Illinois

Smoke has more than one personality in Joliet. Around the city, barbecue can mean saucy rib tips piled…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 15

A platter of golden fried chicken can make an old highway detour feel like the smartest decision of…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 15

The sound of fish hitting hot oil is a pretty good promise that dinner is headed in the…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 14

Choosing a cupcake gets complicated fast at Jennivee’s Bakery and Cafe in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood. With more than…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 14

Chicago looks completely different when you explore it from the water’s edge. The Chicago Riverwalk stretches through the…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 13

Saturday morning feels full of possibility when everyone piles into the car with somewhere new on the map.…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 13

The Mississippi seems to set the pace in Nauvoo, where wide river views and quiet streets make hurrying…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 13

Coming face-to-face with a dinosaur skeleton has a way of making millions of years suddenly feel much closer.…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 12

A glass case lined with glossy truffles has a way of making an ordinary afternoon feel suddenly celebratory.…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 12

Smoke reaches your nose before a rack of ribs ever reaches the table at 17th Street Barbecue in…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 12

The first basket of warm chips may disappear quickly, but at Illinois’ standout Mexican restaurants, it is only…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 11

Arriving with a shopping list at Montana Charlie’s in Bolingbrook might be missing the point. This sprawling flea…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 11

Nearly a century of dinners has given Old Luxemburg Inn the kind of character a brand-new restaurant cannot…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 10

A cheese counter gets much more interesting when choosing a wedge starts with a sample instead of a…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 10

The smell of fresh rye bread can tell you plenty about Forest View Bakery before you even reach…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 10

The smell of cider doughnuts hitting the fryer can make an orchard parking lot feel like the official…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 9

Butter-slicked pierogies, steaming bowls of soup, and plates built for serious appetites set the tone at Staropolska Restaurant…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 9

A homemade slice of pie tastes even better when it comes with three decades of small-town tradition. At…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 9

A plate of pierogies sizzling beneath butter and onions does not need much explaining once it reaches the…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 8

Comfortable shoes are practically a requirement when shopping at Chicago Premium Outlets in Aurora. This enormous open-air destination…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 8

The first apple pulled straight from a tree has a snap that grocery-store fruit rarely matches. As Illinois…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 7

Bison moving through tall prairie grass create a scene that seems almost impossible to find in modern Illinois.…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 7

A boardwalk through Boger Bog Conservation Area puts your feet just above a landscape that feels completely different…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 6

Follow a wooded path at Beaver Dam State Park and the modern world begins to disappear behind the…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 6

Sometimes the best pairing on a winery menu is not cheese or chocolate, but the landscape beyond your…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 6

Flaky pastry gives way to a savory filling, and suddenly an ordinary coffee run has become lunch. Cafe…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 5

Crack open a crawfish shell, drag a piece of bread through spicy sauce, and suddenly dinner in Illinois…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 5

The hiss of hash browns on the griddle is a pretty good welcome after an early drive to…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 5

The first crunch tells you exactly what kind of pizza night you’re having at Quonset Pizza in Waukegan.…

By Abigail Cox · Sep 4