Anthony Todd

1 week ago | chicagomag.com | Anthony Todd

For so many food businesses, COVID proved that necessity is the mother of invention. At the West Loop’s CH Distillery (564 W. Randolph St.), this meant an interesting pivot toward, of all things, high-end sushi, and the bar/restaurant’s omakase efforts continue to this day. Now, a bunch of exciting changes are coming to CH’s sushi program, including a new name, new spaces, and a ton of new offerings. CH General Manager Tony Frausto laughs ruefully as he describes his early days at the company.

1 month ago | chicagomag.com | Anthony Todd

“The idea came from the way we eat in the Balkans,” explains Ivan Iricanin, owner of the newly opened Ambar, a Balkan spot in River North (700 N. Clark St.). “Food is always on the table; as soon as you come, there are appetizers, cheese, cold cuts, and the table is never empty. If the table is empty, the host is doing something wrong and people are not happy!” That’s how Iricanin wants guests to feel at Ambar, which offers an all-you-care-to-eat approach and a robust menu.

1 month ago | l8r.it | Anthony Todd

“The idea came from the way we eat in the Balkans,” explains Ivan Iricanin, owner of the newly opened Ambar, a Balkan spot in River North (700 N. Clark St.). “Food is always on the table; as soon as you come, there are appetizers, cheese, cold cuts, and the table is never empty. If the table is empty, the host is doing something wrong and people are not happy!” That’s how Iricanin wants guests to feel at Ambar, which offers an all-you-care-to-eat approach and a robust menu.

1 month ago | chicagomag.com | Anthony Todd

I’ll be honest: Until I was chatting with chef Andrew Zimmerman earlier this week, I had never given much thought to how important it was for restaurants to concisely describe themselves. The chef at Sepia and Proxi told me how, for the eight years that it’s been open, he’s had trouble describing exactly what Proxi does. “All of our reviews and interactions with guests are great, and almost overwhelmingly positive,” he explains.

1 month ago | chicagomag.com | Anthony Todd

Yet another Chicago dining icon is celebrating a big anniversary right now — Shaw’s Crab House turns 40 this year. Regularly listed as one of the highest-grossing restaurants in America (in 2022 it was #42), Shaw’s has continued to turn out high quality dishes in a great atmosphere for its entire existence. To celebrate the anniversary, and to learn about what might be coming next for the restaurant, I chatted with Bill Nevruz, one of the partners at Shaw’s.