If one more cab driver tells me I live in the same neighborhood as Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel, I may purposely vomit in their taxi and not pay the 50 dollar fine. Yes, mayor Rahm Emanuel “supposedly” lives in Ravenswood. One day, he even boarded the same train as me at the Montrose stop. He passed through the turnstile with his suited body-guard, waited on the platform within arm’s reach of me, and departed downtown to be picked up by the same black town car that dropped him off. Rahm don’t walk.
But the neighborhood of Ravenswood has more to offer than a political figure.
- Below the Montrose El Train stop is the sweetest place in all of Chicago, Margie’s Candies. One of two locations, the other located below the Western Blue Line stop in Logan Square, Margie’s Candies offers every type of ice cream, fudge, and probably boasts the best turtle sundae in the world. Service is impeccable and the hot chocolate is addicting. I indulged this illness by stopping into Margie’s for a hot chocolate every single summer day.
- Also below the stop is the delectably-cheap Mexican torta cafeteria, El Torito Restaurant and Taqueria. Have you ever had a torta? An authentic Mexican torta? After living in Mexico, and thus acquiring authentic snobbery attitude, I’m usually not very fond of most Mexican restaurants in Chicago. Unfortunately, most don’t provide the traditional taste of the homeland, but sport the Tex-Mex border food instead. However, El Torito Restaurant and Taqueria is the real deal Mexican cafeteria. Huge breaded Torta buns, slathered with guacamole, choice of meat(s) ranging from marinated pork, chicken, or steak, picante red or green salsa, green peppers dipped in egg and fried, onion, and cheese . And did I mention extremely inexpensive? Don’t forget about the Horchata to wash it all down.
- Sauntering down Montrose Street, your next food stop is Glen’s Diner. Featured on “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives,” Glen’s prepares fresh caught fish daily. It’s a cozy diner. If you’re not looking for fish in the sea, they also have a cereal bar. Lobster Fettucine is my guilty pleasure. More expensive than El Torito. Reservation is necessary.
- Still hungry? Always. Maybe ready for a beer? Fountainhead. During the summertime, the rooftop garden is the prime place to sip one of the twenty-six beers on tap or to choose from their extensive wine or whisky list.
- Maybe you need some coffee as a digestive? Hop the train, take it one stop to Damen, and snuggle into a couch at The Perfect Cup. Or stop by Baker and Nosh on Wilson, which is warm with homemade bread and laced with vegan options. The garden patio is ideal for summer iced coffee slurping.
- Time to party? Gay bar or straight? Gay? Go to Scot’s Bar. It’s a fantastic dive bar for a cheap drink and fun conversation with a friend or lover. Straight? I recommend Carol’s on Clark and Leland, technically on the border of Uptown and Ravenswood. Usually ranked in the top 20 Dive bars of Chicago, walking into this 4 a.m. bar might appear that you’ve stepped on another planet or in the nasty part of Nashville. A honky-tonk country bar, the house band’s median age is 65. Beer pitchers before 10 p.m. are $8. There’s even a man who has set up shop in a booth, willing to draw your caricature in less than five minutes for whatever price you feel like donating. The patrons are talkative and interesting. If you’re a good singer, you can join the live band and karaoke. Very welcoming and warm.
- Hungover hungry but still want something, you know, classy? Marmalade on Damen and Montrose. It serves extraordinary brunch, and is something I tragically miss while living in Spain. Brunch is a very, very American thing. Embrace it.
- Trashy hungover hungry? Byron’s on Lawrence and Hermitage. This is Obama’s declared favorite hot dog place in all of Chicago, and I guarantee, he ventured here when hungover during his time at the University of Chicago. That’s obviously speculation, NSA. They even catered at the White House. Hamburgers, empanadas, fries, bratwurst, and every other fried, gorgeously-greasy food that will satisfy the sloshing beer clotting your colon from the night before.
- Am I gonna get fat living in Ravenswood? Yes. Fin Sushi Bar at the corner of Hermitage and Wilson is Michelin approved. Ireland’s Four Provinces at Ravenswood and Wilson is Guinness approved. Spacca Napoli at Ravenswood and Sunnyside is not Guido approved, but delivers a helluva Italian pizza. Its Bufalina Pizza was listed in the top 100 Nation’s Best Pizza of 2013.
And, cabbie, next time you want to give me a tour of my neighborhood with the highlight being Rahm Emanuel’s home, which isn’t creepy at all, I’m going to have to stop you right there. Instead, please drive me to 4646 North Hermitage, the historic landmark that was the home to Pulitzer prize-winning poet and American author Carl Sandburg, the man who famously described the Second City in his legendary poem Chicago.
“Hog Butcher for the World/Tool Maker, Stacker of Wheat/Player with Railroads and the Nation’s Freight Handler,/Stormy, Husky, Brawling, City of the Big Shoulders.”
Yes. Cabbie, take me there.
