Many Vietnamese restaurants in Chicago are on Argyle Street in the Uptown neighborhood, but Cà Phê Dá in Pilsen offers Vietnamese food served at a slightly higher level. The owners of Haisous on 18th Street opened the tiny coffee shop next door, where the pastries and sandwiches are truly remarkable.
There are, of course, restaurants in the Chicago area that specialize in Southern food, but most of them tend to stick to the same script: fried catfish or chicken, biscuits and a plate of shrimp and grits. However, there’s a new restaurant in Wicker Park, The Delta, where they’re focusing in on the food from the … Continued
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
Most of Chicago’s top-tier restaurants work with a series of local farmers, but a new restaurant in Chicago’s West Loop is cooking at a four-star level, relying primarily on just one farm near Bourbonnais.
A month ago, the James Beard Foundation – at its annual awards gala – named Topolobampo the best restaurant in the country. Rick Bayless’ more upscale Mexican restaurant opened nearly 30 years ago, but the menu keeps changing and adapting – pushing the boundaries of what many of us consider “modern” Mexican.
Good Szechuan-style cooking can easily be found in Chinatown, but an even better option is at a family-run restaurant on Chicago’s Northwest Side where the grandfather is in the kitchen, all by himself.
A charming mom-and-pop neighborhood restaurant has a catchy name for those who filed their taxes this week. While most restaurants begin by planning a menu, then tasting wines to complement the chef’s food, at Income Tax they approach things a bit differently.
The Thai New Year of Songkran is coming up next week and if you haven’t had Thai food in the city recently, there are several places cooking home-style food. Home-style means bolder flavors and not just the usual pad thai noodles.
Cindy’s Rooftop Bar, which has one of the city’s best views, has undergone a pretty major change. Located atop the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel on Michigan Avenue, Cindy’s is popular in the summertime for its views of Millennium Park. However, a new year has brought a completely new menu, with a few tasty surprises that don’t … Continued
When most new restaurants in Chicago tend to feature steaks, chops and other meat-heavy entrees, Bad Hunter is taking a very different approach. The Chef – a recent hire from Nico Osteria – has made grilling, roasting and transforming all manner of vegetables the stars of his menu. Bonus: this week’s Extra Course Video – … Continued
While the ramen wave continues to sweep across Chicago, there is a sub-category of the beloved Japanese noodle soup, but it’s barely seen here. It’s called “tsukemen” (SKEH-men) and there are a just a couple of places offering it now, one of them yearround.