How 4 Top Chicago Chefs Assemble the Perfect Dish

Cooking is — literally — elemental. Earth, fire, and water determine the character of a dish: the terroir of local produce and proteins; the presence (or absence) of heat, both in terms of temperature and flavor; and water as the integral component to every life form (whether animal or vegetable), recipe, and cooking method. A […]

Better Makers: 75 Top Chicago Chefs, 'The Bachelor' Star Join Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to Support the Search For a Cure

Seventy-five of Chicago’s finest chefs joined over 600 corporate and community leaders Feb. 1 at the Field Museum for the city’s premiere culinary benefit, Grand Chefs Experience. The annual Cystic Fibrosis Foundation gala supports the foundation’s mission to find a cure. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that affects 30,000 Americans. The 2019 Grand […]

10 Spots for the Most Delectable Cookies in Chicago

The holidays may come and go, but our obsession with cookies — those crunchy, crispy, chewy, and sweet wonders — will never die, because cookies tell our story. Your childhood, your Girl Scout troop, your grandmother, your culture, all on view. One woman’s lebkuchen is another’s gingerbread; my twice-baked cookie might be biscotti or Mandelbrot. […]

11 Festive Restaurants for Holiday Dining Around Chicago

The only thing better than a special meal shared with family and friends is one that you don’t have to cook yourself — or clean up after. These clever city and suburban restaurants serve up that most elusive of all combinations: a killer private room or space for personal dining, plus swoon-worthy food. The Albert […]

11 Chicago Restaurants Where You Can Actually Have a Conversation

Sometimes I just want to be heard. I’m exhausted from dining out in of-the-moment restaurants and shouting “conversations” at my dining partner. True story: A few summers ago, we were dining in a then-new, pricey Fulton Market restaurant with friends, and the music was so egregiously loud that we asked the hostess if it could […]