Tuesday, August 27, 2013 | TechNews

 

Something smells fishy at Calumet Fisheries

Austin Gonzalez 8: Kyle Stanevich
TECHNEWS WRITERS

The first day on campus, freshmen
have a wonderful floor meeting with their RAs.
Some wisdom was imparted on us, general IIT
policies were reviewed, and three rules— “Don’t.
Go. South” were‘emphasized. This will be one
of the few times anyone will ever recommend,
no, beg you to go south of 35th.

After waiting for two hours for a
U—Pass, we eagerly, and somewhat naively,
hopped on the Green line to go wherever it
wanted to take us. Getting off at Garfield, bus
71 was waiting for us to continue the journey.
About an hour later we arrived. One last
challenge awaited us. Even in broad daylight
the cramped dilapidated sidewalk was dark as
night. Crunching on broken beer bottles and
sidestepping the guardian of the underworld
(a small garden snake), the intrepid duo made
it at last to the Garden of Eden.

Calumet Fisheries is the little shack
next to the bridge the Blues Brothers once
jumped. It won’t wow you with dazzling
facilities; it doesn’t even have seating or
bathrooms. But the fish is amazing. If you don’t
like seafood tough luck because that’s all they
have here and it’s still worth trying at least once.

All of their fish is fresh caught and
is smoked right out back. Calumet Fisheries is
one of the few of a dying breed of smokehouses
left in Chicago. Soaked in brine overnight and
then smoked over natural oak logs, the true
flavor of the fish really comes out and that
lingering fishiness of regular seafood is but a
distant memory. Serving up all things fish from
shrimp to scallops to sturgeon to eel, whatever
your taste buds want, they’ve got it.

We decided to order the smoked
salmon and shrimp. The salmon is not fishy or

smoky, but instead has a
very meaty and oily taste.
The skin that comes with
the salmon absorbs all of
the smoke and becomes
a little crispy from the
cooking. It peals right off
and makes a delicious
snack I call the “bacon
of the sea.” Smoking the
horseshoe-like slab of
salmon also infuses the
meat exposed on the sides
with a soft and flavorful
layer. While chewing down
on the salmon, beware that
there are plenty of small
bones that you will have to
pick out. If you are not a
huge fan of seafood I would
recommend this.

The shrimp was
an explosion of flavor. The
fishiness and smokiness
that you would expect to
find in the salmon instead
are found in the shrimp.
After playing around with
the creepy appearance of
the shrimp, we peeled off the legs, shell, and
tail and dug in. They will give you a cup of
hot sauce to use with the shrimp, but it is not
needed because the shrimp is so flavorful to
start. However this is not for the faint of heart,
and if you are not into seafood you may not like
this shrimp.

Be warned though, this fish is very
dense and very filling. We shared an order of
a pound of salmon and a pound of shrimp,
and even as contestants of a 5 pound burger
challenge, this meal was almost too much.

But you don’t have to trust our
judgment. You can hop on the web and read
hundreds of excellent reviews about this
fantastic place. Even Anthony Bordain, the
television food critic from No Reservations,
said, “[any memory of had smoked fish]
disappears, washed away in a cleansing mist of
wood smoke and fish oil.”

(Author’s note: After construction
is done on the Red line the path will change
slightly, but will be just as worth it. The Red

 

Photos courtesy of accentingchicago.com

line will go to 95th; it’s recommend you take
the Green to Garfield or Roosevelt and then
transfer.)

Calumet Fisheries

3259 E. 9'5th Street

Chicago, IL 60617

Scale (1-10): Must be your next lunch out
Cost: $20 for a pound of fish and drink
Oddities: Only accepts cash, No bathrooms
http://www.calumetfisheries.com

 

Painting a

One of the most diverse places in
Chicago, home to five former Chicago mayors,
and some of the best food stuffs in the city...and
I’m not talking about IIT.

The best way to learn a new area is to
learn the local restaurants and food. Luckily,
Bridgeport is home to numerous and delicious
eateries that you won’t find anywhere else in the
city.

Usually, most incoming students
don’t learn of Bridgeport until their second
semester, when they decide that the rising
housing costs are not worth taking out
another five thousand dollar loan, and decide
to move off-campus, or got lost in the thicket
of Bridgeport on the way to some guy’s Wes
Anderson-themed costume party.

Bridgeport, originally called
Hardscrabble, (a name dating back to when
the area was a fur-trading post in the 1818,
according to historical records) it became
colloquially called Bridgeport after the low
bridges on the Chicago River. '

Bridgeport is several blocks west of
HTS campus, starting at the railroad tracks
after Shields Street, surrounded by the Chicago
River on the north and west sides, and ending
at Pershing Street in the south. The buffer zone
between the official boundaries of Bridgeport
and campus hides the mini-neighborhood
of Armour Square, but is regarded as part of
Bridgeport.

Bridgeport is the perfect
bridgeportmanteau of modern and old—
fashioned culture, and the places reflect these
principles.

There are several Bridgeport staples
that every IIT student should be aware of, even
if you’re terrified of walking across the looming
Dan Ryan Expressway bridge(s) that lead into
Bridgeport.

Let’s start with coffee places.
While campus offers reasonable study
accommodations, it’s nice to leave the HT bubble
periodically.

For the coffee connoisseur, Bridgeport
Coffee Company on 31st and Morgan

portrait of

3.x!» a": sit,- '

intersection is the place to be. Bridgeport
Coffee has a wide selection of organic, fair-
trade products, and strives to maintain direct
relationships with coffee growers for the best
coffee possible, according to their company
website.

The atmosphere is comfortable, and quiet.
The menu is vegetarian friendly, and I highly
recommend their outside or window seating,
because Morgan and 3lst is prime people—
watching real estate while you chain smoke, and
drink too much caffeine.

Check our their brand new location down
in Hyde Park, and their spot at the Roosevelt
Collection, opening soon.

How about the thrift store-chic, rebellious,
but inactive charming hipster you’re bound to
mutate into during your sophomore year of
architecture classes? Iackalope Coffee 8r Tea
House (at 32nd Street and Halsted) will fit your
aesthetic more astutely, perchance.

Iackalope, much like the mythical
creature it’s named after, is quite the sight. This
coffee house is bright, colorful, and (a little)
louder than Bridgeport Coffee. The customer
service at Iackalope is, in a word, perfection, and
part of the reason I keep coming back Bonus
round—if you’re looking for a unique piece of
art for your new dorm room, or some edgy
new photo—ops for your Instagram account,

 

 

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Burns, via Pinterest

Jackalope can help.

Ifthese coffee houses were 90s sitcoms
centered around a hodgepodge group of friends,
Bridgeport Coffee would be “Seinfeld,” while
)ackalope is comparable to “Friends.” Except
both have free Wi-Fi, maintain 4.5 stars score
on Yelp, and serve some of the best food in
Bridgeport.

We’ll move onto eateries, because
everyone loves to eat. If you don’t, I don’t trust
you.

Though technically in Armour
Square, Rocky’s Bar and Grill (31st and Wells)
is hands-down, the quintessential campus sports
bar and hangout. Thursday nights are “College
Nights” with drink specials for those who can
legally drink. They’ve earned my vote for best
fries in Bridgeport, possibly Chicago.

Buffalo Wings and Rings (34th and
Halsted) will save you a trip to the north side
for greasy wings, fries, and loud sports fans. If
you’re craving authentic Mexican food, skip a
downtown Chipotle, and please visit Pancho
Pistola’s (3lst and Union.) The only Mexican
food I can eat that isn’t made by Mexican family
members.

Niche restaurants that rely largely
on local organic products include Pleasant
House Bakery (3lst and Morgan, across from
Bridgeport Coffee Company) and Nana (33rd

Bridgeport's eateries

and Halsted) have become more popular in
Bridgeport’s hip scene. Try to make time to visit
Bridgeport Pasty (32nd 8: Morgan) for another
gourmet specialty food, the “pasty” (similar to
a calzone) only found in Bridgeport.

Pleasant House Bakery specializes
in gourmet British meat pies, [insert Mrs.
Lovett’s meat pies head canon here] and their
ingredients vary weekly and seasonally. Nana
offers a twist on Southern American food and
brunch, with their filling food, and Pinterest-
perfect ambiance.

No list of Bridgeport essentials would
be complete without mentioning Scoops, the
one stop sweet treat shop, on 3lst and Wallace.
Please forward comical photos of you and your
friends on the mechanized horse ride.

Bonus round 2—Rocky’s, Bridgeport
Restaurant, Buffalo Wings and Rings, and
Scoops all offer discounts to IIT, Vandercook,
and Shimer College students with I.D.s! Make
sure to mention it, and show them your
school ID. or they won’t give you the lucrative
discount!

If you’re still too lazy to venture
into Bridgeport, then shame on you. Some
of my Chicago GrubHub recommendations
include: Dragon Bowl, Ichiban Sushi Cafe,
Carbon, Rosati’s (great for late night studying or
gluttony,) as well as previously mentioned places
like Buffalo Wings and Rings, and Bridgeport
Restaurant.

Even though Bridgeport has gourmet,
scrumptious, and unique options, sometimes a
Chicago dog can’t be beat. Maxwell’s (3lst and
Canal) is the place to go if you love onions and
grease.

35th Street Red Hots (35th and
Normal) is the quintessential hot dog joint that
serves to the White Sox crowd, so good luck
on game days. Morrie O’Malley’s (35th and
Union) is also popular during game days, but
not as worth it. Freddie’s (3lst and Union, near
Pancho Pistola’s) is perfect American food, and
have annual customer appreciation days, with
free food! Who loves free food more than poor
college students?

They say the way to someone’s heart is
through their stomach, and luckily it’s the same
in Bridgeport.