When in Chicago, Eat the Dogs and Pizza

The April 11th Chicago Tribune Good Eating Section ran a special for the 2000 people attending the International Association of Culinary Professionals. The guide just wasn't for them, but readers as well, regular folk like you and me. It covered restaurants, chefs, chocolate, food markets, ethnic dining, kitchenware, RIBS/BBQ, wine and wine bars, gourmet food, tea, hotter-than-hot chefs, and Chicago icons.

Here were some of their suggestions for good eatin':

Pizzeria Uno and Pizzeria Due- 619 N. Wabash

Superdawg Drive-In- with giant winking wienies on roof. Suggest the all-beef Superdawg Chicago-style- 6363 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Billy Goat- "cheeseborger-cheeseborger-no Pepsi--------Coke" sketch from SNL. Original location 430 N. Michigan Ave.- lower level

Mr. Beef- "Rinky dink was never so charming. This River North eatery is known for two things. First, Italian beef sandwiches with a copious amount of thin beef in a doughy-yet-tasty French roll, and second, Jay Leno's on-air visit in 1996." 666 N. Orleans St.

Al's #1 Italian Beef- "an unpretentous red-and-white stand with tons of greasy spoon items. Go for the Italian beef sandwiches." 169 W. Ontario St.

Portillo's- it's a chain with 31 locations in the Chicagoland area, all serving the classic Italian beefs and Chicago-style hot dogs. One is at 100 W. Ontario.

Hot Doug's- "Owner Doug Sohn calls his restaurant an 'encased meat emporium' but habitues call it heaven. Way more than a hotdog stand, Hot Doug's is probably the only place in the city to get duck-fat fries (Sat. and Sun. only). Grab a dog-of-you-choice, from Chicago--style to a wild game sausage." 3324 N. California.

Space Napoli- Chicago is known for deep-dish pizza, but here you can get thin-crust, Neopolitan-style from a wood-burning oven. 1769 W. Sunnyside Ave.

Bella Bachino's- Pizza here is stuffed with an extra layer of dough. 75 E. Wacker.

Honey 1- the place for ribs, rib tips, and links. 2241 N. Western Ave.

Smoque- One of the newest bbq joints. Has several styles, including a Memphis dry rub, St. Louis babyback ribs, Carolina pulled pork, beef brisket and chicken. 3800 N. Pulaski Rd.

See "Insiders Food Guide to Chicago".

Makes Me Hungry Just Writing This!!! Cheeseborger, BBQ and Deep Dish, Please!!! --RoadDog