Quick Bites

Chez Pim's Menu For Hope fundraiser is still going strong (it lasts through Dec 21). So far, more than $50,000 has been raised to benefit the UN World Food Programme's school lunch program in Lesotho, Africa. Kalyn's Kitchen is the regional host for the Midwest, and there are lots of great regional prizes. Our friends over at Drive-Thru put together a yummy looking package, but what we'd really like is to win Movable Feast's offering of getting to hang out with Moto's Homaru Cantu and Ben Roche.
We're sad to see Mas close it's doors. Chef/owner John Manion told Dish, “It’s a totally different neighborhood than what we opened to nine years ago. I’m ready to do something else. It’s my baby and I don’t have much of a security blanket but I’m looking forward to doing something new. I want to cook food again—not that I don’t at Mas—but I have different ideas [now].”
Our love for TasteSpotting knows no bounds. A few days ago, we came across this photo, and our mouths started watering. What could be better on a cold winter night than homemade gnocchi with toasted hazelnut, brown butter and sage? Even better? Our Kitchen Sink is local. If you are reading, Chicagoist loves dinner invitations.
Level of sympathy equals zero, for suburban Chicago resident Meredith Estes, who told the NYT while shopping at Whole Foods that food prices have jumped so much she has resorted to coupons. Here's a better idea: don't shop at Whole Foods.
With all of the craziness of the Holiday, Chicagoist has been eating out all the time. This week we happened to eat at both Coalfire and Spacca Napoli. And while both were perfectly delicious, we have to respectfully disagree with TOC's assessment that Coalfire has the best neopolitan pizza in Chicago. While their crust was better than SN's, their toppings couldn't compare. Seriously, our pizza at SN had pork cheek on it. Pork cheek! Pork cheek > regular old prosciutto any day.