Chief among the genuine farm-to-table movement is Art and Chelsea Jackson’s understated Bridgeport spot, where seasonal produce comes from Pleasant Farms, a network of small farms in and near Chicago. Read more.
Brick walls, Edison bulbs hung by knotted rope, pops of color and upholstery in Pendleton-esque plaid combine for design that evokes a sophisto-casual feel while keeping the focus on the food. Read more.
After the nervous drive to this BYOB, you see Talbott, the relaxed, warm host/waiter/sommelier. He learns your name, attends to your wine and sets the tone that makes dining a one-of-a-kind experience Read more.
Scoops of ice cream are blended to become dessert and after-dinner drink in one. Butter pecan gets SoCo and praline liqueur and butterscotch-vanilla are doused with Maker’s and spun to smoothness. Read more.
With chocolate cake, pour-over coffee and gooey grilled-cheese sandwiches from chef Remy Ayesh, we can get through even the coldest winter, making this bakery the coziest place to hibernate in Chicago Read more.
Each winter feast begins with hot glogg in the garden before guests hit the buffet, which features ten varieties of herring and hot dishes like Jansson’s Temptation, a creamy potato casserole. Read more.
As much as we love meringue and aioli, this year all other eggy goodness faded in comparison to Cai’s egg-yolk buns. These Chinese breakfast bombs are sweet, creamy, and filled with sugary egg paste. Read more.
Wisma has des Rosiers’s silky soups, hearty sandwiches and sensible entrées (salmon with quinoa), all of it delicious, all of it made with sustainably, and priced as if it were in the suburbs. Read more.
A well-made cocktail was a hard thing to find in Boystown. Thankfully there’s Elixir, which not only shakes mean drinks, but also keeps the crowd in control and the music somewhat low. Read more.
You can char your own soy-chili–marinated meats to perfection on tabletop burners, but not all the work is left to you; the steamed kimchi dumplings are delicate, plump and made in the kitchen. Read more.
Ganji’s massive miche is crusty and cakey; his cranberry-walnut loaf makes the world’s best toast. The best part of this great bread? We hear PQM also sells some meats to go with it. Read more.
As far as we’re concerned, this is a sun-soaked café rather than just a bike shop. How else do you explain the thoughtfully sourced products—from Southport Grocery cupcakes to Mast Brothers chocolate? Read more.
In the three years since Martha Bayne started Soup & Bread, she’s proven that a modest idea—serve free soup, collect tips for hunger charities—can morph into a movement for social change. Read more.
From that one-off Kentucky dinner (rice biscuits, pearl onion soup and mince pie) to the weekday lunch (fried chicken, greens, biscuits c. 1933), Big Jones is making history of any dining plans we had Read more.
From the look of the multicultural, multigenerational throngs that flock to Hu’s restaurants nightly, Rahm could glean some tips on how to achieve universal popularity. Read more.
Dish after dish, Jeremy Quinn’s pairing suggestions elevate the food on the plate—while introducing us to grapes like scheurebe and xinomavro. Read more.
