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The Chicago Traveler

September 30th, 2008

Enjoy Some Fine Art of Pizza

As we’ve learned well by now, great food doesn’t just come from swanky digs. Restaurants like Taste of Peru and La Gondola overcome their strip-mall surroundings with big flavors. Another popular spot that could be easily overlooked (but you’d be severely missing out if you did) is Lakeview’s Art of Pizza.
Here, pizza truly is an […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

September 23rd, 2008

Have a Whale of a Meal at Pequod’s Pizza

It has been some time since I last visited Pequod’s Pizza, but it was an experience I won’t soon forget. I actually used to work near the restaurant, and I’m surprised (and saddened) that I didn’t dine here sooner.
T-shirt-and-jeans types (many of them students at nearby DePaul University) enter beneath the blue awning and enjoy […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

August 27th, 2008

Wine and Cheese Pizza at La Madia

Who says pizza is unrefined? Certainly not La Madia, a River North restaurant whose motto is “Art of Pizza, Love of Wine.”
You’ll know this isn’t any ordinary pizza place when you see the floor-to-ceiling wine wall behind the bar. Groups of friends and romantic couples fill the striped booths and the pizza bar surrounding the […]

By Matt B -- 1 comment

August 15th, 2008

A Mano Hands Out Great Italian

Most people try to find a wine that complements their food. The folks at Bin 36 put together a contemporary trattoria (next door to Crimson Lounge) named A Mano, thereby creating an Italian menu that would balance well with their wines.
A combination of Michigan Avenue tourists and white-collar executives fill the bar and dining area, […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

July 16th, 2008

Little La Gondola Serves Big Flavor

Last week, my mother-in-law was celebrating her birthday, so we decided to take her out to an Italian restaurant she had visited in Chicago ages ago. La Gondola had since changed locations to a tiny storefront in a strip mall, located between a hair salon and a popular tax preparation company office.
I know what you’re […]

By Matt B -- 1 comment

June 19th, 2008

Weekend Quickies

• The 11th annual Taste of Randolph Street stretches from Peoria Street to Racine Avenue and features food from local restaurants, a wine garden, chef demos, and art vendors. (June 20-22)
• At the Daley Plaza, the Thai Festival Chicago 2008 presents dance performances, Thai boxing demonstrations, food, fashion, and more. (June 19-20)
• Watch the Chicago […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

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

April 5th, 2008

Purgatory Pizza

My favorite work of classic literature is without a doubt Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. If you’ve ever heard references to “the circles of Hell” or the “seven deadly sins (of Purgatory),” both of those came from this book. Now, you can indulge in every one of those sins at Purgatory Pizza, which just opened last […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

April 3rd, 2008

Weekend Stuff

• 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 […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

March 13th, 2008

"Top Chef: Chicago" Premieres

Fans of the American reality competition show Top Chef on the Bravo network had to know that there was no way I could not write about this season. The show was/is filmed in Chicago this season, much to my delight. The competition premiered last night, but if you missed it, don’t worry; Bravo airs the […]

By Matt B -- 5 comments