La Celia opened shortly before the pandemic, and it’s located on an uncharacteristically quiet stretch of Milwaukee Avenue on Chicago’s NW Side. But go for brunch! La Celia Latin Kitchen 2890 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-360-7536
While it’s relatively easy to find Chinese, Thai or Indian restaurants in Chicago, the food of Malaysia is more elusive. But one young couple is cooking some cherished recipes from the Southeast Asian country, but like a lot of start-ups these days, they’re doing it in a ghost kitchen, with pickup or delivery. Kedai Tapao … Continued
Homemade tamales can be found all over Chicago, sometimes from storefronts, other times from street carts. And with Hispanic Heritage Month beginning soon, I’m going to spend the next couple of weeks taking a closer look at a few of my favorite dishes from Spanish-speaking countries, beginning with Mexico. There’s a husband-and-wife company producing thousands of … Continued
As coffee shops around the city begin reopening — with social distancing, masks and other precautions in place — one local roaster is focusing as much on a Mexican chocolate as it is its own coffee beans. The two ingredients actually have a lot in common. Dark Matter Caravanserai 2901 W. Belmont Ave. 773-293-6425 darkmattercoffee.com/pages/about-us
There is no shortage of pizza joints in Chicago, but it seems like every month or so, an exciting new option becomes available. Part of this is due to cooks getting creative and breaking out of the usual tavern-style or deep-dish Chicago has always embraced. These days, there’s Sicilian, artisan, neo-Neapolitan and even Roman style. That’s … Continued
Cochon 555 stops in Chicago next week for a punch competition at Chicago Gourmet on Saturday the 26th and a porky fête on Sunday the 27th. To kick off the weekend, Chef Abraham Conlon welcomes six chefs from Chicago and beyond to his home at Fat Rice in Avondale for an after-hours Asian Speakeasy on Friday night. The $125 … Continued
Parachute’s snacks: house pickles, seaweed gougere, potato-bacon-scallion bread. Remember how you felt when you were one of the only people who knew how to get to Soul Kitchen on west Chicago Avenue? Or what it was like tasting Bill Kim’s lamb dumplings for the first time at Urban Belly, next to a laundromat in a … Continued