My Chicago Eats

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Illustrious Alinea takes the art of cookery and dissects it to a molecular level, turning raw ingredients into amazing dishes using physics and chemistry. Everything on the menu is carefully planned by Grant Achatz, the restaurant's chef and co-owner, and a master of molecular gastronomy. Meals here are an assault on the senses, with each dish presenting a different thrill. Expect to see things like spherified dips, distilled liquids made from green chilis, and marzipan frozen with liquid nitrogen. Don't miss out on the restaurant's signature: the tabletop dessert, prepared by chefs, directly onto the table in front of you. (Skip this time, very expensive)


On the other end of the food spectrum: These days there aren't that many places around that allow customers to build their own burgers and customize their orders as they wish, which is precisely why Chicago's Butcher and the Burger is so popular. For purists, there's the faultless house-blend prime beef burger with simple salt and pepper seasoning (although options include adventurous flavors like coconut curry and grandma's onion soup). We like to keep it simple with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, and onion.


From Gourmandize: Open since 1948, Calumet Fisheries was started by two brothers-in-law who wanted to serve fresh fish in Chicago's South Side. Housed in a tiny one-room shack, the James Beard award-winning restaurant is equipped with a natural-wood smokehouse, used to smoke all kinds of fresh catch, including catfish, eel, rainbow trout, salmon and shrimp, among others. They're known for their incredible smoked fish, but they also offer fried fish platters and plenty of sides. Due to its limited space, food is only available to go, so we recommend eating in your car or standing and eating (it's worth it).


From the checkered floor to the rows of tables that run the length of the skinny space, Manny’soozes old-school deli charm. Opened in 1942, this venerable spot has a deli counter stocked with bagels, cured meats, pickles, and pastries. The café also serves a range of hot sandwiches and pretty much every breakfast option you could imagine. It’s the type of place that feeds your soul as well as your belly.



While the rest of the world might know Chicago for its deep dish or hot dogs, Italian Beef Sandwiches are finally getting the recognition they deserve since the release of "The Bear" took us further into a commercial kitchen than ever before. The sandwich is the first dish seen in the show when the flawed central character tries to put his own spin on the Italian Beef sandwich. He soon found out that tinkering with traditional Italian beef is absolute blasphemy around those parts.



Behind each thinly sliced beef sandwich are decades of traditional cooking techniques and hours of simmering roast, not to mention a unique blend of Italian spices that marinates alongside. Real-life icon's like Al's Italian Beef take great pride in noting their recipes have not changed since they opened their doors in the late 1930s. While it's been simmering a long, long time, serving an Italian beef sandwich is as simple as three steps: scooping juicy beef onto a French loaf, a glorious plunge into the savory jus, and slathering on a thick layer of giardiniera. Behind that succulent sauce lies the key to ordering Italian beef like a local. For your first dip, you've got to go for a hot and wet sandwich, dripping in the fruits of the beef slow roast and seasoned just right.



The food served at Little Goat Diner is a cut above your standard diner fare. This timelessly elegant spot is run by James Beard Award-winning chef Stephanie Izard. It does stay true to diner traditions, with booths, spinning chrome bar stools, and blue-rimmed plates adding vintage charm. But everything on the menu – from classics like pancakes and corned beef hash, to less typical fare like Korean-style chicken tacos – is impeccably prepared and worthy of a fine-dining restaurant.


Touting itself as having the best culinary talent in Chicago, as well as the best happy hour in the Loop, visitors are unlikely to leave Revival Food Hall with disappointed palates. Vendors offer everything from tacos and empanadas to poke and burgers. The food hall also features activities such as summer exercise classes, as well as karaoke and trivia nights.


I promise to keep it affordable, rather simple, but fun. After all, it is St. Patrick's weekend, and I am here with Atlanta's most fun couple, Kenbob and Nelly.

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