Month: June 2004

AlbuquerqueClosed in 2005Gone But Not ForgottenMexican

Fiesta Flavors – Albuquerque, New Mexico (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno

Mixed fruit cups, buttered corn nibblet cups, fruity refreshing beverages and frozen fresh fruit treats are the centerpieces of several quickly growing niche chains, one of which launched an Albuquerque shop in the spring of 2004. That niche includes both diet and health conscious treat seekers as well as the growing Hispanic market, making the Duke City a natural choice for Fiesta Flavors. Niche or not, the intriguing menu has something for everyone. The fruit cups, whether mixed or as a single fruit offering, are served with your choice of three toppings: a sweet and creamy blend of sweetened and flavored sour cream, a low-fat and sugar free yogurt and best of all, the Fiesta chili blend of salt, lime…

IllinoisKorean

Kimchy Cabana – Niles, Illinois

Gil Garduno

To the unenculturated, the pungent emanations of Korean kimchy (pickled and fermented cabbage) are malodorous and offensive to the olfactory senses. To the Korean people, however, kimchy is so much more than a national dish; it’s a family treasure handed down from one generation to another over the millenniums. The influx of Korean war brides following the Korean War and beyond has meant the gradual introduction into the American mainstream of kimchy and other Korean culinary arts. Having experienced Korean cuisine from coast to coast, it has always impressed me to find Korean food remarkably consistent–usually at least good and often excellent. Kimchy Cabana certainly ranks with the best I’ve had yet. Our inaugural dining experience was made even better…

BarbecueClosed in 2009Gone But Not ForgottenIllinois

Bobby Q’s – Arlington Heights, Illinois (CLOSED)

Gil Garduno

I first read about Bobby Q’s on Chowhound’s Chicago board in November, 2003. A newcomer to the Chicago area barbecue scene launched in July, 2003, it was immediately embraced by barbecue aficionados who tend to dismiss most interlopers as pretenders and frauds. Within months, the restaurant named for the owners’ toddler’s pronunciation of “barbecue” was earning accolades and honors in a specialized area which tends to be cynical and unwelcoming. The house sauces, a spicy Cajun sauce and a sweet Texas sauce have both been accorded with national recognition–20th best barbecue sauce in the entire country and a third place honor for the Cajun sauce in Kansas City’s American Royal competition. In 2004, AOL’s City Guide Chicago made Bobby Q’s…

IllinoisItalian

Graziano’s Brick Oven Pizza – Niles, Illinois

Gil Garduno

Italian beef, barbecue ribs, deep dish pizza–these delectable delights don’t come close to fully defining the Windy City’s culinary scene, but they are the foods most often associated with with America’s most populous lakeside epicurean hotbed–and rightfully so. When it comes to that tasty triumvirate, no American city does it better. It takes an excellent product to compete when prospective diners are savvy and sophisticated as is my brother-in-law Tim who introduced me to this great pizzeria. Graziano’s Brick Oven Pizza is certainly no pretender, featuring honest-to-goodness food that can be categorized only as “terrific” or any synonym thereof. A casual ambience, tables in close proximity to one another, movie posters and a cacophonous din of rushed wait staff and…

IllinoisPizza

Gino’s East of Chicago – Lake Zurich, Illinois

Gil Garduno

Ostensibly no one knows more about a city’s best dining destinations than the taxi drivers who ferry famished fares there…or at least, that’s the theory. The original Gino’s East was founded in 1966 by taxi drivers who lured away the pizza chef at Chicago’s Pizzeria Uno and started their own pizzeria. Gino’s East now relies on those taxi drivers for those precious and essential word of mouth referrals when passengers inquire as to the best pizzeria in a city of outstanding pizzerias. Once a year, the original Gino’s East rewards cabbies for those referrals by giving them a free personal pan pizza. That’s just a little bit of marketing genius, but in a blue collar city, slick marketing isn’t good…

Hot DogsIllinoisSandwich

Superdawg Drive-In – Chicago, Illinois

Gil Garduno

Some of today’s Marvel comic book heroes such as Captain America and the Submariner had their genesis in the 1940s where they crusaded against oppressive regimes fighting to subjugate America’s freedoms. Maurie Berman (himself a recently returned G.I. from World War II) and his wife Flaurie looked no further than the superhero genre when naming their unique roadside hot dog stand, on the roof of which stand statues of well defined male and female anthropomorphic hot dogs attired in leopard skin togas. Today, while serving as both beacons to the restaurant as well as vigilant guardians protecting its south vantage, those hot dog icons beckon passers-by with their winking and blinking eyes. Superdawg has become America’s premier hot dog restaurant–a…