It’s the new year, and for a lot of us, that means an attempt to try to eat a little bit healthier. Remember Muskie’s? That little burger dive on N. Lincoln Avenue? It’s been re-born as a super healthy-yet-delicious option in Lakeview, where most of the menu is guilt-free.
There won’t be any ball-drops Friday night, but the Chinese New Year does begin at midnight. The “Year of the Rooster” will have just about every restaurant in Chinatown busy, of course, but you might want to seek out a new spot on South Wentworth where you’ll find hand-pulled and hand-shaved noodles exactly as they’re … Continued
When most new restaurants in Chicago tend to feature steaks, chops and other meat-heavy entrees, Bad Hunter is taking a very different approach. The Chef – a recent hire from Nico Osteria – has made grilling, roasting and transforming all manner of vegetables the stars of his menu. Bonus: this week’s Extra Course Video – … Continued
At a Venezuelan restaurant in Chicago, they are serving that country’s most famous export – the arepa. BienMeSabe in the Ravenswood neighborhood is one of the city’s only Venezuelan outposts, where they make dozens of fresh arepas all day long.
Cinnamon rolls are usually a favorite treat for a Sunday brunch. But a recent addition – only available for about a month-and-a-half and for now – are available on the weekends only at one of Chicago’s best bakeries. Bittersweet celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, and the Lakeview bakery shows few signs of age. They still … Continued
Chicago is home to many great sandwiches, but I say there’s more than just Italian beef here. A Vietnamese standard – the banh mi – is now sprouting up all over the city, including a relatively new option in Edgewater, where they bake the bread every day.
We tried to stick to places where pho plays a big part of the menu, or at least the restaurant attempts to offer it as a meal in and of itself. Again, a few extra points if they include culantro (saw tooth leaf) on the condiment plate and bonus points for aromatic broth (served hot) … Continued
Most restaurants are happy to make it to five years. Ten years is a major accomplishment. In Chicago’s West Loop, Blackbird restaurant has always been considered a pioneer, celebrating its 19th anniversary this month. And even more impressive is that it still feels new.
A well-known Indian grocery store in West Rogers Park has an even bigger footprint in the northwest suburbs, and there’s a lot more than just spices for sale. From dry goods to groceries, there’s also an Indian restaurant chain’s only U.S. location next door.
The Chinese tradition of dim sum has been around for centuries. Typically, the small plates of fried, steamed and baked items are a great chance to share and sample a lot of different things at one meal. In Chicago, one of Chinatown’s most popular dim sum houses — MingHin Cuisine — is now making a trio … Continued
There’s a tiny donut shop in north suburban Gurnee, just a mile from Six Flags, cranking out freshly-made donuts, including a special one with Filipino roots that’s only available on the weekends. It’s called “ube” and this popular purple yam is all over Filipino menus, but not so much in donut shops. In fact, the Cambodian … Continued