What is flavor? When you stop in at Sunset Pho Caffe in the far reaches of upper Western, you’ll have no doubt why it rhymes with pleasure. For those of us who go through life in an endless quest for taste sensations both satisfying and sublime, finding eye fluttering surprises make our searches imminently worthwhile …
Sitting on a site that’s been vacant for years, Lincolnwood’s new Stefani Prime Italian is undoubtedly a welcome addition to the neighborhood. With its sleek décor and menu focused on the tried and the true, the anticipation was that the food be as delicious as it is straightforward. There’s a raw bar, conventional appetizers that …
Sometimes Check Please comes through in a big way and introduces you to a restaurant that lives up to the all the gushing. Sitting flush on the sidewalk on Belmont just east California, Pisolino Italian Caffe’s got that super urban neighborhood feel; hard edges on the outside and soft and pretty on the inside. Although …
We expected a level of affectation. Some kind of reputational gloat. Both were completely not present. Everything at Boka was unassuming and regular. Busy night, lots of people, restrained class in the midst of bustle. And an added surprise at the host stand. Unconventional beauty that was also pleasant. All adventures should cast off so …
A cocktail and a meal can tell you a lot about a place. On one extreme, they can let you know never step foot in there again; or they might induce lingering fantasies. Bellemore, pronounced as if it were two words, dwells in the latter world. Curiosity goes on high boil when you enter …
Proximity to celebrity is as much a draw in the food world as it is in Hollywood, making WTTW’s studio taping of Dishalicious an irresistible draw. A live cooking demonstration show hosted by Monteverde’s Sarah Gruenberg, whose ascending star began rising with her stint as Executive Chef at Spiaggia, is about process. Not competition. She …
There’s probably a number of ways to do Restaurant Week well and the Tortoise Supper Club’s rendition ranks high among them. Keeping it very simple and straightforward, they corral a diverse selection of their standard offerings and feature them at a dramatic discount. And they don’t skimp on either the portions or the quality. The …
Even though it seems like restaurant week has been around since David slew Goliath, it’s only eleven years old. Organized in 2007 to entice people out of their homes and into dining establishments in the middle of winter, it’s proven a roaring success. The number of participating restaurants continues to grow and the public’s interest …
When the hunt is on for good jerk chicken in Chicago, don’t assume an easy outing. That may be because the city lacks the large number of people of Caribbean heritage who make Chicago home as they do in New York and Toronto. That dearth is reflected in our culinary landscape. Thankfully there’s a quiet …
In Chicago’s dynamic food universe, it’s easy to overlook the tried and true. Places that seem to always be there cooking solid meals with consistency and distinction day after day with or without tremendous acclaim or fanfare. Places like Chicago Curry House, a quiet little spot tucked away in the 800 block of Plymouth Ct …