Bring on the Chicago barbecue bonanza!

I can see that, when even Mr. Zee’s, a Greek snack shop in Morton Grove has rebranded itself as Mr. Gee’s B.B.Q. on Demand, the barbecue trend might be getting a little ridiculous. But I think it’s fantastic — bring it on! All styles, all flavors, the more the merrier. Let’s have Kansas City-style, St. Louis-style, Texas-style, South Carolina-style, you-name-it-style … heck, we can even encompass Western Kentucky barbecued mutton.

Relishing Chicago’s 10 funniest hot-dog joints

Every neighborhood in Chicagoland has a hot-dog stand, a gyros place or an Italian beef joint. Often, the menus aren’t much different from one to the next — typically encompassing all three Chicago favorites.

So how do you tell which is which? By the sign outside!

21 freebies for Mother’s Day in Chicago

You could take your mom out for the usual Mother’s Day brunch this Sunday, May 9, but why not go where she’ll get a little something extra?

Join the fight for life: Dine out on Thursday

The single largest HIV/AIDS benefit in the country, the 17th Annual Dining Out for Life, takes place Thursday, April 29. A portion of your meal check at a variety of Chicago and suburban restaurants will benefit AIDSCare Progressive Services, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for Chicagoans with HIV/AIDS through housing,

The best Chicago restaurants ever? Really?

What would you add to the list? What would you leave off?

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!

Chicago restaurants flipping the switch for Earth Hour

Dine in the dark and show you care about the planet. From 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 27, local restaurants and bars will turn out the lights and serve by candlelight in observation of Earth Hour, an international movement of concern about global climate change.

Chicago Chef Week brings more dining discounts

Chicago Chef Week is coming, March 22 through 28. Like last month’s Chicago Restaurant Week, this is a period of prix-fixe dining deals, with $20 lunches and $30 dinners, this time from local chef-driven restaurants.

20 ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago

 

Celebrate the ‘Celtic Muse’ at Davenport’s, Wicker Park, 8 p.m. tonight and Friday, March 19, $15 plus two-drink minimum. Gillian Kelly and Claire Bigley perform Irish favorites such as “The Nightingale,” “Finnegan’s Wake,” and “The Rising of the Moon.” $3 Harps and Guinness, too.

Visit the Irish American Heritage Center, Irving Park, through March 20. Events begin [...]

Lent 2010: 20 Chicago-area Friday fish fry favorites

A flotilla of deep fryers is going full tilt at local restaurants and bars. It’s Lent, the season of the fish fry, when Roman Catholics, some 2.5 million strong here in the Chicago area, and some other Christians seek out seafood each Friday throughout the 40-day, pre-Easter period of abstinence.

Check out these spots for your Friday fish fix.