Ad Categories: Dining & Drinking
Best Cocktail Trend: Freezer Martinis
The first sip of a martini is icy, bracing perfection. But by the time you’re halfway through, it’s too warm to fully enjoy. The freezer martini, popping up all over Chicago, solves that. It’s made in advance and stored in frigid temps until poured. The process also gives the drink an “incredible viscous texture,” says … Read more
Reboot of the Year: Small Bar
We have lost so many great corner bars in Chicago over the past decade. So it was a relief when Ty Fujimura and his partners opted to sell their 22-year-old Logan Square joint to Footman Hospitality (which operates the likes of Spilt Milk, Quality Time, and Bisous) rather than shutter it. Top firm Siren Betty … Read more
Where Are All the Wine Bars?
With none on this year’s list, our dining critic shares where he goes for vino.
Southern Oysters Rockefeller at Briny Swine
It takes a familiarity with a certain kind of Southern coastal seafood joint to make great broiled oysters. It’s all about plumping the oysters without exactly cooking them, yet still engineering a bubbly hot, golden brown, and alchemically delicious crust made from breadcrumbs, butter, the mollusk’s own juices, and suboptimal Parmesan cheese. At Briny Swine … Read more
The 10 Hottest Restaurants in Chicago: February 2025
The city’s most buzzed-about restaurants this month, in order of heat
The City’s Best Dinner Party
With his intimate (and secretive) Duck Sel pop-up, Donald Young serves a meal to remember.
Five Delicious Reasons to Leave the House This Winter
From deals to special events, here are some ways to combat cabin fever.
Georgia on My Mind
Wheeling’s Stumara captures the romance of the country’s cuisine — when, that is, it sticks to the classics.