I can’t believe this place is still a hot spot. It just means one thing – it’s good and worthy of sticking around Chicago’s competitive restaurant scene!  I remember coming here a couple of years back when it first opened and thought the communal tables and their Belgian beer selection was the coolest thing – It still, kinda is!  I mean, libations list is still fantastic but I think I am over the communal tables. Could just be a sign of me getting old.  Or that maybe this just isn’t …

I was really, really excited to check out Rockit Ranch Productions’ latest venture,  ”Sunda New Asian”, a restaurant that revolves around simple and expertly prepare authentic food from Eastern Asia and Southeast Asia.  When Sunda offered to host our group (Michelle met the PR company in another setting), I had to get online to check out the menu – I was immediately intrigued by their dim sum selection (a meal that I grew up eating weekly with my family) and the $9 Shui Mai (traditional steamed pork dumpling). Except here, …

Try an old Chicago Food Whore favorite!

South Loop Italian restaurant, Gioco, reopened for dinner yesterday, April 27.  Gioco closed a few months ago, with the promise to eventually reopen.  Sounds like Gioco has gotten a facelift -extensive refurbishing, a new antipasto bar, new furnishings and a new menu created by Executive Chef Danny Sweis.
 
Chef Sweis’ new menu offers rustic Italian dishes prepared with the finest available seasonal products, along with house-made pastas and wood-fired thin crust pizzas.  Featured new dishes include the House-Made Gnocchi with Fresh Wild Mushrooms, the Grilled …

BRUNCH
IT’S A COFFEE MUG ROUNDUP!
The new breakfast and lunch restaurant in River North invites all
Chicagoans to drop off their favorite coffee mug at Brunch
Chicago, IL – Brunch, a new restaurant opening in River North in late May, invites all Chicagoans and local business owners to drop off their favorite mugs for a massive coffee mug roundup. This unique program presents a terrific opportunity for business owners to promote their company and increase their visibility. All coffee mugs that are dropped off will become the serving mugs for the restaurant. …

Vegan friendly, gluten free and eco-friendly are food trends that are finally permeating into the suburbs of Chicago – Prasino’s in St. Charles is the epitome of this concept offering an earthy dinning ambiance, beautiful food and friendly service (kid friendly too!). Prasino’s = the Greek word for “Green”.
When you walk in, you’ll be immediately taken by the décor – rich wooden wall decor, natural linens and unique light fixtures (which by the way, are made from cardboard boxes). the idea that most everything in the restaurant has been repurposed …

Sorry ladies – I somehow, didn’t manage to non-chalantly take a photo of the cute waiter in his tight white shirt with biceps squishing out of them!  I’ll just leave it to your imagination!
Oh the other hand, I will not let this posting go without pictures – this little cafe is too yummy to pass up – definitely a jewel !  It was our ladies brunch group that meets once a month and this week we were deciding between Magnolia and Uncommon Ground.  Given that I had the WORST experience …

For those living in the suburbs and tired of seeing all the typical chain restaurants, here is a unique dining option in St. Charles / Fox Valley area. The Townhouse Book Store and Cafe is absolutely adorable! – if there happens to be a wait (and the food is worth the wait), you can spend your time perusing the aisles of the bookstore where you can find just about anything in this small space!
On a nice day, you can expect a little bit of a wait on their small patio …

As a foodie, people often ask me, “What’s your favorite food?”  This is an impossible question!  It all depends on my mood, the weather, or what my current obsession is.  However, there are a few things that I simply cannot live without.  If I ever get stranded on a deserted island, there had better be grapes and some kind of livestock, because I need my WINE and CHEESE!  These are 2 of my 4 main food groups – Wine, Coffee, Chocolate and Cheese. 
I had been watching the space now occupied by Vintage …

A funny thing happened a couple weeks back as I organized a crew of friends to join me for a Dutch pancake brunch. I had recently learned that this Dutch pancake house had opened a new location in Logan Square / Bucktown area – that meant that this preggo lady didn’t have to go all the way up to Lincoln Square from University Village to get her pancake fix!
Sooo..I text Michelle and all my friends the exact intersection of where they needed to go (Oakley and North Ave) to meet …

If you’re looking for a fairly informal place with delicious food – then I think Wicker Park’s Birchwood Kitchen is a great choice.  Their style reminded me much of Milk & Honey in the same neighborhood where your order is placed at the counter and then your food is brought out to you.  However the food here is MUCH more inspiring than M&H.  (Actually I didn’t think much of M&H at all!)
There is a nice selection of unique sandwiches – ooey gooey delicious.  I never said that this would be …

When my husband goes out of town, I like to throw on my pants with the flexible waist band and head out for a weekend of eating with my girlfriends!  A few weekends back on a Saturday, I took Michelle for breakfast at Glenn’s Diner after she had gorged herself at the Drawing Room for the Restaurant Week promotion the night before.  We then spent the rest of the day driving around the city and found ourselves in Norridge at Middle Eastern Flair buying tabouli, pita, hummous and baklava.
Suddenly, I …

I first heard about this place on Yelp when it was featured in the “Hot on Yelp” section – but then next thing I knew, it was featured in Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-In and Drives” hosted by Guy Fieri.
I FINALLY was able to convince my husband to drive all the way from University Village to come here – afterall, from where I live, there isn’t an easy way to get here except mostly via local traffic. James kept saying, “this is a long way to drive for eggs..it better …