EAT. SHOP. PLAY. Discovering the Best in Chicago
BY KELLY ALESSO The food world is known for classic pairings: peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, spaghetti and meatballs. You get the picture. Well, I’d like to propose another new twosome – cheese and coffee. These unlikely bedfellows … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO It’s no secret I have a borderline obsessive love with cheese and all of its accompaniments, so Pastoral’s 3rd Annual Artisan Producer Festival is my idea of Christmas in April. On Saturday, April 27, The Chicago French … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO There’s a lot to love about Slurping Turtle, Takashi Yagihashi’s River North spot for casual Japanese comfort food. Pop by during your lunch break for generously-sized noodle bowls that nearly overflow with tasty treasures, … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO Where do your eyes go when you pick up a menu? If you’re like me, the entrees captivate your attention first as you debate between chicken thighs and the cider brined pork chop until the pan seared duck breast tempts you and you … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO “Would you like to try a piece of what I think is the most exciting cheese of the season?” Those were the seductive words that greeted me from behind the cheese counter when I popped into Pastoral (home of the amazing Sweet … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO It’s a situation that commonly befalls new homeowners. You tour countless properties, urged by your agent to concentrate on their good bones and ignore the current owner’s décor. So you imagine them instead, decked to he … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO If you asked the average Chicagoan their favorite season to go drinking, I’d venture a guess they’d pick summer. From June until August, everything from a cloud-free day to a baseball win (or loss) becomes an excuse to knock … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO For many Americans, Thanksgiving isn't just a meal, it's the meal. It's intimidating powers don't discriminate, either: I’ve cured my own bacon and made my own cheese, but turning out perfectly roasted turkey... that scares … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO As a chocoholic, I naturally gravitate toward any and all holidays that shamelessly encourage gorging on candy. I love a good box of truffles on Valentine’s Day (even if I buy them for myself), caramel-filled eggs on Easter and … [Read more...]
BY KELLY ALESSO Chances are when you think of Bleeding Heart Bakery you imagine one of their decadent bakery delights – supple cupcakes with towering mounds of silky butter cream or crispy donuts in unexpected flavors. Maybe you can even feel … [Read more...]
