#32 Elmhurst Portillo's

Headline: Portillo’s Junkie Eats Through 2010

In an unprecedented show of fortitude and gastronomical prowess, an Elmhurst man reaches his 2010 goal of eating at every Portillo’s in the Chicagoland area (32 in 52 weeks).  His goal also included consuming every item on the menu (40+).  His adventure was chronicled in this blog.  The following self interview takes place at the pinnacle of this amazing and coveted achievement.  I met up with Jeff at his Elmhurst home.

Q:  How does it feel to have reached your goal?

A:  It’s bitter sweet, or bitter sweat, one, or both, of these... I’m sorry, what was the question?

Q:  Let me rephrase it for you; How does it feel to have reached your goal?

A:  Oh, I’m at the same time happy and profoundly sad that it’s over.

Q:  So, you’re sad you reached your goal?

A:  Is that what I said?  Did you miss the happy part?  I ate everything on Portillo’s menu and spent an entire year driving around meeting friends.  It was an awesome adventure!  I’m sad that I don’t have a goal for 2011.  It’s going to be hard to outdo 2010.

Q:  Why did you choose Portillo’s in the first place?

A:  Why not?  Have you ever met anyone who didn’t like Portillo’s?  I’ve spoken to literally hundreds of people and I have yet to meet a single person who doesn’t like Portillo’s.  Get with it.

Q:  Fair enough, can I ask you why you chose to eat through 2010 and not diet like everyone else?

A:  I’m dieting every other year.  2010 was an eating year.

Q:  I wish I could understand that, but … why did you feel compelled to write about it? Are you so egomaniacal that you think other people care to read your extemporaneous blather?

A:  Is that a two part question?  I wrote the blog because I thought it would be both therapeutic and a pain in the ass.  And, yes I’m positive that people cared, because people kept asking me why I hadn’t updated it – hence the pain in the ass part.  Can I say, “ass?”

Q:  To late genius. Besides, chronicling the adventure was your own warped idea.

A:  Is that a question?

Q:  No, scratch that from the record.  Did you learn anything from writing the blog?

A:  Yes, I now have a greater appreciation for writers as I’ve stretched my grammatical skills far beyond their capability.  Can I get a “whoop whoop.”

Q:  Who are you talking to?  Let’s try a different line of interrogation.  How did you manage to reach the goal?

A:  I had to mustard up a lot of support from my family and friends, but they also relished the idea of accompanying me on the journey. In fact, my lovely wife Joy and our doggedly handsome son Josh accompanied me on many of the visits.

Q:  Interesting choice of words. I’m getting hungry.

A:  Question?

Q:  What’s your favorite thing on the menu?

A:  That’s a trick question.  I have more than one favorite.  Here’s the order in which a newbie should order.  

1. Beef Sandwich (ask for “dipped”). If you like things spicy, get hot giardiniera. The beef is not only one of the best things on the menu; it’s something you can only get in Chicago. I have brought many out of town guests to Portillo’s and this is the winner. Heck, my family comes up from Kansas every year and I’m sure it’s for the beef – the visit with us is secondary.
2. Hot Dog – As I mentioned in an earlier blog, there are probably thousands of good hot dog stands in Chicago, but you don’t have to look for any of them – just get a hot dog at Portillo’s. Ask for everything on it. Don’t be a pickle, add the sport peppers. No pain, no gain.
3. French Fries – These are some killer fries. I’d like to plagiarize paraphrase a beer commercial I’ve seen lately by saying, “I don’t always eat fries, but when I do … I prefer ... Portillo’s.”  
4. Chopped Salad – This is the most popular and probably the best salad on the menu. It’s really … really good. I’d also recommend the Chicken Pecan Salad, followed by the Southwest BBQ.

Q:  Is there anything bad on the menu?

A:  Listen to yourself!  What kind of an asinine question is that?  If it was bad, why would it be on the menu?  No, dummkoph, everything on the menu is good!

Q:  Nicht Sprechen Deutsch. Is there anything you had never tried that you really liked?
A:  Yes, I’m sure not many people will order it, but the Veggie Croissant is quite good.

Q:  Is there anything you would never order again?
A:  Probably the Grilled Vegetable Sandwich.  It’s not that it was bad.  It was just too bland for me.

Q:  What’s your favorite location?
A:  The one in Bloomingdale.  Read blog #18 Bloomingdale for a review.

Q:  What was your least favorite location?
A:  Crestwood. You’ll have to read blog #28 Crestwood to find out why.

Q:  What’s the farthest you drove?
A:  Just to get to Portillo’s and back, then it’s Sycamore (by DeKalb) - 56 miles each way.

Q:  Did your order ever get messed up?
A:  That’s a great question ... NOT.  The answer is a resounding NO.  We're talking Poritllo's here - perfect service the every time.

Q:  Do they offer free refills on pop?

A:  Well … I’m not sure.  At the beginning of the year I was rejected when I asked for refills, but now I don’t seem to have a problem.  Not sure what changed.  No harm asking.

Q:  Did you gain weight?

A:  Yes and it’s none of your business.  Why would you ask such a personal question?

Q:  Well … I … um … just thought people would like to know.
A:  I cannot in all honesty attribute my weight gain entirely to Portillo’s.  It was the year of eating and I didn’t hold back.  As a side note, you can eat healthy at any restaurant.  It may be hard ordering a grilled chicken sandwich without mayonnaise, but you can, and Portillo’s makes a great grilled chicken sandwich.

Q:  There are two Portillo’s in California, are you going to eat there?
A:  Duh.  When I get there I plan on it.

Q:  Did you have a party at the last one you visited?
A:  Yes, you didn’t get the Facebook invite?  Sorry, I must of de-friended you.  We had an awesome party at the Elmhurst Portillo’s the day after Christmas - 42 friends and family showed up (pictures below).

Q:  By the way, how much did you spend?
A:  You are really nosy - Joy - DO NOT LOOK - $562.61

Q:  Last question, and I’m sorry but I have to ask you this, seriously, are you insane?
A:  I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that an insane person would not realize that they were insane.

Special thanks to:
Joy – A great support who ate at 25 of the Portillo’s and never complained!!
Josh – Official photographer, best friend, and semi-professional eater.
Dodie – Editor and friend.
Tim – Grip (I don’t know what a grip is, but every show has one).
Awesome Family and Friends

I can't list out what everyone ate, but I saved the best for last - a beef sandwich!

Portillo's #32 - Elmhurst

Josh, Joy, Jeff

Jeff, Josh, Greg

Debbie, Josh, Jeff, Alexa, Dodie, Carl

Tim, Renee, Jake, Bailey

Grace, Pete, Beth, Marion

Dave, Nicki, Nora, Marion, Grace,
Pete, Beth

Portillo's Shirt - Gift from Josh

Greg, Darrell, Katie, Alex,
Brian, Toni, Ken

#31 Vernon Hills Portillo's

It's the second to the last Portillo's and it's cold again.  See me in my winter coat with the snow in the background?  Notice the bags under my eyes?  Those are from Christmas shopping.  You know I'm kidding, right?  I rarely ever shop before Christmas Eve.  The bags are empty.  I really do wait until the last minute.  To me there's something about the crowds, the hazardous parking lots, crazy shoppers, screaming kids, etc. that I enjoy ... NOT.  On the other hand, messing with people that are in a hurry can be fun.  I'm supposed to be nice, but someone has to make these people understand that Christmas is more about personal interactions than gifts.  Even if those interactions are not always positive.  Someone needs to teach them patience.  Alright, I really am much nicer than that ... at least occasionally.  Well, in order to avoid the whole situation, I shop really early in the morning.  I'm talking really really early while everyone else is still sleeping.  One year I remember leaving just before 6am and hitting eleven stores by 10am.  There are many advantages to shopping on Christmas Eve.  First, I don't have a lot of time to agonize over my purchases.  For example, I used to buy stuff - see it somewhere else for a lower price - then feel like I got ripped off.  I would proceed to buy the second one and then return the first, even if that involved hours of running around and waiting in lines.  Second, and potentially worse, I would see something slightly better and then second-guess my first purchase.  In any case, both of these situations are eliminated if I wait until the last minute.  There's no lollygagging around, I'm forced to by the only item left that's not broken!

If you're inclined to shop, the Portillo's in Vernon Hills is directly across the street from a mall.  Fortunately we avoided the shopping, but not the crowd.  This Portillo's was busy, but it has to be one of the largest.  There's an enclosed atrium!  There was no problem finding seating.  I noticed something else here, and perhaps it was just timing, but the Barnelli's seemed busier than the Portillo's.  Also, and I can't seem to figure out why this always happens, but I must be a magnet for screaming babies, with deaf, and inconsiderate parents.  Josh may have inadvertently stumbled onto an ingenious idea ... wearing headphones all the time.
Jeff:
Chicken Caesar Salad
Caramel Pecan Cake (Interesting it says "Rum Cake" on the receipt - no wonder it was so good)

Joy:
Chopped Salad

#30 Streamwood Portillo's

You know how they call the Friday after Thanksgiving “Black Friday” and the following Monday “Cyber Monday.”  Well, I call the Saturday in between “Frostbite Saturday.”  It’s the official outside Christmas decoration and party day!  Yippee Ho Ho Ho!  This is one of Joy’s favorite days of the year, since it’s time to move the party outside.  Every year, for who knows how long (Joy would), I traipsed around the block goading people into buying a Christmas tree to put on their front lawn.  Perhaps, goading is too strong a term; I more or less cajoled them.  Well, at least I used to, but now one of our very nice neighbors (the new capo) has agreed to be the strong arm and the godfather (me) gets to chill - literally.  Don’t know where I was going there...  In any case, it’s really a site to see as most of the neighbors participate.   Check out the photo below (not posted yet).  What cool neighbors we have!  Thanks to all who helped and brang out the goodies.  Oh, and though I complain a lot, I enjoy letting the kids pick out their trees and drag them down the block.  It’s even better when those little imps, I mean elves, get all hopped up on sugar and have a marshmallow war.  Oh yeah, it happened.  Don't know how that started.

Back to our story, still in progress, eating at Portillo’s. This week we went to the Portillo’s in Streamwood.  I could swear we’ve eaten here before.  When Josh was small we used to take him out to the Chuck-E-Cheese next door.  Talk about fun times, you know, crawling through those ... hum ... a ... odiferous (politically correct description) ... tubes.

Check out what I had to eat, I’m getting down to some really interesting combinations. I had a chili dog and a Caesar salad.  Both were good, though not a combination that I would normally recommend.

P.S.   I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my nephew's wedding.  We had a nice drive down to the beautiful (eye of the beholder - or beerholder) state of Kansas to see our nephew get married.  Good luck Greg and Annie, the first 20 years are the hardest.

Jeff:
Chili Cheese Dog
Ceasar Salad

Joy:
Cheese Burger
Onion Rings (to heck with the diet)
Side Coleslaw

Josh:
Jumbo Hot Dog
French Fries

 

Annie and Greg - 11/20/10



Sunset in Manhattan Kansas



#29 Summit Portillo's

How early is too early to start playing Christmas music?  I think any time before Thanksgiving, but Joy thinks starting the first of November is fine.  But that’s the way she is, she’s the planner and I’m the procrastinator.  She’s so organized and efficient that a good portion of the Christmas decorations are already up.  What’s wrong with going straight from Halloween decorations to Christmas decorations?

The Summit Portillo's is on Harlem Avenue, just south of the Stevenson.  Don't you love it when highways have names, but those names do not appear on any maps?!  Anyway, despite this Portillo's having a bit of a parking problem - we had to park in an auxiliary lot - it was relatively easy to get to from our house.  And, this is the only Portillo's we've been to that serves custard.  Yes, you heard that right, custard, like the kind you find at Culver's.  Actually Joy thought it was better than Culver's!   Then again, she doesn't like things sickeningly sweet.  I thought it was good and I had an interesting combination of items today, check it out below.

P.S. Oldest kid next door, you know who you are. What’s the big deal if Joy wants her decorations up a couple weeks before Thanksgiving?!

Jeff:
Chicken Tenders (good - though I rarely get fried food so I'm no expert)
Green Pepper Soup  (liked it)
Turtle Sundae (good)
Joy:
Italian Beef
Hot Fudge Sundae (loved the custard, not the fudge)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

#28 Crestwood Portillo's

Boo … In my opinion it’s the second best holiday of the year.  Actually, now that I’m older I probably enjoy it more than Christmas.  What a great holiday!  It’s all candy, candy, candy.  If I told you I had a sweet tooth that would be an understatement.  In fact, the inside of my mouth is starting to hurt.  Fortunately I gave blood a couple of weeks ago.  If I tried this week they’d have a hard time getting it out of my veins since it’s probably as thick as maple syrup.  Some people if given the choice between a nice steak and a piece of cake would choose the steak, but not me.  The bad news is that stage two diabetes runs in my family so at some point I’m going to have to watch it.  That’s really depressing.

Time to change the subject.  Joy got a new car!  She’s really excited since she’s never had a new car.  What a pain in the butt it was shopping around, but you’ll see her picture below in front of her 2011 Honda Accord.  Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for Joy, I didn’t get to drive it down to St. Louis last week.  Last weekend was my nephew Greg’s bachelor party.  He’s getting married in November.  Since half the family lives in Kansas City and the other half in Chicago, we decided to meet in St. Louis.  We had a great time.  Rather than treat you all to the entire weekend, here are some quick highlights.  Eight of us met in St. Louis on Friday to see the Hawks play the Blues.  The Hawks lost 4 to 2, but no one in the group got into a fight - even though both nephews were wearing Hawks jerseys.  After the game we stayed in a house my nephew Chris rented on a lake in Innsbrook, Mo.  It was a beautiful location (picture below).  We went on a zip line tour Saturday.  After six lines my brother Doug said he had a pain in his chest.  No, he didn’t have a heart attack, thank goodness, we were out in the middle of nowhere!  He thinks he was just tense because the guy told him he might ram into a tree at 40mph.  Seriously, he didn’t even get close.  I mean, he cleared it my at least three or four inches.  Oh, now that I think of it, this is the same guy who Greg inadvertently kneed in the groin.  It was painfully obvious that he wasn’t wearing a cup.  In the evening we went to the play Evil Dead the Musical.  Ironically, it was in a repurposed church.  I don’t know about the other guys, but I enjoyed it.  The highlight of the evening was when Darrell (niece’s fiancee) goaded Joe (other niece’s boyfriend) into trying to eat a tablespoon of cinnamon.  In retrospect this was a really bad idea.  Do not attempt this! Joe survived, but for a while we weren’t so sure he would.  Check out the video here.  Don’t worry, the copious vomit scenes are not shown, but you can see he’s in a lot of distress.  The rest of the trip was enjoyable, but largely uneventful, other than a hot dog bun fight (take my word for it; it stings when you get hit with a balled up bun).  At one point I was heard screaming, “Look out, he’s got a bun!”  On the way home I made my brother Carl and Josh stop at Cahokia. If you enjoy history you should check out the earthen mounds in southern Illinois. They were built by the Indians over a thousand years ago, at least that’s what’s alleged. Both Carl and Josh thought that it should have been called, “Ca_hoax_ia”.

As for the Crestwood Portillo’s (I’m going to try to be delicate) it hasn’t been my favorite. The facility itself needs a little maintenance.  The first chair I chose was broken and the bathroom was antiquated.  On the other hand, and probably more important, these were likely the nicest employees I’ve encountered so far.  Since I’m on a mission to eat everything on the menu, I ordered the “Vegi Croissant.”  Apparently I’m the first person to ever have ordered this.  At least that’s what was implied.  When the first girl couldn’t figure out how to enter it into the computer, I offered to order something different.  A second girl stepped in and said, “really it’s no problem, you get what you want.”  She put the order through and everything came out perfect.  Now you’re really going to think I’m nuts, but the vegi croissant was really, and I’m not kidding, really good.  Go figure.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, it was Portillo’s after all.

Jeff:
Vegi Croissant (If I ever become a vegetarian, this is what I’m eating)
Gourmet Garden Salad

Joy:
Chopped Salad (crunchiest bacon she’s ever had)

#27 Crystal Lake Portillo's

Still writing this one.  Will post shortly.

Jeff:
Tuna Caesar Salad

Joy:
Chopped Salad (again)

 

#26 Oak Lawn Portillo's

I had a tough time sleeping last night.  Seems it goes in spurts where I can’t fall asleep and I’m up until the wee hours of the morning, or I go to sleep right away but then I wake up in the wee hours of the morning and can’t get back to sleep.  Perhaps it has something to do with the “wee hours?”  I have no idea what that means except that I’ve been up since 4am.  We took a drive down to see Josh at the U of I today.  It was a great day for a drive even though I was exhausted.  Thank goodness there are rest areas along the way.  Okay, seriously, how can anyone rest at a rest area?  I’ve just been sitting motionless for two hours.  Do I really need more rest?  I’ve rested so much that my legs are stiff, I have to take a wee, and highway hypnosis rendered me a zombie.  Perhaps they should call it a “revival area.”  Now that couldn’t be misconstrued, could it?  How about a “regeneration station,” at least that rhymes.  In any case, it’s slightly better than, but perhaps not as safe as, taking a tinkle next to the car on the shoulder.  A word of warning; Don’t be foolish and walk off into a corn field to protect your modesty!  You are likely to run into an alien making a crop circle or an old baseball player looking for a game.

We had a nice visit with Josh and on the way back Joy and I decided to make a stop at the Oak Lawn Portillo’s.  It’s not too far off the tollway.  I was pleasantly surprised that the person at the counter knew exactly what a tamale boat was.  If you get a chance sometime, order a tamale smothered in chili, cheese, and onions. It’s a favorite of my friend Jim S.

Jeff
Tamale Boat (not on the menu – tamale, chili, cheese, onions)
Cake Shake (I have to try everything!!)

Joy
Italian Beef

#25 Schaumburg Portillo's

The 50th state in our union was established in 1959 and no, you cannot find a Portillo’s there.  However, you can find Spam, and plenty of it.  According to Hormel, Hawaii is the largest consumer of Spam.  Quite possibly you are wondering why I’m writing about Hawaii, or Spam for that matter.  No, there are no Portillo’s in Hawaii and no, Portillo’s does not serve Spam.  Although, I could swear that I’ve seen a picture of Dick Portillo wearing a Hawaiian shirt.  That’s enough of a reason for me.  And, if you buy that, I have some swamp land in Florida to sell you.  Oops, “had” some swamp land.  I sold that to Disney.  Once again I digress.  Oh, the joys of writing.  Here’s the real reason I’m writing about Hawaii.  Hawaii is the home of our friend Nobu.  Nobu (pictured below) works for a company that makes and sells Hawaiian shirts.  We met through our mutual friend Kathy, who happens to be his publishing sales rep.  Fortunately, for us at least, Nobu and Kathy travel to Chicago a few times a year to review and approve the company’s catalog.  Yes, the catalog is produced here.  Well, strange as it may seem, it’s actually produced in Wisconsin.  One time Kathy tried to explain it to me.  She said something about paper, shipping, and labor costs, just before I derailed the conversation to talk more about ghosts with Nobu.  Hawaii is, if you’ve ever seen that Brady Bunch episode, chock full of ghosts.  According to Nobu, there are good ghosts and bad ones.  If you are unsure which witch is which, you better study up before you travel to Hawaii.

I think Nobu really enjoyed his first Italian Beef sandwich.  Joy said it was exceptionally good that night.  I just can’t wait to get to Hawaii for a big slice of fried Spam.  Just kidding Nobu.

Jeff
Char-Grilled Italian Sausage (very sweet and awesome)
Chocolate Éclair Cake (should be illegal it’s so good)

Joy
Italian Beef
Chocolate Éclair Cake (I’m not the only one who likes it)
Kathy
Jumbo Hot Dog
Fries
Chocolate Cake

Nobu (can eat)
Italian Beef
Onion Rings
Beer
Chocolate Cake Shake

#24 Shorewood Portillo's

Many of you who know me know that I enjoy working on computers.  I know it’s kind of geeky, but we all need hobbies, right?  In any case, I usually only work on friend’s computers and I always refuse payment.  That doesn’t stop my friends from occassionally trying to compensate me (thank you Denise and Jim for the Omaha Steaks!), which, if it makes them feel better, I guess that’s all right with me.  I mention this because today I enjoyed lunch at the Portillo’s in Shorewood thanks to Bonnie.  Bonnie hasn’t had much luck with her dad’s PC and now that she has her own laptop she’s being super careful about viruses, right Bonnie? 

I know this is the wrong forum, but I can assure you that whatever links or attachments your friends send you are not that funny.  Computer viruses are a pain.  Also, don’t be naive, Internet content can be written anyone, even people like me.  I assume you know that because you are reading this now.  In any case, DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ, even if it sounds plausible. 

Shorewood is 32.4 miles from our home.  Ok, it should be that far, but it’s considerably farther when you don’t use a GPS or a map and you get lost.  Consequently, we had a nice drive in the country where we got to see some corn fields and barns and such; it was a beautiful sunny 80 degree day.  Shorewood, in case you don’t know is south of Plainfield.  This Portillo’s is on Route 59, which down that way is called Brook Forest Ave.  Don’t you just love it when streets change names?  That’s a rhetorical question although, there actually may be people who enjoy streets with multiple names.  For example, the people that name them.  In any case, it was a nice day and we stopped in downtown Plainfield.  I forced Joy to eat some ice cream at a little shop.  Ok, I didn’t have to bend her arm behind her back, but she really didn’t want it.  Honestly I just stopped at the joint to use the bathroom, and I felt guilty, so I had to buy something …

Jeff
Breadded Chicken Croissant (Order a small side of coleslaw and add it to the sandwich. If you’re going to consume that many calories already, you might as well go for it.)

Joy
Charbroiled Chicken Sandwich
(2) Root beers

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

#23 Batavia Portillo's

Still writing, but here are the pictures.

 



Pete and Beth



Nora, Josh, Grace (back)

Joy

Tamale Boat

#22 Addison Portillo's

Still writing post, but here are the pictures.





Don, Carl, Debi, Maddie, Joy, Jeff

#21 Oswego Portillo's

Still writing post, here are the pictures.

#20 Sycamore Portillo's

Still writing the post, here are the pictures.

 

#19 Tinley Park Portillo's

We (Josh, his friend Jon and I) stopped at the Tinley Park Portillo’s on our way to the First Midwest Bank Amphitheater.  This was the site of this year’s Q101 Jamboree.  The Jamboree consists of 16 bands playing on two stages.  The majority of the bands would be considered alternative rock (genre).  I really wanted to go to see one of my favorite groups, The Flobots (no ‘w’).  If you haven’t heard them I would recommend listening to this song.  However, like I said, the majority of the groups were alternative rock but not these guys.  The other group that I wanted to see was Papa Roach.  While they’ve been around for a while, and I can honestly say that I haven’t been too thrilled with their latest work, they’re still one of my favorites.  If you’re not familiar with them, this is my favorite song (warning - there is some profanity so don't get bent out of shape).  The last time Josh and I saw them was at the Sears Arena following a soccer game.  What’s great about this group is that even though the soccer/concert gig didn’t bring in a large crowd they performed a great show.  The current show was massive compared to that one.  I believe an announcement was made regarding 29k people.  Fortunately I wasn’t the oldest person at the show.  I can state this fact unequivocally because my friends Pete and Kelly G. were there with their sons Paul and Jason.  Despite a thunderstorm in the morning the ground was relatively dry and we were able to find a nice spot under a tree to park our lazy rear ends for the day.  It turned out to be a great location to people-watch.  Concerts seem to bring out the most interesting, or perhaps a better term may be ‘attention deprived’, individuals.  I couldn’t begin to really describe the oddities, but every possible hair color, tattoo, piercing, and choice of attire made a showing.  Like I said, it was entertaining.  Hopefully a couple of old dudes with gray and receding hair stuck out as well, but somehow I doubt it.  Thanks to Josh and Jon for letting me tag along.


Jeff
Breaded Chicken Sandwich (hotter than Hades)
Josh
Jumbo Hot Dog (again – seriously?)
Fries
Jon (Hot Dog – Ketchup only – hipster?)
Fries

#18 Bloomingdale Portillo's

Second Portillo’s in three days.  Funny, it wasn’t difficult to talk the same people into going in such a short period of time!  We met my nephew Greg and his girlfriend Annie at the Portillo’s in Bloomingdale.  Greg and Annie were on their way back to Kansas and not only suggested that we meet at a Portillo’s, they were happy to drive a few extra miles to go to one that I needed to visit.  Let’s face it, and this is ironic since Kansas is bespectacled with cattle, you can’t get what we call a ‘beef sandwich’ in Kansas.  Of course you can’t get KC barbeque in Chicago either, that’s the beauty of regional cuisine.  I’m sure we’re not the only ones, but when we plan vacations one of the first things we plan is where and what we’re going to eat.  Can I get a ‘YUM’?

Of all the Portillo’s we’ve visited so far I believe I like this one the best.  I know you’re probably wondering why if you’ve eaten here before.  It’s certainly unassuming from the outside, but that’s often the case in great places.  The interior of this Portillo’s is divided up into little streets with curbs and eating areas that are separated from each other.  Unlike the newer locations, with large open areas, this location affords some dining intimacy.  It’s much more conducive to conversations.  The only dining problem here lies in the pickup area where there can be a bottleneck.  One of the other things I really like is the extra large skylights.  One time we were here during a thunderstorm and it was awesome!  I do enjoy storms.  So, you’ve ascertained that this isn’t the first time I’ve been here.  We periodically met my mother and step-father here since it was about half way between our homes.  So, it holds some sentimental value to us as well.

As a side note, Annie made the ultimate compliment to Portillo's, she took along a hot dog for the road.  Way to go!

Jeff
Combo Beef and Char-Grilled Sausage (great)

Josh
Jumbo Hot Dog
Cheese Fries

Joy
Char-Broiled Chicken Sandwich

Greg
Big Beef
Fries

Annie
Italian Beef
Hot Dog (chaser)

All
Chocolate Éclair Cake (if they have it – get it!!!)

#17 Downers Grove Portillo's

We refer to the Portillo’s in Downers Grove as “Lyzz’ Portillo’s”.  Our niece Lyzz has long since moved to Portland, OR where you couldn’t get a decent Italian beef or hot dog if you were willing to pay a hundred bucks.  Not that we miss her, but that’s what she gets for moving away!  Well she’s here today along with the rest of the family enjoying Portillo’s one again.  While the visit is joyous, we’re been brought together hastily and for unfortunate reasons.  Everyone has come to town to say farewell to “Gramps.”  If you’ve been following the blog you’ve probably noticed that I haven’t written anything for a long time.  It’s been six weeks since his passing, and our visit to this Portillo’s, and I’m still having a difficult time putting down some words.  Perhaps this isn’t the best forum, but I really owe him a tribute.  Also, I’m not a historian so I won’t even attempt to write a biography.  I’ll pick up the story where I got to know him and for the sake of the blog, I’m only going to hit the highlights.

Albert Krafft (1916-2010).  He was my sister’s best friend’s father.  He (widower) and my mother (divorced) were, for lack of a better term, "set-up" by the girls and in 1977 they married.  In the process we (my brothers and sister) picked up three step-sisters, three nephews and a niece, including my best friend who instantly became my nephew (even though he’s a month older than me).  It’s not as complicated as it sounds.  Since I was the only one still living with my mom, Al (who I affectionately referred to as “Egg”) became my acting father.  I was graduating 8th grade and the timing couldn’t have been better.  I was very fortunate to have such a great role model!  He was intelligent, worked hard, cared deeply, etc.  Honestly, I couldn’t come up with enough positive adjectives if I tried.  Anyone who has raised a teenager knows it can be challenging, but we never fought.  Stepping ahead, he was married to my mother until she passed away in 1998.  All the while he was there for the birth of my son, my nephews and nieces, weddings and funerals.  I guess the same things we all experience.  There are so many stories, but the most memorable to me was the first time he introduced me as his son.  What a proud moment that was for me and something I’ll never forget!  Before he passed he said to me, “don’t miss me too much.”  That’s one thing that I could never promise.

Jeff
Garbage Salad (accidently flipped the bowl over but missed Sarah – better luck next time)

Joy
Chopped Salad

Josh
Combo Beef and Char-Grilled Sausage
Fries

Sarah and Joe, Greg and Annie, Lyzz and Gabe, Ruth, Nan
Stuff you can't get in Kansas or Oregon

Nan fell asleep while eating - pretty common