We've shamefully held on to these photos for too long and looking at them made us want to make a return trip to Arami. We hope you enjoy a little slideshow of some of the delicious things we ate while there. more ›

Nori is growing its Chicago empire and its latest outpost has landed on Devon Avenue. Blue Elephant may now be no more than a tasty memory, but at least we can say that something equally delicious has taken its place. more ›

What food trucks would you like to see on the streets of Chicago? Here are some of our picks. more ›

Teppanyaki, the Japanese art of cooking on an iron griddle, is as much about the show as it is the food. If you are going to pay a premium to watch your food cooked in front of you, then it had better be a decent spectacle. More importantly, if you are going to pay a little more for the meal, that little culinary display needs to result in a dish that is nothing short of delicious. Teppanyaki, done right, is both entertaining and tasty. If you are looking for a great dinner and a great show in one, pull up a chair at Sakura Teppanyaki and Sushi in Lakeview. more ›

A sushi chef's table in Evanston, a mysterious Bell's beer release at Binny's and City Provisions turns one by bringing in the vendors who made it possible. more ›

If you haven't tried Robata-style food yet, it's time. "Eating true robata is like having sex for the first time; you can't tell someone about it," explains Sushi Samba rio chef Dan Tucker. After watching him and tasting it for ourselves, we'll certainly try to tell, but the best option is for you to go yourself. Even better, there's a special lunch deal that lets you try this unique food at a notably low price. more ›

Most sushi places offer some form of vegetarian sushi. But not all veggie sushi is created equal. more ›

What was it, exactly, that lured us to opening night at Union Sushi + Barbeque Bar? Was it the tweets of skewered meats and seafood searing away on the restaurant's robata grill? Or maybe it was the promise of an ambitious Japanese sake program - a documented weakness of ours - which Mike and Chao, the world travelers come restaurateurs who operate Union, hinted at during the run-up to Union's debut. On top of all that, we had also caught wind that Bittercube, the talented cocktail consultancy and small-batch bitters makers, helped out with crafting Union's cocktail menu. All we know for sure is we couldn't wait to check the place out. And we were not alone. more ›

Creating sushi is an art. Each piece should be as pleasing to the palate as it is to the eye. Traditional sushi can rely on the vibrant colors and textures of fish to achieve this. Vegetarian sushi, on the other hand, often falls flat and seems like an afterthought in many restaurants. Lakeview’s Rollapalooza breaks with the usual, providing a menu of vegetarian sushi that provides a feast to the eyes and the tummy. more ›

Pairing wine and sushi has always been a challenge. Every so often, an article will appear announcing Riesling or Gewurztraminer as the perfect wine for sushi - and every time we try to drink it, we sigh and go back to drinking sake. That all changed on Thursday night. Usagi Ya, and their wine expert Juan Guardia, invited us to a sampling that expanded our horizons. more ›

Before visiting the House of Sushi and Noodles, we were convinced that we could never get our fill of sushi. Every time we went out, we wanted more of that fresh protein rush and, mostly due to our empty wallet, we never got enough. Indeed, even when we left a restaurant comfortably sated, we were ready to go back and have another round. We take it back: you can get enough sushi, and it’s a surprisingly pleasant experience to have all that you want. more ›

• Friday: The House of Glunz's annual champagne, sushi and caviar event takes place this evening from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Sushi will be provided by Sai Café, Carolyn Collins Caviar. This event tends to sell out so call 312-642-3000 or visit the House of Glunz website to RSVP.
• LUSH Wine & Spirits' West Town location is now open at 1412 W. Chicago Ave.
• Saturday: If Anthony's photo essay of Toni Roberts's dessert plating didn't have you wanting to go to C-House, maybe their $25 High C Holiday brunch will. This prix fixe brunch menu includes your choice of two cocktails between "The Rudolph" (vodka or tequila, tomato juice, fresh horseradish, lemon juice and tobasco); "From the North" (a soothing mix of red wine, vodka, port, cloves, orange zest, accompanied with cinnamon sticks); "Winter Wonderland" (bourbon, heavy cream, egg whites, and nutmeg); "The Poinsettia" (sparkling wine, cointreau, and cranberry juice). All mimosas, bloody marys and sparkling wines are being sold for $5. (Affinia Chicago Hotel, 166 E. Superior, 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Reservations recommended).

We made our way to Kohan to capture some of its food and drink for your eyes. While known for its sushi and teppan grill dishes, it also serves authentic Korean food, as well. Martinis are $5 (1/2 price!) all day Friday and Saturday. [Previous Chicagoist coverage of Kohan: 1, 2] more ›

We were introduced to Sushi X via a grainy photo taken from a friend's camera phone. The beauty of the roll stood out among the noise in the picture and we had to check out the place. more ›

Ever wonder how to make beautiful sushi such as the pictured "Maxwell Street Roll" from Kohan, but you neither can get the rice to stick quite right or find the freshest fish around? The latter is simple: you can head to places like the Fish Guy Market (4423 N. Elston), L. Isaacson and Stein (800 W. Fulton), or Plitt Seafood Company (1455 W. Willow) for the best fish around. more ›

One can't have a hearty Korean dinner — or even sushi — without a bracing serving of soju. It's clear color and clean flavor is comparable to vodka, except for a slightly sweeter taste resulting from the addition of sugar in the distilling process. more ›

Chicagoland sushi is always a touchy subject with food aficionados. Some argue that Midwestern cities will never have even halfway decent sushi, and that those of us who crave sushi should either give up and eat beef or spend our entire incomes on overnight shuttles to Los Angeles. While it is certainly true that Chicago abounds with mediocre sushi restaurants, there are a few that rise to the top. more ›

Combine kitschy decor, deliciously moist cupcakes and a heart-warming tale, and what do you get? The most adorable bakery to hit Chicago in recent memory. more ›

After cooking our Thanksgiving dinner from scratch while holding our toddler, we’d like to never see the inside of a kitchen again. Thankfully, Chicago is rife with take-out deliciousness. Our new favorite is Ta Tong, a local Thai and sushi dive in Lakeview. Most Chicago neighborhoods have one: a hole-in-the-wall place that serves up some awesome Asian food. Ta Tong makes one of the best Pad Kee Mao ($6.95) dishes we’ve eaten in Chicago. We... more ›

Every last Friday of the month, the bartenders and servers at Kuma's Corner donate their night's tips to a worthy cause. Tonight, it's all going to Windy City Roller Tahira "Tequila Mockingbird" Johnson, who's still recovering from her injury over the summer. If you find yourself gorging on the "Hatebeak" or "Goblin Cock" this evening, please tip better than you usually do. Just in time for Hanukkah, local food writer Leah Zeldes will give a... more ›

This week has been all about finding a good turkey, ordering that dinner to go, or cooking at home. But Chicago's intrepid food bloggers were still all over the place this week. Bridget Houlihan and Tammy "Zesmerelda" Green at Chicago Bites took the time to head to Devon Seafood Grill in the Gold Coast. Both of the ladies enjoyed the meal immensely, but to get the full effect, you should listen to their podcast. Meanwhile,... more ›

The Randolph Street Market District, home to Marché, Sushi Wabi and more, is one of the most popular and big-ticket dining areas in the city. But how do they fare under the withering gaze of the City Department of Public Health? Sushi Wabi had troubles with violations 33 and 34. Violation #33 requires "all utensils shall be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized after each usage, as well as all food and non-food contact surfaces of equipment... more ›

It's Wednesday, which means around this time we wait with bated breath for Chicago Magazine's Dish e-newsletter to find our inbox. And, in what's shaping up to be a week of notable restaurant closures, we can add Chinatown's Mulan to the list. It comes to us as a shock, but not a surprise. Kee Chan (Heat Sushi) hasn't been involved in the day-to-day operations here for months. more ›

Wednesday we told you about the closing of Penang Malaysian Restaurant and Sushi Bar in Chinatown for multiple health code violations. Even though a Penang spokesman would only comment to Chicagoist that they were "doing the best (they) could to correct the violations," manager Joe Leung felt slightly more confident when he told Crain's that they only had "plumbing problems" and expected to re-open that same day. We received an e-mail from Tim Hadac from... more ›

The city Health Department just sent out a press release announcing that Penang, the popular Malaysian restaurant and sushi bar at 2201 S. Wentworth, was shut down yesterday for "critical violations of the City Health Code" after being tipped off by a person calling 311, reporting the sight of a rat entering the building housing Penang. Among Penang's many offenses, inspectors found live fruit flies and rodent feces throughout the kitchen and "premises" (one can... more ›

Even if Joe Kafka’s Boston Terrier Beaker wasn’t so darn cute, we’re sure people would have a hard time resisting his even cuter Boystown wine shop Kafka. OK, we admit normally “cute” and “wine” aren’t two words we would want to see together. Then again, we normally don’t associate “cheap, easy and fun” with buying wine, but that’s this four-year-old shop’s motto, and with 250 wines under $15 and the rotating special of 12 wines... more ›

"One Mint Julep" seems to be a fitting theme for this week, in both photo and song (Last.fm doesn't lie). Let's move on, shall we? Today is "Charlie Trotter Day" in Chicago, in honor of the 20th anniversary of the opening of his eponymous restaurant. The Sun-Times had a couple of nice pieces this week in conjunction. We linked to Janet Fuller's story of Trotter's first two employees, who are still with him today, in... more ›

Chicagoist needs your help. This weekend, we were getting ready to go out for some delicious Chinese food on the north side when we had a realization; we have no idea where to go out for Chinese food when dining north of Chinatown. In the past we've sung the praises of Japanese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese and so on, but when it came to finding a Chinese restaurant to head to on a Friday night, we... more ›

Residents of the South Loop/Motor Row area are quickly getting more dining options, and just in time, as home buyers and renters flock to the "hottest" neighborhood in the city. There's Jerry Kleiner's long focus on developing a restaurant district along South Wabash (with Opera, Gioco, Room 21); the Mainstay Hospitality holdings all do great business; Cuatro consistently draws diners from all over the area; Café Bionda proved so successful that owner/chef Joe Farina's opened... more ›

This Week's Theme: Rise and Fall Fred Solomon Would Agree, Because He Likes Fire: We noticed that Kohan, the teppen grill and sushi bar on Maxwell Street, is expanding. They recently bought an empty space next to their current location and will be building it out. We also hear that once the expansion is complete, they'll focus more on the teppen grill side of the menu, including tableside teppen service. Chicagoist is pleased by this,... more ›