Valentine’s Day might be over, but you now have another excuse to make plans to eat out: the 5th Annual Chicago Restaurant Week. Beginning tomorrow, and running until the 26th, more than 130 local restaurants will be offering a set, prix-fixe, three-course menu for $22 at lunch, and $33 or $44 at dinner. Participating eateries are as … Continued
At the risk of sounding like an old(er) man, I’m offering up a few recommendations this week that are helpful to both the 20-something clientele, as well as the over-40 group. How is this list helpful to diners who wear stilletos to dinner? Well, for one thing, any restaurant that has a thumping soundtrack and … Continued
Merriam-Webster defines a club sandwich as “a sandwich of three slices of bread with two layers of meat (as turkey) and lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise.” You can, of course, find these just about anywhere they make standard sandwiches in Chicago, but chefs today are rarely content to simply abide by the textbook definition of anything. … Continued
I was in L.A. yesterday, where it was a balmy 77 degrees and people didn’t think twice about going outside. But in Chicago, most of my friends treat the prospect of heading outside on a bitterly cold day with the same enthusiasm usually reserved for paying their taxes. I realize you can order online from … Continued
My biggest problem when shopping for ethnic food is that I’m constantly craving something to eat. Just perusing the aisles of lemongrass, or roasted peppers or chorizo makes me yearn for a snack. Thankfully, you can do a little noshing with your shopping in Chicago, and sometimes, the store owners will even set up a … Continued
Last week, I offered my five (or so) suggestions for newcomers to our city; places that any self-respecting Chicagoan has been to, in order to establish a baseline of sorts, for where we’ve come from (and where we’re obviously headed). The post was inspired by my 20-something cousin, who had recently moved to town, … Continued
I was having dinner earlier this week with my cousin, a 20-something from Minneapolis who just moved into the city a few months ago. I took her and her new boyfriend to one of my go-to Thai joints – Aroy – up on Damen. They were totally into it, and kept peppering me with questions about … Continued
Typically, the heat of a new place determines the “see and be seen” (SABS) factor. If it’s new, and they’re serving sushi on backlit tables, then chances are there’s going to be a wait to get in. But there are roadblocks aplenty to achieving successful SABS status.
Before we go any further, let me just say that if you have never seen the movie Tampopo, do yourself a favor and rent it. But before you do, make sure one of the five places below are open, because you’re going to be jones-ing for a bowl of ramen immediately afterward. True, most of … Continued
Since Chicago doesn’t have near the competitive deli culture like they do in New York City, I realize wading into this subject isn’t fraught with nearly as much potential hate mail as I would receive if, say, I delved into Italian beef or pizza. But still, this holdover from a bygone era still gets my … Continued
In honor of Pinot Days coming to Chicago this weekend (and keep reading to see how you can score a discount if you’re interested in going), I thought it would be appropriate to run down the list of Chicago’s best wine lists. I sought some input from Fernando Beteta, a Master Sommelier who is the … Continued