Oberweis Dairy

Oberweis Dairy - Chicago, IL

If you love ice-cream like I do (and you better if you are reading this) then the very mention of Oberweis creates a pang in your stomach and makes you drool. I have been to this place in the brilliant Chicago summers, in the chilly spring and in the dead of the life-sapping winter. I used to frequent their Arlington Heights (Dundee Rd) and Chicago (Milwaukee Ave) locations. This is definitely my number one choice for ice-cream. And yes, nostalgia does count. Plus Oberweis is family owned and seems to have retained that 'family-owned' feel about them.

The ice-cream at Oberweis is probably fresher and creamier than even Marble Slab or Cold Stone. The flavors, though not as many are definitely top notch. The sundaes, brownies, shakes, milk .. its all good. The chocolate-peanut butter ice-cream is good, so is the eggnog flavored one. Oh and the raspberry-chocolate and the Apple Strudel and .. well .. you get the picture.

The stores can be packed on weekends .. with whole families coming in to have ice-cream. Plus service can be a tad slow, making the wait for your order all the more excruciating. I also love their milk.. comes in quaint glass bottles .. tastes delicious.

I wish they had a store in California.

Food: *****

Hot Wok Village

Hot Wok Village - Schaumburg, IL

This is where Schaumburg kicks Bay Area ass. Despite having probably a hundredth of desi style restaurants, Schuamburg offers Indian-Chinese cuisine in the form of Hot Wok Village, which Silicon Valley sadly lacks.

Owned and operated by a chef who worked in Bombay before, the food is not an issue at this place. Authentic Indian-Chinese food means .. American Chopsuey, Veg Manchurian, Hakka Noodles, Hong Kong Chicken, Chilli Chicken etc. Yes, American Chopsuey is a dish in Indo-Chinese cuisine. It tickled me to death when I found out that the Chinese restaurants in America do not have any dish called 'American Chopsuey'.

The decor is ... weird .. never really liked it. Its as if there used to be a Hawaiian restaurant over here and then suddenly everyone decided to cook Indo-Chinese cuisine instead. The menu showers praise upon the owner slash chef and assures us that is we have any Indo-Chinese food emergencies hes da person to come to.

The food is good .. obviously not as good as you would get in India .. but still better than what you would hope to get anywhere else in the US. Theres plenty of choice in appetizers and main dishes, with vegetarians being able to make their own dish with a combination of veggies, and a selection of sauces. The spring rolls are good, though not entirely desi-style. And good news for desi szechwan sauce fans... this is the real stuff!

Food: *** Ambiance: *** Price: $$$
Last Visited: mid-2006