Choo Choo Chronicles: A Whistle-Stop Adventure at Des Plaines’ Iconic Restaurant”

A train horn blows. Whistles toot. A bronco named Champion bucks kids for a quarter while the aroma of french fries wafts from the kitchen. In this suburban equation, Grandkids + Spring Break = The Choo Choo restaurant in Des Plaines.

Barb and I brought our three oldest grandchildren to the landmark diner last week to welcome spring and shake off residual winter gloom. The tiny restaurant is not much bigger than a breadbox. Train trinkets fill every nook of wall and shelf space. The line of eagerly anticipating diners stretches out the front door.

There are half a dozen booths, into which owner Dale Eisenberg can squeeze half a dozen half-size diners, but we snagged prime seats at the U-shaped counter. Soon after we ordered our lunches, a train horn tooted, and an HO gauge model train pulled our burgers, hot dogs, and BLTs to a spot in front of us, where we were served by the always on-the-go staff.

The servers never rested, but none were more on the move than Eisenberg. As we waited in line, he peppered us with questions. “How many are in your party, where you are from, have been to the restaurant before? What’s the weather? And WHAT is in the brown paper lunch sack you have in your hand?”

When asked why he had removed booths that once lined the front of the restaurant Eisenberg told us “The kids couldn’t see the train from those booths I didn’t want families to take the trouble to come here, wait in line, and then be unable to see the main attraction–so I ripped them out. It may make the wait to sit down a little longer, but that’s ok.” As he spoke with us, he passed out quarters to the kids in line, giving them free rides on the Champion the Wonder Horse. We could see he didn’t want any child to be left out.

Eisenberg’s generosity extends beyond the Choo Choo. He is also President and Co-founder of the Veteran Business Project. This non-profit organization assists veterans and their families in pursuing small-business ownership opportunities. If you are interested, you can read more about the organization at www.veteranbusinessproject.org.

Our family didn’t linger at our counter spot. We ate quickly, paid the bill, and moved on. Another family quickly piled into our seats. As we left the diner we could hear the train horn blowing all the way to our car in the parking garage across the street. It was a wonderful sound.

What Does a New York News Site Know About Chicago Pizza?

You love Chicago pizza. We love Chicago pizza. In my high school days, it was Pizzaria Uno or Due downtown–before their reputations were sullied by franchisization. Then came a My Pi phase–enjoying pizza at the original shop down the block from the Loyola El stop.

On my first date with Barb, sandwiched between watching a polo match at the Chicago Armory and a visit to a Chicago magic bar, we munched on the piping hot cheese pizza at Gino’s East. We enjoyed Gino’s again on the night we got engaged, and completed the Gino’s hat trick on our wedding day, walking from the Drake Hotel for a late-night snack after our afternoon nuptials.

And these days, any excuse is a good excuse to enjoy a Lou Malnati’s pie. Barb is partial to the Lou Special (hold the cheddar cheese, please) while I like to indulge in some pepperoni on my slices. Best when eaten in one of Lou’s sit-down restaurants, the delivered pizzas are nearly as perfect. Even the frozen version can brighten up a weeknight dinner at home.

What do all these pizzas have in common? They are all Chicago legends and they are all deep-dish pizza. Deep dish is what Chicago is known for, as iconic as Vienna Beef Hot Dogs, Garrett’s Caramel and Cheese Popcorn, and Alinea’s five-star meals.

Yes, Giordano’s stuffed-style pizza has its devotees, but that is an anomaly. Single-layer deep-dish is where it is at.

So I was amazed to read an online article in Bloomberg, informing me that the Chicago pizza style that is “taking over the US” isn’t “pudgy deep-dish” but instead cracker thin, crisp-crusted, tavern-style pizza. It’s the rage in Brooklyn, wowing the Northwest in Portland and Seattle, and truffled up for wine-pairing in Napa Valley.

Is it true? Is Chicago’s bulky, broad-shouldered pizza about to be replaced by a crispy cracker slathered in tomato paste? I hate the idea. But I suppose if I can root for The Bear’s Carmy Berzatto to be successful in turning his Italian Beef shack into a Michelin-starred restaurant, I have to be open to food evolution in other Chicago classics as well. Maybe I will try the crispy ‘za at a restaurant in Westmont recommended in the Bloomberg piece.

Just don’t start putting ketchup on my Superdawg!

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Mr. Lindt and My BLCQR: Going Heavy Metal

“Maybe you should say goodbye to Mr. Lindt.”

With that pronouncement four years ago, a registered dietician named Meg pointed me toward improved eating habits and better weight control.

Why did Meg give me that particular bit of advice? I had just described my current diet to her, a regime filled with sweet indulgences. Half of a large Lindt Dark Chocolate Bar was an almost daily afternoon treat.

I mostly followed meg’s recommendation, substituting some string cheese and a piece of fruit for my 2:00 pm snack. But I didn’t give Mr. Lindt a total heave-ho. Instead, I limited my consumption to one square piece from the bar each day, taking 10 days to daintily consume what I had previously devoured in two. I found a way to have my chocolate and eat it, too.

The health reputation of dark chocolate pogos, first up and then down. Are the flavanols it contains heart healthy, or is this counterbalanced by the deleterious effects of the sugar and fats the chocolate contains? Does dark chocolate trigger migraines? Every “pro” has its “con.”

Today I was hit with more chocolatey bad news. If the sugar doesn’t get you, the metal will. An article in today’s New York Times reports on studies indicating that dark chocolate may contain high levels of lead and cadmium.

“So what?” you say. Well, lead and cadmium aren’t particularly healthy, especially for young kids, pregnant women, and nursing moms. Lots of organs can be targets, including bones, kidneys, and the nervous system.

So I got a little nervous. Even though I am not a kid, am not pregnant, and am not nursing, had those years of heavy Lindt consumption done some internal damage? Was my one square a day just adding to my BLCQR (body-lead-cadmium-quantification-ratio)? Was my nervous system going to degenerate before (or behind) my very eyes?

Fortunately, the NYT article included a link to a chart from an organization called As You Sow. The chart lists the amounts of cadmium and lead found in over 450 chocolate concoctions.

I did a search for my favorite Lindt Dark Chocolate with A Touch of Sea Salt bars. My mood was sweetened by the results of my search. The chart indicated that the amount of toxic metal within each serving of my fav was lower than the California Maximum Allowable Dose Level.

Does this mean my present consumption is safe? I’m not sure. I just know that I am going to continue to enjoy my Lindt and forget about the risk of transmuting my kidney, bones, etc. into heavy metal toxic dump sites.

I’m sorry Meg. You were a well-meaning dietician, but I’ll never say goodbye to Mr. Lindt–at least until the next negative article comes along.