The shell of the new taco is made from nacho cheese Doritos. The CEO calls it "a breakthrough product." more ›

The whole restaurant transformed into "Taco Hell" with special guest Rick Bayless. more ›

Earlier in the week, an Alabama law firm announced that it was suing Taco Bell for not having enough beef in its beef. The story quickly went viral, running around the interwebs faster than the Taco Bell chihuahua chasing after a blond girl. Taco Bell issued a response (more of a denial) which we posted. Today, Taco Bell has responded in force, taking out full page ads in major newspapers all over America. The ads read "Thank you for Suing Us" and deny that there is any problem. more ›

This seems to be the week of fast food revelations and scary food scandals! Taco Bell, the tex-mex fast food giant with 10 Chicagoland locations, is being sued by a law firm in Montgomery, Alabama. The lawyers are alleging that Taco Bell's ground beef isn't really ground beef at all, but "Taco Meat Filling" which does not fit the legal or practical definition of ground beef. Now, many Taco Bell customers will be less than shocked that something fishy is going on with the filling in the tacos, but we were more surprised to find out that there IS a legal definition of ground beef. Call us naive, but we assumed that it was just... beef, ground up. We were almost right. In order to legally qualify as ground beef, a product must be made of" chopped fresh and/or frozen beef with or without seasoning and without the addition of beef fat as such, shall not contain more than 30 percent fat, and shall not contain added water, phosphates, binders, or extenders." Taco Bell might not fit the bill. more ›

Meet Paul and Caragh Brooks. They met via an internet dating site. Caragh lived in Australia and after nine months of emails and phone calls between her and Paul, she moved to the States. On New Year's Eve, Paul proposed and she said yes. It may not be the conventional "boy-meets-girl" story, but, hey, who are we to judge? Said Paul, "We have the same brain, just in two bodies. We think alike in virtually every manner. We have the same interests, viewpoints." Good for them. But, see, here's where shit gets weird: the pair got hitched this past Friday at a Taco Bell in (ironically) Normal. According to an AP report, "because, they like to spend time at the local Taco Bell, they decided to wed there." Okay, now we're gonna judge. Look, we understand times are tough. And maybe the two do have "an off-beat relationship" as Paul told the AP. But...really? A Taco Bell? Seriously? I once broke up with a girlfriend at a Waffle House, but I don't think it's quite the same thing. more ›

Not only can you get an entire week's worth of sodium in one meal at this KFC/Taco Bell at Irving Park and California, but they also kindly provide a "what's wrong with this picture" game on their signage. How cool of them! more ›

Londonist got the big scoop of the week with what may be the first images of notorious street artist Banksy in action. They also got on a runaway train without an operator provoking a response from the transport authorities. Elsewhere, London's answer to Central Station is about to open for business, and Londonist got a sneak preview. Meanwhile, spooky goings-on beneath London Bridge, where a cache of skeletons provided an apt story for Hallowe'en.... more ›

This weekend the Chicagoist offices were in a tizzy, as The Nightwatchman Tom Morello announced his tour dates, including a stop on Chicago's Federal Plaza on April 14 to play the Immokalee Workers Rally. Part of the focus of this rally is to continue to shine a spotlight on the plight of migrant farmworkers that pick produce for some of the largest fast-food chains. One of those chains, McDonald's, calls Chicagoland (Oak Brook, to be... more ›

During a presentation at the American Chemical Society in Chicago, researchers from the University of Maryland presented their findings on the benefits of whole wheat based products. more ›

If your pumpkin cream cheese muffin has tasted a little less fatty in recent weeks, it's because it is — Starbucks has been replacing baked goods with trans fat with a trans-fat free version over the past month. By this Wednesday, caffeinated snackers can chow down worry-free, as all baked goods in Chicago (and other urban) Starbucks will be replaced with their healthier counterparts. Half of the lunch options will also be trans-fat free. The changes will also occur in less-urban markets, though no time frame has been given by Starbucks for these switches. more ›

The ongoing saga of The Spire continues. This week in Foods We Can't Eat: Onions at Taco Bell. Pepsi is reorganizing and centralizing some of its operations in Chicago. And this week in GLBT news: Gay and Lesbian travelers love Chicago. We're #11 on the list of top destinations. And there's now a Chicago Gay Games DVD. And finally, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus has a new CD out. Go see some Iraqi art... more ›

Chicagoist likes to think we’ve seen it all, but, sometimes, we’re still a little shocked, or at least puzzled, by our fellow humans. Which, we suppose, isn’t a bad thing. Good to keep things interesting. more ›

El Pollo Loco just opened a restaurant in Logan Square, its first location outside of the US Southwest. Like many others, Chicagoist was there PRONTO to check it out. We'd had El Pollo Loco in California and were eager to see if it lived up to our memories. We were also excited to have a flame grilled fast food chicken alternative to KFC and a Mexican alternative to Taco Bell. El Pollo Loco promised to... more ›

Remember those 72 chihuahuas found in a Wheeling home last month? Well the Heartland Animal Shelter in in Northbrook that took them in is having trouble paying the bills. The shelter is spending $1500 a day to house the dogs, prepare their meals, and buy thousands of tiny plastic bags to pick up their poo. But the biggest cost for the shelter: their phone bill. An employee told NBC 5 that their phone and voicemail bill jumped to $1,200 after the deluge of calls from people interested in adopting the puppies. more ›

Chicagoist spent Sunday sweltering in the 100 degree heat at U.S. Cellular Field. Meanwhile, most of the Chicago Bears spent the day sweating on the practice field for the first time, as Sunday marked the opening of the Bears' Training Camp. Held once again at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, Illinois, the Bears will be training until August 17, trying to get into shape for the 2005 season. As in past years, fans are invited... more ›

The Trib has a nice round-up of gigantic burritos today, but it’s hard to read without simultaneously really wanting a burrito and really wanting to hurl. It turns out that Chicago is home to some insanely big burritos. more ›