I first encountered restaurant reviews in my dad’s subscription to The New Yorker. I skipped through each month’s magazine right to “Tables for Two” before going back through the comics. I often didn’t recognize some of the foods described in the reviews, and that’s what appealed to me the most. Well, that, and eating. I love food. The idea that there were more foods and food combinations to try than I could ever imagine drew me to food. It’s art, it’s pleasure, it’s science, it’s…necessary to live.
I lived in Evanston, IL (the “dining capital of the North Shore”) until recently, and now I live right in downtown Chicago. My recent move has afforded me the proximity to a lot of Loop and South Side restaurants I’ve been dying to try. The first: Calumet Fisheries.
It’s tiny. There’s nowhere to sit- you have to eat in your car or stand outside. You walk out reeking of fish. I’m not sure the kid that works there can remember anything for more than 2 seconds. The drive down there was a bit sketchy. They don’t accept credit cards.
It’s delicious and I’m going back next weekend.
The smoked shrimp, recommended by the guy at the counter, won the prize. They’re slightly smoky but not overwhelming, as I imagined they might be. They’re huge and salty. You have to peel the shells off but I imagine leaving them in their shells is the best bet for smoking. A close second, much to my surprise, were the fried shrimp. I even took a fork to the crunchies that fell off the shrimp when I was out of shrimp. They fry them up right before they pack them in take-out containers, so they’re nice and fresh and HOT. I burned my mouth. We also ordered fried scallops. They, too, were tasty. I washed it all down with a nice bottle of Ice Mountain. You’ll also have a wide range of Crush sodas to choose from, too. No diet soda here. I’d actually recommend getting a soda just to get the fishy taste out of your mouth when you’re done.
Down sides? Down sides, anyone? Eating outdoors or in the car is a bit messy, but it’s a shop, not a restaurant. No wet naps, just dry ones. Slow-ish service. None of these down sides are enough not to come back, though. And I don’t usually care about anything but food. Prices- A pound of smoked shrimp is $20.99. We got a half-pound for two, along with a half order or each of the fried creatures. It’s definitely priced fairly..they smoke it themselves!
http://www.calumetfisheries.com/ for pics of Anthony Bourdain’s visit for his show, “No Reservations”, as well as pricing and location.
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