Top 10 Chicago restaurant recipes of 2010

Top 10 most-popular recipes of the past year from Dining Chicago.

55 Chicago-area restaurants open Christmas Day 2010

You don’t have to cook on Christmas Day in Chicago. Scores of restaurants and bars will be open to serve you, many serving special holiday meals. Call ahead to check on hours and menus; reservations may be required. 33 Club, Old Town, American 676 Restaurant and Bar, Loop, American Allgauer’s Restaurant, Alsip, American Ann Sather, [...]

45 places in Chicago to eat Thanksgiving dinner 2010

Whether you’re on the North Side, the South Side or in the suburbs, you don’t have to cook your own Thanksgiving dinner. Chicago-area restaurants offer bountiful holiday feasts for almost every budget. Call for hours and menu details. Reservations are highly recommended if not required everywhere. Many restaurants also offer complete Thanksgiving dinners for carry [...]

Liberté, égalité, fraternité! Bastille Day Chicageaux-style

On July 14, 1789, revolutionary troops stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress and prison in Paris, bringing down harsh rule of France’s Bourbon monarchy. The first Fete de la Federation, on July 14, 1790, celebrated the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in France. France — and Francophiles — have been toasting the day ever since. Here are a few events around Chicago.

Joan Baez coming to Arlington Heights

Tickets have nearly sold out for the Monday, July 19, Joan Baez concert at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in downtown Arlington Heights.

Very last-minute guide to Easter brunch in Chicago

Hello, procrastinators! Still looking for Easter brunch ideas? These restaurants around the Chicago area are still reporting openings. Call for reservations now!

Crawfish season is comin’ to Chicagoland

Here’s the best deal we’ve found in the Chicago area: Every Wednesday and Thursday night, from March 3 through April 29, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen in Arlington Heights and Westmont will offer boiled mudbugs, served with potatoes and corn on the cob, for $3.95 per pound. The crawfish dinner deal is for dine-in customers only. Need [...]

Eat this! Cassoulet, a hearty winter casserole from Southwestern France

What it is: Cassoulet is an earthy, peasant dish from southwestern France, traditionally a casserole of beans, pork, poultry and herbs, slowly baked until a dark crust forms. Recipes vary throughout the region, though, so that in 1929, Chef Prosper Montagné declared, “God the Father is the cassoulet of Castelnaudary, God the Son that of [...]

21 cheap dates for New Year’s Eve in Chicago

If you’ve been putting off making New Year’s Eve plans because funds are short, don’t worry. You don’t have to spend a fortune to celebrate the end of 2009. Although, sadly, big municipal celebrations have fallen victim to the economy this year, there are still plenty of low-cost options for Dec. 31. Here are 21 [...]

50 Chicagoland restaurants and bars open on Christmas Day

You don’t have to eat Chinese food on Christmas.