b5media.com

Advertise with us

Enjoying this blog? Check out the rest of the Travel & Culture Channel Subscribe to this Feed

The Chicago Traveler

June 26th, 2008

Taste of Chicago 2008: Taste’s Better Every Year

It’s that time of year again. The Taste of Chicago is an annual food festival, where dozens of restaurants from across the city gather along Columbus Drive. Millions of locals and tourists sample hundreds of dishes from every cuisine imaginable, from hot dogs to ravioli to veggie gyros to pad thai to empanadas to omelets… […]

By Matt B -- 5 comments

June 17th, 2008

Red Apple Offers a Big, BIG Buffet

Sure, the sign over the door may say Czerwone Jabluszko, but for those of us not fluent in Polish, there’s a large image of a Red Apple to subtly hint at the translation. This restaurant is located in a prosperous Polish community and offers buffet fare for cheap prices. If you ever get the chance […]

By Matt B -- 1 comment

May 19th, 2008

"Top Chef: Chicago" Meets Chicago’s Finest

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 gave the chefs 45 minutes to create a modern salad using fresh produce. Forty-five minutes is a long time to […]

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

January 9th, 2008

Aurelio’s Pizza

In 1959, Joe Aurelio Jr. opened a small, four-table restaurant in Homewood, IL. However, despite several expansions, growing into a business seating over 150 people, loyal customers would still form lines around the block, all waiting for some of that delicious Aurelio’s Pizza. In an effort to accommodate more of his patrons, Joe purchased a […]

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 18th, 2007

Christmas Restaurants

My cooking skills are limited to tuna sandwiches and grilled cheeses. Fortunately, for the holidays, I have a rather large family full of talented cooks who make a great Christmas dinner. However, if you’d rather eat out and let the professionals handle the kitchen heat, here’s a list of Chicago restaurants that will be open […]

By Matt B -- 0 comments

December 11th, 2007

Cyrano’s Bistrot and Wine Bar

This holiday season is all about presents tradition, and chef Didier Durand of Cyrano’s Bistrot and Wine Bar is bringing his French small-town traditions right here to Chicago. His Christmas Eve prix-fixe dinner includes dishes like roasted goose with savory chestnut stuffing and a grilled rib-eye steak with au poivre sauce and pommes frites. A […]

By Matt B -- 2 comments