Rick Bayless: Mexican Essentials, released Wednesday, puts some of his most essential recipes (along with lots of videos) in the palm of your hand. more ›

The app has over 150 drinks and the great details that make Jeff Berry's books staples of our cocktail library. more ›

This is one of the best local news apps we've seen. more ›

We'll slip on our "54" jerseys. We'll cheer on his interceptions and tackles, especially when he pounds Michael Vick into the ground. But do we also want him in your pocket at all times, on our iPhones? more ›

The legendary innovator changed our world forever. more ›

The new Chicago Gourmet mobile app is a must-download for anyone attending this weekend. Even if you're not, download it anyway and dream. more ›

Taste of Chicago starts today. We all know that it can be hot, sweaty, loud and annoying - but we go anyway, and we want to help make it the best experience possible. Here are some helpful tips to have the best Taste that you possibly can. more ›

We have been inundated with deal-a-day apps lately, to the point where we're pretty much impossible to impress. The field is getting so crowded that the deals are often laughably bad, featuring bars and restaurants we wouldn't wander into if we were already in the neighborhood, let alone go out of our way for. DrinkOwl is a refreshing change - it promises no discounts on its own, but allows users to see all the different drink specials going on, all over the city. Using your GPS location, it will find you beer, wine and cocktail specials close to you - and best of all, you don't have to bring a coupon. more ›

During the NRA show, while we were giggling over fake food and silly signs, we also noticed one actual trend - everything seemed to be going electronic. There were so many different types of iPhone and iPad apps, wireless devices and techno-geek gadgets that we hardly knew where to turn, and yet when we did a little research and a few interviews, we weren't sure that most of them were actually useful. In fact, we suspect that while some of them may make dining faster and more "convenient" for some, most of them will lower the quality of the experience of eating out. But, you can bet they will be coming to a restaurant near you. more ›

One of the best categories of food apps is the GPS app - push a button, find a bar/restaurant/deal nearby. Whether your a tourist in a new city or a resident looking for a quick bite, these apps make it easy for you to find a meal on the go or a new favorite spot. Hamburger America GPS, the companion app to George Motz's book and film of the same name, will guide you through America's hamburger classics. more ›

On Monday night, we were fortunate to attend the Great Neighborhood Restaurant awards, hosted by LTH Forum at Sun Wah BBQ. We love the GNR awards, because they are an expression of a genuine love for food and drink - mostly divorced from celebrity, media and hype. It's a chance for unsung independent spots to get their due, and the event was a great chance for nominators and forum members to meet some of the restaurant owners who serve them so much tasty food. Even better, this year there is no need to carry around a pocket guide - there's an app for that. more ›

Last month we reported on the debut of a cocktail app optimized to run on Mac computers. As far as we can tell, the "Cocktails for Mac" program ($4.99) remains the first and only one of its kind. At the time, it was still too new to review; we've been messing around with CfM long enough now to rate it a resounding "meh." more ›

Tracking down food trucks can be cumbersome; you have to know what trucks are out there and follow all of their twitter accounts. If you miss the truck you want, you have to start the whole search process over again. Well guess what, Chicago, you no longer need to do the Twitter/Facebook hunt—there’s an app for that. TruxMap, founded in L.A., offers a free, centralized way to “track all food trucks in the city in real-time, using our Web interface, Twitter feeds and iPhone GPS coordinates,” says co-creator and lead developer Ivan Pardo. Still in its initial phases, the app is in the process of collecting data to provide accurate updates on location stops and times. more ›

Pocket Cocktails launched a new app for Mac computers this week that aims to school the home bartender. It's not just a bunch of recipes, but also a primer on how to mix drinks with skill, illustrating techniques like layering and garnishing. The Toronto-based company has developed cocktail-centric apps for the iPhone before, most notably its eponymous "Pocket Cocktails" app; now that Apple has launched its Mac App Store, which sells programs for use on Mac computers like the iMac and Macbook, app developers like Pocket Cocktails are refitting and expanding on their iPhone apps for Macs. more ›

Who doesn't love free drinks? If you're a bar-goer and you don't have Drink Deck Chicago, you are spending too much money. We've written before about discount "decks" - 52 playing card-sized coupons that give you discounts at 52 different restaurants. This one is a little different. Instead of restaurants, this deck gets you discounts at bars. If you look now, you can get a free trial of the iphone app that gets you a $10 discount for nothing but a click. more ›

Resurrection Mary is by far Chicago's best-known ghost story. We've traveled Archer Avenue around the Willowbrook Ballroom on Halloween, in the dead of winter, even riding a Schwinn, in the hopes that Mary wanted to mount the sissy bar for a lift. more ›

If you are among the legions of Chicagoans toting an iPhone, there is no excuse for being out of touch with the news these days. Until recently, Chicago was not well represented in the iTunes store. In fact, what should have been the flagship of the Second City’s local news offerings was an embarrassment with a woeful and limited app from the Chicago Tribune. But this week’s rollout of a reconceptualized app from the folks in Michigan Avenue’s gothic tower is just the latest in a groundswell of Chicago media offerings for Apple devices. Here’s a quick rundown: more ›

While the rest of us are still chatting about last night's Storm Of The Century (Of The Week), a group of stalwarts has their minds focused on one thing only: the new iPhone. While many Apple fans had theirs set for delivery, plenty of folks are still antsy enough to line up outside the Mag Mile Apple Store for their turn at owning a new, shiny, coveted ... phone. more ›

When we think Chicago-centric iPhone apps, we usually think of the not-so-reliable CTA bus tracker. Yet there are lots of clever smartphone applications for Chicagoans on the market, and now there's one more to add to the list. Chicago Gangland Tour is a database of Chicago-area locations tied to Al Capone and his mob cronies. It includes photos and short essays for each place, unique ways to filter entries (such as "bodies found in car"), and Google map functionality. What results is a pretty comprehensive app as jam-packed with as much information as a thick history book, but is much easier to carry and is more dynamic. more ›

We've told you in the past about the multiple ways you can keep track of us at your computer and on-the-go. Now, for you iPhone and iPod touch users, there's a new way to follow us - and other sites in the 'ist-a-verse - while you're away from the computer. Today, thanks to some hard work from the Gothamist Tech Team, we've launched the first version of the istaverse iPhone app. You can select any of the Gothamist network's 13 sites to keep track of while you're out and about and, best of all, it's FREE. 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 ›

We've all entertained the Mac versus PC debate and seen both Apple and Microsoft commission known names in the art and design communities for special projects. Purists may argue art has no place in the corporate world, but artists themselves are welcoming the publicity of attaching their names to big brands, and the challenge of merging form with new, innovative functions. more ›

If you're like us, sometimes you want to grab a bite to eat and may not know exactly what's nearby, especially in an unknown part of the city. Mobile phone applications are a great way to help you not only find out what's nearby but also direct you right to its front door. more ›

Chipotle Mexican Grill launched an iPhone application today that allows users to locate a location and place online orders. We've been putting it through its paces on our iPhone and like what we're getting out of it so far. more ›

Admit it, it can be pretty hard to wrap your head around all the bands playing Lollapalooza, and the daily schedule can be labyrinthine to navigate. Lollapalooza rolled out a free iPhone app that makes mapping out your three days at the festival easier than ever. more ›

Ever been flummoxed by being unable to use those iPhone apps for the CTA, Chicago 2016, Wilco, or even read us in the city's subways? Worry no more. The number of carriers boosting their cell phone signal to the subway tunnels of Chicago is about to grow again, this time adding iPhone carrier AT&T. U.S. Cellular, Verizon, and Cricket are the other three carriers to offer their signal underground. The CTA board is expecting to approve the contract today, which would be $3.1 million over 10 years. [Sun-Times] more ›

Just in case our exhaustive review of the new Wilco album left you wanting even more from Jeff and the gang, you're in luck. The Wilco web factory has just released an iPhone app that lets you keep track of the guys as they globe trot through 2009 in support of next month's Wilco. The app will allow IPhone and iPod Touch users to access tour dates, ticket pre-sales, maps to venues, rideshares and the complete Wilco lexicon, including new tour doc Ashes of American Flags. Users will also be able to make setlist requests and get photo downloads straight from the road. Best of all? It's free. Pick it up at your local iTunes Store. more ›

After someone's iPhone was snatched away from their ear, police on horseback chased and captured the subject, then arrested him and charged him with felony robbery. more ›

Because the CTA Bus Tracker website is not the easiest to use on a mobile device, such as an iPhone, when you're on the go, the folks over at Ars Technica have compiled a good breakdown of the two iPhone apps that use data from the CTA's website to help you find that bus stop or track a bus' arrival time. The apps, Buster and CTA Tracker, are both priced at 99 cents at the iTunes App Store. Neither was developed by the CTA. more ›

Broadway in Chicago (BIC), the production group responsible for bringing national tours ‘round our way, has launched an iPhone application. more ›