He talks like a gruff character from a 1960’s Hanna Barbera short.
He won’t tell anyone his last name.
He knows the best places to eat in the Chicagoland area that you’ve probably never heard of.
I met Monte a few years back when I used to frequent The Lincoln Lodge, the best place in Chicago to go for stand up. He was one of the first acts I saw there and it was very unusual, but in a good way.
Monte performed a segment called “Off the Eaten’ Path”. This consisted of a slide show featuring Monte dining out at mostly out-of-the-way or dive-like eateries in Chicago. The individual slides would show the foods being prepared, served and then consumed, bite by bite, by Monte. The last slide for each restaurant visit gave the audience a glimpse of the register total which was always a good bargain. After the presentation he would give out a food sample from one of the places visited. Monte is a man of many talents but finding good food at a great price is by far his best one.
Soon after I first saw him perform, we started hanging out and found that we loved some of the same kinds of things when it came to movies and reading. He became a good friend and he showed me many fun places to eat in Chicago.
He still performs “Off the Eaten’ Path” live at The Lincoln Lodge and now on Chicago’s WCIU's "You & Me This Morning" as well. He exudes a great energy and a huge passion for food that I am truly envious of. He also always makes it a point to emphasize that you need to balance your diet with greens too.
Monte is quite a character but don’t take my word for it; check out his websites for yourself. To go to the home on the web of “Off the Eaten’ Path” or Monte's blog simply click on the images below.
These links are now added under the links sections on the side too. If you decide to say hello to Monte when you visit his sites please tell him that A Man Finally Eats his Veggies: A Meatless Year sent you.
Talk to you soon!
meatlessman@yahoo.com
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