead it was a sleek little van, colored baby blue with pink accents. There was already a line of about 19 people. I was able to park just past the intersection and get in line. I spent the rest of my time in line (about 20 minutes) talking with other first-time Flirty consumers then calculating how many $3.25 cupcakes I could buy for $23, and what if I decided to get a set of $5.25 minis instead? Previously I’d been so focused on the search that I had never really given any thought to what flavor or how many cupcakes I’d actually buy if I got to the truck. And it suddenly occurred to me that I could get all the cupcakes they had, if they took credit cards.
They did. I actually took one of everything. Hey, who knows when I’ll be able to catch the truck again? Here’s the list of what I scored:
1. Devil in Disguise (a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting)
2. No Plain Jane (vanilla cupcake with Italian vanilla buttercream frosting)
3. PB&C (peanut butter cupcake with chocolate ganache)
4. The Curious George (banana chocolate cupcake with light salted caramel Italian buttercream)
5. The McDreamy (chocolate cupcake with cream cheese and chocolate frosting)
6. CBFF (chocolate cupcake with Nutella ganache)
7. Coconut Nuts (vanilla cupcake with toasted coconut frosting)
8. Mocha Me Smile (chocolate with mocha ganache, I think; a special, and I got the very last one)
9. Lemon Poppyseed (another special, lemon poppyseed cupcake with lemon frosting)
And I also got two sets of minis. Each set of four contains four cupcakes; that day it included the Devil in Disguise, the Curious George, the No Plain Jane and I can’t remember the last one but it looks chocolatey. I’m going to guess that it’s the McDreamy.
Now you can imagine my torture when I realized I had to take all my delicious-looking cupcakes home without tasting a bite. I had missed lunch in order to get there; I had also forgotten both my phone and my camera in my haste to get out the door in the morning, and I wanted to take a picture of my victorious trip to the cupcake van. But no. I waited. I even had a sandwich when I got home.
Then I tasted them all, but I ate the entire red velvet cupcake because I have a thing for red velvet cupcakes. The minis and the rest I’m saving for a cupcake tasting that I’m holding when a few of my friends come over this afternoon.
Success! By the way, the cupcakes are really delicious, and I’d have to say they were worth the quest. Moist and not crumbly, with great flavor and aesthetic appeal. They come in little individual plastic containers that keep them from moving, so none of them even got jarred on the drive home. Beyond the red velvet, No Plain Jane and the Lemon Poppyseed were my favorites. And though I’m not really a chocolate cake person, I found that Flirty’s chocolate cupcakes are really divine with whatever frosting is put upon them.
Flirty Cupcakes may be coming to a Chicago neighborhood near you; you can check the website for updates, but it’s easy to follow Flirty on Facebook or Twitter as well to get your updates that way.
Flirty Cupcakes
http://www.flirtycupcakes.com/
A Long-Time Tradition–Hackney’s
It’s been a hectic August for me. My son’s summer camp ended right smack in the middle of August, and his half-day school kindergarten year didn’t start until just today. This means that for the past few weeks we’ve been on a bit of an enforced vacation–I’ve tried to work, but couldn’t do too much with him bouncing around the house, so instead we spent a lot of time outside enjoying the dog days of summer. This means that we ate out a lot and spent more money than we should, going to places like Legoland, Navy Pier, the Chicago Comic Con and the mall, and then swimming in our condo complex’s pool whenever we could. We also celebrated two birthdays during this time. My husband and my mother-in-law have theirs on 8/18 and 8/19, so we let my MIL pick the place. She picked Hackney’s.
Ever since I first moved to the Chicago area I’ve understood that Hackney’s was that traditional place that everyone has been to and everyone knows about, but isn’t trendy or hip or discussed ad nauseum. It’s been around so long that every local’s parents have fond memories of it. Of course I’ve gone there myself for after-parties and political organizing parties and things of the sort. It’s been a really long time since I thought to just go and have a meal there, but now that I’ve rediscovered it I’m determined I won’t forget about the place again.
When I think of Hackney’s I think of the restaurant’s signature French fried onions–I call them the Borg Wall of Onions because I’m a big geek and the big greasy concoction comes to you as a giant square and you pick off pieces. I understand Jay Leno once made a joke on the air about this dish, because locals understood that Hackney’s “half onion” meant half of a whole onion, and he was thinking one half of an onion ring. Or something like that. The story’s posted in the Lake Street Glenview restaurant right in front; I’ve certainly gotten it partly wrong but if you visit you can read it yourself.
Mainly Hackney’s is known for its burgers on daily-baked rye bread and American grill-style eats–the six Chicago locations all offer the onions and burgers but beyond that have carved out their own identities when it comes to menu items. The burgers are excellent, and you can order a half of one if you, like me, aren’t going to be able to finish a whole. I’d also recommend the Inside Out Burger, which was apparently featured on Food Network at one time. This Hackneyburger is stuffed with bacon and cheddar cheese. I’m also looking forward to trying the Bleu Cheeseburger, which is stuffed with bleu cheese (what can I say? Lately I’ve been all about burgers and fries).
You’ll find that each Hackey’s location provides an elegant, old-fashioned atmosphere, one that’s club-like and traditional but also quite distinctive. Hackney’s on Harms in Glenview is the original location (opened in 1939); there is another location in Glenview, one in Wheeling, one in Lake Zurich, Palos Park and Chicago’s Printer’s Row. Several have patios. Don’t look for your usual chain restaurant with big windows and awnings–look for the horse-and-carriage sign in front of what looks like a rather cozy house. Hackney’s is basically one of those local favorites with a ton of history that visitors might overlook in favor of flashier names, but it’s worth a stop if you’re interested in a family-run restaurant that’s truly an integrated part of the community.
Hackney’s on Lake (my local one)
1514 E. Lake Ave., Glenview 60025
(847) 724-7171
www.hackneys.net
