Rub’s Backcountry Smokehouse is a distant memory now that the BBQ Supply Co. is fully in charge along Western Avenue in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, near the city’s border with Evanston. When things weren’t going well, Rub’s decided to reconcept and refine the business. After six years, the upgrades have been significant – a new … Continued
The West Loop continues to be the Wild West when it comes to restaurant development. There are new concepts from out-of-town, right alongside local brands that continue to expand in the area. But one of those out-of-towners is truly special. It’s well-known in Rome, but only recently decided to open its first location in the United … Continued
Mexican Independence Day is coming up next weekend, and while the typical dish consumed that day is chiles en nogada, a pair of Mexico’s most beloved dishes are available year-round at one West Town restaurant. They’re called mole and pozole, and they each require several hours to make properly. The result of one woman’s lifetime … Continued
Waffles are usually thought of as a breakfast food, but not in Hong Kong, where “bubble waffles” are a popular snack these days. Since they opened a few weeks ago, Joy Yee Plus in Chicago’s Chinatown has been selling them, since they imported the special machines needed to make them on-site.
It seems like there are all kinds of bakeries opening up in Chicago lately, but few, if any, emphasize Brazilian flavors. Yet a Hyde Park baker, originally from Brazil, is now integrating some of her favorite treats from back home, into her extensive menu of Italian and French pastries.
40 year-old Gabriele Bonci looks like he could wrestle a crocodile. As wide as a linebacker, he sports a few colorful tattoos beneath his short-sleeved chef’s coat and speaks in rapid-fire Italian to his young cooks. They all race around the narrow West Loop kitchen, filling orders and answering questions from customers. I witnessed this … Continued
Avocado toast is one of the biggest breakfast trends of the past few years. In Chicago, there are several places with exceptional versions, including a pair I recently tried in Lakeview.
There are dozens of Chinese restaurants in Chicagoland, but only a handful, if that, of ones specializing in Taiwanese cuisine. There are plenty of similarities, but still, some notable differences that are all quite delicious.
Dozens of Chicago restaurants focus on pasta, but most of them take a narrow, Italian approach. However, Daisies — a cozy new spot in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood — not only makes all of the pasta in the basement, it takes a more Midwestern approach to cooking, worrying less about sticking to Italian tradition.
Chicago’s Rogers Park has dozens of Indian restaurants, but the Edgewater neighborhood also has a restaurant with a strong Indian vibe. The flavors are similar to what you’d find on Devon Avenue, but the presentation is vastly different.
There are so many bakeries in Chicago, but most of them tend to focus on just a couple of things. Inside a new Edgewater bakery, the focus is on French baguettes and croissants, made in-house each day.