Martial Noguier never quite settled into his previous assignments. At one sixtyblue, his cooking would veer into French territory, but the fact diners were there for Michael Jordan’s connection as much as anything, probably limited his creativity. At Café des Architectes, inside the Hotel Sofitel, he explored his roots a bit more, but still, he was a … Continued
Warm weather always results in the same sort of lunch, during the week at least. I guess that’s why everyone in L.A. is so thin. It’s the salads! (Easy on the dressing, of course.) In Chicago, there’s nothing better than a thick, tender hunk of shortrib over a mound of polenta in December, but come … Continued
This time of year is just murder on people with special requests, allergies and gluten-intolerance. There are backyard barbecues, graduation lunches and wedding showers, not to mention menus full of pasta, starch and flour. Whenever I do stories on ABC about GF-friendly places in town, we get a huge response, and this post from the … Continued
Some would say New York chef Marcus Samuelsson should get some credit for making Ethiopian sexy. I say tear me off a piece of spongy injera, scoop up a mildly spicy berbere-laced doro wat (stew) and pass the intense, earthy coffee, and you won’t need a celebrity chef to convince you this is seriously delicious (although the man did … Continued
Today is Cinco de Mayo, a relatively minor holiday on the Mexican calendar (Independence Day, Sept. 15, ranks much higher), but it somehow has become an excuse to party. Kind of like Hallmark turned “Secretaries Day” into an unofficial holiday requiring lunches, gifts and of course, greeting cards. With today’s event, the fine folks at … Continued
The best roast chicken I ever had was at Zuni Café, on Market Street in San Francisco. I’m not sure what Judy Rodgers does to it – they’re most likely brined to retain moisture well ahead of time, and the heat, well, I’m positive it comes from a lot of hardwood. Chicago isn’t exactly a roast … Continued
I realize the sheer number of Italian restaurants in our area makes this a somewhat daunting proposition. After last week’s “overrated” edition, I’m turning to my top 5 this week, and all of these places have a few things in common: for one thing, they make pretty much everything – from the grissini and focaccia, … Continued
The Year of the Rabbit is here, and while I have a thing about consuming the actual animal (you try to digest 10 courses on Iron Chef), I have no problem sharing some of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Chicago. Each one offers something unique, and more importantly, delicious. Gung hay fat choy!
We could all use a little bit of warmth this time of year. God knows I’m afraid to see my People’s Energy bill this month, since I’ve been cranking the thermostat. Thank goodness our city is loaded with all kinds of Eastern European gems, where they worship borscht as much as they doburek. The gut-filling foods from … Continued
All week long, we’ve been re-running some of our favorite Top 5 lists from 2010. Today, it’s all about lemongrass and galangal. It’s also going to be my final post for 2010. I’m taking next week off, and will be back here January 3. Look for one more video post next week, as Justin Kaufmann … Continued