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The Chicago Reader

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Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Aug 9, 2018
Recommended
Wicker Park's Ina Mae Tavern is New Orleans in a bottle

Chef Brian Jupiter embraces the food of his foundation.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Review, Ina Mae Tavern & Packaged Goods, Brian Jupiter, Beechwood Inn, Wicker Park, Wicker Park bars, Wicker Park restaurants, Cajun-creole restaurants, New Orleans, Cajun-creole food, po'boys, SnoWizard shaved ice machine, gumbo ya-ya, gumbo z'herbes, Fifolet, Pearl's Southern Comfort, Luella's Southern Kitchen, eggplant Orleans, oysters, fried chicken, drop biscuit, doberge cake, Dixie Beer, Abita Beer, hurricanes, Cafe du Monde, beignets, poor man's seafood tower, southern food, rye, Recommended

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Jul 19, 2018
Recommended
Flight Club Darts Chicago is a flight of fancy

Raw oysters, rosé cotton candy, hookah-smoking sloths, and darts—what more could you and your Anglophile friends ask for?
- By Aimee Levitt
- Tags: Restaurant Review, Flight Club Darts Chicago, social darts, cardoon thistle amaro, mortal, seafood tower, darts, Peter Vestinos, Flight Club Darts, Steve Moore, Flight Club, cocktails, oysters, instant replays, cotton candy, Recommended

Blogs, Bleader Dec 5, 2016
The Tasting Room at Moody Tongue is all class

Jared Rouben’s new Pilsen tasting room for his culinary brewing is carefully designed to be the bar where he'd most like to drink.
- By Julia Thiel
- Tags: Booze, Food & Drink, Moody Tongue, tasting room, Jared Rouben, culinary brewing, German chocolate cake, oysters, Smoked Applewood Gold, Steeped Emperor's Lemon Saison, bourbon barrel aged barleywine, bourbon barrel aged gingerbread imperial stout

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Mar 21, 2016
Recommended
Oyster Bah serves up the flavors of Maine on North Halsted Street

Lettuce Entertain You’s New England-style seafood shack in Lincoln Park is a crowd-pleaser.
- By Aimee Levitt
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Oyster Bah, Lettuce Entertain You, Rich Melman, Pete Balodimas, Seafood, Lincoln Park, oysters, Recommended

Blogs, Bleader Sep 15, 2015
Charbroiling oysters with Tommy Cvitanovich of New Orleans' Drago's

We talk oysters with Tommy Cvitanovich, whose family owns the most successful restaurant in Louisiana, Drago's Seafood.
- By Michael Gebert
- Tags: Food & Drink, Food Chain, Oysters, Shaw's Crab House, Shaw's Oysterfest, Tommy Cvitanovich, Drago's Seafood

Blogs, Bleader Sep 14, 2015
Talking and shucking with Montreal's champion oyster shucker Daniel Notkin

The preservation and consumption of oysters are closely related, says Montreal's champion shucker Daniel Notkin.
- By Michael Gebert
- Tags: Food & Drink, Food Chain, Daniel Notkin, Notkin's Oyster Bar, oysters, Shaw's Crab House, Shaw's Oysterfest, Shuckers

Blogs, Bleader Sep 25, 2014
The raw bar at the Ravenswood Mariano's is shucking some great bivalves

Stumbling upon a terrific $10 lunch special at the supermarket's oyster bar.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Food Chain, Food & Drink, Mariano's, oysters, Todd's BBQ, raw bar, clam chowder, ravenswood

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Aug 1, 2014
Recommended
Evanston's Boltwood is unpredictable—and that's not a complaint

Ex-Publican chef de cuisine Brian Huston goes home.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Review, Boltwood, Brian Huston, Evanston, The Publican, John Kim, Brothers K Coffeehouse, oysters, olives, peppers, nuts, toast, sable, ricotta cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, bar snacks, snacks, wines, cocktails, Few Spirits, squid, menus, vegetables, kohlrabi, fish, seafood, palm sugar, butter, squid, cauliflower, potatoes, pumpkin seeds, steak, chiles, cantaloupe, blue cheese, cheese, anchovies, eggplant, cashews, beets, pistachio, culantro, grapefruit, salads, avocado, pea shoots, garlic, schmaltz, loup de mer, zucchini, meatballs, lamb, shrimp, desserts, pies, sorbet, gelato, Recommended

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review May 23, 2014
Recommended
Joe Fish, Rosebud Restaurants' new seafood house, is for ballers

Few people seem to have mourned the passing of Rosebud Trattoria—but something more current has taken its place.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Joe Fish, Rosebud, Centro Ristorante, Alex Dana, Grant Pick, Chicago Reader, River North, Chicago Sun-Times, Michael Sneed, Rosebud Steakhouse, Rosebud Prime, Carmine's, portions, Italian restaurants, seafood restaurants, fish, seafood, Nico Osteria, service, appetizers, salads, entrees, oysters, bacon, spinach, Pamesan cheese, crab, crab cakes, lobster, avocado, lamb, chicken, steak, burgers, sea bass, prosciutto, branzino, Dover sole, wild rice, bouillabaisse, squid, mussels, clams, shrimp, pasta, rice, linguine alle vongole, risotto, tomatoes, ramps, Bang Bang Pie, cocktails, biscuits, desserts, cheesecake, pecan pie, pies, ricotta cheese, honey, almonds, blackberries, cake, Recommended

Blogs, Bleader May 20, 2014
Keep it nacreous at Pearl Tavern

The Loop's new oyster bar has a way with some bivalves. But not all of them.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Food Chain, Food & Drink, oysters, seafood, Pearl Tavern, Joe Fish, Bow & Stern, Kinmont, razor clams, po'boy

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Apr 4, 2014
Bottlefork: A fine chef meets the Dec

Kevin Hickey, formerly of Allium, joins forces with Rockit Ranch.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Bottlefork Bar & Kitchen, River North, Kevin Hickey, Billy Dec, food writers, restaurant critics, Rockit Ranch Productions, Dragon Ranch, Allium, Rockit Burger Bar, burgers, Wrigleyville, burgers, menus, snacks, cocktails, whiskey, rum, bourbon, beer, salt, pasta, chicken, chicken meatballs, quail eggs, bratwurst, rabbit, cornmeal, poutine, potatoes, kale, squash, pork, beef, lamb, chorizo, ham, po'boy, foie gras, oysters, lobster, Bottlefork, octopus, potato salad, beans, brussels sprouts

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Mar 21, 2014
Recommended
Japonais by Morimoto: At the top of the sushi food chain

The Iron Chef puts his brand on some of the best sushi in the city right now.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Japonais by Morimoto, Masaharu Morimoto, Iron Chef, Japonais, omakase, sushi, sushi bars, Gene Kato, Sumi Robata Bar, Kinmont, sustainable seafood, seafood, overfished species, eel, yellowtail, bluefin tuna, salmon, sashimi, pizza, anchovy, aioli, okonomiyaki, pancakes, fish, pork, gyoza, bacon, crab, uni carbonara, sea urchin, noodles, peas, pasta, chicken, chicken noodle soup, soup, tofu, kimchi, dashi, rice, eggs, duck confit, duck, risotto, oysters, foie gras, kasutera, desserts, sake, beer, Rogue Ales, whiskey, Japanese whiskey, Japanese restaurants, Japanese fusion restaurants, Recommended

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Mar 14, 2014
Rough waters at Kinmont

The Element Collective’s fish house falls short of doing great things with sustainable seafood.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Kinmont, Duncan Biddulph, seafood, Element Collective, sustainable seafood, fish, Old Town Social, Nellcote, fried chicken, food trends, Leghorn Chicken, oyster bars, supper clubs, Field & Stream, Lettuce Entertain You, Rootstock Wine Bar, Lula Cafe, menus, entrees, appetizers, fisherman's stew, shellfish, oysters, mussels, celery, shallots, crab, salmon, salmon tartare, eggs, salmon roe, Au Cheval, smoked fish, dairy, smoked-trout reubens, trout, rye bread, sandwiches, sauerkraut, french fries, squid ink, shrimp, spaghetti, sturgeon, cauliflower, radicchio, cobia, butternut squash, black garlic, sardines, cocktails, beer, wine, desserts, apple pie, chedddar-caramel sauce

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Feb 14, 2014
Over the rail at Bow & Stern Oyster Bar

Come for the bivalves at West Town's new oyster bar, but then jump ship.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Bow & Stern Oyster Bar, West Town, oyster bars, oysters, seafood, Branch 27, Brian Greene, Savoy, surf-and-turf, salads, meat, pastrami-cured salmon, salmon, pickles, pork belly, scallops, red snapper, batter, winter salad, desserts, service, cioppino, mussels, prawns, clams, shrimp, key lime pie, dulce de leche cake, ice cream, wines

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Jan 24, 2014
Eataly: The restaurant review

In which the reviewer gives his assessment of 11 of the 15 restaurants, bars, and food stalls in the luxurious River North Italian mega-emporium
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Eataly, Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich, L'Appetito, Italian delis, Bari Foods, J.P. Graziano, Riviera, ESPN Zone, Jorge Luis Borges, pesto, pasta, olive oils, vinegars, wine, salami, La Pasta, Alessi, calamari, Baffo, Joe Bastianich, oysters, La Piazza, prosciutto, Le Verdure, greens, gnocchi, polenta, tomato sauce, vegetables, simplicity, freshness, Birreria, beer, bratwurst, Italian beers, house-brewed beer, Il Pesce, seafood, fish, sea bass, Carne, Neapolitan pizza, pizza, La Pizza & La Pasta, wood-burning ovens, Rosticceria, sandwiches, I Panini, Vino Libero, Nutella Bar, Lait Gelato, Il Gelato, gelato, Italian food, Nella Grassano, Nellcote, Gene & Georgetti, steak, butcher counter, mozzarella, learning, Eataly Chicago, River North

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Nov 15, 2013
Recommended
Bohemian rhapsody at Dusek's

Jared Wentworth's new restaurant in Pilsen is more than just Longman & Eagle south.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Dusek's, Dusek's Board & Beer, Punch House, Thalia Hall, Pilsen, developers, John Dusek, architecture, Empty Bottle, Bruce Finkelman, beer, bars, Jared Wentworth, Longman & Eagle, cocktail bars, meat, foie gras, off cuts, organs, chicken, burgers, beef, Slagel Farms, duck, tete de cochon, frog legs, pigtail, qual eggs, daikon, sausage, choucroute, sauerkraut, potatoes, apples, pork, craft beer, seafood, oysters, chowder, leeks, mackerel, gnocchi, mushrooms, beets, amuses-bouche, cuttlefish, tagine, couscous, vegetables, green beans, shallots, bar snacks, bar menus, menus, olives, crab dip, sorbet, Nightwood, punches, tea, churros, gentrification, Recommended

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Oct 4, 2013
Recommended Video
Tanta: Peruvian time is nigh

Star chef Gastón Acurio introduces Peru to River North.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Tanta, Peruvian restaurants, Peruvian cuisine, Gastón Acurio, pan-Peruvian cuisine, Laurent Tourondel, restauranteurs, fusion cuisine, River North, ceviches, cebiches, street food, skewers, pollo a la brasa, chicken, meat, Nikkei cuisine, potatoes, causitas, aji amarillo, chile paste, seafood, anticuchos, octopus, sweet potatoes, sauces, olives, huacatay, beef heart, beef, chimichurri, corn, squid, shrimp, rocoto pepper, peppers, tuna, avocado, tamarind, uni, crab, scallops, oysters, choclo, tiraditos, fish, sashimi, leche de tigre, hangover cures, rice, chaufa aeropuerto, fried rice, pork, omelets, texture, paella, dolsot bibimbap, Chinese cuisine, Japanese cuisine, lomo saltado, onions, tomatoes, paiche, chupe, carapulcra, rotisserie chicken, pisco, cocktails, bars, pisco sours, desserts, quinoa, ice cream, pumpkin, doughnuts, Recommended, Video

Food & Drink, Restaurant Review Jun 24, 2013
Recommended
The Big Star of chicken shacks

Parson's Chicken & Fish is a summer party at a hipster Harold's—for now.
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Parson's Chicken & Fish, hot sauces, fish, chicken, pollock, hush puppies, baccala, funnel cake, clam rolls, shrimp, salad, oysters, cheese toast, octopus, bars, beer, Negroni slushy, michelada, Dip Unit, hip-hop, Harold's Chicken Shack, YouTube, fried chicken, upscale fried chicken, Big Jones, Honey Butter Fried Chicken, Logan Square, Longman & Eagle, Big Star, cocktails, patios, whiskey, Ping-Pong, Recommended

Food & Drink, Food & Drink Feature Apr 18, 2013
Where to fulfill your most intense food obsessions

Pie. Handmade noodles. Tacos. Italian subs. Bagels. Mac 'n' cheese. Tamales. Hot dogs. Pizza. Espresso. Oysters. And vegan everything.
- Tags: Food & Drink Feature, Hoosier Mama Pie Shop, Zocalo, Frontera, El Taco Veloz, pie, El Charro de San, L'patron, El Faro, Atotonilco, noodles, Los Gallos, Taqueria Moran, Harvest Time Foods, coffee, Quesedilla Reyna del Sur, Manolo's Tamales, El Milagro, Rosas Tamales, espresso, Superdawg, Big Guys, Gene and Jude's, Red Hot Ranch, vegan food, Chubby Wieners, oysters, subs, Italian subs, mac 'n' cheese, bagels, pizza, tacos, tamales, hot dogs, Twitter, Facebook, food obsessions, First Slice Pie Cafe, Bang Bang Pie Shop, Katy's Dumpling House, Jibek Jolu, Lazzat Euro Asian Cuisine, Intelligentsia, Wormhole Coffee, Gaslight Coffee Roasters, The Handlebar, Soul Vegetarian East, Arya Bhavan, Chicago Diner, Native Foods Cafe, Blind Faith Cafe, Shaw's Crab House, GT Fish & Oyster, The Publican, Bari Foods, D'Amato's #1 Italian and French Bakery, Gratto Pizzeria & Deli, Half Italian, Schubas, Kuma's Corner, New York Bagel & Bialy, Kaufman's Bagel & Delicatessen, The Bagel, Santullo's Eatery, Dante's Pizzeria, Pizza Metro, Art of Pizza, Bacci Pizzeria, Village Pizza, Once Upon a Bagel

Blogs, Bleader Sep 6, 2012
Where fish meets absinthe and more in this week's Food & Drink

In this week's Food & Drink: seafood and absinthe at Wicker Park's the Savoy, Key Ingredient coffee
- By Kate Schmidt
- Tags: Food Chain, Food & Drink, Brian Greene, the Savoy, Wicker Park, seafood restaurants, absinthe, Deidre Hays, oysters, Key Ingredient, Ben Sheagren, Hopleaf, Ray Stanis, Nellcote, coffee, beer, Michael Shrader, Urban Union, parsley

Food & Drink, Scraps May 5, 2011
Rowan Jacobsen dinner at North Pond, Pasticceria Natalina closes, Scott Harris expands
- By Kate Schmidt
- Tags: Scraps, Rowan Jacobsen, Bruce Sherman, North Pond, BP, oil spill, oysters, Pasticceria Natalina, Natalie Zarzour, Scott Harris, Glaze, Panza, Francesca's Forno, Mia Francesca

Blogs, Bleader Sep 15, 2010
This Week's Food and Drink Events

Picnicking on the North Shore, touring Pilsen restaurants, navigating Indian menus, and more.
- By Sam Worley
- Tags: Food Chain, Food & Drink, Pilsen, Mexican Independence Day, Buen Provecho, restaurant tour, Nuevo Leon, Nightwood, Take Me Out Cafe, Don Churro, Indonesian cuisine, The Rice Table, Rijsttafel, Sip Coffee House, Somme Prairie Grove, Prairie Grass Cafe, Slagel Family Farm, Italian sausage, yard work, Colleen Taylor Sen, Pakoras, Paneer, Pappadums: A Guide to Indian Restaurant Menus, Indian cuisine, Pakistani cuisine, self-publishing, self-marketing, Kendall College, Guinness Oyster Fest, Guinness, oysters, Neon Trees, Sugarcult, Tom Schraeder & His Ego, Village Tap, Piazza Bella Trattoria, Brew Not Bombs, Screaming Females, This Bike is a Pipebomb, homebrew, vegan bake-off, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, Civilian Soldier Alliance, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Sit Stay Read, The Bluebird, literacy, Dogfish Head, Bitches Brew, Two Brothers, Dog Days, Brew Dog, Punk IPA, Green City Market, Locavore Challenge, Community Gathering and Locavore Dinner, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Blogs, Bleader Dec 25, 2009
Evasion of the Bodysnatchers

“We’ve secretly replaced the regular cremains at this upscale funeral home with Seamans’ Crystals™. Can these discriminating mourners tell the difference? Let’s find out.”
- By Cliff Doerksen
- Tags: Bad News From the Past, We're Old, cremation, burial, premature burial, funerals, science, liquid air, inventors, dissection, medical schools, cadavers, rubber bags, heavy rollers, oysters, meat, eggs, butter, fruit, grave robbers, body snatchers, resurrectionists

Blogs, Bleader Jan 11, 2007
The Passion of Mark Mavrantonis

Cover boy Mark Mavrantonis's Oyster Manifesto: a Food Chain exclusive!
- By Mike Sula
- Tags: Food & Drink, Food Chain, Mark Mavrantonis, Fulton's on the River, oysters

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