Living in Lincoln Square, one hardly wants for formidable dining options within easy walking distance -- but in the last few years since I've moved to the neighborhood, Italian cuisine seems to be missing a truly worthy representative in the area. Trattoria Trullo and La Bocca Della Verita, both on Lincoln Avenue, are both flatly fine options -- nothing fancy, nothing taste-bud numbingly amazing, but nothing that tastes like its major components couldn't have come out of a freezer either. Just solidly mediocre. And while the area boasts some outstanding pizza (Spacca Napoli what up!), sometimes you just want a bowl of noodles and red sauce -- and have it not taste like something you (or Chef Boyardee) put together on your own stove.
Due Lire opened on Lincoln a year or so ago, offering a classic Italian mix of appertivo, small plates, pastas, and mains, and while it took me a while to finally visit, I will gladly return when the pasta-craving strikes from now on. While the staff wavers a bit between charming and aggressive, and both dining room and back patio are cozy but nothing to write home about, the food is gorgeous.
"Food Network Star" has two contestants from Chicago -- and both of them ended up in jeopardy at the end of the second episode.
This week's challenge involved a New York neighborhood food tour by bus. Each team explored the restaurants and markets of a different neighborhood, and used them as inspiration for dishes that they then presented on a moving bus to 20 tourists as well as the judges. Team Alton went to the Jewish Lower East Side, Team Bobby went to Harlem, and Team Giada went to Arthur Avenue, the original Little Italy.
As a member of Team Alton, Judson Todd Allen ended up getting The Pickle Guys pickle store as his inspiration. He decided to do two types of cole slaw, one emphasizing the sweet pickle and the other evoking the shop's best-selling sour pickles. Unfortunately, he didn't really feel a connection with pickles, and ended up overselling his inspiration.
Later, on Team Bobby, Kara Sigle ended up with Melba's, a Harlem soul food joint. She went with egg nog waffles and fried chicken. She learned the history of chicken and waffles, and we learned that Sigle doesn't like chicken on the bone and prefers pancakes over waffles. In the cooking montage, she had some trouble finding the right balance of spices in the waffles. Her presentation was also rough -- she stumbled over calling Melba "black," then "African-American," and lost her composure, forgetting to tell the story of chicken and waffles.
Fresh off the line from making a lunch of kale salad, walleye and braised oxtail for Mrs. Obama and fellow first ladies yesterday at the Comer Youth Center, chef Paul Kahan (Blackbird, Avec, Big Star, Publican) will be putting down the serrated knife and picking up the Serato (see what I did there?) and DJing at Barcito (151 W Erie) tonight from 8-10pm as part of the restaurant's Amigos Pinxtos series.
Last night the Garfield Park Conservatory hosted Chicago Craft Beer Week's kickoff event, Beer Under Glass. Dozens of local breweries poured tastes both inside the greenhouses and outside in the crisp evening air, and a handful of local restaurants provided snacks. At the end of the evening, food trucks were lined up outside at the end of the event to top off stomachs.
Our favorite sips, in no particular order:
Virtue Cider's Red Streak - Greg Hall's new venture, it's a perfectly crisp and dry cider
Half Acre's ChocolateCamaro milk stout - like the Left Hand favorite, but local and chocolatey
Flossmoor Station's Wallonian Saison - we're a sucker for "brewed with ginger"
5 Rabbit's 5 Lizard - a witbier brewed with spices and passion fruit
Goose Island's Scarlett - a tart n'n sassy saison/farmhouse ale made with my favorite fruit, raspberries
Uncommon Brewers' Siamese Twin - a Belgian-style double seasoned with lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves
A brief photo essay on the evening by David R Munson, after the jump.
Picture by Laura Sant from the Drive-Thru Flickr Pool, which is stocking up on dry goods and bottled water in anticipation of this weekend's NATO. Submit your pictures! And stay inside.
With NATO taking up every ounce of your newsfeed, I'm sure you were thinking as was I, where will all these leaders be eating? Granted, being that we are Chicago, someone's going to try to persuade one of them to forgo the fancy schmansy and get down and dirty with a Maxwell's hot dog or some deep dish pizza. Hopefully, a misguided leader won't end up on the corner of Ohio and Wabash (although it might be funny if Angela Merkel was found throwing back a Goose Island with a slice).
But not to fret, looks like Chicago is holding up its reputation for being a food mecca with its Chicago's Culinary Crossroads program which is like Restaurant Week all over again only NATO style without the prix fix menu. Earlier this month, acclaimed international chefs paired with local star chefs to kick off the festivities and collaborated on menus that reflected their nation's cuisines. Chef David Colcombe of Opus Restaurant in Birmingham, UK paired with Chef Dirk Flanigan of Henri/The Gage and Chef Jason Bangerter of LUMA in Toronto, Canada paired with Chef Tony Priolo of Piccolo Sogno to name a few. If you didn't get a chance to hit up this culinary pairing, check out the menus.
From now until May 25, 200 local restaurants are serving up tasty morsels and libations inspired by the NATO nations. Cleverly enough, diners can also collect "passport" codes at each participating restaurant they visit for a chance to win a VIP weekend for two to Chicago Gourmet in September. (You have to visit three restaurants to participate to win). If you're not busy protesting or avoiding the drama by escaping to Wisconsin or the Cubs vs. Sox games, get out there and eat something different and increase your chance for a gourmet September.
To learn more about the program visit the Chicago's Culinary Crossroads website.
Don't have enough farm to table meals in your life? On May 23, Uncommon Ground on Devon will host a Slow Food farm dinner. Executive Chef Matthew Holmes will prepare a multi-course (including dessert!) spring menu, not to mention passed appetizers at the rooftop farm reception. Each course will feature a seasonal cocktail prepared with Evanston based FEW Spirits small batch liquors. Proteins will be provided by Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm, along with organic ingredients supplied by Harvest Moon. Plus, not only will you enjoy a farm fresh meal, but the a portion of the dinner cost will act as a donation to Slow Food Chicago, which will be using the donation as a proceed to help send local farmers to Terra Madre in Torino, Italy.
To make your reservation, call Uncommon Ground Devon at (773) 465-9801. Reservations are $65 per person. Uncommon Ground Devon is located at 1401 W Devon Ave. Rooftop reception starts at 6pm with dinner served at 7pm.
Bottlenotes in collaboration with Cheeky Chicago is bringing its love for wine to Chicago this week and next with the Taste Around Town wine tasting event. This is your chance to turn networking into a wine lesson and try wines from different regions in either a flight or 3-course menu pairing. This year's regions are California, France, and Spain with featured wines from the Rhone Valley, Naked Grape, and the Rioja region. The event kicked off Monday and ends on May 25th. Check out the participating restaurants, which include Paris Club, Naha, deca, and Allium to name a few, and book your reservations on OpenTable.
The eighth season of "Food Network Star" debuted last night (they've dropped "Next" from the title -- which is good, since so many seasons have resulted in multiple stars, and not always the one who won), and Two Chicagoans are in the mix: Kara Sigle and Judson Allen.
Kara Sigle is the owner of Nostalgic Catering -- as well as a partner and instructor at The Total Body Boot Camp. Her angle is healthier renditions of family-friendly "nostalgic dishes."
Drive-Thru is looking for new writers to join our all-volunteer, all-awesome staff (pictured). If you can submit a minimum of two posts a week on such topics as restaurant openings, food events, cooking, industry news and the overuse of the word "amazing" in popular culture, send me an email with two food-related writing samples (500 words or less) and a summary of relevant qualifications.
Half Acre Beer Co. is celebrating Chicago Craft Beer Week with "The Sands," a beach party from 6pm to 10pm on Friday, May 18 at The Dock at Montrose Beach, 200 W. Montrose Harbor Dr. There will be plenty of beer of course, but also food from Big Star and Belly Shack, and unspecified musical entertainment. And, hopefully, lots of heat lamps.
Tickets are $45 each, and will go on sale at 11am this Sunday, May 13, at the Half Acre brewery store, 4257 N. Lincoln Ave. Only 350 tickets will be sold, two per person. Expect a long line.
Also this week, Half Acre announced plans to open a taproom at the south end of its brewery in North Center. There will be 10 beers on tap, including taproom-only experimental stuff, guest-brewed beers and a rotating cask beer. The taproom is expected to open sometime in August.
When one leaves the friendly confines of Cook County, what sorts of Chicago cuisine can they encounter in the outside world? And how does it measure up against what we know so well? Read this feature »
Living in Lincoln Square, one hardly wants for formidable dining options within easy walking distance -- but in the last few years since I've moved to the neighborhood, Italian cuisine seems to be missing a truly worthy representative in the area. Trattoria Trullo and La Bocca Della Verita, both on Lincoln Avenue, are both flatly fine options -- nothing fancy, nothing taste-bud numbingly amazing, but nothing that tastes like its major components couldn't have come out of a freezer either. Just solidly mediocre. And while the area boasts some outstanding pizza (Spacca Napoli what up!), sometimes you just want a bowl of noodles and red sauce -- and have it not taste like something you (or Chef Boyardee) put together on your own stove.
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Fresh off the line from 
Don't have enough farm to table meals in your life? On May 23, 
The eighth season of "
Drive-Thru is looking for new writers to join our all-volunteer, all-awesome staff (pictured). If you can submit a minimum of two posts a week on such topics as restaurant openings, food events, cooking, industry news and the overuse of the word "amazing" in popular culture, 
