“We use our own rye starter that nobody can duplicate or put their hands on,” says Savely Barkan, the Russian-born owner of House of Bread. This crazy-small, nondescript bakery tucked into a nondescript mall in Wheeling doesn’t have too many other secrets: Crowds pack in for 19 varieties of fresh-baked loaves. Did we say small? … Read more
We all love the idea of Sarah Stegner and George Bumbaris, two bigtime chefs, cooking side by side at Northbrook’s Prairie Grass Cafe. So what to make of Prairie Fire, their homey new all-American spot 24 miles away in the West Loop? Sure, it’s got the same shepherd’s pie, house-made sausages, and great burgers that … Read more
FOD Report
One of our trusted spies says she “really loved” Don Diablo (3749 W. Fullerton Ave.; 773-489-3748), the new taquería in the old space of—and by the owners of—Fonda del Mar. “Not all of the $2 tacos were…
Only Santa knows whether they were good or bad this year, but if he keeps a worst-dressed list, we’re guessing these sweater-clad locals will be on it. We caught up with the unsightly knitwear crowd last Friday at The Boundary in Wicker Park, where Chicago Sport and Social Club…
If there’s one place in Chicago—other than my nearby haunt, the River Shannon—that’s like my own personal Cheers, it would have to be the new Whole Foods in Lincoln Park. Maybe everybody doesn’t know my name—it’s a 75,000-square-foot store, after all, with a staff to match—but I’m pretty sure they’ve all seen me giving informal…
Pollack’s Dinner at Balsan in 82 Words
Ethereal. Shockingly creative and delicious. Soft-boiled hen egg with wild mushrooms and chicken liver explodes with flavor then soothes with warm, silky textures; medium-rare duck breast melts in your mouth; Paris-Brest sets a new standard for cream-puff pastry. Open for exactly one week…
1 Bernard’s Elysian Hotel, 11 E. Walton St. Cap off an afternoon of Oak Street spending with a single-malt Scotch ($16 and up) at this hideaway. Read our mini review >> 2 The Wine Bar at the Walnut Room Macy’s, 111 N. State St. Don’t endure hour-long lines to eat potpie near the Great Tree; … Read more
Two new Loop spots aim to get office workers out of the cube and in from the cold
Just when winter was starting to wear us down, a new bar brings a breath of balmy air: The Jamaican-themed Mr. Brown’s Lounge, named for a Bob Marley lyric, opened this weekend in the old Sak’s address in the Ukrainian Village. Our photographer stopped by to snap early adopting barflies as they tested the…
The Peninsula? The Four Seasons? The Ritz? Get me there, get me on a velvet couch—oh, and somebody get me a cocktail, please.
I’m a sucker for luxe hotel bars. That’s why, when an invite from the Elysian finally arrived in my inbox last week, I replied…
