Much has been made of the fact Rahm Emanuel, the Illinois Restaurant Association and the city of Chicago have lured the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards to the Civic Opera House next year. Sponsors have been committed, venues reserved. When I posed the obvious questions in my post that broke the news, I wondered aloud … Continued
Ana Sortun’s chickpea falafel wrap, to be featured on the menu in June. It looks like it’s a wrap for Mediterranean restaurant Falafill. Starting this month, the establishment will be offering special, limited-time-only wraps as part of a “Guest Chef Series” to benefit Alzheimer’s disease research. Collaborating chefs like Chef Farid Zadi (of Los Angeles) and … Continued
Free bread from La Brea will be in abundance.Photo courtesy Dave Estep This year, La Brea Bakery will celebrate 25 years of business by – what else? – inviting patrons to break bread with them. On Thursday, May 29th, the bakery – originally founded by recent James Beard Outstanding Chef Award winner Nancy Silverton – will kick … Continued
Beer brewers love to collaborate. Sometimes it’s with chefs, working on a recipe that will go with a specific style of food, other times, they will get together with other breweries, to come up with something really special. That’s the case this week, as The Hopleaf’s Michael Roper looks to the Class of ’88 – … Continued
My Kind of Town… Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel isn’t one to hide his emotions. So when he takes the stage at the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park this morning, don’t be surprised if you see him kvelling like a mother who’s just learned her son, the lawyer, is going to Harvard. That’s because there, flanked … Continued
Nathan Thornburgh presenting at Terroir. Just a couple of thoughts from the past week: I attended the annual Terroir Symposium in Toronto last week, and was once again blown away with the quality of talent there, from several corners of the world. True, there was a significant contingent from Scandinavia – not to mention … Continued
Slow-roasted ribs will be the star of the birthday celebration. A Wicker Park barbecue joint is celebrating two decades of bringing Southern flavors to Chicago the way it knows best – by combining good food with good company. From May 15th to May 17th, The Smoke Daddy (1804 W. Division St.) will host a 20th birthday party … Continued
This week, The Hopleaf’s Michael Roper is thinking of Cooperstown, NY – home of Ommegang, one of the best Belgian-style breweries in the U.S. Their Hop House is out now, and with our sudden blast of warm weather, he says it’s a perfect match for both lighter eating and drinking. Hope you enjoy it. Cheers.
A dish by Jessica Largey, Chef de Cuisine at Manresa in Los Gatos, CA, and one of the featured chefs for the fundraiser. (Photo courtesy Ashley Sears) American food conferences don’t come cheap, and if you want to try to avoid having a corporate logo on every table, menu and fork, sometimes you have to … Continued
The Purple Pig’s Jimmy Bannos Jr. tied for Rising Star Chef in the U.S. Last night’s James Beard Awards in New York City honored the accomplishments of some of the greatest female chefs in the country. Outstanding Chef in the U.S. (Nancy Silverton), NYC (April Bloomfield) and Restaurateur (Barbara Lynch) were among the highlights. But … Continued
Bacon-wrapped prunes with Armagnac honey, one of the many dishes at Untitled on Mother’s Day. There’s no better way to let mom know you appreciate her on Mother’s Day than by taking her out to a nice brunch. This year, a few Chicago-area restaurants are making it easy for you to say “thanks,” by offering … Continued