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The Chicago Traveler

April 8th, 2008

Chicago’s Eight Best Italian Beefs

The Italian Beef is a simple sandwich that is unique to Chicago, and there are several places in the city to find this great dish. Of course, just as is the case with pizza and hot dogs, Chicagoans can debate for hours on who has the best. I’ve tried to be as fair as possible […]

By Matt B -- 1 comment

March 13th, 2008

May St Café

Don’t let the bright, neon, this-close-to-tacky colors on the outside of May St Café fool you. Inside, you’ll find upscale chic, incredible art pieces, and a warm, inviting atmosphere that you won’t want to leave.
Chefs and owners Mario Santiago and Guadalupe Aguilar often come out to check on their guests to see how they’re enjoying […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

February 26th, 2008

Tony’s Italian Beef

The namesake reigns supreme at the small but popular Tony’s Italian Beef. Since 1975, this quick stop has been serving huge portions of food for cheap. Long lines can be found virtually any time of day, as customers come for the breakfast subs in the morning to the burgers and hot dogs in the afternoons […]

By Matt B -- 2 comments

January 22nd, 2008

Honey 1 BBQ

I don’t need a lot of artistic foods on fancy plates to be happy. Sometimes, all I crave is a big helping of barbecued meat. Sometimes, all I need is Honey 1 BBQ.
The best kind of rib is one which you have to actually tug or eat off the bone, rather than falling off the […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

January 9th, 2008

Table Fifty-Two

We sure love Oprah, don’t we. Fashion, books, health, gadgets, and now presidential candidates… whatever she touches turns to gold. So it’s no surprise that her personal chef’s restaurant, Table Fifty-Two, is usually booked solid for months.
Just walking into the one-room space is an experience by itself. Clad entirely in cream-colored oak paneling, the restaurant […]

By Matt B -- 2 comments

January 8th, 2008

Terragusto

Spaghetti, penne, rigatoni… pasta is pasta is pasta, right? Maybe not. Using the highest-quality products he can find, chef Theo Gilbert creates organic, nourishing foods that are certainly appreciated by his hungry customers. He changes the menu at Terragusto every couple of weeks based on what he finds at local farmers’ markets, keeping the selection […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

January 1st, 2008

Agami

When I first walked into Agami, I thought I was in the wrong neighborhood. A contemporary sushi place with this fanciful décor? I obviously had to be downtown. But no, this dining room featuring a curved bar, sushi bar, and striking red banquettes is found in Chicago’s north side, in Uptown. The textured turquoise walls […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

December 19th, 2007

Café Laguardia

Normally, seeing palm trees and animal prints in any establishment will make me want turn right around and run away. However, despite its questionable décor, Café Laguardia boasts a menu that couldn’t be more authentic, even if it came straight from Cuba.
Actually, the menu is Cuba-born. More than 50 years ago, the founder opened his […]

By Matt B -- 2 comments

December 12th, 2007

Hot Chocolate

One of my favorite dishes of the season is potato latkes. These shallow-fried cakes of grated potato can be topped with anything from sour cream to applesauce, and are commonly associated with Eastern European and Jewish cuisine. Chef Mindy Segal from Hot Chocolate loves them too, but despite all her culinary expertise, she’ll still admit […]

By Matt B -- 3 comments