Dinner Date

There’s no use burying the lead: Michael Jordan’s Steakhouse may be the most-impressive athlete-owned restaurant concept in the country. Elway. Arnie. Ditka. Brett Favre. They’re gold-jacket legends, one and all, but not a single one would make my list of hall-of-fame restaurateurs. When, after all, was the last time you ate at a restaurant with

Believe it or not, it was the spuds that made my knees buckle. A full When Harry Met Sally reaction. Raised eyebrows. Dramatic head twirls. And more purring from my side of the table than you’ll hear during a Broadway performance of the musical Cats. Serve me a really tasty tater, and I’m putty in

One evening, many Thanksgivings ago, my great Uncle Nick pulled me aside and dispensed one of the most valuable pieces of drunken advice I’ve ever received. Never, he said, eat a sit-down meal anywhere that you can pump gas, rent bowling shoes, or play 18 holes of golf. Smart man, my Uncle Nick. Turned out

Situated in the center of downtown Evanston, LeTour is a jewel in the crown of North Shore dining options. A collaboration between longtime Evanston resident and restaurateur Amy Morton and James Beard Award-winning chef Debbie Gold, the brasserie shifts from the steak focus of Morton’s restaurant-family legacy to a lighter, Moroccan-accented menu in an effervescent

In the restaurant world, there is one inviolable commandment: Never, ever—under any godforsaken circumstance—utter the phrase “passion project.” It’s a sure-fire jinx. An instant karma killer. You might as well stroll under a giant ladder, a broken mirror cracking underfoot, while you pet a black cat. When seasoned industry folks hear that phrase, their thoughts

Imagine, for a moment, that the Fates—pushy little deities that they are—somehow persuaded you to take a totally different career path. Let’s say that you, wholly ignoring common sense and financial prudence, decided you were born to cook and run restaurants for a living. And, by some miracle, you defied the odds and hit it