How do I apply for my first passport? One of my goals is to travel more and especially to travel internationally. But, you don’t even have a passport! The negative voice chimed in. So, I decided to do something about it. Here’s what happened.
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Wherever people are gathered and the conversation shifts to bucket lists and plans, invariably, the topic of world travel comes up. It can be enthralling and inspiring to listen to friends and co-workers discuss distant countries they have visited.
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Tiztal Cafe is located on North Clark Street Chicago. In a city known for good food, Tiztal manages to be distinctive.
The far western suburbs of the city are home to the places most familiar to me. But for a random conversation with a stranger during a one-off visit to Urban Village Church in 2015, I would probably not have heard of the place. During fellowship time following the service, a guy mentioned he and his family were heading there for brunch and highly recommended their chilaquiles. Today, I could not describe this guy or recall his name if I had to, but I like chilaquiles, so I remembered the name Tiztal Cafe. Recently, a wedding brought my family to Chicago recently and I finally got around to eating there one clear, sunny Sunday morning.
The interior is small, and there is also a small patio. I wouldn’t quite go as far as to say there were as many people waiting in line out front as there were diners inside, but the wait was a fairly long one. And the cafe is casual. There is no lectern with a sign in sheet nor beepers that flash when a table becomes available. Just a gracious host who stopped up front every so often to collect names from those waiting, and to break up the wait she passed out samples of oatmeal milkshakes, which is a signature offering.
My family was pretty hangry by the time we were seated inside at the very front table which put a great deal of pressure on me for the food to be good. After all, we were in a strange part of town, based upon the recommendation from. . . some guy. Meanwhile, I got to enjoy coffee while we watched an interesting procession of Chicagoans going about their daily lives just outside the front window. Delivery drivers steadily carried bags of food, concealed in plastic bags bound for app users, young tattooed parents walked their babies in very expensive strollers, and we witnessed a man and his sons make two trips in a taxi to shuttle their belongings from a few doors away to an unseen destination. The people watching was satisfying and everything about my surroundings nodded “This is Chicago.”
Let me tell you: it was worth the wait!
My husband ordered the chorizo scramble, my oldest daughter had a Monte Cristo, while both my youngest daughter and I had chilaquiles with scrambled eggs–hers with chorizo, mine without. And we shared an oatmeal milkshake. It’s a smooth cinnamon flavored beverage that was quite pleasant to drink. They also offer smoothies and many, many other items, including lighter fare.
The potatoes that came with all of our meals were a joy to eat. They were caramelized– beautifully browned to a crispy perfection. My chilaquiles were wonderful. They arrived to the table, fresh from the stove and nearly too hot to touch. The tortillas were topped with mozzarella cheese that was ideally salted and melted. A spicy salsa verde was on the side and fresh, finely chopped white onions with a smidgen of fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime were atop it all. Each bite was a celebration of color, textures and flavors. Yum!
Everyone else enjoyed their meals, too. The portions were huge and the food was satisfying. Had we lived nearby, we probably would have each had enough food left to save for at least one more meal. The meals were clearly made with a great deal of heart and pride. I asked a staffer what made the food so special and he told me “The secret to making the food so amazing is that each plate individually. Nothing is made from bottles or cans. Everything is prepared from scratch.”
I should have known Tiztal Cafe would be packed when I saw on various websites that several neighborhoods “claim” it. Tiztal is on the border between a few different neighborhoods, Andersonville, Ravenswood, Sheridan Park and Uptown. Understandable, as the cafe is destined to be a landmark for the lucky ‘hood for years to come. Remember in the 1992 film “The Bodyguard” when Rachel scoffed at Frank when he told her to change up her brunch schedule because ‘everybody goes to brunch on the weekend’? That applies here–the typical brunch time is peak, so you may want to avoid those times. It is open every day after all!
Who wouldn’t like the food? Those who are too impatient to wait, or maybe folks who have very restricted dietary needs. Otherwise, I give the food an A+.
Tiztal Cafe is located at 4631 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640.
All photos by me copyright 2018.
We paid for our own food and I have received no pay for this post.
Dubbed “The City’s Doormat” by poet T.S.A. Elliot in “Ode On A Carpet,” the carpet that formerly covered the floors of Portland International Airport’s terminals has inspired travelers for more than twenty years. Residents of Portland, Oregon traditionally snap photos of their shoes with the carpet prominent in the background. A search of #pdxcarpet on social media like Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram will yield hundreds of thousands of these shots.
Not only has the carpet served as a background for scores of shoe photos, but the carpet has been a muse of sorts for the design of shoes, too. In 2015 Adidas began selling the first edition of Portland Trailblazer Damian Lillard’s signature basketball shoe line and the carpet’s motif was an element of the shoe’s design. That same year, the carpet underwent an anthropomorphism before being given the moniker “Peedee,” then was named the Grand Marshal of Portland’s annual Starlight Parade. Though I don’t normally track such things, I would be surprised if there were many grand marshal posts held by rolls of carpet.
Since fame can be so elusive and trending hashtags arrive and fizzle faster than summertime sparklers, why is the carpet such a touchstone for the city? Why would hundreds of travelers, in the throes of the scurry that is air travel, pause, take a photo, then upload and tag a photo–a photo of the same pose that has been taken over and over and over?
The Port of Portland, the entity that oversees the airport, rolled out the design of the carpet in 1987. The celebrated design is based on the layout of PDX’s runways. One of the designers of the carpet, SRG principal John Schleuning said in a 2013 Portland Monthly interview that a goal of using carpet throughout was to make the airport less noisy and to provide an appreciably warmer ambience than that of most airports at the time. Hushed footfalls could have something to do with the fact that Portland International Airport is the best airport in America. No, really. In 2017 Travel+Leisure named PDX “America’s Best Domestic Airport,” as it has every year since 2013. The airport has also scored consistently high in annual large airport rating by J.D. Power and Associates. The airport is pleasant. Besides sales-tax free shopping at local retailers and prominent local restaurants, there is also free wifi, and the waiting areas are clean and comfortable.
In a city that has many nicknames, Portland’s appreciation of its airport has seeped into much of the city’s culture. The International Air Transport Association’s code for Portland International Airport is KPDX and PDX is one of the city’s more affectionate nicknames.
By the end of 2017, most of the 1987 pattern had been replaced. As crews began stripping 13 acres of carpet, section by section, from the floor, a few 1000 square feet rolls were auctioned off. The carpet lots were re-purposed and sold as everything from area rugs, to mouse pads and holiday ornaments by enterprising individuals. And the pattern can be found on souvenirs and everyday items like socks and umbrellas.
Although the carpet that originally sparked the carpet picture practice is mostly gone now, the tradition of snapping a photo of one’s feet firmly planted once more PDX carpet continues with the new pattern. Why? The expansive rug is among the first points of connection with a beloved city. Upon their returns from travels and being dazzled by the excitement of faraway places, the ritual provides grounding for Portlanders and is a reminder that Portland is not Boston, Portland is not London or any of the places between. But whether Portland is home or PDX is the gateway to an adventure, posting photos of their feet on the very threshold of the city lets the whole world know we have returned and stand on the doormat of our futures.
Photo Credits:
PDX Carpet: Photo by Another Believer on Wikimedia Commons by CC BY-SA 3.0.
The 1987 Carpet, The 2015 Carpet: both by Bernette Jenkins-Pleas, copyright 2015-2018.