by Steve Dolinsky |

When Justin Kaufmann asked me back in 2009 to become a part of Vocalo.org, I was flattered. He and I had worked together off and on for more than a decade at WBEZ. While I hadn't been contributing to the radio station anymore, I thought it was a perfect way to get back into the world of blogging for an audience I adore. After 18 months of five-day-a-week posts, I've decided that it's time for a change. I'll be taking the summer off, recharging a bit, and will come back after Labor Day with a completely overhauled stevedolinsky.com website. I want to thank Justin, Steve Edwards and Torey Malatia for once again believing in my work, and giving me this great forum for writing, podcasting, video sharing and schmoozing...


by Steve Dolinsky |

One of the city's largest childhood hunger relief efforts is gearing up for another big-time fundraiser. Since 1988, Taste of the Nation has raised nearly $3 million in Chicago, and will continue that effort August 10th. Hoping to avoid a sweat-drenched swelter-fest like last year's event at The Aragon, Mindy Segal and Co. have arranged to hold this year's event in the spacious Navy Pier Ballroom. It has already attracted some of the biggest names in town, such as Girl & the Goat, Green Zebra, Paris Club, Vie, The Bedford, Sprout and The Bristol.

"Chicago is known for its vibrant restaurant and bar scene, but even more so, it's known for its residents' generosity and commitment to helping important causes," said R.J. Melman, Co-Chair of the event. In addition to live entertainment and a silent auction, there will also be some cool VIP experiences and a chef's after party.

Tickets are $95, VIPs are...


by Steve Dolinsky |

I'll let the video do all of the explaining here. Hopefully you've already seen my "Something You Should Eat" post from earlier today, in order for this to make sense and to fully appreciate it.


by Steve Dolinsky |

I've really had a thing for Swedish food lately (yesterday's post made that pretty obvious), and it can't be because I'm working my way through the Stieg Larsson trilogy (just saw the preview for the English language version of "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo" the other night, starring Daniel Craig - if you haven't seen the original Swedish version, rent it). No, it's probably because I come from a long line of herring lovers. My grandfather, Sam, was from Russia/Poland (depending on where the borders were in 1910) and my father always told me he would keep a herring in the ice box at home, slice off a hunk when he felt like it, and then smoked a cigarette. It took me years to get over the funk, but after I became acutely aware of the joy of pickled products, I have now embraced herring of all kinds - matjes, mustard, creamed - and love it with nothing more than some hard, firm toast, or knäckebröd.

But the other source of my recent...


by Steve Dolinsky |

Summer might officially begin June 21, but the longest days of the year in Sweden are truly celebrated during the weekend after the solstice - this year, June 24 - 26. The days are incredibly long - the sun barely goes down around midnight - so locals celebrate with lots of schnapps and pickled herring. Revelers party until the wee hours each night, while most families will leave the city and escape to their country homes. In Stockholm, locals celebrate by raising a traditional Maypole, then dancing around it while singing folk tunes. They've been partying like this since 1892, and it's quite a site to behold.

I filed a brief report about Midsummer for P.R.I.'s "The World" last Friday, but thought I would shoot some extra video and share some of my photo album with you. We packed a ton of eating in, of course, and so I tried to take notes where appropriate. Among the many other things I've fallen hard for (besides the...


by Steve Dolinsky |

Rain or shine, summer has finally arrived in Chicago. What better way to celebrate than with ice cream, barbeque and booze?

Get the Scoop at David Burke's Primehouse

Kick your weekend off to a sweet start and chill out this summer at David Burke's Primehouse where every Friday in June, the ...


by Steve Dolinsky |

gluten free banana bread

This time of year is just murder on people with special requests, allergies and gluten-intolerance.  There are backyard barbecues, graduation lunches and wedding showers, not to mention menus full of pasta, starch and flour.  Whenever I do stories on ABC about GF-friendly places in town, we get a huge response, and this post from the winter drew a lot of good comments, so I figured this week was as good as any to feature some of my favorite gluten-free options in the area and re-run this Top 5.

1. Da Luciano (8343 W. Grand Ave., River Grove; 708-453-1000)

Everything is made from scratch here - including the bread and pasta - using all kinds of difficult-to-source flours that are gluten-free.

2. Rose's Wheat Free Bakery (2901 Central Ave., Evanston; 847-...


by Steve Dolinsky |

I've been getting a lot of email requests lately, asking how people can throw their own pig roast. I just realized with July 4th weekend ahead, everyone wants to have their own "Pig & Pinot" party like I've been doing the past five years. Your prayers are answered today, loyal reader. Just don't tell my mother that I'm dispensing this kind of advice. She didn't raise her boy to cook trayf - at least that wasn't her intention.

You can find pig roasting boxes at www.lacajachina.com

Recipe for a back-alley pig roast:

I recommend brining the pig for at least a day or two.  You can do this in a large Coleman cooler (150 qt).  For every gallon of water you will need:

  • 1 cup salt
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp black peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp cumin seed
  • 2 bay leaves

For a 60 pound pig, it...


Steve Dolinsky

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