There was a long wait at the restaurant we planned to have lunch at, so we walked across the street to Haymarket Pub & Brewery to wait until our number was up.

We perused the list of beers and picked out a few that looked appealing. We just went for four samples this time, because I wasn't sure how long the wait for lunch would be (it ended up being like an hour and a half).

We ordered a Speakerswagon Pilsner, a Red Sock Monkey Tart Cherry Wit, the Mathias Imperial American I.P.A. and The Defender American Stout.

Most of these were fairly harsh on my palate. I didn't take to many of them, but I did love the Tart Cherry Wit. I saved it for last so I could finish on the tastiest note. Except, I ended up spilling half of it on the table. And, here I was, thinking I could go a whole trip without spilling a beer.

This space is cool, and I'd like to try some of the other beers on the list. I'd definitely come back for the Tart Cherry Wit. Otherwise, might try some of the other options!

Grade: B

On our last day in Chicago, we didn't have any plans until lunchtime. But, that didn't stop my belly from grumbling "donuts" early that morning. A quick search turned up a donut place right next to our hotel: Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken (yep).


There was a bit of line, which I took as a good thing. Once I got to the front, I ordered one of their maple bacon donuts and a "Blueberry Lemon Duffnut," which is a collaboration they did with Duff Goldman, known from Food Network's Ace of Cakes and Cake Masters.

The maple bacon donut was delicious, of course. I do with the bacon was crispier, because chewing through the fatty pieces weren't my favorite. But the flavor? Yes. Sweet, salty, perfect.

The blueberry lemon cake donut was SO good. It was these muffin-like crumbles with sweet blueberries and a thick cake donut to host it all. Very good. Both tried and true, delicious flavor combinations that work even better in donut form.

I was so pleasantly surprised with this place since it wasn't really planned. Sometimes those places tend to be the best.

Grade: A

A few people who I work with are from the Chicago area, and one in particular has a family restaurant: Pizzeria da Nella.

We were stuffed from dinner, but I didn't wanna pass up the opportunity to check out this restaurant. So, we ordered dessert. We ordered a Baba' Napoletana, which is a homemade baba' filled with whipped cream and fresh strawberries (it's noted as the most famous dessert in Napes Italy). We also ordered Delizia alla Fragola, which is a homemade sponge cake filled with limoncello and strawberry cream.

The Baba' Napoletana, which I didn't realize contained rum, was amazing. The fresh whipped cream, sweet strawberries and nice little strawberry drizzle made for the perfect top of this cake soaked in rum. Oh my gosh.

The Delizia alla Fragola was also quite good. A thick layer of strawberry cream covered a delicious spongecake.

I wish we were able to try even more, because judging by the dessert alone, it's amazing. That, combined with the friendly, family atmosphere (which varied from the very touristy places we were going otherwise) made for an excellent evening.

Grade: A

The fourth day in Chicago means the fourth (and final!) deep dish pizza: Pequod's.

The process to get here was crazy. All of a sudden, it just starts downpouring, and we're racing through the streets of Chicago with water is pooling up at every corner. The wind was whipping and easily tossed my Hyatt-borrowed umbrella inside out. Once we finally reach the restaurant, my jeans were soaked up to my knees, and I could not longer feel anything in my shoes besides just wet.

Deep dish pizza will fix this.

At Pequod's, you can request a table during a certain time at least 24 hours in advance. I had done this, so once we came to the front, we were able to get quickly seated. This restaurant, known for its caramelized crust edge pizza, had a pretty hoppin' bar scene. We were kinda squeezed in this one area where my chair was tapped every time someone walked by. Annoying.

We ordered a pan pizza with mushrooms (because mmm). It arrived with a very dark crust (but crispy) and was sectioned out for us. First bite: crisp (little too dark) crust, kinda meh sauce, tons of mushrooms. I'm sad the sauce here was just lackluster. I was really pulling for it. I feel like Pequod's isn't one of the major, major pizza places, and it was the outlier. I really wanted it to be tasty. But, I think it was my least fav. Maybe it's because it's the fourth pizza in the fourth day?

Grade: B

Goose Island has a brewpub located in Chicago. And while we couldn't find time to do a tour, we made time to come check out some beers they had on tap.

We looked over the menu to figure out what we wanted to sample. In the meantime, we ordered a plate of cheese curds (because yay midwest!). These were super good. I passed on all the jalapenos, but fried cheese dipped in ranch? I mean.

Some of my favorites beers we had were the Lilly, which was kind of floral and refreshing. I also liked Curbside, which was a bit more bitter but not overly so.

This place was actually really fun. Our waitress was the greatest, most of these beers were pretty tasty, and the cheese curds. A nice little spot if you're a fan of the beer or just want to order eight beer samples and not feel bad about it.

Grade: A

Most of the iconic hot dog places in Chicago were a bit far out from the Magnificent Mile, which is where I was staying in Chicago. But, on one of the days, we traveled a good bit north to see the Lincoln Park Zoo and check out Wrigley Field. Fortunately, The Wieners Circle was along the way.

This hotdog stop is known for its char-grilled hotdogs (or char-dogs) and questionable late-night antics. I ordered a Vienna Red Hot (steamed) with the works - hot dog on a warm poppyseed bun, topped with mustard, onions, relish, dill pickle spears, tomato slices, sport peppers and celery salt. This was more of a snack for us, so we just ordered one and split it.

I loved it. I love these hotdogs! I feel like a traitor to the WV hotdogs, but these are just so complex and fresh, and oddly delicious, despite everything in my brain saying it wouldn't be. A crisp pickle, a good quality hotdog, and the celery salt -- and the poppyseed bun -- just kill it. So good.


Grade: A

Billy Goat Tavern is a restaurant that gained fame through a Saturday Night Live sketch:

The Olympia Cafe was a fictional greasy spoon featured in a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch. The staff, led by John Belushi as Pete Dionasopolis, were Greeks. As various guest stars discovered, only three items on the long menu could actually be ordered successfully: the cheeseburger (pronounced "cheeburger" by Belushi), chips (pronounced "cheep"), and Pepsi. Attempts to order Coke were invariably met with the retort, "No Coke! Pepsi!" Likewise, those who ordered french fries got the response, "No fries! Cheeps!" 

According to Don Novello, who penned the first Olympia Cafe sketch, the diner was based on the Billy Goat Tavern on Lower North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, which is still operating (and part of a small chain). 

Olympia is a Greek town after which many restaurants were named. John Belushi's father owned a cafe called the "Olympia" in the 1960s. During the 1970s, there was a real-life Olympia Cafe on the Upper West Side of Manhattan which was very similar to the diner in the sketch. (Wikipedia)

We set off to visit the original location and get some cheeburgers. The location is like in this underground lower section of Chicago that kinda blew my mind. And, the actual restaurant is even lower, as you have to take stairs down into it.

It was pretty frantic in here, as they're cycling through the line very quickly and just making burgers upon burgers. I asked for a cheeseburger; he said "double"? So I said sure. I got a drink, and they handed me my sandwich. At the end of the counter was ketchup, mustard, onion and pickles. I topped mine and found an empty seat.

It's very crowded, and someone dropped a glass as we were eating, and the noise ricocheted throughout this basement restaurant. It just added to this sort of very busy, chaotic scene. I felt my stress level increase while waiting here.

OK, but how was the burger? It was fine. I think if you're a huge SNL fan or super familiar with this skit, it probably has more appeal. The burger itself wasn't super notable, but I did enjoy the grilled bread and how cheese blanketed the burger (burger wasn't too large, so nice cheese-to-meat ratio). Overall, not bad.

Grade: B

Deep dish pizza? Check. Chicago-style hot dogs? Check. Next: Italian Beef.

Al's #1 Italian Beef is recognizably THE place for Italian beef in Chicago, so we walked a few blocks away to get our mitts on a sandwich. I ordered an Italian Beef regular with cheese. You can get it wet (additional gravy), dipped (even more juicy), or dry (no gravy). I didn't realize they had sweet peppers, so I said no peppers. Bummer. We also got a thing of fries.

Typically, this isn't the kinda thing I go for. I'm not a carnivore, so I wasn't expecting this to be my favorite. But, the flavor of the gravy (don't think Italian gravy or mashed potato gravy, think juice) was complex - cinnamon? curry? - something, that really gave it a little extra something. I do wish I would've had the peppers to help break it up with some sweetness. The fries were really good. Very crisp and delicious. Tony had the Italian beef at Portillos and remains convinced it was superior. I was pleasantly surprised, though it's not something I think I'd seek out again.

Grade: B

For some reason, I'm a fan of going up to the top of really tall buildings and looking out and see everything else down below. We first went to the top of Sears Tower (now called Willis Tower), which was once the tallest building building in the world and currently sits at 12th in the world. It is the second tallest in the country (behind One World Trade Center) and the tallest in Chicago. Very touristy, long waits, but a cool experience where you can step out onto a ledge and see the rest of the city below you.

And, we went to The John Hancock Center, which is is the eighth tallest building in the United States. But, we took a different route this time. The building actually has a restaurant on its 95th floor and a lounge on the 96th. If you go up to the top observatory deck, it's $20. But, if you got to the lounge, it's just a few floors below, and there's no cover. You do, of course, have to pay for a pricy drink, but I'd rather sit and hang out with a drink than cram with a bunch of people for $20.

There was no wait, and we made our way up to the lounge very quickly. But the demand for window seats is high, so we waited a few minutes so we could be seated at one. They are very strict about letting people crowd the windows or switch tables. So, be kind to the doorman, wait your turn and get ready to have a drink overlooking all of Chicago.

I ordered a Skyscraper for $16, which had Bacardi rum, pineapple juice, cranberry juice, and a pineapple wedge. It was ... not great. It tasted watered down, very watered down. BUT, you're paying for the view. And we happened to be seated in a corner, so we could see views every which way. That was pretty cool. Oh, and the women's bathroom? The BEST view!

Grade: B