Leaving Chicago: Help me create my Restaurant Bucket List!

[lemonseleven]

I just found out that I am most likely moving away from Chicago this summer. I am suddenly faced with the feeling that I need to hit all of the great restaurant spots that I haven't made it to yet in my five years here!

I'm looking for can't-find-anywhere-else spots, nothing too expensive (grad student budgets!)- where would you go if you only had 3 months longer to live (in Chicago)?

Here's the start of my list:
Hot Doug's
Cafe Lula
Publican
Ruxbin
Piccolo Sogno
Au Checal
GT Fish and Oyster
Irazu
Calumet Fisheries
Yusho

[pamiam]

My original reply got eaten...grrr. I think I recreated most of it below.

As someone who has moved out of Chicago, and is on a grad student budget, every time I come back to visit my mom, these are the places I think about hitting up:

Birrieria Zaragoza (if you haven't, you MUST go)
Ethiopian Diamond
Sun Wah BBQ (duck!)
Xoco (ahogada)
Anteprima ($29 prix fixe)
M. Henry (breakfast bread pudding)
Giordano's/Lou Malnati's
Violet Hour
Hopleaf (mussels & beer)
Vito & Nick's or Marie's for thin crust (depending on if I fly into Midway or O'Hare....)

[gordeaux]

On the cheaper side of either insanely delish, or "only in the Chi:"

Las Asadas for fire grilled, real skirt steak tacos

La Chaparrita for their house made longaniza tacos, and an alfalfa aguas fresca.

Al's on Taylor. And ONLY the one on Taylor. Beef and well done fries.

Nick And Vitos (or Vito and Nick's) for thin crust

Lou's for a deep dish.

Great Lake for pizza as well.

My personal favorite sub is Alpine on North Avenue in Elmwood park - bonus, it's very close to Johnnie's for a combo (not just a beef - imo, their beef is nothing special, but when you add one of those charcoal grilled snausages, that when it becomes a delight.)

Uncle John's for a tip link combo. You're not gonna find much Chicago Style bbq anywhere else.

I'd also be thinking about how to get a few games in at The Cell to see the "Good Guys."

[jhojati]

Naha - anything
Lao Sze Chuan - anything
Girl & the Goat
Acadia
Burger at Owen & Engine
Meatball at Socca or Bavette's
Italian sub at Bari or JP Graziano
Ahogada at Xoco
Old fashioned cocktail at Urban Union
Escolar Pearls at Kai Zan
Dumplings at Katy's Dumplings

[nsxtasy]

>> where would you go if you only had 3 months longer to live (in Chicago)?

Alinea
Tallgrass
Michael
Sable
Purple Pig
Deleece
Anteprima
Campagnola
Mundial Cocina Mestiza
Lou Malnati's
Giordano's
Walker Brothers
Jam
M. Henry
Bongo Room
Southport Grocery
Garrett's Popcorn

And I'd hit all my favorite pastry shops and bakeries:

Floriole
Vanille Patisserie
Toni Patisserie
Swedish Bakery
Alliance Bakery
Gerhard's
Three Tarts Bakery
Gourmet Frog
Fox & Obel

[lemonseleven]

Thanks nsxtasy- You've inspired me to go to Anteprima tonight! I'm also going to add Jam to my list. Alinea is not in my cards (or my budget) but I'll put it on the one day when I'm rich list.

[nsxtasy]

Ironically, I also inspired myself to go to Anteprima today, for their Sunday lunch deal. And it may be the best "great food for the money" deal in all of Chicagoland!

I'd been to Anteprima before, so I was already familiar with the quality of the food (outstanding, as good as any Italian restaurant in Chicago), the cozy neighborhood atmosphere, and the prices. Now, as great as the food is - truly great - I want to mention those prices. They have an a la carte menu, on which the prices are reasonable (as you can see on their website). For dinner Sundays through Thursdays, they have the prix fixe deal which pamiam mentions below - any three courses for a ridiculously low $29. Well, one of the options for their Sunday lunch is a prix fixe with any three courses for $19. I saw that and I thought, okay, there's got to be some kind of catch. Nope, no catch at all, except that the menu has somewhat (only somewhat) fewer choices than the regular dinner menu, and it's only between noon and 3 pm. You want to get a pasta dish ($12 a la carte), an entrée ($13), and a dessert ($7)? No problem - $19. For amazingly delicious food, in ample portion sizes.

When I go out to eat, I enjoy trying places I've never eaten before. But Anteprima is so good, I enjoy going back there, over and over again. If you haven't been there, you're missing something special!