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Lettuce Entertain You Has Easter & Passover Covered

Easter and Passover bring families together over epic meals. But if the thought of preparing these meals doesn’t rank high on your list of good ways to spend your time, these Lettuce Entertain You restaurants have you covered with a variety of Passover and Easter specials and events (and you’ll get Lettuce points credit too). … Continued

Chicago All Over 2015 James Beard Award Noms

If any of this year’s Chicago-based James Beard Award nominees get the fancy medallion, it’s going to be extra sweet (unless you’re a journalist), since they’ll get to ascend the stage at the Civic Opera House on May 4 in front of a very home crowd. This year’s Chef and Restaurant Awards are being held … Continued

Top 10 Italian Beefs in Chicagoland (plus #11 – #31)

1. Johnnie’s 7500 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park; 708-452-6000 $4.32 for sandwich + .37 for sweet peppers + .37 for hot peppers Total: $5.06 Bread: Gonnella Opened in 1961, the legendary store in Elmwood Park typically has a line snaking out the side, especially in the summertime. On a chilly weekday, I walked right in and … Continued

Top 5 Italian Beefs in Chicago (City)

1. Bob-O’s Hot Dogs 8258 W. Irving Park Rd.; 773-625-9840 $4.95 for sandwich + .50 for sweet peppers + .50 for hot peppers (pictured, above) Bread: Gonnella Don’t let the title fool you. Yes, Bob-O’s started as a literal hot dog cart/trailer (like Portillo’s) in the Northwest suburbs. But they also make their beef in-house, and they … Continued

Top 5 Italian Beefs in Chicago (Suburbs)

1. Johnnie’s 7500 W. North Ave., Elmwood Park; 708-452-6000 (second location at 1935 S. Arlington Heights Rd, Arlington Heights; 847-357-8100) $4.32 for sandwich + .37 for sweet peppers + .37 for hot peppers Total: $5.06 Bread: Gonnella Opened in 1961, the legendary store in Elmwood Park typically has a line snaking out the side, especially in the summertime. … Continued

The 31 Essential Italian Beef Joints in Chicago(land)

When you attempt to assemble the ultimate Italian beef roundup, and you announce each stop along the way via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, you get a lot of input from people. “Don’t forget Dengeo’s,” say loyals on the North Shore; “Jay’s is the best” brag Northwest Siders. Like most things that elicit strong opinions (pizza, … Continued

What’s an Italian Beef?

At the risk of becoming persona non grata at both Vienna Beef headquarters as well as every Giordano’s in the state, I’m going to just lay it out on the line: the Chicago hot dog and the deep dish pizza have nothing on an Italian beef sandwich. What is this “Italian beef” of which I … Continued

A Very Chinese Weekend in Chicago

It had been awhile since I ventured into Katy’s Dumpling House in Westmont. A few weeks ago, I had tried, but arrived just as they were closing. On Saturday, however, my son’s soccer game ended nearby at 7 p.m., so we had plenty of time (why the Chicago City team plays in Westmont every week … Continued

Piece Teams Up with Hot Doug for Pizza and a Cause

This March, Piece Pizzeria and Brewery is teaming up with Doug Sohn, owner of the late, great Hot Doug’s to create a limited edition pizza. They’ve named their creation the Atomic Pizza, and this red version with pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions, and Doug’s own Atomic Bomb Sausage will surely be loaded with flavor. The … Continued