Four Midwestern chefs and author Steve Plotnicki join North Pond's Bruce Sherman for a special dinner next Wednesday. more ›

"Every week, I find something I didn't realize was in season or I didn't realize was possible to grow here," explained Bruce Sherman, of North Pond Restaurant, as he picked over the produce on a recent Wednesday at Green City Market. Diners have gotten used to seeing producers and market names all over menus, and during the summer, Chicago restaurants are inundated with farm-to-table dishes. Sherman, and many other Chicago chefs, go a step further, and visit the market every week, talking to farmers (many of whom are now old friends) and picking up their orders themselves. We followed Chef Sherman through the market to learn how a chef shops for produce. more ›

In a nearly-unprecedented reversal of fortune last night, Chicago chefs and restaurants got slammed at the James Beard Awards dinner in New York. Unlike our usual banner showing, Chicago took home just one single award - an "Outstanding Restauranteur" award for Lettuce Entertain You owner Rich Melman. Best of all, he wasn't even there! According to the Trib, he didn't even know the Beard Awards were happening. Rick Bayless was not happy about it; on Twitter, he wrote "Total shut out for Chicago tonight at Beard Awards! Worse yet: 1 of top 3 awards goes to Melman--r only chance to shine.NO SHOW!AT BEARDS??" There's more carnage - keep reading. more ›

I have a confession to make - this interview isn't even a little bit objective. North Pond has been one of my favorite spots in Chicago for years, and it was the first fine dining restaurant I ever wrote about. When I got a chance to interview Bruce Sherman, the chef and co-owner of North Pond, I screamed like a little girl at a Justin Bieber concert - though not in front of the chef. Despite my enthusiasm, I had some serious questions for Chef Sherman. We talked to Chef Sherman about staying relevant, the challenges of owning a restaurant on park district land and why he is not a locavore. more ›

One of the most talked-about new restaurants in the Midwest is a road trip away in downstate Peoria Heights. June chef Josh Adams deftly meshes farm fresh food with progressive cooking techniques. It makes sense, since Adams has staged at Alinea and studied the localvore approach at the knee of Paul Virant at Vie. Adams recently partnered with a nearby farm to dedicate 80 acres of land for growing organic produce specifically for June. more ›

North Pond Restaurant will be hosting a dinner and discussion about the current economic situation on Wednesday, March 18th. While we can see the irony in spending money on nice food during a recession, the price is reasonable, the menu looks great and you might just learn something. The menu is 1929-inspired, and includes such tasty-sounding morsels as Caramelized Pineapple-Toasted Almond Upside-Down Cake, Lobster and Quail "a la King" Style and a North Pond "Bathtub Gin" cocktail. Speakers from Northwestern University and the University of Chicago, as well as a banker and a Chicago Tribune reporter will discuss the current economic situation and then sit down to dinner with guests. The price is $59/person for 5 courses - at North Pond, a real bargain. Call the restaurant at 773-477-5845 for more information and reservations. more ›

There are a thousand reasons why summer dining in Chicago is so fantastic. One of the best being fresh, locally grown ingredients and it doesn't get any fresher than when chefs grow their own ingredients in restaurant or home gardens. An increasing number of chefs are doing so including some of our faves: Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill, Paul Kahan of Blackbird, George Djurovic of August Grocery, (just to name a few.) more ›

North Pond Restaurant, overlooking Lincoln Park’s North Pond, has become one of our absolute favorite restaurants in Chicago. We’ve dined there three times in the past six months, and have never had anything less than a perfect dining experience. more ›

After voting in the Chicago Way, the 2008 James Beard Award nominees were announced today (via). The list is filled with some familiar names (Grant Achatz for outstanding chef, Rich Melman for Outstanding restaurateur) and encompasses a good cross section of the city's dining scene. For the coveted "Best Chef: Great Lakes" category, the inclusion of North Pond's Bruce Sherman, Naha's Carrie Nahabedian and Graham Elliot Bowles gives Chicago a 3-in-5 chance that the winning chef will be located here. The one section where Chicago's restaurants were notably absent was in the "best new restaurant" category, where Sepia was snubbed. more ›