Welcome to the second iteration of the What We Ate series! In this one, we went to Chicago – one of my absolute favorite cities – and did what damage we could!
Like it was in New Mexico: What We Ate the theme of this trip was largely quick-and-inexpensive. I make absolutely no claims that this is any sort of best-food-in-Chicago-list. That article has been written a million times by people way more knowledgeable than I. This is just a snapshot of some of the amazing things we got to experience while in the windy city!
As any good trip to Chicago should go, we started with getting a deep dish pizza delivered from Lou Malnati’s. I have mixed feelings about Chicago-style pizza (sometimes it’s just too much, sorry guys) but this one is absolutely my favorite. I’m no expert, and I definitely haven’t tried them all, but I know for sure that this one rules. We got the Malnati Chicago Classic, which is sausage and cheese on their famous Buttercrust™. Just look at that name. They trademarked it! How can you resist a place that believes in rich, buttery crust so hard that they trademark it?





- Molly’s cupcakes – we grabbed the Peanut Butter Nutella, the Tiramisu, the S’mores and the Raspberry and Cream. Every single one of them was melt-in-your-mouth unbelievable. I especially loved the graham cake on the S’mores one – I’ve never had a graham that rich and dense. They were out of one of the ones we were hoping for – the Samoa – and that’ll have to be next time, because my sister insists they’re to die for!
- Taco in a Bag– we ate this at Riot Fest and I just want to compliment them on the excellent festival food idea. It’s essentially corn chips loaded with toppings in a little insulated bag. Super portable, high calorie, super flavorful, relatively inexpensive – the perfect festival treat. We got The Norberto which they describe as “spicy braised chicken thigh, sauteed pepper and onion, pepper jack, avocado jalapeno sauce, dried cranberry and cilantro”. Their brick-and-mortar location appears to be closed but it looks like they’re still on the event circuit!
- Island Noodles- we ate here at Riot Fest as well. I’ve had their noodles before and they’ve been great, but this may just have been an off day. Delicious flavor but so, so over-the-top salty. It didn’t work for me on that humid Chicago afternoon.
- Devil Dawgs– we grabbed Chicago dogs, which admittedly aren’t quite as good as Portillo’s but still are damn delicious. But the real star of this meal was actually The Clucker- their fried chicken sandwich served on a pretzel roll. So decadent, I’m still thinking about it.
Currently Listening: That 1 Guy – Set the Controls for the Heart of the Buttnoggin