Chicago - Mike Ditka's

I will admit to knowing next to nothing about sports.
I've been to a few college football games, but more for the experience than the actual sport.
I typically spend Superbowl Sundays cooking, eating, and reading a book.
In fact, the only sport that I have any conversational knowledge of is English football, but that's just because my boyfriend is obsessed with it.
The moral of the story is, don't expect me to understand sports references.
Which is what I explained to my dad when he told me we should go to Mike Ditka's.
Supposedly a steak haven of downtown Chicago, it was soon explained to me that Ditka's is the upscale sports-themed restaurant owned and managed by former football player and coach Mike Ditka (see Dad, I'm learning!).
All I needed to hear was steak haven and I was down.
Once we got to the restaurant, however, their Friday Fish and Chips special was too much for me to pass up. Sorry steak, but seafood was calling.

I didn't make the wrong decision. These were quite literally the BEST fish and chips I've ever had. Granted, I haven't been to Britain, but I feel like Ditka's fish could go toe-to-toe with anything across the pond. Just my opinion.
Of course, it didn't hurt that my enormous pile of fried fish and potatoes was supplemented by this amazing loaded baked potato

Cheese. Bacon. Chives. Sour cream.
Oh. My. God.
I'm not ashamed to admit I ate the whole thing.
And, of course, there were the other dishes that paraded onto the table during the night.
The glorious salmon platter:

The classic filet:

(so sorry for the awful blur! but I had only one shot before the steak was cut into)

This delectable banana cream pie:

And a phenomenally oversized serving of chocolate ice cream that I enjoyed all by myself:

And now an aerial shot:

While I may not have understood the importance of all the sports memorabilia that decorates the restaurant, there is one thing about this place that was loud and clear.
Good.
Food.

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