Cliff Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 So these friends of my wife.. he's a farmer/railroad worker/woodworker. Every stick of furniture in his house is home made. He has a few dozen apple trees, which is nice cause there is really nothing better than some fresh apple cider. Then of course, if I had to guess, he has about 10 truckloads worth of cherry and oak wood firewood (which he generously offered me as much as I want for my smoker!) But most importantly - he cuts his own wood for woodworking. He cuts it off of his own land and processes it. Mostly cherry and walnut. He also has tons of wood from just collecting people's fallen trees over the years - oak, elm, pine, fir. First picture - The uppermost shelf is a couple of different types of wood, but most is from his house. He took out two solid wood doors that were painted, discovered it was solid walnut. Same with all the cabinets and such that he took out. He kept them because he couldn't see throwing it out, just needs the paint removed to be useful. He also had stuff from the house that was old growth pine, zero knots. To the right he has some pieces of plywood, the good stuff that is 13 layers of birch. None of it is bigger than 4 foot long or 1.5 foot wide. The very top shelf he has rough 4x4's for table legs. Bottom shelf is Aromatic Cedar. Most of it. These two pics he says is about 90% of his wood. Second pic is walnut, fir, red oak, something called pin oak (?) elm, cherry and I don't know what else. I just can't imagine having this much wood. And I don't think he paid for a single piece.His shop is small, smaller than my garage space. I don't think he has a machine that is under 20+ years old. Not a Festool in sight, some of you may appreciate that. I can't wait to go back and learn some stuff from him. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 That's the kind of guy I'd like to hang with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 Pin oak is a close relative of red oak and was developed as a landscape tree. It was planted en masse post WWII...at least here in St. Louis. Every neighborhood that was built in the 40s and 50s is chock full of them, dwarfing the tiny homes they tower over and buckling the sidewalks. They are fast growing and massive and can be easily identified by their arrow straight trunks and drooping lower branches. When I worked for a tree service in my previous life we encountered them on a very regular basis...and we hated every second of it. Hard and heavy with extremely tough and wiry branches that would whip your entire body and fight you all the way through the chipper.The wood is a little more brownish like white oak but the grain and pores look like red. Oh, and when freshly cut it stinks like piss. Hence the nickname piss oak. Bonus...flies love a freshly cut piss oak...so if you eat lunch at the job site you get to deal with the smell of piss and flies. Yay! I do not miss that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattSC Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 When we used to cut our own firewood growing up we just called it red oak we didnt know better. Eric is right about the smell it is an eye opener. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 Ewww. Glad he didn't offer to sell me any. .Thing about all this wood, he hasn't cut any in a while. He declared his reserves are getting low. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 I will be mapquesting naperville to galesburg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 88w to 74e. Bring portillos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted October 10, 2015 Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 88w to 74e. Bring portillos.portillos like the Italian sausage joint? We just got one here in Anaheim and my brother is obsessed with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 10, 2015 Well to me they are a hot dog joint. I used to eat jumbo dogs there 3x/week. But then I moved. portillos is the gold standard of fastish food Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weithman5 Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 yeah, i actually like there chicago style hot dogs. oddly, the best chicago hot dogs are at the little booth outside our home depot. there burgers and italian combos are okay but if i am headed there it is for the hot dogs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 I dint know it was a chain type thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 I think, and I am not 100% sure on this - that Portillo's started as a Chicago area thing. They aren't in Chicago proper (more Superdawgs than anything) but have a huge suburban presence. They were bought 2-3 years ago and since then they have been expanding. Whenever anyone says they are going to Chicago area, I tell them, "Get Portillos hot dogs, get ribs and brisket from Smoque, get a burger from Kumas and if you got money burning a hole in your pocket - hit Texas de Brazil." For me, it just doesn't get any better. at least 100lbs on me must be Portillos related. I'd eat there 4 times/week. Vienna beef hot dogs are just the bomb (thats what they serve) though plenty of people prefer other styles more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 (edited) They aren't in Chicago proper (more Superdawgs than anything) but have a huge suburban presence. Except the giant original one at Ontario and Clark that's always packed and has a drive thru that's constantly backed up. Also, most everyone I know prefers Fogo de Chao over the other Brazilian steakhouse options including Texas de Brazil. I wouldn't know since that's not my thing. /shrugGlad you don't tell people to go to Giordano's...get tired of everyone recommending that place. I swear over half its business must be on misinformed referrals. Edited October 11, 2015 by Vyrolan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Fogo is great but a few years ago they changed their garlic steak. It is now inferior. They also dont have the cheesey potatoes like TDB on the salad bar.I prefer Lou Malnatti's for deep dish. Regular pizza.. There is a little place in Algonquin that has a bbq chicken & bacon pizza that I love. Plus Piece Pizza downtown.I got a list two miles long of food places. I really miss living there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted October 11, 2015 Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 I'm glad cliff started this wood thread on wood talk so that we could talk about food. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2015 Me too! I am your typical fat American afterall! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I prefer Lou Malnatti's for deep dish. 100% agreed. So glad there's one near me in the burbs...would have missed that from downtown for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I feel like a traitor but I like NY pizza more than Chicago. That portillo's on clark street is nuts. I believe the chain sold for between $600mln and $1bln. Their revenue/sq ft is ridiculous. From memory it does 2x the revenue/store compared to other fast casual restaurants. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vyrolan Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I feel like a traitor but I like NY pizza more than Chicago. That portillo's on clark street is nuts. I believe the chain sold for between $600mln and $1bln. Their revenue/sq ft is ridiculous. From memory it does 2x the revenue/store compared to other fast casual restaurants. I prefer NY to the true "Chicago style" like Giordano's, but if take Lou's over them all. That portillos has a drive thru I used to go through. Wow. 2-3 ppl taking orders outside and then another 2-3 delivering them to cars as they pushed through two lanes simultaneously. Completely ridiculous. Not surprised by crazy revenue numbers having been to that one so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I'm not a terribly big fan of Chicago style pizza either. My favorites are usually white sauce pizza. That's why I mentioned Piece Pizza. They have a white clam pizza that is amazing. I've never actually had a real NY style pizza even though I used to work in New Jersey once every six weeks. It was right there. That is kinda how every Portillo's is. When I worked in Arlington Heights, I'd go to the one on Golf Road and it was backed up to the street. You get there and say you want a jumbo dog and get told they are out OF HOT DOGS. They literally couldn't keep them hot enough to keep up with the customers. I always did love that where they walked out and get your order and let you pay. Not sure why other places haven't thought of this. I tell people I have a sense where I can detect a Portillo's within a 3 mile radius. It was tested once, the first time I went to Pita Inn in Skokie. I told my friend, "Oh dude why don't we just go to Portillo's, I haven't been back here in like a year.. " He says, "I don't even know where the nearest is." I said, "Just up ahead, I can feel it." Maybe that was due to accidentally absorbing the location map online - or I just have a very specific hot dog related superpower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I didn't know there was a Texas de BrZil, till now. And after looking at their prices, well, give me a Whataburger! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 That's a once or twice per year thing for me. Always once on my bday. It works cause I invite 14 people - then they pay for me. Has my favorite alcoholic drink - and all you can eat of the best steak ever. Or damn near ever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 12, 2015 Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 I usually get an italian beef at Portillo's. Sometimes a polish. Favorite Burger: the Gage. Favorite steak: Chicago Cut or Gibsons. David Burke's is good too everyday pizza: Rosati's. I do like Malnati's when I need to fatten up for winter. Piece is good but always crowded. Spaca Napoli is really good. I live close to Pita Inn but never really go there. I guess standing in line behind 150 sweaty cab drivers isn't my thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted October 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2015 Nothing wrong with Rosati's but over 11 years there, I eventually got real sick of it because we ordered it so much. I ended up branching out. Gibson's used to (don't see it on their menu now) have a blackened salmon that was out of this world. That's all I ever got there. Best part about Pita Inn is they usually have a grocery right next to or attached. So I just go there now and get a couple of quarts of hummus and a pack or two of pitas. Their shwarama is very good there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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