Bill Daley, writing in The Stew, ran into a conundrum yesterday evening - his bookshelves were full of too many cookbooks. Inspired by an article in the San Francisco Chronicle which gave instructions for culling a collection, he began to wonder: which ones did he HAVE to keep? As bibliophiles ourselves (especially of food books), we started to wonder the same thing. It's kind of the same internal monologue as "what would you save in a house fire," except with a bit less urgency. So, what would you keep? more ›

Julie & Julia opens in theaters today and restaurants throughout the city are offering specials in honor of the late Julia Child using recipes from her seminal cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Today, we're rounding up a few for the Buffet and we've added our favorite portrayal of the French Chef, Dan Aykroyd's performance from the early days of "Saturday Night Live." more ›

If you work or live downtown and your Tuesday just can’t end soon enough, drop by St. James Cathedral tonight, or any Tuesday summer evening, for a free hour of munchies and classical music. Chicago is a fine destination for frugal music lovers. We’re crushing on the Grant Park Music Festival, the last free classical music fest in the nation. Ravinia offers students with ID (and occasionally graduates with newish looking IDs) free lawn seats... more ›