We have chosen the 5 finalists and each person responsible for writing it will receive a copy of The Essential Games of the Chicago Cubs. We're letting you vote on the winner who will also receive an Obstructed View t-shirt. Voting is open on Facebook through next Wednesday. You can access the poll directly by clicking this link. Thanks to everyone who submitted a slogan. Below are the 5 finalists.
- Year of the Facepalm
- Because We Have To
- Right town. Right team. Wrong year.
- Don't say we didn't warn you.
- If Rebuilds Were Easy, Anyone Could Do It.
So what are you waiting for? Go vote. If you don't have Facebook you can email your vote to ov [at] obstructedview [dot] net.
“Because We Have To” should win.
So I know it’s been said before, but Jack Daniels Honey is fucking awful. I had a little left in the liquor cabinet so decided to fill a flask with it to go camping this weekend. It isn’t good straight, it isn’t good chilled, and it is even shitty mixed with a coke. It leaves a gross syrupy fake honey aftertaste. I’m not one to throw away alcohol, no matter how bad, but I may have to do it. Has anyone found a good use for it, other than pranking someone?
@ WaLi:
Can you use it as lighting fluid?
@ Rice Cube:
No, it’s only 35%
@ WaLi:
Rotisserie a pineapple and glaze it with that shit. Or braise peeled and cored pears and apples in it.
@ WaLi:
just drink it when you’re already wasted.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
Isn’t that what Zima is for?
@ EnricoPallazzo:
This should’ve been an entry in the slogan contest.
Someone, who loves geography, has more time on their hands than we do!
Definitely “Because we have to”.
Is there any way to view all the submissions? Maybe you can post after the winner is chosen.
Apparently Lance Armstrong was stripped of his 7 Tour de France titles?
http://lancearmstrong.com/news-events/lance-armstongs-statement-of-august-23-2012
http://espn.go.com/olympics/cycling/story/_/id/8298135/usada-ban-lance-armstrong-life-strip-seven-tour-de-france-titles-charges-used-performance-enhancing-drugs-cycling-career
Wow. This is like trial by fire.
I can’t remember if I wrote any of these or just read them all.
@ Mobile Rodrigo:
We will do that. Maybe today.
I’ll be going to the game on Saturday, and then afterwords the wife and I are going to go into downtown Chicago for a meal. Does anyone recommend any good but not overly pricy places? I mean, I don’t need to go to a fancy place like Olive Garden or nothing, but any recommendations for a fun $10-$15 per plate place would be greatly appreciated.
I like Posnanski writing about baseball: http://joeposnanski.blogspot.com/2012/08/fun-with-war.html
@ Edwin:
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat downtown in a major city, you can’t do any better than a TGI Friday’s. Just make sure to get huffy about the management when you try to stay there for 4 hours without buying anything.
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/08/24/and-now-the-worst-tweet-in-the-history-of-social-media/
Because we haven’t made anyone’s ears bleed lately…
@ WaLi:
Shit be nasty.
The only way I found it tolerable was to drink it cold, on the rocks, neat. It’s still not good, though.
@ Aisle424:
Aisley. You are clearly doping. I’m afraid the OV banned substance policy will have to be invoked. One clause requires that you turn over your entire liquor cabinet to WaLi in return for his JD Honey.
My 5 year old daughter will probably like this song though. She doesn’t care if someone’s voice is so bad that it’s electronicall altered. Good thing we don’t listen to Disney channel on Sirius.
@ Edwin:
Where downtown? I can make several recs, just need to know where you’re going to be.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Somewhere that’s within walking distance of the Loop. I live in Milwaukee, and right now our plan is to drive to Skokie, take the train to Wrigley for the game, and then take the train into downtown.
I actually don’t really care how much I spend, I’d just like to find a good place without spending $50 a plate.
There’s an awesome Mexican restaurant I ate at a couple years ago just north of the river. Man, I dream about that place. Their schtick was that all the meals were like tapas, but amazingly delicious.
Mercaditos, maybe? The website makes it look familiar.
This story wins the internet:
http://www.geekosystem.com/samuel-beckett-andre-the-giant/
@ Edwin:
This is kind of generic, but how about the Cheesecake Factory in the Hancock Center?
If you stay by Wrigley, Uncommon Ground on Clark and Grace is quite good. If you want to eat downtown, there’s Frontera Grill, Rick Bayless’ place. They don’t reservations, though, and it’s super popular, so be there by 5 to get in the line (they open at 5:30). That’s on Clark between Illinois and Grand, and around the corner is his Mexican street food joint, Xoco. Stay away from the tourist traps on Ohio. If you guys like wine, Quartino on State and Ontario isn’t bad. If you want deep dish pizza, there’s a Lou Malnati’s over on Wells near there. IN the South Loop go for The Publican or The Girl & The Goat.
@ Edwin:
i really like cafe iberico. it’s at lasalle and chicago. it’s a lively tapas place with good food/sangria and it’s very reasonably priced. it’s can be hit or miss though.
gilt is at kinzie and…lasalle maybe. i haven’t been there yet but i’ve heard very positive reviews and it looks pretty good from their website. i’m going to go there next weekend when i’m in chicago.
and i would second MO’s recommendation of the Publican. if you’ll be up north (and you like beer), the Hopleaf is excellent. rosebud is good too. i forget where it is exactly but it’s right downtown by the theaters. my favorite sushi restaurant in the city is called Mirai but it’s at 2020 w. division, if i recall, which isn’t super close to the loop.
speaking of chicago establishments, has anyone been to the outdoor bar at the trump building? it’s on the sixteenth floor and ostensibly has a pretty badass biew. i’m wondering if it’s worth going to or if it’s just overpriced and lame.
Remember that one time Joe Mather had a big hit against the Cards and we all thought he sucked, but we’d only have to see him pinch hit now and then and it was no big deal.
I miss those days.
@ josh:
He gives the Hope Monster energy.
josh wrote:
that’s fucking awesome. another andre the giant story: i was reading ric flair’s autobiography (fuck off) and he talks about the time that he and andre the giant went out drinking and andre the giant drank 106 beers.
did you determine if mercadito is the place you were trying to think of? their menu looks pretty good. i ask because i’m taking my girlfriend to chicago and am looking for new places to try.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
I’m almost positive it was. My wife is inclined to agree. I really liked it. Definitely get a margarita.
Last I heard the food and service at Hopleaf had really hit the skids.
@ josh:
Bear in mind I’ve been stuck in this black hole of food called Champaign-Urbana for 4 years, so my taste buds were coming from a land of desolation. Bearing that in mind, I still have eaten at several good restaurants around the city from back in the day, and this one was a good one.
If you’re going to do Mexican downtown, go to Frontera. It’s stunning.
I like Francesca’s (Italian), near UIC. Not terribly far from the loop (1400 w. Taylor). I would just take the Blue line to UIC and walk from there or even from downtown, but I like to walk. They have an amazing Carpaccio. Good all around, actually. Not sure about their wines or anything.
@ EnricoPallazzo:
Trump: adj. Usu. something overpriced and lame. May also be: covered in gold leaf with pink highlights.
Edwin wrote:
Ed Debevik’s is one of my mom’s favorite places. They are famous for being rude (a friendly kind if there is one) to the patrons. They also have good burgers and shakes.
I’d also think about trying one of the several deep dish pizza places around downtown and Wrigley. Favorites of mine are Lou Malnatti’s and Gino’s East.
River North has some cool restaurants that aren’t too pricey. Downtown is going to have a lot of steak houses and more upscale food (or fast food, not much inbetween).
RJ Grunts is a cool, historic pub across the street from Lincoln Park Zoo. Recommend this one as well. They are known for their salad bar, but also have awesome other food.
Hope this helps.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Does that place have two levels? I may have eaten there, actually.
@ jtsunami:
There are a couple weird restaurants downtown that are expensive and really shitty. The wife and I stumbled into a couple of those. I’d avoid them.
@ josh:
Well, the entryway/bar is up higher than the dining room, but not by much
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
@ EnricoPallazzo:
@ josh:
Thanks for the suggestions. And I promise I’ll never again post about something that isn’t all baseball all the time. I know how serious this site patrols it’s posts.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Okay, different place then.
I know I ate at another good Mexican restaurant in that area, but couldn’t remember the name. This one I’m sure had two levels of dining room. I thought the decoration from the website looked familiar.
@ Edwin:
You’ve already been warned. We’re watching you.
@ Edwin:
As long as you learned your lesson.
@ josh:
Expensive and shitty sounds like a terrible business model.
@ josh:
You’re thinking about the Lalo’s that used to be in the Michael Jordan restaurant building on LaSalle, which is a block over from Frontera.
@ Rice Cube:
You’d think so, but those places have been there. Must be some local appeal.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
That sounds familiar, yeah. That’s too bad, too, because that means we were a block from an even better restaurant. My friend and my wife and I were just wandering around looking for food and picked it at random.
@ Edwin:
Rebecca Black is pissed that you cut into her face time here. So is Aisle424 because he was going to get a kickback on the number of comments devoted to her.
@ Rice Cube:
Expensive and Shitty would have made a good slogan for 2013.
@ Rice Cube:
Not down by Ohio and LaSalle. Tourist flock by the thousands into some of the worst and most expensive eateries in the entire city.
@ josh:
Lalo’s wasn’t terrible, but they couldn’t hold a candle to Frontera. If you want to have an even better experience, do the gourmet side of Frontera, Topolobampo. Bayless really gets to be creative with MExican food over there (it’s next door), and the food is outstanding, as is the service. The chefs’ tastings are the way to go there.
By the looks of this thread, MO has eaten everywhere!
@ SVB:
Food is a hobby of mine (dying laughing)
@ Edwin:
Maybe 2014 then?
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Do you like Olive Garden?
@ Edwin:
I avoid chains if I can just because the standardization of food is what leads to things like GMOs. I’d much rather support places that are local and source their food seasonally and locally. Keeps the menu fresh and it lets me eat better. The wife and I are not the type to hit clubs and bars so our going-out money is spent almost exclusively on good meals. (dying laughing)
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
should have specified that i was just planning on going for a few drinks either before or after dinner. i can handle overpaying for a few cocktails if i’m on a 16th story terrace that overlooks the city on a nice night. also, i have never been to frontera when the wait is under ~1 hour, including during brunch/lunch. have you had a different experience? i have very little tolerance for waiting in lines and i hate standing in a super crowded bar while waiting to be seated. that’s why i’ve always avoided frontera but maybe i’m going at the wrong times.
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
that’s really disappointing, have you had this confirmed by multiple sources? i was last there about … maybe 4 months ago and it was the same as always, i.e. best beer list ever, good/creative menu, decent service. if it sucks now then i definitely want to know before going all the way up to foster.
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
THIS
Preview up
http://www.obstructedview.net/previews/series-preview-colorado-rockies-50-73-at-chicago-cubs-47-76.html
Mercurial Outfielder wrote:
His places are the height of class MO. He’ll tell you himself at every opportunity
@ Edwin:
Our fine hot dog vendors (probably Todd) would love to serve you during your stay at beautiful Wrigley Field. Also, we own the land that McDonald’s sits on, so I’d recommend that as well. (Todd makes fries there, after games)
@ Mercurial Outfielder:
Same with us. Well, before we had the youngling, that was true. Too bad there’s only one or two such restaurants in C-U that do that.