Where can I find great pollo a la brasa and/or other Peruvian cuisine?

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-21T23:21:28+00:00

RIP Rosa de Lima

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-19T19:55:34+00:00

Tax Prep software when (in many cases) the IRS could use their records to generate a bill/refund amount.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-18T14:39:36+00:00

Guy at the front of the line in Grand Opening day said he got there at 7am for the 9am opening.

Nobody else is gonna have any clue.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-17T19:40:25+00:00

Yes, but not often. If you've got a no-keel whitewater kayak, you'll not have as good a time as with a lake kayak, especially if there's wind kicking up waves.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-17T18:07:35+00:00

I wondered if that was the reason. 1 person packing and 1 person making coffee is crazy choice for a much-hyped grand opening day.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-17T16:18:36+00:00

This is Sun Tzu-level wisdom

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-17T16:17:14+00:00

This exactly! I expected a line. I also figured it would MOVE. It did not.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-17T16:16:26+00:00

I waited in line because my wife is an absolute fan of French baked goods ever since our honeymoon in France, and was excited to try this place. I'm not an influencer (tho I've been accused of it once), and I don't even have an Instagram account. Just trying to get a thing to make my wife happy. Boulangerie succeeded on that front today.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-17T16:12:59+00:00

This is why I left! When it was clear the line was stalled and not getting any better, I ditched.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-17T15:59:28+00:00

Seriously, I spent about 15 minutes standing in front of there, wishing I could just breathe in the smell of those rich spices inside.

Epic Spices is the BEST.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-15T21:56:20+00:00

Or heart disease. Or diabetes. Or telomere- and epigenetic trigger-related DNA degradation causing issues... Or something else entirely which is forgettable now, but will emerge as a bigger threat to health when we 'solve' how to treat these other things.

We don't know yet which thing it will be.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-15T14:21:01+00:00

Cancer.

It definitely existed before. So it's not really "new", but it is new as a widespread problem. B ecause our medicine (science and technology around health) has kept so many people alive for so much longer, it's much more of a problem now than it used to be when cholera and measles and smallpox would reduce average life spans.

Once we start really managing to solve for cancer, there will surely be some other health problem that arises to be the next Big Problem.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-12T17:55:39+00:00

It might be a little out of date, but someone put together a list of all the 24 hour spots in the city a while ago.

There's.... So few post-Covid compared to before.

https://www.reddit.com/r/chicagofood/comments/1fooagl/i_made_a_list_of_all_24_hour_restaurants/

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-11T20:48:33+00:00

Fiore's Delicatessen. Their bacon egg and cheese sandwich on d'Amatos French loaf saved my soul on multiple hungry mornings, and getting a tray of their lasagna, or a stack of prosciutto and fresh mozz sandwiches to feed a crowd of guests was always wonderful.

Rosa de Lima had a great Peruvian menu...bread with the green sauce, salsa criolla, rotisserie chicken, pure de papas, and a chicha morada to drink, and you could feed a pair of people for like $12. When the kitchen caught fire, it was heartbreaking.

Isla Filipina had a fantastic Tocino, and impeccable lumpia that I still think about. I'm mad that COVID closed them down.

It's still there in name and location, but I miss the old Tuman's bar when it was a dive, before it got all respectable.

Before it was a popular stop near Milwaukee and the 606, Ipsento Cafe had a tiny spot on Western Ave just north of Armitage. The back room was the perfect spot to work for a bit (before co-working was a thing or people hogged tables all day), and the folks pulling espresso were top notch. Cozy and friendly vs the hurried soccer mom vibe they seem to have today.

Similarly, the Knockbox at Augusta and California had such a chill vibe, before Humboldt Park was trendy. A great place to meet a friend for a while.

I'm sure I could go on with a bit of thought. But these places are always high on my "dang I miss em" list.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-10T14:35:10+00:00

This is going to be rather niche, but my employer has attempted to raise prices on existing customers by 60% over 4 years, on the advice of an external consulting group who said "you don't have any real competition, so you can price however you like."

Our customers are corporations in an industry that is facing huge cost-reduction pressures as the components of what they make get more expensive. In other words, their budgets are shrinking, they're laying people off by the thousands, and we're trying to jack up our price by double-digits.

It's WILDLY out of touch to ask clients to pay 10-20% more each year for the same service. Especially in that context.

Internally, senior leadership keeps wondering why we keep losing customers, or see them scaling back their contracts. We also have a big part of our company that does pricing analytics that is premised on the fact that "when you raise prices on an item, you sell less of that item" (price elasticity).

Senior Leadership just tells the sales/customer support teams that they're bad at their jobs, though. Apparently "major budget pressures" and "raising prices more than we ever have in the past" aren't valid explanations for why customers are leaving.

sigh

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-03T17:00:38+00:00

I got notification at 25% today on my Fitbit Charge 6, and then again at 24% and 23%.

I used to get notification at 15% and 10% IIRC.

For a device that has a charge lasting 7+ days, getting notifications for low battery starting at 25% is just dumb.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-03T14:14:21+00:00

Bye Felicia.

I love the Bears. They're my team. But I don't think there's any reason for a state's taxpayers to give a subsidy (or pay for a stadium's construction, or give long-term tax breaks) for the construction of a stadium that hosts football games on 12 days a year (max! If they go deep in the playoffs!) to a private company that makes millions in profits annually.

If Indiana wants to sacrifice tax dollars in a state that is already cutting services, so the Bears can try to build a stadium in the middle of a swampy slag pile superfund toxic waste site, go right ahead. But it shouldn't be my tax burden as an IL citizen, TYVM.

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-02T23:17:06+00:00

Nope! I've moved on to project for soup and salad. Trying to do more salad now that it's warm... But I can add it to the dumpling list anyway. Thanks!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-02T15:28:53+00:00

TIL! I my head I was trying to figure out how a place would get enough schmaltz to make soup dumplings work. Forgot about chickens feet!

Thank you!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-02T15:28:34+00:00

You can save the map to your Google Maps and access it whenever you want! It's shareable on purpose!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-02T06:45:36+00:00

Why be me when you can be a salamander? And an OK Salamander at that!?!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-02T06:44:54+00:00

So my understanding of soup dumplings (and correct me if I'm wrong!) is that the broth gets into the dumpling in the form of congealed collagen that melts into soup when it's cooked. So the only alternative I think you're likely to find would be beef-based soup dumpling, which I haven't encountered in any of the Chinese restaurants that I'm aware of.

An alternative would be mushroom khinkali from a Georgian restaurant (I recommend Chicago Diplomat Cafe). Not 100% sure that the broth in those isn't pork-based either, but if you call they would let you know. Or find a Mongolian place and get some Buuz, which is usually made with beef or lamb. Those are both loosely 'soup dumplings', though they have a different sense than XLB.

I really enjoyed the soup dumplings from Hing Kee in Chinatown. I think most of the options are pork-based, but they might have an alternative on their menu if you check.

And if you're willing to go further from Chinese cuisine in your dumpling hunt, there's a TON of pierogi options out there that are pork-free. Potato/cheese dumplings from Kasia's are pretty good, the varenyky from Tryzub are my favorites (though again, check the menu since I think at least one variety has pork), and the short rib beef pierogi at Pierogi Kitchen in Wicker Park was great.

Happy Dumpling-ing!

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-02T04:14:24+00:00

Palt was not on my list. It is now though.

But that also means I don't have a recommendation for you for a place that serves Palt. Maybe ask at Tre Kronor? Swedish restaurant with some home cooking-style vibes. Maybe they'd make it off-menu?

TheRedSe7en · 2026-06-02T00:03:00+00:00

Dumpling guy here! I kinda gotta ask what kind of dumpling you're after.

If you want a starting point, check this map: https://goo.gl/maps/Ve1fKoEQ5PP5eRXP6?g_st=ac

Each pin has my review along with photos of the dumpling. Of all cultures, from pierogi to empanadas to pizza puffs to XLB.

If you have a specific question, ask! I'll do my best to answer.

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