Today in restaurant news: Brandon Baltzley gets a permanent job, some hard-to-get tables join OpenTable and Chicago restaurants (including one not open yet) make Esquire's Best New Restaurants List. more ›

I have been an avid user of OpenTable.com for many years. Free online reservations? Bonus points? Best-of lists? Sign me up. It has gotten to the point where, even if I'm going out for dinner on a Tuesday night at 5p.m. and I know the restaurant will be empty, I make a reservation, just to be sure I get the points. I know I'm not the only one out there like this; Hello, my name is Anthony, and I'm addicted to OpenTable. When I'm looking for a new place to go, and I feel lazy, I just type the date into their system and see what's available. more ›

Last-Minute restaurant reservation website Open Table launched mobile service today for those of us who don't have a laptop or iPhone strapped at the hip. The URL is http://mobile.opentable.com. more ›

Prix-fixe menus usually give Chicagoist's pocketbook the shakes. We know that by virture of having a fixed price on a set of items we're getting a great deal and the ability to sample entrees and appetizers that normally we might pass over. But nine times out of 10, prix-fixe options are out of our price range. Woe is Chicagoist. Luckily for us, some of Chicago's best restaurants are participating in Open Table, American Express,... more ›