{"id":419532,"date":"2025-12-02T13:10:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T13:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/419532\/"},"modified":"2025-12-02T13:10:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T13:10:24","slug":"johns-favorite-fries-and-where-to-eat-at-chicago-airports-chicago-magazine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/419532\/","title":{"rendered":"John\u2019s Favorite Fries and Where to Eat at Chicago Airports \u2013 Chicago Magazine"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amy Cavanaugh: <\/strong>Welcome to Dish From Chicago Magazine. I\u2019m Amy Cavanaugh, Chicago magazine\u2019s dining editor.<\/p>\n

John Kessler: <\/strong>I\u2019m John Kessler, Chicago magazine\u2019s dining critic.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>And today we\u2019re talking about John\u2019s picks for the best french fries in town. We\u2019re also talking about our guide for where to dine at the airports. Finally, we\u2019ll share the best things we\u2019ve eaten lately, which includes a fun twist on Italian beef.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\n\t\tRelated:
\n\t\tThe Best Fries in Chicago <\/a>
\n\t\tOur critic names his three favorite versions in town.\n\t<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>John, I know you\u2019re a huge fan of french fries, and you recently named your favorites in town<\/a>, which we will discuss in a moment. But before we talk about those, what makes a good fry?<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Oh, I have thoughts. I think that something that started in a freezer bag, while delicious at the right moment, is discountable. They have to start with fresh potatoes. I don\u2019t like weird shapes, which I know will offend some people, but I think, you know, curly fries and waffle fries have their purpose. They\u2019re not ever going to be top notch french fries in my book. And also, as long as I\u2019m being snotty and saying what doesn\u2019t make a good french fry before I be nice and talk about what does make a good french fry, I really hate it when they\u2019re coated with seasoning spices, particularly when you get that kind of, you know, sweet citric acid barbecue sauce flavor. That just drives me up a tree. So snottiness gone: What makes a great french fry? Crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside, tastes like potato, begs for ketchup. That\u2019s what makes a good french fry for me. How about you?<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>It sounds so simple, but it\u2019s hard to achieve that. I mean, I totally agree with you. I hate curly fries. I hate seasoned fries. I do like a waffle fry. There\u2019s something nostalgic about like a crinkle cut sometimes,\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Maybe, yeah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>You\u2019ll allow it, yeah. But yeah, I, you know, I, I think we disagree here, like, I like a thinner fry, like, I like a sort of, like McDonald\u2019s size fry, yeah, I like a shoestring, and, you know, I like them when they have, like, a mix of, like, crispy and soft to, like, have a variety of different textures going on here. And I love when\u2014<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>You do the four-fingered bag dip? When you get that, like, bunch of fries at once, and you get those different textures.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yes, I love it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Okay.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>And then, yeah, I like ketchup, but I\u2019d rather, you know, I\u2019d like, I like an accompaniment, like, if I\u2019m having, like, a steak frites or something at like, Le Bouchon<\/a>, like, I want to soak up, you know, the peppery sauce. So.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>\u00a0Okay, yeah, I I will not only allow that, I will endorse that, because I think the world\u2019s most perfect meal could be a steak frites, where the steak is kind of bloody, and there\u2019s a very acidic salad on the side, like arugula and lemon juice, or some kind of really sharp salad, and you get that bite of the three together. And I think that is utter perfection.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yes, that sounds amazing. You recently, for your newsletter<\/a>, named the top three. Let\u2019s start with three. We\u2019ll count down.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Okay, yeah, and super quickly, just to say these are all done, sort of the pommes frites method, which is, I think, is also essential, which is, they\u2019re twice fried, once at a lower temperature to cook them through, to make the starch become cooked, gelatinized, I guess is the word. And the second time at a higher temperature, to really crisp the outside, where all the starch has been pushed. So number three for me \u2014 and this is also based on a recent just eating all three, right in a row, and the specific ones how they came out. Number three for me was John\u2019s Food & Wine<\/a>, which has always been one of my favorites. They were great. They always are great. I think every once in a while, the fries at John\u2019s Food & Wine can be a little bit too creamy, mushy in the center. I like a little more. Or, you know, texture, but they\u2019re lovely. They\u2019re perfectly salted. Their leek aioli is good.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yes, I have had these. I\u2019m a big fan of these. I like having them at the bar with a dirty martini.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Right? What do they call that? A Chicago handshake?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Chicago Happy Meal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Oh, Chicago happy\u2014 oh, right. Chicago Handshake is the Mal\u00f6rt and the Old Style?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yes<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Okay. Reason number 365 I should be thrown out of Chicago<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yeah.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Can\u2019t even get that right. Okay, yes, the Chicago Happy Meal is a, is a happiest of meals, okay. Number two is Hawksmoor<\/a>, the small chain, the small group of restaurants that came out of London. There are two in the United States, one in New York, one in River North. I love\u2014 they call them beef dripping chips. And maybe I just like the name, you know.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>It\u2019s a great name.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Right? Like you go to a club in, you know, in Shoreditch to go see the beef dripping chips, but, but they\u2019re great. I mean beef dripping being, you know, beef tallow, so they\u2019re fried in beef fat, like good fries often are, as John\u2019s are. They\u2019re fat. They\u2019re super golden, crispy, and they have all these great steak sauces. So you can get, like, green peppercorn sauce, or different kinds of mayonnaise or bordelaise sauce. So that is great. I love that about Hawksmoor and sitting at the bar, fries, a little side car of sauce and a delicious cocktail, which they do make. Lovely.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yeah, those are some excellent ones. And then how about your number one?<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>So based on recent meals, I\u2019m going to go with Creepies<\/a>. I loved the fries I had. They are, you know, they might be a little too snappy for some people, the way that the chef there, Tayler Ploshehanski, fries them. And she told me the process and it is intense. I mean, there is air chilling and freezing and all sorts of various steps to this, but she gets them to come out so that they just, they snap. Like they are just firm, and they snap on the outside, and then, you know, steam escapes from the center. And I love the flavor, the buttery flavor of them. Now, am I mistaken: Did you think they\u2019re a little bit too snappy?<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>I found them a little too snappy. I wanted to really use them to soak up that liver sauce with the chicken, and I found that like, they didn\u2019t do that to my liking, but they came with aioli and the caramelized onion chutney, which I thought was tasty, but, yeah, just a little a little too snappy for me.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Okay, I can, particularly, if you want them to, I feel like they are fries to have with a drink or something, as opposed to, you know, like steak frites fries. I see that, yes, I think I\u2019m gonna have to do more research, you know, maybe we can. You know, the ranking is always subject to change<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Well, and seems like everyone is opening with fries on their menu these days.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>They are. They are. It\u2019s a, you know, it\u2019s one of those things where it\u2019s a good challenge for the chef. They like that. It\u2019s, you know, are they going to source the right kinds of potatoes, and are they going to, what\u2019s the technique going to be? What\u2019s the frying medium? So I think it\u2019s one of those things that people love to figure out.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Any other favorite fries around town?\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>I will say Dear Margaret<\/a>, which is temporarily closed, but they make really great fries with beef tallow. And it sounds gross, but I love to swipe them through their duck liver mousse. And I\u2019m not averse to McDonald\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>I\u2019m not either.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>I mean, side salad with a small bag of fries dumped on the top of it is my McDonald\u2019s order. And you know, that\u2019s a lovely meal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\"The<\/p>\n

\n\t\tRelated:
\n\t\tThe Epicurean Guide to Chicago\u2019s Airports <\/a>
\n\t\tOur food writers offer their picks for what to eat at O\u2019Hare and Midway.\n\t<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>I did not participate in this, but I\u2019m excited to read it. You had a bunch of writers find out the best places to eat in the airport<\/a> or to explain why they loved certain restaurants, and that sounds like some seriously good reader service.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yeah. So you know, we, in an earlier podcast<\/a>, I shared the experience when I had to spend eight hours at Midway and I ate at both the Billy Goat Tavern and Arami. So I had a burger and I had sushi, and that prompted doing a larger look into where else to eat at these, you know, of the two airports I probably fly equally out of O\u2019Hare and Midway. So I have favorites at both. Besides those two at Midway, besides the Billy Goat and Arami, I like Big Shoulders Coffee<\/a>, which is, you know, they\u2019re a local roaster. You can go get espresso drinks, cold brews, and things like that. So that\u2019s a good find. It\u2019s at the very end of Concourse A, so you have to, like, really hike down there, but it\u2019s worth it. And then over at O\u2019Hare, you know, 90% of the time I go to Tortas Frontera. Have you been before?<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>\u00a0Oh, yeah, that\u2019s my go to.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>What\u2019s your, what\u2019s your go-to order?<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Um, they have a chorizo and something. Is it chorizo and pepper? Chorizo and egg.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>They do a chorizo and egg in the morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>That\u2019s, that\u2019s it. The chorizo and egg in the morning is something that I live for. And then they also have that Gunthorp Farms pork, you know, that I really like a lot. But honestly, what I like to do there is get one of the big salads and put a plop of meat on top of it. That is nice.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yeah, I like the eggs and rajas in the morning for a vegetarian option. Okay, those are roasted poblados. And then I like the crispy chicken milanesa, if I\u2019m there for lunch or dinner, which has also, you know, crispy chicken, cabbage, pickled jalapenos \u2014 super good. And then they make a great margarita. So, you know, if you\u2019re delayed and need to wait things out, there\u2019s three locations of it, so it\u2019s in Terminals 1, 3 and 5, so you\u2019re never too far from one.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Wow. Okay, so three locations, I did not realize that.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Yeah, and then Publican<\/a> has also a footprint in two locations. They have Publican Tavern, which is a sit down restaurant in Terminal 3, and then they added a stall for Publican Quality Bread in Terminal 5, so you can dine in at the restaurant. And our writer recommends the pub burger there. But they also have a grab-and-go section where you can get, like, really good sandwiches, like a chicken sandwich with bacon, avocado, and blue cheese aioli. Or, if you\u2019re flying out of Terminal 5, you can go to Publican Quality Bread and get a kouign amann and a latte, which is a nice thing to have in the morning. So, you know, it\u2019s nice to see local restaurants coming in and, like, really doing some good stuff.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>A lot of them have these, like, you know, licensing agreements. So they\u2019re, you know, they\u2019ll come in and they\u2019ll work with a, you know, staff by HMSHost or one of the other purveyors. And some of them, I\u2019m sure, with Publican Quality Bread, they\u2019re supplying the bread to them, so that keeps the quality up. But in other ones, there will be, it\u2019ll be the name. They\u2019re going to try and recreate the recipes. But if they can keep it at at a high level, that\u2019s always the trick. And I understand that Gene & Georgetti had a licensing agreement in Midway that just kind of fell apart after several years, right?<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>That just happened, yeah. And so it\u2019s, I mean, certainly, working on this, working on this feature, I learned the ins and outs of how this all comes together. And so, yeah, it\u2019s very complicated, but it\u2019s, it\u2019s great that, like some of these are very high-quality options. I think that that has, is something that has changed in recent years, which is great. You can find the full list at chicagomag.com, which includes more picks for where to eat, at O\u2019Hare and Midway.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Let\u2019s talk about the best things we ate lately. John, what\u2019s the best thing you ate?<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>I went to Minna\u2019s<\/a> in Belmont Cragin, just to try and support a local Latino-owned business, in light of all the horrific things that are happening in our town and\u2014 such a good restaurant. And what I love there are the picaditas, which are like, they\u2019re like sope base, they\u2019re cornmeal cakes, but they\u2019re pinched around the edges so that they can contain just a little bit of beans and cheese and a little salsa, like you can get them green or red. They\u2019re they\u2019re vegetarian-ish, I guess, because it\u2019s probably lard in the beans. But they\u2019re so good. It was just, it was so so so good. I\u2019ve been thinking about them and plotting to go back. How about you?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>Dimmi Dimmi<\/a> makes this Italian beef carpaccio, which I think is, like, the most elegant twist on Italian beef I\u2019ve seen so far. There\u2019s thin slices of beef over a beef jus aioli. It\u2019s topped with a big, not, the chunks aren\u2019t too big, but they\u2019re like, they\u2019re good, good bites of hot housemade giardiniera. So it\u2019s got, like, a great spice, and then shaved Parmesan and arugula. It\u2019s really delicious. It comes with slices of toasted sesame sourdough on the side, so you can, you know, spread the ,spread the jus and, you know, put together a perfect bite. But, yeah, I mean, it hits all the notes of an Italian beef, but it\u2019s very light and delicious. Really good starter.<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>I\u2019m trying to remember that from when I attempt to get into Dimmi Dimmi again. And I bet you wish you could go back in time and put that in our\u2014 anachronistically get them to open earlier so it could have gone into our big Italian beef package a few months back.<\/p>\n

Amy: <\/strong>I know. I keep encountering new Italian beefs and new giardiniera options, which I was just like, oh, this would have been so perfect for these features. But it also just goes to show that we were right on time with those and so.\u00a0<\/p>\n

John: <\/strong>Exactly, yeah.
Amy: <\/strong>Yeah.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amy Cavanaugh: Welcome to Dish From Chicago Magazine. I\u2019m Amy Cavanaugh, Chicago magazine\u2019s dining editor. John Kessler: I\u2019m…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":29848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,116638,5386,1818,2581,196289,4368],"class_list":{"0":"post-419532","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-french-fries","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-illinois","12":"tag-john","13":"tag-le-bouchon","14":"tag-podcast"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115650142308939238","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=419532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=419532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=419532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=419532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}