Thanksgiving Dinner 2020

This Thanksgiving will definitely be different. The guest list will be shorter,  the turkey smaller, the list of sides curtailed, and the inventory of leftovers larger. If “eternity” is two people and a ham, what is two people and a twenty-pound turkey? Of course, some people might ditch the traditional menu altogether, opting, instead, for... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
November 17, 2020 at 3:29 pm • 

Thanksgiving:A Food Focused Memoir

Part One The No-Stress Turkey Over the years, I’ve hosted a lot of Thanksgiving dinners and written a lot of food- centric Thanksgiving stories. This year is-of course- “different,” and I thought I’d post some favorites before I tackled the realities of Thanksgiving 2020. Cooking the Thanksgiving Turkey Minus the Stress  Back before I knew... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
November 11, 2020 at 10:43 am • 

A Southern Culinary Cure

The cover of restaurateur Mee McCormick’s newest cookbook, “My Pinewood Kitchen-A Southern Culinary Cure,” promises “130+ crazy delicious, gluten-free recipes to reduce inflammation & make your gut happy.” As it turns out, the book delivers a lot  more. McCormick, who runs Pinewood Kitchen & Mercantile in Pinewood, Tennessee with her husband Lee and their daughters... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
October 6, 2020 at 2:10 pm • 
Advertisement:

Gussie's Handmade Italian

Gussie’s Handmade Italian When restaurants were given the green light to partially open in June, partners Keene Addington and David Thate, who also partner Tortoise  Supper Club, realized that Two Lights Seafood & Oyster, their successful seafood-focused restaurant on North Avenue, wasn’t going to work. “Two Lights’ menu included lots of shared plates and raw... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
September 25, 2020 at 4:52 pm • 

Deep Flavors

Deep Flavors: A Celebration of Recipes for Foodies in a Kosher Style It’s a strange year, and the large family celebration that’s a long standing High Holiday tradition for “Deep Flavors’” author Ken Horwitz and his wife Bobbi, will, instead, be a dinner for two. Even so, the basic menu will include all of the... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
September 17, 2020 at 11:17 am • 

The Restaurant Scene: Carryout

No segment of the economy has been harder hit by the pandemic than restaurants. Limited to “carryout-only” for months, followed by the addition of outdoor dining, followed by the addition of limited dine-in service, chefs and restaurateurs have reinvented themselves time and again to survive. For Bistronomic, a French bistro located just a block west... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
September 1, 2020 at 5:15 pm • 
Advertisement:

Sunday with Sarah

This Sunday ( June 28th) at noon, guests are invited, via Zoom, to join chef/partner Sarah Stegner in her kitchen at Prairie Grass Cafe for a live cooking demo. Chef Stegner will be preparing Sunday Brunch, complete with Ora King salmon filets and produce from local farms.  Cooking packages ($62) with all the necessary ingredients... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
June 24, 2020 at 5:24 pm • 

A Surviving Rite of Summer

Dining al fresco is one of the cherished rites of summer. And this year, with the cancellation of virtually all of the city’s summer festivals, it’s more important than ever. It’s safe to say that Recess (838 W. Kinzie) in the West Loop looks nothing like any other restaurant in the Chicago area. In lieu... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
June 22, 2020 at 2:30 pm • 

Dining al fresco on Chicago’s North Shore Part I: Lake Bluff

Dining al fresco on Chicago’s North Shore Part I: Lake Bluff
Restaurants in Illinois finally got the green light to return to doing what they were designed to do–serving food to diners. For now only outdoor dining is allowed as part of the Phase 3, May 29, Restore Illinois plan. Since it’s summer, this plan works well for now. Even with social distancing, especially in the city,... Read more »
By Carole Kuhrt Brewer,
June 16, 2020 at 9:01 am • 
Advertisement:

It's the Little Things That Mean a Lot

It’s the Little Things That Mean a Lot Back in February- when Covid 19  was something happening in China that wouldn’t ever affect the United States (the President promised)- we visited friends who winter in Las Vegas. We slept in most mornings, but on the day we left, we decided to have brunch at The... Read more »
By Barbara Revsine,
June 5, 2020 at 2:41 pm •