Nicki Minaj Swears She’s Not Pandering While Praising Chicago’s Pizza

Will Chicago restaurants see an influx of Barbz?

Most New Yorkers aren’t shy about telling you about their pride in being a New Yorker, and Nicki Minaj is certainly not shy. The Trinidadian rapper performed Wednesday, April 24 at the United Center. But before her concert, she warmed up to locals with some eye-opening takes on Chicago food.

On Wednesday afternoon, Chicago witnessed a miracle as a “proud New Yawka” complimented Chicago’s pizza scene. She writes on the social platform formerly known as Twitter, that even though she hates pandering, Chicago’s pizza “might be” a runner-up to New York, even though she’s traveled “around the world and even Italy.” The latter part is going to give some Neopolitan pizzaiolo a stroke.

There are no public signs of where Minaj dined, so it’s unclear what type of pizza she enjoyed or where. These are key points when arguing about pizza. Folks need to know if she ate deep dish so they can offer their preset response that “it’s not the real Chicago pizza” and that “it’s only for tourists.” They need to know if Minaj ate tavern-style pizza so they can comeback with “no one calls it tavern style” and “why didn’t she go the South Side?” Perhaps the less fans know is better when surviving the pizza wars.

Minaj, born in Trinidad and Tobago, also shared some love for an often overlooked portion of Chicago’s population in praising its Trini and Jamaican spots. She writes that Chicago has “really great Caribbean food.” Again, there’s no word where she dined. No doubt, those restaurants would stand to benefit, the same way Jay-Z helped Bronzeville Soul last summer and how Dimo’s Pizza soaked up the attention in May 2023 thanks to a TikTok review from Lizzo.

The Bear and Da Bears

It only took two seasons, but the national media has finally connected the dots between Chicago and The Bear. Minutes after the Chicago Bears selected University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams, ESPN’s SportsCenter social channel pushed out a meme that mashed up the TV show and the football team. They used the text “The Bears have a new Chef.” Good thing they proofread. Didn’t want Bears fans to think the team had acquired Patrick Mahomes.

Cafe Selmarie bids a final farewell after 40 years in Lincoln Square

Cafe Selmarie, a European-style restaurant and bakery pillar for four decades in Lincoln Square, has announced a closing date more than six months after founder Birgit Kobayashi declared her plans to retire. Its last seating will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 27, at 4729 N. Lincoln Avenue, according to a rep. Kobayashi, who opened Selmarie in 1983 with late business partner Jean Uzdawani, first shared the impending closure in September 2023 but didn’t specify a date.

Cafe Selmarie will be replaced by a new restaurant, Willow Cafe and Bistro, owned by Andrew Pillman of neighboring beer bar Lincoln Square Taproom. An opening date is not yet available.

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