As if dating in this city isn't treacherous enough, finding a restaurant with the right "romantic night out" feel complicates matters even more. Luckily for you, Chicagoist is always on the lookout for intimate spots that will sweep you and your hot date off your feet. Cyrano's Bistrot is one of those rare spots that provides a foolproof date night. It was warm, it was cozy, they had live music, and the food was fantastic. Paris might be the city for lovers, but Cyrano's makes us believe that Chicago has at least a fighting chance. more ›

Whenever the proprietors of a beloved restaurant open up a new venture, comparisons are inevitable. Will the new place be as good? As popular? Will the new chef measure up? Or will the new restaurant pull business away from the old? Henri, the new venture from the folks behind the Gage, manages all of these concerns as deftly as any restaurant I've ever seen. Henri and the Gage are roommates, sharing a building, a kitchen and an executive chef in the talented Dirk Flanigan, yet have personalities so completely different that they could never be confused. All that is wonderful about the Gage - the accessible menu, the commitment to locally sourced foods and the focus on hearty fare - has been transferred to Henri, but a delicacy has been added that will appeal to an entirely new group of patrons. more ›

A little snort of scotch is enough to shake off the chill of this weather. Martin Duffy, the "Master of Whisky" who can find a whiskey for any form of food, will be on hand at Mrs. Murphy's and Sons Irish Bistro this evening. Duffy is hosting a four-course dinner, each course paired with a different whiskey. We've included the menu here for your perusal (as always, in Adobe PDF format). The dinner starts at... more ›

The November issue of Chicago Magazine is on newstands, and the cover story is, simply put, open for discussion if you're a gourmand. more ›

Great. Another bar/restaurant with a funky name, overpriced menu, and hipster vibe in the Bucktown/Wicker Park corridor. That’s probably your first impression when you heard of the recently opened Bluebird Bistro and Winebar on Damen in Bucktown. In actuality, though, this casual, rustic spot from owner Tom MacDonald of the popular Webster’s Wine Bar in Lincoln Park will knock those stereotypes right out of the floor-to ceiling-glass window next to the front door. That’s... 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 ›

It's a less cumbersome title than "Your Friday Food Buffet," don't you think? Good, because that's what we're calling "YFFB" from now on. On to business: - "What is Understood Need Not Be Discussed": That about describes our opinion of Ribfest Chicago 2007 this weekend. We'll leave it at that. - Practical Applications: Printers Row Book Fair is also happening this weekend. Presenting sponsor the Tribune has a full slate of demonstrations and discussions related... more ›

A good drink can improve the quality level of a meal. It can make a mediocre dinner tolerable, or raise the bar on a perfectly cooked entree. The best chefs, along with their sommeliers, wine stewards, and spirits experts, plan a meal and its pairings with meticulous detail. Although beer and food have complemented each other for centuries, restaurants in the States are placing an increased emphasis on offering beer pairings for those who don't... more ›

Let's start the buffet off with this video this video singing the praises of the Harold's 6-piece wing dinner. The language is NSFW, but if you're watching this in the office, you're probably the only one left, so crank it. Memorial Day is the (un)official start of grilling season. We've had the grill on an eternal flame for two months now, but loaded up on fresh vegetables from the farmer's market, tri-tip steaks from... more ›

With the exception of Arun's, going out for Thai food in Chicago is pretty predictable. Most places are mom-and-pop, family-owned joints that serve a standard (and usually delicious) selection of Pad Thai and other noodles, curries of various types, and deep-fried appetizers. Delicious? Yes. Innovative? Not so much. Despite these perceived shortcomings, Chicagoist loves eating Thai food nonetheless. Which is why we were intrigued to read about the opening of Sura Thai Bistro on the Chicago MenuPages blog. more ›

Your theme this week, in honor of Earth Day/Week/Month: "Being Green." This is the song that Kermit the Frog made famous, but Ray Charles did a knockout version of it, and our favorite take on the song has to be Van Morrison's version from 1973's Hard Nose the Highway. It's so good, we insist on this song being played while our casket's being lowered to the ground. Let's dive in, shall we? Moo Moo, I... more ›

Let’s get one thing straight: Don’t expect this review of Cotes du Rhone to include any verbose visual descriptions of the food. Not that we can’t wax poetically with the best of them, mind you, it’s just that this bistro is really really dark. So much for eating with our eyes. But don’t let that stop you from checking out this recently opened Edgewater restaurant. While there are still some kinks to work out — the ventilation system needs work — this French boite shows promise, especially if they continue to be BYOB (hey, nothing wrong with saving some green now and then; save even more when you come on your birthday and receive an entrée for $5 with a valid photo ID). We were told they were giving it some serious thought. We’ll keep our fingers crossed. more ›

Two years ago, we had the pleasure of meeting Bob Lempinen, an executive Vice President at Distinguished Brands International. Distinguished Brands imports O'Hara's Irish Stout in the U.S. Lempinen insisted that O'Hara's was better than Guinness. We thought it was nothing more than him pushing his portfolio hard - he said that about all the beers he carried - and went along our way. Months passed, at a friend's birthday party we had the opportunity... more ›

When you have a six-month-old, your restaurant expectations change dramatically. You’d give a place four stars if it has clean high chairs, a place to stow your car seat, attentive service, and food good enough to spend the 30 minutes it takes to get your kid ready and load him into the car. Mrs. Murphy and Son’s Irish Bistro on Lincoln just about fits the bill. The first thing we noticed as our eyes adjusted to the dim light was the sight of an actual, log-burning fireplace. As our eyes continued to focus, settling on the massive, beautiful teak bar, we revised that thought to include a nice stout. more ›

Last week Chicagoist was invited to a wine tasting at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro. We were told that there would be appetizers, an opportunity to meet the one and only Alpana Singh and, of course, wine to taste. It sounded like a good time, so we bundled ourselves up and got on the bus. Having never visited Mrs. Murphy's we weren't sure what to expect. In addition to being unfamiliar with the location,... more ›

Another Friday, another edition of "Friday Food Buffet." This week, Valentine's Day is around the corner, and the theme of love is in the air, along with fixed price dinners for couples. So sit back, enjoy the cheesecake we left out for you, and have a nice weekend. "It's also a dessert topping and a furniture polish": Green tea may be good for you, but it isn't a "superfood" yet and won't help you make... more ›

Chicagoist walks down Division Street every day, so we were intrigued last month when posters like the one above appeared in the windows of an empty restaurant on the corner of Division and Hoyne. Other posters lauded the benefits of organic food, asking "Is that a locally grown, certified organic, sustainable farmed zucchini in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?" and had the lyrics "When the Moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...." We put two and two together, determined some sort of organic pizza place would be moving in to the space, appreciated the clever pre-opening marketing and left it at that. more ›

When cabin fever sets in, we take good news any place we can get it. Still, we had to read this bit of news twice when we received it. A press release sent to Chicagoist and other outlets yesterday from the Brooklyn Brewery announced that they've reached an agreement with distributor River North, allowing the Williamsburg-based craft brewer to sell its flagship lager, Brooklyn Brown Ale, and Brooklyn East India Pale Ale in the Chicago... more ›

So far the club has delivered two delicious, but unthreatening, selections to our doorstep. This month we decided to take on something more challenging and to sample a cheese with a bit of a funk to it. While, relatively speaking, Camembert certainly doesn’t score too high on the funk level — eating some bad cheese could friggin’ kill you — Matt Parker, owner of The Cheese Stands Alone, thought this historical French creation might... more ›

"Chriskindlmarket Lights" via artamnesia. more ›

Domestic beer specials don’t typically blow our kilts up, but we were pleasantly surprised by the craft beer selection offered at Mrs. Murphy & Sons Irish Bistro (3905 N. Lincoln Ave.), which happens to serve all of its American-made beers for $2.50 on Thursday evenings. Sure the name is a little long and confusing (what the hell is an Irish Bistro anyway), but the place has a banging beer list. more ›

The Rosebud restaurants will forever be associated with Alex Dana. However, a captain is only as good as his lieutenants, and Dana had a very good one in Joe Farina, his longtime former corporate chef. Under Farina’s helm, the Rosebud restaurants maintained a high quality control across the board, as Dana expanded his franchises with alarming frequency and swift, surgical precision, culminating in their brief partnering in Ballo, their hip twist on northern Italian cooking.... more ›

Actually, Chicagoist thinks this idea's pretty cool. For all you folks who think picking a wine for dinner is as simple as reaching for the shelf, Bistro 110 is hosting a "Sommelier for a Day" event this evening. more ›

Only in its third week of business, Koda, the casual French bistro in the far South Side Beverly neighborhood, is doing amazing business. When Chicagoist decided to sample some of Koda's fare last week we were faced with a ninety-minute wait for a table, before opting to just sit at the bar. more ›

Does anyone in Chicago really care what Zagat thinks about its restaurants? more ›

Chicagoist is only going to give this a modicum of space because just thinking about this gives us such incredible, mind-numbing, back-breaking cramps and there isn't enough Vicodin and Wild Turkey in the world to put us out of our misery. Look. This whole foie gras thing is getting way out of hand. Seriously, people, we cannot believe that there is a possibility that the city council will ban it. And all of you animal... more ›

Man. more ›

Chicagoist's nominated token straight Boystown Mayor, Claire Zulkey is now the editor of Media Bistro's new blog MBToolbox. Billing itself as a "catch-all blog about freelance writing and useful resources for journalists," it looks as though the site just launched today. more ›

In its December issue, Travel + Leisure Magazine chose the best new American restaurant in 10 cities.. and guess what? They've profiled 7 Chicago restaurants. Yay us! On the list are: more ›

Last Saturday night was the final night of the Grant Achatz-era at Trio, one of Chicago's top restaurants. Closed until August 17th, Trio will re-open its kitchen under chef Dale Levitsky of the bistro La Tache in Andersonville. With the introduction of a new chef, owner Henry Adaniya has decided to change Trio's concept, as well. It will become what its owner terms an atelier -- French for "workshop." This means lower prices, eclectic food, tapas-style servings and a looser vibe. "I've reached all of the heights I want to reach," Adaniya said. "I want to make it more accessible so that we're not exclusive, so that many more people will be able to have the Trio experience." more ›