5 ms·

The list seems to intentionally avoid well-known delicious, popular spots (the aviary, au cheval, pequods, minghin, serai) in favor of hole-in-the-wall places w

by elhudy 8y ago

The list seems to intentionally avoid well-known delicious, popular spots (the aviary, au cheval, pequods, minghin, serai) in favor of hole-in-the-wall places which might not be as good but have edgy, hidden, or traditional vibes to them (violet hour, Marie's, Nicky's hot dogs). I do like some of the picks (Birrieria Reyes de Ocotlán is amazing) but there's a lot to be desired. Only one restaurant from Pilsen? And Al's beef... really? Then again, it would be damn tough to conglomerate a restaurant list for the city of Chicago that pleases everyone. Thanks for sharing, it was fun reading through these nostalgically.

reaperducer 8y ago
And Al's beef... really? Yeah. That right there shows that the list was made by someone who's never eaten in Chicago. Which would include any automated/AI-generated list. (For those outside of Chicagoland, Al's Beef is the McDonald's of Italian beef/hot dogs).
Fins 8y ago
Violet Hour is a hole-in-the-wall to the point of being almost impossible to find, but isn't it rated as one of the best bars in the country pretty consistently? But really, does anyone still take anything from Yelp as anything other than a joke?
- elhudy 8y ago
  I was referring to the Lthforum list, not the yelp one. Apologies if that was unclear. Violet Hour is great! I was just using it as an example as one of many proclaimed "hole-in-the-wall" or "hidden gem" examples. It's really not all that hard to find considering people line up consistently down the block.
  - Fins 8y ago
    Oh, right. Yes, LthForum, Eater etc. are actually quite useful. Yelp, not so much. Interestingly, first time I tried to find Violet Hour, maybe it was a slow night, but I just couldn't. With no line of people trying to get in it was nigh impossible. Aviary at least has a sign, not that it were easy to get in on a whim. Worth it, though.

by elhudy 8y ago

reaperducer 8y ago

And Al's beef... really? Yeah. That right there shows that the list was made by someone who's never eaten in Chicago. Which would include any automated/AI-generated list. (For those outside of Chicagoland, Al's Beef is the McDonald's of Italian beef/hot dogs).

Fins 8y ago

Violet Hour is a hole-in-the-wall to the point of being almost impossible to find, but isn't it rated as one of the best bars in the country pretty consistently? But really, does anyone still take anything from Yelp as anything other than a joke?

elhudy 8y ago
I was referring to the Lthforum list, not the yelp one. Apologies if that was unclear. Violet Hour is great! I was just using it as an example as one of many proclaimed "hole-in-the-wall" or "hidden gem" examples. It's really not all that hard to find considering people line up consistently down the block.
- Fins 8y ago
  Oh, right. Yes, LthForum, Eater etc. are actually quite useful. Yelp, not so much. Interestingly, first time I tried to find Violet Hour, maybe it was a slow night, but I just couldn't. With no line of people trying to get in it was nigh impossible. Aviary at least has a sign, not that it were easy to get in on a whim. Worth it, though.