Rene G wrote:kwhyte wrote:Sorry to reply to my own post, butnI realized I forgot a wider question. Is there anywhere else I should be sure to visit in the area? I know about the apple fritters, but the distance and time constraints make them an unappealing gamble. I'm basically free starting in Hyde Park at 2pm and need to be back in Pak Park at 4pm - how would you spend those 2 hours?
You might want to look at
6th Ward Suggestions if you haven't already (I wonder how
garsonf made out; we never heard back). But you needn't restrict yourself to such a small area. If you let us know what you're most interested in (cookies, jerk, vegan soul food, to name a few categories) we should be able suggest other places outside the Sixth.
Iam in this area often enough... the first choice, by far, is always Uncle John's (Ive been jinxed with UJ's lately - went 3 weeks ago, they were closed on vacation; 2 weeks ago was supposed to be in the area, but wasnt due to heavy rain; last week went again - and they were closed due to a funeral!) A couple of those times I ended up at Barbara Ann's as a result - and Iam sorry to say that BA's is not anywhere near as good at UJ's anymore IMHO. Decent in a pinch, but definitely go to UJ's - it'll be open tomorrow!
(And Id go tip-link combo, as I always do... tho the ribs are very good too IMHO, the links are by far the best in town, and the best single item on the menu - I think the links, at their best, might be the single best sausauge in the city, actually).
As for other places... my 2nd choice, usually, is Uncle Joe's Jerk - now on 47th and King, very close to Hyde Park. Definitely worth a run - its now a nice place where you can sit and eat, and they have IMHO the best Jerk-Chicken in the city (and also very good Curry-Goat, Jerk-Catfish and so on). Id suggest calling ahead (since theyre often on Jamaican time, and might take 15 minutes to make your food... and time is of the essence if you want to hit both UJ's
Id very strongly rec making a run down to 111th for Old Fashioned Donut's Apple Fritter - by far the best in the city. But, if the time constraints make it just impossible... the 2nd best Apple Fritter in the city, IMHO, might well be a quarter mile from Uncle Joe's Jerk (and less than a mile from Hyde Park).. on 47th and Indiana or so, Abundance Bakery. (They also make a fine bread-pudding and banana-pudding). Its proximity to Hyde Park makes it very convenient.
Finally... there are a few Harold's in the area - in Hyde Park, as well as on 47th street, 55th street etc. On 55th (Garfield), near MLK (about 350 East Id guess), you also have Mrs Lee's Good Food - which has received very strong reviews on LTH in the past (for their "herbal chicken" mostly.. I personally havent tried it, but I like their banana pudding etc a lot).
(For food, BTW, what I often do is - you can eat in at Uncle Joe's Jerk as I mentioned above. Or pick up from Uncle John's, or Uncle Joe's too if you prefer... and go to Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap, the famous Hyde Park bar. They have no problem with you bringing in food from elsewhere! And both great bbq and jerk-chicken go great with a beer...)
(Oh, and Medici in Hyde Park has great shakes, Medici Bakery has pretty good desserts... and places like 57th street books are very worth the time to browse thru, if one is so inclined..)
c8w