Some of the Chicagoist food staff aren't so fond of restaurant week. Amy Cavanaugh and John DiGilio explain why. more ›

Author Sarah Deming is bothered by "mixology." She says so in the winter 2011 issue of literary magazine The Threepenny Review. She argues that the term has come to stand for a series of affronts and frippery she's suffered in innocent pursuit of her "usual" drink. I feel Sarah Deming's pain, as I too am bothered; but in my case, it's this essay of hers that has me pissed. more ›

Joanne Chang, the owner of Boston's Flour Bakery and Cafe and the author of Flour, has been writing an excellent series for the Atlantic on baking and pastry. Her theme will speak to many of the home cooks among us - don't be afraid of pastry! I need to read these articles because (gulp) I am a little bit afraid of pastry. When I'm around other home cooking geniuses, I often feel like I am at an AA meeting; "Hello, my name is Anthony, and I'm terrified of baking." I can whip up some mean Toll House cookies, and I actually make a pretty amazing shortbread. But anything beyond cookies and i start to break out in fear-induced hives. Despite my many articles on pastry cooks and my general proficiency at savory cooking, put a bag of flour in my hand and I start quaking in my boots. more ›

For the last few months, Chicago has seen its food landscape swarmed with outsiders. Groups of people have flocked to the city to decide once and for all who ranks higher, who is the finest overall, who is the best in the class, and just exactly who reigns supreme in certain fields of culinary excellence. I'm not talking about the Michelin Guide, though - everyone else in town can field that one. more ›

As we've experienced in our own comments section, some people are tired of the worship of food and just want everything to return to normal. By normal, they seem to mean the Wonder bread and chain restaurant world of the suburban 1960s, where people ordered, ate, paid and didn't think too much about things. Well, if you feel that way, you aren't alone; the media is getting in on the act. Chow reported yesterday on what they call "the war against foodies" - newspapers mocking those of us who love food and drink a little too much. more ›

I hear (and often proffer) so many complaints about bad service, badly designed menus, food cooked into shoe leather and waiters spilling wine onto shirtfronts that I often forget that the customer is sometimes the stupid one. Sometimes this clueless behavior rises to such epic levels that I am tempted to vault across the table, jump the intervening aisle and shake some sense into the hapless fool. "Of course," I remind myself, "I'm in an unusual position - I do my research, I know chefs and restaurants. Maybe I'm not the best judge of what is a normal informed customer." But when customers enter a restaurant totally unaware of its basic premise, the food offered or what they can expect and instead sit down and expect to be served according to their every whim, I get quietly violent. more ›

Last Friday, I was sitting at my desk trying to answer a deeply important question: Where should I eat dinner? As usual, I had a long list of restaurants on my to-do list, and I was going through them online, seeing which had reservations and examining all the menus. I must admit, my budget was feeling a little bit tight, so I was paying particular attention to price - I was looking for an inexpensive evening. To my great irritation, I found that a surprising number of online menus had no prices at all! more ›

Last night, when I got home from a late-night appointment, I found a package in my mailbox. Some other tenants in my building were there to watch me open it - it contained a bottle of spiritous liquor. "You're so lucky, I want your job," seemed to be the common refrain. The bottle had been sent as a free sample by a company that wanted me to try mixing it into some cocktail recipes, and at the time I didn't give it a second thought. more ›

Every time I order food to be delivered, I find myself a participant in the same internal morality play. Not some snappy little moment of angst, but a deep questioning of my values. You might reasonably ask, “How can a thin crust sausage pizza lead to this much suffering?” I would answer: Delivery Fees. Delivery fees make me crazy. more ›

As we approach that pinkest, sweetest, most-chocolate-flavored of all days, I have a confession to make: I hate dining out on Valentine’s Day. There. I said it. I know there are thousands of restaurant PR professional out there who just collapsed to the ground clutching their once-beating hearts, but I hate dining out on Valentine’s Day. more ›

Loyal readers, this is a terrifying tale. A tale of a foodie taken in because he didn’t read a label. A tale of a disgusting faux-wine, ingested by accident. A tale of wasting… six dollars. Alright, maybe it wasn’t that bad after all, but the public must be warned! more ›

As every good foodie knows, each new and exciting trend produces plenty of stale, unexciting hangers-on. Exposure quickly dampens our enthusiasm, but even lasting trends are hurt by the legions of high-priced, low-quality imitators. I've seen this happen with cupcakes, creme brulee, bacon, boutique pizza - and now it's happening with cocktails. Recently, I've been ripped off by a lot of bad cocktails, and it's reaching the level of a trend. more ›

After years of dining out, few things can throw me for a loop. Strange or inattentive service, exotic foodstuffs, unbearable dining rooms - all these just make for good stories later, once you’ve survived the experience. But I still remember the first time a waiter asked me if I wanted bottled water with my meal. It was slipped in so nonchalantly - as if anyone who dined at this august establishment wouldn’t dream of touching the simple common stock of hydrogen and oxygen molecules. People like us, the place seemed to silently scream, deserve something better. No other option was given to me, which conjured up the threat of dying a thirsty death if I didn’t agree to order the water. more ›