Just hours before my first unofficial visit to The Aviary (955 W. Fulton Market)—you know, the little cocktail lounge from Grant Achatz that opened next door to Next this past Saturday—a painting by the Chicago artist and gallerist Thomas Masters and his collaborator, Adrian Leverkuhn, had been installed in the main room…
“It’s called The Ace Bar, like the bandage, because the place was broken, and I came in and fixed it,” says Brad Cousens, the owner of a new bar-slash-live-music-venue in the Lincoln Park address formerly home to Hoghead McDunna’s (1505 W. Fullerton Ave.; 312-970-1505)…
BEST NEW CHEF » The charming new restaurant in the former Eve space is Paris native Noguier’s dream come true. The chef-partner tells us Bistronomic’s backstory, his favorite dishes, what surprised him most about his customers, and more. How did Bistronomic come to be? It’s been my dream since I was in France. When I … Read more
« BEST NEW BARTENDER Related: BEST NEW RESTAURANTS 2011 » 22 great places to eat right now MOST PERFECTLY BRÛLÉED CRÈME BRÛLÉE PRIX FIXE 4835 N. Western Ave.; 773-681-0651 The lovely textured vanilla crème hits the not-too-sweet spot, but the thick, crunchy scorched crust on this brûlée makes each bite truly memorable. MOST … Read more
Our picks for favorite new dish, dessert, chef, and more
« BEST NEW RESTAURANT BEST NEW DISH » The 27-year-old Atlanta native is getting rave reviews for his Italian fare at Davanti Enoteca, one of our picks for best new restaurants. Here, he shares how got his start in the business, where he sees himself in ten years, his mother's favorite dish at the restaurant, … Read more
« BEST NEW CHEF BEST NEW DESSERT » Chef Doug D’Avico gives us the scoop on his perfectly seared swordfish—including the key ingredient and his secret technique What was your inspiration for the dish? My basic idea was that I wanted to do a shore lunch, so I kind of took the simple concept and … Read more
« BEST NEW DESSERT BEST NEW BITES » Read how the 30-year-old ex-chef stumbled into his profession, what makes a great bartender, his favorite watering holes, and more. What brought you to Chicago? I moved here for culinary school back in 2001. I went to the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (CHIC), which is … Read more
« BEST NEW DISH BEST NEW BARTENDER » We’ve tasted fantastic pies, tiramisùs, and crème brûlées, but only the che (pronounced “jay”) at Saigon Sisters—a warm custard made with butternut squash and coconut milk—left us with a lasting impression. Chef Matt Everson tells us more about the seasonal treat, which we hope will make a … Read more
Today, an old friend requested recommendations for a North Side BYO dinner spot—making restaurant suggestions to pals is one of the unofficial duties of a dining editor. After writing him a lengthy reply, I figured I’d pass along the list to you, our readers…
