Pilsen continues to see signs of new development. From the stately Thalia Hall, to restaurants reaching beyond the neighborhood’s tradition of Mexican and Czech immigration. One of those new restaurants is serving food with a more global approach, at a level as high as anything downtown, but at a fraction of the cost. S.K.Y. 1239 W. … Continued
Italian delis are all over the region, but a new one in West Town is unique, because they make pretty much all of the cured meats themselves. The family is originally from Calabria, and one of their beloved, spreadable sausages is the star of a number of items they now carry in their store. There are … Continued
Eating your way through Southeast Asia requires planning. Thailand is a must-visit for any food lover, with its curries and salads, not to mention streetside vendors; banh mi sandwiches and pho in Vietnam are also required eating, as are the grilled meats and fried insects of Cambodia. On this edition of The Feed Podcast, I … Continued
Italian beef is a Chicago icon, but there’s another sandwich making inroads here lately: the Philly cheesesteak. I found five great spots to get a good one — four in the city and one in the western suburbs. MOJO’S EAST COAST EATS 2758 Maple Ave, Downers Grove (630) 796-2832 http://www.mojoseastcoasteats.com/ PHILLY BROS. 734 W. Fullerton Ave., … Continued
If you’ve ever been to a great cocktail bar, you may have noticed how perfectly geometrical the ice cubes are. They just barely fit into the glass. In Chicago, there is a good chance the bar outsourced the job to someone else. Bars are turning to ice experts to get the job done. On this week’s … Continued
Neapolitan pizza joints have been cropping up all over Chicago the past few years, but none had opened in Hyde Park, until recently. One of Lincoln Park’s best pizza makers closed her shop a few months ago, re-opening in a brand new dorm on the University of Chicago campus, where they’ve expanded their menu. Nella … Continued
Chicago has a few old-school options for fried shrimp – we’re thinking of Calmet Fisheries, Goose Island Shrimp House and Lawrence Fisheries – but one of Chance the Rapper’s childhood favorites near Englewood is also worth a second look. Haire’s Gulf Shrimp 7448 S Vincennes Ave (773) 783-1818
When you order a cocktail in a bar, you probably don’t give much thought to the ice inside of it. But a new business on the South Side, called Just Ice, does. They are creating “craft ice,” which now sits in the freezers of more than 150 bars and restaurants in the region, including Prairie School, … Continued
Sushi bars are nothing new in Chicago, but Anaba in Wicker Park offers something different. It shares an address with the veggie-friendly Mana Food Bar at 1742 W. Division St., and like its sibling, it’s laser-focused on just one thing: handrolls.
While on vacation in Bangkok, I filed a report for PRI’s The World, focusing on a particular noodle dish that’s NOT pad thai. Kuay Teow Kua Gai is a wide, rice noodle dish, typically made in a back alley, by cooks who’ve been doing it for years in woks set over blazing charcoals. Thanks to … Continued
Here is a story I wrote for The Chicago Tribune’s Travel section about my food-filled trip to Sydney and Melbourne. Click here to read it.