Food

One of the fascinating aspects of writing about food is the common ground we often discover between seemingly disparate cultures. It can sometimes be the use of an ingredient, similar table settings, or preparations of dishes that triggers a sense of familiarity that we aren't as different as we appear. Long before technology closed the distance between nations and made communication almost immediate, we became a global village by breaking bread. more ›

We simply cannot get over this WALL-E bento box created by artist 'Anna The Red'. WALL-E is just one in her collection of colorful bento boxes, many inspired by video game and anime characters. All photos are taken by her boyfriend and can be seen on his flickr page, kickintheheadcomic as well as her blog, Anna The Red's Bento Factory. We love scrolling over the different pieces to see what food she used to create the tiny details. (EVE is made from quail eggs, seaweed and fish cake dyed with red cabbage juice). more ›

When we were younger and considered dining out on New Year's Eve a rite of passage, we usually waited until the last moment to secure reservations somewhere, and paid through the nose as a result. Then we learned to cook and wound up saving a lot of money. With only a couple days left until the big night, we know that more than a few of you share similar habits of procrastination. more ›

Today a Chicago institution closes. The Maurice Lennell cookie outlet in Norridge will be selling its final pinwheels, butter cookies and other tooth-cracking monstrosities as the land on which the outlet resides is slated to become a Costco. Lennell is said to be sourcing its production to overseas companies. more ›

“The Year in Review” is an apt, if overused, phrase this time of year. Coupled with what turned out to be a busy and eventful 2K8, and we’re hard pressed to distill what we found most newsworthy into a limited number of words. We can’t whittle it down to just our favorite dishes, restaurants, chefs or events. Frankly, those types of stand-alone year-end recaps bore us. more ›

Jesus: Oh, great! Just what I need: a gum resin!! What am I gonna do with a gum resin?" more ›

Our annual Thanksgiving recipe posts are among our favorites to write. Judging from soem of the responses received in our inboxes, you like them, as well. This year, we wanted to add a new twist to the theme for the holidays. more ›

Here's something to consider for that person in your life who lives to dine out but is a pain in the ass to shop for. à la card Chicago is an update on the clichéd and tacky coupon book. It's a deck of cards offering $10 off the tab at 52 of the area's best restaurants. Looking through the deck we saw a slew of restaurants we love, such as Mundial Cocina Mestiza, Hot Doug's, Mana Food Bar, Le Lan, Naha, Lula Café, MK, Manny's, Mado, Kitsch'n. more ›

We love a good, warm drink to take the winter chill off: Hot buttered rum and Wassail are just two. And sure, after a few nips, you're going to definitely feel warmer. If you're in front of a roaring fire, that alcohol may, in fact, help warm you up. If, however, you're at the Bears game and sipping on the bottle to warm up...you're going to do yourself more harm than good. Let's see why: more ›

Who wants an ice-cold cocktail when temps are this bone-chilling? Not us. And certainly not your party guests, should you be throwing a holiday party over the next few weeks. Place a warm mug full of something high-octane in their frost-bitten hands as soon as their coats have come off and they'll be toasty in no time. more ›

How many of you read that headline and thought we were referring to Hot Doug's? more ›

This snow sure looks pretty, but walking in it when can make you parched, especially when you have neighbors who don't shovel in front of their houses. 'Course, you can also use the weather as an excuse to stay in this evening. We don't mind; it just means that there'll be more beer for us this evening at LUSH Wine and Spirits University Village (1257 S. Halsted). They're hosting a vertical tasting of Schmaltz Brewing's He'Brew Jewbelation ale, including this year's "Jewbelation Twelve" release, made with a dozen malts and a dozen hops. This free tasting runs from 6-8 p.m. and seems like the perfect fire-stoker for this evening's glögg fest at Simon's. more ›

We've always wanted to make Hot Buttered Rum. Partly because of the name. Well, admittedly, any name that makes us giggle is a go. Like Hot Cross Buns. Or Hot Buttered Rump. Anyway...Trader Vic's Book of Food and Drink had a recipe and we gave it a go. more ›

Mmm, hot soup sounds good. Especially since we expected 18 inches of snow and ice this morning. Whatevs, weatherman! So, we're back to the Friday Buffet. This is because we kept thinkin' it was due up on Fridays and kept missing Thursday. D'oh! more ›

There's no joy in Mudville, or wherever the hell Tankboy's DJ'ing this evening. MillerCoors has reached an agreement with the city of San Francisco and 13 Attorneys General — including Lisa Madigan — to remove caffeine, ginseng, guarana and taurine from its Sparks energy drink. MillerCoors is also paying $550,000 to cover the cost of the investigation into Sparks and whether it was targeting young drinkers. more ›

Yeah, we've blathered on and on about it. And now it's here! Rather than run off at the mouth again, here are some snaps of the new space. It's fantastic. With the crappy economy and snow piled up everywhere, doesn't an excursion to the tropics sound heavenly? They're open daily at 4 (but will be closed Christmas Day, alas). more ›

• Chez Pim's Menu for Hope V auction launched on Monday. Check out the list of items available from her and from others. [Chez Pim]
• In the wake of bailout fever, a solitary blogger at My Open Bar Chicago also asks for his. {Myopenbar Chicago]
• Chris Borelli visits the Meatloaf Bakery (2464 N. Clark), which takes the savory cupcake meme to its logical extreme. Road trip, Chicagoist Food and Drink staff!! [The Stew]
• Decider Chicago's Dinah Grossman visits Vegetable Alchemy, the latest project from former Printer's Row restaurant jefe Michael Foley. [Decider Chicago]

Jamba Juice adds oatmeal to its breakfast menu today with slow cooked organic steel cut oats, real fruit and brown sugar crumble. They're promoting the launch with a "Spreading the Warmth" campaign today, making special deliveries to Chicago's non-profit workers and hosting a "knitfitti" art installation at Jamba Juice's 20 N. Michigan location. Additionally, downloading this coupon will get you the oatmeal for $1. more ›

2008 has been a banner year for Flossmoor Station Brewing Company. The rollout of their bottled beer line was well-received, with beer lovers snatching up the Pullman Brown, IPA and Station Master Wheat Ale as quickly as the brewery can bottle them. This week's selection is a joint effort between Flossmoor Station brewmaster Mat Van Wyk and two other gifted/twisted brewmasters. more ›

Sometimes you just need to check your pride at the door and do what must be done. Which is why we found ourselves Saturday afternoon at Macy Field's, Christmas shopping and looking for a nosh. The Walnut Room is still the Walnut Room, and the seventh floor food court is still dominated by fast food concepts from celebrity chefs. The newest, from Marcus Samuelsson (C-House), is probably the best of a lot that includes Rick Bayless Frontera Fresco and Takashi Yagihashi's Noodles by Takashi. Incidentally, all three chefs are members of Macy's Culinary Council, dating back to the store's days as Marshall Field's. more ›

Sheffield's (3258 N. Sheffield) opened up a brand new beer bar in the back of the tavern at the beginning of summer. Since then, Ric Hess and company have been featuring a rotating list of rare draft craft beers and have established a "Beer School" series of fixed price dinners, lectures and events that rivals Map Room's "Beer School," Goose Island Clybourn's "Masters of Beer Appreciation" series, or hanging out with yours truly any given night of the week. more ›

It’s rare that we actually invent anything new here at Chicagoist cocktail labs. We have our hands full most of the time testing out recipes and trying to figure out the perfect ways to make classic cocktails – besides, with so many recipes out there, inspiration is hard to come by. However, freezing our butts off is the mother of invention (or something like that). more ›

Our standard go-to wine pairing for a turkey dinner — which seems so frequent and common this time of year — is a petite syrah. Actually, any red wine with upfront bright fruit flavors and minimal tannins would pair well with the Tom. This is also the time of year where our wine rack empties quickly as we attend these dinners. more ›

When we tried the country fried bacon at Risqué Café a few months back we knew that we were taking a few months off our life expectancy. Then we noticed that Evanston's popular hot dog joint Wiener and Still Champion (also made their own country fried bacon and thought to ourselves, "What the hell?" more ›

You're at your favorite Mexican restaurant eating everything on the menu but washing it down with a Coke because...well, because you're not sure about the aguas frescas: Tamarindo and Horchata. Wonder no more. more ›

There are a lot of fixed price dinners happening around town these days, but Bella Bacinos (75 E. Wacker Dr., 312-263-2350) is not one of the places we would immediately associate with hosting one, let alone a beer dinner. more ›

Things have slowed just a bit as we gear up for New Year's Day celebrations but keep a few of these in your back pocket: more ›

Monica Eng vented about the long lines at Garrett Popcorn's Randolph Street location in the Stew today, and also expressed gratitude that they've opened a temporary "Holiday Express" location on Boul Mich (625 N. Michigan) for pre-packaged popcorn only. So those of you wanting to buy Garrett for gifts now know where to go so the rest of us don't have to wait in line waiting for you to decide on a tin. more ›

• Martha Bayne reports that the Publican has reduced the prices of their beer menu (somewhat). Too bad those prices didn't go into effect when she was visiting the place for her review. [Food Chain, Marthabayne.com]
• Should we eat our little urban critters? I'm certainly down for squirrel, rabbit, and the occasional raccoon rummaging through garbage cans. [Little Green People blog, via]
• Sun-Times staffers look back at their favorite cookbooks, in time for the holidays. [Sun-Times]
• Bill Daley reports on a Manhattan bar serving wine in baby bottles (you'd expect Dion Antic to be jumping all over this) and spent coffee grounds as a source of biodiesel, while Phil Vettel laments about Copperblue, which is serving its final dinner service Saturday. [The Stew 1, 2, 3]
• Matt Kirouac had to sit through some pretty bad service at Andersonville's Antica Pizzeria in order to get to some pretty good pizza. [Hungry Mag]
• Gemma Petrie shares a recipe for Wild Rice and Mushroom Pie. [Pro Bono Baker]
• Josh at Chicago Foodies confuses Lao Shanghai for Lao Sze Chuan, regrets his error. [Chicago Foodies]
• Give thanks to the Lord of Fat Fuckery for, then "akido the shit out of" some crab legs at Glenn's Diner. that's how Steven Seagal would do it. [Chicago Gluttons]
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Things are tough all over, even for folks in the restaurant industry. An uncertain short-term future and a still-frozen credit market is forcing lenders and restaurateurs to make tough decisions. Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises is among a handful of restaurant companies profiled in the Wall Street Journal today on the state of the industry. LEYE has eliminated some positions, slowed hiring mangers for some of their 75 properties and is rotating other managers to multiple restaurants to cover those openings. Bartenders and waitstaff are also taking home less in tips as customers begin to budget their nights out. more ›

Goose Island's been working a lot with rye malt recently. Their Juliet ale, brewed with rye, marionberries and aged for six months in Robert Kraig cabernet casks, has been a popular selection among those Chicagoist staffers who've tasted it (Jacy and myself). This week, we're featuring another rye-based Goose Island offering that's been flying off shelves. more ›

MenuPages Chicago has compiled a handy guide to surviving a tasting menu, and just in time for those of us with reservations to L2O and Alinea over the holidays. We wholeheartedly endorse Step #5; leave that step to the professionals. [MP Chicago] more ›

While we're still working on our gingerbread doublewide trailer with a gravel driveway made of sprinkles, Fruit Roll-ups and pretzel sticks carport, Hot Wheels cars on sugar cube blocks and a snack cracker outhouse, we wanted to share with you this item from yesterday's New York Times Sunday Magazine. more ›

One man's potato pancake is another man's latke. Since it is Hanukkah season, love us some latkes (for a goyim), and know we aren't alone, this Sunday latke cookoff and brunch at the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies is right up our alley. Spertus is currently accepting latke recipes (e-mail yours here, if you're interested) with an explanation why yours is the best. Spertus is selecting their favorites for a head-to-head cookoff with Laura Frankel, Executive Chef of the Institute's Wolfgang Puck café, and judged by Ina Pinkney and comedian Aaron Freeman. more ›

We're gonna focus December's "BotW" selections on new(ish) winter selections, including the new Goose Island "Mild Winter" ale and Lost Abbey's "Gift of the Magi" in the next two weeks. today, however, we're tuning our attention to back to Magic Hat Brewing Company. more ›

The holidays tapping out your entertainment budget? Check out some of our favorite spots for where you can pick up a meal for two for $20 bucks. more ›

Ahhh, remember the day of speakeasy passwords? If you do, well, we're glad our readers span the decades. Lots of alcohol to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the repeal of prohibition. WOOT! Check out some upcoming events below: more ›

Cocktail books are everywhere. Every time we walk into a big discount bookstore, the bargain bin is full of books with titles like “The Drunken Idiot Barman’s Encyclopedia of Cheap Spirits” (or something like that) with 1000 not-very-precise recipes and uninspiring photography. The cocktail books that we bring home with us show off the character and ideas of a single mixologist, with a few innovative new recipes combined with the best of the old favorites. Bridget Albert has created just such a book in “Market-Fresh Mixology: Cocktails for Every Season”and we’ve been working our way through the drinks in the book just as fast as we could. more ›

Back in the day we closed down Green Mill (4802 N. Broadway, 773-878-5552) more times than we care to remember. Few things are as perfectly matched as 3 a.m. creeping on sunrise, a perfect martini in front of you, someone from out of town looking for an "authentic Chicago experience" and the Sabertooth Hammond organ combo providing a fitting soundtrack to a night that ends with salty diner coffee, runny eggs and the Sunday Sun-Times. It almost makes one long for the smoking ban to be lifted for only a few hours. Almost. more ›

In order to honor the spirit of (then-ending) National Vegan Month, we decided to go all-out: Raw Food. Raw foodists believe that important, life-sustaining enzymes present in our food are destroyed by cooking, and so food must be processed in alternative ways. The Raw Food movement has gotten a lot of play in the food press over the last five years, raving about freshness and health benefits . So, with an open mind and an inquiring palate, we headed to Karyn’s Raw. more ›

We've been thinking about what sort of cocktail would make a good after-dinner tipple for the cold months. Something a little sweet, a little spicy, with just enough of a punch to let you know it's high-octane. The kind of cocktail you'd like to cozy up to if you were snowbound. So we've been tinkering, testing and tasting and now we're ready to unveil our new creation. We've named our cocktail after beloved Chicago-born character actress Beulah Bondi, who played Jimmy Stewart's mom in It's A Wonderful Life. It'll give you that same homey feeling. Careful though: just like Ma Bailey, it's got hidden strength. more ›

Organic-focused Italian eatery Piatto (5305 W. Devon, 773-467-2000) was cited by the City Department of Public Health today for a few health code violations. The biggest charge is a fruit fly infestation in the kitchen and dining areas. Remember, restaurateurs: fruit flies come inside when it gets cold. more ›

How about a $50 gift certificate to Opera (read about Chef Beverly Kim and see pictures of the food here)...that costs $10? Or a $50 gift certificate to Edwardo's Pizza for $15? Kohan's $50 gift certificate costs $15 (pictures of food here). Buy them here. We've purchased from them many, many times. Sign up to hear about more offers and get notified when more places offer up cheap gift certificates. Shipping for each gift certificate is $3.75. So you could get a $100 in gift certificates to Opera for a grand total of $27.50. Not bad, huh? Check it out! more ›

The Green Door Tavern in River North (676 N. Orleans, 312-664-5496) manages to walk the balance between classic tavern and tourist trap with aplomb. Housed in a 130-year-old wood frame building built shortly after the Great Chicago Fire (the last building of its kind built that close to the Loop) if you look at it hard enough you'll see that it has a noticeable lean.. more ›

Closing out a banner 2K8 in which his beers triumphantly returned to the area, Bell's Beer founder Larry Bell has been tapped to brew next year's collaboration ale with Dirk Naudts of De Proef Brouwerij in Lochristi, Belgium. Naudts is highly regarded for bringing state-of-the art 21st Century brewing techniques to time honored Belgian brewing recipes. more ›

Counting down to the diamond anniversary of Repeal Day, we take a look at two Bridgeport taverns with speakeasy roots. During the early part of the 20th Century, Chicago was a brewing mecca. Schlitz set up public houses throughout the city with their distinctive logo (Schuba's Tavern is housed in an old Schlitz house). Classic beer brands such as Olympia, Monarch, Meister Brau, Old Chicago and Bull Frog were brewed here. Our neck of the woods in Bridgeport was home to both the Manhattan and Ace breweries. more ›

This week you're going to see articles online and in print noting the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the Volstead Act, which will be celebrated throughout the city on Friday. Prohibition didn't stop people from drinking, particularly in "the city that works." Places like the Green Mill actually thrived during Prohibition (we'll be writing about Green Mill and its Prohibition-era history later this week). more ›