Where I live, on the Far South Side of Chicago, dining out used to mean pizza, fried chicken, or fast food, while drinking destinations were of the beer-only tavern variety. But when this French-accented Vietnamese and Thai restaurant opened in bordering Evergreen Park 10 years ago, it brought upscale dining and a classy martini bar … Read more
When he’s craving curry rice and tonkatsu, our dining critic heads north.
Farm-to-table is nothing new, but at the café at Elawa Farm, a nonprofit foundation, your food doesn’t have to travel far to get to your table. Opened last fall and housed in a restored David Adler–designed building, the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch made with ingredients from the property, including vegetables grown 100 feet away, … Read more
She’ll kvell — and so will you. Opened last summer by three New Trier alums who missed the kind of sit-down deli restaurant they grew up with, Mensch’s is a tribute to old-school Jewish diners. Jack DeMar, Kiki Eliopoulos, and Eric Kogan visited iconic New York City ones — Russ & Daughters, Barney Greengrass, Pastrami Queen — before crafting a menu … Read more
It isn’t easy eating out with a little one. When you walk into a nice restaurant with an overstuffed diaper bag, a stroller that resembles a small tank, and a ticking time bomb of a baby, the looks you get from other patrons are enough to dissuade you from ever setting foot in public again. … Read more
I had driven by the White Sheep at least a hundred times en route to the stores near Orland Square before I finally stopped in. Now? I don’t want to brunch anywhere else — especially because this is a rare restaurant that serves brunch not just on weekends but every day. My ideal weekday morning: I drop … Read more
Winnetka boasts palatial homes, boutique stores, and pricey coffee, but a bangin’ banh mi shop? Just steps from the Home Alone house, this Vietnamese-Chinese joint that Kevin Diep opened last year serves up uniformly exceptional sandwiches, though the grilled lemongrass pork number — deeply marinated and delightfully charred — is especially stellar. The crackly-tender bread comes fresh from Nhu … Read more
It’s impossible not to root for Cristian Orozco, the owner, executive chef, and head rooftop gardener for Five O Four Kitchen. Every night, he offers a create-your-own five-course tasting menu for $85. Whatever you select, you’ll receive a culinary memoir in five acts. Bowls of Worcestershire-spiked ceviche and huitlacoche ravioli are nods to his childhood … Read more
Gas up the car, we’re headed to the suburbs for today’s episode. Plus, we get the lowdown on Cafe Yaya, the new all-day spot in Lincoln Park from the team behind Galit.
Our critic sat down with the makers of Caruso Provisions giard — the lowest ranked one in our taste test — to talk history, process, and why those jars were off.
