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
The past few days, we’ve laid out our methodology and procedure for finding the best bowls in Chicago and the contenders at play. Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for. After tasting 31 bowls of pho and countless weeks of crunching numbers and pouring over notes with my Pho Consigliere – Paul Nguyen – … Continued
One of the most important things to do when traveling is to try to find out where the locals eat, and often times, that’s in a food hall or market. On today’s show: we talk to the experts, and sample the best fare from the best food markets and halls in 10 U.S. cities.
We continue our big reveal this week from the city’s most thorough #ChicagoPhoCrawl. Researched, analyzed and put together between my friend Paul Nguyen and myself, we’ve visited all of the primary pho operations in the city, and have come up with our ranking for each one using a consistent and statistical based methodology. On Tuesday, … Continued
In yesterday’s post, my Pho Conspirator and I laid out our methodology and procedure for finding the best bowls in Chicago. Today we start sharing the results. If you haven’t already, read yesterday’s story for background; it will explain a lot. We tried to stick to places where pho plays a big part of the … Continued
In the middle of winter, several bowls vie for your attention. In Chicago – home to the largest Polish enclave outside of Warsaw – borscht and bigos (hunter’s stew) are a given. But our melting pot culture, and patchwork of 77 distinctive neighborhoods, also means you can indulge your memories of that backpacking trip to … Continued
While news of Fidel Castro’s death stretched around the world last week, I couldn’t help think of one of his beloved country’s most famous exports: sugarcane. Used for decades as a crop that was bartered with the Soviet Union for oil and financial support, it became as significant to the country’s survival as that other … 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 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
Growing up in the Upper Midwest, you get used to cold weather dishes – lots of casseroles and pot roasts and hot dish. The Twin Cities has the largest Scandinavian population in the U.S., which may be why Marcus Samuelsson opened an Aquavit there over a decade ago. Scandinavian traditions run deep, and a nascent movement … Continued