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hoopsgalore
| Favorite team: | Wisconsin  |
| Location: | Chicago |
| Biography: | |
| Interests: | |
| Occupation: | |
| Number of Posts: | 9049 |
| Registered on: | 11/8/2013 |
| Online Status: | Not Online |
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re: Argentina- tell me your experiences
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/16/26 at 4:49 pm to Fun Bunch
quote:
I’d be interested in going to Mendoza for wine in addition to BA.
Mendoza is fantastic. BA is great, as well - Palermo is a nice home base since it's safe and loaded with cocktail bars + restaurants. I always recommend Fierro Hotel. It's on the quieter side of Palermo (Palermo Hollywood), but still an easy walk over to Palermo SoHo. Great little restaurant inside and they have an on-premises sommelier that really knows his stuff.
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re: Definitive Chicago Thread / Guide
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/13/26 at 4:11 pm to dirtsandwich
I follow NHL and college from afar, but Bedard is fantastic - He's been dynamite so far this year. McDavid is wild. Saw him play last year @ Minnesota. I'm not too much of a hockey guy, but following college a bit more this year with Wisconsin playing so well.
re: Definitive Chicago Thread / Guide
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/12/26 at 5:04 pm to dirtsandwich
quote:
Had a nice meal at the bar at the Girl & Goat.
Awesome :cheers: Girl & The Goat was a West Loop pioneer in the 2010s, but has sort of fallen out of favor (relatively, of course) with WL's restaurant boom over the last half decade. However, my wife and I still find ourselves there every few months because it consistently delivers and service is fantastic.
Enjoy the Hawks game! Always a fun time.
re: Definitive Chicago Thread / Guide
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/10/26 at 7:10 am to dirtsandwich
Vaccine levels are low and hospitalizations are up, but I don't think anything has been unexpected with the new strain. Everyone is always walking around sick this time of year :lol:
re: Middle/West America Recs
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/7/26 at 10:37 am to LSUMaverick
Sequoia seems like a pretty equidistant option, but the summer National Park crowd will obviously require some planning now.
re: Definitive Chicago Thread / Guide
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/6/26 at 9:33 pm to dirtsandwich
quote:
Staying a couple of blocks from the Willis Tower. Looking for a relatively casual place to get solo dinner on a Sunday night. Not pizza. Maybe ethnic that I can’t get in Birmingham?
The Loop is not a good food neighborhood, by any stretch. For most food, and ethnic, you'll need to go into other neighborhoods. If you're willing, a few ideas are Demera (African), Lawrence Fish Market (Sushi), Triple Crown (Chinese dim dum), QXY (Chinese Dumplings), VAJRA (Indian), and Bundoo Khan (Indian / Pakistani). Otherwise, your options closer to The Loop are Minghin's South Loop location, Chengdu Bistro, Maharaj, or Qiao Lin.
quote:
Nicer place with bar seating? I’m open to suggestions.
Similar to food, The Loop is not really any sort of nightlife destination. If you need to stay in the area, though, Monk's and Industry Ales are good options for a beer.
Again, if you're willing to go into the neighborhoods (or even West Loop), I'd have a lot more recommendations for you.
To be completely honest, I can't remember the last time I voluntarily went to The Loop on a weekend, so my ideas for hanging at a bar is pretty limited :lol: In general, it's a very weekday 9-5 place.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 5:48 pm to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
quote:
A coworker said to check out Sanctuary (formerly Vermilion) and also Machine.
Any POV on those 2?
Just my opinion, but skip both. Machine is gimmicky as hell (they used to be in Wicker) and with Sanctuary, if you're doing Indian-Mexican fusion, Mirra is what you want. I think Sanctuary is showing temporarily closed, anyway. Not sure what's happening there.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 4:16 pm to keakdasneak
quote:
Haven't been yet, but Charis Listening Bar and Bisous are at the top of my list to check out.
Been trying to get to Charis myself. Will try for it next time I'm down around Osito's, The Alderman, Monochrome, etc. You been to Parachute HiFi since they reopened as a listening bar? It's fantastic.
Bisous is worth checking out if you haven't been, but I just can't bring myself to like it all that much. Been a couple times and it's just so, so busy. The menu is creative, but the number of drinks they're pumping out, especially on a weekend... I've gotten a couple pretty bad cocktails.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 4:11 pm to keakdasneak
quote:
I would add Sparrow to the list. I've tried to get into Gus' twice now and have given up due to having to stand in the cold.
Thought about adding Sparrow. Quick Uber from River North, for sure, but wasn't sure if that was just a tad outside the area OP was looking for.
re: Question for TigerHuskers.
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 1:29 pm to Muahahaha
quote:
So, are you saying that Indiana won’t be able to sustain this success?
Said nothing of the sort. Asking why programs can't be the same "level" is a fools errand. What Indiana is doing, is entirely unprecedented.
re: Question for TigerHuskers.
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 12:35 pm to Muahahaha
quote:
Watching Indiana make significant progress in just two years and rise toward the top of college football, why hasn’t Nebraska, with its strong history, been able to reach that same level?
Indiana is a unicorn.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 11:30 am to TFTC
quote:
Mister Tiger is in that old Porkchop location? I have changed up my route to the office slightly and bypass that little corridor of Grand... I need to mix it up a little more often as there has been some change in that area...
Honestly, not entirely sure what it was before but that general area has done very well in its revitalization in recent years. Friends of Friends is a very quick ride down Grand, as well, and they make fantastic cocktails. One of my newer favorite bars.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 11:26 am to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
quote:
Logan Square bars mentioned above seem cool but appears to be a good ways from downtown.
Eh, it's somewhere around 12-15 minutes on the Blue Line from Clark/Lake in The Loop. It's a worthwhile go if cocktail bars are your thing. In general, the best cocktail bars in Chicago aren't going to be in the immediate downtown area. They'll be in neighborhoods like Logan Square, Pilsen, etc.
quote:
I may actually change the hotel to river north. Any bars you would recommend in river north?
Gilt Bar (The Library is their basement cocktail lounge), Arbella, Dearly Beloved, Gus' Sip & Dip (might be a tough one), Three Dots (probably the most popular/touristy recommendation), and The Drifter (a classic under Green Door Tavern). Of these, Gilt Bar and Arbella likely what you most may be looking for.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/2/26 at 11:16 am to TFTC
quote:
hoops - Have you been to Creepies yet? Im going next Friday... I have high hopes given it's a Posey restaurant...
Yup! Relatively recently, actually. My wife loves mussels and maintains The Loyalist and Hopsmith are two of the best, but Creepies and Le Bouchon have come close. I also have a love-hate relationship with chicken at restaurants - it can go well, but also very poor but really enjoyed that, too. In general, I like Creepies because it's not a stuffy, pretentious space, which a lot of West Loop has fallen victim to in recent years.
As a random aside, we went to Mister Tiger with a couple friends this past Tuesday and it was a great meal. One of the best I've had in recent months. Was all the more impressed because their final seating was at 7:30 due to a private event, and we were 7:15. You can tell service was slightly rushed, which is fine, but absolutely nothing tasted rushed.
re: Anniversary trip to Chicago the third week in January — romantic spots needed
Posted by hoopsgalore on 1/1/26 at 11:27 pm to HoustonGumbeauxGuy
quote:
As we are approaching 50, we are not really into the nightclub scene but do enjoy a nice romantic restaurant restaurant followed by a dimly lit speakeasy bar.
Hogsalt restaurants will fit what you're looking for. You have Bavette's, but also look into Trivoli Tavern and Armitage Alehouse. Unfortunately, reservations are unlikely and you'll just need to put your name in with hostess on the earlier side of the evening. Few other ideas are Carino, Valhalla, Obelix, Osteria Langhe, and Monteverde. Have plenty more, obviously, but don't want to overwhelm with too many options.
Best cocktail bar neighborhood in the city is Logan Square - The Meadowlark, Billy Sunday, Scofflaw, Best Intentions, and Cara Cara Club just to name a few. Conveniently, aforementioned Osteria Langhe is in Logan, as well.
ETA: My Chicago thread guide has a pretty extensive list of cocktail bars if you'd like to run through that.
quote:
We are staying in downtown at the La Salle but be willing to take an Uber somewhere if it was worth it
The Loop? Yes, you'll want to... leave :lol: Very much 9-5 and can seem pretty desolate at night because everyone lives in the neighborhoods and many spots close shop early. No issue taking the train on your way to dinner and cocktails but Lyft/Uber back would probably be the move.
re: Chicago Bears idly threaten to relocate to Gary, IN
Posted by hoopsgalore on 12/19/25 at 8:49 am to TheePalmetto
quote:
Sure if you ignore the shitty parts and only focus on the high end suburbs that aren’t in the city limits.
Spoken like someone that doesn't know shite about Chicago.
re: Chicago Bears idly threaten to relocate to Gary, IN
Posted by hoopsgalore on 12/18/25 at 1:20 pm to Cosmo
quote:
More so than chicago.
Chicago kicks arse, btw
re: Bar Harbor to Quebec City
Posted by hoopsgalore on 12/18/25 at 10:21 am to subdude
At least for Bar Harbor, someone asked about places to eat [relatively] recently: LINK
re: NYC Dining
Posted by hoopsgalore on 12/4/25 at 6:53 am to Junkyard Hog
quote:
Peter Luger
St. Anselm is a short walk and would be my ultimate recommendation for steak, but I get why Luger is always mentioned.
quote:
I know, Brooklyn
Have zero idea what this means, but Brooklyn is fantastic. My dad lives next to McCarren Park in Williamsburg and I absolutely love visiting. Heading out for Christmas in a few weeks.
re: Prince St. Pizza opening location on Siegen
Posted by hoopsgalore on 12/3/25 at 5:52 am to BigBinBR
Prince St must have 20 locations around the US now, or close to it.
re: THC seltzers…. How are we drinking?
Posted by hoopsgalore on 12/1/25 at 4:20 pm to xBirdx
Eh, I drink them at a pretty even pace, as I would most other canned drinks.
Quite a few Chicago breweries have THC seltzer brands, so I usually opt for Dro (Maplewood) or Choom (Hopewell).
Quite a few Chicago breweries have THC seltzer brands, so I usually opt for Dro (Maplewood) or Choom (Hopewell).
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