Of the many great reasons to check out Dose Market, our favorite part is definitely the chance to preview exciting soon-to-open restaurants. The monthly food and fashion gathering in the River East Art Center usually features a sneak peek at new venture or two, and yesterday's event was no different. Guests previewed dishes from the upcoming Pecking Order and Flour and Bones, along with a host of other quality vendors from around the Midwest. More

Last night Spiaggia's executive chef and Top Chef: Texas runner-up, Sarah Grueneberg, faced off against her Houston-based mentor Chris Shepherd, in what was called the H-Town vs. Chi-Town Quickfire Challenge. Though not exactly the most serious competition we've ever seen, it was a great chance to sample Grueneberg's food and to see what Shepherd is currently cooking up in Texas. More

For the second year in a row, Chicago Gourmet kicked off with the Hamburger Hop. This year, 17 local chefs converged on a rooftop next to Millennium Park to battle one another for burger supremacy. More

As good as the previous two events were, this year's Baconfest made both of them seem like child's play. Baconfest Chicago 2011 was a ridiculously over-the-top pig belly playground. Bacon-stuffed-bacon, bacon banh mi, maple bacon cotton candy, and more. More

After last year's experience at the Candy Expo in Chicago, I spent twelve solid months looking forward to returning to the newly christened Sweets and Snacks Expo. Here are five outstanding candies, either new or not widely available in the U.S., that I think best exemplify the Expo. More

There are boatloads of candies manufactured all over the world that are unavailable in the United States, or just not widely circulated. Fortunately, the recent Sweets and Snacks Expo in Chicago offered those candy manufacturers the opportunity to get their products out to American eaters. Here are my favorites from the show. More

Having covered the best new products from the multinational candy companies, my latest installment of coverage of the Sweets and Snacks Expo focuses on new products from smaller American manufacturers, with foreign candy waiting in the wings. More

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending what might be the single greatest annual event in the United States: the Sweets & Snacks Expo. The trade show, put on by the National Confectioners Association and held in Chicago's McCormick Place, was in its 14th year this time around and is an awesome presentation of the array sweet and salty snacks in this country, with heavy emphasis on sweets. First in my series of posts about the show, here are my favorite new products from the big boys—the national and international candy companies that are most familiar to us all. More

When tickets went on sale in March for last Saturday's Baconfest Chicago, all 600 tickets (300 to each session) sold out in 10 minutes, and thousands of eager eaters were left salivating in hopes of more space opening up. The bacon-loving world is so strong that 24 of Chicago's top chefs donated their time and food to the event simply because they loved the idea and wanted to share their bacon creations with a wildly appreciative group of eaters. Adding to the fun were a wide collection of entrepreneurs, some of whom have no background in food, who have poured the hearts and dollars into creating bacon-themed products. Here's my recap of the event and a description of every dish served. More

I learned two lessons at the 90th National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, which was in Chicago from May 16 to 19. First, I got to physically see just how huge the restaurant industry is. Conceptually, of course, the... More