New in Town: Vanille Patisserie Opening in Lakeview

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes the opening of Vanille Patisserie Lakeview, the third and newest outpost of owner Sophie Evanoff’s beloved artisanal bakery. Lincoln Park and the Chicago French Market locations remain open — and busy. If you’re a macaron fan, Vanille is a go-to bakery already; the Lakeview location, which officially opens Feb. […]

Red Meat Renaissance: Chicago’s Best New Steakhouses

There’s no arguing the fact that Chicago is a red meat town. Certainly, we’ve got the big beef houses as testimony to our love: Morton’s, Mastro’s, Gibson’s, Gene & Georgetti, Chicago Cut and more. But in the past year or so, there’s been a carnivore renaissance, with innovative new steakhouses pushing beyond the Caesar Salad/Creamed […]

Make This Award-Winning Mac and Cheese Tonight

My job is SO HARD. Recently I was asked to judge the third annual Cheesy Noodles Mac N’ Cheese Contest for charity. The nerve! But seriously, I was honored to accept, especially given the beneficiary. Held at Max’s Restaurant & Deli in Highland Park, the fabulous culinary competition benefitted StandUp for Kids Chicago, a nonprofit […]

Community Celebrations: January/February 2016

In our January/February 2016 issue, we introduced a new section to highlight local businesses’ anniversaries and awards. If your company is celebrating a milestone in 2016, we want to know! Email anna@makeitbetter.net and your business may appear in our print magazine. Jewell Events Catering 2016 marks Jewell Events Catering’s 49th year in business. Jewell Events […]

Sugar Mama: The New Mom and Entrepreneur Behind Dylan’s Candy Bar

Dylan Lauren, daughter of legendary fashion designer Ralph Lauren, must have been paying careful attention to her dad’s clothing empire when she was growing up. The younger Lauren now runs a booming candy company, Dylan’s Candy Bar, which has 13 locations, including a colorful shop on Michigan Avenue that is guaranteed to bring smiles to […]

Cuba Comes to Lincolnwood at 90 Miles Cuban Café

When you are in Key West, only 90 miles separates Cuba from the United States. For many, it was tantalizingly close, but a world away. For the Gonzalez family, who emigrated from Cuba on a shrimp boat back in 1980, it was a 15-hour trip to the land of opportunity. Alberto Gonzalez certainly made the […]

New in Town: Roti Modern Mediterranean Opens in Northbrook With New Menu Items

Roti Modern Mediterranean (formerly Roti Mediterranean Grill) opened its second restaurant in Northbrook on the corner of Skokie and Dundee. Offering fast, healthy and affordable Mediterranean cuisine including couscous, falafel, salads and rice plates, this location is also the first to offer numerous new menu items. Try the grass-fed beef, lamb meatballs, red lentil soup […]

Sneak More Vegetables Into Your Diet With These 5 Recipes

We all know that vegetables are good for us, and that most of us definitely don’t get enough of them. Health.gov recommends a minimum of five servings a day, but what does that translate to in real life? Servings are typically measured by the half-cup and cup — for most vegetables, a half-cup is one […]

Cocktails Flow and Food Wows at Danny Meyer’s GreenRiver

High above Streeterville, on the 18th floor of a Northwestern Medical Center office building, sits GreenRiver, a luxe restaurant and bar that combines the magic pixie dust of NYC restaurant king Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events with the Best Bar in the World team (Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon of NYC’s The Dead Rabbit). It’s a […]