baiduhaiChicago News, Sports & Business

Home > Reviews

Author Image: Leah Eskin

Leah Eskin

All Stories

Kusanya Cafe is the kind of place where you can get a cup of coffee, check out the community board, print a school paper or simply jump on the internet. You'll see people huddled together over papers strewn across the wood tables or someone walking in simply to say hello to the small staff. Because the nonprofit cafe roasts its own coffee on-site in small batches, don't hesitate to order that lavender iced latte ($3.49) or a plain cup of coffee. The breakfast and lunch menu is lush with references to famous musicians, like the Lupe Tabasco breakfast sandwich ($2.29). It features a thin egg patty, with melted cheese and Sriracha on ciabatta, and you can add sausage, spinach and tomato for an extra charge. The cozy and brightly lit environment is exactly where you want to catch up on some work or meet up with friends. 825 W. 69th St., 773-675-4758, <a href="http://www.kusanyacafe.org/">kusanyacafe.org</a> — Grace Wong

Pasta so good (and spicy) you might cry

Crying spaghetti is the bomb, reports a friend, home from Seattle. Obviously. Who can resist a name like that? Why, I worried, would spaghetti cry? Was it heartbreak, like the...
19th-century Viennese chef Franz Sacher would be pleased, I think, by the version of his eponymous chocolate cake served at Café Selmarie in Lincoln Square. First, the top of each slice of Sacher torte is decorated with his name, elegantly written in chocolate script. Second, the cake is a real looker: Layers of chocolate cake are mortared with raspberry preserve and chocolate buttercream; the whole thing is then frosted with more buttercream and wrapped in a smooth sheet of bittersweet chocolate — firm enough to be eaten on its own, if you like, with a fork. Third, every bite is delicious. The devil's food cake is firm and pleasant, while the raspberry offers a deep berry counterpoint to all the chocolate. $4.20. 4729 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-989-5595, <a href="http://cafeselmarie.com/" target="_blank">www.cafeselmarie.com</a>. — Bill Daley

How to make a sushi bowl

Deconstruction once ruled academia. The literary theory insisted that the text (pre-texting) be taken apart, like some Lego castle, and left in pieces on the classroom floor. The game kept...
Kusanya Cafe is the kind of place where you can get a cup of coffee, check out the community board, print a school paper or simply jump on the internet. You'll see people huddled together over papers strewn across the wood tables or someone walking in simply to say hello to the small staff. Because the nonprofit cafe roasts its own coffee on-site in small batches, don't hesitate to order that lavender iced latte ($3.49) or a plain cup of coffee. The breakfast and lunch menu is lush with references to famous musicians, like the Lupe Tabasco breakfast sandwich ($2.29). It features a thin egg patty, with melted cheese and Sriracha on ciabatta, and you can add sausage, spinach and tomato for an extra charge. The cozy and brightly lit environment is exactly where you want to catch up on some work or meet up with friends. 825 W. 69th St., 773-675-4758, <a href="http://www.kusanyacafe.org/">kusanyacafe.org</a> — Grace Wong

You put lemon on pizza? It’s good — trust us

The daffodil wakes up, stretches out of the slush and yawns brilliant yellow. Spring will be sprung, shortly. The edible garden, however, lies deep in sleep. We're months away from...
Shrimp are steamed with fragrant spices, then tossed with a creamy dressing of mayo, scallions, basil and lemon zest.

Beach shack shrimp rolls taste of salt air, summer

The deep dive promises sunken treasure, brilliant coral and the odd octopus. Sights we're keen to see. This dive is promoted everywhere: the staff meeting, book review and playbill. And...