The first thing you see when you walk into Phil's Last Stand on Chicago Avenue is Phil, or as he likes to refer to himself online, Fat Phil. Like Doug Sohn (Hot Doug's) and Eddie Lankin (Edzo's) before him, Phil always stands guard, taking every order, and making as many jokes as possible. While that obviously ensures a fun and freewheeling vibe, it's main advantage is quality control. Nothing gets by Phil without his approval. That turns out to be a very good thing. More

When I think of marisquerias, the first one that pops into my head is Mariscos El Veneno (also sometimes referred to Restaurant Veneno de Nayarit). Why? Well, I don't think I've ever driven past the storefront on Ashland and not seen a packed house. It doesn't matter what day or time it is, the tables always seem to be full. More

Green Zebra's menu is basically all small plates, with dishes being arranged from lightest to heaviest. Instead of focusing on a specific cuisine, it pulls inspiration from just about everywhere. My meal jumped around from Japanese, Italian, and German without blinking an eye. More

It's gourd season, ya'll! That's right. It's that time of year when pumpkins overwhelm grocery store shelves and restaurant menus. And if there's one thing Chicagoans are crazy about, it's their pumpkin goods. Here are 7 pumpkin sweets we love in the Windy City. More

In any big city, tacos are a great representation of what the local food scene has to offer. Small, simple, and versatile, this is street food at its finest. Or it's a popular chef (ahem, Paul Kahan) doing tacos at their cheffiest-finest. There's quite a bit of diversity on this list: from the homey, traditional carne asada and carnitas to kalbi (Korean short rib) to a crunchy fish taco. More

Yesterday morning at the end of our four-day trip to Chicago, Ed crossed an item off his list of "Things To Do Before I Die": try every pie* at Hoosier Mama, one of his favorite pie shops in the country. The table was graced with 13 kinds of pies, along with some muffins and savory hand pies. And no, Ed didn't eat them all by himself; he had help from five Serious Eaters. It was our first and best meal of the day. Owner Paula Haney's magical pie touch is still going strong. More

"With each bite, tender threads of custard unravel on your tongue and melt away down into your gullet." [Photograph: Michael Nagrant] Until now, there has been no Ferran Adria or Thomas Keller of breakfast here in Chicago. There are great... More

Until I had my first forkful of pie at Chicago's Hoosier Mama I don't remember having a life-changing, seriously delicious piece of pie in a big northern city. More