Ricobene’s

3 STARS

CHICAGO: American, $

The vestiges of working class Chicago distilled to a powerful extract. Welcome to Ricobene’s, which I assume has not changed in a very, very long time. The tiled floor opens up to the ordering counter, where all sorts of the breaded and fried, on a bun, or on-a-pizza will be deftly handed to soon after you order (health nuts need not apply). Pick your seat among the many tables among the Chicago PD, and be prepared to get a little messy if you didn’t opt for the fork and knife.

I went this time for the famous breaded steak sandwich — breaded steak fried then slathered with Ricobene’s tomato sauce and peppers. I opted for the regular size, but my cohorts which decided on the king size were surprised with much more sandwich than they may have bargained for. Tasty was it? Yes, it was quite good for what it was. Perhaps even exactly what I expected.

Would I crave it? Come back for it again even? Maybe, but probably not. But it as an experience, it was an interesting spot indeed.

-Jon D.

Ahi Lovers

4 STARS

HAWAII: Japanese, $

Ahi & Vegetable’s twin sister, but slightly closer to my work place and less crowded and therefore better. Although there is less seating…. So… Perhaps the same rating. Fresh ahi, although probably only once through out the meal I pull out a piece of inedible sinuey chew that I can’t get myself to swallow down. Overall, for $8 not bad at all. The light brown dressing is always my fav and is the reason I keep coming back for more. Another great option for lunch downtown! I must like it a lot because I never get anything beside the: Spicy Ahi Vegetable Set with Brown Rice. NOTICE: they also serve “black rice”- worth a try!

-Emily D.

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese

5 STARS | dfgtf approved!

SEATTLE: American, $

Beecher’s Flagship is the cheese they make Mac & Cheese with in heaven, I’m pretty sure. The stuff is so good, all they do is make food that honors the product. If you want to really try Beecher’s cheese, no better than in the form of a delicious sandwich or a Mac!

-Jon D.

Hank’s Burger Truck

4 STARS

HAWAII: Burgers, $

Best just straight, simple, diner-like, no messing about, old-school burger. We liked it even better than our hot dog! $8.70 for a meal with your choice of sauce - a bit pricey… but SO MUCH BETTER THAN ANY fast food chain. Make your tummy happy and forego the super processed, overcooked McTurds.

-Emily D.

Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria

5 STARS | dfgtf best of chicago!

CHICAGO: Deep Dish, $$

I think I may be prepared at this moment to say the following… Lou Malnati’s is my favorite deep dish in Chicago. Out of towners ask, and now I’m pretty quick to say that the place they need to go for a deep dish is Malnati’s.

Pro tips, definitely go in and order a salad to share to start out. Malnati’s makes bommbbbbb salads. My fave deep dish is the ol’ Chicago Classic. And that’s all ya need.

For those of you not familiar with what a Lou Malnati’s deep dish is like, I’ll give the basic run-down. The crust is first set into a deep pan. Not too much crust, just enough. Then a layer of sausage, a generous layer of cheese, and then topped with tomato sauce. Simple, but delicious. You wait half an hour after ordering, and then it comes out to you, a hot pie, with a crisp almost crumbly crust. The buttercrust at Malnati’s is hands down the best crust of any other deep dish spot. Fork and knife necessary, load up on hot pepper and cheese if you would like, and enjoy!

-Jon D.

Szalas Restaurant

5 STARS | dfgtf approved!

CHICAGO: Polish, $$

Ring the large bell on the outside of this wooden cabin in the middle of Chicago (seriously). It may be chilly outside, but when the door swings open to greet you, try closing your eyes to be instantly and uncannily transported to Old Poland.

Seriously, it feels more Polish in there than I what I assume it would feel like in Poland.

Whether you get seated in one of the old converted carriages, underneath the stuffed deer heads, or by the waterwheel (again… seriously), prepare to be presented with a heck of an authentic experience. First off, you’ll be presented with some sort of flatbread that you can spread with cheese or bacony- lard (oh yes, traditional, the Poles in the company guaranteed us). The lady serving us would probably have been my Polish mother from my alternate life as a small Polish boy, handing us plates of pierogi and carrot salads, mugs of borsch, and all the trimmings.

It was wonderful. Could I possibly imagine a *more* Polish experience? Probably not!

-Jon D.

Brenda’s French Soul Food

5 STARS | dfgtf approved!

HAWAII: Burgers, $

5 STARS for the Crawfish Biegnets! Can I just end my review there? Because that’s all you really need to know.

There’s a philz coffee up the street, to get while you’re waiting - but BE WARY: no outside food or drinks in the establishment… I’m not gonna lie… the guy was kind of a jerk about it & if it wasn’t the best grits I’ve ever had- this place would be marked down a star.

-Emily D.

Taste of India

4 STARS

CHICAGO: Indian, $

Indian food… here? One block from school… alright, I’ll bite… …but based on my one experience here so far, I think I might take a few more bites!

Now, walking in, unassuming might be a bit of an understatement. The services available here are spartan, think more food stand than a restaurant of any way shape or form. A guy with a couple foil dishes of food will getcha what you want out and wrap it up for ya to-go (or I suppose you could pick one of the couple tables to eat at).

Today’s options were just chicken biryani or chicken curry, which are both solid choices. The guy behind the counter seemed to be strongly recommending the biryani. So biryani it was! (Quick tip: ask for the student discount if you’re a student.)

The biryani was spooned into a styrofoam container, and served with a bit of raita. And the moment of truth came, it was in fact delicious! Full of whole spices and herbs like it should be made (none of this powdered mix stuff). Chicken was tender and left on the bone. Just like homemade just for you!

So it’s sparse. So it’s not flashy. So the presentation isn’t much of anything. So they barely have a “menu” to speak of. This place is clean, tasty, and I only have to walk a few steps to get here. I like it.

-Jon D.

Kuma’s Too

4 STARS | dfgtf approved!

CHICAGO: Burgers, $$

Mmm… huge tasty burgers, no wait when I went, great beer list.

As you’ve probably heard, the music blares as you look over a menu full of homages to the bands that are yelling at you over the loudspeakers. Loved my Goatsnake. Goat cheesey and herbacious to a fault. I started taking my fries and dipping them into the goat cheese that fell off the burger onto the plate. Portions are huge, we all could almost barely finish everything we got.

Service might’ve been a little slow that night, but I’ll chalk it up to growing pains of a new open. But it was more than tasty! A+ burgers.

-Jon D.

Spero Spera

5 STARS | dfgtf approved!

HAWAII: Sandwiches, $

Avocado Sandwich & a cute study/FREEwifi&coffee place, if you’re into that sort of thing :)

To find the place… it’s tucked away on the diamond head side of a building in the parking lot next to Krazy Karaoke. There are Korean restaurants around. Sign is kind of hard to see… but that’s okay with me. Less people here to study, means that I can come sit more often!

Okay, I don’t know who thought of putting all of these things into one sandwich, but man… it’s crazy good. I like it because it’s interesting and not like anything else I have ever had. I’m sure it comes from some Korean underground mob type scene from the motherland, but I wouldn’t be able to find it anywhere else here. Okay, get ready for this list of ingredients: Avocado, thin spiral cut carrots, lettuce, sprouts (KEY), their homemade cabbage coleslaw, ham, American cheese, pickles, egg, bacon & house sauce. Everything is in a one slice layer, as to fit in the mouth. Perfect. Only thing is that I would add more bacon. But I love bacon. I suppose they have to make it cost effective at an $8 even. Comes with chips or salad (underdressed… needs olive oil), two wedges of potato & come carrots/ginger. Healthy and delicious. yay! AND OPEN UNTIL 11PM.

-Emily D.