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Happy Birthday, Julia

Even though her official birthday was August 15th, the food community continues to celebrate the life of Julia Child all month long with tributes and stories from her past. The legendary cookbook author would have celebrated her 100th last week. I had a few opportunities to meet her in the late 90s, while she continued … Continued

Portland: Food Cart Capital of The U.S.

  PORTLAND – I honestly thought I was going to see more trucks than campers. But in researching the food cart scene here for an upcoming story, I discovered that not only do the carts here stay put for the most part, they also tend to exist in small spaces that could be described as … Continued

Cocktail Heaven in NOLA

  As regular readers of this blog will know, I’m a fan of a well-made cocktail. So you’ll understand my excitement, when, after having just read this story in the NY Times about the vibrant cocktail scene in New Orleans, I found myself here this week. I ran over to SoBou – which stands for South … Continued

Eye Candy: A Turtle Worth Slowing Down For

  We’re taking a break from our regularly scheduled feature this week, to bring you some of my favorite images from the summer. Unlike fall and winter, when we try to rationalize how splendid a bowl of squash soup or roasted root vegetable looks, this time of year, food just looks better. It’s sunnier; colors … Continued

Drink Pink For A Great Cause

While summer is typically the time to drink rosé, over the next week or so, it’s time to get in touch with your feminine side. The first-annual “Real Men Drink Pink” breast cancer awareness campaign kicks off later this week, and yours truly, along with some other fellas, are drinking and toasting in an effort to raise awareness … Continued

Top 5 Reasons to Support “Taste of the Nation”

  There are so many charitable causes throughout the year in Chicago, it can be hard to choose which ones to support. Honestly, for most people, it’s because the cause is close to their heart or they have some other personal connection. I choose a few organizations each year to get involved with, but I … Continued

Best Things I Ate…Yesterday

  It felt, for just a moment, as if I’d been back on the water near Kittery, Maine, chowing on fresh seafood, barely dressed with mayo and stuffed into lightly-toasted hot dog buns. Or was it simply a Northeastern version of skägen, the prized appetizer in Stockholm, Sweden, which marries slender, cold water shrimp with … Continued

Celebrate Belgian Independence Day at Leopold

  Although the Fourth of July may be over, Independence Day festivities for other countries are still in full swing. This week (July 17-21), Leopold is offering a special menu to commemorate Belgian Independence Day.   The Belgian restaurant is featuring a five-course menu with different beer pairings for each day of the celebration. The … Continued