Leave it to the Publican to find a way to elevate carrots and ranch dressing, that most Midwestern of after-school snacks. The addition of a creamy, dill-flecked sauce atop these flame-charred root veggies creates a potent depth that Hidden Valley probably wishes would stay hidden forever.
This constantly thronged storefront, which started as a stall in a basement food court, has plans to open a sister Loop lunch counter by the end of 2019, expanding an empire built on diminutive dumplings. There’s no secret to these one-inch wonders beyond careful craftsmanship: fatty ground pork blended with cabbage to create a juicy … Read more
Arepas are at their best when they’re pried open like Pac-Man’s maw and unabashedly overstuffed with warm, juicy ingredients that naturally want to squish together. Consider the pabellón arepa served at this charmer. It’s a one-handed version of the Venezuelan meal called pabellón criollo: saucy shredded beef with black beans and ripe plantain. Topped with … Read more
It’s practically illegal to open a casual upscale restaurant in Chicago and not put a whole chicken on the menu, but this outpost of the Alinea Group finds appealing new directions for the played-out staple. After a daylong chamomile brine, the chicken gets worked in multiple ways: Its breasts are poached and seared to a … Read more
RPM knows what to do with a bone-in rib eye: dry-age it for 28 days, sear it until it develops a smoky char, then embellish it with nothing more than the granular crunch of gray sea salt. The waiter brings the meat with the bone intact like he’s working a dinner party for cavemen and … Read more
This dish has just about everything a bibimbap fan looks for: the superheated stone bowl with rice audibly sizzling inside, the plethora of vegetables, the sidecar of brick-red gochujang sauce. It also has a garnish no one would think to look for in this Korean one-bowl meal: a generous piece of seared foie gras. Resist … Read more
If ever there were a reason to do a tasting menu just for a dessert, this is it. Karen Urie Shields has found a way to transform a simple egg yolk into something mythical: curing it in salted licorice for 24 hours, then resting the unctuous orb on a cloud of frozen yogurt meringue, which … Read more
You needn’t look far in this town to find an overpriced poultry liver mousse packed into a Mason jar and gilded with some sort of fruit gelée. This eight-buck wonder trumps them all. It will arrive abstractly outfitted with cleverly chosen garnishes such as a rhubarb coulis and toasted pecans. Spread some on a hunk … Read more
Anna Posey (pictured) has the soul of an artist — she is responsible for, among other things, the illustrations on Elske’s bathroom wallpaper — and her desserts have the elegant bearing of museum pieces. This plate is a beam of sunshine even in the depths of winter, a study in a desert landscape’s yellows and … Read more
Many a Chicagoan first discovered culinary bliss inside one of the ceramic crocks that contain this mainstay on the neo-Mediterranean spot’s menu since the place opened in 2003. This is our city’s touchstone small plate: four medjool dates, stuffed to bursting with smoky chorizo and just barely held together by a bacon belt, swimming in … Read more
