#21 - Try 12 New Restaurants in Chicago

Covid-19 put a damper on this one, as I usually only include restaurants where I dine in person. I counted delivery and take out this year because those were my (safe) options! I still only hit 9 new joints, but that makes sense since I was in Michigan for maybe 6 months this year and couldn't afford to order takeout every night.

1 - El Pulpo Loco

1/6/20, delivery

I was craving tacos, and El Pulpo Loco filled that craving!

2 - Little Bad Wolf

1/31/20 with Laura Masters

I have been wanting to try Little Bad Wolf for awhile now, even more so after reading Megan Stielstra's The Wrong Way to Save a Life where she gushes about what a delight this place is. I was thrilled when Laura Masters suggested it for lunch plans we had made.

Shrimp bao <3 

Little Bad Wolf has two rooms, both dark and adorably decorated. After seeing the amazing Caesar salad at the neighboring table, we decided to share that and then get some baos and tacos from the bites menu. Everything was really good, but the shrimp bao really stood out to me as a favorite.

The servers were quick, attentive, and knowledgeable. They also let us take our time, even during the lunch rush.

Just a lovely first new restaurant of the new year!

3 - Lawry's
1/31/20 with Chris and Beth

Early into the new year, Beth sent a text to Chris, Dan, and I asking if we wanted to do Restaurant Week there. I'd never even considered setting foot in Lawry's, with it's well-known name and pretentious facade, just blocks off Michigan Ave. But $48 for a 3-course steak dinner, why not?

The day of, Dan was sick, so it ended up being Beth, Chris, and I. They had been to Lawry's before, both for Restaurant Week and because it was such a cool experience.

They were right. Dining at Lawry's is an experience.

3 - YATAI Asian Street Food

2/6/20, delivery

I have been looking for decent delivery wings, so I tried out YATAI. YATAI was pretty good. I would try it again, though maybe not for wings, as I found some others for that option.

4 - Pizzeria Aroma

2/24/20, delivery

I had a hankerin' for a filling sandwich. I'd had pizza from Pizzeria Aroma when I happened to be at The Boxcar on a night when they had free pizza, but I'd never ordered myself. I tried out the chicken parm, krinkle fries, and a chicken caeser salad (for multiple meals). The sandwich was awesome. The fries were quite good. So filling. So flavorful. So fast for the delivery. 

5 - Clarke's
2/28/20 with Holly Zann

I've tried to make it a habit to ask someone to lunch each week to get myself out of the house now that I work from home (and do my best work actually from home). I asked Holly and likely will again soon because she's also at home, taking care of a newborn, and I like that newborn, so he was invited too.

She suggested we go to Clarke's in Rogers Park. I had no idea there was a Clarke's in Rogers Park. This is probably semi cheating because I've been to the former Belmont location of Clarke's so very many times. However, that location is closed (how, I don't know), and I'd never been to this location, so I'm counting it! We had a great diner-style lunch. Holly had some soup and grilled cheese and I had a bagel and lox. Totally a great spot for a diner lunch.


6 - Irazu
2/29/20 with Marcy Gonzalez, Denisse Ocasio, Nelly, and Chelli

This spot reserved a private space for Marcy's bachelorette party. They took great care of us, not only serving great Costa Rica food but being super attentive about our drinks.

I loved Costa Rica food while we were there, and I can't wait to go back to Irazu to find some of those tastes again!

7 - Big G's Pizza

3/6/20, delivery

I cannot find decent hand tossed pizza in Chicago. I love Paulie Gee's for woodfired and Detroit style, and there are a few others that have decent woodfired or Italian-style pizzas, but I just can't find a New York nor just hand tossed that I like. I tried out Big G's. It was fine. The dough was still a bit pasty but everything else was fine.

8 - Mrs. T's Southern Fried Chicken

5/2/20, delivery

I was craving really good chicken fingers. Mrs. T's was it. So damn good. I had chicken fingers with hot sauce, biscuits, and coleslaw. Fantastic.

9 - The Budlong Hot Chicken

6/1/20, delivery

I'd been wanting to try the hot chicken sandwich at The Budlong for awhile. I was not disappointed. The sandwich, slaw, and biscuits were all so damn good. Just writing about it makes me crave fried chicken in all forms.