During last week’s sleet storm we ducked into the South Loop Wine Cellar on the walk home from the Museum Campus. Half-frozen, soaked and more concerned with warming up than with finding a new shopping destination, we were pleasantly surprised by what we found inside. Warm, welcoming and filled with wine bins, exposed bricks and a beautiful Christmas tree, the store was the perfect place for us to stop. With all of the hype surrounding the opening of the South Loop location of Sam’s Wine and Spirits, some may have missed this much smaller, but much cozier, destination. more ›

Chicagoist has a love-hate relationship with wine. We love slurping the stuff – hey, we’ve even managed the swirl-and-sniff technique without spilling… well, most of the time anyways – but we hate that we feel so intimidated, overwhelmed and just plain stupid at wine shops (is it us or are wine clerks getting younger and younger?). Just Grapes understands our plight. According to Don Sritong, managing partner/director of wine education, the mission of this West... more ›

Chicagoist thinks that there are two kinds of people in the world. The first kind of person is the person who orders the $11 cheese flight at newly opened Eno in the InterContinental Hotel and is impressed by the clever presentation and delicious morsels to be had. The second type of person looks at the three minuscule pieces of cheese sitting in front of them and thinks "I paid $11 for this?" These two people can be distinguished by one thing; the first has an expense account, and the second ... alas, the second is Chicagoist or anyone else lacking said expense account. more ›