Recent Episodes

 

Dwight Furrow, the author of American Foodie: Taste, Art, and the Cultural Revolution, talks about the philosophy of food. We discuss everything the impact of everything from automobile to Alice Waters to the Slow Food movement have shaped the way Americans think about food.
 
 
 
 

 

Inbal Baum, the Founder of Delicious Israel, joins us to talk about where foodies should eat when they travel to her country.

• Shakshouka is a popular dish in Israel
• Israeli Breakfast is a distinct and important meal
• The modern cherry tomato has roots in Israel
• Tel Aviv and Jerusalem top the list of cities you should visit
• Beach season runs from April to October
• Rosh Hashana is a great time to visit Israel
• When you visit Tel Aviv, go to the Carmel Market, the Levinsky Market
• Try the date syrup, Silan

 

 

Food for Thought

• Q: After pita bread, what is the most common food used to “wipe” humus?
• A: Raw onion.

 
 

Out of the Frying Pan

• Favorite Spot for Outdoor Dining: Milgo & Milbar
• Favorite Place to Buy Spices: Cafe Arma in Levinsky Market
• Herbs to Try: Za’atar and Hawaij (in Yemenite Coffee)
• Favorite Winery: Sphera
• Favorite Place for Dessert: The Malabia
• Favorite Food Experience for Kids: Max Brenner
• Chef to Watch: Eyal Shani
• Dish to Try at Different Places: Shakshouka and sabich

Bennet Jacobstein, author of The Joy of Ballpark Food: From Hot Dogs to Haute Cuisine, talks to us about what foodies can find at different baseball stadiums around the country.

• Hot dogs and sausages are not the same thing.
• The quality of ballpark food was elevated in the 90s as new stadiums were built and food television shows took off.
• Stadiums have highlighted regional foods.
• Gordon Biersch‘s founder Dan Gordon introduced garlic fries at Candlestick Park in 1994.
• The song “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” was written in 1908.
• The Yankees replaced Cracker Jacks at one point, but brought it back after a public outcry.
• 

  San Francisco Giant Gordon Biersch Garlic Fries

  Veggie Happy spearheaded the movement to get veggie dogs sold at ballpark stadiums.

• Andrew Zimmern has a stand in the Minnesota ballpark.
• Rocky Mountain Oysters are bull testicles.
• “The Big Six” are the food companies that service the major ballparks.
• As you go from ballpark to ballpark, try the hot dogs at each to see how they’re done differently.
• Proceeds from Bennett’s book go to Second Harvest Food Bank.

 

Food for Thought

• Q: In what year were Cracker Jacks first served at a baseball game?
• A: 1896 in Atlantic City.

 

Out of the Frying Pan

Here’s what Bennet recommends you try at each ballpark:

• Yankees Stadium in New York City: Chicken and Waffles.
• Fenway Park in Boston: Lobster Roll and a cuban sandwich.
• Wrigley Field in Chicago: Chicago-style hot dog with Vienna beef.
• Turner Field in Atlanta: Boiled peanuts.
• Marlins Park in Miami: Cuban dishes.
• Safeco Field in Seattle: The Ivar’s hot dog (with fish) and cream cheese hot dog.
• Nationals Park in Washington D.C.: A cauliflower hot dog and presidential cupcakes.
• 

  Chicago White Sox Chicago-Style Hot Dog

  Busch Stadium in St. Louis: The BBQ.

• Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles: Tommy Lasorda Spumoni ice cream.
• AT&T Park in San Francisco: Crab salad, lamb sausages, and Gordon Biersch garlic fries.

Try a Food Tour

More in this City

 

Exotic Coffees

In this episode of the Find Dining podcast, Jessica Berson of Bunny and Brandy’s Brunchtime Blog offers up another great restaurant recommendation: Frog N Snail in Chicago, where Chef Dale Levitski specializes in upscale French/American comfort food dishes like Manhattan and Egg and Sweet Pea Risotto Cake.

• Read more about Frog N Snail on Bunny and Brandy’s Brunchtime Blog
• Visit Frog N Snail’s website
• Frog N Snail is located at 3124 North Broadway in Chicago

Chicago Food Events:

• Taste of Chicago (July)
• Chicago Gourmet (September)

Jessica Recommends for Brunch:

• Peach N Mushroom Crepe
• The Hodgepodge Crepe
• Strawberry Elderberry Coconut Coffee
• Coffee Cake

Out of the Frying Pan Picks:

• Best Wine List: ING Restaurant
• Favorite Sandwich Shops: Franks ‘N’ Dawgs
• Favorite Name for a Restaurant: Wilde
• Favorite BBQ oint: Heaven on Seven
• Favorite Sushi Restaurant: Diva Restaurant

Also available on iTunes.

 

See a map of all the podcasts.

The evolution of Spiaggia began in January of 2014 as construction started in the dining room that, when completed, will afford guests the opportunity to experience Spiaggia more than before.

Spiaggia

980 North Michigan Avenue, 2nd Floor

Chicago, IL

312.280.2750

www.spiaggiarestaurant.com

Here’s what guests can expect when Spiaggia re-opens in late spring 2014:

• Dinner, which will continue to offer Chef Mantuano’s and recently appointed Executive Chef Chris Marchino’s world-class Italian cuisine, paired with an award-winning wine list, set in a new contemporary atmosphere, that highlights the restaurant’s signature views of Oak Street Beach.
• Wine, cocktails and bites at the Spiaggia Bar, which will have a new place in the center of the restaurant where each seat overlooks the dining room and out the windows.
• A stunning new Spiaggia Lounge with approximately 40 seats that will have a dedicated menu of 10 to 15 items with dramatic and innovative presentations of food and cocktails, a larger selection of wines by the glass (nearly 30) and an Italian aperitivo hour showcasing a new handcrafted cocktail program that utilize fresh juices, house-made brandies and inventive preparations.
• A renewed emphasis on rare, delicious Italian wines which will now be on view in the Wine Room that all guests will walk through upon arrival to the restaurant and managed by Sommelier Rachael Lowe and her Cellar Masters.

Acclaimed designer Mark Knauer of Chicago-based Knauer, Inc., has been tapped to lead the design and construction process. Tony knew Mark was the perfect fit for the project as Mark was on the team that original designed Spiaggia when it opened in 1984.   During the ReImagination, Cafe Spiaggia remains open for lunch and dinner daily and Spiaggia Private Events, which is one floor above Spiaggia, continues to host intimate corporate and social functions and larger cocktail receptions, weddings and celebrations.

 

Tony Mantuano, Chef/Partner, Spiaggia, Bar Toma, Lorenzo, River Roast and Terzo Piano

 

• Best Chef Midwest, James Beard Foundation, 2005
• Author, The Spiaggia Cookbook: Eleganza Italiana in Cucina
• Author, Wine Bar Food: Mediterranean Flavors to Crave with Wines to Match
• Contestant on Season 2 of Top Chef Masters
• One-Michelin Star Chef

Most often recognized as one of the Champions on season two of Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, Chef Tony Mantuano is also internationally regarded as an influential culinary force. He is the chef/partner at Spiaggia, one of the country’s leading restaurants and Chicago’s only four-star Italian restaurant, and has been awarded the 2005 James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Midwest.

 

Mantuano’s love for creating exciting restaurant concepts has given way to other ventures. In addition to Spiaggia, his latest is chef/partner of Lorenzo, a casual elegant Italian restaurant in Miami adjacent to the Redbury South Beach Hotel that opened in November 2013. He is also Chef/Partner at Bar Toma, a long-time dream to create an Italian neighborhood pizzeria and bar; chef/partner at Terzo Piano, a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant that utilizes fresh, local, organic ingredients to create seasonal menus at The Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago; and he is the co-owner of his family’s Mangia Trattoria, a classic Italian restaurant in his hometown of Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Up next for Mantuano includes River Roast his first non-Italian restaurant in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Set to open early summer 2014, the restaurant will be a lively social house and gathering place featuring handcrafted, yet rustic, food with many plates designed for sharing.  The menu features contemporary American tavern fare and will focus on dramatic presentations of whole roasted chicken, which is cold smoked and then roasted to perfection in a specially-designed oven; whole roasted de-boned fish prepared in a tandoor oven and slow-cooked roast beef; all carved tableside and served with signature French fries.  2014 also marks Spiaggia’s 30^th anniversary and to celebrate the occasion the dining room is undergoing a complete redesign and to be unveiled in late spring.

Mantuano’s first cookbook The Spiaggia Cookbook: Eleganza Italiana in Cucina was lauded by Food & Wine magazine as one of the top 25 cookbooks of 2004. In 2008 Mantuano co-authored Wine Bar Food: Mediterranean Flavors to Crave with Wines to Match with wine expert and wife Cathy Mantuano, which has been the inspiration for WINE BAR FOOD outposts at the 2008-2013 US Open Tennis Championships in New York.
In addition to his 2005 honor, Mantuano’s Spiaggia has also received James Beard Award nominations for Outstanding Restaurant in America in 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2013, and for Outstanding Service in 2008, 2009, 2012. In September 2012 he was named part of the American Chef Corps and a 2012 State Chef by the U.S. Department of State and its new Culinary Diplomatic Partnership program. However, his favorite award was presented in April 2009, when he and Cathy Mantuano were honored with the keys to San Martino in the Italian region of Molise for serving authentic Italian cuisine in America and in particular to President Barak Obama, a long-time Spiaggia guest who celebrated his presidential election victory at Spiaggia in 2008.

Chris Marchino, Executive Chef, Spiaggia/Cafe Spiaggia

Originally from Philadelphia, Chris Marchino has called Chicago home since 2006. In addition to a B.A. in sociology from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, Marchino has an associate’s degree in culinary arts from The Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago, Le Cordon Bleu. He has also lived and travelled extensively in West and Southern Africa while working for CARE International on famine relief and social service projects. After helping open D’Allesandro’s in Charleston, South Carolina, Marchino made the career decision to become a chef. Since joining Spiaggia in 2008, he has worked his way up the ranks from line cook to his current position as executive chef, which he was named in January 2014. In the spring of 2012 while serving as executive sous chef he was named a Zagat Chicago 30 Under 30 recipient.

Despite cooking Italian for almost 10 years, Marchino made his very first trip to Italy in May 2012 where he learned all he could from chefs, producers and vintners in Tuscany. Marchino’s passion for Italian cuisine stems from his love of fresh and local ingredients, and his personal broad-spectrum enjoyment of foods, ranging from street food to fine dining. He returned to Italy in January 2014 for a three week trip around the country where he cooked in various kitchens in Rome, Florence, Venice and more. He plans to use what he learned towards the reImagined Spiaggia that will debut in late spring 2014.

Content provided courtesy of DJS Hospitality Consulting

Every year when spring rolls around Chicagoans have three very specific things that they look forward to: the end of snow, the warming up of frigid temperatures, and opening day at Wrigley Field. The Cubs are like a religion here in Chicago with thousands of devoted fans flocking to Wrigley Field and the surrounding area all spring and summer long to cheer them on. Win or lose, you won’t find a fan more loyal than one that roots for the Cubs. And whether you’ve got tickets to the game or you’re just looking for a great place to catch it on TV, there is nothing like Wrigleyville.
 
The neighborhood is made up of tons of sports bars and pubs and each one is packed full of fans on game day. As you might expect, a lot of these places are the typical old fashioned, no frills, leaning toward the dive-y end of the spectrum bars that you’ll find in stadium-centric neighborhoods across America. They are a ton of fun, of course, but the food selection can be dicey, if they serve food at all. I love a good dive bar (especially pre- or post-Cubs game!), but I love my food more and there are a few real gems in this neighborhood– places where you (or a foodie like me) can still cheer on the Cubs, drink a good beer, and enjoy some really good food. These are 5 of my favorite places to eat in Wrigleyville:
 

1. Lucky’s Sandwich Co.

 
This is one of my favorite places for good food in Wrigleyville. Lucky’s is home to crazy big overstuffed sandwiches that are essentially an entire meal between two slices of bread. These sandwiches are loaded up with your standard ingredients like sliced deli meats and tomatoes and are topped with a generous helping of tangy coleslaw and a heaping portion of hand-cut fries inside two thick slices of French bread. These sandwiches have become a local legend in the short 10+ years that they’ve been around and have been featured on shows like Man vs. Food and Sandwich King.
 
They are virtually impossible to eat with your hands and not make a complete mess, but they are really tasty and Lucky’s has a ton of different options available: from standard turkey or ham to veggie, Buffalo chicken, and fried fish sandwiches. The sandwiches aren’t fancy, but they’re made with quality ingredients so they’re just really fresh tasting and delicious. And as a coleslaw snob, I can assure you that this is good stuff– and probably my favorite part of the sandwich! In addition to their vast sandwich menu, Lucky’s also serves a great selection of craft and imported beers. These can be hard to come by at most Wrigleyville bars! So, stop into Lucky’s with an empty stomach and enjoy an overstuffed sandwich and a beer before the game– or anytime!
 

$
3472 North Clark St., Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 549-0665
http://www.luckysandwich.com/

 

2. Sheffield’s Beer & Wine Garden

 
Sheffield’s is located just a little off the beaten path of Wrigleyville (a.k.a. the few blocks of Clark Street immediately south of Wrigley Field), but it’s a great option for sports fans, foodies, and beer lovers alike. This is a big bar with several different rooms for drinking and game watching and as the name might suggest, there’s also a great beer garden that is the perfect place for enjoying some drinks al fresco in the summertime. Sheffield’s serves around 200 different varieties of beer, so there is truly something for everyone on the menu here and it is the ideal bar for the beer enthusiast. And for those foodies, I can vouch that Sheffield’s serves up some great food too.
 
They are known for their barbecue and they actually smoke all of their meat in-house, so it’s the real deal. I’m a huge fan of the smothered nachos at Sheffield’s– a perfect marriage of my favorite bar food and their signature ingredients. The nachos are piled high with your standard topping in addition to an awesome IPA queso sauce, cumin crema, tomatillo & avocado relish, BBQ sauce, and your choice of their housemade pulled chicken or pork, chopped brisket, or veggie chili. The Armadillo Eggs are another standout menu item: pickled jalapenos filled with chopped brisket, pepper jack cheese, and BBQ sauce, deep fried and served with BBQ ranch sauce for dipping. Healthy? No. Delicious? Yes.
 

$$
3258 N Sheffield Ave, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 281-4989
http://www.sheffieldschicago.com/

 

3. Flaco’s Tacos

 
Flaco’s is one of my favorite local spots for fast casual Mexican food and I was so excited to find out that they have opened a third location in Wrigleyville. There are tons of places all over Chicago (and Wrigleyville) to grab a quick taco or burrito, but I think we can agree that they aren’t always very good. Flaco’s prides itself on serving homemade Mexican food with fresh ingredients in a quick and casual environment.
 
This is a great place to grab a quick meal that is really tasty, quick, and cost effective. They have excellent fresh guacamole here and I love their nachos, tacos, and especially their tortas: Mexican-style sandwiches served on soft fresh baked rolls. And my husband orders a burrito every time we stop into Flaco’s. This isn’t a place where you’ll pull up a chair at the bar and watch the whole game, but it’s a great place to get a quick and satisfying meal en route to your game watching. Rest assured though, they do serve alcohol. Flaco’s Tacos serves a variety of flavored margaritas, housemade sangria, and a selection of Mexican beers too.
 

$
3530 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 975-8226
http://www.flacostacosonline.com/

 

4. Rockit Burger Bar

If you’re looking for the full Wrigleyville bar experience, but with really good food, then Rockit is the spot for you. This bar and grill is located just across the street from Wrigley Field and is the sister location to the very successful Rockit Bar & Grill located in Chicago’s trendier River North neighborhood. Wrigleyville’s Rockit specializes in all things ‘burger’.
 
Rockit Burger Bar serves up over a dozen different gourmet burgers– each with their own flavor profile and personality. I like the sweet and savory Johnny Apple, a burger topped with smokey bacon, brie, Gala apples, pecan aioli, and served with a side of cinnamon and sugar spiced sweet potato fries. My husband, on the other hand, enjoys the rich and spicy Huevos Ranchero which includes a fried egg, chihuahua cheese, corn tortilla strips, roasted salsa, and jalapeño aioli. The atmosphere at Rockit is a great mix of casual restaurant (serving delicious burgers and bar food) and energetic bar with loud music, TVs playing every game that’s available, and a DJ later in the evenings. It’s a great place to visit during a Cubs game and the off season alike.
 

$$
3700 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 645-4400
http://www.rockitburgerbar.com

 

5. Blokes & Birds

Blokes & Birds is another rare Wrigleyville find. It’s got a modern sports bar meets old fashioned English public house vibe, which is not unique in Chicago but definitely unique for the neighborhood. The place is covered in sleek smooth wood with some big lounge areas in the basement (which is more lounge versus the upstairs, which is more restaurant) punctuated with their signature quirky handlebar mustache throughout the decor.
 
The food here is great. It’s a little more upscale than your usual Wrigleyville bar, but it’s still casual and comforting like you’d expect at a traditional pub. Their fish and chips are really delicious: deep fried and crunchy served with a tangy tartar sauce for dipping. And the bacon mac and cheese is creamy and decadent— perfect for sharing with your table or to just enjoy as your entree. I am also a huge fan of their beet salad, which is served with arugula and goat cheese, dressed in a very British Pimm’s vinaigrette dressing. The food here is satisfying enough for you to enjoy after a day of drinking and cheering on the Cubbies, and the place itself is cool enough to be the perfect location for an evening celebration or get together too.
 

$$
3343 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 472-5252
http://www.blokesandbirdschicago.com/

 
What’s your favorite restaurant for a pre- or post-game meal?
 

 

---

Anne has been writing her food-focused blog A Squared for 2.5 years. Cooking, dining out, traveling, and exploring Chicago are Anne’s favorite ways to spend her free time. On A Squared she shares recipes, restaurant reviews, and the highlights of living in the fabulous Windy City.