Marbled, juicy, flavorful…delicious. The lard-type breed pig, the Mangalista, would give your everyday bacon a strong run for its money, if only it was a bit more accessible and a lot less expensive. Mark Schumacher and his friends thought exactly this when trying to purchase the pricey Mangalista meat online. more ›

Now in its third year, the à la card Chicago deck, a series of coupons good for $10 off dinner at 52 area restaurants, is probably its strongest edition yet. 21 new restaurants made the cut, including Chicagoist favorites Takashi, Taxim, Nightwood, Juicy Wine Co., the Gage and Honky Tonk BBQ. more ›

With the ongoing success of "Top Chef," it was only a matter of time before Bravo decided that they would expand the franchise by opening up the competition to already established chefs. The idea for this has been in the works for close to a year. more ›

Here's something to consider for that person in your life who lives to dine out but is a pain in the ass to shop for. à la card Chicago is an update on the clichéd and tacky coupon book. It's a deck of cards offering $10 off the tab at 52 of the area's best restaurants. Looking through the deck we saw a slew of restaurants we love, such as Mundial Cocina Mestiza, Hot Doug's, Mana Food Bar, Le Lan, Naha, Lula Café, MK, Manny's, Mado, Kitsch'n. more ›

Bleeding Heart Bakery has created a cupcake in honor of "Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard. Dubbed "The Stephanie" and viewable at Bleeding Heart's flickr stream. It's an organic ricotta poundcake cupcake with organic caramelized pineapple jam and bananas and organic lime frosting. This cupcake's as cute as Izard. more ›