• It's Mean Girls redux rom Julia Kramer, whose take on Sepia is a litany of mild praise followed by mild complaints (a too-heavy pasta, some underwhelming mint, an under-herbaceous porchetta) punctuated with a similarly it's-a-compliment-no-it's-not final paragraph: Kramer praises...
• Even though his drink took forever to arrive, and the hour-long wait for his burger was the result of the kitchen "losing" his ticket, Pat Bruno finds a lot to love about Market. Sure, the presentations are at...
• Color us surprised to see Phil Vettel reviewing Terzo Piano less than a month after it opens. He loves everything — from the "uno due tre" mini-burgers to the soft-shell crab sandwich to the deftly produced desserts. It's pricey,...
• Do we have a new genre-defying blockbuster on our hands? Michael Nagrant makes the case for Han 202, a Bridgeport restaurant that reads "as if a hurricane picked up elements of Alinea, Opera and a grungy regional Chinatown spot...
• Despite its white-leather feel and "throbbing" vibe (more Miami than Chicago, on balance), Phil Vettel is charmed by nearly everything that comes out of the kitchen at Chaise Lounge. The menu's dominated by small plates, light and flavorful...
• The Grocery Bistro continues its blazing trail of A-minus reviews with Julia Thiel's take; flavor combinations are unexpected and assertive, preparations are deft, and the atmosphere is convivial. But the menu has occasional flirtations with poorly-balanced flavors. Not bad,...
• Blue 13 got off to a rocky start, its opening eclipsed by those of other marquee name restaurants, but Phil Vettel takes a closer look at chef Chris Curren's hyper-fresh take on New American and finds a menu with...
• Michael Nagrant adds to the ever-growing pile of positive-with-a-few-hesitations reviews for John Manion's revamped menu a tGoose Island Brew Pub. Generally speaking, you can't go wrong with the pork, but if — like Nagrant — you're getting a little...
We've always thought that the major thing lacking from Mother's Day was some sort of government- or Hallmark-sponsored open bar. Whether it's to numb your pain, numb Mom's pain, or just give the two of you the liquid courage...
• The real Pat Bruno visits Phil's Stefani's (meanwhile, @therealpatbruno explains why it was chosen), where he plays the high-low game: can you get a good meal for cheap at the famously pricey restaurant? If $15 spaghetti with tomato sauce...
• Julia Kramer takes a peek at Amelia's, and finds a menu awfully familiar to that of the chef's former restaurant Mundial Cocina Mestiza: Side dishes with aggresive, bright flavors that threaten to overwhelm the meats they're accompanying, to varying...
The latest issue of GOOP, Gwyneth Paltrow's inexplicable email newsletter, focuses on kid-friendly restaurants. While we don't actually recall ever having heard of her come to Chicago with her kids in tow, she gives us some family-oriented dining ideas nevertheless:...
• Coffee: so hot right now! Monica Eng files on how to brew a better cup. Is this her last Good Eats piece? *tear* • Cocktail bread: so hot right now! If you were unaware, cocktail bread is a miniature...
(The idea is to read the post title in a Monster Truck Rally voice, y'dig?) • Everyone loves Sunda! Pat Bruno sure does — he looks past his hatred of communal tables (here described as "danged") in order to...
• What works at Goose Island Brew Pub works explosively well, thinks David Tamarkin. The pulled-pork sliders, the fish tacos, and even the monstrous ham-burger all should have Chicago's reigning meat-masters paying closer attention. They're saved, though, by parts of...
• "There's really nothing the restaurant doesn't do well," Phil Vettel says in his rave for the Martial Noguier-helmed Cafe Des Architectes. The restaurant caters equally to well-heeled patrons looking for a high-end experience, and with its affordable prix fixes...
• The economy's in the tank, so we're buying cheaper cuts of meat. But they're tough! Also, we wnat comfort food. What's the answer? Braising. (We just wrote that summary without even reading the article. Not kidding. Let us know...
This week at the Reader, NewCity, and the Sun-Times: obscure Italian herbs, Ethiopian gluttony, and the triumphant return of Thomas Witom! • Let's start with the guy we've missed the most. Thomas Witom, the S-T's intrepid suburban restaurant critic, is...
• Call us crazy, but we'd never have pegged Heather Shouse's visit to Sunda to land in a rave. But that's exactly what we've got here — albeit in slightly hedged form. The behemothic pan-Asian restaurant from the Rockit...
