In Auburn, Alabama, where I went to college, one of the best places to get fried chicken was inside a gas station off of Highway 280. The place was "country-fied" with a K and always smelled freshly mopped with Pine-Sol—a scent that I personally find revolting. But the chicken was tasty, and the Coke was cold.

In all those years that I patronized the fuel pump and the chicken fryer, I overheard lots of conversations. The unknowingly elite college students talked about their...

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In Auburn, Alabama, where I went to college, one of the best places to get fried chicken was inside a gas station off of Highway 280. The place was "country-fied" with a K and always smelled freshly mopped with Pine-Sol—a scent that I personally find revolting. But the chicken was tasty, and the Coke was cold.

In all those years that I patronized the fuel pump and the chicken fryer, I overheard lots of conversations. The unknowingly elite college students talked about their...

" />

In Auburn, Alabama, where I went to college, one of the best places to get fried chicken was inside a gas station off of Highway 280. The place was "country-fied" with a K and always smelled freshly mopped with Pine-Sol—a scent that I personally find revolting. But the chicken was tasty, and the Coke was cold.

In all those years that I patronized the fuel pump and the chicken fryer, I overheard lots of conversations. The unknowingly elite college students talked about their...

" />
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June 2008
I Pan Gas For Less

In Auburn, Alabama, where I went to college, one of the best places to get fried chicken was inside a gas station off of Highway 280. The place was "country-fied" with a K and always smelled freshly mopped with Pine-Sol—a scent that I personally find revolting. But the chicken was tasty, and the Coke was cold.

In all those years that I patronized the fuel pump and the chicken fryer, I overheard lots of conversations. The unknowingly elite college students talked about their...

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Of Cheez-Its and Lamb Loins
By Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby

Sneak Peek

Last Friday afternoon, a trusted FOD got tipped off that Graham Elliot (217 W. Huron St.; 312-624-9975)—still awaiting its liquor license at the time—was opening quietly that evening, and he had no trouble scoring a table. Considering the high profile Graham Elliot Bowles cuts on the dining scene, the début of the chef’s eagerly anticipated spot was relentlessly low profile. Then again, plenty of foodies must have heard the same...

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She Said, He Said

It took some convincing, but I finally talked The Fiancé into cowriting a post about our road to the wedding—and yes, there was some begging involved. In all honesty, I had to stop and think about the idea, too. Handing over the blog means giving up control, which is not an easy thing to do. But these are modern times, my friends, and anyone with a laptop has a voice, so even The Fiancé deserves to be heard.

She Said: In several posts, I jokingly referred to myself as...

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Dish Towels or Art?

On a recent visit to Stitch, I was drawn to what I thought was textile art hanging on the wall. In a way, it was. These linen “tea towels” ($48 each) feature limited-edition drawings that artists from around the world submitted to an Australian collective called Third Drawer Down. This organization aims to give lesser-known artists widespread exposure while offering consumers an affordable way to own original art. Sure, the towels can be used to dry dishes, but I love the idea of framing them and hanging them up.

—Gina Bazer

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On The Market—Green Twins in Lincoln Square
By Dennis Rodkin

List Price: $1.550 million (house on left/south) $ 1.500 million (house on right/north)
The Property: This pair of new houses has many sustainable features: solar panels, recycled roofing, paints and carpeting that emit little or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). They even feature permeable paving in the front sidewalks so that storm water can...

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Day of Pigs
By Brittney Blair

Many photo editors get to travel to the likes of Paris and Milan for glamorous fashion shoots. Given the local nature of this magazine, I find that most of my travels for work often are decidedly unglamorous. In early April, I donned pigtails, galoshes, and my "I Support Organic Farmers" T-shirt and headed out to a farm near LaGrange, Indiana. Photographer Kevin Banna, his assistants Bjorn Kavanaugh and Stevie Rischow, and I spent a day with farmer Greg Gunthorp and his pigs (See "Hello, Beautiful!" from our June issue)...

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Striking Distance
By Dawn Reiss
See that chiseled pitching arm? That—and a knack for strikeouts—makes Cat Osterman the most feared woman in Olympic softball. Read more
Greg Gunthorp and His Beautiful Pigs
By Michael Lenehan
By raising his pigs the natural way, an Indiana farmer has defied the industrial style of animal production and found a high-end market for his gorgeous pork with some of Chicago's top chefs. Read more
Dining Desk


You might remember reading about the Italian-designed Sheer Kitchen in our May/June issue (it’s a spherical all-in-one number that opens up kind of like a spaceship). Now the über-modern German kitchen manufacturer Poggenpohl has teamed up with its fellow country men at the furniture manufacturer Draenert to debut its own version of the presto-change-o cucina: a long, narrow dining table that can be opened lengthwise with the aid of an electrical motor to reveal a “variable functional area” than can house anything from a cutlery tray to a chopping board. Trolleys can be attached to the ends of this table to house the compatible Teppan Yaki grill, or hot or cold containers. Not sure why it’s called a desk (don’t see room for a laptop in the functional area) but love the idea of a totally tricked-out dining room table ’cause it sort of puts the pressure off what’s actually being served for dinner.

—Gina Bazer

Photo courtesy of Poggenpohl

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