What to pair with pork? An apple martini ($8), according to Ken Pospiech, a co-owner of northwest Lake View’s new porcine palace, The Piggery (1625 W. Irving Park Rd.; 773-281-7447), which opened April 22nd: “We do an apple-cider glaze and we do our own applesauce, so the martini goes great with that.” Our photographer stopped by the 170-seat spot on…
Part of the fun of being The Chaser is the fact that everyone I meet points me to a new bar I’ve never tried. The conversations usually go like this:
New Acquaintance: “Let me get this straight. You write about bars? And drinking? For work?”
The Chaser: “Yes, that is basically accurate.”…
Dish tipsters noted that Grocery Bistro (804 W. Washington St.) is papered over, usually the sign of doom. Not this time…
Coming soon in the food-truck caravan is Gaztro-Wagon, which will sell “naanwiches” when it first launches. Gaztro’s maestro is Matt Maroni, who also runs chicagofoodtrucks.com…
Two Sides of the Same Franc
Here’s the news on Rendezvous Bistro (2656 W. Lawrence Ave.; 773-561-4400), a new traditional French spot in Ravenswood, followed by Pollack’s first impressions from her visit:
News: Rendezvous’ owner, Simon Yacobi, worked at Kiki’s Bistro for 24 years, first as a waiter to earn pocket money while at the University of Illinois–Chicago, and eventually as a manager.
1 Sweetwater 225 N. Michigan Ave. People watchers and sports fans alike will go for the views and the outdoor TVs at this happy-hour fave’s new sidewalk patio. 2 44th Ward Dinner Party 3542 N. Halsted St. This one-year-old bar launches a new amenity: total seclusion at an outdoor table for two, complete with a … Read more
Already the site of the recent openings of Aldino’s and Davanti Enoteca, Little Italy will soon get a new paired restaurant and bar. The restaurant, One.Six One (1251 W. Taylor St.; 312-226-1611), is named for the golden ratio (a.k.a. phi or 1.618 and so forth)…
You don’t have to be an Ayn Rand fan to hang out at Fountainhead, a new bar on the border of North Center and Ravenswood that shares its name with Rand’s 1943 novel—but you do have to like beer. Phil Kuhl, the bar’s manager and beer director, won a local following as the headmaster…
We have a weakness for Moroccan grub. The exotic and sultry native spices don’t hurt, but we are absolute suckers for the fruit, nuts, and honey that show up in most every dish. Shokran’s hospitable owner, Khalid Kamal, offers all that and more in his comfy BYO located a walnut’s toss from the Blue Line … Read more
Innocuous, I thought, as I took in the oak tables and brown leather booths at Nicksons Eatery. So the reach of Nick Baca’s regional American menu—East Coast sea scallops, Colorado elk burger—took me by surprise. The crab cakes were much like the room—pleasant but hardly novel. The andouille gumbo, however, put my spice meter on … Read more
