Today in restaurant news: Brandon Baltzley gets a permanent job, some hard-to-get tables join OpenTable and Chicago restaurants (including one not open yet) make Esquire's Best New Restaurants List. more ›

Chicago restaurants are finally back in the spotlight. Can you hear the sarcasm dripping from our fingers? Last year, Esquire's John Mariani didn't deem any Chicago restaurants worthy for inclusion into his list of the "Best New Restaurants of 2009." Several standouts made his "also-ran" list, including the Bristol, the Publican and Sepia, but it was a swing and a miss for Chicago restaurants as far as Mariani was concerned. Given longtime suspicions of Mariani concerning objectivity and pay for play, we doubt many Chicago chefs were losing sleep over their absence. more ›

Bill Zwecker reports that Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert is slated to sit down with talk show queen and one-time Ebert date Oprah. The pair will tape the interview on Friday for airing sometime next week. It's a great chance to read this terrific Esquire profile of Ebert if you haven't already. more ›

In an interview that once again propels him into the spotlight, former governor Rod Blagojevich tells Esquire that he's totally innocent, compares himself to Galileo and Mordecai of the legend of Purim, tells us how much he hates the Madigans, and - of course - drops the quote everyone is already losing their minds over, claiming he's "blacker than Barack Obama": more ›

Above, you'll find two magazine covers. On the left, this month's Esquire cover featuring model Bar Rafaeli and on the right, this month's GQ cover featuring actor Sacha Baron Cohen as his character Bruno (who ohbytheway has that Bruno movie opening soon). Now, guess which one the managers at the O'Hare Hudson News branches have decided to cover up with black wrapping usually reserved for more provocative magazines such as Hustler. It seems Cohen's/Bruno's pose was a wee bit too much for Hudson News while Rafaeli was apparently easier on the eyes. The Trib dug into the subject a bit and here's what they came up with: more ›

For many food writers, the mere mention of the name John Mariani is enough to raise hackles and raise voices in protest. The "food and travel correspondent" for Esquire makes for an easy target with his byline at Esquire, Wine Spectator and Bloomberg News, ostentatious prose and numerous accusations of questionable ethics, including one instance relayed by moto's Homaru Cantu that's now become legend. more ›

Chuck asked that each of the food and drink staffers offer readers recommendations of places to visit during Chicago Restaurant Week, which kicks off today. Here are my picks: more ›

Esquire Magazine's "Best Sandwiches in America" article is a must-read, if only for us because it gives us a checklist of places to hunt down the next time we're on vacation (btw, Katz's pastrami on rye is really all that). Although we have to question the inclusion of the McRib sandwich, we have no qualms with seeing Chick-Fil-A make an appearance on the list. more ›