Category: Food & Drink

  • The Italian Village is Pretty Chill on Reds

    The Italian Village is Pretty Chill on Reds

    It’s hot. It’s stupid hot. It’s asphalt melting under your feet, sweat through your clothes, exploding into flame hot and I’m thirsty and I want a glass of red wine but come on—if I pour one out on my patio it’s just gonna boil. I wish I could serve it cold, but I’m no idiot. […]

  • No Average Joe at Joe’s Imports

    No Average Joe at Joe’s Imports

    Not your average Joe, Joe’s Imports shines in Fulton Market. Come for the wine. Stay for the food. Come back for the hospitality. Go let Joe work his magic on you!

  • The Curses and Legends of Billy Goat Tavern

    Few restaurants or bars are as famous, or as infamous, as Chicago’s Billy Goat Tavern. It’s a tourist destination and a haven for local reporters.

  • Chef-Driven Restaurants on the Magnificent Mile

    Chef-Driven Restaurants on the Magnificent Mile

    Chefs are celebrities in Chicago. With their skill and talent, they’re lauded almost as much as movie stars and athletes.

  • Eat Like a Local at Navy Pier

    If you want to eat like a local at Navy Pier there are several options from which to choose, from fast food to fine dining.

  • Believe in BBQ!

    Believe in BBQ!

    The parking lot is sweltering hot. You can crack an egg and fry it on the pavement. But I don’t care. I am tucking into a paper boat full of expertly smoked brisket, a wet nap in one hand, a cold-ish beer in the other. It is hot and humid and the air is redolent […]

  • Road Trip to Pennyville Station

    Road Trip to Pennyville Station

    I will be honest. Rarely do I travel outside of Chicago city limits to eat. But occasionally a suburban restaurant beckons. So, when I heard of an eclectic New American restaurant in Park Ridge, I had to go see it for myself. Pennyville Station, owned by Park Ridge native and restaurant industry veteran Tony Antonacci, […]

  • Dinner-and-a-Movie, All Grown Up

    Dinner-and-a-Movie, All Grown Up

    What happens to dinner-and-a-movie when it grows up? I think that the answer to that question is CMX VIP Cinema Experience paired with CMX CinéBistro, a luxury dinner-and-a-movie concept in residence at Old Orchard Mall in suburban Skokie. Don’t forget your IDs, folks. This movie theater is for those over 21. And while there is […]

  • Now Open: BMO Club Rooftop at Ravinia Festival

    Now Open: BMO Club Rooftop at Ravinia Festival

    Ravinia Festival, Chicagoland’s favorite summer alfresco music venue, has expanded its dining offerings this summer with the recent opening of the tony new BMO Club. The swanky rooftop is now open to the public and available for private parties. Under the watchful eye of its general manager, Antoine Pierre Whitfield, BMO Club is yet another […]

  • A Tasty Combo: Oscar Lee’s Barbecue and Milwalky Taco

    A Tasty Combo: Oscar Lee’s Barbecue and Milwalky Taco

    Two of my favorite types of food are barbecue and Mexican cuisine. Put some low-and-slow and a plate of tacos in front of me and I’m a happy woman. In Oscar Lee’s Barbecue and Milwalky Taco, I have found my happy place. These sibling restaurants are located next to each other in Libertyville. Chef Lee Kuebler […]

  • Easy Livin' at The Delta

    Easy Livin' at The Delta

    “There are great people here.” I beg your pardon? “People here. The staff, the regulars. There are so many great people here!” I am standing next to the bar at The Delta, waiting to be seated for dinner. One of the owners is behind the stick slinging drinks on this busy Friday night. He chuckles, […]

  • Furious Spoon ramen continues its Furious (R)evolution with a new menu

    Furious Spoon ramen continues its Furious (R)evolution with a new menu

    Chicago’s Furious Spoon advertises itself as a place where “ramen meets hip-hop.” This is not your typical ramen shop. Chef Shin Thompson chose the name to give guests the permission to eat ramen the way he thinks it should be eaten – furiously. You are supposed to slurp the noodles furiously so that the noodles […]