Hungry For Hemingway . . .

This sounds pretty cool.

Noted author Ernest Hemingway was a big fan of chef Georges "Kiki" Cuisance's food back when he was cooking at various restaurants in France.

So we can only imagine how thrilled Cuisance was when he was asked to host a three-course, Hemingway-themed dinner to launch the book, "Hunting for Hemingway," written by Diane Gilbert Madsen.

Eat And Drink For Pink

Do your part to help support Breast Cancer Awareness Month by participating in the Lynn Sage Foundation's annual In Good Taste campaign.

You can choose from a list of more than 100 of Chicagoland's most-buzzed about restaurants, and donate at least $1 on your check. The promotion happens throughout the month and you can see the entire list of participants here.

The New Burger King of Chicago?!

NoMI's award-winning "800 Burger" from the first-ever "Hamburger Hop" competition. (Photo: Joseph Storch)

The competition was pretty fierce Friday night at "Hamburger Hop," Chicago Gourmet's first-ever such event to kick off the two-day food fest.

There was Sola's Carol Wallack, who's pretty familiar with this type of event as she's participated in the South Beach Wine and Food Festival three years in a row. Also, The Gage executive chef Dirk Flanigan was in the house. His burgers are killers. Stephanie Izard (Girl & The Goat), Seasons' Kevin Hickey (who won the "People's Choice Award"), John Hogan (Keefer's) and Eddie Lakin of gourmet diner Edzo's Burger Shop are also known for bringing it.

With a high-profile judges' panel that included Jean-Luc Naret, the world director of the Michelin guide, Bon Appetit's Barbara Fairchild and world-famous chef Thomas Keller, this little hamburger contest was suddenly serious business. Who would've imagined an unknown chef would win it all?!

STAGE BITES: The Weekly Dining & Drinking Guide

M.I.A. performs at The Vic Thursday.


Every Monday look for the week's top performances paired with the best deals before and after the show:

M.I.A. at The Vic. The quirky and controversial British rapper first got our attention in 2003 with her big hit "Galang." Brimming with a mixture of dancehall, hip-hop and electronica, it helped define her style and has kept her in the spotlight ever since. "Maya," just released in July, is M.I.A.'s highest charting album release to date. 8pm Sept. 30. Get tickets here.

Get Ready To Loosen Your Belt . . .

. . . a few more notches.

The fifth-annual Andersonville Dessert Crawl returns this weekend and it's bigger and badder than ever.

Don Draper Would Definitely Approve . . .

Don Draper of "Mad Men" fame would have been a big fan of the Aviary's version of his favorite cocktail. (Photo: AMC)


I'm so excited about this latest offering from Aviary that I can barely contain myself.

Tuscan Foodie On Chicago Food Scene

The Tuscan Foodie doing what he does best. (Photo: Tuscan Foodie)


It's always fun to read how others view what we think is an incredible food scene here in Chicago, so you can only imagine my delight discovering A Tuscan Foodie in America, which details an Italian guy's eating experiences in the United States.

He enthusiastically focuses on Chicago's most popular and underrated restos, as he explained in this post for Tuscany's tourism bureau:

NY Times Highlights Chicago's Best

Gilt Bar, Girl & The Goat, Big Chicks, Longman & Eagle and Xoco got some major props in the New York Times' travel section.

In 36 hours, writer Fred A. Bernstein checked out these hot spots as well as a number of iconic venues.

We weren't surprised one bit that he headed to Girl & The Goat, which likely had its busiest night Saturday with the dining room and bar filled with Chicago Gourmet goers as well as "Jersey Shore" castmate Vinny Guadagnino (who showed up with two big-ass bodyguards in tow).