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Might we rather dwell on...
...Massi's Italian Superior Bakery, where they literally turned away customers so as to give us enough attention...
...La Chaperitta, where we occupied every table, were graciously offered more, in water and radishes, than we paid for in tacos (but man what tacos)...
...Filberts, who remembered us 10 years hence as well as Hammond remembered the bottling line, but was otherwise rather un-changed, and thank fifty cent bottle of pop, for that...
...Pleasant House, where Art Jackson welcomed everyone like old friends, making this part of the trip better by making us friends with his old friend, an urban ag farmer too...
...Honey 1 Ribs, who needed no introduction to LTH 'thoning, allowing just the retreat we needed when we needed to retreat...
...Riconcinto Cubano, which use to get Board love when the Board was Chowhound, and has mostly fallen off the radar, but made the most incredible accomodations anyways, and some incredible coffee too at just the right time...
...El Llano, a place that had no problem serving 2 chickens to 20 people, and then making that Blues Brother scene, "I'll have 4 fried chickens" "white toast" stuck in my head the rest of the 24 hours...
...Sticky Rice, a place that had no problem serving up a few orders of laab, a crispy rice salad or two and some pork on a stick (moo ping), while also letting us cram into every last space in the place, and, and even violating a few fire laws to put in more space; while also totally putting them in contention for as good as good Thai food can get in Chicago...
...Lashatt's was pretty cool with a wandering glass boot...
...Diner Grill, cool, you though Lashatt's was cool with a big crowd of rapidly inebriating people was cool, how 'bout here where we went to eat it off, but at the ratio of 1 slinger per 20 people, a haystack on the side, 2 quarters in the juke box (not really what it cost), and a re-enactment of the current Cosmopolitan TV ad to finish...
...Red Hot Ranch, more bemused than cool, tolerant for sure...
...Sweet Station, that does what any place needs to do open at 330 AM, keeping your glass of tea always full to let you know you don't have to get into the darkness any time soon...
...Shan, where they started a bit gruff with the first attempt at our minimal order, yet fully bought into the purpose of Chowathon once explained by Hat Hammond and moved from there...
...Nha Hang, if you thought it could not get any better, I mean I was so concerned how any place could take the idea of splitting one bowl of soup for 8; that did not bother them at all; in fact it bothered them so little that they brought us more soup on the house, brought us a dish or baby lamb (giant speckled shrimp crackers on the side) on the house, and then when that seemed not generous enough, bought us the whole breakfast on the house; did I mention I need to return here ASAP...
...Donut Vault, who really don't get any special credit themselves, but needs to be mentioned for the extra special credit given to Patriq's son Wyatt (and Wyatt's girlfriend), for waiting the long, long wait, to deliver donuts to us...
...Gene and Georgetti, where a bunch of unwashed don't necessarily show up around Saturday lunch for drinks, yet fully enjoyed, nay appreciated their place at the end of the event.
Listen, that's not every place on the list of of places we visited. No one else besides Podhalanka rejected us. I'm not saying a few bites of home-made blintz and taste of white borscht would not have totally hit the spot at 5 PM, but she does have the right to say no I don't want to be part of this. Honestly, I put her on the list because I really thought she would like to be part of it, but who does not make a mistake or two. I was astonished, can I say that again, astonished by the good will spread across this city on our day of eating, both by the participants serving and the participants eating and drinking. I'm not gonna dwell on one place.
_________________ Think Yiddish, Dress British - Advice of Evil Ronnie to me. The Local Beet's very big list of 2013 Farmer's Markets
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As always, it was a pleasure.
