Michael Nagrant

Review: Cicchetti671 N. St. Clair St. 312-642-1800Rating: !!! 1/2 (out of 4) Heating up Chicago is in the midst of such an Italian restaurant renaissance that you can almost smell...

Pizza review: Blaze Pizza953 W. Belmont Ave. 773-348-6255Rating: !!! (out of 4) On a day after a college-worthy bender when your stomach is sloshing like a beer-filled fishbowl, there is...

Worth the trip: Brisket at Smoque BBQ3800 N. Pulaski Road 773-545-7427 You could say that Smoque, an Irving Park barbecue restaurant that's one of Chicago's best, all started with a...

Review: Nico Osteria 1015 N. Rush St. 312-994-7100 Rating: !!!1/2 (out of 4) Heating up She didn't like her name. Herbert Tobias, the photographer who discovered her, agreed. "Christa Paffgen"...

Sol de Mexico3018 N. Cicero Ave. 773-282-4119Looks like: A Mexican folk art market outfitted with festive figurines, Dia de los Muertos skeletons and paper mache animal masks.Sounds like: Owner Carlos...

Stella Barra1954 N. Halsted St. 773-634-4101Rating: !!! 1/2 (out of 4) Push. I've heard a lot of great chefs say it. Push through the pain. Push forward. Push past your...

Crisp2940 N. Broadway 773-697-7610 Food writers love to compare delicious food to crack cocaine--I've done it at least 50 times myself--but it turns out we had it all wrong. A...

Update: Chef Rene De Leon recently left The Dawson. The restaurant released the following a statement on Nov. 19: "The Dawson announces the departure of chef Rene De Leon and...

Chicago is a sausage fest—but it wasn't always that way. Ten years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find platters of encased meats, rustic pates and cured meats outside of the...