One of the most interesting and enterprising trends in the dining scene to come out of this trying time is the explosion of ghost kitchens. While the concept isn't completely new, ghost kitchens have really found their place in Chicago over the last six months as stay-at-home orders and heavy dining restrictions pushed restaurants to get creative with how they handle delivery and takeout orders. In essence, ghost kitchens allow restaurants to operate in a shared space without direct customer interaction – there's no dining room, waitstaff, or cashiers. Rather, there's a contactless customer ..read more

In the sea of Thai restaurants on the Far North Side of Chicago, there's a small BYOB spot in Edgewater that has been making a massive splash in the culinary scene since 2014. Under the leadership of Chef/owner Patty Neumson, Herb offers diners an opportunity to dive into the nutritious side of Thai cuisine through seasonally-driven dishes and preparations not commonly found at other Thai restaurants. Growing up in Southern Thailand, Chef Patty developed a love for quality ingredients through cooking side-by-side with her mother and grandmother from a young age. Her love for food and her passi ..read more

Located along a bustling stretch of Chicago Ave. in West Town (one of my favorite foodie areas in the city!), JJ Thai Street Food is a small BYOB restaurant specializing in food found in Thailand’s streets and markets. Unlike numerous other Thai restaurants in Chicago that serve a hybrid of Thai and Chinese cuisines in order to appeal to a wider American audience, JJ's focuses on offering traditional and authentic Thai recipes under the leadership of Chef and owner Jiranya Thosatheppitak. Back when I was on my mission to find my go-to neighborhood Thai spot, I turned to my IG peeps to gather ..read more

As I mentioned in my last post, over the next few weeks, I'll be featuring several of the fantastic Thai Select USA restaurants in Chicago that are taking part in the #ThaiFood4Heroes campaign and continuing to give selflessly to keep the frontline workers fed during the pandemic. Located right off the bustling Broadway and Argyle intersection (a neighborhood known for some of the best Southeast Asian restaurants in Chicago), Immm Rice & Beyond is a casual BYOB spot specializing in Thai street food. Most known for their khao rad gang (which roughly translates to "rice lunch plate"), the ..read more

Tum Thai Salad from Immm Rice & Beyond While most of this year has been complicated, confusing, and difficult for so many, numerous restaurants across the country have banded together to do what they do best: take care of their communities. Independent, mom-and-pop Thai restaurants under Thai Select USA (a Thai government certified program that provides a seal of approval for authentic Thai restaurants) have made it their mission to feed and thank our frontline workers and healthcare heroes as part of the #ThaiFood4Heroes campaign. The movement initially kicked off in New York, New Jers ..read more

Tap, tap, tap... is this thing on? *Ahem.* How do I even start this post? Suffice to say that I didn't intend to disappear for five months, but well... this year has sucked. I mean, I know you all already know it, but is there really any other way to put it? 2020 is trash. Between the pandemic, social unrest, job stress, the painful hit on Chicago's restaurant community, the loss of my social life, the terrifying presence of anti-science and anti-logic masses, the President's dangerous tomfoolery, sickness/death, and the possibility of what's yet to come when I return to campus next week, 2020 ..read more

As soon as I stopped by Ina Mae Tavern for the first time shortly after it opened in 2018, I knew it was going to become one of my favorite neighborhood spots. There was something about the combination of the fantastic food and homey atmosphere that really spoke to me. I had visited New Orleans for the first time only a few months before and had one of the best food experiences of my life - the moment I walked into Ina Mae, I felt like I had been transported back to the magic. Fast forward to a year and a half later, I've been back numerous times for brunch, dinner, live music, game nights ..read more

As you all know by now, I am a huge fan of a good afternoon tea service. It's funny because in my day-to-day life, other than chai, I'm actually not much of a tea drinker, but there's just something about the ritual of tea service that makes me so incredibly happy (perhaps it has something to do with secretly being a Brit at heart). While I'm down for tea service year-round, I especially love it during the holiday season; there's nothing better than a lovely and relaxing afternoon spent with your girlfriends indulging in everything sparkly, twinkly, girly, and delicious. This year, Ashley, a ..read more