This model of Soldier Field was built out of more than 30 pounds of meat. more ›

When I arrived at the Green City Market BBQ at 4:30 yesterday afternoon, the thermometer had already topped 100 degrees. My shirt soaked through in the first 10 minutes - and my plight was nothing compared to that of the chefs, standing over hot grills. But, that's not what guests to the BBQ will remember. They'll remember the entire Chicago food world, including every restaurant you've ever heard of, standing out there cooking and sweating together, to support an organization we all love. more ›

It promises to be the tastiest way you could spend your 4th of July. more ›

What was it, exactly, that lured us to opening night at Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar? Was it the tweets of skewered meats and seafood searing away on the restaurant's robata grill? Or maybe it was the promise of an ambitious Japanese sake program - a documented weakness of ours - which Mike and Chao, the world travelers come restaurateurs who operate Union, hinted at during the run-up to Union's debut. On top of all that, we had also caught wind that Bittercube, the talented cocktail consultancy and small-batch bitters makers, helped out with crafting Union's cocktail menu. All we know for sure is we couldn't wait to check the place out. And we were not alone. more ›

"Barbeque for us means smoke," says Smoke Daddy owner Derek Rettell. "A lot of barbeque places don't smoke, but our smoker is going 24/7." With the trendy BBQ craze in Chicago going full blast, we decided to learn how it was done from a classic spot. Smoke Daddy has been open in Wicker Park for 16 years, and Rettell and his crew know a few things about making great barbeque. We spent a morning surrounded by wood and meat, and came out happy, full and smelling like a campsite. more ›

In our review of Goose Island Sofie from last year, we said that we weren't wowed by it. Maybe we should have had it paired with some food, like graham elliot's Jindori chicken, a highlight from their second anniversary dinner Sunday night. Or barbeque. more ›

Underneath his public image as a barbeque taskmaster, Gary Wiviott's a tender soul who's earned the nickname "Gentle Bear." And Wiviott will remain a gentle bear so long as you stick to his five-lesson plan for perfect barbeque. more ›

• Leading off today is this hiring video put together for Lettuce Entertain You property Hub 51 Restaurant and Lounge, an exaggerated parody of Tom Vu infomercials. (via)
• Fresh off his appearance on last night's episode of Top Chef Chicago, Rick Tramonto has a blog over at Restaurant & Institutions magazine website. There are only two posts right now, but Tramonto's an in-demand chef and businessman, so only expect him to update when he has the time and/or something to write about. (Again, via).
• The Tribune ran a wonderful piece yesterday on how some of Our Town's best chefs would reinvent that all-American staple, the hot dog. Check out Shawn McClain's tofu version with kimchi and sport peppers, Rick Bayless' Chi-Mex hot dog, or Charlie Trotter's Asian tuna dog.