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
Think you’ve seen everything under the fried chicken sun? Darnell Reed begs to differ, lightly coating his fried chicken in a proprietary mix of Creole seasonings, Crystal hot sauce, and lots of melted butter. He calls it “gospel bird,” and it’s a firecracker of smoky, peppery flavor. We’re only too happy to spread the good … Read more
Lula’s brunch is the great equalizer, an approachable menu that can sustain both food obsessives and those who couldn’t care less what they eat after a night of drinking. The burly burrito from chef Jason Hammel (pictured) is the pinnacle of the form: Just avocado, cheese, eggs, vegetables, and potatoes, assembled with care, in ideal … Read more
Sometimes the best decision is to sit back and let the ingredients do the work, as has been done to exceptional effect at this three-year-old Spanish-style seafood spot. Case in point: the boquerónes. It’s a simple plate of white anchovies, swimming in a lake of peppery Spanish olive oil and dressed lightly with fennel, piquillo … Read more
This decadent centerpiece consists of a sea of fusilli guarded by three juicy cacciatore sausages, four immense soppressata meatballs, a fall-off-the-bone tomato-braised pork shank, and a helluva lot of oregano. It’s a protein-and-carb orgy. If you plan on ordering it, bring reinforcements.
PST’s best dishes create harmonies not just between ingredients but — in true California tradition — between cultures. Prime example: A swipe of creamy hummus with hot-from-the-hearth pitas may place this dish in the Middle East, but then the kitchen adds crisp-tender nuggets of octopus, a paprika vinaigrette, and a flurry of basil, and suddenly … Read more
In their restaurant’s nascent days, co-owners Beverly Kim and Johnny Clark planned to make an array of Asian-inspired breads. Instead, they made just this one, and it’s never left the menu. The dense little pincushion of a loaf is an homage to a loaded baked potato: It’s made with bits of potato, flecked with bacon … Read more
Tteokbokki, a snack of chewy fried cylindrical rice cakes in spicy sauce, is the dish that moved chef-owner Jennifer Kim to explore the unlikely bridge between Korean and Italian cuisines. Instead of stir-frying hers, she sears the cakes in a cast-iron pan to give them more texture and replaces the typical gochujang-based sauce with a … Read more
Is it sacrilege to go to a pizzeria specifically for a salad? Perhaps, though it’s a sin easily forgiven at this diminutive joint. The key to the minor masterwork is the texture: a happy cacophony of crunch, from thin tendrils of Brussels sprouts to bits of breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, the whole tossed in an … Read more
