There was a time, not too long ago, when I would’ve recoiled in horror at the sight of any menu that included the phrase “cauliflower polenta.” Where I’m from, such…
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Italian Lessons
Much like Dean Martin ballads and old Lou Costello flicks, I’ve got a soft spot, squishy as a warmed caramel, for Italian restaurants that don’t take themselves too seriously. Being…
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Vie For Victory
When chef Paul Virant announced this past summer that his flagship restaurant, Vie, in Western Springs was celebrating its 15th birthday, he marked the occasion by running a limited-time menu…
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Crate Expectations
Midway through a recent meal at The Table—the new restaurant embedded in the Crate & Barrel in Oakbrook Center—a young girl sitting a few tables away from us made a…
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Fashion Plates
Given the steady flow of flashy new restaurants that are moving into Oakbrook Center, no one would have blamed the good folks at Ruscello if they decided to dial down…
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Castle In The Clouds
Never mind that El Tapeo, the stylish tapas bar on the ninth floor of the Le Méridien Oak Brook, stares down from the clouds onto its more famous neighbor—the low-slung…
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Back In The Saddle Again
The way we see it, good servers are a lot like great cab drivers. We’ll take someone who’s succinct and honest over a slick chatterbox with a polished delivery any…
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B Is For Bountiful
As a general rule, one should be leery about any restaurant that boasts views stunning enough to be used as a screensaver. Experience dictates that there’s often an inverse relationship…
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California Dreaming
In recent years, Chicago’s very own Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises has become rather smitten—some might say spellbound—by the great state of California. In some ways, that’s not exactly shocking. When…
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A Chip Off The Old Steakhouse
Some places—if you’ll forgive my unpolished Chicago patois—just got it. They have so much pure, unadulterated restaurant magnetism that they seem to suck up diners with the gravitational pull of…
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