Anyone have an acronym dictionary?

Just wait until Friday when the brown/purple lines esentially shut down. Only 9 days now and 9 in April but its going to be a total cluster****. Considering taking a bus to the blue line to try and avoid the mess.

I just took a 5-Hour Energy so I'm pretty hyper at the moment...

This is what I'm up to, in terms of Chicago-y things, in the very near future:

* Kuma's Corner on Thursday - Yeah, most of us have been there at least half a dozen times (10-12 for me, personally) and with good reason. But the reason I'm going Thursday is that it's February 28, a.k.a. the last day of the month, a.k.a. the last day to get their February Burger of the Month. This month's BOTM is a Southern-inspired creation (my favorite kind of cuisine) and it includes andouille, red beans and rice, collared greens, and one or two other ingredients. I'll let you know how it tastes. I'm also taking my girlfriend that day as she has never been (she's relatively new to Chicago).

* Technically neither of these things are in Chicago but they're both close enough that I'm including them here. On Saturday, the girlfriend and I are driving to Indiana to check out the Three Floyd's Brewery and on the way, we'll be stopping at Calumet Fisheries for some delectable smoked and/or fried seafood. I stopped by a few weeks on my way to a Butler basketball game and instantly fell in love with the place. Again, she's never been but she's an adventurous eater so I think she'll enjoy it. I think she thinks it's a sit down place though. Anyone ever been to the Three Floyd's tour?

* Next Monday, I'll be making my first visit to Kuma's Too at Clark and Diversey. I'll either be ordering the March BOTM, the Slayer, or the High on Fire.

* On Thursday, March 7, River North spot ItaliAsia is having a free ramen noodle making class that includes samples and wine pairings. I found out about it yesterday and emailed my RSVP to the restaurant. Apparently they have room for 40 people. No idea if it's full yet or not but if you're interested, the address is italiasia@martplaza.com. The event is called "The Art of Ramen Noodles" and it begins at 6:00 pm.

* Finally, based on recent history, Lollapalooza "secret sale" tickets should be made available online in the next couple of weeks (if not sooner). Hoping to overcome the seemingly one in ten thousand odds of getting one during the 60-120 seconds they are available. According to a couple different leaks/sources around the web, the following bands/artists are rumored to be playing Lolla in 2013: The Cure, Jay-Z, Mumford & Sons, Blur, Skrillex, The Flaming Lips, Vampire Weekend, My Bloody Valentine, MGMT, Tegan & Sara, Alabama Shakes, and several others.

Tons of good options obviously, only one you 100% can't miss is the aviary, but you probably already knew that

Is anyone else going day of the living ales on saturday at goose wrigley? I'll be there for the night session

Three bites of the Slayer has you feeling like you in the midst of a pit during Angel of Death; and not in the awesome way, IMO. That's a 4-man job, f' sho.

Ate there last night. Best things were Pastel, a kind of Empanada filled with chicken, peas, carrots, vermicelli, and boiled egg, served with sambal peanut sauce. Also the Rickshaw Wings, sort of a spicy/sweet sauce. Also the beef rendang.

Hit up Kuma's Too tonight. Got the Mastodon - BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar, fried onions. No frame of reference w/r/t the original, but it was really ****ing good. Next time I'll probably get one of the more "exotic" ones - gf got the Lair of the Minotaur (pancetta, brie, poached pear) and it was unreal good.

How long was the wait?

Got there at 6 so no wait at all. Not even 30 minutes later there was a line out the door, though.

sorry for grunching, this thread is huge.

Planning on a chicago vacation, need to find a hotel. Should I try for one in the city proper, or go on the outskirts a little bit? I'm no baller, so I'd like to save money on hotel where I can so I can spend more on entertainment. Is driving in and out of the city a pain?

What are you guys' favorite normal (read not super fancy /expensive) bars for beer lovers?

Old town pour house is great if going out

I'm in river North, so I can rarely make it out there, but Bad Apple is one of my favorites

Any others near River North you really like?

Driving in and out is a pain. Obviously you can stay in the city it's just going to be worse quality for the same price as what outside would be

You could stay in a suburban location near a train stop and not worry about driving.

There's a best western in lakeview. It's in a great area and gives you red line access(which runs 24/7)


River North and great beer bars aren't usually in the same sentence. Farmhouse is really good though and well worth going to

Old town and anything else somewhat close is fine. Just looking to not pay 20 for a cab

I'll be starting a new job near 600 W Jackson in a week or two. Never really spent any time in that part of the city. What are some standout places to eat within a 5-10 minute walk?

Looks pretty bare over there. Some solid places across the highway in Greektown, Artopolis is pretty well-liked by people in our office (I work at 800 W. Adams, Artopolis is Jackson & Halsted).

I haven't really sampled any of the places in Greektown. If we go out to eat after work it's usually up to somewhere on Randolph.

Chicago Beer Festival officially sold out today. Get your tickets on Craigslist.

There's always the American Beer Classic at Soldier Field this summer

I start an audit at 600 W Jackson next week.

There was NOTHING close for lunch really when I was out there in December.

Any ideas for a restaurant for a casual date that won't need a reservation in the bucktown area for tonight?

Not quite Bucktown, but Frontier on Milwaukee is a pretty good spot. Try the duck tacos.

you might want to call ahead just to be sure, but I'm a fan of antico

Suggestions at Antico?

hopefully you see this before going, I will say that a lot of stuff is really good, but the gnocchi stood out for me when I was there. They also do a really good polenta and braised short rib