Eat this! Tzimmes, a sweet start to the Jewish New Year

Jews serve tzimmes at Rosh Hashana, a holiday rich in symbolic foods, because custom calls for serving sweet dishes at the High Holidays in hopes of a sweet New Year.

10 places to get Rosh Hashana dinner in Chicago

Plenty of Chicagoland restaurants are happy to help you greet Rosh Hashana 5771 on Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 8–9.

Happy Birthday, The Bagel

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, The Bagel Restaurant & Deli in Lakeview and Skokie invites deli lovers to do their “wurst” in its “DELI-icious Sandwich Contest.”

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,

Five places to drink free wine in the Chicago area

These Chicagoland wine shops host weekly free wine tastings where you’re welcome to sip and sample highlighted vintages.

Just Grapes, West Loop, 2–4 p.m. Saturdays.

Red & White, Bucktown, 2–5 p.m. Saturdays.

Schaefer’s, Skokie, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. Saturdays.

Taste Food and Wine, Rogers Park, 6–7:30pm Mondays and Fridays.

Wine Discount Center, Clybourn Corridor, Barrington, Forest Park and Highland Park, noon–4 [...]

Bagels and bicycles: Christmas on the North Shore

Some people get up on Christmas morning and have hot cocoa and stollen and open presents under the tree. Some go to church. Other people get up that morning and have bagels and lox and maybe go to the movies.
And then there are kooks whose idea of holiday fun is to go dashing through the [...]

50 Chicagoland restaurants and bars open on Christmas Day

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

Night out: Celebrate Hanukkah with the Klezmatics

The Klezmatics: “Happy Joyous Hanukkah” by Woody Guthrie

Experience the heights of contemporary Jewish music at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 19, when Klezmer superstars The Klezmatics come to Skokie’s North Shore Center for the Performing Arts for a Hanukkah concert sponsored by Kfar Jewish Arts Center and Center East.
Tickets are $48. For a $5 discount, enter [...]

60 more Chicagoland restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner

Is there anyone left cooking Thanksgiving dinner at home? Most restaurants used to close on Thanksgiving, but no more.
Last week I ran a list of 25 Chicagoland restaurants serving Thanksgiving dinner and apparently only scratched the surface. I’ve heard from dozens more Chicago and suburban restaurants that will be open on Thanksgiving.
So here are [...]