The Chicago Traveler

Halloween hasn’t arrived yet, but let’s face it. It’s time to start thinking about the coming holidays and seasonal dinners. Hours and hours of peeling vegetables, slaving over hot stoves, washing multiple bowls and dishes…
I don’t know about you, but that does not sound like fun to me. Let someone else do it. Sunday Dinner is a catering service that specializes in local, seasonal food. They are available for private dinners, celebrations, special occasions, hors d’oeuvres parties, etc., all with food from local farmers markets.
Menus are individually based on the client’s needs and the ingredients available during the season. For …read more

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Oh Volo… where do I even begin? Your radiant décor? Your chic food? Your comfortable, social atmosphere?
Owner Jon Young (co-creator of Kitsch’n across the street) and chef Stephen Dunne are behind this Roscoe Village wine bar, which has been featured on The Food Channel. The restaurant bears striking design with dark brown walls, dim lighting, and a small open kitchen. Couples and small groups relax over granite tabletops, completing the modern yet warm vibe.
The weekly-rotating menu includes small tapas-like dishes that focus on organic and local produce. Past plates have featured heirloom tomatoes with buffalo mozzarella and basil vinaigrette; mussels …read more

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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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Sometimes, you have to question great reviews about pricey restaurants. Is the food really that good, or did the patron (after seeing the bill) hype up the food in order to convince himself that it was worth it? At Green Zebra, there’s no wondering. From atmosphere to flavor, you get your money’s worth and more.
This contemporary spot (around the corner from Relax Lounge) immediately sets a tone of sophistication with woven mats and soft yellow-green walls. Helpful and knowledgeable servers attend to diners seated at the banquettes that fill the room. The menu is primarily vegetarian, though there are a …read more

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• Check out two local designers and their earth-friendly clothing for women at EcoFashion: Beyond the Basics. Sip on pomegranate martinis with organic vodka at Pivot, while seeing how scarves are made with natural pomegranate dye. (Apr 4)
• The 24th Annual Chicago Latino Film Festival features more than 100 short, animated, documentary, and feature films from the United States, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, and Spain. Screenings take place in several venues across the city and explore politics, race, sex, and social issues. (Apr 4-16)
• Doug Benson, as seen on VH1’s Best Week Ever, will be appearing at Lakeshore Theater. (Apr 4-5)
• …read more

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This season of the Bravo network’s Top Chef was filmed here in Chicago, exposing competing chefs from all over the country to all the culinary treats the Windy City has to offer.
This week’s Quickfire challenge required each of the chefs to create a taco dish that was suitable for fine dining. Along with earning its creator immunity in the following Elimination challenge, the winning dish was placed on the menu at Rick Bayless’ restaurant, Topolobampo. Sure, it may sound funny, but the flavors here are amazing. You can read more about it and its sister restaurant in my post: Frontera …read more

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Anyone who’s interested in food knows about Rick Bayless, Chicago’s own celebrity chef. Specializing in Mexican cuisine, he is known for countless cookbooks, his PBS series Mexico: One Plate at a Time, and two great restaurants here in Chicago: Frontera Grill and Topolobampo.
The two restaurants share the same building and bar and have a hip, colorful atmosphere. Both offer some of the best Mexican food you’ll ever have. For a more casual feel, try Frontera Grill. Just remember, Frontera takes a limited amount of reservations for all sizes. So, more than likely, you’ll be in for a long wait at …read more

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This season of the Bravo network’s Top Chef was filmed here in Chicago, exposing competing chefs from all over the country to all the culinary treats the Windy City has to offer.
This week’s Quickfire challenge required each of the chefs to create a dish using no more than five ingredients (excluding salt, pepper, sugar, and oil), either from the Top Chef pantry or purchased at Chicago’s Green City Market.
The Green City Market is a farmers’ market held outdoors from May through October on Saturdays and Wednesdays. It’s great for top chefs along with amateur dabblers, featuring a multitude of products …read more

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Maybe you’re not as eco-friendly as you’d like to be. You may not always recycle when you should, and on more than one occasion, you’ve left the kitchen light on. You can start making up for it at Pivot.
Owner Jessa Brinkmeyer proves that earth-smart doesn’t have to mean crunch, grungy, or hippie. Her eco-boutique (just north of Red Kiva) is filled with recycled furniture, bamboo flooring, fluorescent bulbs, and toxin-free paint. And the clothes themselves? They’re as “green” as the recycled-metal racks they’re hung on: organic cotton, bamboo, soy, hemp, recycled leather, silk, linen, etc. These are some of …read more

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Lumen has lit up the nightlife scene in Chicago (just down the street from Carnivale). “Lumen” is Latin for light, the main attraction here. The impressive overhead LED light installation constantly changes color, based on body movements and sound, adding hues to the white minimal décor. There’s also minimal attitude, with no cover and usually no wait time. This 5,000-square-foot (465 m2) space in the heart of the Fulton Market district is eco-friendly, built entirely out of bamboo, stainless steel, and concrete. Lumen also can stream in live DJ sets from anywhere in the world. The cocktails are cutting-edge, all …read more

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