1. STEAKING NEWS
I’ve long said there are really two upscale food scenes in town—the cheffy one and the steakhouse one. Falling firmly on the former’s side, I look at Chicago mag’s steakhouse issue, thorough and thoughtful as it is, and my eyes start to glaze over with bone-in this and garlic butter that. I’ve tried most of the ones listed, and have genuine affection for a couple like El Che or Boeufhaus, but otherwise… it’s a steak and the familiar sides. So if you need to be up on that scene and the newest places in it (except for Gene & Georgetti, 1941, and Gibsons, 1989, everything on this list is under 15 years old), go here.
2. PALOS, GET MORE
I hadn’t been to the middle eastern enclave starting in Bridgeview and continuing into nearby suburbs since before COVID, but Mda’Khan sounded interesting enough to make the trek some weeks back. Now Mike Sula has another, Old School in nearby Palos Hills, that sounds even more interesting:
Amid the dozens and dozens of Middle Eastern restaurants operating in the southwestern suburbs surrounding Old School, none serve anything like Mahd’s food. It’s religiously scratch-made to exacting specifications. He renders his own fat, simmers his own stock, hand-stuffs his own sausage, and mixes his own unique spice blends and hot sauces.
But the word “restaurant” doesn’t do justice to the unique enterprise he’s run for the past eight and a half years out of a small Palos Hills strip mall storefront. He’d probably also disagree with the word “enterprise,” since he operates with a zealously anti-commercial ethos. He has no set menu. His website, which displays photographs of almost two dozen dishes out of a repertoire of too many to count, is out of date, and he plans to take it offline. He and his staff of five—including two sons—do not accept tips. “I don’t want my kids to be motivated by money,” he says. “I want them to be motivated by the pleasure they see on our guests’ faces.”
3. KYOTEN IS COMING
Understanding Hospitality looks at Kyoten as winter, season of the lushest, fattiest fishies, comes into view. An example:
The ”Buri” (a kind of wild mature yellowtail) that comes next is one of Phan’s signature offerings. That said, it almost always has the unenviable task of appearing after what, for many, are the meal’s unquestionable headliners [fatty tuna]. The fish, in this role, often does a good job. Tonight, however, it excels: landing somewhere around the same level of quality as the kama-toro and akami.
Visually, the yellowtail is characterized by a pale pink tone and seemingly fluffy, almost padded flesh. The piece is scored horizontally (once down the middle) and vertically (four times at equal intervals), creating a pocket that helps to pool an accompanying brush of soy sauce. On the palate, the buri feels soft on entry but, with further chewing, gushes with succulent fat. While the topping provides an expected imprint of umami, it also reveals a latent sweetness in the fish: one that strikes pristinely, with a building intensity, all the way through to the bite’s finish. The sum effect is startling—has the ingredient always promised this kind of lip-smacking flavor? For whatever reason, it proves totally convincing on this occasion.
4. WOSSAMERU
Michael Nagrant went to check out Atsumeru, the Japanese-Nordic tasting menu in the former Temporis space. Here’s the philosophical problem he has with one dish:
It’s an incredible amount of work, has a high level of detail, and is executed perfectly. As a food lover I appreciate and acknowledge the effort, but the pumpkin ash doesn’t reinforce squash flavor. The rice pearls and land caviar have sort of a brown note. A drizzle of balsamic (pumpkin vinegar?) is probably too basic a suggestion to pump up the volume of such a carefully and thoughtful crafted dish, but it does need a swizzle of brightness to lift things.
The outcome has to be worth the effort, but in this case there’s a whole lot of work for what ultimately isn’t a stark departure from a classic French culinary-inspired autumnal scallop dish.
5. DINING IN ICELAND
Encouraging us to dine in neighborhoods besieged by ICE, Dennis Lee finds Colombian-Chinese food in Belmont-Cragin at Wok Dong (the Dennis Lee jokes write themselves):
The menu, however, is very American-friendly in that it has a lot of takeout dishes we’re all familiar with. There’s things like egg drop soup and fried rice, but if you start looking closely, you’ll see things that play with your expectations a little bit. Items like tostones show up in the appetizer section. It’s not just Mongolian beef, it’s chipotle Mongolian beef. Mapo tofu is described as a guisado, which means “stew” in English. These are all hints at what’s to come.
6. TAVERN CUTS ARE THE DEEPEST
Grand Avenue is the new home for trendy tavern cut pizza with Pizz’amici and others, Maggie Hennessy tells in a story at WBEZ,
7. FIRST, PLACE THE POPE ON A GIRAFFE
That’s how I’d make a Dada pizza, but Nick Kindelsperger says Pizza Dada is a new place from the Table, Donkey, and Stick folks (presumably similar to the pizza they were making during COVID), and to his mind the best pizza to be had for lunch in the Loop:
At Pizza Dada, the grandma slice is given a level of attention and care I’ve never experienced before. The dough is crackly on the bottom from partially frying in the pan. Each bite is irresistible—crispy, light, crunchy, airy, divine.
Pizza Dada’s grandma slice isn’t just the best version I’ve tried in Chicago, it’s one of the best I’ve ever tried.
8. A NOODLES PARTY
I honestly don’t know what the name Noodles Party Aomjai Thai Cuisine means; I know Mike Sula wrote about the two-day-a-week popup, but it sounded rather complicated to try to partake of. The Infatuation likes it and makes it seem a little more accessible:
“Noodles Party” is a perfect name for this Albany Park Thai restaurant. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays—the only days they’re open—their small dining room buzzes with people huddled around tables. Outside, there’s usually a short line of people waiting around 15 minutes for a spot. Everyone is united by one goal: slurping fantastic noodles.
9. COULD USE YOUR BUSINESS
Chicago mag talks about the impact of ICE’s presence on restaurants in Little Village:
“This is not a normal economic environment,” says Marcos Carbajal, owner of Carnitas Uruapan, a James Beard Award-nominated taqueria. “We’ve never really operated in what you would say is a normal environment in Little Village.”
…Carbajal likened the drop in sales to the pandemic. “The difference is, no one is coming to save us,” he says. “There’s no silver lining here. We’re being specifically targeted.”
10. CLEVELAND CLINIC
Titus Ruscitti has places to eat on a road trip to Cleveland. Here’s one I went to 15 years ago, glad it’s still there:
Last stop before heading home was Farka’s Pastry Shoppe for a couple of their signature Napoleon Pastries. There’s a handful of fantastic European bakeries in the Greater Cleveland area including this terrific Hungarian spot specializing in Napoleons or Krémes as they’re commonly called in Hungary. These tasty squared treats consist of layers upon layers of crisp and golden puff pastry with a hefty amount of vanilla custard sandwiched in between. Make sure you wipe your nose off after eating one of these so that you’re not mistaken for a rabid cocaine user.
11. ORIANA ROLL
Someone made a short film about orchard owner Oriana Kruszewski. I mean, besides me—at WTTW Daniel Hautzinger tells about her and a new film about her, Oriana’s Orchard, by Krista Kane.
12. HALLOWEATS
The Trib has a roundup of places doing something spooky, or even altogether ooky for Halloween.
Along that line, I meant to link last time to Table, Donkey and Stick’s annual Offal Dinner, in its 13th year. Go here to get a reservation and see the menu.
13. LISTEN UP
Supper With Sylvia talks Mexican food with someone who knows a little about it: Rick Bayless.
The Dining Table talks to Tigist Reda of Demera about being an ambassador for Ethiopian food and causes.
The Chef’s Cut talks with Dan Barber of Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
Joiners features a name I haven’t heard from in a while: Charlie McKenna, of Lillie’s Q and other spots.
At Culinary Historians of Chicago, Kelly Cheng of Sun Wah BBQ talks about Chinese table manners.
Dish from Chicago magazine talks about their current steakhouse cover story.
WHAT MIKE ATE
I didn’t expect to have dinner with my wife on Friday because she was heading from a meeting in Austin to one in Philadelphia. Then her flight was delayed to the point that she’d miss her Philly meeting, so she canceled it and was suddenly heading home. Where could we go without a reservation? I thought for a moment before the perfect choice occurred to me—if we got to Cafe Yaya right around five we should be able to walk in. And so we did (co-owner Andres Clavero spotting us at the front as we came in).
I’ve been making labneh dips since I last ate here, so we started with the one here, made with caramelized onions and chopped chives. Served with their housemade bread, especially the rosemary focaccia, it’s still one of my favorite dishes of 2025. She had duck confit, smoky and rustic, with lentils that didn’t just taste like dirt but had an earthy depth of flavor. I had a piece of cod in a beurre blanc with some charred cabbage. Both were as delicious and deeply satisfying as any dish I can remember lately. We ended with some ginger-tinged ice cream courtesy of pastry chef and Banchet nominee Mary Eder-McClure.
What’s the “best” restaurant in Chicago right now? Probably some high end joint that’s $600 a head. I respect those and sometimes love them, but when I just want something classically hearty that will warm me all the way down, it’s not a tasting menu, and it’s probably, right now (Dear Margaret being temporarily closed), Cafe Yaya. I can’t think of another place that makes food that anyone will be comfortable eating, that tastes like you expect it to taste, but that’s so well executed—and two of us ate, with a couple of drinks and leftovers, for a sum that barely broke intio three figures. Cafe Yaya is truly a place to be grateful for in 2025.