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Chicago has Great Meatloaf, Insists Rocker Ryan Adams (So, Here's a Map)

By Mark Konkol | October 21, 2014 5:12am
 Indie rocker Ryan Adams loves Chicago-style meatloaf so much he dedicated his sold-out Chicago Theatre performance to the unhearalded Windy City delicacy.
Indie rocker Ryan Adams loves Chicago-style meatloaf so much he dedicated his sold-out Chicago Theatre performance to the unhearalded Windy City delicacy.
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THE LOOP — Last week, Ryan Adams sang some sad songs about “his feelings” at Chicago Theatre — between friendly chats about food with the sold-out crowd.

The brooding indie rocker broke the sad news — sadder than any of his breakup songs, really — that due to a recently diagnosed milk allergy he can no longer enjoy Chicago deep-dish — his favorite pizza of all time (no matter what his New York pals say).

When he told the crowd that he actually tried “almond cheese” on a Chicago pie, pizza lovers let out a collective noise that sounded a lot like choking.

As Adams settled everyone’s stomachs by singing a song — I forget which one, though I’m sure it was a pretty ballad about wretched heartbreak — I wondered, “Will he write a song about breaking up with Chicago pizza?”

As things turn out, he might not be hurt enough to string together sad minor chords bemoaning his tragic split with deep-dish.

Adams told us there’s another Chicago delicacy that might not be as pretty and sweet as pizza, but he certainly loves with all his heart.

“Ohmygod, I gotta to tell you this thing,” Ryan said with all the enthusiasm of that guy in the office who just saw a viral cat video on YouTube.

“No, wait … this is a Chicago thing …" he said, explaining that one of his favorite things in the world is meatloaf. He pointed out we don't have "Chicago-style meatloaf" on the signs people see coming into the city, and truth is, meatloaf isn't quite the same defining characteristic food for us as our pie.

But, he said, "I have it every time I come to town, and it kicks my a-- it’s so good."

Why "do you people know how to make meatloaf so good?" he asked. "It’s really unbelievable.”

He even dedicated the show to "meatloaf, the food" as opposed to, I guess, Meat Loaf the singer?

And it was a great show. Meatloaf — the food, not the singer — should be very proud, though I'm still a little baffled by all this. Chicago-style meatloaf? There is a place called the Meatloaf Bakery on Clark Street in Lincoln Park that sells the stuff shaped like cupcakes, but meatloaf is pretty much just ground beef, bread crumbs and ketchup, right?

Ryan, in honor of your Chicago-style meatloaf fetish, here’s a little road map of places where you can stop and get a piece the next time you’re in town.

The rest of us, well, we’ll probably stick with the deep-dish.

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