Pelago Ristorante a fresh addition to Italian dining
Pat Bruno: There’s a new Italian in town, and it goes by the name of Pelago Ristorante. Appended to the Raffaello Hotel on East Delaware Place, this restaurant offers much to love. If you are of a mind to try new restaurants, I would highly recommend that you snag a reservation as soon as possible.

Pelago Ristorante's fresh new fare
Restaurant critic Pat Bruno gives 3½ stars to the new Pelago Ristorante. Here's a look at some of the tasty dishes:

Hook, line and sinker: Seafood the lure at Catch 35

I had not been to Catch 35 in quite some time, and when a friend mentioned he had eaten there recently and enjoyed it a lot, I figured it was time to take another look.

Get your fill of Peruvian cuisine at Rosa De Lima

You have to love the culinary diversity of our fair city. On North Western Avenue, just off Armitage, Rosa De Lima is serving Peruvian food. The restaurant is kind of quiet at lunch, but it picks up steam in the evening and gets rolling pretty good on the weekend.

Nozumi Japanese not a wish come true yet

With a name whose literal translation means "a wish fulfilled," Nozumi Japanese Cuisine has its work cut out. But so far, this recently opened upscale restaurant in the Arboretum of South Barrington shopping complex seems headed in the right direction.

Patpourri

The wine list at Catch 35, considering that the restaurant is mostly about seafood, leans too heavily into reds. In fact, there are as many red wine choices as there are white wines.

Critic looks at 25 years of eating out in Chicago
Pat Bruno: I am not sure I can lay claim to being the longest-running (and still standing) restaurant critic in this country, but 25 years on the culinary front without being felled by a stray oyster is quite a feat, I say. No way did I anticipate doing this job for so long, but my passionate connection with food just kept on being passionate.

Saluting Chicago's culinary A-Team

There are many hands that took part in laying the foundation on which Chicago's fine restaurants stand. Foodies will recognize many of the names that follow. The names that you won't see are those who work behind the scenes -- sous chefs, chefs de cuisine, line cooks, pastry chefs, prep cooks -- men and women we never hear about until they emerge from the shadow of their mentors and strike out on their own.

Readers, too, have had their say for years

Bruno, we love ya. Bruno are you nuts? Over the years, thousands of letters and e-mails -- many complimenting me on my good taste, others suggesting I have the tastebuds of an ant-eater -- have appeared in this space. I managed to digest them all with relish (and a little ketchup on the side). Here are a few of my all-time favorites:

545 North has a number of good things going on

Without question, Libertyville is a restaurant town. Milwaukee Avenue, its main drag, is endowed with both neighborhood haunts and destination restaurants, some a cross between the two.

Loco for XOCO: New spot from 'Top Chef Master'
Pat Bruno: XOCO is billed as Rick Bayless' paean to Mexican street food. I have never had Mexican street food that tasted this good or cost this much. After four visits to XOCO (pronounced SHOH-koh) I developed a love/hate relationship. I love the food; I hate the process involved in getting the food.

Rick Bayless' new Xoco
Rick Bayless has opened a new eatery, Xoco, at 449 N. Clark. Here's a look at some of the treats:

Hotel Felix gets it right with inhouse Elate

Elate, the restaurant in the Hotel Felix (one of Chicago's newest boutique hotels) got it right, which is a rarity for hotel dining. Let me count the ways: Elate is on the ground floor; the room is super-casual and not oversized; the menu is small but eats large, and the prices, especially for hotel dining, are reasonable.

Unassuming Cafe Roma not to be overlooked

Italian restaurants are a regular fixture on America's dining scene. And because of their ubiquity, it's unsurprising that many get lost in the shuffle.

Patpourri

The wine list at Elate has a full selection of whites and reds. The good news is that the wines are nicely categorized, so you can go from light to full-bodied to those that are more complex (especially important with the red wines). For example, a light-bodied red value would be the Casa Lapostolle Merlot from Chile ($38 bottle). A full-bodied red, if you want to splurge would be a Gaja Promis ($82 bottle; $21 glass). The bad news is that the wines list goes far beyond what it should be considering the very casual menu. Anybody want to blow $32 on a glass of wine? That's nonsense. The wine list needs to be scaled down to better harmonize with the menu.

Scaring up new kinds of Halloween fun

Generally speaking, you keep it classic. Frankenstein? Been there, dressed up as that. Mummies? It wouldn't be Halloween without them. Finding yourself weary of the tried and true, however, you hope to break the mold.

Disappearing delis: Where can you nosh in Chicago?
All over the country, delis are dying. That’s what author and deli expert David Sax contends. That’s what he writes about on his blog, savethedeli.com, and in his new book, Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of the Jewish Delicatessen (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24). Chicago is no exception, the lifelong deli devotee says. Its once thriving deli scene is now barely surviving.