A Sweet Anniversary: Bittersweet Pastry Shop Turns 30
The bakery is celebrating with a refresh of its original shop and a new Pilsen location.
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Southport’s New Lanes
Two years after the historic restaurant and bowling alley at 3325 North Southport Avenue closed for good, Boka Restaurant Group has taken up residence with three distinct eateries.
Smash and Grab
When it comes to smash burgers, I’m a charred-edges man. Two ultrathin patties, please, each singed around the corners until they flake like South Side burnt ends. Suffice to say, they smash ’em good at Bitter Pops: one part takeout beer emporium, one part family-friendly taproom. There are no froufrou toppings, just grilled onions, American … Read more
A Sushi Star’s Sequel
With his more affordable Kyoten Next Door, Otto Phan offers a streamlined yet still stellar omakase.
Best Place to Drink Beer and Not Get Drunk
Go Brewing This Naperville brewery has already shown it knows how to make a great-tasting nonalcoholic beer — it took gold and silver medals at the Best of Craft Beer Awards. (If you need more proof, just try the mango-peach deliciousness of the Sunshine State Tropical IPA.) Now it’s out to establish another truth: You can have … Read more
Best (and Tastiest) Tribute to Produce
Monteverde’s Year of the Vegetable This year, Monteverde chef-owner Sarah Grueneberg has been all about the veggies. Using her 2022 cookbook, Listen to Your Vegetables, as a launch pad, she creates a handful of new menu items each month that spotlight a different seasonal vegetable. In May, for example, diners could enjoy asparagus three ways: … Read more
Best Surprise Return for Imbibers
Best Intentions After the beloved cocktail bar closed at the start of the pandemic, owners (and brothers) Chris and Calvin Marty played it safe, staying shut well after other spots reopened. For a while, with no signs of life, it looked like the joint might be gone for good — that is, until early this spring, when … Read more
Best Gourmet Take on the Chicago Dog
Dan the Baker With his intricate, decadent, croissant-wrapped creation, pastry chef Daniel Koester, who goes by Dan the Baker on Instagram, gives new meaning to the Chicago-style hot dog. This picture-perfect pastry tucks most of the traditional elements inside a buttery bun (he dropped the onions and celery salt, so as not to “overcrowd” his … Read more
Best Reason to Make Tuesday Pizza Night
Bungalow by Middle Brow The pizza joint from Middle Brow Beer Co. made a name for itself with its bubbly Neapolitan pies, but the real magic is in its square-cut, thin-crust tavern style, served exclusively on Tuesday nights. You may wait 45 to 60 minutes, but it’s worth it for that crisp first bite. The … Read more
Best TikTok for Food Geeks
@notyetachef As Jake Potashnick prepares to open his tasting-menu restaurant, Feld, next year, he stages the occasional pop-up in his apartment above the West Town restaurant, grapples with plumbing and electrical issues, and entertains his nearly 70,000 followers on TikTok. Just don’t call him a TikTok chef, he implores: “I don’t record myself cooking.” Rather, … Read more