Friday food porn: The toast of tomato season at Pinstripes

At Pinstripes in Northbrook and South Barrington they brush slices of ciabatta with extra-virgin olive oil and sea salt bread, grill them and cover them with organic grape tomatoes, chunks of fresh mozzarella and a glaze of 7-year-old balsamic vinegar, and serve them with a garnish of wild arugula and shaved pecorino.

Friday food porn: The Monk Burger

The 9-ounce Monk Burger from The Lucky Monk in South Barrington comes blanketed with Tillamook cheddar and layered with lettuce, onion, tomato and pickles on a toasted sesame bun, accompanied by a side of hand-cut fries (not shown), $9.95.

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 [...]

2009 Beaujolais Nouveau arrives in Chicago Thursday

Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé!
Well, nearly. On the third Thursday of each November, the new wine of Beaujolais is uncorked for the world. By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau may be released no earlier than 12:01 a.m. on that date.
More than 65 million bottles, nearly half of the region’s total annual wine production, are [...]