In his prime, my grandfather could cut a round steak so thin that the Italians in the neighborhood would come to him for beef to make braciola, the classic rolled meat dish. Towering slabs of beef would enter Jack O’Connor’s West Side butcher shop and leave as meticulously trimmed T-bones, briskets, and rib eyes. … Read more
“I never went to cooking school,” says Stephen Wambach, but for someone without formal training, he’s managed to build an impressive resumé: The guy is the former corporate chef for Laurent Tourondel’s BLT Restaurant Group and has opened restaurants everywhere from Hong Kong to Miami Beach. As for his new venture, Epic, the 190-seat industrial … Read more
Vows of silence and chastity don’t sound terribly fun—and don’t even get us started on hair shirts. But you can’t go wrong with fresh-ground prime burgers, hand-cut fries, New York–style pizzas, and Belgian-style beers brewed on-site. Opening just such a 240-seat brewery next to a massive movie theatre sounds like a sure thing, and that’s … Read more
“Most people are doing small and medium plates. We don’t do anything small,” says Scott Harris (Francesca group), who has teamed up with Jimmy Bannos (Heaven on Seven) to open a hip spot for “wine, swine, and cheese” in the heart of the Mag Mile. Inspired by new Manhattan boîtes like Terroir and Gottino Wine … Read more
One step into this richly hued Lincoln Square BYO and the mellow aroma of Indian spices mingled with soft sitar music guarantees instant warmth. So does the friendly owner, Shah Kabir, who welcomes customers while his family keeps watch over the curries and vindaloos. “We all love to cook,” Shah says, “and to spend our … Read more
“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…
