Currently browsing news

Chicago is About To Get Cheesy

One of the things I actually abhor is anything called National ________ Month/Day. We all know these special occasions simply serve to promote a food product (peaches, ice cream, nuts, etc.) that is in need of a sales boost. Kind of like a Groupon, but sponsored by a large consortium of producers rather than just … Continued

Vegas’ New Reality For Celebrity Chefs

  John Curtas knows Vegas. The dude’s blog, Eating Las Vegas, is a must-stop for visiting food lovers. Sometimes he ruffles feathers (Sushisamba), other times he becomes a cheerleader (Lotus of Siam, Twist) that only serve to promote the food and wine scene in his beloved desert city. On the way to the airport recently, … Continued

Why I Won’t Go Back To Charlie Trotter’s

Midway into the third course of my vegetarian tasting menu ($135) at Charlie Trotter’s eponymous restaurant, I had a sinking feeling.  I was in the midst of catching up with a colleague from Toronto – a publisher of a local food magazine – who had struck out trying to get reservations at Alinea and Next … Continued

Delicious Ethnic Eating Off of The Vegas Strip

I wouldn’t say I’m a regular in Vegas, but when I do manage to go, I always make a habit of visiting at least one restaurant off of The Strip. It’s odd how locals think of The Strip (as a tourist-laden, overpriced, chef-worshipping mecca, mostly), and if you were to ask any of the local … Continued

Chicago Gourmet Attracts Hardcore Food & Wine Fans

The damp, intermittent showers and muddy lawn couldn’t keep thousands of food and wine lovers away from Millennium Park this weekend. The 4th annual Chicago Gourmet saw its share of top-tier chefs, sommeliers and mixologists all come together in a spirited effort to once again raise the city’s culinary profile. This year, bon appétit magazine … Continued

Canada’s Coffee Pioneer

You could call Matt Lee a coffee geek, and he would be just fine with that. The owner of Manic Coffee in Toronto was seriously tired of seeing the Tim Horton’s chain – along with a lot of other so-called “coffee shops” open up and serve sub-standard beans that had been roasted who-knows-when. So Lee … Continued

Next’s Thai Menu Coming to an End

With all of the food and wine heavies in town this weekend for Chicago Gourmet, reservations will be about as easy to get as they are during the National Restaurant Show. I’m sure every seat at Next is taken, as their remarkable Thai menu draws to a close at the end of the month. In … Continued

Why the relaunch? Time to grow up.

I started blogging as a challenge, really.  I knew that I couldn’t simply continue to churn out three or more stories a week for ABC 7 News, and expect to be read/viewed/followed in the new media landscape.  As much as I love food reporting for TV and radio, I started noticing that younger bloggers were … Continued

Midsummer in Sweden, The Edible Tour

  Summer might officially begin June 21, but the longest days of the year in Sweden are truly celebrated during the weekend after the solstice – this year, June 24 – 26. The days are incredibly long – the sun barely goes down around midnight – so locals celebrate with lots of schnapps and pickled herring. Revelers … Continued