Hyde Park In Chicago, Southern food has for too long meant fried chicken, pimento cheese, and the kind of biscuits that would make any Southerner bust out a passive-aggressive “Bless your heart.” But thanks to two chefs, Hyde Park has emerged as a destination where down-home flavors ring true. Erick Williams deserves all the accolades … Read more
The Brewed Chicago has its fair share of craft-coffee-meets-vintage-records spots, but the newest addition adds another layer: a retro-diner-inspired horror-movie haven. From the owners of the adjoining Bric-a-Brac Records, the Brewed takes cues from David Cronenberg’s 1979 cult-classic flick The Brood and is filled with 1970s and ’80s cinephile memorabilia from the owners’ personal collections. … Read more
Gemma Foods Tony Quartaro has that familiar COVID-era story: Chef gets furloughed, brilliance ensues. In 2020, Quartaro — a pedigreed pasta guy who honed his skills at the Bristol, Balena, Formento’s, and Daisies — began making noodles and sauces from his home kitchen in Beverly. When demand exploded, he leased the Grand Avenue storefront from which he now churns … Read more
It’s All Good Watch the local news and it’s easy to despair about the state of things in Chicago these days. But for all those well-documented troubles, there’s still plenty to love about this town — especially the ordinary people who make our city great. Spotlighting those Chicagoans is the mission of It’s All Good, a Block … Read more
Able Shoppe Liv Melchers is a former stylist at Madewell who relocated from Nashville to Elgin for its historic charm and the opportunity to grow her online vintage business into a full-blown concept shop last year. She sources everywhere from neighborhood garage sales to Paris flea markets for the furniture, clothing, artwork, and accessories that … Read more
Tyla Abercrumbie Chicago theatergoers have long known Tyla Abercrumbie for her grounded work as an actor in plays like Dominique Morisseau’s Pipeline at Victory Gardens and Lynn Nottage’s Sweat at the Goodman. Her talent as a playwright was lesser known — until February, when TimeLine Theatre Company (of which she is a member) premiered Relentless. Her generational … Read more
Vintage Frills It’s not often that a shop is born in a hot-pink school bus. But Vintage Frills owner Jen Kelly isn’t one to fit the mold. She started hawking retro goods in a mobile shop she called the Vintage Fleet to give access to neighborhoods lacking in thrift shops. Her Avondale boutique opened last … Read more
Esquire by Cooper’s Hawk Here’s a toast to risk taking. After all, the top brass at Cooper’s Hawk could have gone “rosé all day” on us and dropped yet another of their standard wine-themed eateries in the old Esquire Theater space. Instead, they took the Nebbiolo route (read: bold as hell) and ran an experiment: … Read more
Egg Rolls at Sochi Saigonese Kitchen Chinh Pham and Son Do, two Saigon natives who wanted to bring a taste of home to Chicago, nailed it with this airy spot. Their egg rolls — stuffed with ground pork, shrimp, and rice noodles — are made with a special rice paper from Vietnam for maximum crunch. They come with lettuce, … Read more
Agridulce Cold Brew at Bueno Days With their coffee brand Bueno Days, Alma and Cristóbal Mora, a Mexican American couple from Little Village, breathe tangy new life into cold brew by mixing it with a sweet-and-sour blend of agua de Jamaica (made from hibiscus) and orange juice. They source the coffee from Mexico and sell … Read more
