Marissa Conrad

Kusanya Cafe is the kind of place where you can get a cup of coffee, check out the community board, print a school paper or simply jump on the internet. You'll see people huddled together over papers strewn across the wood tables or someone walking in simply to say hello to the small staff. Because the nonprofit cafe roasts its own coffee on-site in small batches, don't hesitate to order that lavender iced latte ($3.49) or a plain cup of coffee. The breakfast and lunch menu is lush with references to famous musicians, like the Lupe Tabasco breakfast sandwich ($2.29). It features a thin egg patty, with melted cheese and Sriracha on ciabatta, and you can add sausage, spinach and tomato for an extra charge. The cozy and brightly lit environment is exactly where you want to catch up on some work or meet up with friends. 825 W. 69th St., 773-675-4758, <a href="http://www.kusanyacafe.org/">kusanyacafe.org</a> — Grace Wong

See the full menu at Smyth, opening Friday in the West Loop

June 29, 2019 at 11:02 a.m.

Smyth, the tasting-menu-only half of new restaurant duo Smyth and The Loyalist from chef team John Shields and Karen Urie Shields, opens this Friday (Aug. 26) in the West Loop....

19th-century Viennese chef Franz Sacher would be pleased, I think, by the version of his eponymous chocolate cake served at Café Selmarie in Lincoln Square. First, the top of each slice of Sacher torte is decorated with his name, elegantly written in chocolate script. Second, the cake is a real looker: Layers of chocolate cake are mortared with raspberry preserve and chocolate buttercream; the whole thing is then frosted with more buttercream and wrapped in a smooth sheet of bittersweet chocolate — firm enough to be eaten on its own, if you like, with a fork. Third, every bite is delicious. The devil's food cake is firm and pleasant, while the raspberry offers a deep berry counterpoint to all the chocolate. $4.20. 4729 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-989-5595, <a href="http://cafeselmarie.com/" target="_blank">www.cafeselmarie.com</a>. — Bill Daley

Drink This: Carrot cocktail at Steadfast looks straight out of a Bugs Bunny cartoon

June 12, 2018 at 2:10 a.m.

Carrot cocktails always catch my attention on a menu, because I've never had a bad one. Maybe that's a self-fulfilling prophecy — you'll find a carrot cocktail only at a...

Six wild Burgundian snails are the star of the wood-grilled escargot ($12) at Le Sud. The Roscoe Village restaurant's version of this dish is not hiding in a pool of garlic butter or served in a scalding hot dish. Presented on a skewer, the mollusks are brushed with olive oil infused with herbs de provence before they're grilled, absorbing a delicate smoky flavor that lingers in your mouth. Tender and buttery, the snails are served with a few generous pats of herb butter that melt, adding another layer of fragrance and lusciousness. A side of green salad dressed with olive oil, lemon and salt provides a bright contrast to the skewer and a hearty country bread serves as a foundation for assembling a makeshift toast point. The portion is small, so make your dining companions order their own. $12. 2301 W. Roscoe St., 773-857-1985, <a href="https://lesudchicago.com/">lesudchicago.com</a> — Grace Wong

Tour Revival Food Hall’s 15 local restaurants in this 90-second video

May 2, 2019 at 5:42 p.m.

Revival Food Hall, the not-your-mall-food-court coming very soon to the Loop, opened its doors to friends and family for a sneak peek Wednesday night. Corner Bakery is down the street,...

Eat This: Bread, butter, magic at Beacon Tavern

May 2, 2019 at 5:42 p.m.

Good bread is dying a slow, painful death in this country, its crackly crust chipped away every time a new fast-casual sandwich chain opens in a strip mall. Worse, what...

Chef de cuisine Todd Hawkesworth oversees the day-to-day cooking at the restaurant.

Art Smith’s Blue Door Kitchen keeps fried chicken, adds grain salads, great patio

June 14, 2020 at 3:47 p.m.

For a chef, closing one restaurant and opening a new one in the same space is a delicate affair. Especially when the shuttered restaurant is as iconic at Table Fifty-Two,...

See the full menu at El Che Bar, accepting reservations now

June 12, 2018 at 2:24 a.m.

El Che Bar, the long-anticipated West Loop spot from La Sirena Clandestina chef/owner John Manion, opened quietly last week in the renovated Checker Cab building at 845 W. Washington Blvd....

The Tokyo Old-Fashioned, made with Japanese whisky, is part of a new Old-Fashioned menu at Gilt Bar.

Drink This: The Old-Fashioned gets a Japanese twist at Gilt Bar

June 12, 2018 at 1:56 a.m.

Just last week I wrote about how much I love gin as a summery spirit in bright, patio-perfect cocktails. Whiskey is the opposite of that — the Thelma to gin's...

We dare chefs to eat Chicago’s biggest, messiest burgers — on camera

June 12, 2018 at 2:28 a.m.

There are burgers, and there are monster burgers. Many burgers in Chicago are the former — hearty but perfectly manageable. But when you find the latter, the big, messy monsters,...

Drink This: A cocktail for patio weather at new pop-up Nosh & Booze

June 10, 2018 at 3:18 p.m.

The spirit of summer? Carefree, happy-go-lucky, buoyant — all perfectly good answers. But the real spirit of summer is, of course, gin. A well-chilled gin cocktail on a deck, or...

Eat This: Some of Chicago’s best French fries, found in Lakeview

June 12, 2018 at 2:36 a.m.

A good French fry is pretty easy to find. A great French fry? Much harder. It's a Goldilocks situation: These fries are too crispy. These fries are too soft. These...

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