Flavor Slices

Sausage pizza

At their restaurants, Jason Vincent and Josh Perlman are all about the intersection of punchy flavors (like Giant’s umami-bomb trout roe tempura) and nostalgia (like the crab Rangoon at Chef’s Special Cocktail Bar, a nod to the American Chinese food of their youth), always carried out with cheffy techniques. Their latest venture, the carryout- and … Read more

Pompette’s Veggie Hash

Pompette’s Veggie Hash

For a glass-half-full approach to the end of summer, consider the onset of sunchoke season. “Sunchokes are a fun fall ingredient that have a creamy center and a nutty flavor,” says chef Aaron Patten of Bucktown’s Pompette, where the knotty little tubers star in a hale and hearty vegetarian hash and also anchor the dish’s … Read more

Smash and Grab

Pop’s double smash burger

When it comes to smash burgers, I’m a charred-edges man. Two ultrathin patties, please, each singed around the corners until they flake like South Side burnt ends. Suffice to say, they smash ’em good at Bitter Pops: one part takeout beer emporium, one part family-friendly taproom. There are no froufrou toppings, just grilled onions, American … Read more