I’ve been chowing down in Chicago for almost 30 years now, but I never get bored with the menu here. Probably because my adopted hometown mixes the depth and worldliness of a big city with all the culinary pluses of a small one.

First off, you can eat well in Chicago without spending a ton of money. It's also terrifically laid-back. The restaurants I love don't put on airs, and, for the most part, I can turn up in jeans and flip-flops and be welcomed to fork into an awesome meal. Restaurateurs from around the globe have set up shop in the city, meaning I can get a Lithuanian bacon bun or a multilayered Serbian walnut cookie or Senegalese rice and fish stew with equal ease, should the craving arise.

So, yeah, there's good eatin' here. Sure, big-name chefs have gone wild in neighborhoods like the West Loop, Wicker Park, and Logan Square. And that’s all fine and dandy, especially since even the buzziest restaurants are get-at-able. But my list of essential Chicago food experiences sticks more to classics: a rich and nostalgia-inducing hot fudge sundae, a stiff Martini, a good old-fashioned diner omelette, and—sorry, it can't be helped—a big, doughy, and, yes, deep, Chicago-style stuffed pizza.