Semiramis Restaurant
4639 N Kedzie Ave
Chicago, IL 60625
Sun-Tzu said “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer”. Using a similar logic, you usually have friends and then you have FRIENDS. These friends are those that will not hesitate to tell the blunt truth, knowingly that although it will hurt you, in the end, it is for your own good. On those lines, I have a really dear friend, FYZ. In fact, if I need a reality check, I can rely on her.
Unfortunately, we have not seen each other for close to a decade - until a couple of months that is, when she was travelling to Seattle and we agreed to meet each other. Now, don’t get me wrong, we did send/receive emails once in a while but still, that is not the same. She is currently living in Chicago and, since it was on my way from/to Merrillville, I knew we had to meet each other. Of course, since she lives in the area, it was up to her to choose the place… And here is where we went, Semiramis Restaurant.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture, it was COLD!
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On my second night in Merrillville, I had a bit more time to think about dinner. Since I arrived back to the hotel at around 5:30 p.m., I had the late afternoon/early evening to think about the options, not to mention about 3/4 tank of gas. I could have driven to Chicago; however that would have been easily a 2 hour drive and even then I wouldn’t know where to go.
In the end, I decided to stop by Southlake Mall, a nearby mall, to look for options. After all, when I went to Uno Chicago Grill for lunch, I saw a couple of restaurants there, like Potbelly Sandwich Works, Olive Garden and other similar chains nearby. However, none of them caught my attention and kept driving Lincoln Highway on both sides for a couple of clicks. I was tempted to stop on a Japanese restaurant called House of Kobe but decided against it. Driving like an idiot for over 20Km is not funny, specially when you don’t know where you are going so I decided to drive back, this time Merrillville Plaza, a mall across Southlake Mall, and stop at the first place that caught my attention. Old Country Buffet? Nah. TGI Fridays? Nope. At that point, I was starting to give up. Was there anything in the area that was not a chain? (Afterwards, in addition to House of Kobe, there was another restaurant called Gino’s. Oh, well, too late I guess). Finally, I stopped at a place that look different from the other chains (which, oddly still a chain)… Anyway, here is where I ended up:
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Uno Chicago Grill
2385 Southlake Mall
Merrillville, IN 46410
On my first day at my client’s site, when it was lunch time, I asked what was “local”, i.e., a dish that is unique to that city/town/region. I soon found out that, despite Merrillville is located in Indiana, it is heavily influenced by Illinois, specifically Chicago. And what dish did they suggest? Deep-dish pizza! Fortunately, there was a Uno Chicago Grill nearby so that’s were we ended up for lunch.
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Hooters
771 East 81st Place
Merrillville, IN 46410
OK, I admit it: I went to Hooters. I don’t care what people say about this chain or what not; I was tired and hungry. It was, after all, past 10:00 p.m. (thanks to delays plus a flight re-schedule plus 90 minute drive from O’Hare International to Merrillville) and there were not that many dining options. Well, actually there were a couple of restaurants open; however, despite it was near 0C, I did not want to drive and the only other place at a walking distance was Outback Steakhouse. Sure, I could have gone there but I did not want to eat something heavy (read: steak).
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Oh, well, here I go again… For work reasons, I went to Merrillville, Indiana. (Of course, I can’t disclose who/what). Just as with my last trip to Baltimore, here are my breakfasts…
Since the departure time of my flight was around 10:50 a.m., I arrived at the airport just before 9:00 a.m., just in time to grab something from Tim Horton’s, their Breakfast Sandwich with Sausage (Egg, cheese, sausage in a “homestly biscuit”).
I must say I am a fan of this sandwich. Sure, it might not be the best/healthiest option available but, hey, it tastes good!
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