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Cheese, Bread and Wine at Pastoral Festival

  If you enjoy cheese, bread and wine, then you do not want to miss out on the second annual Pastoral’s Artisan Producer Festival tomorrow at the Chicago French Market. Pastoral Artisan Cheese, Bread & Wine was one of five retailers selected to win the Outstanding National Specialty Food Retailer of the Year award given out … Continued

Neapolitan Pizza For Beginners

I was feeling inspired this weekend, due in part to two factors. One, I had read the New York Times’ Dining section last Wednesday, which was all about pizza, and right off the bat, Mark Bittman assured us that anyone could make decent pizza dough. I had always known this, of course, I just didn’t … Continued

Soccer & Tapas at Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!

Soccer.. football.. call it whatever you want. But regardless of its many cultural variations, one fact remains constant no matter where you are: Soccer and food go hand in hand.   On Saturday, you can watch a live soccer match and enjoy Spanish food and drink at Cafe Ba-Ba Reeba in Lincoln Park. The restaurant will … Continued

Baconfest 2012 Rocks UIC Forum

  Based on the number of volunteers, sponsors and dudes with walkie talkies roaming around the UIC Forum on Saturday, you’d think Baconfest was something well into its 2nd decade. The celebration of all things porcine (especially cured, smoked and belly-related) was a huge hit, attracting more than 3,000 people and well over 100 chefs. … Continued

Bayless Really Cooking in Cascabel

I had no idea what to expect when I walked into the Lookingglass Theater for the first time on Tuesday night. I had read pieces of the most recent reviews, but I have been traveling so much lately, I could barely remember what it was about. I saw the same picture in the press, of … Continued

Crazy Shit I Saw In China

  I knew I would run across some cool, crazy stuff on a trip through China, but I had no idea what they would look (or taste) like. I’m not about to step onto Andrew Zimmern’s toes here – I have very little interest in culinary one-upmanship by slamming grubs and other paraphernalia down my … Continued

Passover Dinner at Joe’s and Mon Ami Gabi

For those of you looking for a place to celebrate Passover this weekend, two restaurants not commonly known for their Jewish cuisine will be offering traditional dinners in observance of the holiday.   Joe’s Stone Crab will be hosting a Passover dinner from 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday, April 6 and Saturday, April 7. … Continued

And Our Baconfest Contest Winner Is…

  A big, porky congratulations to Brian Lambrecht, winner of two tickets to this year’s Baconfest, which happens on April 14th at the UIC Forum. Brian and a guest will also take home a snazzy hat and t-shirt from the event. How come? Well, mainly because Brian and his pork posse put together this creative, … Continued

“Forte e Gentile” Amaro Dinner

  Letizia’s Fiore is hosting its first amaro dinner, with five courses of regional Italian cuisine paired with cocktails featuring amaro, the Italian liqueur that is finally getting its due around town. The special dinner, held on April 3, begins with a cocktail party at 7:30 P.M.   The drinks will be prepared by mixologists Adam … Continued

WhiskeyFest Hits Town

Tickets to Chicago’s WhiskeyFest may be sold out tonight, but there’s still a lot in store for whiskey fans around Chicago this weekend.   Delilah’s has had whiskey specials each night of the week, but the big event is the official WhiskeyFest after-party tonight at 10 p.m., no tickets necessary. The party features many guest distillers and guest … Continued

Top 5 Reasons For Not Posting Today

I have a very good reason, (actually, reasons) for not posting my usual Top 5 list today. The main one is because as you read this, I’m already at O’Hare. But more important, the time and effort it takes to produce the list was just not high enough up on the priority list this week. … Continued