As the winter has stretched on, and on, and ... on, we've been searching for dining options that make us think of warmer days. Setting up a lawn chair in the apartment and drinking pina coladas doesn't quite count. So when a friend of Chicagoist suggested getting dinner at Costa Rican restaurant Irazu, we jumped at the chance. And we are very glad we did. more ›

Dharma Garden Thai Cuisine is a restaurant full of contradictions. And we mean that in a good way. One side of this Albany Park eatery is flanked by a long bar, although the restaurant is BYOB. Dharma prides itself on using healthful ingredients and cooking processes — the menu informed us “dharma ragsar” means “natural healing” in Thai — but 10 out of the 20 apps are deep fried. To be fair, a majority of... more ›

Two fast food restaurants have opened halal outposts on Devon St, creating competition over whose chicken is the best and whose chicken is more halal. Kentucky Fried Chicken and Brown's Chicken and Pasta are battling it out for the hearts, minds and stomachs of observant Muslim fried chicken eaters. But not everyone is a fan. more ›

Fear no okra. Whenever okra comes up, people usually have one reaction – slimy, and okra is slimy, sometimes. We love Creole and Cajun food, but once the okra gets tossed into the gumbo, it’s a tragedy waiting to happen in the wrong hand. more ›