Tavernita has finally officially opened and the grand opening party was last night. more ›

Iron Chef America is generally a silly show, but it still has its drool-worthy moments. For us, the best moment is when the food is presented to the judges, and we get to see the finished products that the celebrity chefs have come up with. But food porn has its limits; mostly, we want to be there and taste that food! Then, after the show is over, we go into the kitchen and eat an entire block of cheese to soothe our pain. But, enough about us - you can eat exactly like the judges on Iron Chef America. Starting in early April, Mercat a la Planxa will be replicating one of Iron Chef Jose Garces winning Iron Chef America menus. Special ingredient? Mexican Chocolate. more ›

Last Sunday, we were bowled over by the best brunch deal we've encountered in ages. Mercat a la Planxa is running a promotion called "Sunday Funday" (we know, it's a horrible name) which accomplishes all of the goals of a great brunch: amazing food, social dining, lots of booze and a low low price. We've mentioned our love of Mercat in the past, but the restaurant's relatively high prices and recent popularity (thanks in part to Chef Jose Garces appearance on Iron Chef) may have deterred some visitors. If so, this is your chance. more ›

When we walked into Eivissa, the Wells Street Art Festival was booming outside, the bar was four-deep with revelers and the giant front windows were opened onto the patio. The new Old Town tapas joint couldn’t have picked a better time to open, but we were more concerned with the food than the scene. We sheepishly begged for a seat in the back, and the hostess led us into a cool, cozy space, with giant wooden beams covering the ceiling. It evokes the feeling of a much older restaurant, the kind of hidden space that diners long to curl up in with a drink. more ›

We love tapas and (since this author lives in the South Loop) we love to see good restaurants opening in the neighborhood. So, it’s possible that we were predisposed to like Mercat a la Planxa before we walked through the door. Chef Jose Garces' tapas outpost made Esquire's list of Best New Restaurants last year. On the other hand, Time Out Chicago's David Tamarkin decried Mercat's supposed "lack of soul," and there have been a fair share of mediocre reviews on Yelp, so we were interested to see how the place would stack up. more ›

Mana Food Bar is exactly the kind of vegetarian restaurant Chicago needs. It’s small and intimate, has a very good alcohol selection, offers small versions of all its dishes for tasting and is relatively inexpensive. Oh, and did we mention that the food rocks? more ›