stony&cottage grove

al capone & son at cominsky park

If I ever lived in the Chicago area again it would certainly be on the south side. If it was good enough for Mr. Capone it's good enough for me. (my freshman dorm at chicago was a hotel he used to frequent) I've been a huge prohibition era buff from around 3rd or 4th grade on. I remember my parents took me on a 'mob' tour of chicago and from then on I was hooked. I knew all the hit men from Frank Nitty to Machine gun Kelly. And I always favored Capone's southside crew as opposed to Bugs Moran's northsiders. Who likes a northside hipster? 

I'm headed down to Chicago to visit some family and take care of some business. I lived in Hyde Park for 4 years and am planning on a little photo safari through some of my old haunts. My family lives in Chinatown, so expect lots of food porn. 

Any favorite spots? Places to eat? Drop me a line...

spot check

I've been going to John King Books since I can remember. We used to always go there when I was little-my parents would let my sister and I spend hours looking.  I remember I got a whole collection of Sherlock Holmes, a great survival guide (where I may have gotten the inspiration for my failed bow&arrow making), and a whole trunkful of other gems. The great thing about used bookstores is that the cost for trying anything new out is much lower. There's pretty much a book on every subject you could ever dream of here.  It's seriously one of the coolest places in Detroit. In Michigan. Certainly one of my favorite places ever. 

Four floors of heaven. I spent the better part of my Friday afternoon here browsing through hunting and logging wholesale catalogs from the '50s and '60s- Filson ads, knives, snake proof boots, and over-under shotguns oh my. On my way to check out I remembered to take a few pictures.

 

Take a date here and really get to know her. If she says she doesn't really like to read, I don't know what to say. Blame whoever set you up. Or yourself for asking her. At least you got to know her. 

I ended up grabbing a cool illustrated, abridged copy of The Golden Bough and an Army field manual from the '60s. More about them later. They have a copy of Salinger's complete uncollected short stories for $195 if anyone wants to be my sugar mama. (and a 1st edition Franny&Zooey I may have to go back and get for only 45 bucks)

The store is actually an old warehouse. Complete with original hard wood floors, the building itself is worth the trip. Boasting over 750,000 books, you'll always find a treasure in John King Books . If you can't find it, the friendly staff certainly can.  One of Detroit's finest. Check it out if you get the chance, I promise you'll have a great time. 

spot check

Washington D.C., our nation's capital. I kind of always forget about D.C. whenever I plan a trip. I always think east or west coast, and D.C. kind of gets lost in the shuffle. But a few months ago I finally made a real effort to see more than the Mall and the Smithsonian. Guys, D.C. is pretty dope. It's a great mix of people, art, fashion, and food. If you ignore the stuffies in their Brooks Brothers, it's fun as hell. Generally my vacations involve food and more food. So here we go. 

I know, I know, Ben's Chili is not really a revelation to anyone actually from D.C. or who has read any travel literature on the city. But it is good. And it is kind of landmark. So go there once. Yes, your friends may tease you about going to a tourist trap. But screw those hipster scum. I'm from Detroit and this is official chili and dope show hotdogs. Plus I'm pretty sure it's in Adams-Morgan, which is a cool little neighborhood. Lots of good bookstores and little boutiques. 

This spot is awesome. It was basically across the street from my hotel. I'm half-chinese, so my opinion is totally legit. (or at least half legit?) This honestly is one of  the first organic chinese spots I've seen. Good and it was open later than anything else on the block other than the Mcdonald's.  So tell Mr. Chen I said hi. 

Open City is in Woodley Park too. Directly across the street from my hotel. It's kind of like a hipster version of a motorcycle club. Instead of motorcycles there were a shit load of fixed gears outside. But the coffee is really good and the pastries are top notch. Throw in wi-fi and a friendly waitstaff and I'm down. The fact that they have a really decent breakfast and lunch menu puts it over the top. Go here before or after your trip to the zoo (you have to see the pandas, right?) they're only a few blocks apart. 

Oyamel, in Penn Quarter, is Jose Andres' venture into Mexican food. With a pedigree like Andres' (he trained at el Bulli, probably the best restaraunt in the world) it's no surprise that the food is good. In fact, it is amazing. So good. Hand made guacamole, amazing moles, tacos with ingredients that ranged from grasshoppers to pork rinds. Honestly, you can't beat the food here. Probably some of the best mexican you can get outside of Mexico. Certainly most likely the best mexican in D.C. 

And last but not least, Palena. I normally eschew places with so much hype, but I had to try the so-called best burger in D.C. And honestly, it was really good food. So was everything else on the menu. To be honest, the pate was a bit more of a revelation for me, but you can't really go wrong with a burger that has home-made buns, mayonaisse, and a truffle on top. Plus their frites are really good too. Although the dinner menu is a tad pricey the prix-frixe menu is really reasonable and the burger is totally worth it. Honest. No pic for this place. I figured they get enough play as it is.

So. That's D.C. or I guess that's what I ate in D.C.. It was my first real trip to D.C., so give me a break. Maybe next time I'll be able to focus on other things. But I doubt it.