Today in restaurant news: Carrie Nahabedian talked to Chicago Mag about her upcoming restaurant, Grace gets a sommelier and Tim Lacey lands at Sprout. more ›

These may be the first Michelin-starred peeps! The posh version of the ubiquitous marshmallow treat will be served at Naha until next Monday. more ›

Tickets are still available for one of the best dinners of the year. With food insecurity at record levels, GCFD needs all the help you can give. more ›

Donald Trump, as part of his strange and meandering plot to take over the world, bought a vineyard in April. Formerly known as Kluge vineyard, the property in Virginia was repossessed by Bank of America in February and bought by Trump in April. What form the vineyard will take under Trump's leadership is unclear - according to Eater, while "he will keep the vineyard's previous owner, Patricia Kluge, on board, Trump's going to change the name of the place. He said, 'It's only Trump. Everything is Trump.'" Restaurant Intelligence Agency asked some local chefs to weigh in with their feelings on Trump wine. The responses? Classic. Steve McDonagh, of Hearty Boys, asked "Is it really from Virginia? I don't believe it. I want to see original certification." more ›

Last Wednesday, we attended the latest "86 Hunger" dinner at Naha, benefitting the Greater Chicago Food Depository. This series of dinners, hosted by some of Chicago's best chefs, brings together food lovers who care about problem of hunger in the city. They get a chance to eat some great food and donate a fairly serious chunk of money to charity. When the dinner is cooked by Sarah Stegner (of Prairie Fire) and Carrie Nahabedian (of Naha) it goes without saying that the food will be worthy of the cause. If you like what you see, there are two more 86 Hunger dinners coming up in the next few weeks, hosted by Custom House and Boka - check for details after the jump. more ›

Its good to have friends in Greece, especially friends of the winemaking, vineyard owning variety. Naha Sommelier and co-owner Michael Nahabedian's good friend, George Skouras, is helping him bring an obscure and interesting taste of Greek grapes to Naha diners. more ›

Head over to Groupon today to get an $80 gift certificate to NAHA for $40. Chef Carrie Nahabedian won a 2008 James Beard Award for Best Chef Great Lakes so this is a great chance to taste her food at a reduced cost. Peek at the menus here. more ›

Everyone should have a strategy when entering a massive, culinary event like Restaurant Week. For me, try restaurants that I have yet to checked off my 'dining out' list then eye-ing the menu for delicious and unique dishes and finally going back to places that I love but can't regularly fit into the weekly dining budget. more ›

One of the high points of last year's Chicago Gourmet festival was listening to Carrie Nahabedian and legendary chef Norman Van Aken discuss, among other things, their time at the former Sinclair's in Lake Forest. Van Aken was the Executive Chef and his kitchen staff included Suzy Crofton, Charlie Trotter and Nahabedian. All would go on to bigger and brighter heights. more ›

We've been preoccupied with non-Chicagoist related business today, but wanted to check in with this video we found of a trip NAHA's Carrie Nahabedian and Sarah Stegner of Prairie Grass Café took to Olga Bay, Alaska, where they visited wild salmon fisheries; the trip was sponsored by Plitt Seafood Company. Both Stegner and Nahabedian have been leaders in the promotion of seafood sustainability and this video shows them walking the talk, educating themselves further in the process amidst the beautiful Alaska wilderness. more ›

Chuck asked that each of the food and drink staffers offer readers recommendations of places to visit during Chicago Restaurant Week, which kicks off today. Here are my picks: more ›

Here's something to consider for that person in your life who lives to dine out but is a pain in the ass to shop for. à la card Chicago is an update on the clichéd and tacky coupon book. It's a deck of cards offering $10 off the tab at 52 of the area's best restaurants. Looking through the deck we saw a slew of restaurants we love, such as Mundial Cocina Mestiza, Hot Doug's, Mana Food Bar, Le Lan, Naha, Lula Café, MK, Manny's, Mado, Kitsch'n. more ›

So Marcus and yours truly attended last night's opening reception for Chicago Gourmet on a picture perfect night atop the Harris Theatre at Millennium Park. the evening featured opening remarks from Mayor Daley, Illinois Restaurant Association President Sheila O'Grady and sponsors, an auction benefiting Green City Market, and an open buffet featuring chefs from Chicago's sister cities. more ›

more ›

After months of spying and accounts of shooting around town, Bravo finally announced the contestants for the next season of "Top Chef" today (you can read the release here). While the lineup of chefs vying to impress Padma and company are largely from the coasts, three of the contestants have Chicago ties: more ›