More than five hundred people filled the DANK Haus German-American Cultural Center on Saturday night for Winter Brew. The event was sold out, but we got in to bring you the details. more ›

Foodies all over town have been recapping their favorite eats of 2011. Here are the highlights - and some of our favorites, too. more ›

Now that Mayor Tom Kane has regained his footing there is only one item on his agenda: revenge. more ›

With Mayor Kane's approval ratings down due to a chemical contamination scandal in Bensenville, and a myriad of plots against him from some of the Chicago's top politicos, Kane struggles to keep the city running. more ›

Day One of Pitchfork Music Fest 2010 was sunny and hot, many already sweating by the time they entered the grounds. It was a new early start to the first day, with the gates opening at 3 p.m., but that didn't seem to have much effect on numbers as a large crowd still came through the gates for the earliest acts that opened the fest. Of course, the story was, and will be all weekend, the heat. With highs expected to surge into the low-to-mid 90s today with a healthy dose of humidity, yesterday's drier albeit still warm conditions looked to be the best day of weather for the fest. Which is why an announcement was made during the afternoon that for the duration of the weekend, the price of bottles of water were cut from $2 to $1, a savvy move of good PR as well as general safety for the masses. Despite a few glitches (during Broken Social Scene) and the continued issue of sound bleed on the B Stage, the sound continues to improve, which bodes well for loose, electronic acts like Neon Indian, Washed Out and Sleigh Bells more ›

It's the Final Countdown. Sort of. By the time the dust settles tomorrow night, we should be down to three candidates in the race to replace Rahm Emanuel in the Fifth U.S. Congressional District. Need some last second cramming before tomorrow's primary? more ›

Welcome to the Top Chef Chicago Finale which we shall be live blogging. more ›

Welcome to Puerto Rico, Top Chef fans! more ›

We start with an edited sequence that nearly makes us forget who was eliminated last week, although we know it isn't Lisa. There's a lot of chatter about how each chef wants to be in the top four and how they didn't come this far to be kicked out of the competition now. Richard rounds up the remaining troops and they move out. more ›

Sit tight, Top Chef fans, and enjoy a recap of this week's activities! We see the bleary eyed contestants slowly waking from a short sleep after what Richard says was more than 40 hours awake. Andrew's culinary morningwood instructs him to either "stab someone or make some amazing food." more ›

Welcome, foodies. Let's revisit last night's episode! more ›

Welcome back, Chicago foodies! We see the chefs in recovery mode the day after the meltdowns we witnessed last week. Jennifer is now calm, after kicking a chair the night before in true whiskey-dad fashion. You know the type: the kind that get all mean and shit after a few drinks, but are sweet as hell the next morning fixing pancakes while the kids shiver in fear at their plates, unsure if they can request eggs. Dale apologizes to Lisa in a way that sounds like, "I'm sorry I yelled at you…it's just that your personality sucks so hard." Lisa greasies, "Dale can go f*bomb himself." more ›

Holy DRAMA, Top Chef fans - the chefs go Jerry Springer on us this week! Let’s tuck in and dive in! more ›

The show opens this week with some ablutions. Some brush their teeth, others put on make up, while Spike and Andrew go through some sort of male bonding ritual speaking in a tongue with which we are not familiar but which we suspect is not inspired by an infusion of the Holy Spirit. more ›

The show opens to some great shots of Chicago. Sights no one has seen since the warm weather. Stephanie and Valerie are working out, pumping some iron and we learn that they used to work together. Valerie says she is happy to have a friend in the competition “for now…” and those two words foreshadow the next few days to come. Next we see Zoi and Jennifer swap clogs which is the chef equivalent of sharing a toothbrush. Oh, well, they are dating. more ›

When we last saw our contestants, they were delivering their pizzas to Rocco Dispirito and Padma for evaluation, complete with red, insulated bags that serve as dinner bells to much of the population. The Chefs coo over Rocco like they met their internet date and she turned out to be HAWT. Bravo spares us the details of every reaction for each pizza. We will, too – but here are some highlights: more ›

Top Chef is back and, according to Padma Lakshmi, tastier than ever. As Padma gives us an overview of the show, we get a brief glimpse of telling scenes to come – mainly, the predominant use of the F-word. And something tells us that this may be the most honest look we get into the back of the house. Winner gets: A spread in Food & Wine Magazine, showcase at the Annual Food and Wine Classic in Aspen, vacation to the French Alps, one hundred grand and all the Glad pimpin’ a person can take. more ›