Chicago suggestions

OT for a sec: This question has probably been addressed elsewhere, and so apologies if it has.... But Robin, what's the thing attached to the upper left hand corner of my avatar, just out of curiosity? That blue strip that appears to have writing on it? Just wondering.

[edited: and I guess with a "d'oh!" because I couldn't see it til it refreshed. Uh. Okay, I get it. ]

I can't believe that you haven't considered Moto.....

http://www.motorestaurant.com/flash/index.html

With the stuff you are trying to do at the Oakroom this seems to be a "must" ....

A large group of us from Equus dined there a few years back and found it quite "interesting"

You never know what crazy idea that Chef Homaro Canto will come up with...

Moto is not my cup of tea, but I have seen his work on TV and it is very interesting.

you've got to be shitting me! no more authentic mexican cuisine served from the little stands? damn, I guess I have to go to Red Hook, Brooklyn now.

Yeah, still probably one of the best places in Chicago for authenic Mexican cuisine, just not an authentic Maxwell Street experience. It may be a great ethnic/city market,which is what maxwell was,the Ellis island of the midwest,Jew town as it was called, its simply should not have been renamed Maxwell Street. Its not on Maxwell street,the move put many people out of business, it ruined a local music scene, and was a slap in the face of all the vendors that banded together against the move. Many people say it also was a blow to the soul food scene. The thing that adds insult to it all is, after UIC bought the land and had the city raze the whole market for the school expansion, it never happend and the land was sold to private contractors for condos.I know its a nice, clean, safe place to for good mex food, but its just not maxwell street. As a side question, what Mexican region would you say is most represented by the cuisine there?

you've got to be shitting me! no more authentic mexican cuisine served from the little stands? damn, I guess I have to go to Red Hook, Brooklyn now.

Yeah, still probably one of the best places in Chicago for authenic Mexican cuisine, just not an authentic Maxwell Street experience. It may be a great ethnic/city market,which is what maxwell was,the Ellis island of the midwest,Jew town as it was called, its simply should not have been renamed Maxwell Street. Its not on Maxwell street,the move put many people out of business, it ruined a local music scene, and was a slap in the face of all the vendors that banded together against the move. Many people say it also was a blow to the soul food scene. The thing that adds insult to it all is, after UIC bought the land and had the city raze the whole market for the school expansion, it never happend and the land was sold to private contractors for condos.I know its a nice, clean, safe place to for good mex food, but its just not maxwell street. As a side question, what Mexican region would you say is most represented by the cuisine there?

Hard to say . . .and that's what I like about it. here in Louisville we mainly have Puebla cuisine. At Maxwell you can find all kinds, including a lot of food from Jalisco.

Here is a good guide to the grub there: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=1394&highlight=maxwell+guide