Spanish food and drink are enjoying a resurgence in Chicago, and we’re not talking about tapas bars. That “small plates” concept is certainly still around, but we’ve now entered the next phase of Spanish dining in the city: food and drink from regions like the Basque country and Catalonia.
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.
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.
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
During the early part of the 20th Century, as Chicago’s ethnic enclaves continued to settle into their respective landing zones, The Polish Triangle – at the nexus of Ashland, Division and Milwaukee – was a hub of ex-pat activity. Sadly, most of their descendants have moved well beyond that original settlement, to the Northwest and … 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
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