Eats
79th Street BBQ
Appearances can be a particularly difficult way to gauge the quality of a barbeque establishment. The best joints are often hole-in-the-walls, unseemly on the outside, adorned with tacky checkered patterns within, and often unheard of outside a small devoted community; their second-rate cousins, meanwhile, don’t look all that different. In a no-nonsense industry, everything... »
Eating Right
When I meet Arel Brown, he is in his hairnet and apron, sporting the neon green T-shirt that is the uniform of Eternity Juice Bar & Deli. He is in the middle of preparing food, and shows me the pieces of raw kale stuck to his hand when I reach out to shake it.... »
South Kawa
“This would be a really great place to bring a date, if you didn’t want anybody to see you together,” my friend said as we walked into South Kawa in Bridgeport. Stuck amidst a slew of wing joints and dollar stores blocks away from U.S. Cellular Field, the sushi bar has only been open... »
Zebra’s Gourmet Hot Dogs
Inside, Zebra’s has a homey feel, with checkered napkins and plastic chairs ringed around white tables. The front of the house is cozy, not a large-scale dining establishment by any means; the counter at which I ordered was also the partition between the eating area and the kitchen. »
California Drinkin’
The Chicago brew community has gone wild. We all know about Goose Island, but when the news broke on April 10 via Twitter that the California-based Lagunitas Brewing Company plans to open a new brewery in Douglas Park, it became clear that Chicago is in the middle of a craft beer renaissance. Within the... »
Brother Tim’s Veggies
There are two types of vegetarian restaurants. The first type tops things with sprouts and tosses around words like seitan and tempeh. The second type pretends it isn’t a vegetarian restaurant. Brother Tim’s, situated near 87th and Stony Island in Calumet Heights, is the second kind. Their menu, which proffers “vegetarian fast food,” is... »
Dat Donut
Rainbow sprinkled, toasted coconut, Boston cream pie, strawberry glazed, chocolate cake: these are only a portion of the twenty-five flavor spectrum of donuts offered at Dat Donut. With a red sign rivaling the size of its donut selection, the outpost is easily visible at the corner of 83rd and Cottage Grove. Rows and rows... »
Acadia
Harmony, complement, and dichotomy define the cuisine and atmosphere of this new South Loop spot by the corner of 18th Street and Wabash. A little elegant, a little homegrown, Acadia is a unique experience in accessibly upscale dining, which is absolutely unafraid to defy your expectations. »
