Phil Vettel

To appreciate Bread & Wine, the 16-month-old restaurant in the Irving Park neighborhood, it helps to be less literal and more observant. For instance, you might be surprised, as I was initially, to discover that the kitchen doesn't set out much bread....

Mother's Day is a little more than a week away, so if you haven't made brunch/dinner plans, it's time to get cracking. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. Allium. Mother's Day brunch seatings from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Expansive buffet with...

In the last six months, three highly regarded restaurant chef/operators — Stephanie Izard of Girl & the Goat, Graham Elliot of his eponymous restaurant, and David Flom and Matt Moore of Chicago Cut Steakhouse — have opened sequel restaurants,...

 EL Ideas has been playing to full houses since it opened in July 2011. That would be a nice achievement for any operation, but given the quirky experience chef and owner Phillip Foss offers, it's positively miraculous. Dinners cost $145, prepaid, tip...

There are many things I don't understand about the restaurant business. I don't see why small plates are "shareable." I don't get the appeal of communal tables. And I don't understand why Storefront Company isn't crowded all the time. The year-old...

The last time I stepped inside an Amy Morton restaurant, it was March 1990, when Morton, daughter of legendary restaurateur Arnie Morton, had a pleasantly quirky Old Town restaurant called Mirador. It was a cute place, decorated with framed mirrors and...

The first thing that catches your eye when entering The Boarding House is the chandelier. Except it's not really a chandelier, but an art installation consisting of 9,000-plus (official count: 9,063) suspended wine glasses. "One glass for every wine I'...

A lot of words have been used to describe L2O — minimalist, compelling, any superlative you care to name — but until recently, playful was not among them. But the ascendancy of chef Matthew Kirkley at this highly regarded restaurant —...

Another month, another week of discounted dining. In January we had Chicago Restaurant Week; starting Sunday, and running through March 22, we have Chicago Chef Week, which will feature 75 restaurants offering three-course lunches for $22 and three-course...

Passover begins at sundown Monday, and, as always, Chicago restaurants stand ready to assist. Here are some of the most interesting options; remember to order/reserve early. Bistronomic (840 W. Wabash Ave., 312-944-8400). Seasonal Passover three-course...

This began, as stories sometimes do, with a reader request. A gentleman asked for recommendations for prime rib. Not steaks, not beef in general, but specifically prime rib. The only condition he imposed was that he didn't want to wait until the weekend...

After a 2012 season in which Next presented the ethereal flavors of El Bulli, the seafood-centric family food of Sicily and the infinite subtleties of Japanese kaiseki, chef Dave Beran and company are getting assertive in 2013. "The Hunt," Next's...