Most people who have only heard of The Wiener's Circle probably know it for the screaming insults that are part of the late night routine. But those who have actually been to the place will tell you this small stand puts out some very solid burgers.
Chicago may be known by most as a deep dish town, but in many parts of the city, thin crust is unquestionably king. And while there are a ton of places making old school pies with crisp crusts that are cut into squares, few do it as well as Vito & Nick's Pizzeria.
Memories of the best backyard grill burger you've ever had will come flooding back when you eat Paradise Pup's excellent char burgers. Add some seriously delicious milkshakes into the equation and you've got a top Chicago burger destination.
For nearly 50 years spent at four different pizzerias, Burt Katz has been putting out some of the best pizza in Chicago. Since 1989, he's been putting out pies that have made Burt's Place a local favorite and must-try for visiting pizza freaks.
Chef Jennifer Jasinski takes full advantage of Spring's bounty with the Spring Vegetable Flatbread currently on the menu. The pizza includes grilled asparagus, fava beans, roasted tomatoes and pine nut pesto, fresh buffalo mozzarella and Manchego cheese, and a pea shoot salad, all atop a thick crunchy crust. There's a whole lot going on, but every single bit works well.
Old-school pizzerias that have been serving up delicious thin crust pizzas with outstanding sausage are wonderfully common in Chicago. Among stiff competition, Pat's Pizza and Ristorante stands out as one of the very best thanks largely to an excellent crust that seems to defy the laws of physics.
Nightwood has gotten a ridiculous amount of praise since it opened its doors nearly two years ago and from what I can tell, every bit of it is deserved. Most of the menu changes regularly and the kitchen has been known to show some creativity with its burgers. But while the burger I ate during my visit was truly delicious, at a restaurant this good I wanted to be wowed.
Osteria Marco puts out very solid pizzas, including a Margherita that features housemade mozzarella. But the star of the show at this outpost in Chef Frank Bonanno's Denver culinary empire is the chili oil that sits on each table, patiently waiting to make everything it touches taste better.
I'm not one to make grand pronouncements and declare any pizza the best in America, but if anyone wants to call this mortadella pie the best this country has to offer, there's no way I'm going to tell them they're wrong.
As good as the previous two events were, this year's Baconfest made both of them seem like child's play. Baconfest Chicago 2011 was a ridiculously over-the-top pig belly playground. Bacon-stuffed-bacon, bacon banh mi, maple bacon cotton candy, and more.
