40 year-old Gabriele Bonci looks like he could wrestle a crocodile. As wide as a linebacker, he sports a few colorful tattoos beneath his short-sleeved chef’s coat and speaks in rapid-fire Italian to his young cooks. They all race around the narrow West Loop kitchen, filling orders and answering questions from customers. I witnessed this … Continued
Most of Chicago’s top-tier restaurants work with a series of local farmers, but a new restaurant in Chicago’s West Loop is cooking at a four-star level, relying primarily on just one farm near Bourbonnais.
Catering is a tough business, but one local caterer decided that it had the right team in place, and the know-how, to create a new restaurant, adjacent to their catering facility. The result is Eden, a restaurant with high ambitions that manages to pull it off.
There are dozens of chicken sandwiches in Chicago, some fast food, others more elaborate. There’s a truly unique and delicious one, in West Fulton Market where classically-trained chefs have taken a completely new approach to this southern staple.
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
As regular readers of my blog will surely know by now, there are plenty of options for great pho in Chicago. But few, if any top-line, classically-trained chefs in the city have devoted much time to perfecting the classic Vietnamese soup. Tomorrow night, however, one of my favorite Korean chefs in town is taking up … 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.
The spirit of Ralphie, Flick and Old Man Parker is strong in the West Loop for the next few weeks. That’s because the folks at CH Distillery have partnered up with The Dogma Group (and World Champion Bartender Charles Joly), to recreate drinks and snacks inspired by the classic holiday film, “A Christmas Story,” through … Continued
Food festivals tend toward plugging celebrities or gorging oneself with bite-sized portions of lavishly-topped treats while pounding two ounce pours of wine and beer or miniature cocktails. We can all indulge once in awhile. This weekend, however, offers a little something different. Taste Talks promotes an alternative to the gluttony of food festivals, championing critical … Continued
The team behind fine-dining gems Alinea and Next have finally opened a restaurant a little more on the casual side. It’s quite a bit louder than its siblings, but the format is a lot more conducive to sharing.
Taking a seafood lover to a steakhouse might seem counterintuitive, but that’s exactly what you need to do in the West Loop. It’s there that a large counter and an impressive array of raw seafood await, along with quite a few creative dishes, plus an impressive dessert menu. This week’s Extra Course, my web-exclusive video: … Continued