Food

Phil Vettel, in a post late yesterday to the Tribune's "Stew" blog, wrote about how restaurants around the area are joining in on a boycott of Canadian seafood to protest that nation's ongoing annual seal hunt. The boycotts range from simply not offering Canadian snow crab - many crab fisheries are also involved in the seal hunt - to not buying seafood from a specific region or not buying any Canadian seafood. The boycott, sponsored... more ›

It takes a strong constitution to negotiate Archer Avenue on a bicycle; some stretches between California and Cicero require a rider to put the fear of death out of his head. But it's worth the trip west, young man, for the literal smörgåsbord of Polish restaurants, meat markets, and European delicatessens you'll come across. One that we're ashamed to have never visited until this weekend is Racine Bakery. This Garfield Ridge institution has been in business since 1984, eighteen of them in its current location at 6216 S. Archer. For émigrés from Germany, Poland, Lithuania, and other areas of central and eastern Europe, a visit to Racine Bakery can ease the transition to their new lives in America by giving them a taste of home. more ›

Had a good chuckle this morning reading the Sun-Times. Smack dab in the middle of page 3 was this AP article detailing PepsiCo's announcement that their popular Aquafina bottled water - the most popular bottled water brand in the nation - will literally spell out on the label that the water contained within is filtered from a public source, rather than the somewhat cryptic "p.w.s." that's currently on the label. Show of hands if you didn't know that. more ›

Had a good chuckle this morning reading the Sun-Times. Smack dab in the middle of page 3 was this AP article detailing PepsiCo's announcement that their popular Aquafina bottled water - the most popular bottled water brand in the nation - will literally spell out on the label that the water contained within is filtered from a public source, rather than the somewhat cryptic "p.w.s." that's currently on the label. Show of hands if you didn't know that. more ›

This clip from The Simpsons is as good a place to jump off this week, as we're leaving to see the film after we file this, and the beginning setting is at a fair. Which makes a nice segue for us. Last week, we went to the South Side Arts & Music Fest we profiled in last week's installment and were confronted with the sticker shock of seeing a funnel cake sell for nine... more ›

You haven't truly lived until you've seen a grown man dressed up as pierogi, or that what Chicagoist's parents always told us when we were growing up. Take the trip to Whiting, Indiana this weekend for Pierogi Fest and we can guarantee that not only will you see a life-sized pierogi walking around, but you will also eat lots and lots of pierogi. The little doughy dumplings can be prepared in a number of ways with a variety of sweet and savory fillings, but Chicagoist is a classicist when it comes to pierogi; we like our filled with cabbage, potato or cheese. No strawberries for us! more ›

A couple years back we had a Chicagoist alum who chronicled his attempts to grow his own tomatoes from seeds. If you click those links, you'll notice that he wasn't very successful. Now, we have something of a green thumb. Our apartment is full of various ficuses, cacti, African violets, rhododendron, split leaf philodendron and other plants we've been tending for a friend for so long, they now qualify as ours. Still, we were hesitant... more ›

From a mom’s perspective, the concept of Ethel’s on Southport is brilliant: part cafe, part lounge, it’s a fantastic place to catch up with friends… and to bring your kids. more ›

Winston’s Market on Southport suffers from multiple personalities. But unlike Sybil, it’s a good thing. Opened last May, this former shoe boutique now houses a deli, a self-service restaurant, a beer and wine store, and a gourmet prepared-foods shop. Sound like they have too much on their plate? Not when we stopped by and noticed that the friendly staff had plenty of time to answer our questions, take our order (they didn’t even flinch when we asked for our bread to be toasted on the already prepared sandwich), quickly wiped down tables and chairs (why do other places always forget this?), prepared orders to go, and hand-delivered them to customers checking to make sure they had pronounced their names correctly, and waved at babies. Whew! more ›

Saturday night found us in the company of old friends enjoying Lebanese food at Semiramis in Albany Park. Semiramis is a BYOB restaurant, which can lead to some unfortunate food-and-drink pairings if one isn't careful, or worse, if someone in the group decides to play sommelier for everyone (for the record, we know better). So everyone made their own decisions about what they wanted to drink, and we picked up a six-pack of New Belgium "Skinny Dip" across the street at the liquor store. It wouldn't have been our first choice from New Belgium during summer; that would have been Blue Paddle. And someday New Belgium should have their full complement of selections available to Chicagoans. It just wasn't to be on this day. more ›

In news that will surely give fodder to the Macy's h8rs in the house, the city closed down the lower level food court at the flagship Macy's yesterday after they found "a fruit fly infestation, water backing up from a clogged drain, a leaking sink, and grease and food debris on the walls and floor around the inside trash can." The Health Department was there in the first place because a customer called them after... more ›

We've been out this afternoon, unable to check our inbox until recently. We saw this and corresponding reports from others. more ›

O.K., let's say you're cheap (or on a really tight budget, that's totally understandable too) so you're not buying tickets to this year's Hideout block party ... but you still want to see fabulous bands like Andrew Bird, Bloc Party, The Frames, Mucca Pazza, Art Brut, Dan Deacon (who you really MUST see live), and a bunch of other cool acts yet to be announced. You can still get in by volunteering! Volunteers do everything... more ›

O.K., let's say you're cheap (or on a really tight budget, that's totally understandable too) so you're not buying tickets to this year's Hideout block party ... but you still want to see fabulous bands like Andrew Bird, Bloc Party, The Frames, Mucca Pazza, Art Brut, Dan Deacon (who you really MUST see live), and a bunch of other cool acts yet to be announced. You can still get in by volunteering! Volunteers do everything... more ›

Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand are on the move, again. The Tru masterminds, flush with the overwhelming success of their multiple restaurant concepts in the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, now have plans for restaurants in an Intercontinental Hotel being built in Rosemont and a Hyatt in Schaumburg currently undergoing a makeover. more ›

Well, you really couldn't ask for a better weekend to get your keister out there and enjoy the weather. There's also so much going on, you have no excuse. Here are a few samplings: - We know some of you are going to the World's Largest Block Party this weekend. It ain't our speed, but we know there are some of you who still like to party like it's 1994 with Rusted Root and Big... more ›

Oh, how we love lists. Is there any other piece of journalism that has the ability to spur so much pointless and arbitrary discussion? Via the Drive-Thru, we found this list of Chicago's "hottest dogs" from Travel + Leisure. more ›

Residents of the South Loop/Motor Row area are quickly getting more dining options, and just in time, as home buyers and renters flock to the "hottest" neighborhood in the city. There's Jerry Kleiner's long focus on developing a restaurant district along South Wabash (with Opera, Gioco, Room 21); the Mainstay Hospitality holdings all do great business; Cuatro consistently draws diners from all over the area; Café Bionda proved so successful that owner/chef Joe Farina's opened... more ›

Last Friday marked a milestone here at Chicagoist, and we didn't even notice it. On July 13, 2006, we debuted this very column. Truthfully, we never planned on it actually becoming a regular staple of the site. We were only looking to file something on that fateful day, and figured that "Beer of the Week" would run its course in short order with a few glances. However, we seemed to strike a nerve with readers with the next week's selection. By the time we hit you with the one-two punch of Goose Island Matilda and Point Honey Light, there was no turning back. In the past twelve months, we've run all over the city — OK, we've only gone as far north as Hopleaf and Simon's — looking for selections we feel worthy of the "BotW" designation. Ironically, this column has helped us reduce our alcohol consumption. more ›

Parents, we know it’s happened to you: you’re in the middle of running errands when your kid begins screaming, and you realize you’re starving, too. Where do you and your little one go for cheap, fast food at lunchtime that actually tastes good? Head out to Art of Pizza on Ashland Avenue! more ›

O.K., given the coverage we've already lavished on the little indie fest that could, we're going to keep this brief. Overall we would rate the entire experience a good one, but we agreed with one of our colleagues when he said, "there was a sense ... that the fest was starting to experience growing pains." We don't know if this is because indie rock has become so fully integrated into the mainstream that this third festival curated by Pitchfork seemed different than the first two, or if it's just that the natural progression of things is to grow larger each year. Either way we admit to being a little confused since last year's fest was also sold out, yet none of the things that created hitches last weekend (well, almost none) were a problem before. more ›

Let’s just get one thing straight: unless you have your own personal money tree, you don’t go to Martini Park to get rollicking drunk. And it’s easy, from one step in the door, or from reading all the recent hub and bub about the place, to assume it’s just another trendy bar/lounge, packed with scenesters and socialites, serving expensive drinks and food. In a way, yes, it is. But looking at it from another angle, the new hotspot in the heart of the Ontario and Clark strip of River North actually makes for a nice, sophisticated place to enjoy a really well-made martini and some tasty apps and a relaxed ambiance for hearing some live tunes. more ›

We don’t know about you, but Chicagoist always feels healthier just by walking around a farmers market. And that’s even before we get home and sample any of our beautiful bounty. That’s especially true at the Green City Market, which features products from local, small-scale, certified organic/sustainable vendors twice at week at the south end of Lincoln Park. Perhaps it’s the colorful array of produce, soothing live music, pristine flowers and giggling kids here that feed our inner Pollyanna and make us feel that, yes, things really are going to get better (the occasional sighting of a hunky local chef doesn’t hurt either). Heck, even the dogs are down with the program and get along. more ›

In news we probably could have guessed was coming, the first lawsuit against Pars Cove over the Taste of Chicago has been filed; Monique Roach, 49, and Willie Smith, 43, both from Chicago's Morgan Park neighborhood have filed a lawsuit against the Persian restaurant, alleging "the restaurant failed to properly inspect, store or package the food, or made some other mistake that caused the pair to become sick." The ironically-named Roach is seeking $30,000 in damages, with Smith seeking a smaller amount. more ›

Day three of the Pitchfork Music Festival got off to a slow start, with a smaller crowd, but we chalk that up to stronger headliners and more folks electing to arrive later in the day. Since one of our other writers was already covering the earlier bands, we elected to begin our coverage with Stephen Malkmus' main stage appearance. Malkmus' set was one of the ones with the most buzz, since it could be argued... more ›

Lincoln Square residents, if not Chicagoans, were saddened by the demise of Delicatessan Meyer this winter, even though the place was a shell of its former self. Recent media reports indicate that the Delicatessen Meyer space will soon be selling sausages again. The property has been purchased by the Luszcz family, owners of Belmont-Cragin institution Gene's Sausage Shop. Being familiar with Gene's from our own childhood, we can't help but look at this development as... more ›

Monday morning can usually suck it, but this morning we woke up to discover something that made it all seem OK; the next season of "Top Chef" will be filmed in Chicago! more ›

We have a confession to make: we've never been to Pitchfork before. Considering the festival's only been going on officially for two years, it's not all that surprising. Still, being music lovers, we wanted to shed the "Pitchfork virgin" connotation and take the plunge. The only other big music fest we've been party to was the Touch & Go 25th anniversary at Hideout last year, along with the occasional street fest. We picked Saturday for... more ›

We entered the Pitchfork Music Festival grounds a little late Saturday, since the CTA saw fit to make sure all the buses we needed to take were running extra slow, while suspending Blue Line service between Western and Clark/State. They picked a bang-up weekend to make sure they removed the primary vein of public travel right from the heart of the hipster corridor. As we arrived though, we were dually serenaded by the noise of... more ›

The first day of the Pitchfork Music Festival showcased three classic acts, performing their classic albums. Slint re-created their seminal Spiderland, and while watching their set we realized that they are definitely one of those bands everyone name-checks, but almost no one has actually heard. Kind of like how dudes in the '90s would talk about how awesome Patti Smith's Horses was because that was just the sort of thing you were supposed to say.... more ›

Everybody and their brother are listing out their day-to-day, act-by-act rundowns of this weekend's Pitchfork Music Festival. The thing all these folks seem to be missing, as they get dragged into the "do-as-everyone-else-does" pool, is that the festival has been sold-out for weeks so it's safe to assume that the folks that are going know what they're in for. We realize you've got to fill posts / columns / traffic-quotas, but c'mon, enough with the... more ›

It is now a little after noon, which means the second Chicago location of Pollo Campero is now open for business at 4830 N. Pulaski Ave. What are you waiting for? Go try it out and let us know how it is, will you? more ›

Another week, another all-you-can-eat Friday Buffet. The photo alone is giving us cravings for some shark meat. - It's National Ice Cream Month. Feeling charitable this afternoon? In the mood for ice cream? Then head over to Atwood Café between 2-4 p.m. and take part in their annual ice cream social to benefit the Fairy Godmother Foundation. Atwood chef Heather Terhune will donate $1 from every ice cream sold (graciously donated by Ciao Bella gelato)... more ›

Something tells Chicagoist that Pars Cove isn't going to be rocking out a booth at next year's Taste of Chicago. The restaurant — and specifically the cucumber hummus salad it served at the Taste — is at the center of a health department investigation. So far, 126 people have reported feeling ill (up from 17 yesterday), and it isn't because of the turkey legs they ate; investigators believe the tahini used in the hummus could be contaminated with salmonella. more ›

Twelve pieces of salmon-pink, slimy, sliced smoked turkey deli meat were piled on top of each other with a plop of tasteless coleslaw, a teaspoon of cranberry sauce, and a whole lot of "adobo sauce" which looked and tasted like Sriracha. Meet the mediocre "Maya F," one of the 100+ sandwiches on the menu at the second outpost of Jerry's. The Division Street location officially opened on Monday, though people have been packing the place since the beginning of July. And we couldn't blame them; at $8.25 for a sandwich and two sides, it presents an upscale yet inexpensive take on a food that almost everyone can appreciate. more ›

Last night Chicagoist was among a few hundred people who attended the Goose Island brewing facilities on West Fulton. The occasion was to celebrate the official launch of their new "312unes" music sponsorship program. The concept behind 312unes is to show continued support of the local rock music scene while simultaneously promoting one of Goose Island's two flagship brands, according to Goose Island marketing director Darrell Jursa. "Goose Island has been supporting local acts for... more ›

Although they made the announcement weeks ago via press release, most of us are just now coming around to the news that local fine wine auction house Hart Davis Hart has hired Tru sommelier Scott Tyree. This is something of a coup in fine dining and fine wine circles. While he was at Tru, Tyree earned "best sommelier" awards in 2004 and 2006 at the Jean Banchet awards. Tru's wine inventory under Tyree was also awarded with Wine Spectator magazine's "Grand Award for Outstanding Restaurant Wine Lists" for the past three years (2004-2006). In 2004 Tyree was listed by Esquire magazine as one of the country's best sommeliers. more ›

File this under "chutzpah." An antitrust lawsuit (Adobe PDF file) filed by the Federal Trade Commission this week against Whole Foods, which seeks to block the organic food giant's purchase of its closest competitor Wild Oats, revealed that anonymous postings to business and financial forums criticizing the price of Wild Oats stock were actually authored by Whole Foods CEO John Mackey. Mackey's postings, made under the name "radoheb" from 1999 to 2006, consistently criticized the... more ›

Taste of Chicago left a bad taste in the mouths of some; 17 people have become sick after eating tainted food from the Pars Cove booth at the annual food fest. Five of these have been diagnosed with salmonella contamination.This is the first time in the Taste's 27 years that there has been an incident like this. more ›

If you're like Chicagoist then you're a warrior. A warrior without air conditioning. And in times like these, hot times … in the city, it's best to know all sorts of tricks for cooling down. There's the lake, there's the public library, most restaurants and, of course, lying very still with fans on every side of your body. Those are just a few ways of keeping cool without the aid of energy draining, electric grid straining pure 100% Freon (that's still what it is, isn't it?). But there are other ways. Like meals that don't involve the kitchen stove. A perfect example of at least part of a meal, though easily a main lunch course, is gazpacho. Ah, gazpacho the lovely summer soup everyone, herbivores and omnivores alike, can enjoy. When Chicagoist was a little one we weren't overly fond of gazpacho. We didn't get the concept of cold soup and we weren't overly fond of hot tomatoes (unless they came on top of our sauce) but we're all grown up now and have concocted our own mix of fresh veggies that we think will lower your internal temperature a little bit. more ›

When Chicagoist lived in Hyde Park, we had a local dive for every occasion: the best place to go with a hangover, the best place to satiate a Hawaiian pizza craving, the best place to use our fake ID. The Medici on 57th was always the best place to hang out with friends-- a funky, eclectic eatery with good food and constant coffee. But would our college favorite survive lunch with our toddler? Did the... more ›

When one thinks of Japanese beer, the first to come to mind are Sapporo or Asahi. A Japanese brewery that we think deserves mention is the Kiuchi Brewery, which started out in 1823 brewing sake. They still do make fine sakes, but in recent years they've branched out into spirits distillation, beer, and have plans for making wines. Kiuchi started the beer aspect of their business, Hitachino Nest, in 1996. The beers are notable for... more ›

As far as we can tell, the only thing better than an ice-cold Slurpee on a hot summer day, is when that same ice-cold Slurpee doesn't cost you a thing. That's right kids — today is 7-11, the birthday of 7-Eleven, and to celebrate, they are giving out free 7.11 ounce Slurpees from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Perhaps a trip to the store at 6754 W. 63rd Street is in order? more ›

A funny thing happened to Chicagoist during cooking classes at Macy’s Culinary Studio: We discovered we are sorely lacking in the patience department. Here we thought we were simply going to improve our culinary skills, and then we ended up with a little self-discovery lesson along the way. Blame it on the heat coming from the two stoves or the wine we sipped between chopping, either way, we learned fairly quickly that a watched pot... more ›

Saturday the sun and heat agreed with Chicagoist. So we saddled up on our seven-year-old Schwinn Mesa GS and beat a straight line north on Halsted to the Lincoln Park farmers market. We just had some chicken butchered for us at Chicago Live Poultry House in Little Village, and had some ideas of how we wanted to prepare the cuts. more ›

John Bubala, chef/owner of the popular Timo restaurant on an industrial strip along Halsted Street near Milwaukee Avenue gets it right there. And now, with his recently opened Baccala in Wicker Park, he gets it right again. Shocker. When you use super-fresh ingredients, many from local farmers and ranchers, coupled with rich, velvety butters, creams and olivey olive oil, how can food not taste darn good? Baccala’s menu doesn’t stray far from the type... more ›

Here at Chicagoist we've been watching the ongoing developments of HB 429, the pending legislation in the state House of Representatives, with a cautious gaze. Readers will remember that HB 429 is intended to bring Illinois in "compliance" with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Granholm v. Heald, which stated that non-reciprocal wine shipping laws were a violation of interstate commerce laws and the 21st Amendment to the Constitution repealing Prohibition. If signed into law... more ›

August 8. August 8 is the day some have been waiting for and some have been dreading. The day Whole Foods will open in the South Loop's Southgate Market. We originally disliked the idea. Then we were pissed when it didn't open in the fall. We also worried that Whole Foods might give up on us all together when their profits were falling. But yuppies, hippies, and everyone in between rejoice: South Loop Whole... more ›

No repartee this week, all business. - We've received e-mails from concerned people and had to check it out for ourselves, and it looks as though Cereality at 110 South Wacker has closed down, only a couple years after Chicagoist (among other media) made a big fuss about its opening. There's even a "For Rent" sign in its front window. This kind of reaffirms our faith in the human race; if people won't pay $4.50... more ›

Both Kraft and McDonald's have been busy recently with business moves. Tuesday Crain's reported that Kraft placed a $7.2 billion bid for French snack food giant Danone. Danone, makers of Dannon and Stonyfield yogurts, and Evian bottled water, is the world volume leader in bottled water, fresh dairy, and biscuit (cookies) and cereal products. If the deal goes through, it would give Kraft a foot in the door of emerging snack food markets in Russia and China. more ›

On a day when Americans came together to celebrate the gloriousness that is the USA, we found another reason to cheer; American Joey Chestnut won Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, unseating six-time defending champion (and Japanese native) Takeru Kobayashi. Though those two were the certainly the stories of the day, we can't help but proudly mention Chicago native Patrick Bertoletti (pictured) came in a respectable third place. Bertoletti already has the title for eating 19 slices of pizza in 10 minutes last year, and he owns the record for eating 5.75 pounds of corned beef and cabbage. more ›

Last year, we were lamenting the news that Puffer's, long the bar with Bridgeport's best beer selection, was being sold and renamed Mitchell's Tap. Recently, we've started going back to Mitchell's. One reason is that legendary bartender Al Moran - he was one of Dave Jemilo's old partners in Green Mill and Déjà Vu - holds court there on Tuesday nights. Another reason is that they still have a damn fine beer selection. They have some bottles not listed on the site's menu and aren't afraid to switch taps on a moment's notice. more ›

If a wine shop has its own in-house chef — a Charlie Trotter-trained one at that — odds are it’s going to offer quite a different experience than those warehouse-sized ones you’re used to. And that’s just fine with the people behind Knightsbridge Wine Shoppe & Epicurean Centre. Open since 1986, this cozy Northbrook store takes buying a bottle of wine up a couple notches (the British spellings of its name and the fact that Knightsbridge, an area in London, is home to many of the world’s richest people are definite tip offs). more ›

Would you like flies with that? more ›

As part of the promotion for the upcoming "Simpsons" movie (so there!), 20th Century Fox, Gracie Films, and 7-Eleven have joined together to turn a dozen stores across the country into Kwik-E-Marts. We have a sneaking suspicion that the 7-Eleven location at 6754 W. 63rd Street (Ha HA! The North Side is Shelbyville.) will be mighty popular the next four weeks. more ›