Why is it so many kebab joints in Chicago haven’t yet figured out how to master their grills? More often than not, chicken arrives dry; the same with lamb and beef. At least the cooks working the line at Kabobi Grill in Albany Park know what they’re doing. I popped in last night as I was … Continued
You have to hand it to Highwood. The tiny, bedroom community on the North Shore has become the envy of similarly sleepy hamlets, by ramping up for yet another fest that attracts attendees from all over. There’s Garlic Fest, Pumpkin Fest and for the 6th year in a row, Bloody Mary Fest. Mom and dad … Continued
Landlocked Madrid is a tough sell in the summertime, especially when Barcelona, located on the sun-kissed Mediterranean, is only a two-and-a-half hour bullet train ride away. The city underwent a major metamorphosis/upgrade after hosting the Olympics in 1992, and it shows: stunning, cutting-edge architecture, gondolas, trams linking the waterfront to the hills, clean, efficient subways … Continued
“Don’t eat paella in Madrid,” one Twitter follower implored. “Let me know if you’re going to Barcelona, because I have a friend who staged there and knows some great places…” another one explained. Why is everyone so down on Madrid? It could be since most of the world’s culinary attention is affixed to Catalonia, the … Continued
While I was in Barcelona, I filed this report on Spain’s obsession with canned seafood (conserva), ranging from barnacles and baby eels to the more common sardines and anchovies.
If you want to see Chicago’s most talented chefs in action, behind their stoves and working their dining rooms, don’t bother visiting them Thursday night. That’s because pretty much everyone will be in Lincoln Park, cooking and serving at the 15th annual Green City Market Chef’s BBQ. More than 100 chefs, bartenders and food artisans … Continued
(photo: Anjali Pinto) Get out the wet naps. For the third year in a row, in what has become a new tradition for low-and-slow aficionados in the Midwest, the Windy City Smokeout is blowing into town July 10, 11 and 12. Located on Grand Avenue near the Chicago River, the BBQ and country music festival … Continued
Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, and much of what makes the city so special, is the ability of immigrant populations to coalesce and form enclaves. One of the delicious results of that herd mentality is the profusion of mom-and-pop restaurants. One of the greatest parts of my job is highlighting these independent businesses, often … Continued
Paul Fehribach knows plenty about frying. The chef and owner of Big Jones, in Andersonville, has just written The Big Jones Cookbook and spends his days researching and recreating dishes from the American South’s delicious culinary past. I asked him for some pro tips this weekend, as many of us are going to be attempting … Continued
Since most Americans will be firing up their grills this weekend, I thought it would be interesting to discover how some other cultures around the world do their grilling. From Japan to Argentina to the Middle East, it seems every country has their own, unique style of cooking over hot coals.
Pretty much every ramen shop that opens in Chicago features the decidedly murky, creamy-white, tongue-coating broth known as tonkotsu, made from boiling pork bones for hours. But Ramen Takeya – from the same family who owns Wasabi in Logan Square – is going with a more unique, slightly lighter version, called paiten, which features chicken.