This week, we bring our staff picks a little more down to earth. After telling you about restaurant bathrooms and the best eateries in which to avoid having your brains eaten, now we weigh in on a more mundane topic: sausages. Chicagoans love their encased meats, and the city boasts some amazing places to buy them. They're cheap, come in infinite variety and can be made in any season. Even vegetarians can have them! more ›

One would think that today of all days would be the perfect time to dip into a Fuller's ESB or an Old Speckled Hen.* In fact, as you read this your humble author is very likely feeling the effects of some celebratory morning mimosas and a couple glasses of rum punch, not to mention the sherry trifle and the watercress finger sandwiches. (Royals should get married every Friday.) more ›

Our inbox has been constantly bombarded with holiday cocktail recipes lately. Many of them promise festive merriment in a glass. Some deliver. Others just suck. And one - let's just say its title included the word "razzleberry" - finally put us over the edge. We suddenly felt the urge to return to a simpler, purer style of imbibing this holiday season. With the help of Yolanda Luszcz, co-owner of Gene's Sausage Shop & Delicatessen, we scouted out some classic beverages that our Old World counterparts uncork during the holidays. (Gene's works with more than 100 distributors to source its products. It shows.) We cherish obscurity, so these off-beat spirits and wines are just the kind of thing we want to show up with at our next holiday gathering. more ›

At the end of this Monday's podcast, you might have heard Chuck and I discussing Beers of the Week based around some of the astounding selections around town during the week of the Craft Beer Conference, as well as some other ones that weren't highlighted during the fest. This is that BotW. The beers at Gene's Sausage Shop might not have gotten the press that the invading brewers received, but they might be even a little more rare - and potent. more ›

It's been over two years since Lincoln Square's Delicatessen Meyer closed its doors and the building purchased by the Luszcz family of Gene's Sausage Shop fame. Chicago real Estate Daily reports that the Luszczes are finally ready to re-open Meyer as "Gene's Sausage Shop at Delicatessen Meyer" on November 7 (insert your "Jim's Mario's Restaurant" reference here). more ›