Phil Vettel

To eat at Next is to share skull space with some of the most creative culinary minds in America. That is manifestly apparent after one dines at Kyoto, the sixth production, if you will, of Next's culinary repertory. For those who came in late: Next,...

As a restaurant, Red Door in Bucktown seems rather unambitious, but as a neighborhood pub, the place is pretty impressive. Compare executive chef Troy Graves' output at this 3-month-old Bucktown newcomer to his fine-dining efforts at Eve, his last stop,...

As Thanksgiving approaches, let us give thanks for those restaurants who cook and serve beautiful Thanksgiving dinners, so we don't have to. Ann Sather. As it has for more years than I can count, Ann Sather will serve a traditional turkey dinner from...

Halloween doesn't get here until Wednesday, but don't tell that to Chicago's restaurant community, which has events planned Friday through the 31st. Here are a few of the most intriguing options. Bar Umbriago. Halloween party with a DJ will take place...

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be run Sunday, which means that Chicago restaurants have a renewed focus on the carbo-loading pre-race types and the generally hungry post-race crowd. Lottie's Pub (1925 W. Cortland Ave., 773-489-0738). Runners...

Charlie Trotter says he first thought of closing his namesake restaurant after his plane sat on the tarmac at LaGuardia Airport on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. “I realized really how fragile the world is,” he reflects. “I love what...

5 - 6 a.m. The Saturday Morning Show with Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong  5:05 a.m.  Max discusses the nation’s increasing drought area and its impact on crops and prices with Paul Georgy President of Allendale, in McHenry, IL How do dairy cows...

If all goes as planned, sometime in August food trucks with on-board preparation will be rolling in Chicago's streets. The ordinance expected to reach the Chicago City Council at its next meeting — July 25 — was introduced by Mayor Rahm...

It's impossible for me to view Paris Club, the hip French bistro that opened in River North five months ago, without feeling a sense of loss. Paris Club, you see, replaced Brasserie Jo, and I've loved that restaurant ever since it opened in 1995...

No restaurant better exemplifies the changing face of the Taylor Street neighborhood than 3-month-old Urban Union. Taylor Street, the city's de facto Little Italy (no disrespect meant toward the Heart of Italy enclave at 24th and Oakley), has been a...

The foursome across from me could barely notice the food on their table, so intent were they on the party in the far corner. They craned their necks; they giggled; they tweeted furiously. Eventually, the female half of the group mustered the courage to...

To corrupt an old saying, the good Lord never closes a condo without opening a bungalow. Berwyn is on the rise. The financial crisis has turned the near west suburb into a hot spot of affordable housing, and young couples and families are crowding in....