Some of the best mobile eateries and stationary chefs in the city will convene in Noble Square on Aug. 27. more ›

Eater Chicago reached out to Bill Kim after hearing reports that someone was crank calling restaurants as the Urban Belly/Belly Shack owner, then getting straight-up "ooophh, nasty- you kiss your mother with that mouth" with the folks at the other end of the phone. more ›

Christmas came early this year for some Chicago restaurants. The lucky owners and employees arrived at work this morning to find chalk outlines of the Michelin man on their sidewalks, the symbol that they had won the prestigious Bib Gourmand award. This award focuses on quality and value, and rewards only restaurants that offer an appetizer, an entree and a glass of wine for under $40. Phil Vettel reports that Frontera, Girl and the Goat and Green Zebra, among many other Chicago favorites, got the honor. more ›

The Belly Dog has undergone some changes since it was first introduced. more ›

We thought we’d seen every possible “best of” list out there: best hamburgers, best romantic restaurant, best light fixtures. You name it, someone has made a list of it - nothing could surprise us anymore. Humbly, we stand corrected. A couple of weeks back UrbanDaddy posted a list of the five best restaurants for breakups, or, as they put it “Five Spots to Let them Down Gently.” And by them, they mean the weeping, devoted people whose hearts you are about to crush and smother with soy sauce. more ›

Although it happened in February, Hot Chocolate's fourth anniversary dinner still stood as my favorite overall dining experience last year. It was a seven-course marathon that increased in intensity and flavor with every dish, paired with some heavy duty beers and a music soundtrack that ranged from early Black Sabbath to pre-"Black Album" Metallica to the Twilight Singers. The proceeds from the dinner went to Share Our Strength, the DC-based non-profit dedicated to eliminating hunger in America by 2015. Quite simply, I was exhausted at the end of the meal. more ›

We may have made it into the thirties this week but its still pretty fricking cold. Good thing its National Soup week. Here are a few suggestions for keeping you doubly toasty: more ›

If you watch television you're sure to run across the archetype of the "cool dad:" the father who stumbles into middle age futilely trying to relate or stay relevant to his kids by adopting their slang and diving head first into their hobbies only to come across as the bumbling buffoon they fear becoming most. Usually you find the "cool dad" in drug awareness commercials, but actor Ty Burrell plays the role perfectly in the role of Phil Dunphy on the ABC comedy "Modern Family." Then there's the other "cool dad," who really was cool back in the day. He smoked, drank, trolled for some strange on the weekends, probably met his wife at some boozy last call at Green Mill one Sunday morning, settled down, had kids and now allows himself a chuckle or three whenever his teenage kids act out, thinking "Yeah, I remember my first beer." more ›

Urban Belly's Bill Kim announced Friday (via twitter, where else?) that Belly Shack, his sandwich shop in the old Vella Café space underneath the Western/Armitage Blue Line station, will open tomorrow at noon. You've been warned. more ›

From Chicago Mag's Dish: Urban Belly owner/chef Bill Kim has signed a lease to open Belly Shack, an Asian and Latin-inspired BYOB counter service restaurant at 1912 N. Western. Think Kim's Urban Belly, but focusing on sandwiches and salads without the "Really? That much for dumplings?" price tag. Kim told Dish that he plans on having menu items at Belly Shack top out at $10. more ›