SYKoppel wrote: >Cajun: Heaven on Seven on Rush Good suggestion, though I like the original in the Garland building a lot better. It is not open at night though. >Chinese: Phoenix on Archer Also a good suggestion, be sure to ask for the chili oil, they do not put it on the table as a matter of course. >Vietnamese: Le Colonial downtown or the small restaurant that no one remembers >the name of on Clark Street in Evanston For upscale Vietnamese food, I like Pasteur. I also like Dong Ky and Pho Hung. Both have spicy condiments and sauces on the table. Dong Ky has great spring rolls, they are plump and full of shrimp and Chinese sausage and at $2.50 for 2 the price can't be beat. The dipping sauce is good also. I like the Pho at Pho Hung.. I usually order the Superbowl, which is a combo of all the various cuts of beef that they use. > >Thai, I don't really have a favorite, they're all about the same to me. I have found Thai Aree to be an excellent Thai restaurant. They will make the food as spicy as you wish and they do not "dumb" down the spice for non-Asian customers. Medium is almost too hot for the average customer and when I am with fellow chili heads we order hot. Hot means hot there and is extremely spicy. I once went there alone for dinner and ordered extra hot, as I am a semi-regular customer they were happy to accommodate me. I can tell you that this was as hot as I could eat and maybe even a little hotter than that. Another good place for hot food is Yak-Zies, this is a bar and grill that has good burgers and my favorite hot wings in the city. Yak-Zies has 5 levels of wings: Mild, Medium, Hot, Oh my gosh and Killer. The Killer wings are Oh my gosh that are rolled around in powdered cayenne pepper. They are VERY hot. Yak-Zies is also a nice bar to have a drink in. I really like hot food and imagine as soon as I post this I will think of a few more. Enjoy, Gary Pasteur Cafe 5525 N Broadway Chicago IL. 60640 773-878-1061 Dong Ky 4879 N Broadway 773-989-5579 Pho Hung 1129 W Argyle 773-275-1112 Thai Aree 3592 N. Milwaukee Ave. Chicago, IL. 60641 773-725-6751 Yak-Zies 506 W. Diversey Chicago, IL. 60614 773-327-1717 Heaven on Seven 111 N Wabash Ave Chicago, IL 60602 312-263-9444
Chicago, IL
Spicy Food
6 months ago I'd suggest Soul Kitchen in Wicker Park; at the big North/Milwaukee/Damen intersection. They have fantastic spicy kinda southern style food. But WARNING: Check your bill carefully!! They brought our bill, we checked it out and put out a credit card. When the waiter returned with the credit card receipt it was $60.00 higher the the actuall bill !! Okay let's not assume the worst, I've been eating there since they opened on Chicago Avenue, never had any problem. But, when we called the waiter over to call his attention to it he cut me off before I said what the problem was, said, "Oh I'll fix that for you" as he picked up the receipt. He obviously knew about it as we didn't get a chance to explain it and he didn't look at the check. So he'd understand why he got no tip we suggested that in the future he work on his timing and his acting so the next dupe might actually believe it was a mistake. (BTW: I willingly tip generously, even for not so great service and don't look for excuses not to tip. This was an outright scam.) It probably works most of the time though 'cause there's always a wait and the Martinis kick ass! A couple of those & you'll fall for anything. But give me the old hole in the wall Soul Kitchen with BYOB. DD In article , [email removed] (N. Yonover) wrote: >I'm hoping to open Pandora's sister's treasure chest with this >request. > >I'm looking for great spicy food in Chicago (any cuisine). > >Have any suggestions? > >Thanks. > >Neal >
To bring the conversation away from Asian a bit, I'd like to suggest a few other spicy options. Louisiana Kitchen, 2666 N. Halsted St., 773/529-1666 Probably the most authentic Cajun/Creole food on the North Side. Blue Mesa, 1729 N. Halsted St., 312/944-5990 New Mexican and Mexican fare. Dudley Nieto (formerly of Chapulin) is cooking there now. His mole (a special) is awesome. Dish, 3651 N. Southport Ave., 773/549-8614 Contemporary American with a Southwestern flair. Get something that comes with the corn/black bean/chili relish. These aren't necessarily fiery, but the food offers complex flavors along with heat. Leah Zeldes