Several new restaurants have set up shop at the far reaches of the Red Line. One of the newest is Rogers Park's Pillars Social Cafe. They've not just laid down a big footprint in the neighborhood, but made some big promises as well. Are they living up to these at the outset? We had to find out. more ›

Jan. 16 - 20 is Veggie Week at Grubwithus. All you have to do to enjoy one of these delicious, family-style, sitdown dinners is sign up! more ›

What started as a small neighborhood breakfast nook (hence the name) is now opening its fourth large location in Edgewater. more ›

These are our favorite awards, even better than the restaurants that earn those coveted stars. Not only do they come with a super-cool logo, chalked in the night by Michelin's team of restaurant ninjas, they signify "affordable" restaurants. more ›

Pastry chef Patrick Fahy, formerly of Blackbird, has established himself at Cafe des Architectes. We stopped in to see what he could dish out. more ›

Yesterday, a strange, heart warming or terrifying (depending on how you look at it) story hit Gawker about the London riots. Rioters attempted to invade a Michelin 2-star restaurant, and the staff, normally concerned with crystal and linens, fought them off with rolling pins. Things are getting scary over there, folks, and we hope that it ends as soon as possible. Frankly, the restaurant angle seemed a bit too much like a bad movie - so of course that's exactly what it put us in mind of! It got us thinking: if we had to ride out something really bad, say a zombie invasion, which restaurant would we want to hide in? Which chefs would we count on to defend us? more ›

Everyone loves lists, right? And with the departure of the revered Steve Dolinsky from WBEZ, someone has to fill the void. Chicagoist's food department is stepping up to the plate. But we don't care about best burgers or best fries - let's focus on more useful information. Today, we bring you Chicago's best (or strangest) restaurant bathrooms. more ›

Today's listings: Tangleweed releases a new cd. Pop-up restaurant Gypsy opens this weekend. A silent film classic with Gloria Swanson. more ›

When I arrived at the Green City Market BBQ at 4:30 yesterday afternoon, the thermometer had already topped 100 degrees. My shirt soaked through in the first 10 minutes - and my plight was nothing compared to that of the chefs, standing over hot grills. But, that's not what guests to the BBQ will remember. They'll remember the entire Chicago food world, including every restaurant you've ever heard of, standing out there cooking and sweating together, to support an organization we all love. more ›

We love food, we love maps, and we love public transit. Therefore, this chart by HartmanSalt gave us a lot of pleasure. It maps out the entire food industry in one place, from chefs (Chicagoans Homaro Cantu, Grant Achatz and Charlie Trotter made the list) to grocery store owners, food media moguls and cookbook authors. It's even interactive! Hover over any name for more information. If someone made one of these for Chicago, we'd have to do a little happy dance. Go forth and waste some time. via The Stew. more ›

Where do you get your jibaritos? WTF is a jibarito? Where is the bread? What is the filling? Why do you ask so many questions? We recently visited Cocina De Galarza (named Cocina Boricua on their sign) at Fullerton and Western to give their jibarito a try. more ›

The old adage that one should never judge a book by its cover clearly cuts both ways. No matter where you go, some of the most run down, hole-in-the-wall-looking dives crank out some of the best food. And, sadly, it follows that some of the most posh leave you wishing you had opted for the nearest dive. When it comes to restaurants, looks can definitely be deceiving. A recent visit to Chuckie's in Rogers Park left us not only feeling duped, but rather hungry as well. more ›

We dissect the reasons behind the failure of the attempted Trader Vic's remount. more ›

Fans of tomato-based alcoholic beverages rejoice: Longman & Eagle's killer brunch has a lot to do with these two words: Bloody. Mary. Here at Chicagoist we are always on the lookout for drinks that are acceptable at any time of day, and after hearing lots of buzz about the Longman & Eagle Bloody Mary, we had to stop in and see what it was all about. Longman & Eagle's Bloody Mary does the trick on a Saturday or Sunday morning with your L&E brunch or lunch. If you think you're a Bloody Mary fan, and you're in Chicago, this one is a must-try. more ›

We always eagerly await the Chicago Reader's Best of Chicago issue - especially the food and drink section, of course - for two reasons. First, it allows us to vehemently disagree with the results of the public polls (Paulina Meat Market beats Butcher and Larder? Margie's Candies beats Black Dog Gelato?) and because of the great categories the critics come up with so they can include the restaurants they want to include. more ›

- Blue Sky Bakery, which we profiled last year, is launching brunch just in time for Father's Day. It's BYOB, and plenty of tickets (which you need to buy in advance) are still available. The menu will feature local produce and cheese, in mouth-watering combinations. Start with an assortment of pastries (try the blueberry cheesecake muffins) and move onto baked French toast with local raspberries. Fruit salad, coffee and juices are also included, and they have OJ and bloody mary mix on hand if you bring some booze. The whole thing is only $17 per person ($12 for kids). Can't be beat. Purchase tickets for either 11 AM or 2 PM. more ›

Alderman Tom Tunney (owner of Ann Sather's) is objecting to the new proposal to legalize and regulate food trucks. more ›

- The Black Sheep, a new restaurant from Chef James Toland, opens for business on Tuesday. The restaurant, in West Town, includes on its menu black cod with pork rillette and chicken thigh with bacon puree, and the pictures of the interior make us very happy. According to the restaurant, "The Black Sheep brings to you the uncensored raw power that is Progressive American Cuisine, albeit twisted and distorted for your entertainment." Heck yes. more ›

It's not been a good couple of weeks for Chicago restaurants. 8 days after Kith and Kin closed unexpectedly, another shocker - Bistro 110, the Michigan Avenue French mainstay, is shutting down on August 4th. According to Chicago Magazine, Tony Mantuano, the Italian food impresario behind Spiaggia and Terzo Piano, will be revamping the property into an Italian bar, with "good espresso, homemade pastries, gelato to go, a mozzarella bar" and small plates. more ›

Where do you get your New York-style deli fix in our fair Windy City? If you are a fan of matzo, pastrami, corned beef, cheese blintzes, smoked fish, brisket, and lox & cream cheese served all day, we can only assume that you have sniffed out some pretty good options. Allow us to throw another hat into the ring: a trip up north to Max's Deli in Highland Park will knock your socks off. Who knows, maybe literally. Max's is inconspicuously tucked back into a strip mall off of Highway 41, which is obviously not the ideal or typical setting for a New York-style deli. Even still, the food we had was noteworthy and if you are a deli-loving Chicagoan, it's a must-try. more ›

Scott Crane was under hospice care for muscular dystrophy when he met Chef Rodelio Aglibot. Crane had difficulty eating, and his condition was quite challenging, but he was a dedicated lover of food and a blogger. He asked for a unique form of help, what he calls "Food Therapy," and after a day in the kitchen with Chef Aglibot rolling sushi and swapping stories, his condition began to improve. The experience led him and Aglibot to collaborate on the creation of "In Chef's Hands," a new charitable organization that aims to bring one-on-one culinary experiences to individuals with special needs. more ›

Is it just us, or is Chicago suddenly spoiled with oysters? A host of new dining spots, plus several old standbys, are sourcing and serving up impressive oyster programs for a city so far from seawater. Over the weeks ahead, the Chicagoist Foodies (gastropodistas?) will be getting to the bottom of this newfound bounty of bivalves with what we're calling our Oyster Throwdown Series - head-to-head reviews of oyster bars all over the city. 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 ›

Trade shows always seem strange to an outsider - and the National Restaurant Association show, held in Chicago over the past weekend, was no exception. Most of these signs made some sense in context (though, the "vibrate your fat away" signs might not have) but for a member of the public, it looked like someone had gone mildly crazy. Our full impressions of the NRA show, including dining trends for the next year and a discussion of the new field of electronic menus and ordering systems, will be coming soon. But for now, enjoy the silly signs. more ›

In a nearly-unprecedented reversal of fortune last night, Chicago chefs and restaurants got slammed at the James Beard Awards dinner in New York. Unlike our usual banner showing, Chicago took home just one single award - an "Outstanding Restauranteur" award for Lettuce Entertain You owner Rich Melman. Best of all, he wasn't even there! According to the Trib, he didn't even know the Beard Awards were happening. Rick Bayless was not happy about it; on Twitter, he wrote "Total shut out for Chicago tonight at Beard Awards! Worse yet: 1 of top 3 awards goes to Melman--r only chance to shine.NO SHOW!AT BEARDS??" There's more carnage - keep reading. more ›

Last month, we posted a gallery of chefs' tattoos, in connection with this month's National Restaurant Association expo in Chicago. The work was gorgeous, and all of it showed off the participants' deep commitment to their craft. Apparently, people really like to show off their tattoos - after that post, we got a ton of submissions from readers and chefs. Here are our favorites, including shots from Naha, Park Grill, Feast and Mana Food Bar, as well as from a couple of our readers. These belong to chefs, pastry chefs, sommeliers and home cooks - and we want to see yours. Chefs and civilians alike, keep the submissions coming and we'll pick our favorites. Email a picture of your food-or-drink-themed tattoo to Anthony@chicagoist.com. more ›

McDonald's has been getting some traction in the news cycles regarding its nationwide job search today. The Oakbrook-headquartered company is looking to hire 50,000 people to jobs ranging from restaurant crew members to salaried management today. (Here is a list of McDonald's 1,500 open job availabilities in the Chicago area.) more ›

The Illinois House approved legislation yesterday to ban trans fats from restaurants and school cafeterias throughout the state. Under the terms of the legislation, trans fats would be banned in restaurants, movie theaters, and school vending machines in 2013, with school cafeterias following suit three years later. If the Senate approves and Gov. Quinn signs the bill into law, Illinois would become the second state in the Union to ban trans fats, after California. more ›

Wrigleyville's Pick Me Up Café is best known for three things. It has tons of vegetarian options, you can order breakfast any time the café is open, and it is open almost all the time. We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon to give it a try and find out if the Pick Me Up Café would live up to its name. more ›

We toured the about-to-open GT Fish & Oyster last Friday, but we weren't allowed to take any pictures, since the restaurant was still finishing up construction. The Feast got in once things were a bit more in order, and Chef Tentori showed them around the about-to-open restaurant. We are excited to see the rotating series of chalk paintings on the back wall, and to add this to our growing list of "restaurants with ampersands." If you are breathless with anticipation, and you want to eat oysters at the GT-branded boomerang table, this video should keep you sated for a few days. Hints of the decor and menu have been trickling out for weeks, and it seems likely that this spot will be packed to the gills (ha ha) once it opens. Feast also has the entire menu. more ›