Even an evening plagued with wild storms and the threat of tornadoes couldn’t keep the culinary world’s elite from filling the Lyric Opera of Chicago once again for the 2022 James Beard Foundation Awards (JBFA). Following a two-year hiatus, the awards — often considered the Oscars of the food world — returned to the Windy City, […]
When summer finally arrives Chicago, it’s impossible to stay inside. We’re drawn from our cold-weather bunkers likes moths to a flame, desperate to soak up every last drop of vitamin D (slathered with plenty of sunscreen, of course), before we turn into pumpkins and it’s nine more months of winter. (We know — winter isn’t […]
Weather is warming, and people are coming out to eat, shop and play at new restaurants, shops, salons and studios around Chicago and the suburbs. Supporting old favorites and giving a boost to newly opened restaurants, stores and other businesses is a good way to help keep our communities thriving. Here’s what’s new in town […]
It’s been a minute — or two years, to be more specific, although at this point it feels like time is merely a construct — since the last Jean Banchet Awards for Culinary Excellence, aka Chicago’s culinary Oscars. Presented once again in partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the 19th Annual Banchet Awards were held […]
Spring in Chicago just hits differently. After our long, cold winters, the appearance of certain produce on menus — harbingers of spring like asparagus, ramps, garlic scapes, fiddleheads, and rhubarb — are cause for celebration in every professional kitchen. But the reality of living in planting Zone 5 and the variability of local spring weather, […]
We’re not advocates for heavy drinking, but the famous phrase from an even more famous Bavarian drinking song that encourages beer drinkers to pause for two beats before knocking back a stein of local brew feels apropos considering the energetic shift in the air of late. The Bay Area is bursting with beer gardens, which […]
Local restaurants, stores and other businesses are opening their doors in the wake of reduced restrictions, and they’re ready to win — or win back — your love and support. From elevated English pub fare in Lincoln Park and a new North Shore outpost of Sophia Steak to Mexican in Highland Park and a new […]
Tucked snugly into a front corner of historic Winnetka building The Laundry, Fizz & Pop Soda Shop transmits a comforting aura through its large windows that recalls an old-fashioned candy store and soda fountain that once occupied every downtown corridor. Owner Leigh Anne Beath said that she wanted to create a welcoming space with the […]
If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that eating outside is an act of community support — and brunch is one of the best meals to enjoy outdoors. Brunch has always been a noun, but the explosion of restaurants serving up delicious eats during the day means there are more opportunities than […]
Covid numbers are currently declining, and sloooowly, Chicagoland businesses are coming back…especially restaurants, which have been hit so incredibly hard during the last two years of the pandemic. If you’ve been hesitant to go out to eat, shop or workout, now is the time to venture back into the world (some places listed here may […]
