The Chicago Traveler

La Peña is a family-owned restaurant that is bright and colorful, in more ways than one. From the rich tablecloths to the lively atmosphere to the vivid live music, this place is a South American celebration.
Many Latin restaurants start you off with a free basket of tortilla chips and salsa. However, La Peña offers something delectably different: thinly-sliced plantain chips. I guarantee you: those won’t last long, so you should probably grab something from the appetizer menu. The empanadas are absolutely delicious, as are the humitas and the tortillas de papa (potato pancakes stuffed with cheese and topped with …read more

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Let’s continue our International Tour by heading to Central and South America. A large majority of Central and South Americans live in the Logan Square neighborhood, but their influences can be found throughout the city.
For example, Mayan Sol Latin Grill in Albany Park is a great eatery that can take you to Central America because that’s where the owners are from. When co-owner Erwin Piril left Guatemala City (the capital and largest city of Guatemala) for Chicago back in 1998, he knew right away that he wanted to open a restaurant. So with his mother’s recipes and her flair …read more

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Unlike the stereotypical guy, I don’t actively follow any sports, and there are very few that I’ll actually sit and watch. One of those few is boxing. And for the next couple of weeks, hundreds of the world’s best amateur boxers will be right here in Chicago for the largest-ever world boxing championships.
The AIBA (Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur) World Boxing Championships, taking place today through November 3, qualifies top finishers for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Over 600 fighters from 120 countries will be competing in the two rings at UIC Pavilion on the University of Illinois-Chicago campus. …read more

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