If you're tired of boring old pad thai, head up north to Sticky Rice for a taste of Northern Thai cuisine. more ›

Though at certain points music fans found each other elbows-to-elbows waiting in beer lines and by food trucks, The Hideout's Block Party, commemorating the venue's 15th anniversary, was an enjoyable, eclectic array of talent both young and old, local and national. more ›

We've been pinching and swiping our way through "Speakeasy Cocktails" recently and have found it to be one of the best of its kind we've seen thus far. more ›

In which we take a quick look at a few recent or upcoming musical releases. more ›

Look out Edgewater, there is a new player in your pizza scene. The new kid on the block, however, is by no means new to the business, just your neighborhood. Pete's Pizza has been serving up traditional, thin crust pizza and Italian specialties for over 60 years. After working from essentially one outpost for six decades, this is their first real expansion. The new digs are bright and cozy, giving the Granville corridor yet another breath of fresh air. Having heard the hype, we decided to put Pete's to the test. more ›

The latest addition to the shelves of our home bar may not be drinkable, but we're no less excited for it to join the team. Design*Sponge recently clued us in to An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails, a handsome little book written by Orr Shtuhl with accompanying artwork by Elizabeth Graeber. 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 ›

Vegetarian fast food. It may not be an oxymoron, but it is also not a phrase that usually elicits excitement - especially among vegetarians. For us, "grab and go" usually means a handfull of celery or carrot sticks. For those with a little more time, you might be able to get a salad made to order. Then again, it is probably going to be the same salad you ordered last time. Truth be told, though, things are better than they have been in the past. Thanks to greater acceptance of the meat-free diet, most places now have some kind of vegetarian offering on the menu. Then there's Hannah's Bretzel. These little shops have eight! more ›

Vegetarian food is not exactly hard to come by in Mexican restaurants. It does not take a whole lot of effort to throw some standard non-meat ingredients on a tortilla or taco shell and label it vegetariano. It takes more talent and a better understanding of the veggie palate, however, to serve up meatless meals with real south of the border flare and authentic Mexican taste. The folks at Los Portales in Rogers Park possess that skill. more ›

Radio Q's Jian Ghomeshi hailed Chicago as the city of Al Capone, deep-dish pizza and home to diverse neighborhoods like Wrigleyville. We thought he would introduce Canadians to the Chicago they don’t see on television. 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 ›

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 ›

Why mess with a formula that works? Dynamite Steps, the latest long-player by Greg Dulli's The Twilight Singers continues the musical template he's used since his early days with the Afghan Whigs. Years of hard living and last calls may have roughened Dulli's voice, but his ability to tell stories of life and lust after dark and bring characters on the fringe to life in his lyrics are still as sharp as a straight razor. more ›

Our lost in Indiana at night excursion to Three Floyds not only netted us an amazing meal, but a growler of amazing beer. Because who knows when we'll find ourselves down Munster way in the near future? This selection is a recently re-christened beer from Three Floyds that's taken off on drafts throughout the city. more ›

If you're like us, lunch hour is an endless ground war against monotony first and excessive expense a close second. You've tried everything within the circle around your office, and you're bored. In an attempt to shake up that routine, we've been seeking out tasty lunch spots that won't set you back more than around 15 bucks for you and a buddy. Artisan Cellar, somewhat hidden in plain sight on the first floor of the Merchandise Mart, fits that perfectly. more ›

The downtown lunch scene seems to present almost endless possibilities. There as so many different styles of cuisines from which to choose and at a rather wide range of prices. Sit down, take out, pre-made, made to order - you can find it all in the Loop. What really sets a lunch spot apart from the rest these days, however, is a combination of good food, great prices, and how full you are going to get for your money. There is, after all, one hell of a recession on. Few places get us as close to a vegetarian food coma for our hard-earned bucks as Benjyehuda. more ›

Quite possibly the most unassuming of Chicago’s 2011 Bib Gourmand restaurants also touts one of the zestiest, most vibrant menus. Taste of Peru, in Rogers Park, has been a Chicago favorite and Peruvian staple for nearly half a decade. Taste of Peru has a distinctly Peruvian menu with fresh seafood and meat entrees, and is well worth the trip to the far north side. more ›

Half Acre couldn't have picked a better time to release Ambrosia unto the world, since weather for the last couple days in Chicago have been sweet, sweet bliss and a gift from the deity of your choice. On the Half Acre blog, head Acre-er Gabriel Magliaro writes, "Spring - this is for you." As such, it makes perfect sense to dive into this new release as we get ready to welcome the season, and good weather was a great reason to walk to the brewery and grab a bomber for just shy of $8. more ›

Chicago Bites is one of my favorite low-key food websites. Co-founders Bridget Houlihan Tammy Green have been doing great work since 2006. Houlihan announced this morning that she was leaving the site to pursue other projects, and she will be missed. more ›

We’ve been dying to try Logan Square’s Brand BBQ Market, and we finally made it in for lunch. Brand has a current lunch special of a chopped pork sandwich, a soda, and fries for $6.95. That’s for dine-in only and does not include tax or gratuity, but what a deal! We couldn’t pass it up so we stopped in to see what Brand could do with their pigmeats, and find out what else they have to offer. more ›

The Black IPA is the hip, happening new thing when it comes to brewing styles, Massachussetts' Clown Shoes Brewery is the "new kid in town" of Chicago beer distribution and I'm the new guy (sorta) when it comes to Beers of the Week. Thusly, I thought we'd be best served by spending some of our weekend with "Hoppy Feet," the new black IPA from Clown Shoes. more ›

The Museum of Contemporary Art recently opened Jim Nutt: Coming Into Character, an exhibit that moves easily between haunting and hilarious with its vivid portraits of imaginary women. Nutt is a Chicago artist and founding member of the surrealist group the Hairy Who, which exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center in the late 1960s. Although it includes nearly half a century of Nutt’s work, the MCA exhibit is more of a focused retrospective, most of it portraits of imagined women over a period of about 20 years. more ›

It appears that Soupbox may have raised their prices since the last time we checked, but even still, you can do lunch for two for under $15 at this media darling of a soup joint. We visited the newest Soupbox spot, the Gold Coast location on Chicago Avenue. Unlike the Broadway Street location in Lakeview, the Gold Coast store does not deliver, so you're going to have to go pick it up yourself. We've got the goods and the bads on this hot spot. more ›

Over the weekend, we headed over to McCormick Place to pay a visit to the 2011 Chicago Auto Show. One of our most anticipated events of the year, we spent hours ogling the latest offerings from most of the major auto makers, as well as a few concepts for future vehicles. more ›

Here's a beer we dug out of our cellar (actually a hiding spot in our pantry) for Super Bowl Sunday last week. We weren't favoring either team in the game, but that didn't mean we weren't going to come correct with the beer. Dunkler weizenbocks are the best of a bock, a wheat beer and a dunkel. This beer from Germany's Michael Plank Brauerei is a sweet, sweet brew, with all the hallmarks of a weizen - the banana and cloves on the palate, the yeasty esters on the nose and rich clinging head on the glass. And we'd have shown you, as well, but some of our beer photos are too blurry, even for us. This beer goes well with sweeter soups, stews and chili. Vegetarian chili seems to really pair well with this beer. You can also sere this beer with some lighter chocolates and sweeter desserts. We're thinking this dunkel weizen would really take off as a pairing with some banana pudding. more ›

Tonight's premiere of (8 p.m. on WFLD FOX 32) wastes no time using voice-overs and flashbacks to great effect in establishing the character backgrounds and motivations of Chicago Police Superintendent Teresa Colvin (Jennifer Beals) and hotshot detective Jarek Wysocki (Jason Clarke) to root out crime on the streets, in the police houses and in the City Hall of Shawn Ryan's (The Shield) fictionalized version of Our Town. more ›

We learned a couple of things from Tuesday night's ill-fated "Screw the Blizzard" tweetup. First, Timberlands are only good for one hard winter, then need to be tossed. Second, The Beer Bistro makes a damn fine bowl of chili and buffalo chicken pizza. Third, they have specialty beers brewed for the bar from Brooklyn Brewery. more ›

Last night was Chicagoist staff get-together night at Resi's Bierstube (2034 W. Irving Park Rd.), one of our favorite German bars in the city. Resi's has a great selection of pilsners, weizens, alts, and other lagers. By the time Kevin joined us fresh from the mayoral debate, most of the men at the table were drinking BBK (short for "Bayerische Brauerei Kaiserslautern") Pilsner.BBK Pilsner is in our top five list of favorite pilsners because of its clean flavor and fuller body than the dry pilsner styles of northern Germany. It's golden straw color and hazy appearance are also true to the style. more ›