Italian With Guts

Bitter cocktails, smoky fish and other gems at Balena

Balena's smoked mackerel doesn't have much visual impact. Its drab color palette ranges from white to tan, with a flash of orange when its accompanying soft-cooked egg is...

Hit the Street

Fried peas and more surprises at Michael Kornick's new spot

We're of the opinion that every dinner at Ada St. should begin with a bowl of crispy black-eyed peas. At Michael Kornick's low-key new restaurant, the tiny legumes are dusted with...

Found in Translation

Chile-laced adventures at Chinatown's new Ma Gong & La Po

The dozen or so tables at Chinatown's new Ma Gong & La Po are laden with the same striking centerpiece on any given night. A butane burner is laid down and lit. It's topped...

Serious Dough

Tasting the fruits of Nellcôte's in-house mill

"At the rate we're going, we'll be buying 26 tons of local grain per year," says Jared Van Camp of the new West Loop restaurant Nellcôte. There, he turns grain and hominy...

Classic Tables: Ina's

Two decades of Heavenly Hots

Before Randolph Street was hot and before comfort food was cool, there was Ina's. Ina Pinkney first opened her breakfast restaurant in 1991, after a decade running a wholesale...

Double Agent

Eating and shopping at Bread & Wine

Last week, we stocked up on local honey, pasta and crackers, and a bottle of rosé to toast the beginning of spring. Then we walked 10 feet, sat down, and tucked into a...