Yeah, that's some good stuff. I haven't been to Chicago in over five years, so I'm really looking forward to this trip, for the food, as much as the game.

Don't reach for any foul balls.... I ended up in the hospital there three years ago.

Ha!

Don't worry, I'm not stupid. In January of 1991, me and 3 of my buddies drove out there last minute, to see the Giants spank the Bears 31-3 in the playoffs. The fans were absolutely brutal, much more obnoxious than Boston fans are to New Yorkers.

I almost panicked and dropped Giancana's name, until I realized he'd already been dead for 15 years.

You can't even make it to Spumoni Gardens, nevermind New Brunswick. You're gonna make it to California?

I want to go to Spumoni Gardens!!!!!

Not anymore you don't.

It's taken a big time dive over the last six months. Ever since the old man who owned it died. No where near as good as it once was when he was still alive.

You know why I couldn't make New Brunswick. Where's the love?

Lemme know when you're in the area... I'll go with ya.

I went there about 6 weeks ago with a friend. It was her first time there and she liked it, but I didn't.... its not as good as it used to be. I wrote them an email, complaining about the quality of the pizza. They never responded.

I'll keep going back, though.... its still better than what I get out here on Long Island.

Bless your heart SC. I will keep that in mind though.

I've never eaten there but I've heard Harry Carey's restaurant is pretty good. If you want to drive an hour into Indiana I could show you a few awesome local joints.

Edit: Gage is nice if you're looking for something exotic. I think they have one chicken dish, the rest is stuff like elk,duck, venison. The Elk is excellent. It's on Michigan Ave.

Avoid Shula's.

Well I woundn't mind attending one of these get-togethers depends on where it's held at.

Las Vegas could be an option for me, Chicago is an option as well since I have a cousin who lives there. Although that might not be viable since chicago has already been done.

It doesn't really matter what time of year it's held either weather doesn't bother me whether it's 30 below zero(which is best as I love the cold weather)or if it's 110.

Well, here are a few places I can suggest:

Italian - Carmine's - My wife and I go to a few Italian restaurants but our favorite lately has been Carmine's.

Comfort Food - Mike Ditka's - Get your burgers, steaks, pork chops, sandwiches here.

Greek - In the western part of downtown Chicago, you'll find Greek Town and my favorite restaurant there is Costa's Greek Dining & Bar. It's kind of pricey compared to the other restaurants in the area, but I feel Costa's food is the best. It's a bit prosaic for me to say, but you should try the gyros.

Late Night Food - In the heart of Lincoln Park, you'll find the The Weiner's Circle. The place is a bit of a dive and you don't go there expecting service (actually, they're known for their comically rude service), but the place is famous for college and late night partyers. Get your Chicago-style hot dogs here.

Pizza - I know I've had this discussion with my East Coast bretheren, but I have to defend my hometurf here - you have to try Chicago-style pizza. It's a meal all by itself and you don't have to scrape off the layer of grease that comes with the New York-style pizza.

In truth, I'm not a big fan of pizza in general so I'm just joking with you East Coasters (just to let you know before you get your panties in a bunch ). With that said, I do find the pizza at Giordano's tasty. If you're ever in Chicago, you have to have the deep dish. Why, I don't know? That's what people around here always say.

Cuban - Cafe 28 - I'm also a big fan of Cuban food. There are a couple of places that are a bit more "authentic" (read: less trendy) than Cafe 28, but they aren't in the best part of town so I wouldn't suggest tourists going there.

Tapas - Cafe Iberico - If you like tapas/latin food, you can't go wrong with Iberico. Cheap sangria too.

I hope this helps.

pb - Hold out for a home-cooked meal at Douchie's. The price of admission? One Michael Buble CD.

Fantastic, DS!

I'll pm you as it gets closer to April, maybe I can bring you a Met hat to show my appreciation.

Speaking of baseball; which, if any, of the these places are close to Wrigley? And how about that old stand-by: the best pub, in the vicinity?

Most of the places I suggested are in Downtown Chicago (about 10-15 minute drive south of Wrigley), except for Cafe 28, which is about a 5 minute drive north of Wrigley.

I'm not much of a beer drinker myself, so I wouldn't be the person to ask about which bars/pubs are the best. There are a lot of them within a one-block radius of Wrigley so I'm sure you won't find any trouble finding a couple of Cubs fans to 'rassle with.

I have heard good things about this one in particular: Goose Island

If PB can get my wife one Michael Buble, she'll cook him a feast.

WTF IS THIS? :



YOU PEOPLE THINK THAT JUNK IS PIZZA!



THIS IS REAL PIZZA :

There'll never be anything like Spumoni Gardens anywhere else, but I hafta admit some of the deepdish pizza I've had in the Chicago area was pretty good.

My ex-wife was from Chicago, and I've sampled many of the area's pizzas over the years.... I prefer New York style (probably because thats what I was raised on) but the second city has a decent claim to good pizza.

FWIW - I've been dying for Nathan's french fries lately. I went to my doctor today, and lo and behold (and unbeknownst to me) there's a Nathan's two blocks away from his office. Wanna guess what I had (and enjoyed tremendously) after the appointment?

Chow mein on a bun.

Psych!

Won't see that no more.

Those stronzos.

What the f*ck is that, really? Is that a pizza?

Did you check your cholesterol level when you got home?

What the f*ck is that, really? Is that a pizza? [/quote]

Yeah. How come you didn't ask about this:

Yeah. How come you didn't ask about this:

[/quote]

I KNOW what that is. Yummmmmmmmmmmmm.

Is that from Spumoni Gardens SC?

I'm afraid to. Two franks, a large order of fries and a root beer soda won't do those levels any good. But it sure tasted GOOOOOD.

Yeah. Beth has had it. See her comment (above).

And you didn't invite me to go with you

This was my neighborhood pizzeria growing up. It used to be called the Half Moon, then in the 80's they expanded and re-named themselves the Full Moon. They're on the corner of 187th Street and Arthur Avenue, one block from my old apartment walk-up. I still get the pizza at least a couple of times a month.

I think I remember passing a place named Full Moon, or Half moon a couple years ago while I was in New York. I remarked if you were supposed to moon the people if you had bad service.