MattWolff "Pronouncing cuisine with a silent C."

 

I’ve had BDs Mongolian BBQ before at their now defunt Clark Ave. I call BDs Mongolian Grill FlatTop’s younger, punker cousin. It’s the same concept – grab some veggies, meat, spice and sauce and dudes will cook it up for you – but the spices and sauces at BDs are far more ambitious than the relatively tried and true FlatTop flavors. You’ll find spicier, tangier spices at BDs.

Another difference is BDs amazing assortment of meats. While FlatTop offers a beef, chicken, pork and seafood choice, BDs gives you much more variety. Last night, for example, offered plain beef, NY Strip, Prime Rib, Chicken, Pork, Calamari, Shrimp, Tilapia and probably more I’m not remembering now. Just a great spread of meats that expand your options.

BDs is awesome, not perfect as unlike FlatTop you don’t get your meal brought to your table but rather stand around while it’s cooked, but still very very good. I highly recommend it.

 

Hawaii gave us Magnum P.I. and for that they can never be an equal to the continental US but Aloha Grill is a good start at making ammends. In this quiet, unassuming storefront on Clark St in Lincoln Park you will find the best value for your dollar in all of the land, to be certain. The portions, quality and flavor are unsurpassed by anything in the area.

Aloha Grill serves traditional Hawaiian plate lunch. What that means is grilled meat of some sort accompanied by scoops of white rice and creamy macaroni salad. They’re very generous with portions and it’s authentic in recipe and preparation, so says my wife who would regularly eat real Hawaiian food back in San Diego.

For under $10 per person you’ll have guaranteed leftovers. I’m an eater and even I can’t make it all the way through a meal. Some of my favorite dishes there include the chicken katsu, bbq chicken, chicken musubi and their shrimp burger. My wife swears by the kalua pork and spam musubi. To be honest, it’s pretty safe to go with just about anything there as you won’t be disappointed.

Aloha Grill is plain ol’ authentic Hawaiian cuisine and stupid cheap for the gigantic pile of food you get. Highly recommended.

 

I used to love this Taco Bell/KFC hybrid. They toiled endlessly to serve the very best their combined existances could. But they’ve betrayed me recently, screwing up order after order after simple order. No tomatoes? Lots of tomatoes! Hold the sour cream? Only if by ‘hold’ I mean ‘add’ or perhaps ‘include.’ I’m speechless, to say the least. I still go here, but much more infrequently. I dream of the days where my order was filled promptly and correctly. All I have now are chips… little tortilla chips of disappointment topped with the zesty nacho cheese of memories long since passed.

 

Hi, my name is Matt and I’m a Baoaholic.

“Hi, Matt.”

I visited their Water Tower locale plenty so when I found out a second store was opening up not more than a block and a half from my office this little person living inside my stomach started doing the “gotta pee” dance and I knew it was the end for me.

Their product is really, really good. Steamed buns are filled with pan-Asian recipes like mongolian beef, kung-pao chicken, edamame and bbq pork served up either individually or as part of a combo. Sides include cold peanut noodle salads, soup with dumplings amongst others. I’m particularly fond of their two bao combo with the chicken dumplings in chicken broth on the side. It’s under $7 and realllly good.

You don’t owe it to yourself to go to Wow Bao, you owe it to me and I don’t take kindly to deadbeats.

 

There comes a time in a grown man’s life when there’s an innate need for brisket and cole slaw on a single sandwich. Added to that is cheese and russian dressing, completing what is an instinctual, nay a primal need that consumes the hearts of men. Perry’s Deli, bless their souls, fill this need handily.

Seriously, we’re talking about a sandwich that weighs a few pounds. A sandwich that fills both hands and more, spilling its delicious guts all over the wrapper it was “contained” in, though barely. Perry’s sandwiches are comfort foods in a time when comfort in and of itself is so hard to come by. They’re a little pricier than, say, Potbelly’s Sandwich Works but come on, lightyears apart.

I think I might just go tomorrow and get myself some Perry’s goodness.

 

My office was on this Hecky’s kick for the longest time. Our weekly company lunch would come rolling in, pound after pound of Hecky’s BBQ pulled pork, cole slaw, fried chicken and chocolate cake. I’d slater a bun with pork and cole slaw and chow down, oinking merrily the little piggy I was.

But now… not so much. We’re on a sandwich kick of the non-Hecky’s variety. I’m saddened by this but no less a fan of Hecky’s BBQ. I’m really only rating the pulled pork, I never had enough chicken to form a real opinion aside from it tasting like, wait for it, chicken! But the pork was mighty tasty, just a little fatty from time to time keeping it shy of the pantheon of perfect food.

But seriously eat Hecky’s and be happy. Or else.