If you're tired of boring old pad thai, head up north to Sticky Rice for a taste of Northern Thai cuisine. more ›

For one night only, some great Chicago restaurants will be waiving their corkage fee and inviting you to "open that bottle" with them. Have you been saving a good bottle for a special occasion? Bring it in this Saturday, February 26 and pair it with some good food. If you don't have something to bring, all 13 participating restaurants are offering 20% discounts on select bottles of wine or spirits. The complete list is after the jump. more ›

Twitter user Eligratz has put together a Google map of BYOB restaurants in the Chicago area. And, while it's comprehensive, it isn't exhaustive. Eligratz is looking for your assistance to add to the map. (h/t Gaper's) more ›

I've been complaining a lot lately. Maybe it's the variable barometric pressure, or perhaps it's just that a lot of things in the food world have been annoying me. Despite price gouging and greenwashing, it's important to remember that there are many great things in the world of food, and sometimes, rather than ranting, a foodie rave is more appropriate. more ›

Who to Know: Jim Bube, sales representative at Heritage Wine Cellars more ›

Who to know more ›

Owner of Lynfred Winery. Located in suburban Roselle, Lynfred is the largest winery in the state, producing over 50 different varietals a year. (Ed. Note: For more information on Lynfred, feel free to go back and read my road trip to the winery from last October. — CS). more ›

Carrie gets to know James Crooker in this week's "Know Your Wine..." more ›

Who to Know more ›

Who to Know more ›

Restaurants, from white tablecloth concepts to McDonad's, have varied cycles of life. Pilsen's De Colores is currently capitalizing on the restaurant boom in that neighborhood in a way the restaurant that preceded it, Picante Grill, could not. Now a BYOB, simple taqueria using the family recipes of owners Sergio and Priscilla Reyes, the food at De Colores can be a hit or miss affair. more ›

Chicagoist is starting a new series to get better acquainted with our local wine experts. We'll be chatting with sommeliers, wine directors, consultants, suppliers, vitners, bloggers...a lot of people who drink a lot of wine for a living. more ›

Chicagoist is starting a new series to get better acquainted with our local wine experts. We'll be chatting with sommeliers, wine directors, consultants, suppliers, vitners, bloggers...a lot of people who drink a lot of wine for a living. more ›

Chicagoist is starting a new series to get better acquainted with our local wine experts. We'll be chatting with sommeliers, wine directors, consultants, suppliers, vitners, bloggers...a lot of people who drink a lot of wine for a living. 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 ›

We recently visited the bright West Loop byob spot, The Grocery Bistro, and took advantage of their three course prix fixe dinner menu, choosing any shared plate, entrée, and dessert for $25. (We recommend the salmon sashimi with fried egg and caper-soy vinaigrette, lamb chops and banana bacon tiramisu). Grocery's Chef de Cuisine, Andre Christopher of Japonais and Pops for Champagne fame, recently started serving a three course lunch as well: soup/salad, sandwich, dessert, and drink for $15. Enjoy your meal while playing "guess the movie playing on the plasma TV." I won. more ›

We were introduced to Sushi X via a grainy photo taken from a friend's camera phone. The beauty of the roll stood out among the noise in the picture and we had to check out the place. more ›

There's no shortage of good Persian or Lebanese food in Albany park. Kedzie Avenue has Noon O' Kabob and the amazing Semiramis. Near the intersection of Kedzie and Lawrence sits Al-Khaymeih. This spacious restaurant offers the best of both dining worlds. Customers are treated to familiar Lebanese dishes served promptly by very attentive waiters who cleared out empty plates as soon as they saw them, kept the pita and hummous coming and uncorked our bottles of wine as we pulled them out (Al-Khaymeih is BYOB). more ›

From Crain's comes word that Le Lan Executive chef Bill Kim is leaving behind the river North French-Vietnamese outpost to open a noodle shop/casual eatery in Logan Square. more ›

We'd been hearing rumors recently that Schwa was going to reopen, but didn't want to get our hopes up to much before something was confirmed. And confirmed it now is. Michael Carlson's BYOB spot will be reopening in early 2008, the end of this month being the earliest. more ›