LTH get-togethers; excuse: tourist in town

As many of you saw, I will be visiting Chicago for the first time next week, May 10-13. I got such a great response, and more than a few folks suggested posting on the Events board. While my itinerary is not yet 100% set, I thought I'd post about what I do know (not much, generally speaking) and see if anyone would like to join. I'd love the company, since eating alone usually entails me writing in a notebook so as not to look and/or feel conspicuous.

Wednesday, May 10
Dinnertime: Chinatown, Aji Ichiban, and Lao Sze Chuan

Thursday, May 11
Dinnertime: Katsu for appetizers, Hae Woon Dae for mains

Friday, May 12
Early afternoon: Pilsen for some Taaaaquerias (which we do not have, in Pittsburgh)
Late afternoon: A prolonged visit to Mitsuwa
Dinner: Torishin

And now that I've seen that it exists, I might try to hit the Beer on the Pier festival for the noon-4pm tasting on Saturday. That's a big maybe, though.

Great! I will be joining you for some (if not all) of your dinners... =) You're gonna get sick of me!! =)

C

Binkin

I may join you for the one-two punch of Katsu and Hae Woon Dae. Which happen to be two of my favorite places in Chicago.

Enjoy,
Gary

binkin wrote:And now that I've seen that it exists, I might try to hit the Beer on the Pier festival for the noon-4pm tasting on Saturday. That's a big maybe, though.

You know, if it's a beautiful day, then it'd be nice to be on the water, but based on what I've see about the event itself, geez, seems kind of limited. Don't mean to be a downer, but this event seems unworthy of your attention (weather notwithstanding).

Hammond

David Hammond wrote:You know, if it's a beautiful day, then it'd be nice to be on the water, but based on what I've see about the event itself, geez, seems kind of limited. Don't mean to be a downer, but this event seems unworthy of your attention (weather notwithstanding).

What I've seen says 53 local, national and international breweries, unlimited sampling of over 150 beers, plus local bands and food. I don't suppose the food will be anything exciting, so I guess it depends on how interested in you are in beer. www.beeronthepier.com

I admit that right now I'm leaning towards not going to the beer festival, mostly because the Sharp Edge in Pittsburgh has a big beer festival in June which I will certainly attend.

Gary, you're more than welcome to join for dinner. And CrazyC, not at all! I really appreciate having dining companions, let me tell you.

binkin wrote:I admit that right now I'm leaning towards not going to the beer festival, mostly because the Sharp Edge in Pittsburgh has a big beer festival in June which I will certainly attend.

LAZ provided a link to the beef fest which is worth checking out but many of the beers they're serving are commonly available around Chicago (Miller, Leinnenkugle, Goose Island, Okocim, etc.), and although there may be some value in doing a side-by-side taste of them, it's tough to imagine the experience being that interesting (unlike, say, a trip to Hopleaf -- which I would quite definitely encourage).

Hammond

binkin wrote:Friday, May 12
Early afternoon: Pilsen for some Taaaaquerias (which we do not have, in Pittsburgh)
Late afternoon: A prolonged visit to Mitsuwa
Dinner: Torishin

binkin,

you've got a great schedule planned. The idea of joining you for the Pilsen portion is tempting, but I unfortunately already have a commitment that day. You may have already figured this out, from researching the public transit options, but Rene G's instructions (in your other thread) about how to reach Mitsuwa by train and bus will work if you are starting in Pilsen. In other words, you don't have to return to the hostel to start the Mitsuwa trip: you can get on the Blue Line to O'Hare from the 18th Street el station on 18th west of Ashland.

You can obviously reach Pilsen via that same station, but it might be boring to cover the same ground twice. I have an alternative suggestion, if you are able to leave for Pilsen in mid morning (carnitas for brunch? why not?). There is a bus line, #18, that runs along 18th Street and which you could pick up at the Cermak/Chinatown el station on the Red Line. In other words, take the Red Line from the Harrison St station south two stops, then transfer to the #18 bus. You could then get off the bus around Carpenter St (about the eastern edge of the Mexican food options on 18th) and make your way west. BUT, for some reason the #18 bus doesn't run in the middle of the day! The last bus leaving the Cermak el station is at 9:56 am, then nothing till 2:08 pm. Here's the schedule:

http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/18.pdf

Anyway, I hope you enjoy your Pilsen visit, and please tell us what you tried there.

Amata

my chica & I can probably join you for Torishin and just drive you back to the hostel in the city on the way down to pilsen.

but... why Torishin? i mean there are dozen Japanese restaurants in Arl Heights/Mt. Prospect, etc.... (Kurayama, Izakaya Sankyu, etc.)

I second Izakaya Sankyu. I think the selection and the food is much better than Torishin. I'm guessing binkin picked Torishin because it's closest to Mitsuwa (were you going to walk there?).

If you can find a way to Sankyu, my favorite item is the tonkotsu (pork bone) ramen. It's the best (Japanese-style) ramen in all of Chicago! And because binkin can read Japanese, you can take advantage of the daily specials on the white board. The best stuff is on there. If you need help, the servers should be able to translate/explain.

asami

Izakaya Sankyu
1176 S. Elmhurst Rd.
Mt. Prospect, IL 60056
(847)228-5539

I think I recommended Torishin, only because I have only been to 2 (Kurumaya is the other), and I prefered Torishin. But Izakaya Sankyu sounds great...

Binkin, sounds good? Asami, if you can make it, please come! I'll even come and pick you up... =)

C

Izakaya Sankyu sounds good to me... I'm really open to suggestions, since I'm just going on recommendations for everything! Today I'm trying to print out maps and el schedules and bus schedules and get everything figured out.

I found this page about Izakaya Sankyu (in Japanese, but with pictures). I see a recommendation (from the owner?) for the tonkotsu ramen.

I'm not sure my Japanese reading ability will get me through a menu! I make frequent use of dictionaries when I'm reading and writing in Japanese. But it sounds like a good place to eat!

A translation for the section Binkin mentioned on this site:

■オーナーさんの勧める「うちの味を知るにはこれを食べてみてください！」
1) ぶたキムチ 理由 三九が元祖！これを知らなきゃモグリ？！
　 2) 黒ぶた角煮 理由 開業以来15年間のヒット商品。一晩煮込んだ味が自慢です。
　 3) とんこつラーメン 理由 最後の一滴まで汁がウマイ。手づくり黒豚チャーシューは絶品です。

Recommendations from the owner "Please eat these items to get to know our flavors!"
1. Pork kimchi - reason: Sankyu is the source (was the first to serve it).
2. Berkshire pork cubes - reason: a favorite since opening 15 years ago. We are proud of the flavor you get from marinading overnight.
3. Tonkotsu ramen - reason: The broth is good to the last drop. The house-made char siu (roasted pork Chinese style) is the best.

I don't have time to translate the whole page tonight, but will try to do it before you all go on Friday (sorry I can't join you). I started my full time job on Monday, which is seriously cutting into my LTHForum time!

I went to Sankyu on Sunday night with my parents to do some research and wrote down the entire white board specials (they said a majority of them will stay the same). I will post that later this week as well.

asami

Here's a translation of the white board specials at Izakaya Sankyu on Sunday, May 6th:

$22.50 toro & uni sashimi combo
$19.99 5 types of sashimi combo (chef's choice)
$5.95 tako butsu (chopped boiled octopus)
$5.95 ika (squid) sashimi
$5.95 shime-saba (pickled mackerel)
$4.95 shiromi baiko-age (tempura-style whitefish & ume with nori)
$8.95 shellfish suno-mono (marinated in rice vinegar) combo
$16.50 king crab legs (steamed and served with soy and dashi sauce)
$4.50 nira tama (garlic chives and eggs in dashi sauce)
$6.95 fried oysters
$5.50 grilled pigs' feet
$5.25 mini escargots
$3.95 tako wasabi (raw octopus with wasabi)
$6.50 anago (sea eel) tempura
$4.25 hamachi collar with macaroni salad
$8.25 saikyo miso marinated grilled cod
$4.95 shimeji mushroom sauteed in butter
$5.95 grilled chicken skins
$3.95 marinated chicken livers
$4.95 nano-hana goma-ae (flowering broccoli? with black sesame sauce)
$5.95 fried squid legs
$4.95 grilled uni onigiri (rice balls)

Our dinner for three consisted of the following:

shime-saba - Hutch's favorite, and a good indicator for quality sushi
king crab legs -- ooh these were delicious, and the sauce was fabulous!
fried oysters -- I had too much fried food this past weekend so I didn't have any
grilled pigs' feet -- my first time trying them; the fat and cartilege was gooey jelly like
hamachi collar -- very good, but I thought the macaroni salad side was an odd Hawaiian-like touch
shimeji butter -- this is one of my favorite items on the menu. I think they use a pound of butter. Delicious!
marinated chicken livers -- the marinade is absolutely fabulous, it's the chef's secret recipe
nano hana goma-ae -- I like this more than the typical spinach goma-ae
grilled uni onigiri -- order this first, because they are so popular and often run out, plus it takes approx. 20 minutes for them to make. It's one of my favorites.

And don't forget the tonkotsu ramen!

We didn't have the ramen, but all the above fed three adults for about $62.00 before tax. Izakaya Sankyu has great variety, interesting items that other Japanese izakayas don't have, and they're so affordable.

Have fun,
asami

asami, thanks so much for your report and translation! I can hardly wait...