Story and photos by Kristine Sherred A hookah lounge, a bakery, a cooperative housing center, an arts society, a fashionable sports bar serving alligator. Together, this unlikely consortium calls the few blocks along Milwaukee Avenue, just south of Division Street, home. Like so many Chicago neighborhoods, remnants of the past mingle quietly, if rancorously, as … Continued
After more than 70 years in business, it was time to hit the “refresh” button. Manny’s has been a well-worn staple in the South Loop, hosting politicians and city workers of all stripes, but its best days were behind it, and if the Raskin family hadn’t done something with it, the temple of corned beef, … Continued
Food trucks are a fleeting business in Chicago, and depend on good weather (when was the last time you saw a truck on Wacker Dr. in December?) We’ve had a streak of great days, however, and I had a chance to visit the Happy Lobster Truck recently, making its usual stop in The Loop, during … 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.
I’ve always been a fan of Bill Kim’s soft serve at Belly Shack: the coconut water-infused vanilla, the unique flavors (Vietnamese caramel, huckleberry), but at his newest Urban Belly outpost in Wicker Park, he builds on that momentum, creating two new flavors that blew me away (and have me coming back for more). This is … Continued
Pizza is practically religion in Chicago, and there’s a lot more than just deep dish or tavern-style. Robert’s Pizza Company is a new pizza place in the city that has been years in the making by a man with a simple goal: to create the perfect slice.
Up until recently, Chicago’s top chefs wouldn’t dare put tomatoes on their menus until August, when they could source them locally. But a new business west of the city is now growing tomatoes under glass, hydroponically. They’re using Dutch technology to grow tomatoes indoors.
Longtime Chicago chef Jimmy Bannos has watched plenty of his employees move through the ranks of his decades-old Cajun eatery, Heaven on Seven, into places all their own. But a series of “Family Tree” dinners is welcoming some of them back to their roots. In the case of his first guest chef, Cleetus Friedman, the … Continued
In case you haven’t noticed, every Friday in May, I’ve been featuring a different Asian country for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. We’ve covered Thailand, Japan and China so far, and today, we’re off to Malaysia. Chicago has plenty of Asian restaurants – mostly Korean, Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese, but only one focusing on the … Continued
If you’re looking for affordable Mexican food in Pilsen, there’s a new restaurant from a pair of men who used to work at Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill and Topolobampo. Even better, 5 Rabanitos is also proudly BYOB. It’s tucked away, among the taquerias and bakeries on busy 18th street, but inside, you quickly see that the … Continued
Chicago has seen a surge of brewpubs over the past few years, but nothing quite like a new concept in Ukrainian Village. The kitchen is also getting into the act, offering much more creative fare than just pretzels and French fries.