Deep Dished Chicago

Skyscrapers. The generic American city invites us in Chicago. The grandeur of tall towers and condominiums reach dizzying heights, the vision of great architects jostling for space in a world reminiscent of Ayn Rand’s New York City.

Chicago is a melee of architectural marvels. Some are quite breath-taking, yet some of them are questionable monuments of human endeavour. Some are copies of Gothic architecture, interspersed by exuberant monuments of innovation. Something that I hoped to be translated into its food.

Chicago is famous for its deep dish pizza, barbequed ribs and Mexican food. I was taken by surprise at the influence that Mexican food had on the cuisine of Chicago. I mean, geographically Mexico is more than 2000 miles away from Chicago. It does show how much the Americans love Mexican food.

The first restaurant my jetlagged friends and I visited was, unsurprisingly, a Mexican restaurant. It was called ‘Flo’ and its décor was a reflection of the tried and tested minimalistic formula associated with the US. The walls were made of concrete, and unpainted. The tables and chairs were wood, and of the type associated with park benches. I had short rib tacos served with black beans and brown rice. It was all right.

Next morning was pancake. We went to Wildberry’s Pancakes and Café near Millenium Park. It was a Saturday. It was so busy that we had to wait for an hour for a table. The scent of maple syrup kept us company from a mile away, and while we waited motivated us to wait for a little bit longer. The irony of this visit was that I ended up having the Butcher Block Sizzling skillet, which was neither sizzling nor served on a skillet. It had ham, sausage, turkey sausage, chicken sausage and bacon, topped off with a couple of sunny-side-up eggs. It was a mishmash of miscellaneous meats, which wasn’t necessarily bad, but wasn’t pancakes.

Later in the evening, our group reached a critical mass, and we found ourselves at Lou Malnati’s. We had the Signature Chicago deep dish pizza. It was signature all right. It was deep, with lean sausages floating in a bright red gravy, encrusted, like weeds on a pond, by a thick layer of cheese. It was a pie! Or, lasagne without its sheets. But didn’t feel like a pizza.

Having reached critical mass, the group dismantled next day, with everyone wishing to explore personal tastes. With a dear friend, I travelled to the West Loop, to Green Street Smoked Meats. This was the highest point of my foodie journey in Chicago. This place is known for barbequed meats. We had beef brisket, pork belly and pork ribs. They were quite amazing, American style. Some reviews did complain about it being of Texas origin, yet not as authentic. To my novice taste buds, the meats tasted just fine. Also because it is practically impossible to find something as indulgent in the UK.

Now I was running out of ideas, and so did many members of my group. This probably brought everyone back together again, the next day. Our next destination was The Cheesecake Factory on N. Michigan Avenue. The décor was quite excessive, extremely reminiscent of the Alice in Wonderland. The menu reflected the décor, excessive, with pages after pages of dishes that took quite a while to navigate. But it was a cheesecake restaurant and had a huge selection. Irony, though grabbed me by my hands again and cuffed me, so that I became paralysed and ended up having Shrimp and Chicken Gumbo. It was still a good experience.

To follow up after The Cheesecake Factory, four of us climbed up to the 95th floor of the Hancock building to see the glimmering lights of Chicago, and though an extremely touristy thing to do, was absolutely worth it. Chicago is famous for its architecture, and what better way to observe it than from the 95th floor of a skyscraper!

I also visited the University of Chicago, and had a $1 coffee at their central library. It was the best $1 I spent on my visit.

Concluding remarks? I went for a neuroscience conference. But who really goes to a conference and

does not digress to explore the surroundings a little? In conclusion, my trip remained inconclusive. The wide expanse of Lake Michigan with its pearl blue waters seemed like they had lifted an ocean to their doorstep. I wanted to walk on it when it would freeze during winter. The monstrosity of the Trump tower juxtaposing the beautifully made in stone Chicago Tribune building of the romantic era, the Sears Tower looking down quietly from a great height while the Hancock building protruding from the surface of the earth with pride, all had stories to tell. I wanted to hear their stories, which I would have, had I lingered on a little bit more.

Chicago is as deep as its pizza. Its architecture, the thick crust of cheese, preserves the different flavours of its history, just like Lake Michigan protects life inside its bosom by forming a crust of ice on its surface in winter.