Taxim’s Lamb Shank Yuvetsi

Taxim’s Lamb Shank Yuvetsi

Thanks to some tweaks from David Schneider of Wicker Park’s Taxim, you won’t need a yuvetsi — a classic Greek terra cotta pot — to prepare this traditional braised lamb. But you’ll still want to set aside an afternoon to make the dish, which calls for specialty items like Greek orzo and myzithra cheese. (You can find both at … Read more

The Best BYOBs in Town and a Good Place to Celebrate

Ropa Vieja from Bayan Ko

What are the best BYOBs in town? Let’s start with Bayan Ko (1810 W. Montrose Ave., Ravenswood), where the Filipino-Cuban menu (get the Cubano fried rice and thank me later) goes nicely with a bottle of dry rosé. I’d bring an off-dry Riesling to match the delicious fare at In-On Thai (4641 N. Broadway, Uptown). … Read more

Big Fish

Pickled fish hot pot with shrimp and cucumbers

In recent years, an influx of money from Asia has transformed Chinatown, replacing beloved if long-in-the-tooth Cantonese places with bright restaurants in line with international tastes. Dim sum parlors have been supplanted by Taiwanese teahouses, Korean barbecues, Sichuan spice-o-ramas, and hot pot spots. So many hot pot spots. My favorite of this new guard is … Read more