Chicago was the third city Tom Sietsema tackled in his Washington Post series on America’s great food cities this year. Not only did he completely capture the zeitgeist of what’s going on right now, he also had one of the Post’s videographers shoot and edit this great video (of which I’m honored to be a … Continued
There’s nothing quite like enjoying seafood on the coast, plucked straight from the water and eaten with your bare hands. Chicago may be in the middle of the country, but you can now get your hands dirty – deliciously – in a new seafood shack on the Northwest Side of the city.
Click on the article below to read my review of the very first Virgin Hotel (in Chicago) for The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper.
You’ve got a look a little harder to find Nonna’s, tucked into the back of the big and flashy Formento’s on West Randolph, but the search is worth it.
If you want to start an argument in Chicago, just start naming who you think makes the best Italian beef. The only way this beef crawl was going to attain legitimacy was if I hit them all. So over the past few weeks, I checked off 31 beef stands.
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
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
For years, you had to venture into the basement of the Palmer House to get those fun rum drinks and crab Rangoon with a side of bamboo, but a pair of expertly curated tiki bars call Chicago home: one in trendy River North, the other in laid-back Logan Square.
I’ve been spending a lot of time in Chinatown recently, looking for stories for Chinese New Year. Frankly, I hadn’t even thought to stop by Phoenix, the venerable 19 year-old restaurant hidden up on the 2nd floor of a dingy building across the street from the more dynamic Chinatown Square Mall. But the restaurant underwent … Continued
NOTE: Just in case you’ve landed here from a Google search, there is a newer, updated Top 5 Pho post. I ranked all 32 of the pho joints in Chicago, complete with statistical analysis and maps. Published January of 2017. Nearly every culture has its go-to winter comfort soup. The “Jewish penicillin” has always … Continued
Two years ago, I embarked on a magical, fatty/crispy sojourn to Beijing, in search of the real Peking duck. Nearly every great restaurant I visited had their own procedure – be it air hose between skin and meat, large fan for blowing on and drying out the ducks or poaching in hot water for 30 … Continued