Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/403159
"river west has the best of both worlds... it has everything i need." —rodelio aglibot side of the freeway. I do an outdoor workout once a week, and I'm around that park just enjoying it a lot. It's simple; it's a neighborhood park, and it reminds me of the park I grew up with back in California. It's not that big, but it has baseball diamonds and jungle gyms. "Windy City Café—I definitely have breakfast there. I like their corned beef hash. I'm a purist; I think that hash needs to have a nice amount of crispiness to it, and not too much potato. There's a nice balance with the corned beef. The atmosphere is plain and simple—they're not trying to be anything more than a neighborhood breakfast and lunch joint. I'm not a chef that reviews or judges other restaurants. Most places I go into I just enjoy for the fact that I'm craving a dish, or I don't want to cook. Even with all the different foods I cook, I still eat Spam and all the same things I grew up with as a kid. I enjoy different things, but if I had to choose a favoite kind of restaurant, it'd be a diner. I just like a simple chicken-fried steak and eggs; it always puts a smile on my face. "My hobby outside of cooking is definitely playing golf. For one, it's about being outdoors, and it also teaches me to be in the moment. So I go to Proline Golf a lot to get my clubs re-gripped and hit a few golf balls. It's a golf shop that has nets in the back, where you can take some of the demo clubs and hit, and then you see the latest toys and whatnot there as well. "And then there's Matchbox, which is a place I always take my friends who've never been to Chicago to grab a cocktail. It's great to see people's faces when they realize it's so small—it's called Matchbox for a reason. It's a quintessential cocktail bar that's unpretentious. I also go to Green Zebra; it's probably the only vegetarian restaurant in the country that I enjoy. I'm always satisfied after a meal there; I don't crave a steak or piece of fish afterward. It's so creative. I will tell you, vegetarian chefs have to be so much more creative with imparting f lavor, with cooking techniques, with texture, to get someone like me to go in and eat it and enjoy it. I go there and I just get inspired by the things they do with vegetables that I never would have thought of." MA rod's raves: Chef Rodelio Aglibot on his River West destinations of choice. BiG ShoulderS (1105 W. Chicago Ave., 312-888-3042; bigshoulderscoffee.com) "It's artisanal and handcrafted, and draws a creative clientele." eCkhart Park (1330 W. Chicago Ave., 312-746-5490; chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks/ eckhart-park) "It reminds me of the park I grew up with back in California." Windy City Café (1062 W. Chicago Ave., 312-492-8010; windycity-café.com) "I like their corned beef hash." Proline Golf (925 W. Chicago Ave., Ste. 1, 312-738-2427; prolinechicago.com) "It has nets in the back where you can take some of the demo clubs and hit." MatChBox (770 N. Milwaukee Ave., 312-666-9292; thesilverpalmrestaurant.com/the- machbox.php) "A quintessential cocktail bar." Green ZeBra (1460 W. Chicago Ave., 312-243-7100; greenzebrachicago.com) "I'm always satisfed after a meal there." clockwise from far left: Eckhart Park boasts a jungle gym and baseball diamond; sweet potato potstickers at veggie favorite Green Zebra; the tiny Matchbox bar has been serving classic cocktails at Ogden and Milwaukee Avenues for more than 75 years; Aglibot loves artisanal, handcrafted Big Shoulders coffee, which recently arrived in River West. michiganavemag.com 81