In honor of today being “Italian Village Day” in Chicago, I thought it only appropriate to delve into some of the city’s best red sauce joints. If you’ve come looking for Rosebud or La Scarola, you’ll be disappointed they’re not here. What these joints all have in common though, is their hospitable surroundings, serving comfortable, … Continued
PORTLAND – I honestly thought I was going to see more trucks than campers. But in researching the food cart scene here for an upcoming story, I discovered that not only do the carts here stay put for the most part, they also tend to exist in small spaces that could be described as … Continued
(Videography by Todd Rosenberg) A few weeks ago, I offered up my Top 5 French Fries in Chicago, and realized I had completely forgotten to mention one of the best in town. The problem is, like many of the culinary kiosks at the Chicago French Market in the West Loop, they tend to be … Continued
Click on the image to read my story about dim sum in Hong Kong.
I realize that anytime you include the words “hot dog” in a sentence about Chicago, there will be disagreement. People have talked until they’re blue in the face about the merits and pleasures of Gene & Jude’s, yet the fact they still use pencil-thin size 10s (10 to a pound) has always annoyed me. To … Continued
There are few things more satisfying than hot, crispy, thinly-sliced fried potatoes. I tend to respect folks who cut Idaho russets all day long, par-blanching them first, and then, right before an order comes in, frying them a second time to crisp them up. It doesn’t mean serving them soggy and limp, but rather, … Continued
Yet another Chicago week of brutally hot weather, kicking off the first days of Summer. This week’s forecast has me (probably somewhat prematurely) clamoring for all manner of things cool, icy and sweet. Here are my top 5, although really, the order is somewhat interchangeable.
Here’s a Top 5 that’s sure to stir the pot of pickled onions a bit. After the remarkable little beauties I had last night at Antique Taco in Wicker Park, I was inspired to pick my top 5 in town (and can’t believe I haven’t even made an attempt at ranking them previously). Obviously, … Continued
Click on the image to read my story about Peking duck in Beijing.
A doughnut can be a wonderful thing. It can also be dead weight, as in an overly processed, sickly-sweet pastry (yeah, I’m lookin’ at you, Dunkin’). But Chicago’s love of fried dough – be it yeasty or cakey – hasn’t subsided, despite the invasion of chain stores in nearly every neighborhood. More significantly, individually-owned, local … Continued
By Ivan Yeh Hapless Intern Kosher workers in the Loop can now leave their lunch boxes at home. The Chicago French Market has a new vendor that can easily meet the growing demand for kosher food downtown. Kotel Kosher is a grab-and-go that offers customers a wide range of kosher deli and grocery products … Continued