Today I’m turning over this space to all-star intern Samantha Rollins, a student at Northwestern. Her mission: to seek affordable, delicious eats, without breaking her meager budget. From the moment we got off the Red Line at the Argyle stop, the aroma of Vietnamese food was in the air. You’d be hard-pressed to find … Continued
As much as I like hanging out with the Blackhawks’ Niklas Hjalmarsson at Tre Kronor, I’ve always been curious about the Swedish food scene – beyond the cafe at IKEA. ‚ Last week, I attended a brief Swedish gastronomy tour for food journalists, sponsored by the Swedish government. ‚ Not everything was stellar (some of it was … Continued
Steamed like a tamale, redolent with sweet corn and intense achiote oil, these Ecuadorian treats are hard to come by in Chicago. At La Humita, their namesake is worth the trip alone – unless you’ve decided to give up waiting in line at Smoque, just a few blocks up the street. ‚ You’ll probably want to … Continued
If you’ve spent anytime in San Diego, or along the Baja Peninsula, you’ve probably seen fish tacos. Typically fried, these regional specialties are also paired with an avocado crema of some kind, as well as crunchy cabbage. I’ve had a pretty good version of the original at Chicks ‘n Salsa in Glen Ellyn, but for a … Continued
It’s bad enough Chicago doesn’t have a yearround market, at least like they do in Philadelphia, New York, Boston and Toronto. But when I saw the bustling Public Market on Granville Island, in an old fishing supply warehouse in the heart of Vancouver, I realized – yet again – that Chicago is light years away from … Continued
Even though I’ve been talking a lot about the food up here this week, it’s the wines that really grabbed my attention after a week of dining. At nearly every restaurant or upscale bar we walked into, a list bulging with BC pride – most of it from the Okanagan Valley – dominated the varietals we saw … Continued
I’ve fished in lakes throughout Minnesota – even went up to Lake-of-the-Woods once on the Canadian border – in search of walleye pike and Northerns. But fishing off the coast of Vancouver, it’s all about the sockeye salmon. Fortunately for me, the local fishery is in the midst of a four-year cycle, and last … Continued
There are some North American cities where a visit to Chinatown is a must: San Francisco, New York (actually prefer Flushing to Manhattan’s) and of course, Chicago. But when in Vancouver, a visit to Chinatown is a must. The Chinese population in the city is about 600,000 (125,000 of which are Canadian born). One … Continued
Chicago restaurateurs have been trying – in vain – to jump-start the izakaya trend here, but it hasn’t worked, at least not yet. These Japanese pubs are more lively than the typical sushi joint, with boisterous crowds, excellent sake and beer lists, and food options that go far beyond spicy tuna rolls. Masu Izakaya … Continued
Its been six months since Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics, and while the rest of the world may have turned its attention elsewhere, there is still plenty to be excited about in Canada’s jewel on the West Coast. The signs of post-traumatic tourist disorder are everywhere: you can snag an official Olympic hat, shirt or … Continued
I had heard of these little carts in Vancouver, on busy street corners, selling all manner of hot dogs topped with Japanese mayo, chili sauce and fine shards of nori (seaweed). ‚ When I approached the cart in the late afternoon, a steady line, eight or nine-deep hadn’t budged. ‚ They were here for the famously delicious … Continued