Urban eats Chicago needs
STREET FOOD. We love Maxwell Market’s endless taco tents and the renegade tamale peddlers and plate pushers selling out of parked trucks, but we want the local laws loosened so we can have a lot more options, from hot dogs to shawarma. Daley, are you listening?
Read our guide to Chicago food cart dining.
Best invention we hope hits Chicago
JAPANESE SIPHON COFFEE MACHINE. It costs $20,000, so we’re not blaming the neighborhood coffee shops for not having one yet. But tasting its coffee is like drinking java for the first time—an experience we’d like to have again and again.
National trend we want to see here
PEDIGREED CHEFS GOING CASUAL. San Francisco’s Fleur de Lys chef Hubert Keller opened Burger Bar in Las Vegas. Former Le Cirque pastry chef Jerome Chang started the Dessert Truck in New York. So when is Grant Achatz going to open a taco stand?
Hottest chef coming to town
TABLE 8’S GOVIND ARMSTRONG. He has eyes that could melt butter, skin the color of a creamy latte, arms strong enough to massage the toughest meats to the consistency of porridge…and we hear the guy can cook, too.
Local trend we hope continues
GOING BEYOND WINE. Bartenders creating cocktail and food pairings, as well as beer dinners where the brew finds its way into every course, knocks the dust off the standard question of “red or white tonight, dear?”