Belly Shack (Chicago)

Are these foods awesome or what?

Belly Shack is... an eatery? a restaurant? a sandwich shop? all of the above! It's under the blue line tracks (literally) at the Western stop in Bucktown. Belly Shack's incredibly creative menu stems from the genius couple Bill Kim and Yvone Cadiz-Kim. Consider for example the Boricua sammich which packs Asian black beans, grilled marinated tofu and rice in between two large slabs of fried plantain. Or the Korean BBQ Kogi, a do-it-yourself pita sandwich with Korean BBQ beef. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu; it's that simple.

The locale is well kept and pleasant; simplicity and functionality are the design paradigms here. One of my favorites in Chicago!

Tango Sur (Chicago)

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Chicago.

Tango Sur is an Argentinian steakhouse and restaurant in Lakeview (at Southport and Grace). Their specialty is Argentinian-style steak, which means sizable slabs of meat (mostly beef, although pork meats and chicken are also available), very lightly seasoned, charcoal grilled and served with simple garnishes (salad and chimichurri sauce). They also offer a few traditional entrees popular in Argentina (you may notice some italian influence). My recommendation is to get only appetizers and items from the grill. I've been disappointed when venturing onto the more elaborate dishes. The Provoletta appetizer and Longaniza side are quite outstanding. Notable beef cuts are Entraña, Churrasco and Vacío. You can get a sampling by ordering the Parillada.

For dinner, ambiance is quite intimate, ideal for a date. For lunch, the place is much more lively and family or group-friendly, especially in summer when their is outside seating. Don't forget to bring your favorite wine since this is a BYOB restaurant!

Spacca Napoli (Chicago)

One of new favorites in Chicago!

Spacca Napoli is a family-owned Italian restaurant specialized in Neapolitan-style pizza. They have their own wood-fired brick oven used to make pizza and bread. Spacca Napolis is located in the Ravenswood neighborhood, a few blocks from the Montrose brown-line stop.

I had the Ubriaca (one of the daily specials) which was an olive-oil based (no tomato sauce) wine-fermented cheese and prosciutto pizza. It was really tasty: the dough was thin, chewy and nicely toasted and the ingredients very flavorful. Many of the other options had fresh basil which I got to try from a friend's pizza and would also recommend.

The restaurant is well lit and comfortable and service was very attentive. Expect to wait in line, or make a reservation.

Thanks to David from David's Second Helping for the suggestion.