A lot of stores and restaurants in Chicago promote the fact that many of their ingredients are local. But a new grocery store goes quite a bit further and requires that everything under the roof – including the butcher shop and cafe – be rooted in the Midwest.
There are many delicious culinary options available on the menus in Havana. Black beans, rice, plantains, picadillo (a dish made of ground beef, olives and raisins) — you can have them all in Cuba. But I made some of my more surprising food discoveries in paladares — restaurants in people’s homes. They started in the 1990s, when the … Continued
I’m so excited our friend Elena Marre, Founder of The Kid’s Table, has asked me to participate in an upcoming Cooking Class series at her new store in Lakeview. On September 3, from 6 – 7:30 p.m., my son Max and I will be leading a casual cooking class, making three courses that we think … Continued
I traveled to Santiago, Chile in the Spring, to meet Rodolfo Guzman, the chef/owner of BORAGó, now one of the restaurants listed on The World’s 50 Best list. To read the story that ran in the Chicago Tribune’s Sunday Travel section, click here.
Has it been 27 years already? It seems like every fall this event sneaks up on me, jolting me into the reality that summer is officially over. The 27th Annual Oyster Fest, presented by Shaw’s Crab House will take place on Friday, September 11th. Located at 435 N. Wabash at Hubbard and Rush, the Festival runs … Continued
(photo: Ronald Leon Hale) Look out for those red wine glasses! For the fourth year in a row, Le Dîner en Blanc, is planning a secret event in Chicago on Friday, August 21. The event takes over a public space – the location of which is revealed just moments before the whole thing starts – with … Continued
This Wednesday, August 5th, some of Chicago’s top toques (do chef even wear toques anymore?) are gathering for a great cause in West Town. “The Modern Classic” is an event raising money for Easter Seals of Metropolitan Chicago, and you can see pretty quickly the results of having the Boka Restaurant Group’s Kevin Boehm and Rob … Continued
If you’re sick of the lines at Randolph and Halsted, you might want to give Au Cheval’s little sibling a try this weekend. Just in time for Lolla, Small Cheval opens to the public tomorrow, at 11 a.m., in the former Roxie’s by the Slice space at 1732 N. Milwaukee Ave. The joint has been … Continued
In case you haven’t been following me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, you probably haven’t realized there’s a Pizza Quest underway. It all started last weekend, after I read a particularly troubling listicle of the city’s hottest pizzas. I figured since I did the Ultimate Italian Beef Roundup in the Spring, and I’ve never tackled … Continued
There are countless ways to tell the stories of Chicago’s immigrant communities through food. I’ve spent the past 20 years meeting cooks and bakers and butchers, hearing about some of the challenges – and joys – of feeding their own communities. But I hadn’t seen anything on the subject of food quite like the brave, … Continued
In only its third year, the Chicago Hot Dog Fest is expanding to three days of eating action, while moving into a larger location in Lincoln Park, just north of the Chicago History Museum. The event will be held August 7 – 9, and includes not just hot dogs, but live music and a good … Continued