A man was killed an an officer was injured when a car rear ended a squad car, the state added an LGBT section to its tourism site, and other news. more ›

Chef Izard's new diner concept will open (we hope) in the spring of 2012. more ›

Stephanie Izard's Goat Tour, which promotes the Girl and the Goat chef's first cookbook, the newly released Girl in the Kitchen, made its hometown stop last night - and if the plates served up to celebrate the occasion are any indication, Izard's handsome anthology of recipes is destined for a lot of use in many a home kitchen. more ›

A fabulous launch party, benefiting Share our Strength, starts at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday night. more ›

Last week, we told you how you might be able to get tickets to watch Stephanie Izard and Giuseppe Tentori face-off in this week's Quick Fire Challenge. There was a lot of calling, re-dialing and fingers being crossed. If you didn't get tickets, but still want to watch this fairly epic confrontation (and eat the results) this is your chance. It's like Top Chef live in front of you! more ›

The Boka restaurant group has been hosting "Quickfire" cooking competitions for a couple of month, pitting different executive chefs from their all-star lineup against each other in Iron Chef/Reality Television type contests. It's great PR, but here's the important part for you - tickets are free. Really. Free. Considering how hard it is to get into Girl & the Goat, it's probably worth reading on. more ›

Thanks to Stephanie Izard's Twitter, we just got the word that her new book, "Girl in the Kitchen: How a Top Chef Cooks, Thinks, Shops, Eats & Drinks" is available for pre-order. Are you an Izard groupie? Buy it now for $19.77. The book comes out for reals in October, but if you really want to lock in your copy at this very moment, go for it. more ›

Better Homes and Gardens and Weber Grills are throwing one heck of a party this weekend in Lincoln Park - a "Chill and Grill."This Saturday and Sunday, watch grilling demos, take classes on better outdoor fire-cooking and sample tastes from some of Chicago's best restaurants. Admission to the festival (and all the demos) is free, and you can see some of Chicago's best, including Stephanie Izard, the Hearty Boys, Gale Gand, Ina Pinkney, Steve Dolinsky and others, share their best grilling tips. More on the schedule after the jump. more ›

In a nearly-unprecedented reversal of fortune last night, Chicago chefs and restaurants got slammed at the James Beard Awards dinner in New York. Unlike our usual banner showing, Chicago took home just one single award - an "Outstanding Restauranteur" award for Lettuce Entertain You owner Rich Melman. Best of all, he wasn't even there! According to the Trib, he didn't even know the Beard Awards were happening. Rick Bayless was not happy about it; on Twitter, he wrote "Total shut out for Chicago tonight at Beard Awards! Worse yet: 1 of top 3 awards goes to Melman--r only chance to shine.NO SHOW!AT BEARDS??" There's more carnage - keep reading. more ›

Well here's a spot of good news: the mourning period over Earwax Cafe's closing has been cut short. Today, a statement posted to Earwax's Facebook page announced that the popular Wicker Park cafe would not be closing after all, reading:

"Due to popular demand Earwax will re-open after a menu overhaul and cleaning tomorrow. Kurt Guzowski, formerly Executive Chef of Landmark Grill has spruced up the vegetarian and vegan-focused menu, keeping a few of the old favorites and adding some new dishes and ever-changing daily specials. You guys have convinced us to re-open, despite some difficulties, and to stick with the tried and true concept of the cafe."

This has been a good week for Stephanie Izard, and it's only Wednesday! We fully expect President Obama to appoint her Supreme Food Leader by Friday afternoon. In all seriousness, Izard has gotten two major accolades in the last couple of days, and you can participate in one of them! Saveur Magazine, which avoided restaurant reviews in the past, inaugurated a new review program with Girl and the Goat. Review might not be the right word; frantic worship at Izard's feet might be a better description. The reviewer, Dana Bowen, also enjoyed The Publican, but Girl and the Goat was "something else entirely." Izard was also nominated for Food and Wine's "The People's Best New Chef" award, and you can vote right now. more ›

Do you have any burning questions for Stephanie Izard, of Girl and the Goat and Top Chef fame? If you want to grill her about reality TV, her best recipes or her favorite restaurants, get on Facebook today at noon. Izard will be posting on the wall of Food and Wine magazine, as herself. If you want to talk to her, just post something on the wall and she may respond. She will be "chatting" with fans and guests for one hour. Food and Wine has also posted three great recipes, created by Izard, for you to try at home. What would you ask Stephanie, if you had a chance? more ›

Winemakers, distillers and brewers have been aging their handiwork in barrels for centuries. It does magical things. Seeing an opportunity to experiment, bartenders have recently adopted the practice, too, aging cocktails in large batches using barrels obtained second-hand from distilleries. Hearing that a barrel-aged Manhattan recently appeared on The Violet Hour's menu, we paid a visit to taste what all the fuss is about. more ›

Christmas came early this year for some Chicago restaurants. The lucky owners and employees arrived at work this morning to find chalk outlines of the Michelin man on their sidewalks, the symbol that they had won the prestigious Bib Gourmand award. This award focuses on quality and value, and rewards only restaurants that offer an appetizer, an entree and a glass of wine for under $40. Phil Vettel reports that Frontera, Girl and the Goat and Green Zebra, among many other Chicago favorites, got the honor. more ›

Last night, the Girl and the Goat's Stephanie Izard joined an all-star team of Chicago chefs to host a "Friends of the James Beard Foundation" dinner. The Beard Foundation, American's foremost nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting fine American food, holds dinners around the country to support its operations, and the proceeds of last night's dinner will be used for culinary school scholarships. more ›

A tipster sent us this great drawing over the weekend, done by a friend's child. We just had to post it (with permission, of course), since it captures exactly how we feel about The Girl and the Goat. The writing in the lines is the student, who wrote about this for a class assignment. The smiley face and commentary are from the teacher. If only our teachers had been foodies, we would've gotten a much earlier start. more ›

Here's a deal for iPhone users who installed the foodie app. If you use foodie to make a reservation at mk this evening for their four-course tasting menu (a $45 value), you'll receive a free $15 gift card to DMK Burger Bar. As a bonus, anyone who makes a reservation using foodie through January 26 will become eligible for a pass to Stephanie Izard's final Wandering Goat dinner January 27. the more reservations you make through foodie, the more entries you have toward winning the dinner. more ›

The Magalitsa pig, also known as the "curly haired hog," is a breed of pig that originated from Hungary and the Balkans known for its thick wooly coat. The meat from a Mangalitsa pig is also rich in fat and is reputed to have a flavor and texture similar to Wagyu beef. In gourmet circles Mangalitsas have eclipsed mulefoots as the new trendy pork. more ›