You will watch this animated short featuring a floppy blob of a dog making an omelette for its exhausted, depressed owner, and you will enjoy it. Thank you, Madeline Sharafian (a BFA2 character animator at CalArts) for these two-and-a-half minutes of heartswelling cuteness. More

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Broiling salmon in this Rick Bayless recipe results in a great crust, while leaving the fillets juicy inside. The asparagus ended up in that great spot between crisp and tender, and the pungent dried red chile salsa helped tie both parts together. More

while Macau may be known now as a mecca for gamblers, Fat Rice is not playing games of chance when it comes to pairing and building flavors. And therein lies the fun of eating this food: there are so many unfamiliar tastes to discovery anew, and the chefs have done the hard work of refining their dishes, that diners can freely submit to the strongest pull of their curiosities. More

Don't let En Hakkore's simply titled panini ($7.50) fool you; the name is hilariously insufficient for a creation containing kimchi, onion, mushroom, green onion, mozzarella, provolone, and cheddar on pressed bread. More

Is it wrong to compare something favorably to cheesy puffs? That's the position I'm in trying to describe the awesomeness of the white cheddar chicharrones ($5) at Trenchermen. More

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Tasting sort of like mini-burritos, two of these make for a solid meal. The skirt steak is cooked in the broiler to get a great char on the beef, while nailing the desired medium-rare. More

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In this month's version of "We Drink All the Hot Chocolate at..." we go on a little soul-warming vacation south of the border with the five hot chocolates at Xoco (just kidding: this is not actually a new column we're starting...or is it?). More

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Rice cakes are odd little things. Straight from the package they look sort of like plastic cylinders; raw, they sort of taste like them, too. But sauté rice cakes and they develop a crackly crust, while the insides become tender and almost creamy. Best part? The transformation takes about a minute, making this a great base for a quick meal. More

Still sparkling from its makeover, Lula is pulling off the impressive: it's the neighborhood veteran that also feels brand new. More

Here's a tasty meat-light chili that will fill you up and taste like it took far longer than an hour to make. More

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If pickled ginger works so well with sushi, there's no reason it can't help out all kinds of other dishes, too. As I found, it manages to add some serious perk to a bowl of fried rice. More

Though it stuns me to say so, L' Patron's carne asada tops the very good offerings of nearby Las Asadas by a wide margin. More

Whiskey and Pecans seems like a logical enough combination, but you don't realize just how perfectly these two flavors pair until that first buttery spoonful of Whiskey & Pecans by Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams. More

It's Friday afternoon, and if you're lucky you've got about 60 hours before you have to think or speak for anybody else again. Time for the Whiskey Sour--the comfortable T-shirt of drinks. More

Oh, the Shamrock Shake. Invented right here in the 1970s, and symbolically dumped into the Chicago River for the past few years, the Shamrock Shake and Chicago have a long history together. But relationships change. Luckily, you don't have to go this whole week without trying one from McDonald's. Here are a few restaurants that are make their own versions. More

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Salty and sweet is the best of both worlds, right? That's just what you get with "Chicago Mix," a cheese and caramel corn-filled bucket of joy. Championed by Chicago fave Garrett Popcorn, it's actually pretty easy to make at home. More

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The result is an honest-to-goodness taco salad that has all the flavors of a classic one, minus the seasoning packet. That isn't to say it's a particularly healthy salad—sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese still make an appearance—but now there is a lot more lettuce, and grilled steak has been substituted for the ground beef. More

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The adobado tacos ($1.75) at this Logan Square taqueria feature juicy hunks of caramelized pork that have an intense and deep chile flavor. Just don't call them al pastor. More

Birria tatemada, which at Zaragoza translates roughly to "roasted goat," reflects the family's inspired adaptation of Jalisco's native birria, one that followsa devoted cooking process More

I've spent more than forty years looking for the best eats in Chicago, so it should come as no surprise to anyone that our first city site (besides our hometown of New York) is the food-blessed Windy City. More

I've probably watched the Egypt episode of Anthony Boudain's No Reservations at least four times at this point, but this is the first time that watched him eat koshary and decided I had to have it. To be sure, the dish sounds slightly off. You might have read about it here on SE last month. It's a combination of rice, lentils, and pasta (!), which is then topped with a vinegary tomato and garlic sauce, and caramelized onions. It looks slightly ridiculous, but apparently the carb fest is one of the most popular dishes in Cairo. More

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Like the infamous Fatty Melt (that's a burger made with two grilled cheese sandwiches as a bun, the brainchild of our own Adam Kuban), the Grilled Cheese Eggsplosion is a hybrid sandwich, combining elements from two or more sources into a single glorious dish. In this case, it's a simple grilled cheese sandwich between two eggs-in-a-hole (or bullseye eggs, eggs-in-a-basket, whatever you want to call it) replacing the plain old bread. More

Though it's not nearly as famous, there is a non-New-England kind of clam chowder out there. Instead of the heavy cream or milk, this one is laced with tomatoes and a healthy abundance of other vegetables. It's a lighter option, but still very comforting. More

One of the best burgers in Chicago, easily. That's-A-Burger 2134 E. 71st Street, Chicago IL 60649 (map); 773-878-9898 The Short Order: Perfectly proportioned burgers griddled to order. Want Fries with That? These delicious, highly seasoned fries come with every order.... More