Hot for Those Chicago Dawgs

Charlie Trotter plans 'sabbatical' after 25 years

(NEWSER) - A Chicago landmark will soon be history. Legendary chef Charlie Trotter is closing his restaurant in August, after a quarter-century of service. It's not a financial matter: "We’ve always been profitable, that’s for sure," he tells the Sun-Times . But Trotter is ready "to put the flag in the sand" and achieve some non-culinary goals, including travel and a graduate degree in philosophy and political theory. More»

Fancy restaurants still charging a bundle for New Year's Eve

(NEWSER) - Despite the still-grim economy and a recent British survey finding 80% of people plan to spend New Year’s Eve at home…one New York restaurant is still charging $650 for tonight’s prix fixe menu. Salon takes a look at what going extravagant might get you tonight:

• Aureole, New York: For $650, a five-course meal including big-eye tuna sashimi, chestnut ravioli, Canadian lobster, and New York strip loin.
• Daniel, New York: For $595, a five-course tasting menu (no details on the food), live music, dancing, and a champagne toast.

From 'grilled to perfection' to 'garden fresh'

(NEWSER) - Tired of menus that use the same old phrases over and over? So are the food critics at the Chicago Tribune. They nominated nine menu clichés for the compost pile:

• "Grilled to perfection": Subjective to the point of meaninglessness. And why always grilled, and not “boiled” or “baked”? Can only grilling reach perfection?
• "World famous": Almost always an empty boast.
• "Kobe burger": “Kobe” is becoming a general synonym for “high quality”; it doesn't apply unless the beef actually came from Japan.

What Obama's preferences say about him

(NEWSER) - Only time will tell what kind of president Barack Obama turns out to be. But looking at what he likes to eat might give us some clues, food journalist Todd Kliman writes for NPR's Monkey See blog. So what do we know so far? Obama took heat for talking up arugula, but his favorites are regular-guy foods like fried chicken and chili. More»

34-year-old pushing progressive cuisine at Chicago's Alinea

(NEWSER) - Just months after beating a cancer that nearly cost him his sense of taste, Grant Achatz was named America's top chef last night by the James Beard Foundation at the culinary world's equivalent of the Academy Awards. "I look at the award as the point of starting over," said the 34-year-old Achatz, who helms four-star Chicago eatery Alinea. More»