The Chicago Traveler

In an era of food chains and carbon-copy restaurants, it can be difficult to find a place that still believes in the purity and simplicity of home-grown food. However, chef Paul Virant cures his own meat and works hard to find ingredients locally for his contemporary American cuisine inspired by Western European fare at Vie in Western Springs.
The restaurant has a modern look with leather banquettes and glass tile, the walls painted shades of white and gray. I have to admit, I wasn’t a big fan of the bum-chilling aluminum chairs, but the soft lighting and wood-burning fireplace add a …read more

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Hey dude. For some totally rad dishes served along with some bodacious décor, you’ve gotta check out this wicked place called Sola.
Alright, so my surfer lingo could use some work. What can I say, I’m from the Midwest. Nonetheless, Sola’s flavorful menu is heavily influenced by the Pacific, which is no big surprise considering chef and owner Carol Wallack grew up surfing and has a second home in Hawaii. Even the restaurant itself is decorated with hues of amber, beige, and orange… making the occasionally long wait for a table feel like a day at the beach.
Hawaiian, Asian, and Californian …read more

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I was brought to Moody’s Pub for the first time last week. I had heard of the place before, and with it being just a few blocks from home, I was looking forward to trying what this historical restaurant had to offer.
Established in 1959, the exterior of Moody’s looked a bit like a ’60s bank, I thought. Once through the heavy wooden door, I had to let my eyes adjust. It was dark in there! I noticed that there were paintings and decorations on the walls, but it was so dark, I couldn’t even make out what they were. There …read more

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