The Hot List: 10 places everyone's talking about and dining at in November—in order of heat
Chicago’s most-buzzed-about restaurants this month
Ad Categories: Dining & Drinking
Weekend Photos: Barrelhouse Flat
On Saturday night, a relaxed crowd gathered at Lincoln Park’s new spot where (thankfully) nary a Steve Jobs or Amy Winehouse was in sight…
Dish Flash: Piccolo Sogno Due Planned for River North
Like a Mahlerian orchestra, Chicago is adding another piccolo. Piccolo Sogno Due (340 N. Clark St.; no phone yet) is under construction in River North…
Adult Education: A Bourbon Lover Gets Schooled on Cognac, the Original Brown Spirit
Did you know that hip-hop saved cognac? I never thought about it until I Googled “cognac” and came across this recap of Kanye West’s appearance at the 2009 VMAs (the same year as the Taylor Swift diss) with his date—a bottle of Hennessy…
2nd Street Bistro Now Open in Highland Park
(North) Shore Fire
With M, Benjamin, and two cupcake shops already opened in the past year, suburb-of-the-moment Highland Park added 2nd Street Bistro…
The Invention of the McRib and Why It Disappears from McDonald’s
As you’ve no doubt heard—it’s all the rage on Twitter—McDonald’s in/famous McRib is back, again. The McRib has come back like twenty times. Ball’s in your court, Jesus. — Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) October 24, 2011 But where did it come from? And where does it go when it departs the McDonald’s menu? All in due … Read more
Horror at the Doughnut Vault
The chilling story of how one girl’s disastrous trip hurled $36 worth of fried gold onto the street
Meet the Doughnut-Craziest Family in Chicago
THE HOLE THING: One obsession, a million opinions.
Fun and Games at Norse Bar, Edgewater’s New Beer and Mario Kart Destination
How long does it take for a bar top to feel gluey to the touch, the smell of stale beer to override the scent of fresh paint, and the bartenders to become a little surly? I wondered this after The Creative Director and I blew threw the door on a 50-mile-an-hour breeze and later sat waiting for a pizza to be delivered to the Norse Bar, a spanking new spot in Edgewater that doesn’t serve food but offers an interesting beer list…
Dish Flash: Upscale Chinese Restaurant Red Violet to Open in River North
Given what a big city Chicago is—and what a big country China is—there are very few Chinese restaurants outside of Chinatown or the Argyle Street area worth their salt (or soy sauce). The restaurateurs behind a project under way at the corner of Hubbard and La Salle Streets aim to change that. Red Violet (121 W. Hubbard St.; no phone yet), an upscale 200-seat restaurant and lounge, is scheduled to open by the end of November, serving the food of Beijing, Sichuan, and Shanghai…