On the Road: My Kind of Town, Chicago is

Summer vacation took us to Chicago in August. The Second City, on the banks of Lake Michigan, has always been a favorite of mine. It's the perfect city for outdoor pursuits, first class museum and delicious food. You've got all the benefits of a major world city with a heaping side dish of good ol' Midwestern friendliness. Plus, some of my favorite people in the world live there, so I know Chicago and I will be a part of each others lives for many years to come. Some of my favorite eats this time around...

Mambo Grill

412 N. Clark St. (between Hubbard and Kinzie)

Chicago, IL 60610

(312) 467-9797

We stopped at Mambo Grill for a quick pre-theatre meal before Jersey Boys. The decor was a bit too dark and understated for a Latin American restaurant, but the food more than made up for it. Though known for their mojitos, we opted to sample the margaritas, which were tart and clearly homemade. For me, the highlight of a meal is often a delicious and fresh bread basket - a detail Mambo Grill definitely did not overlook. When we sat down, they brought a heaping basket of warm bread, lightly flavored with jalapenos and accompanied by an orange pepper butter. We enjoyed the Coconut-Curried Tilapia and the Guava Glazed Pollo for our entrees and were out the door just in time to make our show.

Chicago Bagel Authority

953 W. Armitage Ave.

Chicago, IL 60614

(773) 248-9606

Some of my fondest memories of college involve braving the 2am crowds at Bagel and Deli for a late night bagel sandwich to last the long (and by long I mean three block...this was before my city days!!) walk home from the bars. CBA opened in Lincoln Park in 1998 and is modeled after Miami University's famous Bagel and Deli. Like its Ohio counterpart, CBA specializes in creatively named steamed sandwiches. The bagels are sliced open and loaded up with cold cuts, cream cheese, vegetables and then - this is the key step - steamed for a few minutes. The result is hot and delicious and melty and yum yum yum. My favorites are the Tonya Harding Club and the Ben's Best, on sesame. Though I will forever maintain that these bagel sandwiches taste best at 2 in the morning in Oxford, Ohio, CBA is a pretty close second.