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Gapers Block published from April 22, 2003 to Jan. 1, 2016. The site will remain up in archive form. Please visit Third Coast Review, a new site by several GB alumni.
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Tuesday, April 23

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Drive-Thru
« “Aw, come on, Mr. Starbuck, you're just plain gloomy.” Lunch Sanctuary in the Loop »

Restaurant Wed Mar 14 2007

Handlebar Open for Weekday Lunch

Handlebar's Vegan French Toast.jpgThe Handlebar in Wicker Park - one of The Reader's Top 50 and one of my go-to eateries - now opens weekdays at 10 a.m., offering a breakfast menu that just about copies their weekend brunch menu. An espresso machine has also come into the picture, which could add a whole new level of leisurely outdoor coffee drinking once the back patio opens for the season. I'm a big fan of the nicely sweet "orange marmalade maple syrup" that covers the vegan French toast so well that I didn't know what to do with my cup of regular syrup - not that I didn't try. Potatoes and avocado make the breakfast burrito hearty - another solid choice for breakfast or brunch. And you can get it with either seitan sausage or eggs. Handlebar's lunch/dinner menu has plenty of meat analogs, but perhaps you'll enjoy it here if you want the vegetables back in vegetarian, too. The groundnut stew brings a warming combination of sweet potato, coconut, zucchini, greens and brown rice; and the black beans maduro layers plantains, rice and beans in a chipotle sauce. Bonus: Chicagoland Bicycle Federation members get a free quesadilla between 4 and 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Bicycle parking is abundant, including some in back.

 
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Feature Thu Dec 31 2015

The State of Food Writing

By Brandy Gonsoulin

In 2009, food blogging, social media and Yelp were gaining popularity, and America's revered gastronomic magazine Gourmet shuttered after 68 years in business. Former Cook's Illustrated editor-in-chief Chris Kimball followed with an editorial, stating that "The shuttering of Gourmet reminds...
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About Drive-Thru

Drive-Thru is the food and drink section of Gapers Block, covering the city's vibrant dining, drinking and cooking scene. More...
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Editor: Robyn Nisi, rn@gapersblock.com
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