World Cup + Food

World Cup + Food (and West Chicago Dining/Shopping)

For those of you not tuned in to soccer/football/futbol happenings, the World Cup started on Friday and I have had a couple of World Cup-related food/dining experiences I wanted to share.

First, in Bari to pick up some sundries at the deli on Saturday afternoon during the Sweden-Trinidad and Tobago game. I could hear a TV going (Spanish-language feed) in the storage area behind the deli counter as I was waiting in line. From time to time, there would be a groan or a cheer (and this was in a game that ended 0-0 mind you) from the storage area behind the deli counter and all the sandwich makers would stop their work and run back there to check it out. It slowed things down a bit but made for a fun atmosphere.

Second, I was at El Tesoro (West Chicago location -- thanks to this thread, I had a fantastic solo lunch while my wife attended a baby shower in Geneva) on Sunday during the Portugal-Angola game. While I'm usually not a big fan of TVs in restaurants (although the TVs in El Tesoro were placed in such a manner as to not be the overwhelming focus of the dining area), hearing the oohs and ahhs and shouts during the game from the largely Mexican crowd (and it's not like it was Mexico playing) was great. Oh yeah, and the food (ceviche tostada, al pastor and lengua tacos) was excellent and the service was top-notch (the friendly waitresses were exceedingly nice to my five month-old son, who admittedly is hard not to like as he is in his cooing and smiling phase -- which made the experience of dining alone with a small child easier on me). Incidentally, El Tesoro is in somewhat of a Mexican strip mall of sorts, and I had a great time cruising the aisles of the Supermercado La Chiquita right next door and picking up a few things. I didn't really see a whole lot you can't get in various places in the city, but this is a Dominick's/Jewel-sized store (with corresponding sized butcher and fish counters and bakery) and I enjoyed not feeling quite so cramped so I could stroll at my leisure, and the increased shelf space made it easier for me to see the range of what was on offer.

But back to the World Cup -- I would encourage anyone with an interest to get out to any family-type European, Latin American, Middle Eastern or African restaurants (can't really say I've ever been in an Asian place televising a game, but that may be an option too) during a time when a game is on. (There's also always the English/Irish pub option -- but I prefer a place where the game is kind of a secondary thing but still adds to the electricity.) For a potentially more intense experience, consider matching the establishment with the country playing at a particular time. Or stroll around a particular type of ethnic neighborhood and pop your head in to different places during game time. It really can be a delightful experience. I'd also be curious to hear where others would recommend for checking out a game -- both game-focused places and places like those mentioned above where the game is in the background but still very much in the consciousness of the establishment.

El Tesoro
129 W Roosevelt Rd
West Chicago
630-293-0190

Supermercado LA Chiquita
133 W Roosevelt Rd
West Chicago
630-231-0098

I'm pretty sure a number of the korean spots around town will have it on, at least during the S. Korean matches, I don't know if any japanese places will be following their teams during eating hours.

The Korea Daily and Korea Times have rented out Medieval Times in Schaumburg for tomorrow's 8 am match against Togo. They're expecting 3000.

As exciting as that sounds I'm trying to find some place that might actually be serving Korean food. Do you have specific knowledge of some place, Cheeku?

zim wrote:I'm pretty sure a number of the korean spots around town will have it on, at least during the S. Korean matches, I don't know if any japanese places will be following their teams during eating hours.

Since Japan is likely to be eliminated in the first round (my supposition) and they played the first game at 8 am today....

I'm pretty sure I watched a mach last cup at jang mo nim, haven't been since the change over.

LeeK, japan's got at least two more games.

zim wrote:LeeK, japan's got at least two more games.

I bet you a dollar they don't make the next round

For what it's worth, I'll agree with leek...

Surely there's a big crowd at El Mercado (and next door Tango Sur?). I know the TV is on on Sundays for the Argentinian league games at El Mercado. I have heard that during a previous World Cup (and prior to TS), El Mercado's Che Rodolfo would have empanadas for everyone there...

El Mercado
3767 N. Southport Avenue
Chicago, IL 60613

sazerac wrote:Surely there's a big crowd at El Mercado (and next door Tango Sur?). I know the TV is on on Sundays for the Argentinian league games at El Mercado. I have heard that during a previous World Cup (and prior to TS), El Mercado's Che Rodolfo would have empanadas for everyone there...

I think Argentina is playing at 8 am Friday?

m'th'su wrote:As exciting as that sounds I'm trying to find some place that might actually be serving Korean food. Do you have specific knowledge of some place, Cheeku?

I believe Orange on Lincoln will be showing all S. Korea matches (though I'm not a big fan of their food).

They have a big projection screen that worked well for the World Baseball Classic.

leek wrote:

zim wrote:LeeK, japan's got at least two more games.

I bet you a dollar they don't make the next round

I wasn't suggesting that japan was going far in the tournament (though it looks like they'll go as far as the US), just that there were more opportunities to see them play

I'd think an Ecuadorano place would be rocking these days. Have I mentioned how good the bar is at Mi Ciudad (Cuenca)? And the chaufan, a Cuenca Chinese-Ecuadoran specialty.

JeffB wrote:I'd think an Ecuadorano place would be rocking these days. Have I mentioned how good the bar is at Mi Ciudad (Cuenca)? And the chaufan, a Cuenca Chinese-Ecuadoran specialty.

Given this morning's score, I imagine Tango Sur is going wild right now! I wish I could head over there now ...

Crespo was amazing.

Antonius

I got to imagine Operetta*'s rocking with the Czechs. In the past, they have hosted a lot of Czech hockey activity.

*A worthy GNR candidate if anyone besides me would ever go

DY wrote:

m'th'su wrote:As exciting as that sounds I'm trying to find some place that might actually be serving Korean food. Do you have specific knowledge of some place, Cheeku?

I believe Orange on Lincoln will be showing all S. Korea matches (though I'm not a big fan of their food).

They have a big projection screen that worked well for the World Baseball Classic.

In fact, I was there on Tuesday. Not very crowded at all but I expect that'll be different Sunday afternoon. Yuk gae jang, fried chicken and an omelet with rice were so-so but kind of novel at 8 am. I am thinking of going to the Purple Hotel on Touhy Sunday, where the official newspaper sponsored rally is.

C'on. For Korean sports bar action, it has to be Hourglass.

Friends and I went to Ethiopian Diamond for last Sunday's Angola vs. Portugal game, hoping for some pan-African unity (and were not disappointed). They have a giant screen in the back area and a sign out front proclaiming that they are open early for World Cup games.

The restaurant was not that crowded, and the front area was still fairly quiet, but the fans gathered proved great fun. Oh, and of course, the food -- alichas and watts and injera and all -- was terrific.

JeffB wrote:C'on. For Korean sports bar action, it has to be Hourglass.

It's been awhile since I've been, but I don't remember seeing any large TVs there ... though their Korean bar food is good.

I didn't mention any large TVs. There's a TV over the bar, though.

Sorry, I meant that I don't remember seeing anything there (e.g., large TVs) that suggested that it would be a good place to watch sports.

I guess I can swing by on reconnaissance and grab some fried chicken before tomorrow's game.

editing embarrassing and somewhat inebriated reference to Mexico v. Ghana, which was, in fact, Mexico v. Angola. I blame the 6th bottle of Bohemia for the error.

1) England v. Trinidad and Paraguay v. Sweden at Rudy's Taste. One relatively small TV with sound was plenty big and loud enough for this small storefront. Cabbies, local restauranteurs, and neighborhoodies kept coming in and out to check scores, watch a few minutes, and occasionally pick up a quick bite. My friends and I stayed and were extremely welcomed for over 4 hours, pitchers of margaritas in tow (Rudy's is byob). We happily shared our goods with guests and proprietors alike, all of whom were greatly appreciative. We were most appreciative of the amazing Guatemalan food which has been detailed in other LTH posts.

2) Mexico v. Angola at Lalo's on Clybourn. I wouldn't go to Lalo's for the food alone (though the guac was fresh and tasty), but the ambience was perfect. We were the only gringos among dozens of passionate Mexican fans watching in the bar area on the huge projection TV and several smaller TV's. Sound was great, atmosphere was electric, bottles of bohemia were refreshing, and service was adequate if a bit aloof.

3) USA v. Italy at Frasca. Alternating glasses of prosecco with shots of espresso, and intermixing some truly excellent pizza seemed appropriate for this event. As un-Italian as the staff might be, they were really into this game, as were 7-8 other patrons at the bar. It actually surprised me that they had the World Cup on in lieu of the Cub game (with the sound), given the place's relative proximity to Wrigley.
(by the way, I'm no uber-nationalist, but the U.S. was robbed!)

Rudy's Taste
1024 N. Ashland Ave.
Chicago

Lalo's Restaurant
1960 N. Clybourn Ave.
Chicago

Frasca Pizzeria and Wine Bar
3358 N. Paulina St.
Chicago

We arrived several hours after the match, but Mr. Spacca Napoli had his Italy jersey on last night. We were still sore about the miserably incompetent officiating, so we didn't talk to him about the match. We got to the restaurant about 8 pm, and it was packed. Everything was running efficiently, though, and we were soon seated in the outdoor area. The staff responded to an umbrella emergency swiftly and with good humor, the amazing pizzas and some prosecco put us in a much better mood regarding things Italian, and we'll certainly go back to celebrate the Azzuri's vistory over the Czechs!

There's a Ghanaian restaurant called Palace Gate around the corner from us (Wilson at Magnolia) but I'm not sure whether they have televisions and/or World Cup excitement. There didn't seem to be much celebratory activity over there last night and, alas, I was at work during the day so I couldn't go over there during the match to check it out. I'll report back if we try it (has anyone else been?).

I saw the first half of the US/Italy match at the Hunt Club, where I've been seeing much of this World Cup because it's close to my workplace. There was a fairly enthusiastic and knowledgable crowd there yesterday, and the turkey avacado sandwich was enormous and tasty. The staff has been consistently friendly, and they have been attentive and quick, a big advantage when dining out in a busy place on a Saturday afternoon lunch break. It doesn't have the atmosphere of the Globe, but I'd highly recommend it for any football fans in the Gold Coast area.

The Hunt Club
1100 North State (at Maple)
312.988.7887

Spacca Napoli
1769 W. Sunnyside
773.878.2420

Im surprised that there has been no mention of Gingers ale house, the number one bar to watch soccer in the US. Heres an excerpt from usasoccer.com...

Best Soccer Bar: Ginger's Ale House (Chicago, Ill.)
Ginger’s Ale House ran away with the Best Soccer Bar award with 54.9 percent of the total votes, becoming the first three-time winner in any category since the contest began in 2002. Ginger’s, located in Chicago, also won the award in 2003 and 2004, proving to be the top soccer viewing destination in the country.
Best Soccer Bar - Top 3 Voting Results
Ginger's Ale House (Chicago, Ill.) 54.9%
The Globe (Chicago, Ill.) 7.7%
Nevada Smith's (New York, N.Y.) 6.7%


http://www.gingersalehouse.com/about.shtml

Just watched Brazil beat Australia (on Brazilian TV) at the home of Brazilian friends of ours -- lots of ambience and good food, though not quite a public space. BTW, Mexico played against Angola, NOT Ghana, which surprised everyone by clobbering the Czechs. Watching Ghana-US in a Gahanin restaurant should really be interesting ...

On page 3 of the Tribune's Metro section today there is a short article on the activity in the heavily Italian stretch of Harlem on the Northwest side yesterday during the World Cup final. Down here, in the Taylor Street part of town, there also were a lot of folks watching and ultimately celebrating.

I watched at home, after a lunch of Masi's bread and some sausage (cacciatore) and olives from Graziano's. To celebrate, I had some Peroni Nastro Azzurro that Amata had thoughtfully purchased for me for just this occasion.

Antonius

Because someday this may be of use to someone in the future:

Chef Klaus' Bierstube
679 N La Grange Rd
Frankfort, IL 60423-1347
(815) 469-0940

When I was there recently, they had soccer games going on their television.

Regards,