Criticism

Review: Brass Heart

As Michelin awards its stars for 2021, the Uptown restaurant finds its center Brass Heart defines itself as a “post-modernist”...

The Next Generation of Chicago Indian Restaurants Emerges

Reviews of upstarts revitalizing subcontinental cooking There was a moment there in 2019 when Chicago looked as if it was on the...

A Few More Words on Ever and What Fine Dining Really Needs

The first bite I took of Curtis Duffy’s food back when he was at Avenues changed my life. Bite seems too crude a word: my mastication was...

Ever, Porto, and the Murky Future of the Tasting Menu

A review of the restaurants Ever and Porto, and a reflection on fine dining's emerging identity crisis post-pandemic.

Bites: The Pastrami Sandwich @ Jeff and Jude's

Review of the most difficult--and best--sandwich in Chicago.

Does Local Restaurant Criticism Even Matter Anymore?

Ensuring that it does means understanding why it doesn't. In restaurant journalism no one can hear you welp. You can’t hear keystrokes,...