Thanksgiving Dinners Around Town
Our pick of restaurants serving the best Thanksgiving dinners
Ad Categories: Dining & Drinking
Mini Review: The Cellar in Evanston
Evanston, that most urban of suburbs, finally has a cool place for a bite and brew after the movie. A deep storefront decked with raw wood beams and pinpoint lighting, The Cellar—brought to you by the folks behind The Stained Glass Bistro—skillfully blends slick and hip with cozy and comfy. Maybe it’s the seating (a … Read more
Belly Shack
“My wife is Puerto Rican and I’m Korean, so we are doing a lot of things from two different cultures.” Usually when we hear an earnest statement like that one, we cringe—but when it comes from Bill Kim, the creative force behind Urbanbelly, we rejoice that he and Yvonne Cadiz-Kim found each other and wish … Read more
Dish Flash
Big news over at Branch 27 (1371 W. Chicago Ave.; 312-850-2700), the West Town American bistro that opened this past April: Chef Bob Zrenner is leaving on November 19th and will be replaced by John Manion, lately of Goose Island Brewpub. “They want me to take…
When Facebook and Real Life Collide
A few months ago, I found myself enmeshed in a dispute with someone who had winked at me on match.com. When I checked out his profile and saw I was one year older than the upper limit of his preferred age range (though he and I are the exact same age), I couldn’t refrain from asking why he had bothered reaching out to a senior citizen. “Women in their 20s are just easier,” he snipped…
Bill Kim’s Belly Shack opens in Logan Square
“My wife is Puerto Rican and I’m Korean, so we are doing a lot of things from two different cultures.” Usually when we hear an earnest statement like that one, we cringe—but when it comes from Bill Kim, the creative force behind Urbanbelly, we rejoice that he and Yvonne Cadiz-Kim found each other and wish … Read more
Budget Beat: Abuelo’s Mexican Grill in Pilsen
Vintage National Geographic covers papering the interior tell you that this new Pilsen BYO is not your ordinary taco joint. Sure, it’s got tacos on tap, but even better, a slew of tortas (sandwiches) on plump, freshly baked buns, a display case loaded with house-made desserts—don’t miss the Kahlúa-shot mocha tres leches cake—and water perked … Read more
Singled Out: Randal Jacobs grills Hibachi Chicken Wings at Elate
“I was walking down this really obscure street in Beijing and happened on this Chinese guy,” says Randal Jacobs, the chef of Elate. “No shirt. Just shorts. Sitting on a milk crate grilling chicken wings on a hibachi grill.” Three orders of wings later, an idea was born. The wings Jacobs came up with … Read more
Social Networking: Old Town Social
A newcomer aims to turn chuggers into urban sophisticates
A New Kind of Bar
Animated Cookies
Joe Bova and Jeff Steinberg, respectively an animator and a screenwriter, plan to open a bakery called Cookie Bar (2475 N. Lincoln Ave.) next month in a former Lincoln Park Starbucks. An animator and screenwriter? “In our private lives we entertained a lot,” says Steinberg. “People always loved anything we would bring to dinner parties. We started getting calls from…