Quail can sometimes feel a bit spartan, but in chef Mark Steuer’s hands it goes from scrawny to brawny. A pair of juicy, golden-brown legs soak in a hearty corn soubise sparked with tart peach relish and tingly Fresno pepper, sending your taste buds sideways. The little bird’s skin is neither crispy or soft, but … Read more
If you have always found uni to be an acquired taste you haven’t quite acquired yet, Giant has the solution. The chefs here pulse the briny sea urchin innards into butter with gochujang and sweetened condensed milk before deep-frying it all, smearing it with pineapple jelly, and bedding it on lightly dressed cucumber shreds. The … Read more
This neighborhood anchor embraces a dual identity as both an old-school Chicago tavern slinging Malört shots and a restaurant dishing some of the most soul-satisfying vegetarian and vegan food in the city. It’s the kind of place that serves breakfast until 3 p.m., which also happens to be the cutoff point for ordering this giant, … Read more
Owner Robert Evans Sr. is one of the last barbecue elders who knows how to work the aquarium smoker, that glass-walled icon of the genre that’s only really used in our city, to its full potential. His rib tips — chewy, fatty, and more satisfying than bacon — have a craggy bark and toothsome bite, … Read more
A lesser chef might be a little nervous around monkfish. Its lean meat can dry out at the slightest suggestion of overcooking, and the prehistoric-looking anglerfish doesn’t have the sex appeal of, say, salmon. Luckily Ellison Park (pictured) is fearless, taking the fish’s hearty tail flesh and basting it in butter infused with a curry-like … Read more
These puffy steamed buns — fist-sized and generously stuffed — float through the supermarket’s walk-up window seven days a week. A team of dogged women makes the Korean street-food staple from scratch in three flavors: velvety red bean, zesty kimchi with pork, and a milder mix of juicy pork nubs and shredded veggies. Your first … Read more
Amadai (Japanese tilefish) is a luxury in Kyoto that often gets pickled and grilled. But Otto Phan deep-fries it, scales and all, basically turning the fish into cracklings, which he crowns with caviar and horseradish before placing it directly into your hand. It feels dangerously fragile, but it hits your tongue with the force of … Read more
For the uninitiated, think of lengua, or beef tongue, as a secret second short rib: It’s all tenderness and fat, the perfect foil for a piquant salsa or two. Cesar Castillo, the remarkably chill taquero at this grocery-store counter joint, never overcooks the delicate meat, working with it on its own terms. Order extra.
At his sprawling Mag Mile joint, self-made bread baron Rich Labriola turns out truly revelatory deep dish, possibly the first improvement on the form in a generation. The double-proofed, focaccia-style dough is lined with mozzarella and then browned to a crackly, caramelized crunch, yielding a crust more flavorful and nuanced than what the tourists queue … Read more
Eddie Lee made a bold decision to try and one-up the legendary chicken lollipops at Albany Park’s Great Sea Restaurant. Be glad he did: This is twice-fried poultry that bests its predecessor, with exceptionally crispy skin glossed in a zingy sauce that makes the meat glisten like amber. Each order comes with a paper boat … Read more
