Jeff Ruby
By Jeff Ruby
What happens at a bris? Well, um, er, there's this man who makes cheesy jokes, and usually there's lox... Read more
By Jeff Ruby
Takashi’s Noodles is a timely, useful, and pretty cookbook Read more
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
She Hearts Art
Ashley Galliart, co-owner of the brand-new Luscious Layers Bakery (2315 N. Damen Ave.; 773-661-1335), has custom-made everything from a Fender Stratocaster–inspired cake for the actor Steven Seagal to a Champagne wedding cake that included one gluten-free tier for the bride. “I went to school for a fine arts degree in textile design,” says Galliart, who rented space for personal orders before... Read more
Ashley Galliart, co-owner of the brand-new Luscious Layers Bakery (2315 N. Damen Ave.; 773-661-1335), has custom-made everything from a Fender Stratocaster–inspired cake for the actor Steven Seagal to a Champagne wedding cake that included one gluten-free tier for the bride. “I went to school for a fine arts degree in textile design,” says Galliart, who rented space for personal orders before... Read more
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
Restaurant Character of the Week
That would be André Christopher, who just opened The Grocery Bistro (804 W. Washington St.; 312-850-9291), a 68-seat West Loop BYO that lives up to its name. “You can find anything on my menu at the grocery store,” says Christopher, the former executive chef of Pops for Champagne and chef de cuisine of Japonais. “It’s amazing what you can find at Dominick’s, Jewel, and Stanley’s. A lot of the restaurants I worked at were foofy and bourgeoisie... Read more
That would be André Christopher, who just opened The Grocery Bistro (804 W. Washington St.; 312-850-9291), a 68-seat West Loop BYO that lives up to its name. “You can find anything on my menu at the grocery store,” says Christopher, the former executive chef of Pops for Champagne and chef de cuisine of Japonais. “It’s amazing what you can find at Dominick’s, Jewel, and Stanley’s. A lot of the restaurants I worked at were foofy and bourgeoisie... Read more
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
He Said It
“The name is something that I came up with. All the names that were on the table were missing the mark. Think about it. Restaurant MW. That’s just not exciting, is it?” –Tony Mantuano on Terzo Piano (159 E. Monroe Dr.), his upcoming restaurant on the third (terzo) floor of the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute designed by Renzo Piano (scheduled to open May 16th)... Read more
“The name is something that I came up with. All the names that were on the table were missing the mark. Think about it. Restaurant MW. That’s just not exciting, is it?” –Tony Mantuano on Terzo Piano (159 E. Monroe Dr.), his upcoming restaurant on the third (terzo) floor of the new Modern Wing of the Art Institute designed by Renzo Piano (scheduled to open May 16th)... Read more
By Jeff Ruby
What interests us most about the new restaurant is the impressive roster of talent behind it Read more
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
An Instant Classic
Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already... Read more
Sunda (110 W. Illinois St.; 312-644-0500) is exhausting. Where to look first? The gleaming bar, three deep with gorgeous people sipping stunning martinis like a wasabi H2O with a crushed wasabi pea rim? The long sushi bar under bamboo hangings meant to suggest floating fish? The eye candy packed at the communal table? No matter where you look, it’s good. This contemporary Asian place has been open about a minute and a half, and service is already... Read more
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby
A Different Shade of Sepia
Kendal Duque, named the best new chef of 2008 by Chicago magazine last May, announced he will leave his chef position at Sepia (123 N. Jefferson St.; 312-441-1920) at the end of March to pursue his own restaurant in Chicago. “It will probably be a small, casual place,” says Duque, a 36-year-old native of Ecuador. “l have a very, very good concept in mind and I’m being as tightlipped as I can for now. But I can say that I have a lot of energy... Read more
Kendal Duque, named the best new chef of 2008 by Chicago magazine last May, announced he will leave his chef position at Sepia (123 N. Jefferson St.; 312-441-1920) at the end of March to pursue his own restaurant in Chicago. “It will probably be a small, casual place,” says Duque, a 36-year-old native of Ecuador. “l have a very, very good concept in mind and I’m being as tightlipped as I can for now. But I can say that I have a lot of energy... Read more