Maura Judkis –

Korea's bingsoo is a small mountain of ice traditionally served with red bean, rice cakes and ground nut powder. Nowadays, you'll find chopped fruit, lychee jelly, mochi, ice cream and other syrups drizzled on top. The fruit bingsoo ($6.99) at Java & Mug is served in a shell-like bowl and starts with tiny granules of ice splashed with 2 percent milk before being topped with a scoop of strawberry ice cream, strawberries, kiwi, red bean, roasted grain powder, mochi, Fruity Pebbles cereal, bananas, fruit cocktail and strawberry syrup. I'd recommend bringing a friend because bingsoo is typically larger in format, unless you have a stronger appetite game than I do. <a href="Let it snow: There's more to shaved ice treats than Italian ice. Here are 4 to try">Check out other styles of shaved ice here. </a> 3247 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. — Grace Wong

Poke’s popularity surges even as arguments about authenticity heat up

December 12, 2018 at 8:00 p.m.

Both native Hawaiians and Hawaii residents were incensed to learn last month that a Chicago poke chain, Aloha Poke Company, was sending cease-and-desist letters to other poke shops that use...

One chef’s social experiment: Charge minorities $12, white people $30.

May 2, 2018 at 5:35 p.m.

Approach Tunde Wey's lunch counter/sociology experiment at the Roux Carre market in New Orleans, and - if you're white - you'll have a decision to make. And it's not just...

Matzo ball soup at New York Bagel and Bialy on Touhy Avenue in Lincolnwood.

A British chef said she ‘spiked’ a vegan’s meal. Then she lost her job.

December 14, 2018 at 11:10 p.m.

Vegans have a hard time dining out. Their menu choices are often limited to a mélange of sides and salads, or they have to risk looking fussy by asking servers...

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

The meal-kit industry is at a crossroads. Will it ever figure out what we really want?

June 2, 2018 at 12:40 a.m.

It was going so well for Blue Apron, until it wasn't. The company, which set nationwide trends with its mail-order subscription meal kits, delivering ingredients and instructions to hundreds of...

Move aside, pumpkin spice. Maple is here to steal the spotlight.

March 12, 2024 at 12:15 p.m.

Even Martha Stewart thinks that pumpkin spice lattes are passé. The domestic doyenne was recently asked on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" if she thought pumpkin spice was...

Get ready for pea milk. It doesn’t taste like peas and it’s not even green.

June 2, 2018 at 8:48 a.m.

It's never been easier to avoid dairy, thanks to an ever-expanding array of plant-based milks: Rice, soy, hemp, oat, coconut, almond, macadamia, hazelnut, cashew. But some people can't drink some...

A new study on coffee has found that caffeine may make us crave sweets more strongly.

How your morning coffee affects your afternoon sugar craving

June 2, 2018 at 5:57 p.m.

If you're frequently tempted to buy a treat from the pastry case at your favorite coffee shop, there's a good reason - and it's not just your lack of willpower....

Corn on the cob is simple food. Why are there so many gadgets to help us eat it?

June 2, 2018 at 9:23 p.m.

Do people think their hands are going to fall off when they touch an ear of corn? Because that is the only explanation for the staggering number of products designed...

The Michelin Guide introduces a new designation – but it’s no big prize

June 2, 2018 at 10:45 p.m.

The vaunted Michelin Guide is all about stars: Get three of them, the guide's top rating, and your career as a chef is set for life. Reservations at your restaurant...

The Mediterranean diet works — but not if you’re poor, a study finds

June 3, 2018 at 1:54 a.m.

We've long heard that the Mediterranean Diet is how all of us should eat. The diet, inspired by the coastal cuisine of such countries as Greece, Italy and southern France,...

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