With the holidays approaching and most restaurants closed to indoor dining, bakeries seem to be opening at a frantic pace. This week, I visited two new spots in the city where creative pastry chefs are leading the way. Sugargoat 820 W. Randolph St. 312-667-0108 www.sugargoatsweets.com Brite Donuts & Baked Goods Available at Metric Coffee, 2021 W. … Continued
While everyone was going crazy last year for Popeye’s fried chicken sandwiches, a couple of local chefs were planning on creating their own versions of this Southern staple. The result is a pair of new options – for takeout or delivery – offering crispy chicken sandwiches several notches above traditional fast food offerings. GG’s Chicken … Continued
Baked dough and melted cheese are pretty elemental, and in Chicago, we typically see them in pizza. But they can also form the basis of a classic dish with roots in Turkey and Georgia, near the Black Sea. The dish – khachapuri – is made from scratch every day inside an Andersonville restaurant, where the … Continued
In the Clearing neighborhood – just West of Midway Airport – two best friends have been combining their own recipes, creating a dish so popular in El Salvador, they named their café after it. Pupuseria 6533 W. 63rd St. 773-498-3676
Two Chicago restaurants are serving up a taste of Colombia with their hearty breakfasts and some of the best rotisserie chicken in the city, not to mention arepas that are made from corn that’s ground in-house. El Fogón de Elena 3149 W. Lawrence Ave. 773-267-6893 www.elfogondeelena.com El Asadero Colombiano 4800 N. Central Ave. 773-283-8323
Homemade tamales can be found all over Chicago, sometimes from storefronts, other times from street carts. And with Hispanic Heritage Month beginning soon, I’m going to spend the next couple of weeks taking a closer look at a few of my favorite dishes from Spanish-speaking countries, beginning with Mexico. There’s a husband-and-wife company producing thousands of … Continued
There are dozens of Thai restaurants in and around the city, but a relatively new one that opened shortly before the pandemic is now making some of the best versions of traditional dishes you probably won’t see elsewhere in town. Plus, everything- including the curry paste- is made from scratch. Same Same 2022 W. Roscoe St. … Continued
After several years of construction and tens of millions of dollars, the landmarked Cook County Hospital building has been reborn as a hotel and food hall. The latter comes as a welcome sight to the hundreds of hospital workers in the Medical District. I sampled a bit from each vendor there. Dr. Murphy’s Food Hall 1811 … Continued
In the wake of the protests following the killing of George Floyd, there has been a surge of interest in supporting Black-owned businesses. In terms of restaurants, coffee shops and bakeries, a website designed by a Richton Park man has become the place for Black-owned businesses in at least a half dozen cities, including Chicago. … Continued
As coffee shops around the city begin reopening — with social distancing, masks and other precautions in place — one local roaster is focusing as much on a Mexican chocolate as it is its own coffee beans. The two ingredients actually have a lot in common. Dark Matter Caravanserai 2901 W. Belmont Ave. 773-293-6425 darkmattercoffee.com/pages/about-us
For decades, Taylor Street has been synonymous with Italian food and culture. Chicago’s original “Little Italy” still has a few beef joints and ice shops, which do well in the summertime. A relatively new ice cream shop in the neighborhood is turning up the creativity a bit, with an emphasis on flavors from Asia, while still … Continued