As I wrote in my previous two posts, Chicago is an incredibly interesting city, historical in many different ways: as a hub for industry and transportation, important centre for immigration, especially Mexican, and also culturally and in culinary ways. During a recent visit with my husband, we were able to walk around the downtown area, and try some delicious food. Our first meal, of course, was at a Mexican restaurant. Taco Maya (a chain, we went to 823 S State St.); orders are placed at the counter, then the food is brought to the table, and there is a great salsa bar where each salsa is labelled, including spiciness level:
First come the beverages, along with complimentary salsa and tortilla chips, as seen in the photo below, with a cup of horchata:
The portions were very generous, so my husband and I shared a meal of grilled steak torta (Mexican sandwich), which came with black beans and Mexican rice (photo at the top of this post.) The food was great, did taste Mexican, and at very reasonable prices. Other than lots of Mexican food, some of the local specialties include three “Chicago Style” dishes. An excellent spot for Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza, after a short evening stroll on Michigan Ave., is Exchequer Restaurant & Pub (226 S Wabash Ave.) :
It was my first time trying deep dish pizza, and I just loved it; I am already looking up recipes to make it at home soon.
Printer’s Row is a neighbourhood with historical buildings, which used to house publishing and printing companies, such as the Franklin Building (720 South Dearborn Street, photo below, left)). Walking along the same street, I found some quaint businesses, such as Born Again (703 S Dearborn Street), an upscale consignment store (photo below, right):
That day I was also looking for Chicago Style Popcorn, which is a mix of savoury cheesy and sweet caramel kernels. After an internet search, I found a certain “Mr. Poppa” on nearby 800 South Wells St. When I got there, there were no businesses in sight, just an apartment complex; I went inside, and the person at the front desk informed me that “ah yes, a guy downstairs makes it”, and when I got there, I found a convenience store, with a display of the product (photo below, left). The people at the counter were very nice, they told me the popcorn is freshly made in site, and I found the Chicago Style flavour (photo below, right):
It was all true, it tasted very fresh, and both flavours were delicious, weirdly nice together, too. It was all worthwhile going off the touristy path, to find this gourmet popcorn, and I was happy to support a local business.
And for street food, nothing like a Chicago Style Hotdog, the third local specialty we tried, which may be found all over Chicago, especially at multiple stands along the path on Michigan street, while enjoying views at the Millennium Park, such as The Cloud Gate (aka The Bean), or Lurie Garden (next to the Art Institute):
The photo of the hotdog above is from Devil Dawgs (a chain, we went to 767 South State Street), with a bottle of pink lemonade and fries. Some reviews online warned against going there because “they obviously put dye in their relish”, but as it turned out, that is one of the toppings on a real Chicago Style Hotdog. The recipe goes like this: steamed bun (preferably with poppy seed), steamed winner sausage, mustard, chopped onion, then on one side, Chicago Style relish (aka, fluorescent bluish green), on the other side, sliced tomato and pickle, then topped with Sport Peppers and finished with a sprinkle of celery salt. The peppers may be purchased on line, since they are hard to find outside of the state of Illinois; I brought a jar back home, and reluctantly added blue dye to my regular relish, for the full effect:
Celery salt goes surprisingly well on the onions and tomatoes, and of course, other than the visual effect, regular relish would be just fine. The best part, though, are the sport peppers: medium hot, a little tough skinned, but once their juices are released after the first bite, a yummy, tangy, and spicy flavour brings the humble hotdog to another level.
One day it was raining too hard, there were even some tornado warnings and incidences in the state, and in neighbouring Indiana and Michigan. I had just enough time before the storm, to run to Le Petit Café, a coffee counter inside Go Grocer (820 South Michigan Ave.) Funny story, I was watching The American Test Kitchen on TV the day before, and they featured kardemummabullar, a Swedish cardamom bun, and what do I see displayed, but the very same buns? Of course I had to try; it was very tasty! In the afternoon, I walked two blocks down, to The Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP) at Columbia College (600 South Michigan Ave.), which is always free, and was featuring the works of nine Native American artists in the temporary exhibition “Native America: In Translation”:
That exhibit ended last month, but until August 18, 2024, they have “Captured Earth” exploring the mystic qualities of the land.
As a very special treat, while staying at The Blackstone Hotel, we had dinner at their featured restaurant on the main floor. Mercat a la Planxa (638 South Michigan Ave.) specializes in contemporary Spanish cuisine. Our cocktails were generously served in chalice-sized goblets, and we had them with calamari and aioli as an appetizer; patatas bravas and roasted carrots were sides for our lamb chops and stuffed pork chop (slide show below):
This was one of our best meals in Chicago, and was well worth the price.
Later we strolled along the lake for views of the Navy Pier, the Field Museum, the Shedd Aquarium, and the cityscape:
Our last day in the Windy City was spent enjoying an afternoon tea service at Russian Tea Time (77 East Adams Street), with a somewhat small, yet delightful three-tiered tray of scones, sandwiches and pastries. Just across the street, the Art Institute of Chicago, was just the best experience to make us want to come to Chicago very soon:
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My Slice of Mexico 
Haven’t been to Chicago since 2016 and your post has reminded me what a great place it is.
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