Get in the Holiday Spirit at Festive Bar Pop-Ups
This year’s themes include Harry Potter, ski lodges, and more
Custom Placements: Dining Lead
Mindy Segal’s Holiday Shortbread
Mindy Segal has the antidote to fussy holiday cookies: a make-ahead chocolate-dipped shortbread with a you-do-you vibe. “It’s not totally technical,” says Segal, who owns Mindy’s Bakery in Wicker Park. “You can modify the butter, the sugar.” Want to roll the edges in cinnamon sugar before baking? Or sub in milk chocolate for the dark? … Read more
Charlie Trotter’s Legacy Revealed
A new documentary on the Chicago chef shows how his drive for perfection still haunts everyone around him.
The Menu Captures Fine Dining Pretension
The film perfectly details four restaurant archetypes — from the insufferable foodie to the tyrannical chef.
Fun Dip
When a chef friend from Cali described quesabirria to me a few years back, I figured he was pulling my leg. A griddled taco-quesadilla mash-up made by sandwiching mozzarella and birria (beef or goat simmered in a chile-studded broth) between tortillas and served with consommé, as if it were Mexico’s answer to a French dip? … Read more
The 10 Hottest Restaurants in Chicago Right Now
The city’s most buzzed-about restaurants this month
Southern Soul
At Daisy’s Po-Boy and Tavern, Erick Williams serves New Orleans cuisine with Hyde Park heart.
Sarah Grueneberg’s Braised Tuscan Kale With Butternut Squash Soffritto
Ever wonder how chefs do Thanksgiving? They lean into seasonal sides and cozy flavors — but most importantly, they plan ahead. “The key is creating a menu where nothing is made in the moment,” says Monteverde chef-partner Sarah Grueneberg. This kale dish, from her new produce-centric cookbook Listen to Your Vegetables, ticks all the right boxes: It’s … Read more
Spice World
For Mona Sang, cooking Khmer food is both a balm and a celebration. The chef, who most recently worked at Lettuce Entertain You’s Ivy Room, did what so many others did when furloughed during the pandemic — she returned to her roots. Sang opened Mona Bella Catering with her mother, Sarom Sieng, who had a restaurant in … Read more