We were trying to break out, I don't know what that means but we were trying to break out

That was a Saturday. Lunch at an Algerian Creperie, Hit the Lincoln Park Zoo (so much cooler than I remember), checked out the Bicycle Film Festival (pretty damn cool), and finally hit a trendy pizza place back up by the zoo called "Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company." Shall I break down each? No? Well too bad, it's my blog and you will read every damn word I have to say! (thank you adam sandler).

So Algerian's know how to make crepes. Considering Marieta and I had mapped out the Zoo and Film Fest as our day plan we had yet to decide on what to do for yums. We found a few buzzed restaurants: The Crepe and Coffee Palace and The Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company, both in Lincoln Park. So lunch was the Crepe shop:

Crepe and Coffee Palace

Yeah so if those pictures don't tell you much know that this place was very unique. The atmosphere was a hole in the wall decorated with Algerian maps and ornamental lamps and art. Very cool. You never think of Algeria for anything, let alone decor. I dug this place. First off, they brought us water with a floating slice of cucumber in it. Very interesting. Cucumber has a very subtle flavor but when added to water it makes it freshing but not biting like a piece of lemon or lime. try it some time. My crepe was the Chicago Crepe: Muenster, avocadoes, sun dried tomato tapenade, cilantro, bell pepper, scallions, organo, mix green, sun flower seeds, and Merguéz (Algerian Lamb Sausage). A tasty mix. It sounds like a bunch of stuff that you may not put together but it went well. I think it needed some more distinct flavors (I mean Avocadoes, sun dried tomato, bell pepper... all chilled out flavor). Something like garlic (Marieta's suggestion) needed to get in there and say "ALL RIGHT! This is officially my crepe." The Merguéz was good. Kind of a mix between Deer meat and Italian Sausage. Yum. For dessert we had a dark belgian chocolate filled crepe with whip cream and ice cream. The ice cream made the crepe, gave it a fluid sweet taste that made the crepe and chocolate meld very well. If you're ever in Algeria try the Crepes!

Lincoln Park Zoo

So what I remember about the lincoln park zoo is about two sentences long. It was small, free, and didn't have any cool animals. Okay one sentence. Maybe I remember it wrong or maybe they have just updated it a lot but the Lincoln Park Zoo has a ton of animals, it's still free, and it isn't that small. Two years ago I went to the Central Park Zoo in NYC and it cost $ to get in, was small, and had a ton of penguins (so it wasn't all bad). I would total suggest you check out the LP Zoo on your next visit to Chicagway. And there is a area for family or couples pictures with the chicago skyline. Oh yeah, and there are llamas!

Bicycle Film Festival

You're probably wondering what is with the title of this entry. "We were trying to break out, I don't know what that means but we were trying to break out," is a quote from the film: Joe Kid on a Stingray - The History of BMX. I don't remember the guy who said it but I was laughing so hard when he said I don't know what that means. So so so SO funny. Great flick, check it out. Marieta and I met with my buddy Justin who I met in Grand Rapids back in the day. I haven't seen him in like 5 years but what is 5 years? like 1826 days? Justin and I got a beer (A Pabst for Justin "Timberlips" and an Old Style for me [my first old style ever], that was the entire beer selection). We only saw one flick, mainly because of the Zoo and the fact the next film was after 9 and two hours long. So we left to get a bite to eat. This film festival was fun; tshirts, cool theme, nice theatre. I love film festivals (one day I will enter a piece in one). I don't know if you have ever seen the documentary about The Z boys of Dogtown (not the feature film but the documentary) but this film was much in the vain of that film. Just give the whole history of the sport. So cool. Tons of awesome stock footage.

After the film we were all getting hungry so we split for the pizza place. I kind of wish we would have stayed because there was a showing of a classic biking film from the 70s called "A Sunday in Hell." Here's the description: "A rare screening of one of the finest cycling films ever made. It features the annual Paris-Roubaix road race, which taxes the energy of Europe's top riders. A Sunday in Hell is over 100 minutes of finely-calculated suspense that leaves viewers limp from pain and pure excitement Don't miss this rare and amazing film! " Yeah we missed it. Now about that pizza...

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder Company

I doubt any of you have heard of this place but it's one of those "Oh you have to check this place out! It's worth any wait you have to endure!" restaurants. Want to know more about it? check out www.chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com/. So the story with this place is you show up, ask how long the wait is and the manager (possibly owner) tells you something like an hour and a half. So you wait, but you don't actually put in your name. This short italian, possibly latin, guy remembers the order by size of party and your face. Of course this is a little sketchy but you gotta deal with it because it's all they've got. Now this place is a cramped basement in a three story townhome.

There is barely any inside waiting area so they built a covered waiting area outside and a staircase nextdoor that people chill on. This picture isn't one that I took so you can't see the 30 people drinking on those steps but trust me half of the people waiting were drunk. That's the funny part. Over the course of our hour and forty minute wait we sat yacked about everything anything and all sorts of drunks were walking past us. In fact! There was a really drunk couple inside who were holding each other, rambling about god knows what, making out and sloppingly falling around the waiting area. We were laughing our asses off the whole time. They were so drunk that she smeared her mascara (sp??) all the way down the left side of her face and her boyfriend didn't even notice. She looked like Tina after Ike had had a few too many. Marieta asked the short manager guy if and when we would get seated and he told us we were next. Of course he proceed to seat a couple more groups in front of us (one of which was a group of two who were sat in a booth meant for four!) That torqued us all. Finally we sat and ordered. A couple grinders and a pot pie. Their pizza menu is super small. two pizzas Veggie pot pie and sausage with optional mushrooms. You can get them in the Half Pounder or One Pounder. I still hold that they should label the one pounder the Pounder. That is cool. SO I ordered the half pounding, Justin and Marieta each got a grinder, and we all enjoyed a beer with our Mediterrean Bread. Now all reviews say the bread is amazing. Let me tell you, it's not. It's really just dry cheesey bread. Justin and I thought it was all right, Marieta was not impressed at all. Finally the food came after a short wait and the pizza was pretty good and Marieta was not digging her grinder so we switched. This is not a restaurant that you HAVE to go to. In fact I would just tell you to skip it in general. The wait is ridiculous, the food is meh..., and the crowd is drunk and foolish. I was telling Marieta this morning it must get rave reviews because all their customers get drunk during the wait, sit down to all right pizza, and since their drunk it tastes like amazing pizza so everyone remembers the food and not the wait. Dude, I remember the wait and I tasted that food. Skip it and get Ginos.

Epilogue

Now this might sound like a shitty ending to a night but in all honesty this was a great day. The zoo, the crepes, the festival, hanging with justin, and even the grinder co. was an adventure I will soon not forget. And it's impossible to ruin a day where I acquire a new phrase such as the golden "We were trying to break out, I don't know what that means but we were trying to break out."