A reader writes in:"Of all the sleazy looking restaurants on Wilson, would you believe the two with the health code violations are the ones I most frequent? That would be McDonalds and Uptown BBQ, although they both passed inspection with conditions. This might reassure those who want to try those unknown local eating joints in our community."
Wanna see how your favorite Uptown eatery fared in the latest inspection? Check out this handy link below. We will add it to the links on the right. Enjoy.
I could have told Uptown BBQ isn't exactly clean just from walking past there every day on my way to the train.
ReplyDeleteTheir dirty kitchen is in full view for anybody walking by. I'm shocked anyone would eat there.
Outstanding resource. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteBut Uptown BBQ does have great ribs! And they are an Uptown institution having been part of this community for what seems like forever.
ReplyDeleteBesides, they have heart. All the little kids in that neighborhood know that they can walk in there with their nickles and dimes and get a mini-shake or ice cream.
Doubt if this will be seen, now that it's been buried under a bunch of other "news".
ReplyDeleteThanks, anon, for your comments. The Uptown Pizza & BBQ is a neighborhood institution that has been there for over a decade and half (if not longer).
MANY people in the neighborhood eat there.
It's fine that it doesn't appeal to everyone, but the way property owner phrases it, it really looks down at the customers who frequent there. (And i am not talking about the homeless or gangbangers)
The more that negative condescending attitude permeates, the more such people are going to distance themselves from any anti-Shiller vote, even if they may have reasons to NOT vote for Shiller...they may vote for her anyway because they might feel like property owner's vocalized comments are indicative of every anti-Shille rsupporter.
JP Paulus,
ReplyDeleteHow does Property Owner saying their dirty kitchen is in full view condescend and look down upon people who eat there?
I seriously wonder if you even realize how slanted your views on all things Uptown are.
And where do you live again?
Yes, Uptown BBQ has been here for over a decade and a half. How long has it been you've been here J.P.? After you married your CONDO OWNER and had your kid you moved to Rogers Park. Then, Mr. Hypocrite, you moved to A BIG ÓL SUBURBAN STYLE HOUSE on the far South Side. You abandoned Uptown and all your beliefs years ago, so when are you going to stop preaching to those of us who really live the Uptown life?
ReplyDeleteListen Jp,
ReplyDeleteI gave my honest opinion. I can see how dirty the kitchen is when I walk by. The condition of the kitchen might not bother everyone, but it bothers me, and according to reports posted here it bothers the people who are in charge of looking out for our health.
You're pretty quick to judge. Where in my post does it say I am anti-Shiller? Because I prefer to eat where it's clean. What does that say about your view of people?
It's telling that JP hasn't come back to explain what he wrote earlier.
ReplyDeleteJP never explains. He just attacks, attacks and attacks some more, then complains on other boards that people are mean to him.
ReplyDeleteSeems several years ago he promised James C. he'd explain "very soon" his version of why and how he crapped on his neighbors in Truman Square by forcing the block club to fold to keep JP's invited non-resident buddies from COURAJ and ONE from taking it over. I never saw any follow-up.
I've seen people ask him how the crime rate is, and the number of homeless shelters, in the two block area around his new non-Uptown home. Gee, no answer.
JP lives in an Uptown that no longer exists, where bookmarks dissing Shiller are distributed, the Uptown Snack Shop rules, and he still lives here.
In what we call "reality", the bookmarks were distributed TWO elections ago, and were financed and distributed by someone who no longer lives in Uptown. Hey, just like JP! The Uptown Snack Shop isn't around anymore. Hey, just like JP!
JP says he has friends in Uptown and visits here often, so that gives him the right to passively/aggressively attack anything and anyone that reminds him that Uptown is rapidly changing, his memories grow further from the truth every day, and that he's become obsolete.
One wonders why he chooses to live in Fantasy!Uptown instead of focusing on his wife, child, and new neighborhood.
Attempting to respond in the order they were posted
ReplyDelete(1)
“I'm shocked anyone would eat there.”
That would be like asking “I’m shocked anyone would pay such high prices for food at Magnolia Café.” I could leave it at that, or I could ask people who have actually eaten there, which includes friends of mine. If I needed more opinions, I could certainly ask BPN users. If you, Property Owner, don’t know anyone who does eat there, you could just stop by the restaurant and ask any of the hundreds of people who eat there weekly why they keep going.
You may still not want to ever eat there, and that’s fine, but the reality it is still a favorite place for MANY Uptown residents.
(2) [reply to comment #6]
What “suburban style” house are you referring to?
By the way, here’s nothing wrong with “new” or “rehabbed” houses. The Habitat for Humanity homes are what I consider “affordable housing”, and they were new when first sold, and have been rehabbed a few times (i.e. new lights & paint). (They are also CONDOS). We may agree that the style isn’t the best, but it HAS been maintained and not neglected. In Lawndale, Ezra homes & Breaking Ground are doing great things for the working class people there (and people from any location can apply for those homes).
(3) [property owner]
The city inspectors aren’t out there to simply shut down business – they also help save businesses from making hurtful mistakes, and give them the opportunity to fix them. It’s similar to what the Arthur Andersen audits were supposed to do for Enron – check some major flaws and fix them before they hurt people.
If the business doesn’t care, then definitely shut ‘em down. But there have been far worse restaurants on “Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares”, yet the purpose of the show is show that even those can be not just salvaged but made into a success.
(4) [reply to yet another anonymous, comment #8]
It’s “telling” that the anonymous people have no way for me (or anyone) to know who they are. If you noticed, it took me a while to post my first comment. I don’t like to respond to personal attacks, certainly not right away.
e-mail me at bpn [at] uptown-chicago.com and I will give you my phone number so we can talk like human beings
(5)
See the BPN board for my post.
As for “clinging on to the past” people do the same thing with the Uptown Theatre, which has been closed for 10 times as long as the Snack Shop. People feel some of those things of the past are worth reviving. I don’t disagree. For me, the part of the past worth reviving are the relationships, even more than the structures. Also, what is more realistic: a restaurant that can cater to the DIVERSE population of Uptown (which worked for the Snack Shop for 47 years), or the restoration of an historic, iconic neighborhood building, which would $30 million-$40 million to repair. I am for both of them, but I think the former is more realistic.
As for the Bookmark…IrishPirate and WhatThe Helen have chosen to delete all of their videos and blogs. It doesn’t cost them money to keep it up; if they are serious about showing the “”truth” about Shiller, why not leave it up and let others decide?
Unfortunately, BPN’s message board also deletes messages past page 20, so there’s another wealth of links that are lost for people decide.
I would love to see you all spend more time with portions of Uptown that BOTH pro & anti Shiller sides are neglecting, and using bandwidth to show that justice & reconciliation IS happening in Uptown despite Shiller. EllenSusie’s posting on BPN, such as their neighborhood Halloween outreach (which included making candy bags at a local halfway house) shows that kind of positive thing that can & should happen in Uptown. But there is far too much talk about Shiller & me, and none given to such positive efforts (and certainly very few, if any, saying they participate).
When I read these messages, I see lots of unforgiveness, and people who want punishment exacted on someone…usually it’s Helen Shiller. But since I actually take time to respond more personally, it seems that anger is transferred on me on occasion.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest to you to put that on the person of Jesus. Get a copy of the Passion of the Christ if you need to visualize it. HE is the person who has taken on what Shiller should be getting.
Instead of bringing up Shiller again and again, with no solution, accept that suffering and death of one person as punishment for Shiller, and her supporters.
And then accept that as punishment for you yourself have done. You maybe less hypocritical and judgmental than me, but EVERY one has done wrong to others. It may be subtle, like backtalk, but if you honestly look at yourself, you’ll find that ALL of us are lacking when compared to God.
If anything, ask God to do 2 things:
1) To exact judgment on me for my evil/errors/wrongdoing/etc. that I have done to you
2) To show you where to stand with God, and make it plain what your next step should be.
If you don’t think there is a God, then just humor me, and yell it out loud and tell me that you did it, and that you expect no response.
I am sure you hate this “preaching” more than any of my other posts. But far more important than even “social justice” or “affordable housing” is your relationship with God.
You can talk with me about that God stuff. You can also feel free to “report me” to Pasotr Michael Allen at Uptown Baptist Church at 773-784-2922 or seniorpastor(at)uptownbaptistchurch.org
If you have comments, positive or negative, feel free to e-mail them to me at ==> bpn@uptown-chicago.com
I might even send you my phone number if you wish. I really do wish the best for you all, and am praying for you, and will pray specific requests…
I seriously think JP is borderline mentally ill.
ReplyDeleteWe're doing what he (JP) wants, responding to him and giving him a platform. We should just ignore him like the other trolls.
ReplyDeleteOh this is funny. Borderline mentally ill?
ReplyDeleteJP has truly lost it. Assuming he ever had it.
I shouldn't find it funny, but I do. Then again I just spoke to God and she finds it sad. She said "JP had so much potential, but he squanders it in hatred and narcissism."
"Put it on the person of Jesus".
The psychological implications of JP Paulus are astounding.
Was growing up 1/2 Asian in a mostly white suburb really that difficult for you? I went to school with kids who were 1/2 non white in a mostly white environment and they turned out ok. What led you to insanity? Alcohol. Drugs. Rock and Roll. Genetic predisposition? Narcissism? Self hatred of your white half?
You have some serious issues. You go from a post on a dirty restaurant kitchen to Shiller hating, to cowardly pirates, to the Uptown Theater, to Jesus on the Cross.
You are fucking seriously mentally screwed up. I hope your wife gets you help for your sake, hers and your child.
Here is a quote from a long ago JP Paulus Post:
"Most developers in Uptown, however, are creating a segregated neighborhood
which will produce socially retarded white kids while isolating ethnics." 1998
Do you blame socially retarded white kids for you being so fucked up?
Google is a wonderful thing.
Here is a more recent example of the narcissism that is JP Paulus:
Living outside makes a huge difference. When I got married, I moved in with my wife, who bought a condo just 12 minutes away from our old neighborhood/church. Even that distance was a huge change for me, & I feel really took away from my effectiveness in ministering to the community. From the yuppies’ perspective, I didn’t live or own in the neighborhood, so I had no business defending the poor on their message boards (for example). And I saw less & less of the people I knew, and thus couldn’t really build on our friendship.
JP Paulus, defender of the poor.
Here is a post from 1998:
i believe we have too many yuppies (i just saw in the paper---Uptown's White
population went from 38% in 1990 to 46% in ~1998. That disturbs me...i need
more details, but i don't think it's a good sign).
I could go on and post something he said about how whitey should move throughout the city and not just into certain neighborhoods. I guess being white is like a disease.
I could post his taunts about "white fright", but I won't.
Of course most of his posts still involve HIM and his desire to talk Uptown with anyone anytime.
JP Paulus, self hating narcissist with a God complex.
XOXOOXOXOXO
IrishPirate posted a link here from a more recent blog, so i'd thought i'd add a couple things.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the "white issue": Note that he "quoted" one paragraph, and added his own comments after.
i wrote that i thought the Census report showed a significant change , that the white population increased, which by itself isn't an issue, but that the other ethnic groups then went down. That by itself isn't necessarily a problem, but certainly something that needs further investigation (as i wrote).
Some groups, like the Hmong, moved out en masse. But many groups moved because hey were forced to. They came to Uptown for a better life, and tried their best to do what's right. But they weren't able to save enough for a condo, and had to go.
You may think, well, if they can't afofrd to live here they should move elsewhere. Yet some complain they have to work so hard & long to pay for their condo. Why shouldn't that same standard apply to them? They could move to a South Side neighborhood that's just as safe & clean, if not moreso than Uptown, but yet is more affordable.
But again, even more important that they economic justice issue, is the God issue.
If that's what Irishpirate says makes me nuts, so be it.
If you think it's crazy to think that everyone has some level of "guilt", then i guess i'm crazy.
If you think it's crazy to think that people can be resolved through the actions of Jesus, then i guess i'm crazy.
If you think it's crazy to think that people don't have to hate each other in Uptown, and that there is a Spirit that can bring reconciliation, then i guess i'm crazy.
You certainly have the choice to believe something different.
i just share one option, that i think is the best and most effective.
i encourage everyone to seek the Truth & live it out with Love.
Do you all think the hate and anger and sadnes sis out there (from all different quarters) is what you want for your life?
You are certifiable. Sneaky sneaky. Wait a month to comment on a post to try to get the last word.
ReplyDeleteI could say more but it just ain't gonna help.
You are Ahab and Uptown is your white whale.
arrrrrrrrrrrrgh
ReplyDeletearrrrrrrrrrrgh
ReplyDeletejp paulus you are a disturbed and confused person in need of serious help.
ReplyDeleteIrishpirate, you posted a link to this post in a more recent entry of the UptownUpdate at http://www.uptownupdate.com/2007/11/no-taxi-shortage-in-uptown.html
ReplyDeleteIf you posted a link, you did so assuming that people would read it.
i posted some clarifications, not for your sake or the anonymous people who have responded, but for those who might be reading this thread for the first time.
Don't you think readers are smart enough to come to their own conclusion? Isn't that what you say about your own posts?
As far as the Moby Dick obsession, that's exactly how i would describe the obsession of trying to get Helen Shiller out of office. It's been going on for years, and there hasn't been any progress, only hurt people who hurt other people.
Also, if you don't believe in Jesus as Savior & Lord, or Christianity, why post so much about it?
Just a couple of samples...
http://uptownavenger.blogspot.com/2007/11/robertson-and-giuliani-perfect.html
http://uptownavenger.blogspot.com/2007/10/christianist-of-christians.html
http://uptownavenger.blogspot.com/2007/11/pat-robertson-says-i-35-is-highway-to.html
http://uptownavenger.blogspot.com/2007/09/this-group-of-evangelical-voters-can.html
http://uptownavenger.blogspot.com/2007/11/hmmmm-i-wonder-if-jesus-would-approve.html
This last one, which isn''t about Uptown, was a comment you wouldn't approve. You said in the post "Hmmmm, I wonder if Jesus would approve of this...actually I don't."
Basically, I asked what you didn't approve of? The commercial or the church represented in the commercial. Your wording is vague, and you sometimes have a though provoking way of seeing things, so i was curious what you menat by that phrase. You may have interpreted that question as sarcasm, but it was a real question.
So what did Christians do to you that hurt you so much? i don't expect details, but your obession with religion sounds like you have been hurt Christians. For me, knowing the specifics would help me to understand your hate and to see what changes i could or should make.
JP,
ReplyDeletemost of my posts that somehow involve religion deal with politics. Like Robertson endorsing Giuliani. Strikes me as absurd that the guy who claims God caused the 9/11 attacks because of abortion and homosexuality endorses Mr. 9/11. That is why I posted it.
As for my relatively few posts that touch religion in a non political way some are pro religion. Search a little more. Find the one about the Catholic Priest from the south side serving as an Army Chaplain in Iraq. Find the one about a certain famous painting. There are others that deal with the divine mystery too.
I'm not anti religion. I am anti nutso religion. That would include the right wing evangelical Christians and the Islamofascists.
I really have a hard time picturing a vengeful God who gets HER panties in a bunch because of homosexuality or premarital sex. I don't take the bible as literal truth because you can find all kinds of contradictions between various passages.
Ultimately the only passage that really matters is the Golden Rule: Do unto others.......
Which by the way comes from ancient Jewish tradition.
The reason the United States is a relatively religious country is because of the concept of separation of Church and State. When religious "leaders" get too involved in politics they cause harm to their cause in the long run. More importantly they cause harm to the Republic.
Abe Lincoln referred to the American Republic as the "last best hope for mankind." Old Abe was touched by the hand of God. You or me......I don't think so.
Now I don't intend to debate religion with you because I would win and you would lose what little grip on sanity you MAY have.
You may have noticed that since the election I have said relatively little about Helen Shiller. That will change in the future if she runs again. If I was "obsessed" my blog would be filled with hundreds of Shiller posts. It ain't. Mostly it deals with politics at the national level and cartoons which amuse me. Sometimes I throw in a funny video or a video like the hot redhead dancing in front of the donut shop.
Now you JP post anywhere and everywhere you can find an Uptown related post. You whined on Gapers Block when their political writer didn't write enough about the 46th Ward. You ask people to call or email you in dozens of posts so you can talk "Uptown".
I will leave you with two posts JP and one thought. First, you are one seriously emotionally fucked up individual.
Second,
Batman on the logic of JP Paulus
Proof that God exists.