Freaking Out For Five Darioush Wines at Del Frisco’s
Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse. It’s a cold October evening, one of the first really cool nights of the year. I’m walking into one of the private rooms upstairs next …
Stemmari’s Hedonis Riserva is Crazy Good
I’m standing in the doorway of the stunning private room at the Fig & Olive in the Gold Coast. Waiters are scooting around me with trays full of dishes that …
Finding My People at Hofbräuhaus’ Oktoberfest
The noise is deafening. I say noise, but most of it is music, some of it is clapping, a little bit is stomping, and the rest is over a thousand …
Eating with Instagrammers at the Slurping Turtle
The Slurping Turtle’s new Summer Menu was spread out before me like a perfectly realized staging for furiously likable foodstagramming. The Pride Roll, the Poke cones, their fiercely delicious cold …
Custom Steaks and Killer Service at Chicago Chop House
How to order a custom steak and what happens when you do I’m sitting in the Chicago Chop House’s second-floor dining room at a table draped in white linen, with glimmering …
In Which Your Humble Reporter Experiences Gastroeuphoria at the Great Chefs Gala
Dear reader: gastroeuphoria is a dangerous food-induced syndrome and should only be attempted by professionals under the supervision of grown-ups. There is a possibility of too much of a good …
The Benny’s Chop House Wine Director Knows Wine
The wine cellar at Benny’s Chop House is immediately behind the bar. It’s tall and narrow. Just wide enough for two people to pass each other if they’re really close …
Too Legit to Spit Showcases SevenFifty’s Reach
Wine industry database superstar SevenFifty launched their industry-only tasting event, Too Legit to Spit, at Morgan Manufacturing Monday night. Twenty-five top Illinois distributors showed up to serve their best bottles …
The 5 Rabbit Beer Dinner Social at River Roast is Insanely Good
The Beer Dinner Social at River Roast, featuring beers from 5 Rabbit Cerveceria and special dishes from Chef Cedric Harden is outstanding. In one of their handsome semi-private rooms, I recently …
The Diner Grill is Back
The Diner Grill suffered a fire in December 2016 that shut it down. Almost two long years later, it’s reopened. No Michelin stars will be obtained for the Diner Grill. You’re not …
The Eno Wine Bar is Funky and Sophisticated
The sommelier at Eno Wine Bar is weird. He divides his duty between recommending giant steak-supporting cabs in Michael Jordan’s on one side of the lobby of the InterContinental Chicago …
The Wings at Jake Melnick’s Corner Tap are Historic
I am convinced far in the future, culinary scholars will look back on the late 20th century as a hallmark of innovative cuisine based not on the floating balloon desert …
