Chicago's dining aficionados are all too familiar with the message. "The mailbox belonging to Schwa restaurant is full. To disconnect, press 1." Dial the number of this unassuming Wicker Park storefront and these words will likely greet you. The recorded voice is pleasant enough, but its frequency can frustrate. A recent issue of the magazine One, put out by Penzeys Spices, included a banana muffin recipe that looked amazing but had to wait because of a missing ingredient.
Spring has to be every chef's favorite season. With our restaurant being named "Seasons," we get passionate when the seasons change. The bounty of vegetables suddenly available after an unbearably long Chicago winter of root vegetables, with the occasional joy of a tangerine, is so inspiring!
Wine bar food, a tradition in Mediterranean cities long before American foodies embraced the "a-little-bit-of-this-and-a-sip-of-that" mentality, now moves from bars and tapas-like restaurants into the home, thanks to the passion and straightforward advice of Chicagoans Tony and Cathy Mantuano.
The alderman whom Mayor Daley derisively calls Joe "Foie Gras" Moore (49th) now knows how the geese and ducks feel. Two years after the City Council banned the liver delicacy made by jamming a steel pipe down a bird’s esophagus, Daley essentially did the same to Moore on the City Council floor. By a vote of 37-6, the foie gras ban that Daley claims made Chicago an international laughingstock was repealed.
You'll be seeing red with your Memorial Day menu, thanks to two unique, flavor-packed potato salad recipes -- both featuring redskin potatoes, red onion and red pepper -- shared by Brett Stein, executive chef of Catering by Michael's in Morton Grove, in answer to a request from D.G. of Cresthill.
Saturday nights at Lincoln Park haute seafood spot L.20 are booked for the next three weeks. Food bloggers are debating its place in the city's fine dining hierarchy. Chef Laurent Gras authors a blog to share recipes and dialogue with readers about sourcing seafood and his preferred type of mixer.
Looking for a Saturday night table for two? Some of Chicago's most lauded cuisine is available on a moment's, or at least a few days', notice. Other spots require a bit more patience -- and a willingness to adjust your summer vacation plans.
For the fifth year, Maggiano's has put together a menu that will be available through May 28. Eat one of those items (or purchase a gift card) and a $1 donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation will be made in your name.
It's Norm Peterson's vision of heaven on earth. "We joke that this is a beer geek's wet dream," Chicago beer merchant said Jerry Glunz, laughing as he stood in the center of the sprawling beer expo Monday at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.
As summer nears and a warm breeze starts to blow, the mind wanders to all the freshly plucked fruits that will soon tumble over farmers-market stalls. Such seasonal sentiments could be pondered over a frosty brewski, but once you have a taste for tangy raspberries, juicy blueberries and fuzzy peaches, it's hard to appreciate your hop-laden beverage. No worries: These beer alternatives pack sumptuous fruit flavor (and enough alcohol to get you toasted by happy hour).
As summer nears and a warm breeze starts to blow, the mind wanders to all the freshly plucked fruits that will soon tumble over farmers-market stalls. Such seasonal sentiments could be pondered over a frosty brewski, but once you have a taste for tangy raspberries, juicy blueberries and fuzzy peaches, it's hard to appreciate your hop-laden beverage. No worries: These beer alternatives pack sumptuous fruit flavor (and enough alcohol to get you toasted by happy hour).
The Windy City is witnessing a delicious invasion this year -- one of top chefs from cities and countries far and wide. Chicago's cuisine scene is the big winner, as some of the industry's heavyweights bring innovative new restaurant and tastes to town.
• On the scene
• More celebrity cuisine
Face it -- food, wine, beer, even corner store chocolate bars taste better when you're on vacation.
You'd think as one of the fattest cities in America (according to Men's Fitness magazine), Chicago wouldn't be prone to health fads. Give us a tub of ice cream and watch our couches groan.
Eating or cooking with tomatoes in May is almost always an exercise in culinary imprudence, that is, until you've tried the hydroponic heirloom tomatoes of McWethy Farms. McWethy Farms is just across the lake from Chicago, in Three Oaks, Mich., past a meandering white picket fence and a wavy expanse of prairie grasses.
Q: Why does my apple pie develop a ''tunnel'' whereby the apples have cooked down and the top crust puffs up?
It's May -- time to get the ice cream freezer out of storage, especially for a fabulous Amaretto Raisin Swirl Dessert that is worth making and perfecting for Mother's Day or upcoming graduation parties, showers, reunions and picnics.
Ready to hit the road for a culinary adventure? There's a stack of new summer road trip-ready books to help.
Cheap Trick played a show when the Hard Rock Cafe Chicago opened in 1986, and the Rockford rockers perform again this week to celebrate the rock-themed restaurant's redecoration -- new trash, new treasures.
Cool Whip in a can. Crispy Newton snacks. Macaroni and cheese crackers. Kraft is bringing new life -- new packaging, new textures and new ways to snack on -- some of its iconic brands. Northfield-based Kraft is launching 80-plus products this year. The company is reinventing some old favorites -- including Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Oscar Mayer -- and developing new product platforms, rather than just extending existing product lines, said Bob Becker, head of Kraft's new products operations.
The Agriculture Department's chief economist told Congress Thursday that prices for corn and other food commodities will remain at ''historically high levels'' in coming years as the U.S. ethanol industry expands.
Pie is an understated delight. Long overshadowed in life's list of craveable desserts by delicate, chichi tarts and elaborately decorated cakes, the humble pie deserves more play. From rustic double-crust fruit pies to silky cream pies loaded with whipped cream, nothing says go-on-and-get-your-fingers-dirty decadence like a fat piece of pie. Happily, it is possible to find a killer slice in this cake-saturated city. Here's where we go to score a wow-worthy wedge.
I was just dying to try chicken feet. I saw them on the menu the last time I had dim sum in Chinatown. Always in search of different and authentic, I couldn't find anything more unusual than chicken feet. But I was with my adventurous-to-a-point 11-year-old and less-than-adventurous parents, and I really didn't know how to eat chicken feet anyway.
• Secret menus not so hush-hush
• Chicken & veggie potstickers
• What to do: Down in Chinatown
If you thought cereal, soap and paper had nothing in common, then you haven't had a chance to talk with 89-year-old North Dakotan Jack Carter.
Imagine wandering for hours amid tables of the best cheeses, chocolates, confections, coffees, olives, sauces, dips and chips while friendly fellow foodies beg you to take a taste. Sounds like a dream, right?
Springtime is a beautiful season in my homeland of Kent County, England, known as the Garden Of England.
Swap Shop readers David Kosowski and Sandy Pierce, both of Chicago, Pat Nowlan-Beilfuss of Oak Park, Laura Mahrenholz of Mount Prospect and Catherine E. Duffy of Tinley Park all sent variations of Lemon Pudding Cake in answer to a plea from S.P. of Palatine.
Traditional brunch fare often is heavy and usually includes fatty meats, such as bacon and sausage.
How do you find the most authentic dish at many Chicago ethnic restaurants?
Venture into the cheese section of any Whole Foods and you will find offerings helpfully labeled with the cheese's name, type of milk, country of origin and a recommended wine pairing. But sidle up to the cheese aficionado working behind the counter and he or she might quietly point you toward the beer aisle instead.
• Traditional beverage pairings being washed to sidelines
• Tastings around town
• Find: Midwest microbreweries
• PDF: Beer and cheese matches
Now that the mercury is cracking 50 degrees with some regularity, our thoughts turn to a new season of old favorites: hot dogs, apple pie and one of the more refreshing food science projects of our times: Dippin' Dots.
Julie Welborn and Denise Nicholes are filled with bright ideas. So is their eatery, Perfect Peace Cafe and Bakery, which opened last summer at 1255 W. 79th in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.
Sweet potatoes are the similar ingredient in this week's Swap Shop recipes. First, they star in the recipe for Outback Steakhouse's Vanilla Bean Sweet Mashed Potatoes, requested by S.R. of Chicago, and they become sinfully delicious in Sweet Potato Cheesecake, provided by Marsha Gant of Chicago for L.T. of Bolingbrook.
As I walked home from work, I was looking forward to a tuna salad for supper on the first warm day of spring. And so certain was I that I had all the ingredients, I sauntered past my neighborhood grocery store in happy anticipation. I already had tuna, hard-boiled eggs, onion, cherry tomatoes, lettuce -- everything I needed, I thought.
When Goose Island brewmaster Greg Hall does beer pairing events, he always asks his audience, "Who likes chocolate?"
My husband and I are television diners. We're even past the sheepish denial stage, not even bothering to set the dining room table. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we've even seen the dining room table. It's probably still there.
My husband and I are television diners. We're even past the sheepish denial stage, not even bothering to set the dining room table. Come to think of it, it's been a while since we've even seen the dining room table. It's probably still there.
Kosher -- the culinary niche traditionally associated with Judaism -- is broadening its appeal. It has gone from a faith-based mandate to the preferred fare for diners interested in healthy eating, organics, sustainable agriculture, locally grown foods and animal welfare. • Halibut with quinoa and cheese-stuffed poblanos
• Find a kosher deli near you
• Herb matzo scallion pancakes
• Mexican hot chocolate brownies
Cub and Sox fans might never relate when it comes to the win-loss records of their beloved teams, but they at least can find common ground in this: the two-foot-long sandwich.
"Anyone can cook," Chef Gusteau tells Remy, the rat/protagonist in 2007's Oscar winning film "Ratatouille."
As a pastry chef, I always have strived to live my career as I have lived my life; do everything I can to prove that "they" are wrong. "They" could be anyone -- my mom, the waiter who I swear got my order wrong, my teachers, the government ... you get the point.
NEW YORK — Martha Stewart’s dog Paw Paw, who was a familiar face on her television show and in her magazine, has died of renal failure.
When it comes to a brisket of beef, how healthy a meal it makes all depend on which end you choose.
When A.R. of Chicago requested a recipe for charoset to take to a friend's potluck celebrating Passover, Swap Shop turned to Fisher Nuts and Laura Frankel, executive chef of Wolfgang Puck Catering in the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies.
