Owner Jeni Britton Bauer chats about what to expect Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream's upcoming location in Chicago. More

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I would like to propose a new holiday tradition for you and two to three out of town guests. Instead of walking around in the cold looking at a zoo covered in lights, I suggest a significantly warmer activity in the form of seven different kinds of steamy and delicious hot chocolate at Mindy's Hot Chocolate. More

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Written large on Reno's paper menu is "morning, noon, and night," and the restaurant certainly takes those words to heart. Sure, there is coffee and a full bar, but this is a place that puts obvious effort into everything, including its handmade bagels. More

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To top my slaw dog, I wanted a coleslaw that was assertive—crunchy, acidic—but not aggressive. Basically, I wanted something more than the standard blended mess you can get at the grocery store, but nothing that would detract from the hot dog underneath. More

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The roasted soup base is acidic but thick, with just a little bit of spice hiding out in the back. The shrimp adds a pop of sweetness, while a finally sprinkling of cilantro, avocado, and lime freshens everything up. More

Fat Johnnie's is mostly known as the home of the mother-in-law, a strange South Side original, where a hot dog's right and natural place on a bun is replaced by a cornmeal tamale. In theory, this should not work. And yet, miraculously, somehow the mother-in-law does. More

Ahh the caramel apple. What other treat gives you such sticky, crispy, crunchy satisfaction while simultaneously reminding you of the best of all seasons? I can't think of any, but maybe that's because I'm distracted by the addition of chocolate to this caramel apple. More

I thought Xoco had written the final word on churros, at least in Chicago. But Masa Azul's new dessert shows that two can play this fried game. More

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If you've ever enjoyed the perfect sweet-sour balance of a Lemonhead or the addictive crunch of a Red Hot, you'll be happy to know you've been eating locally this whole time (good job, you trendy locavores). We recently tried all of the classic candy available at the Ferrara Pan Outlet to help you decide what to pass out for Halloween. More

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A basic blended delicata squash and apple soup was already a great fall meal, but I couldn't help but add in some roasted and chopped beets, which add a pop of color and some much needed sweetness. More

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What Big &Little's lacks in technical taco making prowess, it makes up in genuine creativity. No dish or flavor combination is too out there or too bizarre to be transformed into a taco, be it a bánh mì, sweet and sour chicken, or a lamb gyro. And they have lots and lots of options to choose from. More

The commuter noodle shop—so common in Asia's metropolitan centers—is a rare sight in Chicago. But if any place is carrying the load, the Bucktown/Wicker Park location of Penny's Noodle Shop is that place. More

Last week, we rounded up 11 of our favorite vegetarian sandwiches in town as part of our ongoing National Sandwich Month coverage. The list was so mouth-watering, it inspired me to go seek out some more tasty meatless sandwiches. I found a treasure trove of them at Hannah's Bretzel. More

It's doubtful the actual Pilgrims ever ate anything quite like the The Pilgrim ($5.95) from Lincoln Park's Uncle Sammy's Sandwich Classics, but they probably would have appreciated the convenience. More

Turns out that most of the ingredients in ratatouille came from the New World, which means that before any French cook got his or her hands on the raw ingredients, they were probably served with corn tortillas. And thus was born the idea of ratatouille tacos. More

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Squash blossoms are the only flowers I genuinely love cooking, probably because they can take the abuse. But while they don't have to be treated like dainty little treats, you also wouldn't want to completely cover up their flavor. Making a squash blossom quesadilla requires some restraint. More

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Most people understand that pairing pork chops and apples is a foolproof dinner, so why is it such a stretch to pair the meat with some in-season peaches straight from the farmers' market? All you need is some bourbon to balance out the flavors. More

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Instead of rushing around the Green City Market last weekend, I forced myself to eat at every single stand selling food to go. I encountered ten wildly different options, and I feasted until I couldn't possible feast any more. Along the way I snacked on bite-sized doughnuts, sprout filled sandwiches, and hefty grilled burgers. Then I washed it all down with all natural sodas and refreshing smoothies. More

To order from the walk-up window at Scooter's Frozen Custard, just pull the string next to the window. It is connected to a bell inside, which clanks back and forth a few times, alerting the staff inside that you're ready. This is an operation built almost entirely on frozen custard, and it's a silky smooth foundation. More

Though Cemitas Puebla is well known for cemitas—exceptional ones, I might add—there also happen to be a lot of tacos on the menu. It was time to try them. Considering how carefully those cemitas are constructed, I knew that the chances were good that the tacos would at least be solid. That, however, wouldn't have been good enough. The cemitas are near transcendent, so anything less than great would be somewhat of a disappointment. More

Every discussion about La Casa de Samuel in Little Village begins and ends with the tortillas. The restaurant obviously knows this. They make everything taste better. That includes any of the meaty fillings, the beans, guacamole, or the salsa. I used up so many so quickly, my waitress had to run around the restaurant for more. (And if you ask nicely, and tip accordingly, she'll even send some tortillas home with you.) More

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An impressive collection of gins, easily surpassing 40 bottles, decorates Scofflaw's richly painted antique bar. Practically every variety of gin is represented, from London drys, Old Toms, and Dutch genevers, to the loosely defined but growing category of American gins. "Our bar program's inspiration comes from our love of gin," Shapiro says, "and the resurgence is a telling sign that the time is right." More

Sure, a great outdoor patio is worth celebrating. But if you really want to find the best places to eat outdoors in Chicago, your best bet is to set down a blanket in one of the city's amazing parks, which, if you haven't noticed by now, are in full bloom. More

Sure, I know that today is meant celebrate pi as in π (the marvelous mathematical constant) and not pie (as in the delicious dessert). But considering pi helps you measure the circumference of a circle, and pie is a circle, perhaps the two can be combined in some meaningful way. More

The Beatles vs. The Rolling Stones: It's the ultimate rock question of allegiance. Do you want to hold her hand or spend the night together? The feud will probably never die, but two prominent rock critics and two chefs are taking the fight to the kitchen to see what happens there. More