David Manilow

3 days ago | chicagobusiness.com | David Manilow

If you want to try a throwback spot that'll make you yearn for simpler times, make your way to Freddy's Pizza in Cicero. I don’t know what their secret sauce is. Maybe that it’s a corner grocery store or that husband-and-wife owners Joe and Ann Marie Quercia welcome customers like family. Or maybe it’s the smell of fresh baked bread, the feel of quality or the sight of all the specialties as you approach the counter.

1 week ago | chicagobusiness.com | David Manilow

From new bakeries to fine dining tasting menus, Filipino food in Chicago is having a moment. One of my favorite places to experience the melting pot of sweet, sour and salty flavors is Boonie's, chef-owner Joseph Fontelera's ode to modern, bold Filipino cooking. Boonie's hides in plain sight on a monotonous strip of storefronts on Western Avenue near Montrose. It has a moody, relaxed energy inside, with pleasant servers hustling dishes to customers in the 50-seat dining room.

2 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | David Manilow

When our son flies home from college, we have a ritual: We pick him up at O'Hare and drive to West Devon Avenue, also known as Little India, on the city's North Side. The lively street is colorful and dotted with bakeries, BBQ, chaat, halal and kebab spots. It's also home to Sabri Nihari, our favorite Pakistani restaurant. Sometimes we pick up, but dining in is best. Typically, the big, unadorned restaurant is filled with regulars from the community.

3 weeks ago | chicagobusiness.com | David Manilow

At the lively Bucktown intersection of Armitage and Damen avenues, you'll find a cluster of fine restaurants. There's Mirra, the sizzling, new Mexican-Indian fusion spot; Tama, the cozy Greek-Mediterranean restaurant; Le Bouchon, the classic French bistro; and, on the corner, Pompette. This charming three-year-old cafe and wine bar is helmed by Ashlee Aubin, whom I met when he was executive chef at Wood in Lakeview after a stint as chef de partie at Alinea.

1 month ago | chicagobusiness.com | David Manilow

Since he opened Gilt Bar in 2010, Brandon Sodikoff's restaurant group, Hogsalt, has been hugely successful. He's created a sexy steakhouse in Bavette's, a wait-in-line-for-forever burger joint in Au Cheval and an Old-World London pub at Armitage Alehouse. Hogsalt has several more coveted spots, but my favorite is a little Italian, clubby, ring-a-ding-dinger on Kinzie Street called Ciccio Mio. The River North spot is dark, moody, charming, comfy and special.