Tommie's sister Kristen lives just north of Chicago and we decided to spend the week of Thanksgiving there. We were busy, we went to Shedd Aquarium, Millennium Park, Architectural river cruise, Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago Cultural Center, and many more sites. And of course, we ate very well. Now living here in Indy, we have tried the GF pizza at Uno's and we felt it necessary to try out Gino's while we were in Chicago. Below is a picture of Tommie eating his pizza as well a scene of the restaurant.
So the verdict....I have to say that Uno's is the better deal. The prices are reasonable and the dip dish (for your non-GF eaters) is much better. Tommie liked the Gino's pizza, but agreed that Uno's had been victorious. I would still recommend that you go to Gino's though, its a Chicago institution and it is a fun place to eat. The staff encourages you to write your name on ANYWHERE and Tommie and I wrote out names at our seats. Gino's website: www.ginoseast.com/ Another place we ate at (and if you ask me, the best meal we had in Chicago) was at Epicurean. Now it isn't exactly 'IN' Chicago, but it isn't a far drive either. This restaurant specializes in Hungarian cuisine and the atmosphere is great (see pictures below). Tommie's great-grandmother immigrated from Hungary when she was only 13. Tommie has fond memories of the food and am always willing to try anything. Tommie's parents and sister Kristen accompanied us for this adventure and everyone gave the meal 2 thumbs up! Tommie and I had the buffet which I prefer when trying new restaurants and cuisines because of all it offers. I have to tell you, I have never seen so many dishes that involved cabbage and I was in heaven. Before this experience I wasn't a big cabbage fan, but WOW they did a great job.
Everyone was pleased with their meals and the price is very reasonable. The atmosphere, as you can see by the picture is very homey. I imagine this would be very much like going to your grandma's house for a nice Hungarian dinner. I highly recommend this restaurant and I can't wait to go back. The food is fantastic, the environment is lovely, the prices are reasonable and the staff were welcoming. Epicurean website: www.thehungarianrestaurant.com/Another stand-out meal that we had was at Walker Brother's Pancake House. This was Tommie's favorite restaurant of the trip. Tommie and I stayed at the Hampton in Lincolnshire and even though Hamptons offer free breakfasts, there were a couple of days where the offerings offered nothing to the GF eater. One of the hotel staff (not knowing we needed something GF) recommended that we try Walker Brother's. The restaurant is beautiful and we were surprised to see a sign that stated 'Now offering Gluten-Free Pancakes'. Woo hoo!!! What a way to start the day. Tommie of course ordered the GF pancakes and I ordered a blueberry Belgian waffle with a side of bacon. We were both in heaven!!! This meal definitely takes second place to the Epicurean for me. The owner emailed Tommie shortly after we returned home and said that she would make a call to the Pancake Houses down here to recommend that they start carrying GF pancakes!
In short, our trip was fantastic. The weather was wet and cold - but the sites and tastes of the city more than made up for the gloomy weather. Chicago is a city that has many offerings for the GF crowd and I can't wait to return. Our next big trip....we're hoping to go to Texas in the summer for a family reunion. We're not sure if we'll be spending most of the time in Dallas or Houston at this point, but I'll definitely let you know of the GF adventures.
