Al & Peg's Most Excellent Adventures in IL

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8607 Location: WI, USA

As some of you know, we planned a trip to Chicago. I'll be honest, I was a bit nervous. Since we live in a small town [< 8,000], I'm not always crazy about navigating big cities - specially ones that I haven't been to in almost 20 years. Then of course there's the food deal. TEC was kind enough to offer up some suggestions and even asked some friends for even more places to go. This made deciding on where to go a monumental task! Wink

Thursday

We got into town about 2:30. I requested early check-in and we were granted it. After we got situated we decided to go checkout the "local" Trader Joes in Glenn Ellyn. We had not been to a TJ's before, so it was fun to wander around in there. We wanted to go because I like TJ's pasta better than Tinky [I don't think it's the same], plus it's cheaper!! They had some really great deals there. Gorilla Munch and Panda Puff were only 2.53 per box!!! This price is just unreal. It 4.00+ at the Pick-n-Save in our home town. Scored a brownie mix to try. I think TEC said it was pretty good. We also picked up some stuff for Friday's breakfast. They didn't have any Bards Tale Beer Sad

We even stopped next door at Binny's Beverage Mart to see if they had it. Nope! Sad

Thursday night we went to Da Luciano's. It was an interesting experience. It's small family run business and the atmosphere is evident of that - it's quaint. The dining room is probably 20-25' by 15-20'. There are about 10 tables total in the place. The walls are filled with nicely matted and framed articles [GF and NGF] and awards. They had their Living Without Article hanging there. They had a local newspaper article that discussed the basics of CD thru interviews of Dr. Guandalini of Univ. Chicago CD Center and of course talked about the Libreri family with 4 daughters with CD. Interesting enough, our Pastor's Mother cut out this article and made [yes made!] her daughter give it to us. [Thanks Jean! Wink

]

We walk in and said that we have a 6:30 reservation. The waiter said in a rather pronounced accent "Please sit anywhere!". When he came to give us our menus he hand Peg an NGF menu and myself and NGF menu. I asked if I could get a GF menu, he gave me one from couple he had in hand. As we watched people come in, we noticed they take both menus to the tables. We started looking around, there were a total of 5 people that had GF menus. We even invented a game..."Guess the Celiac". A family came in - Mom, Dad & young daughter. Both Peg and I looked at each one of the family members and made our assessment: The Mom will be getting a GF menu. As the waiter came 'round - sure 'nuff Mom got the GF menu! Very Happy

I would love to know the percentage of GF food business that they do!

At one point Luciano came out from the back and was sitting behind the counter by the cash register. I wanted to go and personally thank him, but in order to really get close enough to him, I'd have to crowd a family at their table and I didn't feel right about that.

It was difficult to decide what to eat! All the options looked really good. TEC suggested I try the deep fried calamari. Sorry TEC, I did not take your advice on that suggestion.

I ordered some garlic bread for an appetizer. It was soooo good! Peg sampled it and said this was as close as GF bread gets to NGF bread. I chose the Shrimp Diablo [this is not the proper spelling] with pasta. Yes, it was hot and spicy, but oh soooo good! [sorry, no pictures. Peg wouldn't let me embarrass her by taking pictures like a tourist. Hehehee] Their pasta is really good. They import it from Canada and Italy. You can also by it there or from their online store.

We did have to order 2 GF cannolis to go since we were both stuffed! Thanks for the suggestion TEC! Oh, I also snagged a GF cupcake too. After a dip in the pool back at the hotel, we were ready for our dessert. The cannoli was really good. I can't say I have anything to compare it to since I've never had an NGF one before. I had planned on saving the cupcake for breakfast, but I had it after the cannoli. Yeah, it was good too. The frosting was a bit sweet for me, but good nonetheless Smile

Friday

We spent Friday at Navy Pier. As I said, driving in the city had me a bit on edge. Luckily we had our trusty Map-In-A-Box to get us where we needed to be. It worked extremely well. It took 49 minutes to get to Navy Pier. There was only a slight slow down in morning traffic.

The first thing we saw [stumbled across] was the Smith Stained Glass Museum. This was very cool! It's amazing that much of these huge pieces were installed in peoples homes!! Lots of Tiffany pieces. The color of their work is amazing!

Peg wanted to go on the 15 story ferris wheel right away before she lost her nerve. Smile

When it was over, she was disappointed. What she expected I'm not really sure. Rolling Eyes

It was cool to see the skyline from that vantage point. I do have pix of that - still working on the website.

Peg likes the Shrimp Po Boys at Bubba Gump's. Since NP has a Bubba's Gumps, we had lunch there. Yes, they do have GF options. It's rather limited [only 2 items], but it's better than none. I could have either Salmon or Mahi skillet. I had emailed Maggie at NP's Bubba Gumps and she told me of their options. When I told the waiter, he was a bit unsure, but was very quick to check with the chef. He came back stated indeed this dish was GF.

After diner we took an Architectural Cruise of downtown Chicago. This was pretty cool! It an hour tour that discusses the history and architecture of the buildings. Very cool! Thanks for the suggestion TEC!

By this time it was 3 pm. I wanted to head for "home" by 4:00 in hopes of avoiding as much traffic as I can. By the time we got back to the van, and out of the park at was around 4:00 as we had reservations in Lombard at 7:00. I didn't want to get stuck in traffic like we did coming back from TJ's [we had 5 min. to spare for our reservations DaLucs Shocked

].

I purposely time our entrance into the city to get some type of guess as the the time it took.

As we started heading west on the Eisenhower Express way, I saw a message flash up on an overpass: "1 hr to Mannheim". I'm thinking "Oh great hear we go again! I really don't know how people in any metro area deals with or plans anything when they have to account for traffic".

The freeway was a freakin' parking lot! We moved about 1 mile in about an hour. We were at a complete stand still for awhile. The radio said there was an accident by Kostner Ave.

After awhile things started moving again. It took us 2 hours to go 20 miles! Grrrrrr We got back to the hotel shortly after 6:00. There was time get to the restaurant, but Peg was needing a dip in the pool. So she called and told them we got stuck in traffic and asked to bump back the res an hour. They kindly did so - we promptly stampeded down to the pool for a quick soak.

It wasn't until Sat. morning [Sue and Jim told us] that we found out the real reason for the backup. Be sure to check out the video. That explained all the news trucks I saw in the residental area along the highway. I figure there was a shooting, but didn't realize it would affect us!

Being a grill hound, the Weber Grill Restaurant seemed rather interesting. After reading how they handle GF food, I felt pretty comfortable about it. I asked for a GF menu, our waiter said he didn't have one immediately avail, but I should make my selection and he'd check with the chef. I told him that I had a GF menu that I printed, but could not locate it [in the hell-hole that is my van]. I made my selection and a 2nd option. He explained how they walk my order thru the system to ensure it's handled properly. They do indeed have the Pink Slip. I saw mine as the manager brought out our food, and I started watching for others..again...we saw several others.

I order the Herb Marinated Flank Steak with Mango salsa. I thought it was really good! Peg tried it, it's cut of meat that's a bit too tough for her liking.

Commentary:

I will say...living in a Metro area like Chicago does have it's advantages when it comes to finding GF options at restaurants. There is nothing like this in my immediate area. It's a GF heaven compared to what I'm used to. It's not only the fact that they have GF items available, it's that the staff knows how to handle the requests.

We will be making more trips "south of the border", you can count on that! I just hope they won't take away my WI drivers license Shocked

Again - it was great to meet up with Sue and Jim! Also, thanks to TEC for all the work she did to make our trip as enjoyable as it was!

See ya soon!
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

ostrich · Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 4170 Location: Nebraska

Awesome mini trip, Al! And no CC issues? It's also good to hear there's more options in larger cities like that. Gives me another reason to drag DH to NYC. Wink

Thanks for the pics and report! Remember to let us know again if you're making another trip.
_________________
Ostrich :>--O==={

I lie below, you float above
In the pretty white ships that I am dreaming of

The Edifying Conscience · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 2442

I'm so glad to hear that you had an enjoyable trip south of the border despite the traffic issues. My general weekday rule is to leave downtown by 2 or stay until 7. I should have told you that, sorry!

I didn't even know there was a stained glass museum in Chicago! I know someone who would absolutely love it and will definitely take her there on her next visit.

The TJs brownies are good. Just be sure to make them subbing cooled, melted butter for the oil and add a handful (or two) of chocolate chips. I do not at all like them when made with oil. So, the TJs pasta is different from the Tinkyada pasta, eh? How about that!

I'm really surprised that Binny's didn't have Bard's Tale. Did you get to Whole Foods for it?

I love the Guess the Celiac game! That's hilarious, but so true. It seems that at every table there is at least one person ordering from the GF menu. I've told lots of people how small the restaurant is but I don't think they really believe me. It's shockingly tiny. Next time you come down I'll order the calamari and you can try it. Glad to hear you ordered the cannoli. My favorite bites are the two ends because of the candied orange peel. MMM! Did Peg enjoy her meal?

When I read that you went to Weber Grill I gasped and thought 'uh oh.' I've heard lots of 'stories' both positive and negative about WB so I was relieved to read that you had a safe and delicious experience.

I really enjoy the arch tour and I'm glad you did too. Did I mention to you that the Dave Matthews Band made a delivery of a personal nature to the participants of the tour a few summers ago? You won't believe what happened!

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8607 Location: WI, USA

Several times thru out the trip we both said we need to plan a gathering for those that can make it.

As for CC issues - I can't say that I'm terribly sensitive. Could there have been CC issues and I not react to them - sure. I make the best choices that I can based on the knowledge and information presented to me. As I said, I felt that staff in all the places treated my requests courteously and professionally [ie I didn't get the Deer in the headlights look and if they weren't sure, they checked with the chef.]. If there's something that I'm uncomfortable with, I won't do it.

I would love to go behind the scenes at DaLuciano's to see how they handle CC issues. Personally, Italian restos scare me due to the sheer volume of gluten that lurks there.

Yes Peg did enjoy her NGF meal. She couldn't finish the last little bit of her chicken. It was then that she felt she should've ordered off the GF menu so I could've A) tasted it B) finished anything she couldn't eat. Next time!

I figured that there's a time frame for all the comings and goings for the traffic.
Part of the "dilemma" in choosing a place on Friday was based on logistics. Peg is uncomfortable going to a place after she's been running around outside sweating and stinking all day. It was hot and humid that day, however there was a great breeze. Being a guy, the sweating and stinking doesn't really bother me [I'm sure it bothers those around me. hehehe] Wink

TEC - I'm sure your friend would love the stained glass museum there! It's rare, I think it said that it's one of the only ones in north america. It's amazing. We knew that it was there, we just happened upon it when coming in from the parking lot. We parked onsite just to make it easy. It costs 23.00 to park all day. I wonder how much it costs to park in the alternate lots "offsite"? The cool thing is that we could park down there and then hop the trollies to go other parts of the city. We wanted to do that, but we just ran out of time.

Yes, I do remember DMB dumping their sewage in the river. Funny the tour guide didn't mention that. He did mention about upgrading the river from polluted to toxic. He said it's a step in the right direction, people can now kayak in a toxic river, but not in a polluted one. He said the 3 eyed fish were really great! Smile

The ingredient list is different on the pasta. I s'pose it could be the same as Tinky...

Nope we didn't get to WF's.

I've got a lot of pictures that I'll put up on the web. Lot's of glass pictures!
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

cruelshoes · Joined: 23 Sep 2005 Posts: 2550 Location: Washington State

That does sound like a most excellent adventure, even if you didn't get to see Wyld Stallyns. Or was it Yes? I can't remember. Sorry to hear the traffic was heinous, and the fire alarm was bogus.

_________________
-Colleen
Dx 8/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
10-YO son Dx 11/05 via bloodwork/biopsy
Daughters (12 and 2) have neg. bloodwork

A woman is like a tea bag-you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water. - Eleanor Roosevelt

rpf1007 · Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 195 Location: Chicago

I Love TJ's too...but I can't say that I'm a fan of the pasta(although it is cheaper). I find it goes to mush really easily compared to Tinky. It was the first pasta I tried after going GF...so maybe I'm remembering it to be worse than it was. I get a bunch of other stuff there though- and definitely the cereal- Envirokids- is way cheaper than anywhere else!
Sounds like a great trip. Glad you had a good experience with the restaurants in Chicago. I have had issues with some that do have GF menus, so it has kind of scared me off of them for a bit. I have been wanting to try Da Lucianos- it is just a matter of finding time to get out there. I'm definitely more motivated now though having heard your review!
Rachel

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8607 Location: WI, USA

I've tried the rotinni and the spaghetti. Both have held up very well. Perhaps since I like my pasta aldente' it helps with the mush factor.

We gave TJ's rotinni pasta the cold test. I like cold pasta salads and Tinky tends to get hard when it gets cold - the TJ's didn't get as hard. Perhaps for cold salads it's a matter of over cooking the pasta a bit.

Can I ask which places you've had trouble with? PM me if you don't want to publicly share it.
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

celiacmaine-iac · Joined: 19 Dec 2007 Posts: 702 Location: Maine

rpf1007 · Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 195 Location: Chicago

Talking about Chicago restaurants....has anyone tried any of the salads from Pompei? I called today and they seem somewhat clueless about ingredients and said that the croutons are placed directly beside the lettuce. Just wondering if anyone had tried them with success?

woodyzee · Joined: 03 Sep 2006 Posts: 83 Location: Northern Illinois

Al,

It sounds like you had a great trip. Chicago is pretty good for GF restuarants. Right in the same area as Weber Grill is P.F. Changs, Maggiano's and Ben Pao. I have had good luck with these and they all have GF menus. I have found that the waiters and cook staff at Ben Pao and Maggianos seem to be exceptionally careful.

I also ate at a terrific Mexican place, Frontera Grill. The first time I ate there I sent my dining card with the waitress. She came back with the menu and the chef and actually marked right on the menu my choices and said no problem. There were I believe 7 choices and the food was amazing. I went back about two weeks later and the chef at that time said he could "possibly" make me a salad but that nothing else was available as there was too much flour all over the kitchen to keep something GF Confused

So, I guess with anything it is hit or miss.

P.S. You should have ordered the calamari at DaLuciano's it is great! My husband who orders it whenever it is on the menu, likes this GF version even more than Bob Chinns calamari.

zip2play · Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 234

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8607 Location: WI, USA

zip2play · Joined: 24 Jan 2006 Posts: 234

Darn I was hoping it was closer! I won't have a car! Confused

DARN IT. Might have to see if someone can get us there!

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8607 Location: WI, USA

There's LOTS of stuff downtown... do you know where you'll be staying?

take a look here: http://www.celiacnearwest.org/Celiac_disease_restaurant_guide.html
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

aklap · Joined: 02 Oct 2004 Posts: 8607 Location: WI, USA

Vinci's and Marcello's are 2 place that I really want to try, but it just didn't work out.

Marcello's is supposed to have pretty good GF 'za [according to a local GF 'za expert Wink

]
_________________
Al

“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa