Editor’s Note: Our Digital Media Editor, Laura Levy Shatkin, has been writing about food, wine and spirits for more than a decade. She had the great pleasure of knowing Chef Homaro Cantu as he rose to culinary prominence in Chicago. She experienced his cuisine at his various restaurants, in addition to having had a friendly […]
Food and love are always intertwined. Back in 2012, Lake Forest’s Meg Barnhart was looking for a business project that would be able to employ adults with learning challenges, like her son, Doug. For many years, she had turned to her trusty crockpot to get healthy and delicious meals on the family table, and she […]
Hopefully you’ve heard by now that the James Beard Foundation Restaurant Awards are coming to Chicago this spring, which is a HUGE deal. This is real acknowledgment of our status as a destination restaurant city. Of course, the media awards remain in NYC, but maybe next year… Celebrity Chef Tour There are still a few […]
When Sausage King Doug Sohn closed his eponymous Hot Doug’s last year, Chicago mourned the loss. But fear not; chefs Thomas Rice and Kurt Guzowski are poised to assume the mantle at their West Loop restaurant. And what better place to open a meat-centric boîte than on Randolph Street, where generations of meatpacking companies have […]
Lamb has been our meat of choice for our Easter/Spring celebration for many years. My family of four enjoys rack of lamb, so years ago I adapted a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, “The Complete Meat Cookbook” by Bruce Aidells and Dennis Kelly (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1998). (If you like this cookbook you […]
North Shore fans barely had time to mourn the passing of Jerry’s Corner Cooks with the prompt February opening of Taste on Chestnut, but new owner Steve Leviton is up to the challenge. Leviton brings his experience gleaned in the kitchens of Kiki’s Bistro and Highland Park’s Exmoor Country Club to bear with unique twists […]
For a once-dry town, Evanston is making up for lost time. The owners of this über-local nanobrewery, Shawn Decker and Cesar Marron, met through Evanston’s Homebrew Club and decided to partner up to open Sketchbook Brewing. They produce “fine beers in small batches,” selling growlers and kegs to both members and the general public out […]
Brunch is my favorite mashup. It’s two…two…two meals in one, and not only is that a timesaver—let’s face it, who has time for two meals on Sunday morning when you’ve already slept through the first one?—but it’s clearly meant as an excuse for day drinking. But a bottomless Mimosa or a fabulous Bloody Mary bar […]
There are kids’ restaurants (hello, Rainforest Cafe) and adults’ restaurants (yes, Alinea) and then there’s the sweet spot—places that welcome children while also serving food that adults love. We’ve assembled a list of restaurants that fit the bill with inventive kids’ menus and friendly service. Mealtimes are all about connecting with each other and that’s […]
Photo by Karen Levin My family loves St. Patrick’s Day not only for the parade and the dyed-green Chicago River but mostly for the wonderfully hearty and home braised corned beef and cabbage one pot meal I make every year. Serve with soda bread and your favorite local beer or ale. Corned Beef and Cabbage […]
