At midnight this Saturday, November 20th (Sunday morning, technically speaking), River North’s craft-cocktail den The Drawing Room hosts a no-cover viewing party to showcase one of its own: Charles Joly, a finalist on the third season of On the Rocks: The Search for America’s Next Top Bartender, which airs its finale that night…
A new Italian restaurant on Taylor Street? Big deal. But Davanti Enoteca is no pizzeria/pasteria/trattoria with red-checked tablecloths. Rather, it’s a smart, friendly small-plate phenom with insanely good food, like the focaccia de recco—warm, oozy cow cheese between thin layers of just-baked crust. Don’t miss the truffled egg toast, wherein truffle oil soaks into brioche … Read more
Discovering a new and unique ethnic cuisine is one of our top thrills. So we were panting at the door when this tidy crimson-colored storefront, specializing in grub from Kyrgyzstan, opened at the northern edge of Lincoln Square. Its name means “Silk Road,” and the dishes—all under $10—reflect a medley of influences: Russian, Turkish, Indian, … Read more
BACK TO THE FUTURE: This year, retro has meant barbecue, burgers, and bargains. Time to ramp it up
The news of Prince William’s engagement to Kate Middleton has led to a serious decline in productivity this week at the desk of The Chaser, who regretfully admits to Googling search terms such as “Kate Middleton blue dress” and “royal engagement TV interview” (you, too, can watch the complete 18-minute segment). In fact, I hope you’ll pardon the haughty tone of this blog post, as I can’t seem to cease writing in a posh British accent—and I do hope you’ll read it as such…
Put That in Your Pipe and Smoke It
Pollack called Dean Carson, the kingpin of Carson’s barbecue restaurants…
White, purple, and pungent, the rutabaga isn’t about to overtake bacon as a menu darling. Yet this root vegetable can be rendered delicious in capable hands. Proof: We challenged three local chefs to create dishes that do exactly that. The resulting recipes are good enough to turn rutabaga skeptics into believers. (In two cases, bacon … Read more
First things first. Michelin handed out its stars this morning – 24 hours early – following a supposed leak of the list on Yelp. As it turns out, the leak was on the mark.
3 stars: Alinea, L2O
2 stars: Avenues, Charlie Trotter’s, Ria
1 star: Blackbird, Boka, Bonsoirée, Crofton on Wells, Everest…
On Saturday our photographer pointed his camera toward Lake View’s Blokes & Birds, which, along with Avondale’s Owen & Engine and Wicker Park’s Bangers & Lace, completes the city’s triumvirate of new UK-themed pubs.
Anybody who loves restaurants has an opinion on which ones will land on Michelin’s list. To make it interesting, I challenged my dining-critic colleagues to a bet—and they all stepped up to the plate with predictions…
