Give the gift of Chicago food!

For Christmas, I received a wonderful gift idea and wanted to share it with everyone. A la card Chicago is a deck of 52 cards each highlighting a restaurant where you will receive $10 off your meal. You can purchase the decks online here or at participating stores and truly the only restriction is that they are only valid in 2010. The best part of all is that this little gem retails for only $30! ($1 per deck is donated to Common Threads) That’s $520 worth of coupons and essentially you only need to go out to eat at least three times this year to make it worthwhile. Not to mention there are so many great restaurants on the list that I’ve wanted to try. This is a perfect gift for anyone - especially for me since this goes perfectly with my NYE resolution to try a new Chicago establishment (bar/restaurant/shop/anything) each week. 52 restaurants in 52 weeks - I think I'm up for the challenge.

Here are the restaurants included in a la card:

2010 RESTAURANTS

BIG JONES
BIRCHWOOD KITCHEN
BISTRO CAMPAGNE
BLUE 13
BONSOIRÉE
THE BRISTOL
CAFE MATOU
CEMITAS PUEBLA
CERES' TABLE
DAVID BURKE'S PRIMEHOUSE
DE CERO
DELEECE
EVE
FIANCO
FLORIOLE
THE GAGE
GEMINI BISTRO
HB HOME BISTRO
HONKY TONK BBQ
HOT CHOCOLATE
HOT DOUG'S
INOVASI
JUICY WINE CO
KARYN'S
KATSU
KIKI'S BISTRO
LE COLONIAL
LULA CAFE
MADO
MANA FOOD BAR
MANNY'S DELI
MEXIQUE
MK
NAHA
NIGHTWOOD
OTOM
PICCOLO SOGNO
RUSTICO GRILL
SALPICÓN
SMOQUE
SOCCA
SOLA
SPACCA NAPOLI
SUSHI WABI
TABLE
TAKASHI
TAXIM
TINY LOUNGE
TIZI MELLOUL
UNCOMMON GROUND
VEERASWAY
VIE

Pass on the Deep Dish

I know, I know.. I seem to be the only person in Chicago who hates deep dish pizza. Hate is a strong word. I'd eat it if I had to, but I live in a city of thousands of more delectable options. That includes many other wonderful pizza options beyond the greasy, two-inch thick slab of cheese. Yuck.

This is a classic example of Chicago-style pizza. It looks like lasagna to me. Unappetizing.

My favorite pizzas always seem to come from Piece Pizzeria. Very dependably delicious and I love the thin crust and fresh toppings. The BBQ Chicken pizza has quickly become one of my go-to options when I just can't bear my kitchen. They also have great salads and supposedly yummy, unique toppings like mashed potatoes. I haven't tried that, but I'm sure if anyone could do it well, Piece could. They also brew their own beer which is great with the pizza, and even better in a take-home growler – complete with a discount on refills.

Piece Pizza - thin and crispy

Next up is Crust Organic Eatery. My roomie Andie and I attended a party there and after we tasted one piece of their Italian sausage pizza, we quickly devised a plan to take turns going through the buffet so we could get the maximum amount possible, without looking like lunatics. It was seriously just that good. I’ve been back a few times and many of the other pizzas are fantastic as well including eggplant/arugula and mushroom/spinach/béchamel/goat cheese. They have a wide variety of organic beers and my personal favorite – homemade infused vodkas. I tried the raspberry-infused vodka and had trouble stopping at one. On a side note, for any naysayers that aren’t into organic or think organic pizza would taste bad, take my word for it and try it for yourself. There is nothing “healthy” tasting about these amazing pizzas.

Crust's outdoor seating and eggplant/arugula pizza.

Tango Sur Round 2: FOLKLORE

I've always been a big fan of Tango Sur - the Argentinean BYOB steak house on Southport Ave. So naturally I’ve been dying to check out their new sister restaurant, Folklore. Located on Division in Wicker Park, it’s walkable to a ton of great bars and depending on the day you can usually find some metered parking or free parking on side streets. Folklore unfortunately is not BYOB but they do have a wide price range of wines. Our first bottle of wine was a $60 Malbec and the next was a $20 Malbec. They were both good. Folklore still has my favorite empanadas – the ham & cheese and spinach ones are to die for. Everyone at the table thoroughly enjoyed their steaks and we all had plenty of leftovers to take home. Folklore is priced very reasonably for the quality and portion size. Great option for groups or a medium-priced date night – I’m happy to have this restaurant so close to home.

Can't miss the light blue sign from Division.

This picture doesn't do it justice. Now that its decorated, the interior is fun and lively. Go see for yourself.

MK has done it again

The owner of MK Chicago (one of my all-time favorite restaurants in the city) has recently opened DMK Burger Bar in Lakeview. DMK Burger Bar has a simple plan... and it works. The menu lists about a dozen inventive burger options and a few sides and fries. The only complicated thing is making your way through the extensive beer list and deciding between all of the delectable burger options. Just pick a burger, a side and you're done. Make sure to come early or late - the dinner crowd is heavy and there isn't very much room to stand around and wait. But despite the wait, DMK is a low-key, reasonably-priced dinner option that is sure to stick around.