Restaurants in Chicago from Mary

I received this from Mary Jordan- Energy Fitness' administrative assistant from May 2008 to April 2009. Isn't it nice of her to keep in touch with us and give us some good eats in Chicago. Below is her e-mail to me that she wanted me to post on the blog.

I am having a great time in Chicago, and I know a lot of people from Memphis like to visit the city since it's so close. Chicago's known for great food, but it's all things like pizza and polish sausage. Not the best stuff to eat if you're trying to get or stay healthy. I've found two restaurant I wanted to let you guys know about that will help you stick to your goals while you visit Chicago. The first you may have heard of - The Chicago Diner. This is the most famous vegetarian restaurant in the city. Everything on the menu is vegetarian or vegan, but don't let that scare you away. It will help re-balance your food your food karma if you do decide to indulge in those polish sausages. The food is really delicious, and almost all of it it organic or locally grown. The prices are reasonable except for their drinks. I have a feeling they jack those prices up because they can't be making that much profit on the food. The other place I really like is The Heartland Cafe. It's in Roger's Park which is about as far north as you can go and still be in Chicago, however, it is still easily accessible by public transportation (parking around this place is tricky; you'd probably have to walk a couple of blocks). I recommend the Heartland Macro Plate or Veggie Chili. I do not recommend their veggie B B Que dish, or the B B Que in Chicago. Wait until you get back to Memphis if you have to have it. Their portion sizes are a little smaller than most, actually reasonable. And like the Chicago Diner, practically everything here is organic or locally grown. A quick google search of either place will take you right to their website and location. As I discover new places in the city, I will let you all know.
Mary Jordan

If you have questions on where to eat downtown or around town and not blow your diet just respond to this post with your question or e-mail energymemphis@gmail.com