Food

If we had a nickel for every time someone asked us for recommendations for restaurants, cocktails or bars, we'd have a lot of nickels. Since we have a very opinionated food and drink staff here at Chicagoist, we thought that maybe we'd share some of our favorite dishes and libations for you, if you find yourself at any of these places over the weekend. more ›

If you're anything like us, late February has you crawling the walls and begging whatever deity you ascribe to for a break to the grey skies and constant snow. The pervasive effects of SAD generally have us craving some sort of tropical respite, and if there's no way to spend the next three weeks in the Florida Keys then boozy rum drinks are the best way to combat the winter blahs. more ›

Head over to Groupon today to get an $80 gift certificate to NAHA for $40. Chef Carrie Nahabedian won a 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef Great Lakes so this is a great chance to taste her food at a reduced cost. Peek at the menus here. more ›

Eleven years ago, Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy J. Gaiter and John Brecher decided to say "screw it" to waiting for a special occasion to open that bottle of wine and just don it. They birthed the now annual and global celebration "Open That Bottle Night." Tomorrow, wine enthusiasts near and far will celebrate this night with something they hope may have been cellared to perfection or one that sits like a devil on your shoulder begging you to open it now. more ›

We are big fans of the creative cuisine by Chef Homaro Cantu and Chef Ben Roche of MOTO so we were excited to hear that Planet Green gave these two a series called FUTURE FOOD. Our sneak peek into upcoming episode descriptions includes the team creating a seafood menu that does not contain seafood, vegetables that resemble eyeballs, and making a meal of peanut shells and apple cores. more ›

Sky Full of Bacon Short: Making Illegal Cheese from Michael Gebert on Vimeo. more ›

Public awareness of the dismal quality of our nation’s school lunches has grown immensely in the last decade. Yet despite modest improvements, and the admirable efforts of many, the National School Lunch Program is still in dire need of reform. Currently school districts are reimbursed $2.68 for each meal served to a child who qualifies for free lunch. After addressing overhead costs, schools are left with $1 per meal to feed a child. Due to lack of resources, the likes of processed chicken-part patties are a frequent menu item and fried potatoes in the form of tater tots continue to hold “vegetable” status. Sad but true. more ›

There were three breweries on our wish list of those that deserve distribution in Illinois. We say "were" because, starting April 1, Stone Brewing makes its official (legal) debut in the Chicago market. This is not an early April Fool's joke. See for yourself. more ›

You're such a tease, GEB. more ›

He's got a new cookbook to promote, was recently named the 2010 inductee into the Chicago Culinary Museum Chefs Hall of Fame and he's dropped 90 pounds thanks to cutting out sugars and exercising. Both daily newspapers have in-depth profiles on Art Smith today. Chris Borelli's writeup of Smith is a short Q&A where Smith touches base on his cookbook collection, turning 50 and being, in the words of the Smithsonian, "the most well-known openly gay chef in America." more ›

We stopped by Drinks Over Dearborn Sunday to walk the talk and sign up for the "500 Benjamins or Bust" campaign. Owner Kyle McHugh was out of town on business but we were informed that DoD was a little over halfway toward their goal in the four days since the campaign received press. While there, we had to browse the shelves and found that sweet brew pictured. more ›

Who to know more ›

In a few short months, John Manion has transformed the menu at Branch 27 to better match their beer list, making the West Town restaurant one of the better relaunches of the winter, even as the chefs begin to question the ongoing embrace of all things pork. Tonight at 7:30 p.m. Manion has crafted a four-course menu featuring pork from Slagel Family Farm and beer pairings from Chimay to kick off Branch 27's monthly beer dinner series. more ›

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Last week a couple of us Chicagoist staffers were on hand to represent at Hideout's Soup and Bread. It was a delight to participate and help raise a healthy chunk of change for the Lakeview Pantry. more ›

Mindy Segal celebrated five years of Hot Chocolate last night with a $150 per person dinner to benefit Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation event this August. This year Segal wanted to feature the chefs who helped influence her on her way to becoming one of the best pastry chefs in the country. The lineup she put together resembled a chef's Dream Team. Rick Bayless and Brian Enyart, Paul Kahan, Michael Kornick and Erick Williams, Paul Virant, Bill Kim, Nick Lessins of Great Lake and Benjamin Caulfield of Three Floyds Brewpub joined Segal and her new executive chef Aric Miech in producing a tightly orchestrated seven-course meal paired with beers from some of Segal's favorite breweries. more ›

The past year has been something of a nirvana for local craft beer fans, as their local options increase with the openings of Metropolitan Brewing, Half Acre Beer Company and Revolution Brewing. If all things go well, a fourth microbrewery/brewpub will be joining those ranks by late summer. more ›

Nella Pizzeria Napoletana (2423 N. Clark St., 773-327-3400) is just the latest pizzeria to pop up on our radar. Today only, they're offering $5.99 pizzas in conjunction with Fox News Chicago's "Good Day Chicago" as its "Deal of the Day." more ›

Stop by Sheffield's this evening to bid farewell to Phil Kuhl. The self-described "Beer Dude" was one of the driving forces in expanding Sheffield's already extensive beer menu with rare selections, regular classes and beer/food pairings. kuhl is moving on to become the beer director at the Fountainhead, an upscale beer bar with hand-pumped beers set to open in spring at 1968-70 W. Montrose. more ›

Late February isn't the best time to have a food holiday for a cocktail associated with summers and beaches, but today is National Margarita Day anyway. We don't set the holidays; we just tell you about them. more ›

BIN 36 just followed up a year-long 10-year celebration by unveiling a $100,000 renovation of their interior, a new American bistro menu and an expanded cheese menu, including "a fresh array of eight composed flights to encourage exploration." The revamped menu by chef John Caputo incorporates artisan cheeses throughout, including Gougeres with Truffle Honey and a Grilled Cheese Trio and Brown Sugar-Cured, Slow-Roasted Pork Loin Chop with gorgonzola polenta. All menu items may be paired with wine recommendations from BIN 36's Brian Duncan. more ›

The skyline of our fair city is much more beautiful looking and complete from the South Side than the North, where it always seems like it opens up in stages. Likewise, some of my favorite restaurants are located south of Madison Street. With Restaurant Week beginning today and running through the end of the month, I thought that now might be an ideal time for readers to venture "out South" and see how things are done. more ›

Everyone should have a strategy when entering a massive, culinary event like Restaurant Week. For me, try restaurants that I have yet to checked off my 'dining out' list then eye-ing the menu for delicious and unique dishes and finally going back to places that I love but can't regularly fit into the weekly dining budget. more ›

If Pomegranate Ginger is not your thing, Solixir comes in two other flavors with unique functional benefits. The Blackberry Chamomile (Relax) drink contains herbs like hibiscus, lemon balm and passion flower to help you chill out and unwind. The Orange Mate (Awake) drink contains natural caffeine from Yerba Mate, as well as ginseng, turmeric, and angelica to provide natural energy before a workout or as an alternative to your morning coffee. If you think these drinks sounds like medicinal hard-to-swallow tonics, we assure you Solixir is light and refreshing. more ›

In previous years, I’ve viewed Restaurant Week as a great opportunity to try out new places. Get some great dining deals, peek inside some temples of food that you might not feel comfortable in without some sort of bargain special. Not this year. Between the recession and flu season, I’m going to use restaurant week to visit old favorites. I’m looking for some comfort food (for me, at least) at a low, low price. Just like last year, I warn you: Read the menus before you go. You may find that your favorite dish is excluded from a Restaurant Week menu. In addition to old favorites, we usually favor restaurants with lots and lots of choice. more ›

"Dammit, TSA confiscated our corkscrew!" "The wine key is missing from the picnic basket." "Agh, I need a drink right now!" more ›

The recent purchase of Sam's Wine and Spirits by Binny's meant that we had to replace our Sam's rewards card with a Binny's rewards card. Ug, monopolies. more ›

We ran our very first Properly Sauced nearly two years ago. So, after a bit of research, we were shocked! shocked! to discover that we had never written about what is arguably our very favorite cocktail: the Mai Tai. more ›

• James Beard Award semifinalists were announced this morning. [James Beard Foundation (PDF)]
• World famous cheese sculptor Sarah Kaufman will be making a scale model of the Niles skyline from two 150-pound cheddar wheels this weekend at Meijer, 9000 Golf Rd. [Drive-Thru]
• Words of wisdom from Art Smith, In Re: Scraps - "Ain't nothing wrong with a casserole, honey!" [Chicago Brunch Blog]

If you’ve already been working on your taxes, you’ve probably noticed the “tax check-off” charity options on your Illinois state returns. If you are doing your taxes on paper, these are found in Schedule G - if online, they come somewhere near the end of the state section. One of the donation options on the list is particularly close to our hearts - the “Feeding Illinois” option. more ›

We feel the best way to get to know where your food comes is to begin working with it and going straight to the source. So, we've been excited to start up our series of cooking class reviews to fine-tune our skills, share with you and get a little more knowledge on what goes into what we eat. With this week's review, The Greenheart Shop exceeded our expectations on the educational front. more ›

Ever since Kyle McHugh opened Drinks Over Dearborn in late 2008, he's weathered a series of misfortunes that would have Job shaking his head in empathy. McHugh has dealt with health issues, shrinking consumer budgets in a recessionary economy and the major problem of being a boutique liquor store in an office building in River North that requires a buzzer to enter. That last issue is the one we find most endearing about DoD, and the main reason we compare going there to visiting a speakeasy. more ›

Time Out Chicago announced the finalists for its annual "Eat Out" Awards last week and (if you're a casual gourmand or non-foodie) you might find the ballot as "WTF?" confusing as the list of judicial retentions on your primary ballot. Assuming, that is, you were part of the 27.2 percent who actually voted in the recent primary. more ›

Few pairings are as perfect as mussels and beer, as frequent diners at Hopleaf can attest. Bistro 110 (110 E. Pearson St., 312-266-3110) has declared February to be "local beer month." From 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday they'll host a pairing of mussels with select beers from Goose Island. Brewmaster greg Hall will also be on hand for the festivities preaching the gospel of local craft brews. Cost is $25. more ›

(Ed. Note: Now in its third year, Chicago Restaurant Week starts Friday and runs through February 28. Over 160 restaurants throughout the greater Chicago area will offer 3-course fixed price dinners for $32 and 3-course, fixed price lunches for $22. Last year we offered suggestions for restaurants to visit during Restaurant Week. We're doing the same this week, starting with selections from Megan Tempest. — C. Sudo) more ›

Graham Elliot Bowles took time away from playing dressup, cooking for rock bands and gearing up for Top Chef Masters 2 to talk to Black Book about his path from cooking school to foie gras lollipops. "I just wanted to cook," Bowles said. more ›

Before visiting the House of Sushi and Noodles, we were convinced that we could never get our fill of sushi. Every time we went out, we wanted more of that fresh protein rush and, mostly due to our empty wallet, we never got enough. Indeed, even when we left a restaurant comfortably sated, we were ready to go back and have another round. We take it back: you can get enough sushi, and it’s a surprisingly pleasant experience to have all that you want. more ›

I had such a great time participating in Hideout's Soup and Bread series last year that when Martha Bayne was putting together this year's schedule I immediately signed on for a return engagement. This time around, however, I'm bringing reinforcements. more ›

There are a lot of sweets consumed around Valentine's Day, including pastries. The shared kitchen space Logan Square Kitchen (2333 N. Milwaukee Ave.) is hosting a pastry market from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. tomorrow. Pastries, confections, preserves and other treats from Floriole, Nice Cream Co., Katherine Anne Confections, FIG Catering, B-True Bakery and other participants will be available for purchase. If you're the kind of person who waits until the last moment to get your beloved some doghouse roses, consider this alternative instead. more ›

The American Academy of Pediatrics has declared one in every three children in the U.S. is overweight or obese. The Center for Disease Control estimates that childhood obesity has tripled in the past 30 years. Among children aged 6-11 years, the obesity rate increased from 6.5% in 1980 to 19.6% in 2008. The impact of this obesity “epidemic” is far reaching. Obese kids are at increased risk for multiple health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer, as well as poor self esteem and psychological problems. On Tuesday, First Lady Michelle Obama officially launched "Lets Move", a multi-faceted campaign intended to provide healthier food in schools, encourage children to be physically active, and make healthy, affordable food available to all children. Northfield-based Kraft Foods and the Sara Lee Corporation in Downers Grove are among the 40 companies that officially pledged to support “Lets Move” by promoting healthy eating. more ›

• Michael Nagrant looks at all the new artisan bakeries opening in the area and says, "It Is Good." [Sun-Times]
• Jennifer Gavin, who should be acclimated to being yelled at by her bosses after participating in "Hell's Kitchen," is out after less than a month at the helm of Hyde Park Creole space The Big Easy, (formerly Orly's). Taking over for Gavin is Ronisha Preckwinckle, daughter-in-law of Alderman Toni Preckwinckle, the Democratic nominee for Cook County Board President. [Dolinsky/Vocalo]
• Grub Street Chicago's Helen Rosner is moving over to its big sister Grub Street New York. That means there's an opening at GS Chi. [Grub Street Chicago]

The Thursday before Fat Tuesday is Paczki Day. Bakeries throughout the area will be selling the proverbial shit ton of these stuffed Polish doughnuts. Heather Shouse has a nice list of bakeries that specialize in paczkis (pronounced "PONCH-kee") in Time Out Chicago. The Hound chimed in on Vocalo, asking, "How could you forget Oak Mill Bakery?" more ›

Maybe you're making our simple roasted chicken and need some sides. Want to see what we made? We did a simple rainbow chard and some roasted parsnips. more ›

Here's something different for Valentine's Day. Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy (600 W. Chicago Ave., Suite 860, 866-443-0437) in the old Montgomery Ward building is hosting a "Chocolate Date Night for Couples" tomorrow from 6;30-9:30 p.m. Learn to make chocolates and truffles from French pastry chef and Chocolate Academy head technical adviser Jérôme Landrieu, who will share some of his award-winning secrets. A special chocolate and wine tasting is included in the $200 per couple fee. more ›

Anthony wrote eloquently a couple weeks back about how he doesn't like to dine out for Valentine's Day. We agree with his sentiments, but we also recognize why most folks do scramble for reservations every February. more ›

Friday night we ran through most of the menu at The Southern sitting at the bar with six or seven others. Looking for something to drink, one of the others pointed to his beer and said, "Get this." We like a beer can depicting a cowgirl on a red, white and blue rocket as much as the next man. It's very subtle artwork. But what's inside better damn well match the outside. more ›

(Ed. Note: This post contains photographs that some readers may consider graphic. However, given the interest in snout-to-tail dining, as well as the educational subject of this post's content, it is our opinion that the photographs are essential component to the story. - C. Sudo) more ›

Do you find yourself peeking into the kitchen at your favorite restaurant? Do you have an unhealthy obsession with Food TV? Well, Padova, Italy-born Chef Luca Corazzina of 312 Chicago will not only let you in his kitchen, he'll let you sip a glass of vino as you fire off culinary questions about the authentic Italian dishes he cooks up. more ›

We're putting the finishing touches to a BIG HONKIN' Valentine's weekend dinner roundup, but wanted to share this for our more frugal readers. You know who you are. more ›

Since Goose Island renewed the lease on their Clybourn brewpub at the last minute in 2008, they've been actively moving forward to improve both the quality of both its beers and its food. John Manion's short stint at the brewpub laid the foundation to the new menu advancements of current chef Andrew Horza. Hroza is a certified cicerone and well-qualified to know the intricacies between pairing beer with food. more ›

We served this unconventional Super Bowl appetizer to some skeptical beer-loving, sausage pizza-eating football fans. Under the alias “Fruit and Walnut Dip” the luscious combination of figs, toasted walnuts, olives and capers, was a smash hit. more ›

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The International Children's Heart Foundation seeks to care for and cure congenital heart conditions in children from developing nations. Friday night at Old Oak Tap (2109 W. Chicago Ave., 773-772-0406) a fundraiser for ICHF will be held, featuring tastings from NAHA's Carrie Nahabedian, Custom House Tavern's Aaron Deal, and Branch 27's John Manion. Manion fans will remember that, during his time walking the earth like a cheffing ninja between leaving Mas and landing at Branch 27, he helped revamp Old Oak Tap's menu to the point where it got Tankboy's attention. So he'll be on familiar ground. more ›

Okay, so, we've covered how to roast a chicken. But what if you're dumb? Here are the cliff notes: Buy chicken. Salt chicken. Put in 450 degree oven for an hour. Done. more ›

Finalists for the 2010 James Beard Foundation awards won't be announced until late next month, but it can be told with certainty that Chicago will be home to one Beard Award winner this year. Calumet Fisheries, home to the best smoked fish on the South Side, is one of five recipients of the Beard Foundation's American Classics award. The award is given to smaller, casual restaurants that leave an impression on their respective areas and the Beard Award committee. more ›

Thanks for your continued support and readership. Have a safe and wonderful weekend, everyone. more ›

Tuesday is National Pizza Pie Day. That's separate from National Pizza Week which happened last month, or the Great American Pizza Bake next week, or National Cheese Pizza Day (September 5), or National Pizza Festival Month in October, or National Sausage Pizza Day (October 11), or National Pizza with Everything Except Anchovies Day (November 12). We point this out to emphasize the inanity of national "food holidays" and to ask for the idiots who created each of these individual days to incorporate these all under one National Pizza Pie Day. But we digress. more ›

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Two big restaurant openings are set to happen in the next four days. Well, one of the openings is more of a re-launch, but we're still stoked. Let's talk about that one first. more ›

One of the things we like best about Marcus Samuelsson's New American Table is the variety of types of food - not necessarily flavors, though that's also present, but the different portion sizes and occasions provided for by Samuelsson's recipes. Like most cookbooks, there are sections for each meal, but New American Table also has snacks, small plates, breads, "everyday," "weekend," and "holiday." more ›

• Feeding America released their 2010 report on hunger in America. 37 million Americans — including 14 million children — receive some form of emergency food relief. As Phil Ponce notes in the above video, 670,000 Cook County residents are in that number.
• A Wall Street Journal article about how chefs like Grant Achatz and Wylie Dufrense are applying their progressive skills to recreate cocktails somehow metamorphosed into, "OMFG!! OMFG!! Achatz is opening a cocktail lounge called 'Boom!' OMFG!!!" This despite debunking from Helen rosner at Grub Street Chicago and a denial from Achatz himself. [GS Chi, Achatz Twitter]
• "Feta + Greek spices + garlic = Win." It's also the dipping sauce of the week at Wiener and Still Champion in Evanston. [WaSC]

Dear Megan, more ›

The Metra French Market announced the addition of four more vendors. Green City Market shoppers are already familiar with Zullo's. Their new shop will sell traditional pizzas, assorted pastas, panini, pastries, sandwiches, soups and other Italian specialties that change daily. Another farmers market staple, Olives4You, will specialize in marinated and stuffed olives, tapenades, assorted pita breads, vinegars, olive oils and eventually homemade hummus and fresh, ready-to-eat specialties. more ›

As if you needed another excuse for a beer, Revolution Brewing (2323 N. Milwaukee, 773-227-2739) opens officially in about twenty minutes. The brewpub from Handlebar owner Josh Deth will feature brews from Deth and brewmaster Jim Cibak. The food menu won't be as vegan-friendly as Handlebar's menu; no menu that starts off with bacon fat popcorn can. more ›

It's prime barleywine season again and it's been a while since we looked at the style. Also we've only looked at one other beer from Avery Brewing. So this week is botha n attempt at playing catchup while revisiting a favorite style. more ›

Walking into the Crescent Room at Tizi Melloul is like walking into a Mediterranean fantasy. We honestly have no idea as to its authenticity for any particular culture, and it doesn't really matter - it's exactly what you want it to look like. In a restaurant filled with modern design touches this more traditional space, with low couches, vibrant colors, pottery and a giant cluster of lanterns hanging above, perfectly sets the scene for the meal to follow. The main dining room is lovely, and has a wider variety of food selections, but we were quite happy with our choice. more ›

Valentine's Day is coming and, like Anthony, we don't really look forward to making dinner reservations. We're good enough home cooks that we can seal a deal wielding fierce kitchen majicks. more ›

In lieu of our regular Wine Wednesday post, we found it much more fitting to focus on the colossal eating and drinking occasion that is the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for Chicago, we can't say 'we almost made it' or even whisper a word of smack talking to our buddies, but we will find a way to chest-bump and guzzle booze with the best of them. Here are some of the drinks and eats the Chicagoist Staff plan to indulge in...and some are just indulging in drinking (guess, Monday will be a slow one at Chicagoist). more ›

The Sunday fire that raged through Costa's restaurant in Greektown did more damage than any of the photos taken can document. City demolition crews tore down the remaining structure as the fire, which started in a deep fat fryer in the kitchen, quickly grew out of control and made the building unstable. more ›

Fast food is inherently less nutritious than slow food. However, most of us succumb to eating fast food at one time or another. During those times, Chipotle may provide a better option. Take a minute to peruse the nutritional breakdown of the menu, and then choose wisely. Chipotle’s got plenty of vegetarian options and hormone-free meats and dairy. You can opt to load up on beans and veggies, while omitting high-calorie toppings, like sour cream and guacamole. Our biggest gripe about Chipotle (aside from the obscenely large burrito, which is appropriate for two) is the high sodium content. For example, the flour tortilla used to wrap Chipotle’s standard burrito contains 290 calories and a whopping 670mg of sodium. So before you put anything in the burrito, the tortilla alone exceeds the 500 milligram sodium limit we recommend per meal. more ›

We spent a cold Saturday evening in Chinatown, eating hot food and braving the cold weather. We took the camera along and hope you enjoy some pictures of Chinatown at night. more ›

Beer could be flowing in the space formerly occupied by Jimbo's Lounge sometime in the near future. The Southtown Star reports that an incidental liquor license application for the space has been sent to Billy Guide, owner of Cork & Kerry in Beverly. Before Guide can move forward with removing all vestiges of the "beloved" (Southtown Star's word, not ours) Jimbo's from the face of Bridgeport, he'll need to file a site plan, submit documentation about ownership, and fulfill other requirements before he can file the liquor license application, as well as notify register voters living within 250 feet of the establishment and give them a chance to voice objections. more ›

There's been one glaring omission on DMK Burger Bar's menu since its autumn opening: the #5 burger. The burger will finally take its place on the menu with a launch party tomorrow night at 9 p.m. more ›