Beginning this Friday, Chicago q is participating in Choose Chicago’s annual Restaurant Week(s), and guests who visit during the 14-day event will have the opportunity to sample a special three-course prix fixe lunch and dinner menu, including Chef Lee Ann Whippen’s award-winning, Bobby Flay-beating pulled pork and other Southern-style fare. The Restaurant Week special will … Continued
We’ve seen the Mexico-Korea mashup before in Chicago, namely, at Del Seoul in Lincoln Park. It typically means tacos with Korean-influenced bulgogi beef, or at the very least, a few tablespoonfuls of kimchi carefully placed between the corn tortillas. So when I stepped into Takos Koreanos recently, located a few blocks west of the bustling … Continued
Like all great sandwiches, the Cubano is a remarkable creation marrying flavorful proteins, satisfying condiments and crunchy textures. But unlike its Vietnamese cousin, the banh mi, or its Italian brethren – featuring slow-roasted beef slammed between sturdy loaves and draped in a bracing giardiniera – the Cuban sandwich has something the others don’t: griddled bread.
One of my favorite cities in the world is getting ready to eat and drink like never before. The 13th annual Dine Out Vancouver Festival is taking place over the last two weeks of January, and this year more than ever, the city’s vast arsenal of restaurants and artisans are pulling out all the stops. In addition to … Continued
Ready to get out of the house after your holiday hibernation? Stop by Arami’s monthly Noodle Night next Monday, December 29th. Chef Fred Despres is serving up a special menu of ramen and other noodle dishes paired with Asahi Japanese Beer ($4) and Arami’s signature sake, Ichi No Tori ($9/glass, $15/carafe). Noodle Night takes place … Continued
So many doughnuts in Chicago, so little time (and calorie allotment) to eat them all. On the South Side, there’s no questioning the supremacy of Dat Donut or Old Fashioned Donuts, but on the North Side, the undisputed champion has to be The Doughnut Vault. I’ve been warming to Stan’s over the past few months, … Continued
So much for Chicago being a pizza and Italian beef kind of town. I had no idea last week’s post about my Top 5 Fried Chickens would stir such a passionate discourse. With more than 40,000 views from my Facebook page alone, all of the sudden interest crashed my website briefly the next morning. As … Continued
Running out of gift ideas for the beer lover in your life? Give them the gift of knowledge. Dusek’s Board and Beer is known for its impressive number of beers on tap, beer-centric cuisine, and knowledgeable, hospitable bar staff. The Pilsen restaurant is taking beer lessons to a new level this January, with a six-night series … Continued
One of the hurdles with all of those visiting family and friends over the holidays is the traffic. Unless you want to really be aggressive, stopping by all of your favorite places can be daunting, to say the least. But yesterday, I had Bang Bang Pie biscuits and a slice of maple bourbon pecan pie … Continued
You can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and while the recipe will change slightly (with or without collards in the middle, delicata or butternut squash) the basic dish is pretty much intact: steamed sweet corn tamal, sour cream-infused scrambled eggs, sofrito of tomato, onions and banana peppers. Sound good? Trust me, it’s Something … Continued
It’s not like I’m choosing sides in a NYC bagel war, or somehow claiming to know which joint in L.A.’s Thai Town makes the best khao soi, but when you start ranking fried chicken, I know the haters are waiting in the wings, so to speak, ready to pounce. Although I’m not sure I’m going … Continued