i recently started thinking about good places to take guests from out of town when they pass through chicago. this is what i have so far:

1. Red Apple, an all you can eat polish buffet.
2. the 24-hour korean diner on Western with mean servers.
3. Victorys Banner, a bizarre vegetarian restaurant with fantastic brunches.
4. Ethiopian Diamond.
5. any hot dog place.
6. the bubbletea bar under the Phoenix in Chinatown.
7. this brazillian place in River North where you pay a flat fee for all-you-can-eat meat (oh, and there's a salad bar). the restaurant employees wander around with these big trays of meat and, get this, you have a little placard thing on your table that is red on one side and green on the other. if you want food, you flip it to the green side.
8. Margie's soda fountain.
9. Manny's deli (right by maxwell street market, an open air flea market).
10. Soul Vegetarian, on the south side, which i have yet to get to.
11. Carol's.
12. Taste of Heaven.
13. Argyle.
14. Lula (for a splurge).
15. La Unica, in the back of the cuban supermarket.
16. Taquerias.
17. Tamales at Maxwell Street.
18. Devon
(from Becky:)
19. Lulu's
20. Clarke's
21. Pizza D.O.C (Lincoln Square)